Evaluation Activity 9: Directors' Commentary

In this version of our final opening, we recorded and added a voice-over to explain some of the key features of our film and why we wanted to include them whilst also explaining the effect we thought the features gave to the overall film. 

Evaluation Activity 8: Targets for G324

Next year, we will be creating a trailer for a film. This will give us the ability to build on what we have learnt this year in terms of filming and editing in order to create a really effective trailer. I think it will be interesting to build upon the use of horror techniques, should we choose this genre, but also to try something new by creating a trailer for a completely different genre to see if we can apply similar techniques to add to the mood of the film. We will be able to use different stages of the film to put the trailer together, meaning we will have the opportunity to use different locations and different parts of the story to create the trailer, which we weren't able to do in our film this year as it focused on one event. Next year, we will be able to use our skills from this year to build upon what we will learn, in order to create an effective trailer for a film, highlighting upon cliches of films as well as making the trailer exciting to entice the audience.

If I were to do this year again, I would definitely do a few things differently. I would make sure we were more organised with our filming plan and more decisive about where we were going to film. We ended up filming in school due to not being able to find a time outside of school where we could all film. Having a plan earlier, would mean we would be prepared for any sudden changes we had to make. We also weren't very organised with a filming schedule. If our location had been different, we would have both been able to film the whole film, which could have meant some parts were different as we had differing opinions on how certain scenes were filmed. The different location might also have added further to the horror genre and made our film more effective as a horror film. I would also make sure we were filming scenes from all angles and changing the way we were filming so we would have extra shots to add to the film if we needed when editing. This is something we didn't really consider during the filming of our film and would've made it look much more professional as we could've done a lot with more footage.

In our next production, we will make sure to consider location and any kind of plans we need to make before starting to film as this will mean that we will be less stressed and less rushed to get it finished, enabling us to create the best trailer we can. Adding different angles and shots will also add to the trailer to make it look more effective and more like an actual trailer for a film. This will include using a good camera and tripod, as well as consider the use of equipment to enhance the sound quality of the dialogue, as well as possibly including our own music to avoid copyrighting. We are aiming, next year, to create an effective trailer that looks realistic and entices the audience, and so filming accurately with good quality sound and editing will allow us to do this. 

My personal targets are:

CAMERA - To use different angles and shoot the scene multiple times to increase the variety of footage we will have when editing.

EDITING - Make sure we use more techniques such as shot-reverse-shot to enhance our trailer, as well as completing more accurate and interesting cuts to add to the effect of the genre.

MISE EN SCENE - Think about how to enhance the genre through costume and makeup as well as consider which locations and props will be best suited to our trailer.

SOUND - Think more about how sound is recorded and how to enhance the quality of dialogue and music, as well as considering what mood it will create in relation to the genre of our trailer.

Evaluation Activity 7: Looking Back at our Preliminary Task

Looking back at our preliminary task, it is clear to see that we have learnt more and have evolved in our filming techniques. Before starting to film properly, we used a generic school camera which is of lower quality than the one we used for our actual film. We also didn't have as much time to film and plan our preliminary task, meaning it contained more impulse shots than our final film. Overall, I believe that we have grown through using the camera and through staging and retaking shots, as we have a better understanding of how to film and edit properly, whilst knowing we might need back-up shots to make our film look as professional as possible.

EDITING

In our preliminary task, we thought quite a lot about editing when setting up the shots, as there were certain requirements that we needed to include, such as match action and shot reverse shot, however it was trickier when it came to editing the footage on the computer. We completed these shots to an alright standard in comparison to how we used them in our final film, where they were edited together much better. We edited the shots as best we could to keep the video flowing well. In comparison, our final film was better cut together as we had got to grips with how to use Adobe Premiere Elements and how to cut at the right place for the film to keep flowing effectively. In our final film, we had a better idea of what we wanted to achieve and so were able to try different shot types to increase the pace and heighten the tension for the mood ad genre we wanted to portray. In our final film, we added in titles to make our film look more effective and professional. We didn't do this in our preliminary task as we did not think this was necessary, however we felt we needed to include them on our film as it would increase the realism for our opening two minutes, as if it were an actual film. Below are screenshots of our match action and shot reverse shot sequences in our preliminary task contrasted with similar shot types in our final film.

In our preliminary task, we didn't think about angles, so the match cutting is hard to see due to the camera being behind as I opened the door. The lighting was also quite dark, making it even harder to see how we edited the clips together. In contrast, we framed the match cut in our final film much more clearly with much better lighting so that it would be easier to see and look better overall, due to the cropping from a long shot to a close up.

In our preliminary task, we, again, didn't think about changing the angles to suggest things in the film such as prevalence. We cut these together quite well though didn't really think about how to make it look more advanced and professional as we did in our final film where we used shot reverse shot of two different locations to add tension and speed up the pace of the film. 

MES

As shown above, we didn't really think about the lighting in our preliminary task, which had a very yellow hue to it and made the video look less professional. We did this similarly in parts of our final film, specifically in the shots with Alex, which were darker than the other shots and could have possibly been filmed in a brighter light. In out preliminary task, we used one location around the school which limits our film to make it look less varied, which we could have ventured into with different locations and lightings. In our final film, we used lots of different locations around the school to add to our film and make it look more realistic. The varied locations gives a sense of atmosphere and highlights the location of the film to enable the audience to relate further to the film. In our preliminary task, we also didn't really think about props or costumes as we didn't plan it out as we did with our final film. In the final film, we thought more about how the characters were going to look within the location and within the plot, and what props were necessary to add to the plot and overall film.

CAMERA

Our camera shots were definitely framed and filmed better in our final film as we had a better camera and had learnt more about how to frame and plan shots effectively. We used long shots, medium shots, close-ups and over-the-shoulder shots in our final film, which contrasted the limited range of shots that we used in our preliminary task. 

One of our favourite shots in our final film is the one in the toilets. This is because we believe we framed this effectively with good lighting and match cutting as Harriet turned around. This shot is effective in comparison as the shots in our preliminary task were quite basic whereas this shot combines a range of features in one scene. 

SOUND

In our preliminary task, we didn't think much about music as we focused more on learning how to use Adobe Premiere Elements and on the shots themselves. The dialogue was also quite unrealistic and random as we didn't plan what we were going to say beforehand. This is contrasted in our final film as we planned the dialogue and thought carefully about how to add music and sound motifs to add tension to the film. We used two different music sequences in our final film as we thought this would highlight the specific moment that the music changes. The 'boom' sound motifs were also helpful in adding tension at specific moments. 

Evaluation Activity 6: Technologies

For our film, we used many types of technology, some of which we had never used before. In order to make our film look as effective as possible, we used different technologies to intensify what we wanted to portray through our film and to ultimately create it to be what we imagined. These technologies included our camera and tripod, and programmes such as YouTube, Blogger and Adobe Premiere Elements.

CAMERA AND TRIPOD

For our project, we needed to make sure we knew how to use the equipment. As we used my own video camera, it was quite easy to get the hang of as I had already used it before and could teach Libby how to use it too. It got easier as we started to figure out how to upload videos from the camera as well as looking at how to frame the shot in the camera using the flip-out screen. We managed to use the tripod quite easily, however, getting the legs the right height on some uneven ground or on the stairs was a little tricky as we needed it to be as straight as possible for the shot to look effective in the final film. As well as a video camera, we used a DSLR camera to take photos and document our filming.

YOUTUBE (+ ANNOTATING TOOLS)

 

We had both used YouTube before which meant uploading videos wasn't a problem, however, when it got to adding annotations, we had to learn how to add them on to our existing film. Using the YouTube annotation tools, we added speech bubbles throughout the film to explain parts of it and why we included them. We wanted to make sure that they weren't too big on the screen and so had to learn how to re-size the font and the box itself as well as create the box in the first place and how to position it correctly. Using this tool was more challenging as it was something completely new to Libby and I, however we managed to understand it more as we continued to add more annotations to our film.

BLOGGER

 

Although I had a blog before, I had never used Blogger. It was very similar, yet had some features that I needed to get the hang of, for example, trying to get the photos next to each other and looking neat, as well as finding the ideal font and size. I was able to change the proportion of the boxes on the blog as well as the colours and theme, which is something I enjoyed doing as I was able to make it look how I wanted it to. 

ADOBE PREMIERE ELEMENTS

Adobe Premiere Elements, though very similar to other programmes such as iMovie, was very difficult to get the hang of. We had to make sure all of the clips went in together and in the right order before thinking about how to edit them together and add sound. To edit, we used transitions between some of the clips to make it flow better, as well as adding effects on to the titles so that they came in smoother. Adding soundtracks around the dialogue was a bit harder as it meant we had to be very careful about where to stop and start the soundtrack as well as where to fade it in and out so that it flowed better with the clips. Learning to use the sceneline and timeline meant that we were able to add the clips into the sceneline and then use the timeline to edit and cut clips together to create our film and make sure the clips were all in the right place.

Evaluation Activity 5: Attracting the Target Audience

Above is an annotated video to show how we attempted to target the audience through different aspects of our film opening. 

We wanted to ensure that the audience could relate to the characters, through age and circumstances, and locations within the film to make our film more interesting and to attract a wider audience as the audience thinks that the events could happen to them. A younger audience would be attracted to this film as it shows an alternative of what schools are normally like. An older audience may still be able to relate with children of their own or even as a way to reminisce about their childhood. 

Evaluation Activity 4: Target Audience

To find our target audience, we produced a questionnaire and asked people in our sixth form. They are teenagers and so are the age we are targeting. We wanted to find out their interests and how they spend their time etc.and thought a questionnaire was the best way to do this.

The questions we asked were:

• How do you normally spend money?
• How would you describe your music taste?
• What are the last three films you've seen?
• If you could only watch one genre of film, what would it be?
• Describe yourself in three words.
• Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
• What scares you the most?

Evaluation Activity 3: Distribution

The pictures below depict our opening production sequence. This shows our production company name and logo and the transition we used between the images. We began with the photo of the clouds as we thought this was quite nice and peaceful but also seemed quite generic and quite typical of a production company. We used the name 'Cloudburst Films' as we thought this sounded quite professional and related to the image we had chosen. The change of the image from colour to black and white through the glow transition is effective as it hints at the dark genre of the film and helps to fade the production titles away smoothly.

A production company helps to create the film as it aids with the budgeting, scheduling, scripting and casting for the film. They provide the money and are responsible for finding a director and actors for the film. They overlook the creation process to make sure it is being filmed and edited properly for when they send it to distributors. For our film, we essentially had the job of producer and director. We had to make sure everything went to plan and that anything that went wrong, was fixed as best as it could be. We had to make sure that everything was in the right place and the film ended up like we wanted it to when we went to publish it.

A distributor is the company that sends the film out for audiences to watch. They decide where and when the film is screened and promote it accordingly. Netflix is currently a very popular distributor and would be perfect for our type of film. This is because it is a low-budget film and is aimed at similar youthful audience who are technologically aware. Multi-platform devices also help Netflix to be a leading distributor of smaller films, through buying the rights and showing it online. Netflix already have a keen fan-base meaning that people will be waiting to see our film and it will be promoted directly to people who have viewed similar things in the past, giving us a guaranteed profit.

We would not need much money as our film would be a low-budget horror film. We didn't spend any money creating the opening two minutes as we used simple and basic props and took advantage of our connections (e.g having our friend do Harriet's makeup). The money would ultimately come from the production company, however, we used a small budget to create an effective opening that looks like it was created with a much larger budget.

People named in titles are the people that worked on the film and are, usually, named in order of importance. Typical jobs listed in the opening credits are the director, producer, screenwriter, costume and props designer, main actors, visual effects and sound. We reflected each of these jobs in our opening credits which makes it look more professional and as if it were made by an actual film company.

Evaluation Activity 2: Representation of Social Groups

One of our main characters, played by Harriet Austin, is the typical victim. Her character conforms to the typical victim stereotypes in the sense that she is completely oblivious to her surroundings and is unaware of the person following her. She is in normal clothing, making her not only more relatable to the audience, but also making sure she blends in to her surroundings so that the audience can focus on what is happening around her. 

Harriet's character, as well as her friends, represent a teenage social group, similar to that of our target audience. Teenagers are usually quite oblivious due to distractions such as technology, represented through the teenagers in Alex's scenes where they are using their phones and rely on this for communication. Harriet is seen in casual clothing to suggest that even in a school environment, teenagers wish to be comfortable. This differs from adults in a work environment who tend to wear suits or smart clothing. She has a big group of friends, showing that she is quite popular, further representing a youthful surrounding for the character. The group of friends help to show the careless and fun-loving nature of teenagers, whilst Harriet shows the other hard-working side of teenagers.

Harriet's character is very similar to Drew Barrymore's character in 'Scream'. A typical victim, she is oblivious and unaware of dangers around her - shown through her flirting with the antagonist on the phone. She is a ditsy blonde, encompassing the stereotypical character of a teenage girl in horror films. Showing that she cares about how she looks and her popularity, represents typical traits of teenage girls who care what other people think. Teenagers in horror films are usually left alone in their houses, often leading to parties or gatherings at which someone is killed, or ensuring they are alone and no one can see who murdered them.