Evaluation Questions (Google Docs)

GOOGLE DOCS

                                           

This is the Google Docs format of the transcripts Jack and I collaborated on to answer the evaluation questions. The collaborations are clear and colour-coded, with Mariam's being written in red and Jack's in blue.

Evaluation Question 5

Question 5: How successful is your product?

Jack filmed a video collecting feedback from the cast members we hired to play the main roles while I recorded some answers from other people. I asked a member of the general public their opinion on the final draft and how it compares to the final product. Following this, I also asked a Media Studies student from another school their stance on the two drafts for the sake of populational validity. I thought it would be interesting to see the difference or similarity in opinion based on how media-conscious an individual is. The reason I interviewed different people is to eliminate bias: interviewing cast members might illicit some personalised responses as opposed to constructive criticism.

Below is Jack's video:

Below is my recording:

Check this out on Chirbit

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 4: How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Thursday 17 March

 

 Transcript:

Mariam - Red // Jack - Blue

We used blogger primarily as this was the site where we uploaded all of our work, we treated blogger as a personal diary relating to media studies. Blogger allowed us to upload posts frequently and edit or change them as we continued. Blogger also allows the viewer to see the dates and times we uploaded our tasks. Uploading frequently whether it was a large written post or a snapshot of our group chat was key.

Google Docs was primarily used for audience feedback and research - for example, our online survey was sent out from Google Forms. The link was sent as a mass e-mail to the entire secondary sector of our school in one easy click, (screen capture) which was made possible thanks to Microsoft Outlook Office, a variation of Hotmail that caters to work or professional environments. Google Docs was used to present a summary of the answers to the multiple choice questions asked in our survey. This is an easily accessible and visually stimulating method of gathering data as it allows you view results in percentages and pie charts. In this instance, some of the things we found out was preferable for our target audience included the genre of the score, favoured colour palettes, the gender of the main characters, among other things. This heavily influenced our decisions on many aspects of the film opening. Blogger, as previously mentioned, was used to keep track of our progress and present our findings in a structured, easy-to-navigate manner.

We used a mixture of Adobe Premiere and IMovie to edit our movies. Adobe Premiere was a more complicated editing software which was helpful as it allowed us to cut and remove or add certain effects and transitions that IMovie wasn’t capable of. At one point we did attempt to use Final Cut to integrate into the editing stage of our film opening in the hopes of finding added or beneficial features that Adobe Premiere and iMovie did not have, however this was not the case. We found that Final Cut was an interesting albeit slightly unusual software to edit movies; for example the saving feature was missing. We found out later that the saving feature is missing simply because the software had a built-in autosave function which was immensely relieving and convenient. I personally forget to save my projects a lot and as a result I have lost some drafts while logging out of my computer. Final Cut combats this common issue  in one easy step. On the other hand though, iMovie and Adobe Premier were ultimately the most useful and lacked the complexity Final Cut unfortunately has, therefore we used it for a majority of the time. I personally also used Movavi Video Editor for my evaluation questions, which I found quite convenient although the trial version restricts me from saving my work without a watermark which is disappointing. Firefly is another essential part of this project for it is where we uploaded all our files and resources and presented our final data. Finally, Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint were distinguishably vital throughout this project as we used them numerous times to present our findings or analyse shots from film openings.

Websites and filmmaking blogs such as The Film Book were also extremely beneficial in aiding us to produce a smooth, efficient film opening. (x) For example, The Film Book suggested some tips on how to manually handle a GoPro so as to reduce shakiness and stabilise the setting in a point-of-view shot. This is directly applicable in our comparison of the first draft and the final draft, respectively. On the first day of shooting, we attempted to shoot a POV scene of one of the characters driving on a quadbike but due to the bumpy desert location and the noisy quadbike the result was unimpressive. The footage was shaky in a clearly amateur fashion rather than purposefully, the frames were overexposed, the lighting too saturated, as well as a handful of sound issues.Through some articles from The Film Book this was able to be addressed. Another influential blog was No Film School, a popular website for independent filmmakers that provided its readers with fresh and innovative methods to film on a budget. No Film School’s article on the rule of thirds was especially helpful for me personally in understanding composition techniques. Premium Beat gave us a practical outlook on filmmaking in general but was particularly notable in its wide range of royalty free music tracks.

Video

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Transcript:

Mariam - Red // Jack - Blue

We used a Canon D600 and a Canon 70D to film our movie, comparing the footage from the DSLR Camera to the GoPro Hero4 it is unparalleled. The quality of the footage is very different as the DSLR had the better image quality but the GoPro had an almost fish eye approach as the footage is circled.

For the behind-the-scenes footage and production stills, a Canon 700D was used so as to avoid overloading the memory of the filming DSLRs. We had separate memory cards for BTS and actual filming footage; a 64 GB memory card was used for the filming, and an 8GB SD card was used for BTS footage and production photographs. YouTube tutorials were immensely helpful in understanding the mechanisms of the GoPro Hero 4 as we were all unfamiliar with using it prior to some online research.

I had no previous experience of working with film equipment prior to this project; so handling equipment was rather difficult for me and an unfamiliar situation. Thanks to this project however, my skills in the following area have significantly improved: editing, analysing, handling equipment, filming, etc.

  I now have a greater awareness of a DSLR's mechanisms as well as a GoPro's, not to mention I learned how to use camera movements and shots to convey to the general viewer a certain mood or atmosphere, for example over-the-shoulder shots in a conversation-type scene or tracking to highlight a character's importance or even the importance of the destination the character that we are following is going to. I learned how to pace cuts and editing techniques such as elliptical editing to skip unnecessary time and shot-reverse-shot in accordance to the film genre, or the scene. I developed a greater appreciation for sound; diegetic, non-diegetic, dialogue, voice-over or ambient and how it enhances the atmosphere in a film, a well-known example being the chilling score for the shower scene in Psycho. I also got the chance to try my own hand at making my own (DIY) props for a film's mise-en-scene to establish the genre.

After we filmed our footage which took 4-5 days as we underestimated the filming length. Adobe Premiere was very good as it allowed my group to edit quickly and tint our overall film to make the desert look better and the sky look a vibrant blue. Nikita then downloaded free SFX effects such as muzzle flash and explosion effects. After adding in the SFX effects we focused on our soundtrack. Our soundtrack was a remake of the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack.

We also used google docs and blogger to upload our progress and planning for our first and final draft of our movie.

We used a variety of different editing software’s to edit and add the effects into our movie. I used Adobe Premier to put the sequence together but I used Photoshop to design our group’s logo and title designs.

Above is a Prezi I made of the previous transcript. I made separate slides for Jack and I.

Evaluation Question 2

Below is a PowToon I made, followed by the script.

Evaluation Question 2: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

Done

Our film opening targets a wide range of audiences around the age of 16-24. This is because that age range is usually associated with the action/post-apocalyptic/sci-fi elements that are present in our film opening, as well as the fact that 16-24 is roughly the age range of both the actors and the massive amount of characters portrayed in our film opening. However, unlike most movies, the age range is as specific as my target audience gets; potential viewers are not disregarded based on gender, race etc. because our film opening is rather diverse in terms of those classifications. 


Many movies are criticised due to the lack of diversity in characters; lead roles more often than not go to white males. This is even a convention in the genre of our post-apocalyptic action film opening where a white male lead who displays stereotypical 'male' traits i.e. strong, brave, etcetera who fits into the 'lone wolf' archetype is cast. Our film opening directly opposes this convention as our characters are racially diverse; there are white actors and actresses, Asian actors and actresses, Arab actors, and other ethnicities. So not only are there more than just white cast members, there is also no definitive main character, but rather numerous ones. 


There are also two female characters on-screen and one female crew member which may not be that progressive but is definitely a challenge to both post-apocalyptic action film conventions and general film conventions since females are stereotypically associated with weakness and fragility. Since the representation of our characters range from many ethnicities and genders, audience members will have an easier time identifying with or connecting to a character/characters. For this reason I don't have a specific target audience outside of the aforementioned age range, seeing as this is the only constant characteristic.


Camerawork engages the audience due to the variety of shots and camera movements we've experimented with such as pan shots, over-the-shoulder shots, long shots and even an attempt at aerial shots. This is very exciting for the viewer because they are shown things or events at a view or angle that they are not used to or unable to see; the novelty of the experience stimulates them.
This is usually combined with bold and eye-catching props to further stimulate the viewer visually, which we did through the heavy emphasis on props i.e. the quadbikes, katanas, snipers, and so on. The "DIY" homemade look of some of the props is particularly enticing to independent filmmakers perhaps because it inspires some competitiveness in them. 


The costumes were all homemade as well, and the desert setting emphasises the natural, primal aspect of nature that we wanted to convey to the audience. There is no dialogue at all in our film opening which is surprisingly quite engaging to viewers; they're almost expectant of someone to talk, and when no one does, the audience is intrigued! Not to mention it builds up the suspense and adds a hint of mystery. The characters communicate through NVC instead, therefore viewers are more inclined to pay close attention.
Colouring is also a key feature here in capturing the audience's attention. One common convention of post-apocalyptic action movies is to use dramatic colour palettes with either high-key or low-key lighting, depending on the tone of the film.


We opted for high-key lighting and filmed during the day to emphasise the natural golden hues of the sand dunes in the desert setting, increasing the contrast and saturation later on in post-production to highlight this. We firmly wanted to communicate a dangerous, action-oriented atmosphere to the audience members without the grim, somber and dark mood that is often connoted with low-key lighting. This is a more lighthearted take on post-apocalyptic fiction. The strong visual contrast and vibrant colouring thus draws the viewer to the product efficiently.

This is further developed through the editing, which sought to establish a fast-paced adventurous film opening. Quick and abrupt cuts were used to heighten the viewer's tension and plenty of match-on-action sequences can be spotted for the purpose of displaying action from different views, angles and manners. Elliptical editing is also used to further 'skip' some dull parts and switch the focus to the fast tempo of the action. This instantly catches the viewer's eye because it communicates a sense of urgency to them thus they may feel like they are struggling to keep up, forcing them to pay more attention.

To top it all off the sound is particularly important in arousing feelings of tension and curiosity amongst the audience: fast tempoed and catchy, the score of our film opening emits a sense of danger, illiciting a fear response. 

In terms of distribution, I think the relatively well-known independent production company Warp Films is a good choice for our film project. There are many reasons as to why this is the best option; for one, it directly broadcasts to British viewers, a portion of our target audience, through branding; the phrase 'Warp Films' is familiar to the average UK moviegoer. Since it is both a film and television production company, this allows Warp Films to freely advertise its products on a national level using strategies such as cross-media convergence and synergy, in combination with social media such as Twitter to cross-promote and YouTube to release trailers, etc. Many independent filmmakers advocate for the use of social media to gather views and fans.

This helps battle the overwhelming amount of Hollywood feature films dominating the film industry which causes significant obstacles and issues for the 
British film industry when it comes to filmmaking. This has been a problem since Hollywood's conception. British filmmakers, especially in independent companies, have great difficulty producing and financing a film and take higher risks in comparison to American major media conglomerates because the British film industry is overshadowed by Hollywood. By choosing a relatively successful independent British production company, this issue is addressed and challenged. 

Another reason Warp Films is an appropriate option is due to the success of previous productions; Warp Films is responsible for the releases of films such as Exhibit A (2007) - which was awarded the title of 'Best UK Feature' at the Raindance Film Festival - and Ben Wheatley's Kill List (2007) which received strong critical acclaim with the UK-based film magazine Total Film declaring it 'Outstanding'. It was given a 5 star rating. Films produced by Warp Films are notable in their fresh, innovative content, distinct in their experimental nature which can be largely attributed to Warp Films being an independent company. This leads to the conclusion that Warp Films could largely benefit from Quicksand simply because it reinforces the production company's well-earned reputation for the execution and exploration of creative and visionary ideas. A second advantage of producing our film would be variety and range; Warp Films is not particularly known for their lighthearted comedies but rather their heavier and more serious works surrounding practical issues, which may not appeal to a wide range of individuals. Our film is less realistic and more action-oriented than the average  An increase in the variety and tone of films would mean a wider scope of viewers outside of the niche audience.

One way our film project can benefit from Warp Films' position lies in promotion through social networking. For example, Warp Films' Twitter account alone has a dedicated fanbase of over 30,000 followers. Their Facebook page has an estimate of 50,000+ likes. Warp Films frequently exploit a combination of these to promote their productions, which would be highly advantageous for our film project. In turn, we can also use our individual social networking accounts to promote Warp Films. 

Evaluation Question 1 (Film Conventions)

Evaluation Question 1: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

Transcript:

Jack - Blue // Mariam - Red

Conventions are vital components of a film and the choices we make in following or challenging them determine whether we make or break our product. Conventions are the sometimes unwritten rules which make a certain genre distinct and recognisable to audiences. One simple or slight variation in any tropes or conventions could drastically alter the mood conveyed to the audience or send the wrong message, which may turn out in your favour as in the case of an unscripted Joker scene from The Dark Knight which subverts general film conventions of sticking to the script. Zoolander had an unscripted scene regarding the lack of intelligence of male models which challenges gender stereotypes such as the ‘dumb female model’. However sometimes making the wrong choice regarding film conventions can also be disastrous.

Conventions establish the genre to the viewer; it is a form of communicating your product without explicitly stating the genre of your film opening. This means that if audience members have trouble identifying the film opening’s genre or the message conveyed is generally too vague, not a lot of conventions are addressed. This can be a problem as nothing captures the audience’s attention or connects them to the product. Therefore we are aware of the importance of conventions in ‘showing and not telling’. Our product challenges some conventions and ascribes to some based on how certain tropes convey meanings. In terms of editing, the film opening uses film conventions extensively; the post-apocalyptic action genre is identified through the use of quick, abrupt cuts preceded by a significantly longer take for the ‘establishing’ shot. 

Our film challenges conventions such as the mixture of ethnicities in our cast and the different genders. One of our main actors was a girl which challenges sexism as she was holding a Katana and was doing things just as violent as the boys. Since femininity is stereotypically associated with peace, weakness and delicateness the way our female character is represented is in direct opposition to traditional gender roles. However, our male characters are fairly stereotypical in the way they are represented; violent and driven. This is further emphasised through the use of props that have implications of bloodshed and violence, such as katanas, snipers, grenade launchers, and so on.

Colouring was also somewhat conventional as post-apocalyptic action movies often use high-key lighting along with a vibrant saturated colour palette to convey a sense of dynamic energy, although it can be argued that the vivacious colouring challenges post-apocalyptic conventions as it is also common for movies in the genre to use low-key, cool-toned colours to establish a grim, somber mood and indicate a sense of foreboding danger. Danger is also often associated with nighttime due to this reason; people are afraid of what they can't see. In this sense, our opening challenges colouring conventions in the post-apocalyptic genre because it takes place in broad daylight.

Other components of mise-en-scene have been considered in detail, especially props. Since our film opening has no dialogue and few close-up shots, NVC is lacking. The focus of our film opening was not to establish a character-viewer relationship but rather stimulate the audience member visually, which was accomplished predominantly through the mise-en-scene. In order to compensate for the lack of NVC, we placed a heavy emphasis on props as a way to switch the focus to visual imagery. Props such as heavy vehicles are distinguishably used in our film opening. The focus on visual components through the heavy use of props is rather conventional for an action movie. However post-apocalyptic movies often tend to have a deeper insight into the main character(s) by developing a complex backstory to allow the audience to sympathise with them; our film opening averts this convention. The focus of our film opening was not to establish a character-viewer relationship but rather stimulate the audience member visually, which was accomplished predominantly through the mise-en-scene. In order to compensate for the lack of NVC, we placed a heavy emphasis on props as a way to switch the focus to visual imagery.

Sound is particularly conventional due to copyright issues and lack of original music. We had to resort to royalty-free music which is usually generic and lackluster, however after thoroughly exploring several websites we used some soundtrack clips that are more unique and interesting in our respective opinions. Taking into account that a film’s soundtrack can be used to convey mood and drive action, we opted for a fast-paced score to build up suspense and stimulate the listener in compliance with action movie soundtrack conventions. Since our film opening is action-oriented, we believe that any diegetic and/or non-diegetic music should convey the same meaning. Diegetic sounds such as the katana wielding sound were produced using royalty free soundtracks we found online. Non-diegetic sounds such as the score were also found the same way. This challenges major film conventions as they often make their own soundtracks or use foley sound effects for diegetic sounds. However, since we were on a budget and a limited amount of resources, we were unable to do so. Ambient sounds like the desert breeze and engines whirring were our own, however.

In terms of narrative, our film opening is fairly conventional in terms of the plot stages. The film opening starts with an equilibrium stage when the establishing shot shows a vast and empty desert landscape. A disruption is quickly introduced when several characters are shown quickly driving by in quadbikes. The pace of this transition heightens the tension. We are then shown the opposing forces; it is clear who is on who’s side. It seems, however, that the recognition stage comes hand in hand with the disruption stage as the characters are aware that they are being followed. The attempt to restore also is immediately apparent to the viewer from this scene. This challenges film conventions in the sense that all stages are usually clearly delineated with some time divided between each stage. Due to this being a film opening, there is no resolution but rather a cliffhanger so as to entice the viewers to watch more of the product.

Finally, camera work makes up a vital component of film conventions. A variety of shots were used in our film opening, including establishing shots, close-ups, medium-close-ups, long shots, low-angle shots, high-angle shots, point-of-view shots, over-the-shoulder shots, with a range of movements such as hand-held/pan shots. In this sense we follow the conventions of more contemporary post-apocalyptic action movies, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) being our primary source of inspiration. The hand-held element is particularly modern, often found within the found-footage subgenre of horror. This is also noted in some action movies. The shaky, unstable quality denotes to the viewer an erratic atmosphere, usually to symbolise a certain character’s dread or fear.

The focus of our film opening was not to establish a character-viewer relationship but rather stimulate the audience member visually, which was accomplished predominantly through the mise-en-scene. In order to compensate for the lack of NVC, we placed a heavy emphasis on props as a way to switch the focus to visual imagery.

Video:

This video was filmed and edited by me.

Film Opening (Final Draft)

QUICKSAND FINISHED PRODUCT