Evaluation Q.7 - Learnt Since Prelim

"Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?"


(This is my completed prelim task.)

Research
For the prelim there was no need to do research into genre conventions, as the instructions were to simply film someone walking into a room, sitting down and having a conversation. However, to produce my film opening I spent hours researching genre conventions (by watching the openings of films within the genre, analyzing them, reading articles on genre conventions etc.) to prepare for my project. Research is vital to constructing a film opening as without it it is very difficult to create a product that would be successful within the genre.

Planning/Time Management 
To create the prelim there was only limited planning required. We were given the information about what we had to film and then advised to create a story board (as seen below.) We also filmed the prelim in the same lesson we planned it in, using other classmates as actors, so it was completed quite quickly (with the next lesson being dedicated to editing.)
This of course was a serious contrast to my planning and time management when creating my opening; I began the project in October (with my initial ideas,) then scouted locations, developed a screenplay, drew up a storyboard, began planning a production schedule, all before finally beginning filming. This process took months, but thanks to my meticulous planning was fairly painless.

Pitching
Creating a pitch was unnecessary for the prelim task, but it was the first hurdle I had to overcome in the process of creating my opening. The hardest part was coming up with and developing an idea - however, once I'd done this, I made a powerpoint presentation and braced myself for presenting it to the class. Overall I found pitching to be relatively easy as I was confident in my idea, and had a clear plan of what I wanted.

Casting
For both projects casting was actually fairly simple; for the prelim I simply used people available to me from my media class, whereas for my film opening I intended to ask a student from my drama class to play the protagonist (with myself already set to play the antagonist.) There was a slight hitch in the plan when my original actress dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, but luckily my wonderful friend Rose Blackburne stepped in to fill the spot. Having such a small cast made things a lot easier.                                                                                                                                                  
Props, Costume, Mise-en-scene/Location

For both the preliminary task and the opening I used what resources I had available to me. For example, in the prelim we filmed in an empty room of the school, while for my opening my location scouting confirmed that using the local cemetery would work and provide me with the perfect mise-en-scene. For my opening the costumes used were simply our regular exercise clothes as we were playing teenagers, and in terms of props the only thing needed was the phone so I used my own.

Sample Shoots
Once again, this was something the prelim did not require. However, having sample shoots proved vital to the film opening, as they allowed me to take into consideration lighting (something I learnt the hard way, as discussed in my production diary) and other environmental factors. Overall, the prelim provided me with a very useful learning opportunity that helped me improve the quality of my opening.


Rough Cuts/Audience Feedback

During any media production there are always going to be rough cuts. The prelim only had one rough cut, but my opening had multiple. The purpose of rough cuts is to allow an opportunity for audience feedback that can lead to improvements in the product - and this was certainly the case for my opening.
The audience feedback for my film opening came from friends and peers (who're within my target audience.) I attained their feedback via social media's such as WhatsApp and the Facebook Messenger app.

(This is the rough cut of my prelim task.)


(This is the initial rough cut of my film opening.)

Sound
The sound used in the prelim was a mix of the dialogue recorded on the camera's microphone during filming and the copyright free music tracks in FinalCut Pro. Creating sound for my opening was an entirely different process...
All sound in my film opening was added during post-production; the dialogue was recorded using the iPhone Music Memos app, while the sound effects and music were created in Logic Pro. We couldn't use any of the sound recorded on the camera's because the background noise made it intelligible.

Company Ident
I hadn't created a Company Ident before the prelim, but it was important to create one to accompany my film opening. I've detailed the process here.

Filming
As my prelim was so short (31 seconds) I was only able to provide a small range of shot types, which were primarily close-ups and over-the-shoulder shots for a shot-reverse-shot sequence during a conversation. I used similar shots in my opening, as well as establishing shots, mid-shots, p.o.v shots etc. For the prelim task filming was done by Charles Verfuerth, and he was also kind enough to be my camera man for parts of my film opening (I of course returned the favor by assisting him in the filming of his project.) Charles' assistance with my filming proved invaluable and I am very grateful for all the help he has given to me during this project.

Workload
As this was a solo project I have been entirely responsible for this film opening (unlike the prelim, for which I shared responsibility of its production with Charles.) Of course, while I have produced approximately 90% of this project alone (no easy task!) I must give the remaining 10% of the credit to Charles and Mr. Van Zomerplaag for their advice and guidance with the technical aspects that I was unfamiliar with before this course.

In Conclusion...
This project has been exhausting and time-consuming, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the process and have learnt an incredible amount since the prelim task. I look forward to applying the skills I've acquired to the next project!

Evaluation Q.6 - Learning on Technologies

"What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?"

Cinematography
Before this course I had almost no experience in filming whatsoever, so I've really had a massive learning curve in the use of cameras during this process.

DSLR
I chose to shoot my film using a DSLR camera, as it would give my footage the cinematic effect I wanted and allowed me to have more creative control. While this may seem basic, it was only during this course that I learnt about aperture, and how the smaller the f number the bigger the aperture, which basically means more light will be let in; (of course I learnt this the hard way, as I failed to adjust the aperture and my footage was too dark.)
I also learnt that aperture adjusts the depth of field: for example, if something in the foreground (say a close-up shot) is in focus and the background is blurred, then there is a shallow-depth of field. (An example of this within my film is the shot of the protagonist putting on her shoes.)
I was unfamiliar with the meaning of the ISO number, and learnt that the higher the number is the more sensitive the camera is to light. For my film, I filmed with ISO 200 to get the best quality image (the higher the ISO number, the more grain the images have.)

GoPro
While the majority of my filming was done using the DSLR, I wanted to use a GoPro to capture the 'Monster's P.O.V' as its small, portable body allowed me to maneuver it easily to get unique, 'unnatural' angles.
The downside of using a GoPro of course was that it allowed me far less control than the DSLR, but it did give me a wider field of view (meaning it looked less cinematic and more like the P.O.V style I was after.)

iPhone 
I also used the built in camera on my iPhone to film some of the point of view shots, as it allowed me to see what I was filming as I filmed it (ultimately saving me time in the long wrong as it meant I could guarantee I was getting clear, usable footage.)
The iPhone 6 I used has 1080p HD video recording with cinematic video stabilization and a continuous autofocus, which meant that I was able to capture clear, high quality footage.


Editing
Throughout the process of creating my film opening I have made detailed posts about the new technologies I learnt to use along the way; I have included the links to these posts below.
Premier Pro
Logic Pro & FinalCut Pro (here I discuss green-screening and sound)
FinalCut Pro

I've also included two simple tutorial videos that cover the basics of the programs I used in my process. These videos provide a more general overview than the above posts.





Blogger
During this course I was also introduced to this site, blogger.com
While I was not unfamiliar with blogging sites (being a member of the popular youth blogging/social site Tumblr,) using this site allowed me to experience a more formal approach to blogging.
I learnt how to format my blog, changing the background and layout, fonts and colours for the general presentation of the blog. I also learnt how to embed YouTube videos and links into my blog posts.

Social Media
While familiar with using some social media's (such as YouTube, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter) before this course, my knowledge and understanding of them was improved. For example, I learnt how to upload a video onto YouTube and how to use the YouTube annotations tool.

Uploading to YouTube

How to edit your video after it's been uploaded

I used the annotations tool to add information to my Evaluation Q.5 

• I also learnt how to download videos from YouTube; something I found useful when I wanted to make my film pitch multi-modal and visually exciting (e.g. using clips from "Body Snatchers" and "Scream".)

Evaluation Q.5 - Mode of Address

"How did you attract/address your audience?"

How I Attracted Them...
As discussed in Evaluation Q.4 my target audience is people aged 15 to 24, which meant that I would be able to use social media's to create an advertising campaign (useful to me as my budget was £0.00 and this meant I could generate advertising for free) that targeted my primary audience on platforms they frequently used.
I have created accounts on various social medias (linked below) that could be used for the advertising campaign of this project. 

Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram
Facebook

The content of these accounts is typical of what would be seen on the social media pages of any film/tv production. I've also created me own hashtag #mimitís2016 that would allow fans to search, keep tabs on updates, and share anything related to the film, ultimately helping expand the fanbase by successfully gaining internet popularity.
Often on these social media sites the publicity team for a film (in this case me) would release promotional photos, pictures from set, links to interviews, sneak-peeks, trailers etc. (I've included examples of ones for my film on the social media accounts I created.)


How I Addressed Them...
This question overlaps with representations (which I've spoken about in evaluation question 2.) To address my audience I have chosen to portray the protagonist in a way that makes the audience sympathetic to her, in contrast to the negative portrayal of the antagonist.

I used narrative enigma to draw in and 'hook' my audience; for example, I didn't reveal the protagonist's face until after the montage of her getting ready, and I didn't reveal the antagonist (despite implying she was there) until the final scene.
The preferred reading for my film opening is that people are intrigued and then made to feel uneasy due to not knowing who/what the 'watcher' (friend) is. I want my audience to reach the end and think that all is well, only to realize that her friend isn't her friend and that something is horribly wrong, making my audience feel unsettled and wanting to know more. I used the narrative enigma to achieve this.

I provided my audience with a "privileged p.o.v" (they can see more than any single character can,) by letting them watch the protagonists progression and see through the eyes of the antagonist. This allowed the audience to build a connection with the protagonist and helped them to identify with her.

I also semi-intentionally employed Laura Mulver's "Male Gaze" theory in the third shot, where there is a mid-shot of the protagonist's chest as she zips up her jacket. The shot was included primarily for the montage of her preparation for running, but it was undeniably useful in terms of keeping the attentions of a heterosexual male audience.

My use of sound was designed to build tensions for the audience, helping to lead them through what they were meant to feel (increasing discomfort) as the opening progressed.

Unfortunately I have not included any intertextuality in my opening, due to lack of forethought. However, the only intertextuality that would've been possible is character names (due to the fact that at no point do I give shots of things other than the protagonist.) If I were to rename the characters, I might've called the antagonist Jenn Elise and the protagonist Marti Anwar - these names are a mixture of the characters and actresses names from 1993's Body Snatchers. (I'd use these names because, despite the subtlety of the reference, I want to pay homage to "Body Snatchers" as it provided inspiration for my story.)

Evaluation Q.4 - Target Audience

Evaluation Q.3 - Distributor

Evaluation Q.2 - Representations

Evaluation Q.2 from ngalvin99

Evaluation Q.1 - Use of Conventions