Friday, 21 April 2017
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Question 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
As a group we have learnt a lot about the technologies from the process of constructing this product. One of our main improvements was the use of camera angles and movements. We also found out that when filming we were filming we had originally used Hannah's camera as it was supposed to be a very high quality camera and it was when taking pictures but not for filings do instead we used my Sony camera which is a similar build but is made more to take videos than to talk pictures.
We found that there were other things that made out filming lot easier for example: the tripod was really helpful when it came so filming as it meant that we could balance the camera so it wouldn't shake, as when we doing our preliminary task our footage was unprofessional, of a bad quality and we hadn't really thought about our environment. I already knew how to use a camera however i did learn how to enhance the shot and make the zoom out in the pan smooth so that the movement of the camera didn't stutter. I think one our most skilled shot was the 360 degree shot, as we had managed to keep the speed of the turn table going whilst filming although it did take a very long time to get it right in the end it was worth it. We have taught ourselves how to piston the camera better for different shots and made many adjustments so we held the camera better as well. I think overall his has really improved the quality of our opening and has also given us some good experience for when we do our A level course work.
Editing at the beginning had been a major problem for us as a group because we didn't know where to start. But as we went a long we got better and more comfortable with the software and found it much easier to edit and find new techniques or we would research new techniques so that we could get all of the affects we wanted to incorporate into our opening. Two if our most used skills that we had learnt was the cropping of an image and split clipping, we used these a lot in the 360 shot as when people spoke we needed to turn the music down but when the camera was turning it would of backup and we increased the speed of each turn otherwise it would have taken to long and our audience would have found the prolonged turn to be quite boring. We also found that the match on match shot of van needed a lot of editing for it to work as we needed to use transitions and we needed to crop the second image so it fit with the first and the two flowed to gather properly. The music was something i found particularly easy, but the whole of the group had taken turns as shortening or lengthening sounds and muting background nouse from some of the clips as it was unnecessary. I found that when using iMovie its not as difficult as it initially seems you just need to know what your doing and where things are.
Press was something we were introduced to by our teacher at the art of the year and since i have been using it i dough that i really liked the variation of templates there were and the fact that they were easier to set out and fun to make your own.
Photos from our filming:
As a group we have learnt a lot about the technologies from the process of constructing this product. One of our main improvements was the use of camera angles and movements. We also found out that when filming we were filming we had originally used Hannah's camera as it was supposed to be a very high quality camera and it was when taking pictures but not for filings do instead we used my Sony camera which is a similar build but is made more to take videos than to talk pictures.
Editing at the beginning had been a major problem for us as a group because we didn't know where to start. But as we went a long we got better and more comfortable with the software and found it much easier to edit and find new techniques or we would research new techniques so that we could get all of the affects we wanted to incorporate into our opening. Two if our most used skills that we had learnt was the cropping of an image and split clipping, we used these a lot in the 360 shot as when people spoke we needed to turn the music down but when the camera was turning it would of backup and we increased the speed of each turn otherwise it would have taken to long and our audience would have found the prolonged turn to be quite boring. We also found that the match on match shot of van needed a lot of editing for it to work as we needed to use transitions and we needed to crop the second image so it fit with the first and the two flowed to gather properly. The music was something i found particularly easy, but the whole of the group had taken turns as shortening or lengthening sounds and muting background nouse from some of the clips as it was unnecessary. I found that when using iMovie its not as difficult as it initially seems you just need to know what your doing and where things are.
Press was something we were introduced to by our teacher at the art of the year and since i have been using it i dough that i really liked the variation of templates there were and the fact that they were easier to set out and fun to make your own.
Photos from our filming:
Monday, 17 April 2017
Question 5
How did you attract/address your audience?
Our target audience was both genders and from ages 15-25. We attracted our target audience as we initially made surveys, so that we could look at what age group and interests our audience has. When receiving the information from the questionnaires, the answers gave an insight to what kinds of films people watch, what they look for in a thriller film ect. When we sat down as a group we could see all of our feedback was similar, this gave us our audience age group and targets to aim for. As a group we used a lot of different techniques to try and accomplish this such as: Mis-en-scene, sound, editing and different variations if shots and camera angles. We also did some research in the different distribution companies as a lot of people look at who has made the film and will prejudge it during the credits.
For music in our opening scene we had some to an agreement that we would use the two compositions, Conspiracy and Silent gill, both instrumental and mainly piano based. We used these songs in our opening because both were different in pace and tone however when one cause suspense to start with as it was quite calm and quiet the other built tension throughout the interrogation. Another reason we used instrumental pieces such as this was because we didn't want to take there audiences attention away from the plot and the characters in the film we just wanted to fill in the gaps where there were area of prolonged silence. It was create the chilling atmosphere as the music helped as it went along, when it goes from the calm music that i almost too calm to nothing, that builds the audiences suspicions as what had happened but being completely positive about it. The type of music wasn't stereotypically was our target audience would listen too but at the same time it fit well with the scenes that were placed on top of it, as without the music there video would look awkward and wouldn't have the same effect at all.
April's costume was something very casual that showed that she was a normal teenage girl from a middle class heritage and was only going to where friends house so didn't need to dress up. However, April is wearing very dark clothing which could suggest something bad is going to happen or she's potentially going to be in some sort of danger.
Susan Richmond's costume however was a very smart professional outfit and shows that although she's a women she is an authority figure in her work. S he is dressed appropriately for the occasion as it shows she's doing her job and is taking the situation very seriously.
The four main areas we filmed were: Platters, April's bedroom, The Greene household and the dining room. We chose these places as they were normal day to day areas, they weren't too far fetched which i think worked much to our advantage as they were believable and you would generally see teenagers. Also platters is the area where we filmed the red van driving past, as it is the wooded area that when dark would be quite frightening to be near or in.
Props:
The teddy bear- this is a clear sign of innocence because when you ink of a teddy bear you thinking of a child, the bear was simply on the bed when we were filming but to also show the fact that she is a young 16 year old girl who isn't very mature and maybe fairly childish.
The tissues and water:
The tissues and water were something we found a lot when looking at other thriller interrogations when the friends and family were just being questioned rather than told they've done something wrong.
The investigators notebooks and pen:
Also we found a lot that an investigator carries around a notebook and pen to make sure they remember all the details when they are doing their search, it also adds to the look and makes them look more professional.
April is roughly the same age as her target audience and because of age and stereotypically gender she is vulnerable, she does play the damsel in our opening however the shot at the end although portrays her vulnerability it also shows her strength as a character.
Susan Richmond is not your everyday investigator because she is more head strong and she is the authoritative figure in the beginning, she wants to find April and she came across more friendly when she was asking questions as it is a sensitive subject that needs ti be handled.
Our target audience was both genders and from ages 15-25. We attracted our target audience as we initially made surveys, so that we could look at what age group and interests our audience has. When receiving the information from the questionnaires, the answers gave an insight to what kinds of films people watch, what they look for in a thriller film ect. When we sat down as a group we could see all of our feedback was similar, this gave us our audience age group and targets to aim for. As a group we used a lot of different techniques to try and accomplish this such as: Mis-en-scene, sound, editing and different variations if shots and camera angles. We also did some research in the different distribution companies as a lot of people look at who has made the film and will prejudge it during the credits.
For music in our opening scene we had some to an agreement that we would use the two compositions, Conspiracy and Silent gill, both instrumental and mainly piano based. We used these songs in our opening because both were different in pace and tone however when one cause suspense to start with as it was quite calm and quiet the other built tension throughout the interrogation. Another reason we used instrumental pieces such as this was because we didn't want to take there audiences attention away from the plot and the characters in the film we just wanted to fill in the gaps where there were area of prolonged silence. It was create the chilling atmosphere as the music helped as it went along, when it goes from the calm music that i almost too calm to nothing, that builds the audiences suspicions as what had happened but being completely positive about it. The type of music wasn't stereotypically was our target audience would listen too but at the same time it fit well with the scenes that were placed on top of it, as without the music there video would look awkward and wouldn't have the same effect at all.
April's costume was something very casual that showed that she was a normal teenage girl from a middle class heritage and was only going to where friends house so didn't need to dress up. However, April is wearing very dark clothing which could suggest something bad is going to happen or she's potentially going to be in some sort of danger.
Susan Richmond's costume however was a very smart professional outfit and shows that although she's a women she is an authority figure in her work. S he is dressed appropriately for the occasion as it shows she's doing her job and is taking the situation very seriously.
The four main areas we filmed were: Platters, April's bedroom, The Greene household and the dining room. We chose these places as they were normal day to day areas, they weren't too far fetched which i think worked much to our advantage as they were believable and you would generally see teenagers. Also platters is the area where we filmed the red van driving past, as it is the wooded area that when dark would be quite frightening to be near or in.
Props:
The teddy bear- this is a clear sign of innocence because when you ink of a teddy bear you thinking of a child, the bear was simply on the bed when we were filming but to also show the fact that she is a young 16 year old girl who isn't very mature and maybe fairly childish.
The tissues and water:
The tissues and water were something we found a lot when looking at other thriller interrogations when the friends and family were just being questioned rather than told they've done something wrong.
The investigators notebooks and pen:
Also we found a lot that an investigator carries around a notebook and pen to make sure they remember all the details when they are doing their search, it also adds to the look and makes them look more professional.
April is roughly the same age as her target audience and because of age and stereotypically gender she is vulnerable, she does play the damsel in our opening however the shot at the end although portrays her vulnerability it also shows her strength as a character.
Susan Richmond is not your everyday investigator because she is more head strong and she is the authoritative figure in the beginning, she wants to find April and she came across more friendly when she was asking questions as it is a sensitive subject that needs ti be handled.
Sunday, 16 April 2017
Question 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for our thriller are both for men and women who would be within the ages of 15-25. We all dis a survey with 10 questions on each to gather information from our peers and potential audience is that we could see what kinds of age groups are we looking to ai for and what kinds of aspects do they look for in a thriller. The majority of people who answered the questionnaires were of the 15-25 age group and we mainly female, as group we wanted to make our thriller intriguing to both genders as we would then get a larger audience which would continue to make the film more popular and successful. When asking what typed of thrillers people answered with mainly psychological thrillers or suspenseful thrillers that always leave you on the edge of your seat.
Although a lot of people said their favourite type of thriller was psychological we decided against it as is seen a lot and also because with the limited time and materials we have it would be very difficult to pull off to a good standard.
I found the target research extremely useful as it showed me what my target audience expectations are and what are the standards i would have to meet to successfully make a thriller film that people find entertaining.
Now we are finished with our final product i think it does meet the targets that we set for it using the information we received from the surveys. It is set in the modern era as straight away there is a mobile present whilst April is sat in quite a modern day bedroom. The plot also works well with the surveys feedback as it shows that a lot of people like the films with mysteries and suspense and throughout our opening there are quite a few twists and aspects that make you wonder who would have taken her and would intrigue our audience to continue watching if we were to make the whole film.
You could compare our film to quite a few thrillers like Nerve as they include a very modern setting with the internet sonf social media being one of the main topics in the film and the large variety of technology we use as props in our film also shows a stingy link to electrical.
I think as a group we chose the right target group to aim for and the audience isn't too young to watch this type of movie but is not too old to not enjoy the film. We've used conventions that you would see in real media products and we aimed for what our audience had given su back through the information we received. Using technology is such a big part of society today that in a film it makes it more relatable to everyday life rather than being set in an era with out which would generally be aimed at an older audience.
The audience for our thriller are both for men and women who would be within the ages of 15-25. We all dis a survey with 10 questions on each to gather information from our peers and potential audience is that we could see what kinds of age groups are we looking to ai for and what kinds of aspects do they look for in a thriller. The majority of people who answered the questionnaires were of the 15-25 age group and we mainly female, as group we wanted to make our thriller intriguing to both genders as we would then get a larger audience which would continue to make the film more popular and successful. When asking what typed of thrillers people answered with mainly psychological thrillers or suspenseful thrillers that always leave you on the edge of your seat.
Although a lot of people said their favourite type of thriller was psychological we decided against it as is seen a lot and also because with the limited time and materials we have it would be very difficult to pull off to a good standard.
I found the target research extremely useful as it showed me what my target audience expectations are and what are the standards i would have to meet to successfully make a thriller film that people find entertaining.
Now we are finished with our final product i think it does meet the targets that we set for it using the information we received from the surveys. It is set in the modern era as straight away there is a mobile present whilst April is sat in quite a modern day bedroom. The plot also works well with the surveys feedback as it shows that a lot of people like the films with mysteries and suspense and throughout our opening there are quite a few twists and aspects that make you wonder who would have taken her and would intrigue our audience to continue watching if we were to make the whole film.
You could compare our film to quite a few thrillers like Nerve as they include a very modern setting with the internet sonf social media being one of the main topics in the film and the large variety of technology we use as props in our film also shows a stingy link to electrical.
I think as a group we chose the right target group to aim for and the audience isn't too young to watch this type of movie but is not too old to not enjoy the film. We've used conventions that you would see in real media products and we aimed for what our audience had given su back through the information we received. Using technology is such a big part of society today that in a film it makes it more relatable to everyday life rather than being set in an era with out which would generally be aimed at an older audience.
Friday, 14 April 2017
Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Media institution means a company tat owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as TV, radio. motion pictures or the internet.
Media institution means a company tat owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as TV, radio. motion pictures or the internet.
Film Distribution means the process of making a film available for public viewing. There are a lot of distribution companies all over the world you have some large like Miramax and some smaller.
Warner Bro's
Founded by Albert, Jack. L, Sam and Harry Warner on the 4th April 1923
Global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films
Makes between 18-22 films a year.
We used Warner bro's as our distribution company as it is well known for films like: The Dark Knight, The Conjuring ect. With how well know Warner Bro's are as a international we thought the they would be good to use as our distribution company, they would be able to distribute the film to a mass audience globally, they are also a conglomerate company where they would be able to benefit us using cross media convergence and also because of how well known they are people are more likely going to watch the film with high expectations.
Thursday, 13 April 2017
Question 2
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Gender- In our thriller we do not have the conventional strong dominant male as the authority figure instead we used a female investigator, our thriller is aimed at both genders but personally i think that girls will be more likely to watch it because of the plot of the young girl disappearing. We have completely gone against stereotype in our thriller as we haven't used a male at all for any of our characters as we didn't see it as necessary. Women are usual seen as the weaker sex physically however are seen as the more mature but to a strong female character that has both isn't really seen in a lot of thriller films.
Age- Our audience is 15-25, this is because most of the characters are under 18 but over 15 except form Poppy, so we thought that this would be a good age group to aim at instead of the mid to late 20's.
Race- As we have not made any stereotypical characters that are based on race hopefully our thriller attracts a culturally diverse audience instead of more of one than another
Class-We tried to show that April was from a middle class background uint he type of house she lives and the clothes she was wearing. Also showing the type of clothes Poppy is wearing this also shows the middle class background which is casual but still appropriate to be worn while being interrogated.
Similar for Susan Richmond as she wears smart clothing that is seen as normal in a work environment but still shows her authoritative position, which also helps portray her as a ver serious character doing her job.
Gender- In our thriller we do not have the conventional strong dominant male as the authority figure instead we used a female investigator, our thriller is aimed at both genders but personally i think that girls will be more likely to watch it because of the plot of the young girl disappearing. We have completely gone against stereotype in our thriller as we haven't used a male at all for any of our characters as we didn't see it as necessary. Women are usual seen as the weaker sex physically however are seen as the more mature but to a strong female character that has both isn't really seen in a lot of thriller films.
Age- Our audience is 15-25, this is because most of the characters are under 18 but over 15 except form Poppy, so we thought that this would be a good age group to aim at instead of the mid to late 20's.
Race- As we have not made any stereotypical characters that are based on race hopefully our thriller attracts a culturally diverse audience instead of more of one than another
Class-We tried to show that April was from a middle class background uint he type of house she lives and the clothes she was wearing. Also showing the type of clothes Poppy is wearing this also shows the middle class background which is casual but still appropriate to be worn while being interrogated.
Similar for Susan Richmond as she wears smart clothing that is seen as normal in a work environment but still shows her authoritative position, which also helps portray her as a ver serious character doing her job.
Monday, 10 April 2017
Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our product uses and develops thriller genre in our own thriller to endure that the audience can recognise the aspects of a thriller in our opening scene. We did this through the genre of music we used, our props, costumes, setting and editing. I think we used a lot of conventions that you would see in real media products in our sound and editing as we could then really think about and improve as we go along which was the main reason we re-filmed so many times as we weren't staffed that our opening looked as professional as it could be even with the limited tools we had. Using the techniques and tools we have learnt over the time since our preliminary task we found that they acme very helpful in making the film look eerie and it helped build suspense in our opening.
For example: the titles and credits in a real thriller film are very important as they can sometimes determine how popular the film becomes and if people continue to watch the film after there fist impression. My group and i decided on the title 'APRIL' because it was short and it stood out, as through our research we could not find a film with the same name. Also the title has to link somehow into the film which also helped us with our decision because the main character's name is April giving a direct link between the two. The credits at the start of any film especially thriller films are very important as if the film states that it has been distributed by Warner Bro's then people are more likely to watch it as they are a very well known and global film company. Stereotypically credits are small enough to be barely noticeable this is because they are normally played when the film has started son they give you an indicator of who is in the film but at the same time doesn't distract you from the start of the film.
In our thriller opening i found that the music is incredibly important as it causes suspense and the sound effects make moments more intense or set the mood for others. We initially use the composition Conspiracy which then moves onto to Silent hill which then leads to the sound of Poppy's heart bating erratically when she is being questioned. In a lot of Thrillers and for the same in ours there are long periods of time where there is no dialogue just simply music or sound effects.
We used quick close-ups near the end of our thriller of Poppy's face to show her emotions and her looking disoriented this could also have made her look suspicious to the audience as she zones out of the scene with the echoing of people voices in the background.
Our last scene of our thriller was very dark and shows April, beaten, bruised and vulnerable, which shows real media conventions as this would be scene in a thriller film. We took this shot fist with her eyes closed and then show them opening but it also expresses all the emotions she's feeling in that moment emphasising her injuries as if to say those are only the ones you can see.
We used a lot of different shot in our opening a one very commonly used in thriller films are shot reverse shot and match on match as most of the time either people would have an argument or others would run out of a room from fear or anger. For example we used a shot reverse shot between Poppy and the investigator, this would make sure the audience knew that this was April's younger sister. Also as the investigator introduces her self and makes sure that she is talking to her sister we also used a pan of the room showing all of April's family and friends to emphasise that she just a normal teenager under 18 who lives at home with her loved ones.
Thrillers generally use a lot of props and costume to ensure the audience understand what type of film it is. In most thrillers they usually have weapons of some sort and i think because we don't it does add to the suspense as no one is carrying anything harmful but a girl in her late teens just disappears into thin air.
For example: the titles and credits in a real thriller film are very important as they can sometimes determine how popular the film becomes and if people continue to watch the film after there fist impression. My group and i decided on the title 'APRIL' because it was short and it stood out, as through our research we could not find a film with the same name. Also the title has to link somehow into the film which also helped us with our decision because the main character's name is April giving a direct link between the two. The credits at the start of any film especially thriller films are very important as if the film states that it has been distributed by Warner Bro's then people are more likely to watch it as they are a very well known and global film company. Stereotypically credits are small enough to be barely noticeable this is because they are normally played when the film has started son they give you an indicator of who is in the film but at the same time doesn't distract you from the start of the film.
In our thriller opening i found that the music is incredibly important as it causes suspense and the sound effects make moments more intense or set the mood for others. We initially use the composition Conspiracy which then moves onto to Silent hill which then leads to the sound of Poppy's heart bating erratically when she is being questioned. In a lot of Thrillers and for the same in ours there are long periods of time where there is no dialogue just simply music or sound effects.
We used quick close-ups near the end of our thriller of Poppy's face to show her emotions and her looking disoriented this could also have made her look suspicious to the audience as she zones out of the scene with the echoing of people voices in the background.
Our last scene of our thriller was very dark and shows April, beaten, bruised and vulnerable, which shows real media conventions as this would be scene in a thriller film. We took this shot fist with her eyes closed and then show them opening but it also expresses all the emotions she's feeling in that moment emphasising her injuries as if to say those are only the ones you can see.
We used a lot of different shot in our opening a one very commonly used in thriller films are shot reverse shot and match on match as most of the time either people would have an argument or others would run out of a room from fear or anger. For example we used a shot reverse shot between Poppy and the investigator, this would make sure the audience knew that this was April's younger sister. Also as the investigator introduces her self and makes sure that she is talking to her sister we also used a pan of the room showing all of April's family and friends to emphasise that she just a normal teenager under 18 who lives at home with her loved ones.
Thrillers generally use a lot of props and costume to ensure the audience understand what type of film it is. In most thrillers they usually have weapons of some sort and i think because we don't it does add to the suspense as no one is carrying anything harmful but a girl in her late teens just disappears into thin air.
Saturday, 1 April 2017
Filming Experience
Since we first began i think that my filming skills were lacking and needed some definite improvement, as we went along i found that it became easier to change the angle of hot as i got used to how it would work when its pieced together in the end. As a group we had filmed 5 times all together as we had to do a lot of refilling for our 2nd half of our opening and we were indecisive as to how we wanted it too end. Every time we re-filmed, the quality of our filming got better and so did our acting, at the beginning everyone felt awkward having to act in front of a camera but the more often we did the more got used to it and relaxed.
One of the shots i took was off April walking away from the camera when it went from clear to blurry , when we were filming the first time the reason i took this shot was an on the spot idea. I was not sure if it would work but i felt like it would work really well and luckily it does, i find with this shot its actual adds some suspense to the scenes and it symbolises that something bad is about to happen to the audience.
Another shot i took was the footage of April walking down the stairs as this shot had to repeated multiple times as when we had first filmed we hadn't noticed that the coat on the side of the stair railing looked like it was in the way and even though is indicated what she was doing you could be positive.
My favourite shot is the one i took of April when she looked all bruised and beaten, i loved this shot because i found it so effective and as soon as i had removed the sound and overlaid the footage with music and sounds effects it made it scarier and intriguing as it is the end shot we needed it to be something that gets the audience to want to see what happens next and ask themselves questions about it
Overall i think my filming and our filming as a group has improved immensely, as before we had no clue as to what we were doing but now we can all edit and film different shots for different effects and we have all improved our general skills when using the tools on iMovie.
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