Final Cut - Captive Film Opening

This is the final cut of our film where the work was distributed equally between myself, Kieran Panchal 9652 and Isaac Randall 9655

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 3

http://joshuamanley16.wix.com/asmedia-evaluationq6

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 6

Evaluation Question 7

http://app.emaze.com/@AOQZWLCL/presentation-name

Evaluation Question 7 Essay

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

Think about  mistakes you made while making your preliminary tasks. How did i avoid these in my film?
how has your understanding of editing techniques improved as a result
how have i become better at planning, storyboarding, creative decision making
how i have improved quality of footage.. tripods, different angles, filming several good takes from different angles.
improved quality of the edited piece .. Adobe Premier Pro


Captive:
No research carried out prior to the shooting g of the preliminary task - no script, camera types, no time frame and minimal preparation. This opposes the great amounts of preparation that was carried out prior to the final shoot, so we had the best ides of what has to be done. 
PLANNING
planning and developing all generic aspects of the micro elements.
narrative sequence
casting actors
appropriate soundtrack
editing
sounds - dietetic and non-diegetic
camera
Editing on Adobe Premier Pro rather than iMovie

Evaluation Question 6 Essay

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

Throughout the process of constructing my product I have learnt to use a wide range of technologies which have been beneficial in a variety of ways. Certain technologies have allowed me to improve my research, planning, shooting and editing more film. Without these technologies the planning, production and editing stages would have been seemingly difficult as I would not have had the helpful platforms to do so.

Firstly, from the very first lesson of the project I had to begin to learn and understand how to operate the software on the iMacs. The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers designed and built by Apple Inc. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its début in August 1998. The iMacs were a vital technology for us as it allowed us to plan, research and edit all on the same device. The iMacs have a substancial storage, allowing us to save documents and files on our college account or even the computer itself. However, there are a couple of risks with saving work to the computer. One being that anyone who logs into the same computer will have access to my work and could be accidentally removed or deleted. Also if the computer was damaged or broken, then all the files would be lost. Despite these setbacks the iMacs provide us with a range of important software and services. As we had access to the internet I had to create an account on Blogger.com where every other individual in the group had their own blog. We then had a link to the college blog which provided constant help and support, specifically in the construction of my product. Also links for the blogs of other members in the class were available on the college blog, meaning that everyone could view each others work and provide instant feedback. This service provided me with the ability to create posts consisting of a variety of media and also allowing to present my work in many different ways. I could embed videos from other websites, such as youtube, and could also present my work through as a Prezi or Powerpoint. These proved vital for research and planning of my product as it supplied a platform to present and share my findings clearly and effectively.

Social Networking was also influencial in the research and planning of our product. Me and the other two members in my group created a Facebook page where interaction and feedback from the audience was vital. We posted an interactive online poll, which we created through Pole-Maker.com, to allow the audience to give there opinion of what our film opening should be, choosing from 5 options. The result of this was that we identified the evident favourite of Captive. In the research aspect for our product Youtube and IMDB were very helpful and influencial. When carrying oout research Youtube was very effective as it allowed me and my peers to find other worldwide film openings. We were able to find film openings specifically of the horror genre and were able to identify conventions and stereotypes that are used in the horror genre. We were then able to once again convert our findings onto a powerpoint, uploading it to a webite names Slideshare.com and then embedding the link to it into a blog post. IMDB, Internet Movie Database, was also evidently useful in the researching stage of our project. It allowed me to identify successful and unsuccessful films, specifically of the horror genre, and discover the reviews from audiences. This website also gave me the opportunity to acknowledge the ratings of the films and even specific ages brackets of the audience who rated the film as what. This also provided me with an insight to the age of the audience in which horror films are most popular with, therefore helping us to plan our target audience.

During the production of our product, we used three separate digital cameras which allowed us to capture each scene from three different angles and perspectives, producing a significant amount of footage. We all learned ourselves how to operate our cameras by self experimentation and also by looking at tutorials on Youtube. Two of the cameras were Canon 600D's whereas the other was a Canon 70D. Before shooting we had to alter the settings on all the cameras to ensure that they all had the same settings. This ensured that settings such as colour balance, white balance, brightness and contrast were all the same and therefore producing footage from three separate cameras, yet still having the same outcome. Tripods were also used to provide us with the most stability when filming, allowing us to produce good quality, steady film. Tripods also provided the opportunity to experiment with camera movement by using tilts, pans and tracks. When filming we used our previously gained knowledge through our preliminary task where we experimented with camera shots and angles which would be useful in our film. Our cameras where very important to our success as we were able to view footage back after filming a shot and decide whether it is useful of not, if not we then re-shot the scene. Me and my group also used an external boom mic in order to record sounds of a much higher quality than our cameras. We recorded the main sounds during scenes and also recorded sound effects in between scenes such as water dripping.

Furthermore, during the editing stage we all used the Adobe Premier Pro software rather than iMovie which we used for the preliminary task. This is because Premier Pro is considerably advanced, offering a great variation of effects including a colour correction system which allowed our product to look consistent. We were also able to habit a certain colour scheme through editing with a three way colour wheel system which allowed us to alter the highlights, mid-tones and shadows. Making the product have a colour scheme stereotypical of the horror genre which we found through our research of looking at films on Youtube. For the flashback scenes in our product we applied a brightness and contrast effect which increased the brightness of the clips signifcantly and also supplied a strange dreamy effect. These sequences of flashbacks stood out from the other footage through the superior change in brightness. We also used a vignette effect which gave us the opportunity to make lighter clips darker and therefore match the other clips more effectively and create an eerie atmosphere. This atmosphere was also further enhanced through a soundtrack we used, found from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, which was once again stereotypical of the genre. In our product we included two CCTV sequences which were made up of four on going clips separated equally by a border on screen, with timings running over in the corners of the shots. Previously we did not know how to create this effect but due to step by step tutorials on Youtube we were able to learn this technique. After doing this we also enhanced the graininess of the clips in order to make these sequences replicate CCTV footage as successful as possible. Towards the end of editing we posted our products onto our blog where the class would watch it together as it was shown on a smartboard via a projector. They then gave us feedback from it, suggesting ways of improvement. One thing that was suggested was that we had a lack of camera movement. So, then we discovered that we could include zooms, pans and tilts in the editing stage of construction. By once again looking tutorials on Youtube we found out how to do this and therefore improved the element of camera movement.

Ultimately, I have used a range of technologies throughout the course of construction. Youtube has been a pivital service for my project as it allowed me to research other films as well as letting me find tutorials to aid me when editing. In doing so, I have learned how to use the Adobe Premier Pro software on the iMacs, gaining the full potential of the service. Social networking and my blog have also been very influencial as it has allowed me to get effective feedback in order to improve my film.

Evaluation Question 5 Essay

I feel that it is vital that we aim to attract a specific audience. This is because the feedback and success of the film is in the responsibility of the viewers. Therefore I deem that targeting a specific audience is significantly important as it will allow us to create a product which is very appealing and engaging, catering for the needs of that chosen demographic. Thus, becoming more suited to the audience, resulting in a much more successful response and positive feed back. This allows us to identify certain audiences which enjoy other horror films and then conform to the conventions used in them films to gain success.Without a refined target audience, a risk is formed surrounding the chance of positive feedback as the product may not be appealing to the audience.

Firstly in our film opening we used Mise en scene very effectively in order to attract the audience by conforming to conventions of the horror genre which have been proved effective by other successful films. We used an abandoned, derelict setting which is stereotypical of the genre as it enhances the effect of the atmospheres of loneliness and vulnerability, creating stronger connections with the audience. The props we used in our film were considered and inspired by the film Evil Dead. We included rope and a chair to create a torture scene similar to the one in Evil Dead. Accordingly we also used dolls in our film opening which are stereotypical of the genre in general, but the dolls used were seemingly similar to the ones used in the prestigious film of The Women in Black. Another aspect of women in black that we used was the costume similar to the young girls in the film. Our antagonist wore a plain white gown which was very effective in adding mystery to our film.

The titles of our film were inspired by the film Se7en. Alike this established film, our titles appeared gittery and erratic by each title quickly cutting in and out several times at various angles and sizes. This contributed ton the eerie atmosphere of the film. Makeup and fake blood was further used to imply injury and attract the target audience being aged at 15-25 year old, enjoy the prospect of gore and violence. Additionally, we introduced enigma code to our product in order to engage the audience. By using this method the audience will want to continue watching the film as they will want to discover what happens next.

We created posters and a DVD cover idea in order to increase the attraction level of our film. These posters are effective in displaying the main character and illustrating him as vulnerable. Also one of the posters of a doll is very stereotypical of the horror genre. Dolls are very common in the horror industry, the audience will recognise the doll on the poster and automatically assume that the genre of our film opening is horror.Also the DVD cover conveys a character's bloody hands tied together by rope, this along with the other posters are rather gory by showing blood. The recognisable weapon of rope also features regularly in horror films.

I believethat audience feedback is highly important in the process of creating a product. It allows interaction between the company and target audience to take place in order to provide views and opinions on how to improve the product. In doing so, gradually the product will become more refined and specialised for the audience as the views of that audience are being taken into consideration, forming a product which has been altered to their view. Therefore creating a higher possibility for positive feedback for the release of the film as the audiences' previous opinions will already be included in the film. Interaction between company and audience can be carried out in a variety of ways, for example social networking is often used successfully. So to a certain extent we attracted the audience by addressing them.

Overall we gathered audience feedback on the rough cut of the film along with initial plot and title ideas. We used social networking such as facebook and blogger.com to receive opinions on the afromentioned. We posted the rough cut of our film on Facebook as well as our blog to gain feedback and advice in ways we could improve our film. One things that was suggested in the feedback was that we had a lack of camera movement. After conisdering this, we had acquire camera movement to our film in the editing stage as the shooting had alreeady taken place. Another area of our film where we recieved feedback on was our initial plot ideas. This was gathered by presenting our initial ideas as a Prezi and posting it on our blog. Where classmates analysed our ideas and provided advice by writing their opinons on paper. (include feedback). Also to decide on the title for our film we created an poll on pollmaker.com and posted it on facebook where peolple voted for their favourtie from four options. The image below demonstrates the clear favourite being Captive (include poll)

When using social networking we used a rather informal mode of communication. By using informal methods of communocation we were able to form a friendship with the audience. By using this friendly approach we were therefore allowed to receive a stronger connection with them as they will trust in us.

Overall, I believe that the audience feedback was very influential for our product. I feel that we addressed the audience through social netwroking in order to identity ways in which we could attract the audience. We attracted the audience by conforming to conventions and using enigma code.

Evaluation Question 4 Essay

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

Demographic groups 

Gender

Males are more likely to be a fan of horror movies than females, this is due to the stereotypical thrill seeker which is portrayed within the male population. -  thrill and adrenaline. Violence is also part of horror which is often loved by males as they enjoy the aspect of violence, blood and gore and supply a thrill. 

Age

The usual age for someone watching horror films is between 15 and 25. During young adulthood they're in the key stages of developing themselves and learning about the world, they want to try new things and experience new feelings. These films provide a thrill which evidently excites this age group rather then older generations. The youthful audience are also less susceptible to being put off the film due to excessive violence or disturbing images which could lead other audiences to feeling uncomfortable and therefore think negatively towards the film.

Class

Overall horror films are aimed at the working class. This is due to the level of adrenaline and 

excitement which is provided by horror films at a relatively cheap price. Also the working class perceive it as entertainment whereas some members of the upper class may frown upon horrors as they could perhaps feel that their unrealistic due to the fact that they're fiction. 

Interests 

The targeted audience for horror movies all have to be interested in themes such as violence, blood, mystery, gore etc. and who aren't affected by disturbing images. Also people who are interested in spirits and this type of unknown dimension of life will be interested in horrors. Specific groups of people such as couples will often be interested in horrors because usually the females will need comfort as they are scared. 

Explain why - relating to existing thrillers - look on imbd and ratings

The woman in black ratings

Se7en ratings

Evil Dead ratings

talk about research i might have done

consider psychographic factors such as tastes in films and popular culture.

secondary audiences

why would they watch it , what  would appeal to them

Questionnaire results.

Evaluation Question 3 Essay

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

The Distribution industry is vital for films as it connects the film to an audience. In any case, whether the product is of high quality or not, unsuccessful distribution leads to an insufficient audience being reached and therefore minimal publicity and financial income with be a result. This industry is therefore extremely significant in relation to the success of the film as it determines any profits made. Ultimately if a film is distributed successfully there will be a considerable higher probability of he product to attract and consume more substantial earnings. In the film industry there are two main very opposing companies. There are conglomerates, A corporation that is made up of a number of different subsidiary businesses who run independently of the other business divisions. On the other hand, there is are independent companies that operate on a much lower level to the conglomerates. The American Film industry is dominated by the "big six", consisting of The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount pictures, Columbia and 20th Century Fox who all own many subsidiaries. Contrastingly there are countless minor Independent companies based both in the US and UK.

New Line Cinema is prestigious subsidiary to Warner Bros. that specialises in distributing successful products in the horror industry such as The Conjuring and Se7en. If I had a substantial budget I would definitely considered this distribution company due to its impressive historic archive in distributing very successful films in the horror genre. The business' tendency to distribute successfully can be illustrated by the two films which I have previously mentioned. The Conjuring amounted a revenue of $300,000,000 from a $20,000,000 budget and Se7en gathered $327,311,859 from an initial production value of $33,000,000. Another reason to why I would consider New Line Cinema, if I had the finance, is that they obtain a specifically broad audience that tend to consistently be interested in the films in which the company distributes. This is because they audience will automatically associate the company to stereotypically display films living up to the extremely successful standards of their history, coming to the assumption that the new films will be of an according standard. Moreover, other advantages of choosing this prestigious American distribution company is that they will contain an intelligent knowledge in the sense of marketing products effectively. Due to previous research in major American films I have discovered that American distribution companies habit different methods and techniques to UK distribution companies. This is mainly caused by the immense different in budget and multi-media connection. These companies have the ability use product placement and cooperate with other major businesses in completely different fields of work and in turn receive a great amount of post-release publicity and advertisement.

However, due to my budget being extremely low I would then opt to take interest into more independent companies, perhaps based in the UK. Hammer Films an example of this as they still specialise in the horror industry, similarly to New Line Cinema. This business is located in the UK basing their headquarters in London, England. They also have an intriguing history as they have distributed extremely prestigious films such as The Woman in Black which roughly grossed over £80,000,000 from a £11,600,000 budget. This demonstrates how that despite not being as major as New Line Cinema they are still capable of producing significant profits, employing techniques that will stereotypically suit the horror industry. I believe that my product is capable of mainstream intentions as it conforms to the conventions, including targeted audience, characters and mise en scene, of internationally successful horror films. However, in a more realistic tone I feel that Hammer Films will be equally effective as it is more important that Captive is distributed in the UK instead of the US. This is because I feel that it would be interpreted more effectively by a British audience as it is set in a British location and used British actors and therefore be more relatable to this particular audience. The plot is also designed more to suit this audience more as it connects with them on a social and cultural level, allowing them to recognise there social-realism. Whereas the viewing would be less pleasurable for an American audience as they wouldn't connect with some of the themes and social-realism. 

In terms of distributing my film I have decided that I will venture down the traditional route of creating the initial "buzz" by marketing the film, using trailers, posters, websites etc. I would use social media campaign to my advantage creating profiles on twitter, facebook and youtube which allows me to interact with my targeted audience.The first screening of Captive would be at the cinema where I will provide viewers with the opportunity to view the film in 3D and 4D, enhancing the suspense and tense atmosphere it creates. Then I would continue the "buzz" of the film by making it available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray, allowing customers who hadn't seen the initial screenings of the film to now have continuous access to it. After receiving substantial revenue from the initial screenings and DVD/Blu-ray sales I would invest in distributing Captive digitally. Meaning it can be shown on services such as Sky Box Office, Netflix and also available for online streaming. Therefore continuing the interest of the film, forming consistent feedback and profit. 

To summarise I have chosen to allow my film to be distributed by a British Independent media institution like Hammer Films. Resulting in Captive being dispatched to and have better access to the niche audience of British teenagers who will fully understand the content of the film. It will rely on cost-effective marketing methods massively through social media and distributed traditionally to maximise gross income.

Evaluation Question 2 Essay

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

What groups have I chosen to show in this film? teenagers, male ,female

How have I shown them?
costume - wearing stereotypical clothing
mise en scene - setting - stereotypical of male teenagers as he is in a place where he shouldn't be. The sign saying 'no trespassing' symbolises that he is up to mischief and he is responsible for himself getting captured.
Dialogue - swearing
Makeup - shows that he has got into trouble
Setting - graffiti - displays youth in this sort of setting/environment

Young Girl challenges the stereotype of teenage girls, she opposes the stereotype of vulnerability and innocence.

Are these choices controversial or stereotypical? Stereotypical

Why did I chose to represent them in this way? Why did I think this would be a good idea and how did my research of representation in horrors inform my production?

What stereotypes am I using/challenging?
What messages am I trying to convey to the audience and why?

Where else has your research informed you that these stereotypes exist?

You may wish to considered how filming in Britain has impacted these representations?
Would you expect them to be different to those perhaps  in a mainstream Hollywood thriller?

Have I created a positive or negative representation of that social group? How do you think this affects the audience? Negative representation of male teenagers .

Reference to my audience research - what did they want to see

Did you provide for your audience or did you intend to educate them? why?

Evaluation Question 1 Essay

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

- Demonstrate understanding of conventions of genre
Importance of Genre
Genre is very important in making films for several reasons associated with various stages and roles in creating films. Firstly, genre is vital for production companies as it allows them to create a film which is specific to a genre and also allows them to target a specific audience. Allowing them to receive the best possible feedback for their film. By knowing the genre of the film they want to create, they will be able to follow the specific conventions of their chosen genre to make a successful film. They will be able to identify and establish suitable costumes, make-up, sound, setting etc. Links with genre specific actors, producers, directors, writers, costume/make-up artists etc. will be formed and therefore allow the production companies to know all what they need to include in there opening to create the most successful film. By doing so, more people will be attracted to their film as they will know roughly on what the film will consists of and therefore will know whether the film is suitable for them. As more people will know whether they will like the film, the company will receive more financial income and make the maximal profits. From the point of view of the audience genre is also specifically important as it allows them to identify whether the film is suitable for their preferences in what they aspire the film to be like. It also provides them with anticipation and confidence in what the film will be like and therefore willing to pay money to go and attend the screening.

- Analyse research with screenshots - refer to real media products

- What impact did the research have on my ideas and final film
Allowed me to identify conventions of our genre and what is included in successful films.

- How does my film conform to conventions of my genre? How? Pick examples and use screenshots.. use screenshots from my film and real films to show this.
Mise en scene
The location which we have chosen to shoot our film is a derelict building near an abandoned radio station. This is stereotypical of the significance of settings that is included in horror movies.The fact that the building is abandoned, atmospheres of isolation can be created, creating a sense of vulnerability which could be attached to the protagonists.
Make-up will also play a significant role in our opening in making our main character seem as vulnerable as possible. We will apply specific make-up to make it look as the character is dirty and seem to be injured by adding several cuts and bruises. This can add a realistic factor to our opening and can result in the opening looking more professional. The association with the injuries can conclude in the audience forming stronger connections as his vulnerability will increase the sympathy felt and therefore the audience will want him to survive.
We will involve many stereotypical props of the horror genre into our film opening. Firstly, we selected to use old china dolls to play a significant role in our opening. We will be placing them around the scene. This also familiarises ourselves with the trends and conventions of the latest blockbusters as films such as Annabelle, The Conjuring and The Woman in Black have dolls as a main feature in their films. Other props that we will introduce will be a wooden chair, a black bag, a tape recorder, a mirror and a rope. -Props - blood, rope, chair are stereotypical of the horror, implies injury/torture and vulnerability , similar to Evil Dead. dolls, cctv are significant props. 
-Costume - girls costume- eerie, relates to woman in black
Sound
In our film opening we will use a range of sounds which are associated and typical of horror movies. We will Introduce an eerie background soundtrack during the exposition of the film opening. Therefore creating tension with the audience. Additionally, we will include varying sound effects to exaggerate specific sounds which relate accordingly to the action  on screen.-soundtrack - eerie, digetic sounds

Character
We will be using male actor around 18 years of age as the main character of our film opening. By the character being this age, strong emotional connections can be formed with our targeted audience as they will be around a similar age and therefore relate to him. Ideally we anticipated using a young teenage girl as our main character as she would maximise the vulnerability effect we are aiming for, however we were unable to locate an effective teenage girl who was willing to play the role of our main character.

The main character of our film also brought much research and planning to our opening. Initially and ideally we hoped to include a teenage girl inn our opening to add to the horror effect top the film. Teenage girls are stereotypically used in most horror films and add the aspect of vulnerability and innocence to the film. However, we do not have access to a character like this so therefore we have resulted in choosing to use a 20 years old semi-professional actor. Despite the acting not being marked in our opening we strongly believe that by including an effective actor we will be able to engage the audience more effectively and make the opening seem more realistic thus, forming stronger emotional connections with the audience and result in them wanted to watch the remainder of the film.-Casting - stereotypical age- protagonist connects to audience more, young girl as antagonist uncomfortable for viewers, she adds to the mood of the film appearing randomly in places.She appears to be possessed as she makes the CCTV turn off

Enigma Code

Our film opening as a whole could be considered as an enigma code. Several aspects of our opening will contribute to the overall effect of gaining the attention of the audience. The audience will be provoked to question why the main character is where he is, who put him there and how he got there in the first place. These questions will be raised through the audience seeing the character strapped to a chair with no previous explanations. The fact the we will include brief flashbacks displaying the character taking pictures results in the audience question why the boy was there in the first place, questioning the reasoning behind the events and where they are all taking place. The recognition of dolls in the opening will force the viewers to query why the dolls are there and whether they have any convenience an influence to the plot. The use of enigma code in our opening will make the viewer want to continue watching the entirety of the film.

-Titles and production company - erratic, gittery. Seven - Titles. Contributes to feel/atmosphere

Chanllenges conventions
doesn't start at equilibrium

Through many debates on what we will include in our film opening to engage the audience, we have decided that we will not include the aspect of everyday life for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we only have a limited amount of time to intrigue the audience and by filling it up mostly with everyday life, the opening could be considered as boring and therefore result in weak connections madd wit the audience. Also through our opening we need to define the genre of our film and by including a lot of everyday life it could result in the genre of our film being vague and unclear.

Is my product successful?

DVD cover (Kieran Panchal 9652)

Posters (Kieran Panchal 9652)

Talent Release Form (Kieran Panchal 9652)

Story Board

Edit List

Captive - Rough Cut

We created a rough cut before we endeavoured to create our final cut. Doing this allowed us to gain a general sense of direction, and enabled us to see how the cut would flow chronologically. When we created this, we showcased it to our classmates in order to gain some audience feedback. The general consensus that we gained from this, was that we needed to incorporate more camera movement into the cut. When we begin editing our final cut, we will add camera movement in using the editing software, as this creates a smoother, steady and more professional movement. Also, the audience noticed some continuity errors, such as the camera positioning in the first flashback and the flash on the camera in the second. We will ensure that these errors are fixed upon editing the final cut.

Risk Assessment