Question 4- How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

New media- is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the later part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. Some examples may be the Internet, websites, computer multimedia, computer games, CD-ROMS, and DVDs. New media do not include television programs, feature films, magazines, books, or paper-based publications - unless they contain technologies that enable digital interactivity.

1. Blogger- Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Blogger is one,of many, very popular new media technologies, it allows people to create individual blog pages which can be used for a number of reasons, from travelling blogs, to A2 media studies coursework. Blogger allows me to present my coursework through a series of posts, allowing me to be as  visual and creative as i want to be. It has been an essential element of this project allowing me to show all the work i have been doing throughout the year, as well as this it allows me to remain organised and keep all my work in order.

2. Wikipedia- Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, this is a key and vital new media technology. In relation to this project wikipedia has allowed me to gather various information about key element of this course, for example when asked to find definitions of key terms or when asked about certain films, media technologies and the rules within filming. It has played a massive part within my blog and has been referenced or linked in all the posts i used it for.

3.Photoshop- Photoshop was not a programme i had come across or used in my AS coursework, however has become a vital part of my A2 course. Towards the beginning of this project i did not use photoshop, it was only when were introduced to the design element of the course that i started using the programme. The software itself is complicated to use and complex, however after getting other class mates who were familiar with the software to help in the initial stages, i eventually found my feet. Once learning how to use the programme i was then able to design my postcard for 'Fleeting' as well as my film review. With photoshop i feel my completed work would look far less professional and realistic. Overall this software has allowed me to gain a professional finish to my coursework and allowed me to be as creative as i wanted.

4.Cannon 550D- This camera has proved to be an essential piece of new media technology for me to produce the practical element of the A2 media course. We were lucky enough to be able to borrow this camera from our teacher at frequently as we wanted. The camera came into particular use when doing several things, the first being taking photos for my postcard designs, the second being to document the progress we made whilst filming, meaning we were able to prove the work we did by posting the images oto our blogs. The last essential use of the camera was for adding avisual element to my blog in my production, pre-production and post-production posts.

5.You Tube- YouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. You Tube has had a major role within media studies, not only in A2 but also in the AS course. In the pre- production stage, it allowed me to watch a number of short films, helping me to fully grasp their codes and conventions. As well as this it gave me the opportunity to watch a wide range of shorts, rather than being restriced to the ones we watched in class. Following on from this, You Tube has allowed me to add a visual aspect to my coursework, showing various sound experiment that i have completed, as well as posting videos of short films i have watched and then analysing them and recording and posting feedback from other class mates. Without Youtube the standard of my blog would be significantly lower, it would not be as visual and my knowledge and understating of many things would not be as in depth. I feel You Tube is one of the most important new media technologies in relation to this project and overall i feel it has improved my knowledge and understanding of the short film industry dramatically.

6. PD150 Camera- This new media technology is a high definition camera that we used to film our short films, the quality of the camera is very noticeable when watching our finished film. This was an imperative piece of equipment for this project, and without it our film would have been of a much lower standard.

7.Flip Cameras- The use of flip cameras for this project has not been as significant as the use of other new media technologies, such as 'You Tube' or the PD150 camera. However these flip video cameras have allowed us to receive feedback, record it and then display it on our blogs in order to realised our strenght and wekness' and work on things that we have been told to improve on. These have been supplied by the school and have been on easy access throughout the year, they include external wireless microphones, the software needed to play the videos back and a cable connecting to the computer enabling us to watch recordings back and also posting them on You Tube and posting them on to our blog.

Displaying the feedback we had been given through the use of the flip video will also allow me to gain a higher mark in the marking criteria as it makes my blog more visual and shows that i have gone away and done extra work outside the classroom in order to produce the best products i could. Without the use of the flip cameras I wouldn't have been able to display an evidence of the pre-production, production or post-production feedback due to the fact that the the larger cameras would have been too much hastle to set up to record the limited information i needed to gather.

8. Mobile Phone- Although the use of a mobile phone is not directly related to our project it helped a great deal as it made it easy to contact other members of my group and also allowed us to plan the days we were filming or meeting up outside of school hours. Everyone who we worked with in this production had access to a mobile phone and thus it was easy to contact all members through the medium of texting rather than sending other people emails or letters. As well as this i also used this new media technology to access the Internet at certain points when i didn't have access to computer.

9. HP Scanner- Although a scanner isn't a particularly new media technology it uses the new technology of the Internet and also has worked in conjunction with my blog therefore i am listing it in this section. The scanner has allowed me to add design work, such as the story boards for pre-production and also written work, such as my final film review to my blog, thus showing the work i have completed without having to we write it all onto my blog. Overall it has made my blog a lot more visual and allowed for me to display all the elements of my work and saved me time by not having to re do work that had already been completed.

10. Edit Suite- We were lucky enough to be provided with edit suits in school and thus they were easy to access meaning we could get on with our post production work as quickly as possible. The edit suits consisted of two computer screens, a keyboard, speakers and a computer tower. The edit suits only really became useful towards the end of our project when we were editing our filming, thus without the availability of this new media technology we would have been unable to edit our filming and therefore our overall grades would suffer.

11. Unsigned Band Web - This new media technology was used very briefly, however proved to be a vital part of our project. It proved to be so vital because we were not allowed to use copyrighted music and Unsigned Band Web was the only website with a wide range of high quality uncopyrighted music available to us. Without the use of this new media technology, our short films would have suffered greatly. When listening to our feedback, many people said that the use of music in our film was really effective and added to the poignancy of the film, thus without the use of music our film would have lost its sense of style and would not have had the same impact on the audience.

12. USB- This device enabled us to share work within our production group, as we were all responsible for various tasks within our group it was vital that we shared work. When it came to displaying work on our blog we were able to do it quickly and effectivly. As well as this i saved all my completed work onto a USB so that if any item of work was misplaced i would be able to get the work back from my USB. If i didn't have the use of a USB in this project it would prove difficult to share work witth other group memnbers, however i feel the loss of a USB would not dramatically effect my coursework overall as there are other neww mwedia technologies that i could use, such as email.

Question 3- What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback, is a type of interaction associated with the use of audience response systems, to create interactivity between a presenter and their audience. Throughout the process we have had to record and work on feedback given to us by audience members, class mates and a variety of others. Audience feedback has been a key part of my pre-production work, for example, the design process for my postcards and film, i drew and number of designs for my postcard and posted them on my blog, i then showed my fellow class mates and asked them which design they preferred, after this i displayed the results in a pie chart, shown on post 16 and worked on the information i had been given, then deciding to continue on with the most popular design. As well as this, an element of feedback has been incorporated in our lessons when we look at each others blogs and stating how we feel certain people could improve on things and what we feel are their strengths and weakness's so they can work on improving them and understand where they went wrong and why. Feedback for our short films began when we first wrote our initial scripts, Becky Knapp came to one of our lessons having read our scripts and sat us down individually and gave us personal feedback.She commented on what we needed to improve and why, asking questions about how we felt the whole script writing process went and also saying what our straights were and how we could improve on these further.

'Fleeting' is the film that myself, Matt Stewart Smith and  Rebbecca O'Brien have been producing. We initially received feedback for the script from our class mates, here people stated what they felt could be worked on and one point was that the ending of the film needed to be clearer, showing whats going on. Therefore, Becky added an extra scene at the end showing Jonathan taking down pictures of everything he's photographed at the bench, and one of the pictures shows and image of him and his wife who passed away. When it came to filming, we tried to keep in mind all the previous feedback we had received. After completing the editing process we showed our final film to class mates and teachers, and the following video shows their feedback.

Final Film Feedback

Below is the feedback that we received from our fellow class mates about our final film of 'Fleeting'.We viewed each others films in class and wrote down notes about the films strong points, negatives, and what we felt could be improved on. After we'd watched all the films we then went away and recorded each others feedback on a Flip Video Camera. We asked our peers the following questions..

-What message did you feel was being portrayed ?

-Did you feel there was a particular style or evident genre ?

-What did you feel were the straights and weakness's of the film ?

-Could you give examples of what we could improve on when working on future projects ?

The feedback given to us was extremely insightful, they not only commented on what they thought was successful, but they gave us constructive criticism, stating what they felt could be improved on, what the weakness's of the film were and what we achieved successfully. By creating questions to ask our peers it meant we received concise answers, a point that kept being repeated by a variety of our class mates was that the plot was confusing and it was not clear what genre the film would fit into. As well as this one member said there was loud and prominent traffic noise throughout the film, which meant that the actors dialogue was hard to hear. Reflecting on this it seems clear that if we were to produce this film again we would have picked a quieter location because we ran into various problems with the traffic noise, both when filming, and also in the post-production stages. A straight of the film that was pointed out was the use of music, our class mates stated that the music used both at the beginning and end of the film really complimented the storyline and made you feel for the character of Jonathan. As well as this some said that the use of various camera angels at the beginning of the film looked effective and made you curious about the main character of Jonathan.

If i were to produce 'Fleeting' again i feel that we should have done more research into our location, i would therefore pick a quieter location so that the traffic noise wasn't so prominent. As well as this i feel we should have made the plot of the film more evident for the audience, maybe through the use of a voice over or an extended time limit, leaving us more time to establish the plot. Overall i feel receiving this feedback really helped me to understand where we went wrong as well as our strengths.

Postcard Feedback-
In the Pre-production stage i completed many postcard designs, and also carried our research into the codes and conventions of postcards and why they were appropriate for the short film industry. I received feedback from my designs and then went on to complete a final product, attempting to stick to the conventions, and also make it look as realistic as possible. I asked various people about what they thought of my final design and asked the following questions...

-Do you feel the postcard i have designed sticks to the conventions of the short film industry ?
-Do you think it portrays the tag line of 'Things aren't always what they seem' ?
-Do you think it would fit in to the short film industry ? Does it look realistic and professional ?

This is one example of the feedback that I received from my class mates about my postcard.  Firstly, Carolynn stated that the film did stick to codes and conventions of previous media texts, she stated that the use of Jonathan as the main image is successful as the audience realize that that film revolves around him, as well as this the image is the focal point of the postcard and thus grabs your attention. As well as this Carolynn stated that I stuck to codes and conventions through the use of the title, production company name and logo and the director’s name. After this I asked the question do you think it portrays the tag line of ‘Things aren’t always what they seem? She states it does as the image could convey to te audience a number of meanings, thus creating a sense mystery and enticing the audience to go and watch the film. Finally I asked it the postcard looked profession ad would it fit into the short film industry, Carolynn said it did through the use of editing and sticking to conventions on both the front and the back as well as this she stated that the front and back worked well in conjunction with each other.

Question 2- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

To work along side the promotion of our short film, we had to produce and complete two ancillary tasks, these consisted of a film review and a postcard. We were asked to create a postcard as short film don't have large enough budgets to distribute film posters. We had to make sure there was a clear link between the three products. Opposite are my initial designs for my postcards, all of which relate to my film in one way or another, bthe first image depicts a bench, which is the focal point of our whole film, this design is very minimalistic and therefore leaves the audience curious to know more. The second design comprises and apple, and although this isn't a vital part of our film it is still featured in it and this postcard design, again is very minimalistic. The other two design are contrasting in comparison with the first to, these display the scenery and an image of Jonathan from a distance, as well as this the designs included delicate font. When getting feedback people seems to prefer the latter two designs in comparison to the first two and therefore when going on to complete my final postcard design i followed in the footsteps of those designs.

When i came to capturing the image for the postcard, i used the digital SLR camera in order for the image to be of the highest possible quality. I chose an image that is not identical to the ones in my initial design stages, however i feel the postcard demonstrates a professional finish and works well in conjunction with 'Fletting'. Below i used screen grabs from the film to illustrate how my postcard and film work successfully in tandem.

This image above illustrates the links between the final film 'Fleeting' and my postcard.  The first obvious link is the use of the title 'Fleeting', this has been used at the beginning of the film as well as on the back and front of the postcard, it is imperative for the title to be portrayed as frequently as possible in order to create word of mouth advertising and as well as this if the postcard is used at short film festivals in makes it clearer for the audience what from they're watching. The font on both the film and postcard are very similar, this shows a clear link between both the products and is a link that i feel is a success. The image on the postcard is almost identical to a screen grab from the film, an depicts Jonathan, the bench and the apple, three of the main features in the film. I feel this use of film and postcard interaction worked successfully. The production name and logo feature both on the film and postcard and this is essential and it sticks to the codes and conventions of previous media texts that I have researched. Finally the use of the directors name is displayed both in the film and on the postcard and this works successfully in tandem, as short films are a showcase for a directors talent therefore at film screening it is essential people know who the director is in case they want to get in touch to fund further projects or get involved themselves.



The image above displays my final film review and screen grabs from Fleeting around the side, to again demonstrate the links between the products. I have followed in the footsteps of Sight&Sound for my film review and thus the use of font cannot interlink with the film as this would not stick to the codes and conventions i had previously researched. The review includes an image of Jonathan as well as an additional image of a scene from the film and this therefore connects the two products and leaves the audience curious to watch more. The use of the cast list is shown in my film review and film, i was however unable to show it on my postcard as i dis not have the space and would have given the finish a cluttered feel. Overall i feel the use of images, such as that of Jonathan, the directors name and the title are all essential element that have been included on each product that i have produced. I feel the use of interaction between the products allows for successful advertising and as well as this gives the audience a clear message as to what are films about and the message its trying to portray.

Question 1-In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Now that i have finished and completed my short film, postcard design and film review i have to think about how these products may have developed or indeed challenged forms and convention of real media products. Below are a series of screen grabs from our short film 'Fleeting', underneath i have stated what i feel did in fact challenge the forms and conventions of real media products and what i felt may have developed them.

Shot 1 - Shot one conforms to the conventions of a real media film as it displays the production companies name and logo, this is shown at the beginning of the majority of films to let the audience know who is producing the film and thus develops the conventions of existing media products.

Shot 2- Shot two moves away from the conventions slightly as there is a close up on the main character before an establishing shot, we did this in order to show the audience that the main character is the focus of the film, as well as this we wanted to keep his location a mystery to the audience to keep them asking why he is at a bench and what significance does the bench hold.

Shot 3- This is an establishing shot and shows the main character of Jonathan, it also includes the title 'Fleeting'. We chose to add the title of the beginning of our film, thus conforming to the conventions of the short, as well as feature film industry.

Shot 4- Shot four is the first shot in which we see the antagonist and the protagonist, this shot shows the character of carol walking in to the shot and we then see Jonathan's reaction. I feel this shot stick to codes and conventions of a real media film as it introduces us to a new character, beginning with an establishing shot so that the audience can get a feel for the situation.

Shot 5- In shot five we see a close up of the apple, we used a jump cut in this particular shot and i feel this is thus sticking to the conventions of an industry film,we tried our hardest to incorporate a number of shots into the film, showing our creativity and i feel in this respect it worked well.

Shot 6- Shot 6 shows Jonathan taking a picture of an apple someone had left on the bench, this shot is a medium shot, showing 3/4 of Jonathan, this shot leaves the audience asking questions as to why he's taking a picture of an apple, however i feel this works well and again displays the use of various camera angels and shots within the film.

Shot 7- This shot displays the introduction of another character, the mise-en scene shows the audience the young boys hesitation to sit near or talk to Jonathan, and the audience thus question what Jonathan's motives and intentions are. This leaves an air of mystery and suspense to the film and leave the audience curious to see more. This is a key element in many short films, the story line must display a problem and for the audience this is it.

Shot 8- This shot shows Jonathan taking another picture of something that has been left behind at the bench, this frame show a medium close up of Jonathan and thus the audience can identify with his character, this again sticks to codes and convention of real media products as the director wants the audience to recognise some of the main characters traits and characteristics, and want the audience to relate and identify with the character.

Shot 9- Shot nine shows a new location, and we have thus not stuck to conventions as we have not incorporated a full establishing shot we have only included 3/4 of Jonathan's body and the wall in front of him. At this point in the film we were using light reflectors in order to make the scene as bright as possible to create a completely different feel to the other location which was cold and uninviting.  

Shot 10- This shot begins with  a panning shot over the pictures so the audience can get a close look at what is on the wall, the shot then ends in a close up of a picture of Jonathan and his deceased wife. This sticks to the conventions of a real media film as it is showing the pictures from Jonathan's point of view, as well as this the audience begin to empathise with the character of Jonathan.

Shot 11-  Shot eleven shows Jonathan looking at the pictures he has taken from the bench, at this point we see him from a side on angle. This conforms to the conventions of existing media products as its developing the relationship between the audience and the protagonist.

Shot 12- This encompasses a shot-reverse-shot and thus conforms to the conventions of existing media products. This shot shows Jonathan's emotion and devastation and the mise en scene shows allows the audience to identify with his character.

Shot 13-  Shot thirteen shows a new location and introduces a new character to the audience, this shot shows a close up of the art student and this allows the audience to establish who the new character is and what her motives may be.

Shot 14-  This shot shows shot-reverse-shot between Jonathan and the Art Student, this is thus conforming to the conventions of existing media products and allows the audience to see the scene from both characters point of view.

Shot 15- This shot represents the end of the film, there is a panning shot which continues up into the sky, this allows the audience to see the other side of the bench and the panning shot creates a sense of poignancy, also signaling the audience that the end of the film is near. This scene i believe worked really effectively and conforms to conventions of existing media products thorough the use of panning.

Shot 16-  This is the final shot of the film and shows Jonathan taking down the pictures he had previously taken at the bench. At this point music is introduced and the credits begin. Overall i fell our short film 'Fleeting' has conformed to the conventions of existing media products, through the use of various shots and camera angles, through the use of music and finally through the use of the credits at the beginning and end of the film. In some ways it has challenges conventions however i feel when this has occurred it hasn't been overly noticeable.

Postcard-
Before initially drawing up my designs for my my postcard i completed various research into the codes and conventions of short film postcards, looking at the layout, pictures used, tag lines and the positioning of the production name and logo. From this research, i learnt that the front of the postcard usually contains the films title with an image of either the location of the film or the main character as the dominant feature. And the back of the postcard encompassed a short synopsis, details of the cast, directors name, a website to find out more information about the film and finally a clear space or a lined area in which people could write down screening times, as postcards are predominantly used at film festivals. When initially drawing my designs i kept this in mind, and after receiving feedback from my designs i chose to produce the postcard design displayed below.

When creating my final postcard design i tried to conform to all the conventions mentioned above, i didn't want my postcard to look out of place if i was put again industry standard postcards and thus i attempted to incorporate as many codes and conventions of short film postcards as i could in order to produce a professional finish. In order to produce my postcard to the highest standard i took the pictures with a digital SLR camera, and then produced the design on 'Photoshop, both of which are listed on my new technologies post. After uploading the image to Photoshop, i then had to decide on the positioning of the films title 'Fleeting'. Initially i placed it in the far right corner, however i then realised that it wasn't overly noticeable and seemed to blend in with the background, i therefore moved it around and eventually decided to place it in top right hand corner, i felt the title was noticeable against the green background and didn't create a cluttered feel, but in fact worked nicely against the scenery.

The photo i chose doesn't give too much away about the character of Jonathan, and thus leaves the audience wanting to know more, this again develops conventions of existing media products. After producing the front of my postcard, i moved onto the back. I began by inserting my background image of trees that i had taken on the digital SLR camera, i edited the colour of the background for quite a while, playing around with the contrast and brightness in order to see what worked and what didn't. After sorting out the background i added the font, which included the following, the films title 'Fleeting', the directors name, the production company name and logo a short synopsis and the camera and production designers names. As well as this on the opposing side i put lines so that people could write down screening times and dates. Finally down the middle i stated who designed the postcard and their email address, as well as this i added the films email address for people wanting to find out more about the film. Overall i feel i have stuck to the majority of the short film postcard codes and conventions and i feel it looks very professional and wouldn't look out of place if it was compared to an industry postcard.

Film Review-

Before producing my film review i began by doing research into the various types of film review layouts, looking at examples from The Independent, The Guardian, Empire and Sight&Sound. After looking at these examples i decided that i wanted my film review to follow in the footsteps of Sight&Sound, i felt this review looked very professional and as well as this it included reference to the camera styles and used terminology and i felt this is what i wanted to incorporate into my review. When analysing the Sight&Sound review it became clear that in my review i needed to include the following, an image of the main character, the films title, the directors name, a cast list, age certificate, appropriate use of terminology and finally a short synopsis . After researching i went on to produce the review, i used Photoshop to create it as i felt this would produce the most realistic and professional finish, and also i had become familiar with the software from the production of my postcard. Overall i feel i stuck to the majority of codes and conventions from previous Media texts i included all the necessary information and used appropriate terminology when needed, although i did stick to the majority of conventions i also challenged them. Sight and sound do not usually so short film review however i have placed 'Short Film Speacial' on the top of the review to indicate   its not a regular thing. As well as this i included an extra image of a shot from the film in my review, thus moving away from conventions, however i believe this shows an element of creativity.

Post 20: Final Products

Final Film

This our final film 'Fleeting', i am pleased with the overall finish to this film, and i feel it sticks to the codes and conventions we have previously researched, as well as this i feel  looks and feels like a real media product. The use of the music i feel is a particular strength  as it creates a strong sense of poignancy. Overall i feel the production of our film went really well and and pleased with how its turned out. 

Postcard Design

Below is my final postcard design, i didn't directly use any of my initial postcard designs, however, this design is most similar to postcard design two, it shows the main character Jonathan however in design 2 he was facing the other way whereas in this design we see him front on. I used this image for my postcard as i feel it doesn't give away to much information the the audience, thus creating a sense of mystery and leaving the audience curious to know more, as well as this it emphasises that Jonathan is the protagonist.  I feel the films tile 'Fleeting' works well against the dark green background. The back of the postcard includes a short synopsis the films title and the details of the director, production designer and camera and lighting production, as well as this it includes space for viewing times as postcards are predominantly used at film festivals.  Overall i am pleased with my final postcard and feel and it sticks to the codes and convention of other media products that i had looked at previously.

Film Review

Below is my film review for 'Fleeting', as said in post 17 i chose to follow in the footsteps on Sight and Sound. I created this review on Photoshop, i initially scanned through an image of a Sight and Sound review and then inserted my own text and images. I am pleased with the overall finish and although it took me a long time to create and get used to the programme of Photoshop i feel my overall review fits the codes and conventions of film reviews i have looked at previously.

Post 19: Post-production Report

After filming we wanted to get on with editing as soon as possible, allowing us to move on with other parts of our project. We began by going to the editing suite to log all of our filming, this was done on a Microsoft word document and involved separating each scene and shot into table format, writing down the times of the shots and where they began and ended. In the last column of the table we then had to write a description of what was happening in the scene and weather it was suitable to use for the final film or not. Matt, Becky and myself all got involved in this phase of the editing, using lesson time and free periods to get it done, and thus we got it done reasonably quickly, allowing us to quickly move on to capturing scenes.

Capturing involved choosing the scenes we wanted from the logging process allowing our film to start piecing together in order. As a group we needed to put the various times of the shots we wanted and then the edit suite would put them in order of timing, meaning that the capturing was not to much of a lengthy process. After logging and capturing we were able to begin editing the whole film, editing the sound, the footage and finally adding in credits and music. Editing was going to be a lengthy process and thus we took it in turns to edit, Becky began editing and then me and Matt worked on it later, however,  when editing we ran into a few problems.

When filming we ran into problems with our sound, it kept cutting out towards the end and also there was loud traffic noise and thus when editing we had to bring the sound levels down making sure the traffic noise wasn't too prominent. As well as this we ran into some issues towards the end of the film, when filming the last section of the film we forgot  the turn the microphone on, thus meaning we had no natural sound so the scene was completely silent, we then had to figure out how we wanted to rectify this problem, we decided that we just needed to record sound from inside a house just so that we could add this in and thus leaving the scene looking as realistic as possible. However after doing all that we decided as a group that we wanted to have music added in at this point of the film to create a greater sense of poignancy. The music chosen for our film is quite mellow, its calm acoustic music and i feel really adds to the emotional and poignant feel of the film. As well as adding in music,  we added the credits and the beginning and end of the film, however the majority of credits were shown at the end.

After getting the majority of the film completed, we had to add the universal counter leader and universal indicator at the beginning of the film in order to make the film look as realistic as possible. After adding all the necessary things to our film and completing the logging, capturing and editing, we were able to watch our film back as a group and see what we had achieved. Overall i am very please with how our project was completed, there were a few set backs, however as a group we were able to work through theses issues and resolve them quickly.

Post 18-Production Report

We filmed our short on Tuesday the 22nd of February in a local park area, situated across from a church, my role for the day was production designer but as well as this i was also in charge of sound, meaning i was responsible for the microphone and all the sound being recorded. Before filming i had to do the make-up, hair and clothing of all the actors, i also had to organise all the props that were being used and make sure everything was in the correct place at the correct time. Before arriving on set i had to bring all the props and make-up that would be needed during filming, I feel when filming we needed to work closely together as a team so that everything came together in the correct way and i feel we did this successfully. We all arrived on set at 10am, we began by setting up all the equipment which included a camera, microphone, digital camera and finally a Sony Mini DV player. As we had already learnt how to use the equipment we were responsible for there was no need practice or be taught how to use anything, thus after setting up we went straight into filming. However before we filmed the actors did a small rehearsal just to go over their lines and make sure they were in the right position in the camera lens.

When filming we followed the shot list very carefully, we had to make sure that we achieved the desired effect. I feel the Mini DV player really helped at this point as Becky was able to view everything that was being filmed and if she felt the shot we were shooting didn't look right she would be able to stop and re-position the actors or myself and Matt. The young boy playing Sam i feel coped very well, children are notoriously hard to work with, however Thomas seemed to take direction really well and if he made mistakes, was quick to correct them. We filmed on a very cold and miserable day, and thus chose the use the 85 filter to brighten up the whole feel of the film, we learnt about the use of the 85 filter in a workshop run by miss ship, i go into further detail in Post 11.  Filming went on from 10am to 4pm which wasn't very pleasant for the actors, particularly Jonathan as he was used for that whole time period. Towards the end of the day we ran into sound issues, the sound began to continuously cut out meaning we had to stop, replace the batteries in the microphone and try and find out what the issue was, we also had to re-film shots due to the sound cutting out. As well as this we were met with the challenge of traffic noise interfering with our filming, the traffic was very loud and over powering, meaning that the actors could not be heard and again having to re-film certain shots.

My role for the day

Opposite are various images, the first being all the actors in full costume and make-up. I feel the desired effect was achieved with the majority of the characters, the only character i felt who wasn't as we planned was Harry, the teenage character, looking back it would seem better to have had him wearing a tracksuit and darker clothing to give him more of a dark and mysterious look. I feel Jonathan's costume was exactly how we wanted him to look, he looked smart and you could differentiate between the days by his various coloured scarfs. This is a naturalistic film and thus everyone had to look dressed for the modern day.

As well as this i wanted to make the different characters obvious, for example, the Art Student, she was wearing bright and bold colours to represent her warm, fun character. I feel Carol, the office workers costume was exactly as planned, she was dressed all in black and looked very smart, however wore red lipstick and high heels to add a sense of sex appeal to her character.  Finally, the character of Jonathan was the vital part of the film, although not overly noticeable, his costume changes were the most important out of all the characters. In order to show the audience that his story unraveled over a period of time it had to become evident that he was not just sitting on the park bench at one particular time throughout the whole film. In order to show this to the audience i decided to put Jonathan in different coulerd scarfs to show the different days.  Another way of representing what day or week it was, was by having Jonathan wear a scarf and coat at the beginning of the film and then towards the end just wearing a shirt and trousers to show the change in the seasons.

A key element of Jonathan's character is that he always looks smart, in every scene we see him wearing a tie, smart trousers and smart shoes. When deciding on costume early on in the pre production i knew we wanted Jonathan to be smart, looking as if he's trying to impress someone, which is in fact his dead wife. Overall i feel all the costumes worked out exactly as planned. I feel that filming went to plan overall. We had to film the majority of shots we did a couple of times just to ensure that we captured everything that we wanted to,  and because of this we ran over schedule thus everything ran behind time. However despite this we all got on with what we were responsible for and captured everything on the shot list so hopefully our film will depict our hard work and effort.

Finally we used the 85 filter throughout the filming process.

This video shows filming with and without the use of an 85 filter, we learnt about the use of a 85 filter at the beginning of our project and when filming we felt it was an essential piece of equipment to have.

Post 17- Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

In light of our project,we have researched into existing short films, and studied existing film reviews to look at how films are examined by professional film critics. We wanted to know what they look for when watching a film, and how they criticise or praise them.Film critics working for newspapers, magazines, broadcast media, and online publications, mainly review new releases. The plot summary and description of a film that makes up the majority of any film review can have an important impact on whether people decide to see a film.

Traditionally, film reviews have been seen as a way to assess the artistic merit and public appeal of a movie. Film goers use reviews to help them decide whether to purchase a ticket to a particular film. As the number of film fans following the advise of reviewer grew, film companies saw profits diminish across a broader number of films. In order to counter this development, film studios increased marketing budgets and avenues of marketing to create more interest in a movie prior to the opening. Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute. Sight & Sound has a more highbrow reputation than other film magazines.It says it reviews all film releases each month, including those with a narrow art house release, as opposed to the more mainstream focus of its competitors. Sight and Sound also currently features a full cast and crew credit list for each reviewed film.

As well as industry magazines, a lot of other institutions produce film reviews, for example, Newspapers such as The Independent and The Guardian. Both theses newspapers recently reviewed 'The Kings Speech'. In contrast to the film reviews i had read from Sight&Sound The Independent took a different spin on reviewing a film altogether. The language was less technical and thus easier to read, the overall feel was less formal and it contained humor as well analysing the film in question. As with the Sight&Sound review the article displayed a picture of the main actor, in the case Colin Firth, he is the unique selling point of this film and thus it seems vital to display an image of him on the review page. Overall the review was very positive, 'The Kings Speech' prides itself on being a heritage film and we can see this from the style of written communication and images we see on the page, and to some extent that's why the Independent ranked it so highly. Finally, The Independent mention Colin Firths previous success as well as motioning the BAFTA nominations he has received for this film, this in its self would attract a large audience and i feel that's exactly what the newspaper want to do. Finally i contrast to industry magazines, i feel newspapers are biased towards certain films, and thus the review my not be so much of fact, but opinion.

The Guardian also reviewed 'The Kings Speech'. This review was similar in format to that of The Independent, this review was again easier to read than that of the industry reviews using informal language, it uses a play on words in various parts and again has a humorous feel to it. Reviews such as this overall are easier to read and don't just apply to film lovers, but the majority of the general public. The overall structure of the review gives a lot away about the films plot. The Guardians review includes all of the technical details of the film without intimidating the reader and i feel this is a good balance. Both newspaper reviews praise the film highlt and both play on the fact that it is a british heratige film. However when producing my film review i'm going to follow in the footsteps of Sight&Sound to create a really proffesional finish.

Conventions Of A Film Review

After looking at these various film reviews the conventions, in my opinion, become somewhat obvious, they are as follows... 

-A dominant image of the unique selling point of the film, this is usually the actor. The image will be shown at the top of the page. 

-The actors that are staring in the film, if they are a unique selling point there name will be in bold to make sure the readers know whos staring in the film.

-The review will comment on other films of a similar genre and make comparisons.

-Certain words and phrases are used in order to sell the film to the reader, for exaple refering to the BAFTA nomination that The Kings Speech recieved, The Gaurdian mentioned this and this automatically seccurs an audience beacuse they believe if the film is good enough to be nominated for a BAFTA then its worth watching.

My Film Review

From analysing and looking at various types of film reviews i have decided to follow in the footsteps of Sight&Sound. I feel this review is the most professional review out of the ones i have analysed and it goes into great detail and this is an aspect that i personally felt effective. Within the review page i shall include a picture of the main character Jonathan, a film synopsis and the review. As well as this i will have a cast list and the name of the writer and director. I will also included the performances i thought stood out and particular scenes that i felt to be particularly effective. When i produce this review i shall not just present it in written form but will also display it as a web page.

Post 16: Ancillary Task 1 - Postcards Part 1

Film posters are a way of advertising and promoting films, in order to entice and attract people into watching them. Film posters have a number of conventions, including the following...

-Title
-Release date
-Distribution/Production company                    
-Tag line
- Image
-Ratings
-Actors names
-Colour scheme
-Unique selling point
-Endorsement
-Film company logo
-Genre

It is evident that film posters posses a number of conventions, however it is clear to see that there is a large difference between posters for high budget Hollywood films in contrast to low budget British films. Film companies with extravagant budgets are able to produce mass advertisement through the use of billboards, posters, television trailers and so on. As well as this they can attract a mass audience through the use of their unique selling point, for example using a well know star such as Cameron Diaz will entice both male and female audiences as well as her already established fan base. In contrast to this, low budget British films have to adopt a more stylistic individual use of advertising as a lack of funds does not allow the to advertise on a mass scale.

These images show the film posters for Avatar, this film was a high budget Hollywood blockbuster. This poster is simple yet striking, the poster includes the films unique selling point, which is the director James Cameron, it also displays the title of the film and an image of a planet. The second poster shows a similar background with a different image, the image on an Avavtar. The poster is striking and would appeal to a mass audience because of the renowned director, both poster encompass a dark mysterious looking background with the directors name and the films release date. The film also had a reputation of being one of the most expensive films ever made and thus audiences were quick to go and see it not only for the director but also out of pure curiosity. Finally, the poster quotes 'From the director of the Titanic, this immediately draws in an already established audience, the fans of Titanic, these people will have no room for questioning whether or not to see the film because as with a sequel they are already fans so feel they have the need to see the next film.

In contrast to this, Trainspotting is a Small scale British independent film. There budget was a lot smaller than that of Avatar, thus the producers of Trainspotting had to think of a creative advertising campaign to entice an audience as they had no famous actors or directors to do it for them. The film poster is bright, eye catching and doesn't conform to the usual 'safe' style of Hollywood posters. It shows five characters all of whom are far from the stereotype of Brutishness's, ones smoking another is pointing a gun and the rest are people who you feel you want to find out more about. The overall feel of the poster is intriguing, it has no explanation of what the film is about, and for that reason entices audiences. This poster presents a real sense of originality and its bright bold statements and orange colour scheme i feel create an extraordinary poster.

Although a poster is possibly the most popular and common way of promoting a new film, short film makers choose a cheaper alternative to advertise there films, and this comes in the form of a postcard. It proves to be a much cheaper and effective way of promoting short films, poster are generally used by big budget films meaning its not possible for smaller budget and independent film producer to produce posters. Postcards, in contrast to posters tend to have less information on them, however, the lack of information draws the attention in leaving them wanting to know more about the film. Similarly to posters, a picture is still the dominant focus. The main difference between a poster and a postcard is the that you can personalize the back of of your postcard, this blank space at the back can be used when trying to promote your short films at festivals it can be handed out with times of viewings and screenings. Finally, it’s important that on the postcard the directors name is shown and well as who it is written by as the aim of a short film is to promote yourself to get funding for further projects.

This Is England is another example of a successful advertising campaign. This poster differs from that of Trainspotting as it uses brighter colours and backdrop of what may be described as a working class estate. This poster prides itself on a working class display of British community, and the poster shows the award winning British director Shane Medows has been at the production line of this film. The poster is covered in ratings by various magazines and newspapers all giving five stars and describing it as 'Brilliant'. The cluttered feel of the poster i believe works very well, the poster seems to conform to all the conventions. This i feel is a successful poster and really brings to life the aims and intentions of the film.

Postcards

Divine is a short film produced by Becky Knapp, Becky has been involved in film and television production for the past eleven years, working across Europe, Africa, Canada and the USA. She initially came in and helped us with our script ideas and pre-production work. This postcard for Divine encompasses the conventions of a film poster however just in postcard form. A large picture dominates the postcard and thus this draws in the audiences attention. The use of white dresses against a black background really stands out and this use of stylistic photography i personally think proves to be very effective.The title of the film is clearly displayed at the top of the postcard, this combined with the quote on the bottom i feel is a enough information, but still allowing the image to stand out. The back of the postcards displays information about the director, actors, the producer, costume designer, who edited the film and finally the sound crew. As well as all the technical details the postcard also displays an email address for any questions or further information people may need and space is left spare to fill in screening times when the postcard it used to support a film at a festival.

This postcard produced for the film On a Life's Edge is designed somewhat differently to Divine. This postcard has a bright and bold background running throughout the whole postcard, in contrast to Divine which chose to have one side blank. The dominant image of a block of flats is continued with three smaller images running down the side. The use of design and photography have been used heavily on this postcard, where as Divine chose to create a more simplistic overall effect. The date '2001' is quite prominent on the poster, giving everyone a chance to see the films release date. On the back side of the poster the yellow theme continues and this side also shows the date '2001'. The back side of this postcard shows the production logo and production house name as well as featuring the cast , credits and synopsis. The back of this postcard contrast greatly with that of Divine, its has a lot less information however does include the synopsis. I personally feel that this postcard proves more effective than Divines, the continuation of the yellow theme throughout the back and the front i feel is eye catching and the synopsis helps people to understand more about the films intended message.

My Postcard Designs

Following on from looking at various posters and postcards for short films i went on to design my own for our short film 'Fleeting'. I initially sketched out four key ideas as shown in the picture on the right, as well as this i also sketched out ideas for the different fonts that i may want to use for the title 'Fleeting'. The bench is a key part of our film and thus i tried to include it in every design, i wanted my designs to be simplistic, yet effective and i feel that i have achieved this. The title on each of the postcards is quite prominent, as after analysing short film postcard i personally preferred the ones with a large title, such a 'Divine'. After drawing up my initial ideas i then went on to annotate them to give me a better idea of what i liked, and didn't like.

After doing my initial sketches i then annotated them, to explain and justify my decisions and reasons for designing them as i did. In the annotations i stated what i felt worked well, and what i felt didn't work as well. I tried to use a variety of images and fonts when sketching the four ideas. Design one shows a large park, with trees on either side, there are two benches and on one bench sits Jonathan, the main character in our film. The title appears in the centre of the postcard and is the most dominant feature in this particular design.

Both postcard design one and two are very similar, postcard two however uses the tree as its dominant image, where as postcard one uses the title. Our film is set in a park and thus that's why i have included trees and green land in both my designs, however personally i feel that postcard one looks more like a park than the second design, the second design looks more like a wood, or forest. The font for 'Fleeting' on the first design is somewhat Gothic and creates a spooky feel to the postcard, whereas the second design looks more elegant and calm. I feel both designs are not an obvious giveaway to the plot of the film, however i like this aspect, i believe it leaves the audience curios to know more. The film shows Jonathan's loneliness and this is a key part of the plot, and i feel the bench being so small in comparison with everything else of the poster portrays a sense of loneliness in the first poster you can hardly even see the character of Jonathan on the bench.

Postcard design 3 and 4 differ greatly from the first two designs. Both these designs are a lot more simplistic. Postcard design three shows an image of a bench with the title 'Fleeting' at the top, this design i feel it simple yet effective, in contrast to the previous designs it has no background scenery however i think the use of just the title and the image of the bench creates a bold statement, as well as this the simplistic nature of the design will leave the audience curious to know more about the film. The design for postcard four is also a simplistic, although the apple features in the film it is not a key aspect however i chose to put it as the main feature of the postcard as when i come to photograph it i want to do it in a stylistic manor making the whole postcard look very modern and edgy. The font for 'Fleeting' in this design i a lot more modern than any of the others, however i feel overall i prefer the more traditional look.

Feedback

Post 15- Reflecting on theory.

When looking at media theories, as a class we talk about them discuss them, and put across our personal feeling towards these ideas. Thus far on the A2 course we have looked at three theories, Audience reception theory, Narrative theory, and finally genre theory.

Audience Reception theory.
Audience theory provides a starting point for many Media Studies tasks. Whether you are constructing a text or analysing one, you will need to consider the destination of that text , its target audience and how that audience will respond to that text. A media text in itself has no meaning until it is read or decoded by an audience.


The Hypodermic Needle Model

This theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media and suggests that audiences passively receive the information transmitted through a media text, without any attempt on their part to process or challenge the data.The Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media makers. It assumes that the audience are passive and heterogenous. This theory is used to explain why certain groups in society should not be exposed to certain media texts, for example rap music and computer games for fear that they will watch or read sexual or violent behaviour and will then act them out themselves.

Hypodemic = Passive  -  Producers___Message___ Audience

Two Step Flow
Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet analysed the voters decision-making processes during a 1940 presidential election campaign, their findings suggested that the information does not flow directly from the text into the minds of its audience unmediated but is filtered through 'opinion leaders' who then communicate it to their less active associates, over whom they have influence.

This theory asserts that information from the media moves in two distinct stages. First, individuals, opinion leaders who pay close attention to the mass media and its messages receive the information. Opinion leaders pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content. Opinion leaders are quite influential in getting people to change their attitudes and behaviors and are quite similar to those they influence. The two-step flow theory has improved our understanding of how the mass media influence decision making.The theory refined the ability to predict the influence of media messages on audience behavior, and it helped explain why certain media campaigns may have failed to alter audience attitudes an behavior.

Two step flow = Passive - Producers__Film Critic__Audience
          

Uses & Gratifications

During the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television became grown ups, it became increasingly apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Far from being a passive mass, audiences were made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways. In 1948 Lasswell suggested that media texts had the following functions for individuals and society:

•surveillance
•correlation
•entertainment
•cultural transmission

Researchers Blulmer and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purposes

•Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.
•Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction, eg substituting soap operas for family life

•Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts

•Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living egweather reports, financial news, holiday bargains

Although audience reception theory seems to cover all the points and give a good explanation, there are still some issues raised as to weather this theory can really be used and applied in all situations. Firstly, the whole theory is based on assumption, that in the dynamic society that we live in, do not hold true. As well as this, the theory generalises the audience, which again does not hold true, people have needs and wants and this is not shown in the theory. Finally it is dependant on the environment in which you partake the text as to how you view it and what you get from it.

In media terms, narrative is the coherence/organisation given to a series of facts. The human mind needs narrative to make sense of things. We connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. In everything we seek a beginning, a middle and an end. We understand and construct meaning using our experience of reality and of previous texts. Each text becomes part of the previous and the next through its relationship with the audience.

Narrative theory

The human mind needs narrative to make sense of things. We connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. In everything we seek a beginning, a middle and an end. We understand and construct meaning using our experience of reality and of previous texts. Each text becomes part of the previous and the next through its relationship with the audience. Story is the irreducible substance of a story (A meets B, something happens, order returns), while narrative is the way the story is related (Once upon a time there was a princess...)" (Key Concepts in Communication - Fiske et al (1983).

Reality is difficult to understand, and we struggle to construct meaning out of our everyday experience. Media texts are better organised; we need to be able to engage with them without too much effort.Successful stories require actions which change the lives of the characters in the story. They also contain some sort of resolution, where that change is registered, and which creates a new equilibrium for the characters involved.

When unpacking a narrative in order to find its meaning, there are a series of codes and conventions that need to be considered.

•Genre
•Character
•Form
•Time

It is only because we are used to reading narratives from a very early age, and are able to compare texts with others that we understand these conventions. A narrative in its most basic sense is a series of events, but in order to construct meaning from the narrative those events must be linked somehow.

Narrative Structures

There are many ways of breaking down narrative structure. News stories have their own structure. A lot of work has been done by literary theorists to develop ways of deconstructing a narrative.

Tvzetan Todorov - suggests narrative is simply equilibrium, disequilibrium, new equilibrium.

Vladimir Propp - Russian Fairy tales, characters and actions, 31 functions of character types. 8 characters as follows, Hero, Villain, Princess, Helper, Dispatcher, False hero, Princess' father, Mentor.

Claude Levi-Strauss - Constant creation of conflict/opposition propels the narrative. Narrative can only end on a resolution of conflict. Opposition can be visual, for example light/darkness, movement/stillness or conceptual, love/hate, control/panic. This theory states that narratives develop by the binary opposites.
Barthes´ Codes

Genre Theory

Genre is important for both the readers and creators of texts...

Audiences - Audiences select texts on basis of genre, often because texts are arranged at retail outlets by genre. Also, certain genres are considered appropriate to certain ages/genders in society, and choices are made accordingly eg teen movies, 'chick flicks'. Audiences have systems of expectations about the content and style of a text, according to its genre. This enables them to take particular pleasures in the text, those of repetition, and of predicted resolution. Pleasure may also be drawn from differences. Finally they identify with repeated elements in generic texts and may shape their own identity in response.
Producers- Producers market texts according to genre because a niche audience has already been identified as taking pleasure in that type of text, as well as this they standardise production practices according to genre conventions, thus cutting costs.

Genre can provide structure and form which can allow a great deal of creativity and virtuosity, especially when a genuine reworking of generic conventions comes along. Genre provides key elements for an audience to recognise, so that they may further appreciate the variation and originality surrounding the representation of those elements.