Research and Planning

StoryBoard:

Evaluation 7 Looking back at your prelinary task (contiuity editing task) what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

In our preliminary task we used three techniques: match on action, shot reverse shot and 180 degree rule, these are the most basic techniques and so important. I believe that I took these simple techniques into account into my film.


Editing the preliminary task was simple and where I took charge, it was fun at the time. It took a day at most, when I say day I went a lesson or two. However editing the film sequence was not so pleasant. Alone i had to create a soundtrack fitting to the genre and edit my film, leaving out bits which were not important and creating an eerie non human feel to it.


Now i don't know if you have ever edited and used Garageband and the programs on the Mac. But if you want something just right it can get very stressful, getting things in time, you could just kill someone. I've been editing in my own time, I also filmed in my own time by myself with the help of my sister.


I learn a bit more about things about editing and i have become a wiz at editing! And I know how to use Garageband! YAY! But I also did learn how to use the camera a lot better, due to the fact that I needed to film without the help of my group this time. Oh the joys of a re-sit. But hey! I learnt how to work a camera, even discovered how to change lighting settings which helped tremendously.

Evaluation 6 What have you learnt about technologies from process of constructing this product?

This picture shows me with the camera which we used to film, tripod that the camera was put on and the (Apple) Mac desktop computer which we used to edit and compose the music and clips for our film.

Blogger. What can I say about this? Well you should know what it is, you are using it are you not? But it must be mentioned so, this is what i use to present my research and the evaluation of my film.......if you don't know what it is or how to use it what the hell are you doing marking my blog?

This program is Garageband, a program only for the Mac, which allowed me to create my own unique soundtrack. So basically it let me compose my own music. From using this I now know how to create sound clips, edit them, cut them down and extend them, and how to put them in rhythm.

I also used Youtube to conduct research for soundtracks of the horror genre. (Look to my previous post to see research).

And finally my greatest tool. Google. this search engine helped me find examples of horror movies and the typical plots, and ended taking me to many sights which aided my research. Wow isn't Google great?

Potentially the most important program I used, iMovie HD. This allowed me to upload my film to the computer, edit and add sound from Garageband.

Evaluation 5 How did you attract/address your audience?

I addressed my audience in the top shot by involving a masked figure which is supposed to be a monster that is the main focus of the movie. People like horror films because of that unknown element and the scare they get from the unknown and slightly disfigured monsters. Monsters connote evil so and that is one of a horror genre conventions so I decided I was going to use a mask to create a monster.

This attracts all different ages but the main focus is young adults I used a location that was dark because it connotes evil and empathises the creature’s ‘darkness’. This mid shot used helps the audience see that the creature is part human and that is what they would like to see in this movie, the unknown scary creature that hunts people down.

Evaluation 4 Who would be the audience for your media product?

Well I know teenagers; I am one of them so I know what they should like. They like a bit of a scare and the trill of sitting alone feeling completely freaked out by weird monstrous figures.  This film would have blood and gore so a lot of weird sadistic people I know would love this film.

This group is a wonderful target audience. Many young people do not want to go to the movies on their own so will at least go with one other person so they don’t look like a 'loner'. And if people did want to go see this movie there is a high chance they will bring friends. The point I am getting to is that big groups will go see this movie. If they see it they may go see it again. For example if it is a ‘hit’ and a group of go see it all like it a lot they may go back each bringing 3 different friends. So more people will go see this film than if it was aimed just at adults.

I would give my movie a certificate rating of 15-18 because of its graphic content. This certificate would show the audiences it isn’t just another ‘scary’ psychological thriller which isn’t that great *cough* Paranormal Activity *cough*.

Evaluation 3 What kind of media instituion might distibute your media product and why?

Firstly, to produce this film i would need funding. I could get this from a few places. One of which is the UK Film Council that could help fund this film. I have been doing research into where the film could be distributed so a horror film that isn't produced by a Hollywood team full of American actors. My film would feature British talent thus I think this is suitable for an English audience. So how would this be distributed? A DVD? No, that is not the best idea. We as a group are not known in the industry so people would not buy our products. It could be shown at film festivals though.

Where else can this be shown? In local cinemas, but because we are not a well known label people may not want to see this new film. (This could be solved by co-producing with Working Title a British owned film company, who have had many successes including Four Weddings And A Funeral.) I think that my film should be suitable for local cinemas in the area, also small cinema companies.

 

Advertisement? We would advertise this in newspapers. Many people read the newspaper every day. This would be a cheap and relatively easy to do. Then many people could find about the film. We could also advertise on Television during the commercial break, other ways we could advertise is on the side of buses and on bill boards.

Evaluation 2 How does your media product represent particular soical groups?

So, on the top we have a shot from the movie scream. This woman is scared and at the mercy of a killer and the shot below is from my film The Unknown where this woman is about to be killed by a creature. Can you see any similarities and differences? Well to start they both have their mouths wide open screaming. This is representing women as easy targets to murders and the first to be killed. It could be argued that this scream is a convention of the horror genre and I wanted to enforce this idea. The only difference between these two shots is that one has a reflection of the masked man whereas in my shot I used eye-line match from the creature's point of view. 

I also used this idea of only seeing the face in the shot below, because it shows the audience that this woman is being watched and they know something is going to happen.
(The setting bellow is similar to a resident Evil Mansion which is a horror film (and game) which helps to show the audience that the genre is horror)