Question 7

Looking at your Preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 

Looking back at my preliminary task I have progressed in many useful skills that will help me achieve a better quality with future production. First and foremost I have learnt that it is best to work on a film with other people. From being the outsider of other people’s production I have seen that it is a very collaborative experience and hard to pull off by yourself as there is a lot more time and effort involved and there have been many times where I have not coped under pressure.

 Pre-production

I came up with interesting ways to plan my ideas and inspiration. Mostly through the aid of mind maps, note making and using blogger as a way of collecting all my inspiration. The internet was a key device in this stage. I found this stage of production the most fun as it was the most creative but challenging as it is hard to stick to one idea when I had so many I wanted to bring to live through the film medium in my head.

 Production

This was the first time I had used a camera to record a film so I found this stage full of challenges. However, I enjoyed working behind the camera and I learnt all sorts of things I didn’t know before such as how to set up a tripod correctly and how to frame a shot appropriately which inevitably I used the bridge on the camera to zoom in and out. Also I learnt how to record using a microphone and a camera to record voice over narration, a crucial part in my production.

 Editing

Editing has become much easier as I have progressed further in my production. Some of the most useful editing skills I found were:

-The ability to change the volume of sound using volume control

-The cut and razor tool. The razor tool became particularly important when wanting to change the volume of sound in a specific part

-Video transitions such as dip to black or dissolve

I kept editing fairly simple to keep in style with the social realist film which rarely uses these kind of effects. This is to make the film look as realistic as possible thus believable to the audience. The editing software I used was Adobe Premiere CS4.

Question 6

What have you learned about technologies in the process of constructing your film?

Making my film has been a lengthily process during which I have learned how to use a number of different technologies including software and editing skills. They would easily be broken down in the different stages of production: 

Pre-production 

One of the key pieces of technology I used during this stage was Blogger, a free online blogging server. This is so that I could record my ideas and development and have them be somewhere safe for final grading. Blogger was used in all three stages of production. Social media played a big part too. I mainly used Facebook to help me communicate with the people who I was going to work with. I have used you tube to help me clearly demonstrate where I got my inspiration from allowing me to upload specific videos. This is also true of google images too which I was able to make my blog much more visual which is required for a good grade. I used google search engine effectively to collect more ideas about my chosen genre and help me create an original piece yet still with archetypes that make it clear it is social realist. I also used DVDS to capture specific parts of films that I had the biggest influence on me. Lastly, this required me to repeatedly use the snipping tool. 

Production 

The most important technology used in this stage was a camera recorder. The camera I used was a canon make and delivered good quality video clips and sound, however. Sound was often a problem when filming as it picked up an awful lot that was unwanted. Ultimately, this caused me to search you tube to find suitable sound but it had to be non copyrighted as there was a rule that placed this restriction upon us. Blogger was used but not as extensively as in the pre production stage as there was not much to record. It was a much more practical part of the process. 

Post production 

In the very beginning of this stage I had to use format factory to convert my files into mp4 which I would then be able to use in the chosen editing software. The editing software we were giving to use was Adobe Premiere CS4. Premiere came with a range of helpful and interesting editing effects. One I found myself using on a regular bases was the ability to change the sound level as well as the effect 'exponential fade' which gave the sound a much more professional rather than ending unexpected whilst the other clips have 'dipped to black' for example when a specific part of the scene had ended. Again i found myself using google images a lot to find images of where my inspiration came from. This is most apparent during the evaluation stage. The snipping tool was also used to show different stages of the post production stage showing off certain effects I have used. I used youtube to find music for my film. Blogger was used a lot more at this stage than say the production as it was vital it allowed me to show my production evolve into the final product. 

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

In my opening I attracted my audience by taking full advantage of mise-en-scene. I used the location to create a real sense of isolation. This would attract a particular sector of the teenage social group, outcasts as they often feel alone, forgotten and unwanted and would be a way of connecting them to the character. The costume attracts those who lack wealth due to her limited wardrobe change particularly shown in the opening as in between the narrative pause she is wearing the same costume. Lastly the costume would begins to address the social issue of prostitution of though it is not completely obvious, but the cuts and bruises are supposed to address the audience on this and the roughness of that kind of job. The fact that I worked with the social realist genre meant that I limited myself to the use of special effects as it adds to the sense of realism rather than making the film more unrealistic. Ultimately, I did this for the audience to believe in the story. This is untrue of some Hollywood films as they can often look fake due to the excessive amount of cgi and studio sets. I believe that this is actually one of the main advantages of Social Realist films. 

Question 4

My media product is aimed at a niche audience. The age demographic would for this film would be solely teenagers and young adults. This is due to the fact that this is the age most of the characters in the film are this age. Furthermore, teenagers and young adults are more able to connect with. Also, unlike teenagers of the past the teenagers in my film deal with more contemporary issues such as a party culture and technology. London is a multicultural city meaning there is a wide range of ethnicity's. Primarily, this means that due to the main setting being London there is no exclusive attraction to a certain ethnically group as there would be a mixture within the cast. Whilst I look at middle class issues the narrative of the film is mainly geared towards the lower class as they are more likely to understand what it's like to have a lack of money and looked down upon by society as a consequence. The educational background for my audience would be students either school or university as it does require a wide knowledge on social issues and the ability to think critically, both of which are generally developed in an educational institution. 

Other films that might appeal to this age group within the genre include Kidulthood and 'This is England.' 

Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As independent films often do, my film only attracts a niche audience making it even harder to find a distribution company to distribute my film. However, after completed several different case studies on films as well as the distribution companies themselves, I have narrowed it down to two. Firstly, Vertigo Films. 

Vertigo Films have released independent films within the social realist genre, particularly 'London to Brighton' which as explained in earlier questions deals with similar topical issues and uses the same stereotypical characters. However, Vertigo have also released mainstream films such as 'StreetDance' which was also released in 3D. Primarily, this company having mainstream success makes it less likely for them to distribute my product. 

Ultimately, I believe that I stand a better chance of my film being distributed by Warp Films as their films are solely aimed at am arthouse audience. Many of the films they have distributed such as 'This is England' and 'Dead Man's Shoes' fit within the social realist genre filmed and edited the same way that my film would had it been made into a full feature film. 

Question 2

           How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The soul character of the film, Emily, who is featured the most in my opening, is a homeless person. I present her as being deprived of wealth, shelter and also incredibly lost. This is shown by her being continuously on the move implying that she has nowhere in particular to go. The fact that in the entire second half of the opening she is alone with no contact with other creates a sense of isolation and that she is forgotten furthermore, I imply that the lack of wealth means she is an insignificant part of society.

Emily also belongs into the teenage social group. She is not presented as a stereotypical teenager but the innocence and vulnerability of this social group is constantly pushed upon the audience during the film. Ultimately, her weakness is portrayed particularly from the cuts and bruises she has is what suggests her to be vulnerable as audiences are led to thought that she has been led to be pushed around and/or has no physical strength thus is frail.

My character Emily is similar to ‘Joanne’s’ in ‘London to Brighton’ in that her vulnerability and innocence is continuously discussed. Particularly in ‘Kelly’s’ speech which she repeatedly says ‘she’s just a kid.’

 Left: Joanne

 Right: Emily 

Question 1

        In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

Titles

I have challenged the style of titles used in my genre of film which is social realist. In this genre of film there is often a plain black background used and the credits are written in a simple font such as serif, however. This is used to make it look like a decent amount of effort has gone into making the film. This has to do with the working class link social realist films generally have and the stereotype that the working class are lazy thus trying to challenge that thought. For my main titles I have used the main prop as the background reflecting on the importance of the diary in my film. Therefore, I have challenged the convention of titles that pertain to my chosen genre by using the title to create deeper meaning instead of just to present the main credits. I have followed the conventions of real films which have animations of the production and distribution company at the beginning. I chose to do this to make my opening look more professional rather than starting with no intro. I have also used the titles for the main credits, another convention.

Main title for 'Emily's Diary'     

Costumes and location

Costume designers will design costumes to define the character and reflect on their lifestyle so this is a crucial element in a film opening. I took advantage of this element of film to reflect on the character’s difficult lifestyle and to add to the gritty atmosphere that I have tried to achieve in the beginning. 

Emily's costume 

 

Firstly, I followed the convention of location shooting, often practiced. This is partially due to a low budget which British social realist films have but also filming on a real location adds to the sense of realism that most Hollywood films would only hope to achieve for their extensive use of film sets. An example of this in the British social realist genre is ‘Fish Tank’ which was shot on a real life council estate in London.

A shot from 'Fish Tank' with the council state in the background

In my opening there is a contrast of setting thus dividing defining the two sections of my film opening. The first is supposed to represent a middle classed setting showing off Emily’s past wealth, then her shown being chucked out and put into an outdoor, gritty lifestyle. I thought that a local park would be a good place to film as it is a public place and shows her lack of privacy. 

Homeless, outside, no home, no money

Ultimately, I have followed the convention of using costume and location to define the character.

 

Narrative

My film deals with similar issues that occur in other social realist films. Although it is not prominently obvious in the opening the cuts and bruises which my character possesses are actually from abusive characters thus foreshadowing her life in prostitution which is dealt with in films like ‘London to Brighton’ and ‘Lilya 4-Ever.’ Another reoccurring theme is social class which as noted prior, the different settings I have used indicate that this is going to be a topic looked at. The economic climate also plays a significant part in the story. This is particularly apparent in the opening as at the time of the opening Emily is actually homeless and surviving on an incredibly low amount of money. The fact that she is poor, like in real life, suggests that she is frowned upon by society. Furthermore, I have followed the conventions of the narrative of social realist films by dealing with reoccurring themes such as prostitution and putting them with typical character type of these films.