Final Film Audience Feedback

Film Reflection

Looking back at my rough cut edit I used a majority of the end of my film for titles that when comparing the ending to my final there is more mystery and suspense in the final edit as we provided the audience with a series of cross cutting shots of blood which suggests danger. Our rough edit which included the titles at the end is boring and waists time as there is titles there are not needed.
Also at 1:30 on my rough cut edit I decided to delete a shot even though I thought that it was a good shot type I decided that the clear focus on the rock was not steady which lost the suspense in that shot.

Also, from the rough cut to the final film I added more audio which created more suspense and made the narrative clearer. For example, the non diegetic music that is over the film was changed to a more dramatic piece of music and was adapted on premiere pro. This improved my film opening massively because it creates tension throughout as there is a build up. Aswell, I added a cassette player throughout to make it clear to the audience that they are listening to an investigation tape.

Finally, in the progression to the final edit I incorporated a lot more short cross cutting shots in various places of my film. This improved it lots because there was lots of shots that suggested danger and also by the positioning it creates mystery to the audience.

Final Film, Dazed

Evaluation Question 7

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

Through the progression of the preliminary task and my final product I learnt that the use of lighting is very important when trying to incorporate secrecy and mystery into a film and also different lighting can show the difference in time. For example, by having a warm yellow lighting and then a neutral blue colour lighting shows the difference between past and present day. For example, in my product the bland black and white effect show past day showing important memories that link to the present. Then normal neutral effect is present day as it has a warmer feel about it.

I understand that the most important thing about the production of my film is that planning your shot types and order as continuity can make or break your film as the flow needs to be gentle. When watching the rough cut  I realised that continuity was more important as I realised that I needed small shots that linked the main shots together due to the fact that without them they would confuse the audience.

Also, I found that by spending more time on my initial planning and story board the more detail that I had in the early stages made the filming a lot easier as there was a clearer idea of what was happening in each shot and how. This gives us more time when filming because everyone knows what they're doing and we then had time to adapt the shots we thought were boring because we allowed ourselves that time from the planning stages.

A main aspect of the final product that was improved from the preliminary task was the editing. Me and Eleanor played around with the different effects in our film and the title fonts and positions a lot so that we could find specific edits that enhanced our product. Overall, we discovered that simple edits such as layering two of the same clip over each other with a couple seconds difference and a slight adjustment to the opacity of the top layer, worked better in our film than more complicated edits as they lots the maturity of our product which is something we had to keep when aiming it at our target audience.

We also learnt through the progression how to involve audio into the final product as in the final product we decided we needed to involve an interrogation tape over our film to make a better sense of mystery and also we wanted to make our film make 100% sense. As when we watched our film without the audio and we thought that it wouldn't be clear to the audience. Our preliminary film had no added sound to it and just involved the characters voices which compared to the final film could be considered quite boring.

Evaluation Question 6

Question 6 by sophie on Scribd

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Question 3 from sophiewalkden

Evaluation Question 2

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Age
My film is targeted at 15-18 years therefore i used characters of the similar age so the audience can relate.

My media product represents different social groups throughout the whole project.

In my film the antagonist, Jack, is a young male aged 17 who ties into the social group of "teenagers". This is represented through the choice of clothing and modern style of the teenager as they generally care more about their appearance than older people. All three characters in my film are the same age and are portrayed very similarly which makes their social group more obvious.

 Gender
My media product is aimed at both male and females.

Although, one of my characters is a girl which narrows the social group of "teenagers" to "girl teenagers". In my product we decided to stereotype the girl which included involving her with a lot of make up and pink, light colours. Also another stereotype was that women are flirts therefore in my product we decided having the only girl in the film flirting with a male character, this linked to my film well.

Our main character (Elliot) is shown threw the film in dominant ideology through use of low camera angles and generally men are more commonly known for abuse in relationships. Although through out my film i don't show abuse happening due to the two boys not being in a relationship. However, at the end of the film the male (Elliot) is abusive to the other character and ends up killing him. This also fits into the common representation of men being strong and powerful as the male protagonist overall is more powerful than the antagonist due to him not surviving.


Class
I have represented class into my product as my characters are seen as middle class, this is seen throughout my film due to the locations that my characters are at in their everyday lives from childhood up to present day. The way the protagonist is dressed also represents the middle class due to the jeans and common coat which means that he can not afford more expensive items of clothing, although the character has a tidy and well kept appearance which fits with the stereotype of middle class people being well presented and tidy.

Sexuality
The sexuality i portrayed in my film was homosexuality because i wanted to challenge the stereotype of gay men which is that they're seen to be very feminine and outgoing. Therefore i decided that i would confirm the stereotype of men being seen as masculine no matter what sexuality. Also, involving a heterosexual couple where the male is seen as the protector is very traditional. therefore i wanted to create more tension into my film by not making the narrative obvious.



Ethnicity and Regional Identity
Ethnicity is not really considered hugely in my product due to all my characters coming from similar backgrounds. Although, my female character could represent regional identity through her choice of clothing and accessories being very similar to the stereotype of those who live elsewhere such as Essex.

Evaluation Question 1

Film Titles

When editing titles into my opening we thought about the size, font type and colour of them as we wanted them to fit with the genre of our film. We made our titles on Premiere and decided to go with white text which had a very thin layer of black around it which made them stand out from the shots.

Before choosing our titles me and Eleanor played around with a variety of other styles to make sure that the one we finalise is definitely the one we thought was best. We decided that all our titles should be basic due to that  fitting our thriller convention.
 This is our film title that is purposely shown at the end of the film as when researching thriller movies and their titles most vary of when they're shown in the film. This is because in thriller movies there is always a plot which builds up to a climax and cover ups of important information which keeps the audience on edge.

We kept the white font however placed it on a black background which contrasts well as it stands out. This represents our main character as he is obviously seen to be different to the rest of society. All of my titles fade in and out slowly and cut of as soon as a new shot appears. By cutting the titles of it creates tension in certain shots. All the titles are placed in the same position which is the bottom left hand corner as it doesn't distract the viewers from what is going on in the shot and creates a sense of discomfort. This is an example of this: 

Just before our final title which is 'DAZED' on a black background we decided that our film opening would look more dramatic if we had a creepy shot of elliot who was our main character as it would be more exciting. When choosing a shot to do this we found a shot that was from Jacks point of view and it worked really well as elliot connects with jack with eye contact. However as by the end of the film Jack has died it makes it look as if Elliot's is now making eye contact with the audience.

Final Film- Dazed

Title Screens Inspiration

After researching different thriller title sequences these are the two that me and Eleanor have chosen as the best fit for the triller genre.

                                               

•   Dark background with a light object in the centre of the screen shows contrast and makes it stand out more. Opposite colours build an atmosphere. 

• Title fades into the clouds in the sky with represents a hidden and timid character. Also you can slightly see two eyes above the male character which represents someone is always watching him. Block font is the most popular with thrillers as a majority include it.

Audience Feedback

The overall feedback that these people gave us was that we needed to edit it more so that our film flowed continuously together. We need to add transitions to help this. Title pages and an ident needs to be involved. Some of the people decided that the voice over could be improved and edited better to fit the shots.

Dazed Film Draft

This is our first draft of the film Dazed which is a rough cut edit as it requires more editing to improve it. We still need to include titles, an ident and another voiceover. The editing doesn't flow as smoothly as we desire and needs things such as transitions edited in to improve it.  We have decided that a couple of the shots used are a lot longer than we'd like and reduce that thriller convention of short and tense shots that confuse the audience. We also thought the longer shots are boring and don't work well together when played. Some sound effects are needed to make the narrative clearer as to what is happening. 

Also we don't like a shot at the end where the blood in the sink looks fake therefore we will edit this and make it appear more realistic as this will create a more dramatic feel. Moreover, at the end of the film opening we inserted a breaking news sound effect which did not fit the genre as it appeared very up beat and joyful, therefore we are either going to change this or delete this completely. 

Film- Sound

Firstly we used a track that was from youtube however we decided to not to use it because it was too upbeat and happy which didn't fit well with the film. The sound that we used was a slow dramatic track that is from Purple Planet. We decided to involve this as it has a strong base which makes certain parts of the film more tense and dramatic which is effective in a thriller film. 

Also we originally didn't plan on adding any more sound than some dramatic music over the top of the film. However after having Hollee watch our film we discovered that our narrative was not completely clear therefore we decided to do a voice over of an interrogation. This has made the narrative clear and the audience now have more of a grasp of whats happening in the film. 

At the end of the film we decided to do a news report, we did have a plan to do this anyway, however we deleted this and then brought it back after deciding the film was more understandable with a clear ending. The reason we got rid of it was because in a thriller convention the audience are confused about what has happened however this didn't make sense in our film opening. 

Filming Day 2

We had another filming day to film again due to the lack of shot types and thriller conventions. Day 2 was a lot faster time schedule due to more planning beforehand and we only had a few shots to film. This was because we had some previous shots that we thought worked well and decided to keep them.
We found that on filming day 2 the weather was similar to the original filming day which was useful as in the film it looks like its the same day throughout. The weather was not a problem when filming again as the actors had coats and were not expected to be outside for as long.

Filming Days

Originally we filmed over a three day period however after coming to edit our film we decided that some of the shots were not up to the standard we wanted. Therefore it took us one day to refilm certain shots again. We styled the actors how we wanted on set before filming so that they would fit the thriller convention. Both me and Eleanor along with the actors had an hour long break halfway through the day whilst we were waiting for our cafe location to clear.

Hair: Two of the characters, Jack and Chessy, were told about the hairstyles wanted in advance as they were very similar to their everyday hairstyles, young and on style. This saved us more time to film. On the other hand our final character, Elliot, we decided to do his hair on set as it was quite peculiar. Hairspray and a comb was used to neaten up his hair and create a middle parting. Which isn't a very popular hairstyle for a young boy to have at the moment.

Makeup: We used simple makeup on the actors so that when on camera they appeared less pale and more healthy. For example the actor Jack only had a slight bit of bronzer on his face to make him look natural and well.This looked very good when he was compared to the other male character on camera. However, our girl actress had previously done her makeup before on set. We sent her photos of what we would like which was over the top, glamorous look and she did it very well. Finally, Elliot didn't have any makeup on which worked well as compared to the other actors he looked unhealthy.

Costume: Throughout the day we allowed the actors to wear their coats due to the fact it was a cold day and this didnt effect the mise en scene of the film. However when coming to refilm we did have to ask them to wear then again as it wouldnt have connected well. When filming inside they wore more casual clothing to obviously show a different setting and time frame.

News Report Voice Over

News Reporter:

At 5:15 yesterday evening, a young male was murdered outside his home. Ben Morgan was found with severe knife wounds and strangled. Timothy Hale has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The investigation is on going.

This news report is being placed at the end of the film to make sure that the audience are certain on what has happened.

Film Ident

The reason why we decided on a handprint for our ident was because originally we were going to incorporate this in our film opening however we couldn't as we were restricted from the set arrangement. A reasoning we wanted to do this was because a hand print is unique to each person and is the DNA specifically to only one person, by having blood incorporated into this it ties into our thriller convention.
We decided to call it 'ELPHIE PRODUCTIONS' by merging the first letters of Eleanor's name and the last letters of my name and this will show before our film starts.

Interrogation Voice Over

Timothy: When i wasn't with Ben, i was jealous of the fact he was with her..
Timothy: It never meant to be like this,  love him.
Interrogator: Why did it end this way?
Timothy: Why am i here?
Interrogator: Do you understand what you have done?
Timothy: We were best friends.
Interrogator: Were?
Timothy: It was her.
Interrogator: Who?
Timothy: The bitch the ruined everything!
Interrogator: Tim what are you saying?
Timothy: She took him away from me, it was so unfair. We were always together and then she was always there i i i can't..
Interrogator: You met with him yesterday did he seem any different?
Timothy: No everything was how it used to be.
Interrogator: Where did you go when you left?
Timothy: I can't remember.. he is so perfect more perfect that i can remember.
Interrogator: Where were you in exactly 5:15?
Timothy: Nowhere special, i was just walking home, why does this matter? What do you think I've done?
Interrogator: Something very bad has happened tim and i need you to cooperate with me immediately.
Timothy: I KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED, what have i done, why am i here?

Call Sheet

Mid Process Reflection

This shot is too plain and simple. Looking back at it we found it quite boring and too long. After researching different swing scenes, we have decided a new shot in which the character will swing towards the camera in and out of focus will be more interesting and capturing. 

We have decided to re film this shot because it is to time consuming therefore lacked the conventions of a thriller. We thought that the shot will be a birds eye view of Ben in bed and waking up to the sound of his phone as this will create a sense of mystery within the film opening. 

This shot is too dark, we cannot see the character so next time we will have a light on. There will be low level lighting, this will fit the conventions of a thriller a lot better. There will be various shots (cross cutting). 

In the background of this shot we see the mat used to block out the light, next time we will film in the dark so we therefore we don't have to put up the mat. The shot wont change. 

Production Comments

What Went Well: 

• We successfully filmed the film opening over 2 days
• We filmed various different shot types effectively to make our opening more interesting 
• Mise En Scene was correct 
• 
  

What We Could Improve:

• When editing our film we discovered that we needed a couple more shots to transition smoothly when coming to change location within the field 
• Also discovered that some of our shots were not as good as we first thought therefore we will film numerous shots again to improve our film opening
• The weather was extremely cold meaning the cast couldn't act to the best of their potential as they were cold very fast 
• The night before filming it rained meaning that the swings and benches were wet with was a problem due to the crew needing to sit on them 
• Lighting is incorrect as it skips straight to daylight to night meaning it may confuse the viewers 

Shooting Schedule

Media Consent- Health and Safety

Consent is giving permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and consequences of an action. Adequate informed consent is rooted in respecting a person’s dignity. To give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts. It is extremely important to get consent as it can protect the person and the company or the people they are working for.
All the actors gave consent and understood the risks, this enabled us to film them. There verbal consent was given the day of filming and is being recorded here. They were given the opportunity to withdraw from the filming at any point if they felt uncomfortable or unsafe. They were informed of where the film would go, and what the film entailed.

Actor/Actresses Contacts

Francesca Robinson- 07786634065
Jack Morgan-07724194919
Elliot Hale- 07841380315

Health and Safety- Risk Assessment

What are the hazards?	Who might be harmed and how?	What are you already doing?	Do you need to do anything else to control this risk?	Action by who?	Action by when?	Done
Slips/Trips- (Internal)	Actors and crew  may be injured if they trip over objects/equipment or slip on spillages.	General clean filming area, nothing left on floor. All areas well lit, so everything is visible. No trailing leads or cables in a vulnerable place. Everyone cleans up after themselves to avoid any problems.	Better clean up in certain areas.  eg: near technical equipment  Arrange for certain people on set days.  eg: two characters for one day and only film scenes they're involved in	All cast and actors on set	From now on 25/01/17	25/01/17 01/02/17
Weather- Rain (External)	Crew or actors who may be near an electricity source could be electrocuted.  Equipment may become damaged or break if it was wet.	Plan ahead for a day with good weather forecast if possible.  Shoot the scenes that are based outside quickly and efficiently.  Therefore, give actors a quick run threw and practice before hand in a dry area.	Make sure that you and the actors are ready and know what they're doing before shooting the scene out in wet conditions. This will reduce chance of damage to equipment.  Bring umbrellas to protect the camera and anything electrical.	Crew	From now  25/01/17	25/01/17     01/02/17
Sudden Illness or injuries- (Internal&External)	Anybody from the actors to the crew could suddenly have a sudden injury or illness	Providing a first aid box with us at every different location.  Only filming in familiar/close locations so we're close to further help if needed.	Film in locations that are easy for people to access if needs be.  eg: roads allowing access to location	actors and crew	From now 25/01/17	25/01/17 01/02/17