Dylan's Evaluation

QUESTION 1 OF EVALUATION
In our opening sequence I have selected a few images that show how our opening sequence has certain things in common with real products that have worked well.
Firstly here is a image of the title:
Our title isn’t really like other titles I in comparison to the films we have researched. The reason for this is that we didn’t want to copy other films, instead we decided to do this to suit our opening sequence and have a unique title.

Here are two images of the main location (bottom picture) and the one of the additional locations (top picture). The top picture is an image of where the exchange of money takes place. The location is almost like a back room that doesn’t get used that often with basic furniture. The reason we choose a room like this was you see it in most films that when something dodgy or something wrong is happening its not in a place where many people go. However we decided that we would make it our own by having it in a bad attempt of an office to keep in theme with the small time drug lord trying to act like a big show. The bottom picture shows the backstreet where the chase scene takes place. It shows the typical English, rock walls, the redbrick walls of the terraced houses backyard and the wheel bins. This was done in keeping with the British film and we thought that the snow added to our chase scene because its not extremely common for a film in England to have snow, this is more seen in a Christmas film or a film that done in a cold climate.
Throughout our opening sequence we mainly used continuity editing because this is what most films used and it always works well. As well as this, continuity editing works because it follows the plot/storyline in chorological order. However, we added something different to ours by stopping time and replaying bits of the opening sequence in black and white. We used this because it adds something different that not many films tend to do. Also it keeps the view interested because we had the main character say ‘so how did it all go wrong’ and used the rewind. Which also lead to unanswered questions. This would also be seen as a special effect, and these aren’t usually common in British films which made ours that bit more different. We new this was important because with new different things being used and introduced in our opening sequence, our product was different, therefore more likely to be popular.
Our characters are quite similar to what you would see in other films. For example one of the henchmen (Cameron - red jacket) fit’s the look of an east European which is commonly used by other films that the henchmen are big strong east Europeans. The reason we done this was that we knew these type of characters are popular and work well. The other ones look more like the typical English thug in tracksuits, jeans and trainers. Again we done this because it usually works well, as well as we wanted them to fit the location of where they were from.


QUESTION 2 OF EVALUATION
In our opening sequence we have two different types of social groups portrayed in it.
Firstly, we have a typical henchman. With this henchman we have followed what most films do and have him looking east European. This works very well because they look intimidating, strong and unnerving. As well as this the character is male because it’s highly unlike to have female henchmen. To make him look and fit the part of an east European we have him dressed in a unusual colored jacket and a grey beanie hat. In addition to this while he is stood in the room watching the money be handed over to the boss we see him stood with an aggressive, arms crossed pose which works very good. His facial expression is blank which makes him look as if he has no emotion and again adds to his unnerving character.
Secondly, we have the villain. This is the boss in the opening sequence. With this character we decided not to go with the usual way that other films portray the villain. Instead we decided that we would add our own twist onto him. Because he was a small time drug lord who thought he was big time, we decided to dress him in jeans, casual trainers and a sports jacket. This actual works with him because it shows the audience how he’s just a small timer who thinks he’s big. In one scene we gave him a cricket bat which empathizes how he isn’t what he thinks he is, because he makes out that he’s a ‘gangster’ but really he’s a no body acting like one. Throughout the opening sequence we see he seems to have a angry snarl look to him, almost like a pit-bull which shows how angry and dangerous he can be.
Finally, we have the hero. However our hero is more an anti-hero who wants to do good things but always goes the wrong way about it. His facial expressions change throughout ranging from nervous, blank and scared. But these are also quite similar showing how he’s kind of wimpy. His clothing is a dark colour instead of the usual light, bright colours of a hero, which adds to his anti-hero character.
Over all I think our characters do match some social groups, however our characters are different and have their own personality which makes our opening sequence/film different and unique to others.


Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
After researching many possibilities of which film company’s/ media institutions would distribute our product, we decided that, Summit Entertainment L.L.C., would be the most suitable film company to produce our product. Summit Entertainment L.L.C. (formerly Summit Entertainment LP) is an independent American film studio headquartered in Universal City, California with international offices in London.
Firstly, one of the main reason we choose this film company to distribute our product is that we made a British product and Summit Entertainment has been very successful with films and made a great profit with most of them. As well as this it has already distributed a very successful British film, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which was also a film that we have looked at lots during the planning, research and development of our own opening sequence.
The purpose of a film company is to develop and physically produce a media product. They sometimes have to raise funds as well as fund the whole production itself. However they also receive a big profits in return for there work. Its also the companies responsibility to advertise the product, use good quality programs and film the production at a high quality in order for it to be successful Because if this all is not successful the company will not make any profit therefore it will be a flop. But if they do the advertising well and use good quality programs and film the production correct to the viewers satisfaction it will be very successful, thus very profitable. Summit Entertainment have a good history with producing very successful films and that is one of the reason why we choose it.


Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?
Here is a picture of the typical audience that we believed would watch our media product.
We decided that it would most likely be a male who would watch our media product. However, some women may watch it because it isn’t just a action film, but a hybrid that has thriller and crime genre too. But overall we decide that males would be biggest audience of our media product simply because its more common for men to watch action films. As well as this we decided it would most likely be a British audience that would watch this product because it was filmed and based in England. But again its not just British but also Americans and Europeans would possibly watch this media product.
We also decided that the most likely age of our audience would be teenagers (15+) right up to middle-aged men. The reason for this is that this age group appreciate what happens typically in action films and enjoy what they see in this genre of media product. The usual things we imagine they would like to see in a action genre is; stunts, fighting, explosions, sex, drugs, crime, car scenes, chase scene and violence etc. And because our media product has already some of these in the opening sequence we believe this type of audience would watch it.
In addition, we imagine this type of audience would consume quite a lot of similar media products. Similar films we think they would watch could be; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Lethal Weapon (s), Snatch, James Bond, Attack Force, Transporter (s), Revolver etc.
Finally this type of audience is most definitely a mainstream audience because of there age and because they watch all mainstream films. Therefore they are a very good audience to target because mainstream films do tend to be extremely popular with people and they also have large gross profits which make this a desirable audience.

Question 5: How did you attract/ address your audience?
There was several ways throughout the opening sequence that we attracted and addressed our audience.
Firstly, we made our opening sequence run chronologically so that the audience could understand what was happening and to keep them with the storyline. But we also changed this by rewinding everything back before the opening sequence to a early day. This actually works well for the audience because it now starts the story off before the events that they have watch, but at a point where if it was a film everything would run in a chronological order and eventually re-watch the opening sequence.
This also helps create lots of enigmas for the audience which attracts them and makes them want to watch more. There are many enigmas running through the opening sequence such as, Why did he borrow the money?, What happens to the main character, does he get hit or not? Etc. Enigmas appeal a lot to audiences because that one of the reason they carry on watching films.
Another feature that we used in our opening sequence was the use of a voice over. The voice over helps the audience understand what is happening during the opening sequence and makes sure they do not get lost.
We also used different types of editing. Throughout we used continuity editing with different transitions (fade) and effects (the black and white effect and the rewind effect) in our opening sequence. This worked very well to attract the audience because it makes the opening sequence more exciting and adds something different it all so its not repetitive and boring.
In addition to this also we used some ‘binary opposition’ with the main protagonist character and the boss with he’s henchmen. This worked extremely well for the audience because conflict is one of the main themes running through our opening sequence as well as action genre films which attracts a large audience. The conflict also attracts the audience because it interreges them and again keeps them watching.


Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have used technology throughout the research, creating the product, gathering feedback and the evaluation of my opening sequence.
During the research stage of the opening sequence I used the Internet and Youtube to assist me with it. The internet proved very useful for finding out information about films, directors, genres, etc. And Youtube was useful for analysing videos.
Technology played a very big role in the creating of the product. Throughout the creation process I used Apple software which allowed me to add video footage from the camera to the computer, embed video clips from the computer onto the Blogspot website. I also used the software to create the product by, uploading the clips editing the clips, applying effects etc.
The way technology helped me to gather feedback for my product was by uploading the footage onto youtube where I had people watch it write down and tell me what they thought about it. This way to gather feedback was easy yet very effective. It allowed many people to view the footage and write their thoughts about it so that I could then use that and upload it all onto my blog on the internet.
Overall I think that all the technologies I used were extremely helpful for me to achieve what I wanted and to assist me in everything I needed. I also learnt that without technology I wouldn’t be able to create the media product I have made to the same standard.


Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
Looking back at the preliminary task we created at the beginning of the project I personally feel I have improved dramatically with my understanding of media language, all the elements of media and using new equipment and technology that at the beginning of it all I had no idea how to use.
In the preliminary task we used very basic shots such as long shot, medium shot, close up and 180 degree rule. As well as this the preliminary task didn’t have any effects or anything very interesting. It was a very basic video with some rough shots.
On the other hand looking at the final opening sequence I would say my understanding of everything involved has impressed very much. With this there is a story being told and easily followed, the music fit’s the footage more and adds to the atmosphere. It also has completely new shots and angles such as POV shot, low angle shots etc. The layout of everything is much more interesting too, with titles at certain points in the video and the smooth continuity editing that’s makes everything flow so well. In the preliminary task the characters weren’t really established good, where in the opening sequence it was easy to make out who was the protagonist character, the hero and the villain.
Overall I am extremely pleased with the final out come we have created. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process it took to make it and I do believe it was made to the highest standard possible. The key strengths of the final product would be the shot and angles used, the story being told and the enigmas that are created throughout. Its hard to find any weaknesses but if I had to say anything I would say the only weakness it had was

Nicks evaluation

Q1

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Question 2

Q3.The kind of institute that would distribute my film is Summit Entertainment. I think this because it has made similar films to mine including 'Lock stock and Two smoking Barrels'. However the main reason why I have chosen this institute is because it had made alot of other action films Mr and Mrs Smith and Never Back Down. Having watched these two films my self I know that the action scenes in them are very impressive and realistic, something we hope ours would be like if made.
One other reason this company has been chosen is because the film the film which is most similar to ours ' Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels made a big profit.Therefore I could rely on the film company to make my film money and to be a success.
Summit entertainment is an American company which was founded in the early 1990's. And was officially launched in 1960.
If we were to put our film into real life production then we would have concentrated most of our sales to the UK. This is because it is a British based film and we would have used British actors in the film. However if we were going to focus to sell the film in the USA then we would have used an American location and American actors.
Summit Entertainment would be interested in our film because it has all the ingredients, including a simple but interesting story line and the surprising rewind feature in the film which makes it stand out from other films, for a successful British action film.


Q4. My target audience age is from about fourteen up to 40 years old. There ethnicity or nationality does not matter a huge deal. However more white people may want to watch this film more because they are white actors. Also with their nationality people from The UK may want to watch it because it is based in Britain. The socio economic state of the audience does not really matter either, as long as they can afford to go and pay to see the film. The audience generally has to be interested in chase scenes or any kind of action films, especially British action films. A director that my target audience would be interested in would be Guy Ritchie.
Personally I think this is a good audience to target. I think this because it covers a wide range of people, which in turn gives the film a much better chance of making alot of money and been successful.
A secondary target audience could be people who are interested in crime thrillers. From our audience feedback it showed me that our film was very successful with the people who fulfilled the target audience.

Q5.One way in which attracted the audience to our film was by use the title redemption. The word redemption means where someone has to do right for something that they have done wrong in the past. Therefore this will encourage the audience to find out what the character has done wrong in the first place and secondly will he redeem himself for what he has done wrong.

Another way in which I have attracted the audience to my film is by putting a twist on normal chronology. At the start of the film it starts of in a normal time set. However when the film is about half way through the film rewinds back to a scene which took place the day before. I have shown this rewind in a really simple way. By just simply rewinding the previous scene. I think that this effect is really good for two reasons. Firstly because it makes it seem like you are put into the characters shoes and you are thinking about everything that has previously happened. Secondly it shows the audience really clearly that the film has been reminded, therefore it is nice and easy for the audience to follow.

In my film there is a basic equilibrium and disruption. The equilibrium is that the lone shark wants his money back of a man who has borrowed some money of him. However the disruption is that the man who has borrowed the money of the lone shark takes some money of him and steals. Then the lone shark finds out. The equilibrium happens right at the end of the end of the film and the disruption happens at the start of the film. I have done this for two reasons. Firstly to make the film different from the the norm that a lot of other films follow. By not following the norm I may attract new audience to the film. Another reason why the equilibrium and disruption have been put in the wrong order is to try to build up suspense for the audience, to make them think what was his life was like before the disruption.

The use of chronology. My film is set over two days. One reason why I have done this is to make it seem more realistic, the three main events that happen in my film are when the man is told that he has to give the money back to the loan shark, the man steals some money of the loan shark and the man getting chased of the loan sharks hit men. And being realistic all three of these will not occur in one day. Therefore I have spread them out to make it more realistic.

In my film there is quite a few enigmas. They are will the man be alright after the loan shark and his hit men caught him. And will he ever get himself into another situation like this one again. These enigmas make the audience want to carry on watching the film. Or two watch a sequel to the film.

In my film I have built up a lot of tension and suspense. The part of the film where I have done this is the chase scene. The tension and suspense is created because the audience wants to know will the man get caught by the two hit men. In my film tension and suspense is very important. It is very important because of the genre that it is ,action. In an action film there has to be suspense and tension. This is what an action audience wants to see in the film they are watching.

An ideology that is created in my film is about gender. Both for the criminals and the victim I chose men to play these roles. I have chosen these this because it fits in with the gender role, that men are involved in crime and violence. If I was to put a woman as one of the criminals then it would have looked very weird for this film. And it would have not followed the dominant gender roles that my target audience will want to see.

The editing was probably the most important part of the practical project. In the editing process of the film I did a lot of things to make it more appealing. One thing I did was add music to the film. This firstly creates tension at the start because the music has a very slow beat. But, as the chase scene kicks in the musics beat and tempo becomes a lot faster. This creates tension and suspense. Another thing I did whilst editing was use the effect of rewinding. I have used this effect to clearly show that time is being rewound back. Another effect that I added was where the film is being rewound it goes black and white. This shows that is memory is very vivid. It also clearly sets it in another time sequence and avoids confusion. It also shows that this scene is set in the past.

In my film we used a lot of different camera shots. But I think the most important one I used was the P.O.V shot. I think this because it puts the audience into the characters shoes and draws them into the film.

Q6. One piece of technology that helped massively was the internet. On the internet I used several websites to help me the most were - you tube, blogger, imbd and wikipedia. Out of these websites the most useful was blogger. On this website I put my prelim task, all of my planning and all of my audience feedback and evaluation on to the blog. I also used you tube a lot to get clips of the film that were similar to mine. With these clips I uploaded them on to my blog and analysed them. During my planning and evaluation I used imbd alot. On this website I got alot of information on what money the films made and what film companies produced them.

During the process of making my film and editing it, I learned a lot including how to use the video camera and the editing software on the computers. One limitation with using the video camera was its battery life. For example, if you were going out on a long filming trip you would have to use your battery life carefully. However on way to get around this problem was to take a couple of spare batteries out with us. Another disadvantage was that the microphone on the camera would easily pick up any sound of the wind, or any other unwanted background noises. However one way to get around this problem was to move the camera to some where that is sheltered by the wind or to turn the microphone on the camera off. There was no massive disadvantages with the editing software. But if there had to be one than it would have been that it did not have big of enough choice of transition and sound effects to choose from.

When we were collecting our audience feedback we used technology. The type of technology we used was a video camera to record people discussing our film. I think that this helped me massivley. Firstly because it saved me from writing all of the answers.. And secondly you can look at the body language of the audience when they are answering the questions to see if they are genuine or not. However a disadvantage of using a camera whilst collecting the feedback was that they may feel under pressure and therefore not answer the questions truthfully.

Q7. When I look back to my prelim task, then watch my final product I can see a huge difference between the two .

One of the things that is very noticeable between is the camera shots. In my prelim task I used only basic shots, such as a tracking. However looking at my final product I have used alot more difficult and complex shots, such as the P.O.V. shot of the hero running. This makes it more exciting to watch.

Another thing which I did much better in my final product than in my prelim task was that it told a much more detailed story. This was because of two reasons. One reason was because a lot more time and effort was spent researching and storyboarding the final product. And secondly because a lot more time was spent making the product and crafting the shots together.

One other thing that I noticed when I watched the two videos was the smoothness of transition between the scenes. I think this is because by the time we came to use the editing software for the film we were a lot more experienced on it and were able to make it flow at a better pace.

Another way in which my final task is better than my prelim task is because of the improvements of character and their props. In the prelim task we just used random people to play the roles. However in the final project we carefully selected our characters to fit the roles that they were playing. This will improve the realism of the film massively. In the prelim task there was little if no props used but in the final project there was a lot of props used. This again adds a lot more credibility to the film and makes it seem more real life.

Conclusion.

My overall personal evaluation of my final product is that it was very good. It had a very interesting story line in it. I also feel that the characters fit their roles very well. Also the rewind effect in the film added something different to the film and made it stand out from other action films.I think that one weakness of the film was that we spelt the name Loan shark wrong when the mobile phone close up came on the screen.

Feedback

Can you just add a summary comment on your audience feedback - identify the key strengths and any weaknesses that have been picked up?

Mrs Doggart

Audience feedback

For our audience survey we had nine questions to ask people about are film. So what I did was showed my film to my form and then handed them each a copy of the questions. Overall there was seventeen people who answered the questions. I haven read through each answer to the each question and I have created an answer to the questions from this data.

1. The genre of the film was British action.

2. The main actors in the short film were Paddy, Alex and Cameron.

3. Details that made the actors names clear were the names on the screen and voice overs.

4. In the sequence a young man has stolen some money of a dangerous Loan shark, the loan shark finds out that he has stolen some money and sends his two hench men after him. A chase occurs and the young man is caught. But when the young man is about to get hit in the head with a cricket bat he has a flashback. The scene then rewinds and shows when the Loan shark demands the money of him. This was fairly clear.

5. Nothing could have been done to make this clearer.

6. The things that would want me to carry on watching the film are the violence, action and most of all if the young man survives the blow to the head by the cricket bat.

7. The pace of the sequence felt right to me because it built up tension.

8. The film works really well with the film because it built up tension and made the film very dramatic.

9. The shots in the film are very interesting I thought. I thought this because a lot of different angles were used that made you feel like you were actually part of the scene.

Feedback

You need to clearly label your feedback section Audience Feedback to distinguish it from mine. You also need to introduce the section with a short description of how you are going to obtain feedback. You also need to get the rest of your feedback and summarise it on your blog ASAP!

Mrs Doggart

Audience Feedback

Video feedback:



Amy Cunningham feedback:





George Quigley feedback:

Final Project