IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP AND CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS? HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH, PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?
My film both follows and challenges forms and convention in numerous ways. Firstly, through my research into many different short films I identified how and why different camera shots were used to then create my shot list that would follow art film conventions. Close ups are seen in numerous art films as a way to make the film personal for the audience and increase empathy. This made me use numerous close ups as empathy was a major aim of my piece. This shot list has also helped me follow Blumler and Katz users and gratifications for how these personal close up shots will help audiences identify with characters and grant their affective needs. This is because it makes the film more emotional and Blumler and Katz have said that one of the reasons we consume media is to feel and explore our emotions. It has been suggested that some of the most effective film work is footage that makes the viewer feel vailidated because characters are displaying similar feelings, ideologies and points of views to what the viewer might be/ might have felt in real life. I feel by using these close ups and creating a product that shows both heartbreak and anger, I am relating to this theory. This is also enforced by how with my characters I used numbers ideas to bend my protagonist to appeal to my target audience with the use of her costume being simple high street fashion and being left unnamed so she could be anyone.
At first I aimed to follow the idea of Todorov’s three part narrative structure with an idea of an equilibrium, where everything is balanced, the crescendo of the disruption of the equilibrium with finally a resolution to the equilibrium. However, I did believe that this study was outdated and did not truly represent real life of how there is a resolution to every disequilibrium. This then made me consider what would happen if someone didn’t find a resolution or what would that resolution simply be? Then I decided to write a narrative that would be based around the idea of a character being stuck in a disequilibrium. This idea then led me to look into the Kübler-Ross model of grief, (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) and gave me idea of following a personal account into someone being stuck in the depression stage and trying to get to acceptance, (which then later on gave me the idea for the title of my film The Definition Of Acceptance).
With this in mind I researched films which involved mental illness and from this found my style of film would be considerably more art house than blockbuster. The art house style made me able to convey this characters emotions with many different symbolisms that maybe would be seen as ‘bizarre’ in blockbusters, which led me to having an idea of a recurring motif which I was inspired to use from watching Christopher Nolan’s Inception. My recurring motif was firstly going to be close up of eyes, because people believe that you can see someones emotions through their eyes, which would intern help with the audiences empathy towards the characters. I then changed this idea, due to the quality of the shots and the flow of the film, to the repeated motif to fire. This is due to fire being vital for warmth and survival but also dangerous which is a representation of love. This then changed From looking into many short art films I styled my film following many conventions of these films with still being able to form my narrative in any way that I wanted without having to be constrained by conventions. This was especially shown by the backing track I used. The song was written and recorded especially for the piece by an indie rock band which follows the conventions seen with art drama films.
When researching Propps character theory I believed that this would be more associated with an action/adventure style genre with the protagonist representing a hero rather than the main character. If I did follow Propps theory then my protagonist would still be my female character and my male character would adopt the role of the antagonist because he is the reason for her downfall in the piece. I agree with Aristotle’s idea that ‘All drama is conflict’ due to the idea that the argument in my piece is the conflict in this piece but behaves as drama for the audience. This conflict in my piece, according to Claude Levi-Strauss acts as the driving force for my narrative and is the force that is responsible for the crescendo in the narrative. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs would perfectly fit in with the consumption of my piece to the fact that love stories will grip and interest audiences as the need for love and belonging is a major stage in every individuals hierarchy of needs.
Barthes five codes are used a lot in my film with the hermeneutic code being the ambiguous ending of wether or not either characters are dead or alive. The next code I used was the proairetic code which acts as my male character driving off followed by the match being dropped into the candle, this represents a collision but would not clear to the viewer and the audience would wish to have this narrative/mystery explained. The semantic code seen in my piece would be the repeated motif of fire, with fire connoting to the destruction that is being unraveled in the narrative. In my piece I aimed to use a symbolic code of a symbolic antithesis seen with the contrasting effect of the fire and water. The final code I used, the cultural code, is seen in the quote in my opening frame. This intertextuality is seen in many art films due to the idea that art films should appeal to a more intelligent audience would appreciate the literary links.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?
Throughout my piece I aimed for an art house effect was I achieved by using pastel colours as these are common conventions of art films house style. To create synergy between all three of my products I made sure that my female protagonist was within all three pieces, this enforces her importance in the film but also identifies the film being written about or featured. The next thing that I ensured was that the font title of my film title was kept the same in my film, magazine cover and film poster. This was to also enforce the house style was kept the same while also fitting in with conventions of my genre.
In my magazine I made sure that there was synergy between both my cover and review page by keeping the entire font the same as what is featured on the magazine front cover. This made it clear that this review page was from the same magazine and the same issue. Also to enforce synergy I kept a house style of red and black fonts, thus enforcing that both products are conjoined. This red and black font also made the key points on both products clear to the audience helping with magazine codes and conventions.
I made sure that synergy was created between my magazine front cover and film poster the same by using the same facial expression on the main image for both products. Both of these expressions gave an ambiguous look which made the piece seem more interesting to the consumer without giving away too much information on narrative.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK? THERE IS PROFICIENT RESEARCH INTO SIMILAR PRODUCTS AND A POTENTIAL TARGET AUDIENCE.
Firstly, when I had harnessed my initial ideas I included a sample group of thirty male and females between the ages of 16-21 as this was the availability I had at the time. Firstly I asked them about their viewing habits and emotional response to films, this then helped me identify my target audience because girls between the ages of 16-21 did enjoy watching love film dramas and they did have an emotional response to this genre.
With having my target audience identified I then needed to make sure my narrative fit this target audience to make sure an emotional response was identified. Through my primary research I found that my target audience found it that there empathy levels were higher when the protagonist is female rather than male. Thus, to make my film more emotional I decided to use a female protagonist.
From my questionnaire I also found that the best way to advertise my film towards my target audience through their viewing and shopping habits would be to use media such as social network sites, this is due to the majority of time my target audiences spend on these websites. However, through my secondary research into art house films I found that this form of advertisements did not fit with their codes and conventions and that social network sites were more an advertising style of blockbuster films. Therefore, to make sure that it is clear to my audience that my film is art house and not blockbuster I decided to find other ways in which to advertise my film and still fit with conventions.
In my next stage of research I looked into websites such as youtube and short of the week. From this I looked into films that focused around surrealism and love dramas. Then I focused on the audience feedback views and the top genres. This helped me truly find out what my target audience would be watching due to the fact that they spend most of their time on the internet and sites such as youtube.
Throughout my editing process I used focus groups of ten students which helped me immensely with audience feedback. I let them make decisions such as camera shots and positioning as they would be the people who would be consuming the film and I needed to make sure that my piece was an enjoyable viewing experience for them. It was important for me to gain the feedback for my film myself as this meant I could understand their criticism and take this into account when editing my film further.
This feedback helped me rewrite my script to make sure my film would be appealing to my target audience. To enforce this I kept a small group of five girls and other media students as they fit into my target audience, this meant I had a constant support group to make sure that empathy was created through my narrative and camera shot. This process resulted in a full rewrite of the script and story boards and many small changes right up till the finished products.
When the editing process was complete I showed the finished product to my full focus group to receive their overall view of the product. The only criticism I received from this was that the continuous song made the piece seem more like a music video than a short film. However, when I corrected this problem the majority said that they preferred the product as it was before as it made the piece flow better with the song helping with their emotional response to the film.
WHAT SHOTS HAVE YOU USED AND WHY? HOW WAS YOUR SHOT LIST
CHANGED?
Through looking through a number of art house films I identified different camera shots were used and the effect that this had on the films ideas and emotions. I also needed to ensure that my camera shots made the narrative, genre and characterization were clear which meant I had to think carefully of all the camera angles used.
I ensured that I used many different close ups in my piece as this is a key convention of art house films. Close ups are key for making a film seem personal for the audience because it creates intimacy between the actors and the viewers which will help with empathy which is a key element for my film.
Anthony Apel inspired me to only use limited dialogue in my film so I needed a camera shot that would replace this. This then made me use a 360 degree camera shot which perfectly captured the prolonged emotion and ideas rather than using dialogue. The repeated cyclical motion of the camera itself also represents the cyclical nature of the relationship which delivers to the audience information about the back story of the characters relationship without using dialogue but still creating empathy for the audience.
Through my focus group research I found that the mental stability of my character was unclear. To enforce this idea I started to use cuts between long and short shots which was key with the surreal sense of the film. The combination makes the film seem trance or dream like which will act as a perfect symbolism for the protagonists mental health; while also symbolizing her mix of emotions. The short shots are used to show her panic and discomfort where the long shots act as a element of longing and obsession as she is obsessed with the mistakes she has made.
Through looking into many different short films I changed my recurring motif from close up of eyes and reflections to fire. This is due to how the close up of eyes, even though eyes show emotion, made the piece seem more like a thriller; and also due to the difficulty I found from filming effective close ups. The mix of shot types, from mid shot to close ups, of fire worked well as a recurring motif because it symbolizes her downfall and the destruction of the relationship.
HOW HAVE YOUR SCRIPTS OR STORYBOARDS CHANGED? WHY?
My scripts and storyboards have both changed dramatically since my initial ideas. This was due to both my primary and secondary research I continually undertook while in production of my product.
My focus group research was mainly responsible to the changes In my scripts and storyboards. When I showed my film to my target audience I received their audience first hand of their critic of how my initial product seemed clique and seemed more like a ‘spoof’ rather than a love drama; this was not what I aimed to create. I then made small changes to my script and minor changes to camera shots and shot narratives in my storyboard. Once these products was reshot and partially edited I aired this for my focus group. They said that the film was still clique but now it seemed more like period drama love rather than a modern day love story. With this in mind I completely rewrote my scripts and storyboards which was helped along with my secondary research.
My secondary research meant I was continually looking at short art films as this was due to the time of production was around awards season. This meant I could see which films were popular with both academies and audience world wide. This then gave me further ideas for my product and made me able to critique my own work and see what was going well and what needed to be improved or changed. Also by looking into Anthony Apel’s films I was inspired by how he had no dialogue in his film but was still able to convey his narrative through camera shots, this inspired be to reduce the dialogue in my piece.
I then made a decision to keep two girls in my media class, both from my target audience, on hand to provide me with their views and opinions while I was rewriting and while filming. Once this product was filmed and placed shots into narrative I then showed the product to a small fraction of my target audience which were there to help me continuously through editing which meant that my storyboards would change frequently between sessions.
HOW DID YOU ORGANIZE AND MOTIVATE YOUR ACTORS?
I have had many changes to my actors, mainly the role of my female protagonist. Firstly my actress was older than my target audience and she played the role too maturely which meant it was hard for my target audience to empathise with her. To correct this I then made character plans for both actors stating their background information, persona and emotions for each scene. This, however, did not improve her performance. She was also hard to direct as she did not play the role seriously which made the film seem more like a spoof rather than a love drama, which was not the affect I aimed for from an actress.
The next change I made was getting my male and female actors from the schools A2 drama class. This meant that they could be professional and would find it easier to follow character plans and direction. The male actor played the role as I hoped and fitted in within the target audiences age which meant he acted as an incentive for the target audience to watch. However, my female actress did not follow my direction or character and played the role how she envisioned which resulted in her overplaying the role. This then made her acting look like it was to fit a period drama rather than a surrealist drama.
I then held open auditions to cast my female role to actresses as I could not waste more time re-filming with many different actresses. The first thing I aimed for was to have an actress who fit within my target audience age bracket to enforce their empathy towards the character. Next I aimed to find someone who would have an ‘everywoman’ appeal about them to help with my target audience’s emotive response. I found an actress who played the role effectively and could follow direction which helped me get the desired effect I aimed for.
While filming, along with the character plans, I gave the actors direction on their emotions, narrative and improvements from shot to shot. The main thing I aimed for with my actors was that their characters were believable which would help with the audiences emotional response. To do this, particularly within the argument scenes, I gave the actors little direction of what they should do as I aimed for them to improvise this which helped with the films verisimilitude.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE CERTAIN LOCATIONS, COSTUMES AND PROPS?
With my film being low budget and art house, I needed to ensure that I used locations, costumes and props that were all available to me but with still ensuring verisimilitude and ensuring the audiences empathetic response.
To ensure my film stayed low budget I made my film only contain three locations. The small number of locations was also effective because it gives the piece a claustrophobic feel to it to recreate the emotion the characters are feeling, this makes us sympathize with the feelings of distress that the characters are feeling.
To make sure verisimilitude was created in locations I made sure that all my location were something that would common in my target audiences environment. In my location of a teenager room I plan to make this as realistic as possible because according to structuralism theory, if my target audience see’s things that are similar to things that they may have in their room then they are more likely to empathise with the characters on screen and their situation. However, I also needed to make the room as bare as possible to act as a metaphor for the females characters isolated emotions. These were both achieved by using an actually member of our target audiences room and removing some of the decor of the walls. This then resembled a teenagers room while also leaving the walls partially blank as a symbolism of her emotions.
The next location I needed was a bathroom. I then used a bathroom which would have a layout that would be commonly seen in many houses, but ensuring their was a large enough bathtub for my setting. The bathroom needed to have enough natural light to enter through an open door while having the blinds closed. This meant that the room was dark so that my fire motif was dramatized but with still enough natural light to see the photo’s that were being burnt.
My final location was a driveway and road. The verisimilitude of this shot relayed more on the prop of the car rather than the location itself. However, I still ensured that the location was something familiar to a lower middle class environment. This is due that it is easier for audiences to empathise with middle class because it is more aspirational than a lower class however it will not alienate audiences like upper class will. In this location it is key to have a prop of a car because this car acts as a transition for the narrative. To ensure the verisimilitude of the location and prop I needed to ensure that the car would be something that a teenage boy to drive. To do this I used a Nissan Micra; this would be a car that would be familiar in their environment, thus, ensuring the empathy of the audience.
For the costume of both my male and female protagonist I was aiming for a look that would help with the target audience empathy towards the characters. To do this I needed to find a naturalistic look. For the female I decided to go for a look that seemed to make her look like a normal university student so I found something that that was a lower high street trend as this would appeal to a wider target audience. In one scene, to make her seem like she was grieving over a lost boyfriend, I had her wearing a men’s t-shirt. This increases the verisimilitude of the characters as this is something many girls in my target audience would do. For my male character I aimed for a costume that would give him an everyman appeal so that the audience can empathise with him and he would act as an incentive for my target audience to view my film. For this I looked into casual fashion trends for men but something that was also high street and wouldn’t be eccentric to alienate the character or make him seem comical.
Two major props I needed to use were roses and photos. The red roses made it clear to the audience that this is a love film, as the connotation of red roses is love. The photo’s I used are important as a subtle way of showing the characters backstory without using dialogue or including this in my narrative. The burning of both roses and the photos shows a broken relationship and acts against the frames and song to enforce the songs narrative.
It was key for my narrative to include both tablets and a bottle of alcohol. For the tablets I obtained an empty medication bottle which I filled with vitamin C tablets. This enforces the verisimilitude of the tablets which with helps with the audiences emotional response. For the bottle of alcohol I first aimed to use a bottle of vodka which I would change the label on. However, I could not obtain this bottle so I changed my prop to a bottle of wine. This would help verisimilitude as a bottle of wine would be cheap and easily to obtain for my target audience. The bottle of wine I obtained was empty so I had to fill it with water and added pink food colouring, therefore, making a product that looked similar to rose wine which enforces the verisimilitude of the prop. However, with using an actually product I needed to ensure that the label was not clear to the audience so that the film would not act as an advertisement for the product and to ensure that we were not breaking copyright.
WHAT EVIDENCE IS SHOWN OF YOUR SKILLS IN USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OR ICT?
With doing film last year for my project I already had an extensive knowledge of iMovie and how to manipulate frames through colour and themes. However, I did still learn a lot from my work this year. I firstly learnt how to crop an frame down which helped me with turning a close up into an extreme close up without loosing quality of the clip. This also meant it was much easier to get my audience involved with what shot type they believed worked the best. The next thing I learnt was how to manipulate sound through iMovie itself rather than through a different software altogether. This led to to detach audio and make the sound itself not match what we see in the frame, which is a key convention of art house films. However, when I came to do this I found that due to no diagetic sounds and very minimal dialogue it seemed cliche and looked unprofessional. This then led me to create a sound bridge which helped with the flow of the film and still made the film itself look professional. The most major thing I learnt this year was how to use a slow motion camera. I had no previous experience of using any other camera than a handheld video recorder or a DSLR which meant when the opportunity to use a slow motion camera arouse I was eager to learn. The hardest thing I found when using a slow motion camera was how the camera focused. This particular slow motion camera relayed on light to help it focus, however, due to the fact that the frame I desired needed to be pitch black we had to compromise meaning that we left the room still light but created a black backdrop for behind the candle. I got the desired clip I wanted, however, the quality of the piece itself was low. Next time I used the camera I would definitely have to use artificial studio lights, however, due to my chosen cinematography style being to use only natural light this would not been applicable to my product.
I had a lot of experience with using photoshop prior to creating my ancillary products but I still encountered problems when trying to create a desired effect. When editing some of my photo’s into an art house style (with high exposure and contrast) I could not achieve the desired affect I wanted with the face in my poster. I then learnt how to duplicate a layer and edit each layer individually without affecting any of the others. This then meant I could create the desired affect I aimed for on both my models face and the rest of her body that would be seen in the frame, how to join these both together was simply by erasing the area apart from the face on one layer and placing this over where the face was on the second layer. The next thing I learnt was how to manipulate the mouth of my model. In my picture the model appeared to have a slight smile to her face which contradicted the ambiguity look that I wanted to be visible which would make the film seem more interesting due to the proairetic code that would be associated with this. Using the ‘smudge’ tool it meant I could lower the side of one of the lips so that she wasn’t smiling any more without distorting the picture or having to reshoot my photo shoot. The next thing I learnt when creating my ancillary tasks was how to use a 3D layer, This meant, especially on my magazine, I could make the font stand out against the image instead of simply using a different colour, I got to keep the colour I wanted with the font still visible. However, this layer did make some of the texts illegible, I then corrected this by finding out how to open up the space between each letter of my font on youtube.
