Evaluation

Question 1.




 

 Question 2.




Question 3.

Our institutional logo is Techview productions. It relates to our genre because of the typography, the theme and the colour. 

Our film is a psychological thriller. It is an independent film as we have a low budget; it is also set in the UK. It is conventional for independent film companies to specialise in one film genre for example bbc films often specialize and focus on dramas, which ours does and we specialize in thrillers. 

We would promote our film through social media and file sharing websites such as YouTube, twitter and Facebook. 

For example we will create a twitter account where the directors will be able to answer any questions and will be able to tell fans whats to come and what to look out for. We will make a facebook page where people are able to take part in a competition to win 2 free tickets to watch ‘Loss of Faith’ We will also promote our film by posting the opening sequence on Vimeo.com. This will allow anyone to access our opening sequence and once they’ve watched it, will allow them to have a choice whether they would want to watch the whole film or not. We would show our film at the London festival, which will generate interest and gain publicity. On the release date we will do a global viewing of the film while its playing in cinema, we will give people the choice to pay £5 and watch it online while having a online group chat about it. This relates to the theme of the film as it’s all about technology and online relationships

Question 4&5.

Question 6.





Question 7.

Looking back to my preliminary task I feel I have learnt so much from then to the full product. Firstly I learned a lot about editing. I now know and recognise certain continuity editing techniques such as match on action and shot reverse shot.

We used variety continuity techniques throughout our opening sequence continuity techniques are used to create meaning and the passage of time and space. So for example we used match on action, following the protagonist on her journey home seeing her walk home.

Tracking the protagonist on her way home in my opening sequence.

We also used a reaction shot at the end of the sequence showing the protagonists reaction from what the antagonist says to her over the Internet. This then leaves the sequence at a cliff-hanger creating tension.

Protagonists reaction in my opening sequence.

I’ve also learnt a lot about cinematography. For example in the preliminary task I didn’t know about all the different movements and focuses, which made the quality in the preliminary task very low, compared to now.

Preliminary task

Preliminary task

We used a variety of shots and movements such as tracking, close ups, long shots and midshots throughout the sequence whereas in the preliminary task we just used a limited amount of shots and hardly any movement.

Opening sequence

Opening sequence

Opening sequence

When it came to sound we only used diagetic sound such as dialogue in our preliminary task. Whereas in the final product we have used non-diagetic sound as there is a piece of music playing throughout the whole sequence. The use of this creates a very ominous feeling. We haven't used any diagetic sound as everything that is said is said through online chat, which we showed through editing with the typography added.

Typography for Opening sequence

A main improvement I think is the use of mise en scene for example in the preliminary task we had a limited space and setting due to the fact we couldn’t leave the school,

Preliminary task

whereas in this final product we could choose anywhere to go. So we decided to go to my house to film. My house has high key lighting, which made the filming look professional and clear for the audience. Whereas the lighting in the school during our preliminary task was very low key and made the shots look quite blurry.

lighting in preliminary task

lighting in opening sequence

The costume also improved a lot as we had time to find costume and plan what we would make the cast wear to suit the theme and character. We had the protagonist wear Nike trainers and a skirt, which is what a lot of young teenagers wear these days. Then we had the antagonist in a hoodie. But with the preliminary task we just had the actors in the clothes they were originally wearing that day, this was a problem as the audience were unable to really identify different character types as we didn’t consider costume that day.  Lastly we used more advanced technology. While filming the preliminary task we used a flip cam while for our full product we used an DVHD camera and a tripod which helped the lighting and secured the camera as it wasn’t hand held. We then used after effects to edit the video whereas in the preliminary task we only used imovie. Lastly during our preliminary task we had no titles throughout our clip whereas with our final product as it was an opening sequence we used additional software like after effects to make titles.

Evaluation Outline.

01.Throughout our opening sequence for ‘Loss of Faith’ we used a variety of conventions. We mostly developed conventions. One convention that is developed is the fact out protagonist is a female while our antagonist is a male, which is quite common in thrillers. For example in silence of the lambs the antagonist is a dominant male while the protagonist is female. Our main convention that we used in our thriller is suspense as it is left with a suspenseful cliff-hanger at the end. This is conventional in a thriller. For example in inception the film is left with us wondering whether the protagonist is in a dream or not. Another convention we used was voyeurism, which is in one of the scenes where the protagonist is walking and the camera is tracking behind her, which gives the audience the idea that someone is watching her. Which is also the use of a red herring as it gives off a false impression that she is being followed. Red herrings are a significant convention in Thrillers. Another convention we used was mind games. As the antagonist asks the protagonist how her shower was without being told she was having a shower, which plays with her mind and keeps the audience intrigued. The final convention we developed was the Location and Setting as we used a realistic location, which made the film more relatable. We also challenged some conventions, for example in most thrillers they use low-key lighting to create enigma. But challenged this convention by using high key lighting throughout the opening sequence. Later on in our film, our protagonist dies. This is challenging conventions of a Thriller, as it is unconventional in a Hollywood film. Lastly for the thriller the dialogue was all shown through messages which was placed round the screen showing us what the characters are saying to each other. This challenges conventions as in most technological thrillers it shows the screen of the computer/laptop whereas we didn’t show the screen once. This also challenged conventions as we used bright colours for the text whereas conventualy in a thriller the text is usually white or a neutral colour.

2. Our film has two main characters one being the antagonist who is a 17-year-old student called Faith Mouni who is played by Eleni. She is a white female which is quite stereotypical for a protagonist. We also have the antagonist who is a 35-year-old white male named Carl who is played by Alex Davies. We represented Faith through the use of costume as we dressed her in youthful clothes. A skirt, Nike trainers and a school bag. The use of props also represented her as a young female as she was carrying schoolbooks and was wearing a student card showing the audience that she is a student. Carl is represented as an antagonist through the use of micro elements for example the use of low key lighting in his sinister setting which is a dim lit room with a laptop. The use of his facial expressions shows he is quite strange and foreshadows his character. The use of his hooded top makes him more hidden mysterious to the audience.

One social group we represented was females. Our protagonist is a female and we have represented her as inferior and passive through the microelements. For example through costume we have dressed her in youthful clothes such as the Nike trainers. We have also represented her as alone through the cinematography where we have used high angle shots to make her seem powerless. She also seems isolated, as she is in the frame alone throughout the opening sequence. Another social group we have represented is males, through our antagonist as he is a dominant male. He is seen as sinister through the use of low-key lighting, which is in contrast to the rest of the film as its all shot in high-key lighting. He is also represented as deceitful through the use of costume as he is in a hoodie, which shows he is in disguise to the audience and trying to make himself look younger then he actually is. Another social group we have represented is age. For example we have represented our protagonist as a young female through microelements such as props for example her college books and her student card showing she is a student. She is also represented as young through her performance as she walks in a vulnerable state. Another social group was the representation of adult males. Through our antagonist. Although he was an older character we used microelements to deceive the victim and the audience into thinking he was younger. We represented him as younger through his costume; we put him in a hoodie, which is a very common piece of clothing for a young youthful male. Also the fact that he is on a instant messaging service which is something that we associate with teenagers represents him as younger. The last social group we represented was ethnicity through our white protagonist. Which is a stereotypical convention for a thriller.

3. Our institutional logo relates to our genre because of the typography, the theme and the colour. It says Techview productions. Our film is a psychological thriller. It is an independent film as we have a low budget; it is also set in the UK. It is conventional for independent film companies to specialise in one film genre, which ours does and we specialise in thrillers. We would promote our film through social media and file sharing websites such as YouTube, twitter and Facebook. For example the directors will be on the twitter account answering any questions and telling fans whats to come and what to look out for. We will make a facebook page where people are able to take part in a competition to win 2 free tickets to watch ‘Loss of Faith’ We will also promote our film by posting the opening sequence on Vimeo.com. This will allow anyone to access our opening sequence and once they’ve watched it, will allow them to have a choice whether they would want to watch the whole film or not. We would show our film at the London festival, which will generate interest and gain publicity. On the release date we will do a global viewing of the film while its playing in cinema, we will give people the choice to pay £5 and watch it online while having a online group chat about it. This relates to the theme of the film as it’s all about technology and online relationships.

4. Our film has a niche audience due to the fact it is an independent film. Although the film could eventually become mainstream as it sends out a very significant message that many people could relate to. Our target audience for this film is 13-20 year old females as its more likely for females to relate to this as they are more interested in the online dating experience. We don’t have a set ethnicity for this film, as the situation wouldn’t affect a certain ethnicity it just depends all on the type of person you are and whether you choose to socialise online with people you haven’t met. Although we weren’t aiming this film at a certain ethnicity, both our characters are white so because of that our target audience for ethnicity could be 13-20 year olds of white ethnicity. Our protagonist in this film is white. This film is targeted at 13-20 year olds who like to socialise online and use online social networks such as facebook, twitter and others. It’s also aimed at students at college or 6form, as our protagonist is a student. And also people who like to watch thrillers.

5.Our film has a similar theme to trust and catfish, these films both are about being misguided by someone they meet online then eventually meet them realising they are not who they said they were. Both these films were successful. They started off with a niche audience but eventually became mainstream because the effective message it give off to the audience. Our film is still very original, as we have used a complete different setting to both these films. We decided to start our film off in a forest like setting to create a bit of tension and enigma codes for the audience. We used props like a school bag, a college pass and books to show the audience our protagonist is a young college student. For our antagonist we used specific costume such as a hoodie, which suggests he’s covered up and anonymous. When we first pitched our idea we was never going to show the antagonist in the opening sequence but due to feedback everyone suggested we should show the antagonist in some way even if we didn’t give away his full identity. So we got some shots of him typing and some over the shoulder shots.

6. Throughout this media project we have used a variety of technologies. Firstly at the very beginning we were introduced to Blogger and Wix, which are online. At first these websites were confusing and challenging but the more we used them the more we understood. We used these at the first stage of our project when we were researching and thinking of ideas. These websites were very helpful as it is easy for teachers to view our work and mark it without us having to hand in anything by hand. The wix site was very helpful for working in a group as all members of the group could access it and make changes at any point.

Once we had planned everything it was then time to start shooting. For this we had to use hardware such as a tripod a camera and also a light box. Through using the camera I learned how to import footage onto the Mac. The light box took us a couple tries to figure out how to use it properly.

Once we had got all our footage we then had to start using software such as after effects and final cut. We used final cut to order all our shots and cut anything we didn't need. This was one of the most challenging and time-consuming parts of this project. Once we had the film the way we wanted it we then used after effects to add in our logo and put in text such as characters names etc. We had a few problems with this software as the text kept disappearing at first and we had to keep re adding it all.

7. Looking back to my preliminary task I feel I have learnt so much from then to the full product. Firstly I learned a lot about editing. I now know and recognise certain continuity editing techniques such as match on action and shot reverse shot. We used variety continuity techniques throughout our opening sequence continuity techniques are used to create meaning and the passage of time and space. So for example we used match on action, following the protagonist on her journey home seeing her walk home. We also used a reaction shot at the end of the sequence showing the protagonists reaction from what the antagonist says to her over the Internet. This then leaves the sequence at a cliff-hanger creating tension. I’ve also learnt a lot about cinematography. For example in the preliminary task I didn’t know about all the different movements and focuses, compared to now. We used a variety of shots and movements such as tracking, close ups, long shots and midshots throughout the sequence whereas in the preliminary task we just used a limited amount of shots and hardly any movement. When it came to sound we only used diagetic sound such as dialogue in our preliminary task. Whereas in the final product we have used non-diagetic sound as there is a piece of music playing throughout the whole sequence. The use of this creates a very ominous feeling. We haven't used any diagetic sound as everything that is said is said through online chat, which we showed through editing with the typography added.

A main improvement I think is the use of mise en scene for example in the preliminary task we had a limited space and setting due to the fact we couldn’t leave the school whereas in this final product we could choose anywhere to go. So we decided to go to my house to film. My house has high key lighting, which made the filming look professional and clear for the audience. Whereas the lighting in the school during our preliminary task was very low key and made the shots look quite blurry. The costume also improved a lot as we had time to find costume and plan what we would make the cast wear to suit the theme and character. We had the protagonist wear Nike trainers and a skirt, which is what a lot of young teenagers wear these days. Then we had the antagonist in a hoodie. But with the preliminary task we just had the actors in the clothes they were originally wearing that day. Lastly we used more advanced technology. While filming the preliminary task we used a flip cam while for our full product we used an SLR camera and a tripod which helped the lighting and secured the camera as it wasn’t hand held. We then used after effects to edit the video whereas in the preliminary task we only used imovie.