Finished Film Opening

Here is my finished two minute film opening. There are still a few small things I can see that I would like to have changed if time had allowed; but overall I am pleased with the final product.

Evaluation - Audience Reception

I targeted a few individuals who fitted my target audience description: Young adults, mainly girls as the film is based around girls and their relationships with each other when under strain from more mature issues. I was interested to see the response towards the film and was plesantly surprised by the amount of interest. Factors such as my deliberate decision to avoid showing the protagonist's face were commented on with positivity; this encouraged and helped me to see how my film appears to others and to become familiar with parts of it that worked well and other weaker parts of it that I can improve on or not attempt again in the future.

I used a table to allow them to evaluate my film opening after allowing them to watch it. Below is each person who evaluated my film and their response from the table they filled in:


1. Olivia

2. Rachael

3. Shereen

Progression from my Preliminary Task

Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

When reflecting upon my Preliminary Task I see how far I have come in developing my camera skills, techniques and editing.

In my Preliminary task I only used one panning shot and the other shots were all static. In my two minute film opening I used a greater amount of moving shots to create a faster pace to certain parts of my piece.

With this shot from my preliminary task I use a panning shot to show Rachael walking all the way around the room. I feel that this shot in comparison with my other reasonably short shots is a little abnormal as it lasts for a fairly long time and created an awkward pause within the piece. If I had tracked her from a variety of different angles and maybe taken a close up of her face as she is walking I may have managed to convey a little more emotion into this piece.

In my two minute film opening I deliberately avoided showing my protagonist's face, however I used a variety of mid-shots and extreme close ups on different parts of her along with the use of voice to introduce her. I feel this is an improvement from the introduction of my characters in my preliminary task as we learn nothing about them or the tone of the situation from them from the filming or editing techniques used.

In my film opening I had a much shorter panning shot following the protagonist's feet. I feel as this shot was far shorter than my tracking shot in my preliminary task it created a much faster pace and was more effective as it would have ensured the audience attention was held. 

In my preliminary task I made the mistake of cutting from a mid-shot to an extreme close-up. This created an uneasy sensation and made the film feel disjoined and prevented it from flowing smoothly. In my two minute film opening I did use extreme close ups but I built up to them by using mid-shots and close-ups beforehand to made the transition more gradual. 

Throughout my filming I was aware that I needed to stick to the 180 degree rule and stay on one side of my character whilst filming at all times. This technique was something which I learned how to incorporate in my Preliminary Task and through practice it became second nature when filming my film opening. 

Evaluation- Attracting and Addressing an Audience

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my target audience I used a young female protagonist who represents a believable person whom my audience would be able to relate to. The issues running through my film are issues which young adults often have to face in some way or another and learn to overcome in their own ways. The journey that the protagonist finds herself on is one which involves themes such as searching for identity and acceptance- an issue which all teenagers have to deal with in some form or another whils they grow in the ever-changing world.

I would use social networking sites such as Youtube, Facebook alongside with Viral Marketing to distribute my product as these are formats which young people frequently use and share media with each other. I like the technique that 'The King's Speech' distributors used when they relied on word of mouth and the timings of the release of the film to enable people to see the film and encourage viewing through positive feedback to people whom they are involved with.

Evaluation - Distribution under a Media Institution

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

After my interview with Simon Egan (producer of 'The King's Speech), it became clear from him that finding a company to distribute your film is not too challenging if the script is likable.

'The King's Speech' recieved funding from the UK Film Council; now that has closed down I would approach the BFI, which now if the funding body for British films. Now that there are new regulations about tax breaks for British films, my film is desirable as it is set and made in the UK using British actors. I may also approach Bedlam Productions for help with funding and distributing my film because of their links with Momentum Pictures.

I name a conscious decision not to name any of the roles or people involved in my film as I felt it did not follow the conventions of a Drama film with more serious tones and themes.

Below is my full interview with Simon Egan who produced 'The King's Speech', we discussed points such as how a small production company such as Bedlam managed to gain the interest of a huge institution such as Momentum pictures, along with other distribution and production issues the film faced whilst being made.

Bedlam interview

Evaluation- Technologies

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Whilst producing my film opening I managed to learn a great deal of skills in regards to using equipment. These skills will prove themselves as invaluable to me when I am filming my next task in the future.

I have learned how to use a camera and to change simple functions on it such as the filming mode to suit the setting in which I am filming a particular scene. I also managed to become familiar with different filming techniques such as tracking shots and managed to incorporate them in my piece to keep it fast-moving and to create a sense of movement to the piece.

I have also become familiar with the use of a tripod and becoming aware of uneven surfaces whilst filming and how this can affect an image. I learned how to create a tracking shot effectively with the tripod by keeping the character within the shot and anticipating the movement of the character to keep her within the shot.

I also used the clapper board to help myself organise my shots for when I returned to them in the editing process.

I also became familiar with using a mac and the programs on it throughout my editing process. It proved fairly time-consuming at first, but once I had gotten used to certain techniques and learned some keyboard shortcuts it became much easier to edit and place my clips together in the correct sequence for my film.

I managed to learn how to cut and split clips on Final Cut Express along with using simple video and audio transitions and the layering feature. I also used more advanced features such as colour correction to make changes when the lighting in my shots was contrasting to a large degree. By using Final Cut I also learned how to import files from imovie which was extremely useful for me.

I used Livetype to create my opening credits and my production company name. This proved challenging at first but after watching tutorials to familiarise myself with the program it soon became second nature when using it.

By learning to use all these different technologies and programs I have ensured that my editing process will take less time in the future as I will already be familiar with the basic conventions that I will be using.

Evaluation - Target Audience

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my film would be predominantly young adults as there would be dark themes and tones to the film which would be unsuitable for young children or family viewing. Despite the fact that the film would be suitable for adults, I feel that the target audience should be young adults as they are more in touch with the issues shown in the film.

Here is a photograph showing an example of the sort of person my film is directed towards.

Their tastes would probably be fairly current is they are interested in films including current issues that the youth of today face. Watching TV dramas such as Skins and Waterloo Road and listening to current pop and r&b music such as Eminem and Lady Gaga. These different people and the media they produce all tackle issues facing teens such as drinking and drugs.