How did you use Media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

                                                         'Blogger'

is a service that allows people to blog their work/research etc online. This is a service I have used throughout my projects, and is the place where I post all my work; pre-production, post-productions and main production. The website has allowed me to not only post my research online, but also display videos and pictures as well, and has allowed me to structure my work diligently. I feel very confident in using this service, and used it to display all my work including the research and planning, constructive work and evaluation, not only that but it allowed me to use other programmes such as ‘Youtube‘, which I could then incorporates into my research, which I did many times, especially when viewing other film trailers, and also placing my own videos onto my blog. Blogger can be viewed almost anywhere across the Globe, making my page easily accessible, so it’s a very reliable resource, and it allows people to comment on your work, meaning I could get critical advice and comments from anyone in the world about my work.

                                                        ‘Youtube & Wikipedia’

Both these programmes were extremely useful in my research, and I used them frequently to view videos, such as tutorials and editing footage, which helped me gain confidence in using programmes such as ‘Adobe Premiere Pro‘, which was a film editing programme I had never used before. ‘Youtube’ also allowed me to view a range of short films, which again gave me my inspiration for my Final Production, and gave me plenty of ideas. ‘Wikipedia’ allowed me to gain further research, alongside with ‘IMDB’ into the creations of some of the short films, and the features involved. I also used this website to gain knowledge on more well-known films, such as ‘The Grudge‘, and ‘Stepfather’ which helped a significant amount when trying to gain more information on my selected genre. Both these websites contributed to my construction.

                                                       Adobe Premiere Pro CS5
‘Adobe Premiere Pro CS5’ is a timeline based video editing software, which is not only used by members of the public, and aspiring film makers, but the BB2 and has been featured in the film ‘The Social Network’ This was the first time I had ever used this programme, and felt very unconfident in using it, as it appeared to be very complicated at fist glance, however after using ‘Youtube’ and watching a number of tutorial videos, I became familiar with the programme, and over time found myself guiding my way through it quite easily. Once I uploaded all my clips, there was a significant amount of editing that needed doing which is where ‘Adobe After Effects CS5’ came into the equation. This software became very useful in creating fade shots and adding final touches, such as colour tints, used to warm certain shots and cross fading, which made the scenes flow a lot better. Using this software gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to create the work I did independently, and looking back at my Foundation Portfolio I can see a significant amount of improvement in my Advanced Portfolio, and you can see this through the comparison of the quality of my work, especially in the final production.

                                                                   
                                                   Canon HF M306 HD
Canon HF M306 HD camcorder is the same video camera I used to film my Foundation Portfolio. Both times I have used this camera, it has been simple to use, clear and concise and get some great shots. The automatic and manual settings on the camera allow you to freely adjust the focus, zoom, light etc. This allowed me to have as much freedom as needed to capture the shots I wanted to get, which I successfully did. However one major problem I had with the camera this year was the file format of the video clips that were filmed, as they became a major issue when trying to import onto the software’s for editing, however my teacher managed to fix this problem, as I think he converted the files. Nether less the problem got fixed, and overall this piece of equipment is extremely useful.

What have you learnt from your Audience Feedback?

Throughout the process, feedback from my peers and teacher have helped me in improving my work, from the ancillary tasks to my final production. However I do feel like feedback has been rather limited for this project compared to the AS project, this could be due to the lack of time, as we have had to create a whole short film, whereas last year we just created a two minute film opening. However like I said, I have shown some of my peers, and my teacher has also given me critical advice, which definitely progressed my work.

The ancillary tasks, which consisted of the Film Review and Poster, both had changes made to them, this was due to class feedback, where they gave me their personal opinions and views on my first drafts. My review, needed small subtle changes to it, for example, they though using the same picture that was on my Poster for the review would link it all together a lot better, the feedback also gave me confidence in what I had already created, such as the star rating. However looking back at my overall finished task, I do think improvements can still be made after reflection, especially the review itself, I think I could of written a more detailed and structures review. The other task was the Poster, which again over a period of time I altered and changed, with the most important advice being I needed to change the font as some of the writing, such as the actors names, the audience were unable to read, as it wasn’t very clear or bold. I think my main influences and where I got the majority of feedback was by looking and researching official review websites such as ‘Total Film’ and looking at Film posters online, as researching these gave me a clear view as to what I needed to have featured in my tasks, and how I could improve them.
However when trying to get feedback on my actual final production I struggles a lot more in gaining the correct critical help to improve my film, this was mainly due to the fact all the filming was done at home, and when it came to editing my film, I did it my free time, when my class peers were not around. Again however my teacher did view my work after the first lot of editing, and she gave me advice and things I could do to improve the work, such as “include narrative when scenes cut to the children walking” and “use better light when entering the house to make the scene more clearer” in which I took on board, and choose to do another day of filming, just to gain those extra scenes and cuts that made a huge difference in the final outcome.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary task?

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

Evaluation Questions

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary task?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Final Production

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wt0qOGS6N5g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Filming

I managed to do all my filming over two nights. The first night I filmed all the kitchen scenes, as these scenes just involved one person. I tried the create the hostile, eerie atmosphere by using candles, and old rustic props, however seeing as this was my home kitchen, there was kitchen appliances, such as a microwave fitted into the kitchen, which I just had to work around. However as there is no clear time setting, it could well be set in modern time, so it wasn't something I was overly stressing about.

Also due to the small size of my kitchen, I had great difficulty trying to get the best shots, especially full-body shots, as there was not enough space behind me, so I had to make do with what I had, and try to create the best shots possible. Instead I used a lot of up-close shots and a range of angles, including a sweeping shot of the kitchen and the bloody props
.
Creating the correct lighting was another difficulty, as I didn’t want to use full light, as it took away some of the atmosphere and tension, so I decided to use candles to create light and shadow, however I realised that it wasn't enough light to make things clear enough in the shots, so using a light underneath the kitchen cupboards, it definitely helped define the props and make each shot a lot clearer without taking any of the atmosphere away.

The costume and look I wanted the main character to have was a quite grubby, dirty look. I wanted him to resemble a character who obviously did not look after or care about his appearance, so using plain, dark clothing, and a touch of makeup, to enhance the shadow and dirt on his face, I believe I created a good look for the character.

The filming on Day one went quite succesfully, as i just needed to get a range of shots in one or two settings. After viewing the shots I captured on the first day of filming, i knew what needed improving, and what shots were left to be filmed, which was mostly the outdoor shots.


Day two of filming I had to make sure everything looked the same, especially the leading character. This I found tricky to do, as i could not remember what lights were on/off and what props were visual etc. Creating the outside shots again were hard, as the lighting had to be just right, however once it got to dark, you could barely see anything. However this did not matter in some shots, like the walking scenes, as you don’t necessarily need to see anything, you just need to hear. I also had difficulty getting actors for the second part of filming, as one of them fell ill, so instead I had to use my mother, which was really difficult as that character was meant to be a teenager. However I worked with what I had, and just filming from behind, you could only see her frame.

After finalising all the shots, and going into the editing process, I was rather happy with what was produced, however I'm still not overly happy with the final scenes, as it all looks a bit rushed and confusing. This again is somewhat due to the characters ages and maybe lack of direction.

Problems in Production

Some slight issues have appeared when finalising everything for filming. The biggest problem is the lack of actors available. Originally I wanted to have three young children, around the age of 12, however after speaking to a number of people I cannot find any which are available to film, and because I have no family who live in this area, I cant rely on them either. Instead I have had to reconsider the characters, and try and work with what I have available, which for now is two of my friends who are seventeen.

Due to the difference in age, I have chosen to cut some of the script, especially the speaking parts of the children. Now the scenes where the children are involved, the camera will be facing the pavement (floor) as if it is there eye view, so the audience wont actually see the faces of the children, they will just hear them speaking to one another, and walking along the pavement. This is the easiest options I can think of, so that I wont have to completely change the whole script in the short space of time. The only time however the audience will see the 'children' is when there will be a behind shot, so you can only see their frame, again this hopefully will not give to much away about their actual age.

Final Draft -Film Poster

Since my first draft I have made some changes by adding more text, to make it look more realistic, and changed the font, as the original one was to faint to see. I also included my own photography, by using a photo of my own and editing it.

I took a range of head-on photographs of my dad, which I then edited in Photoshop and paint. I took a lot of inspiration from other Horror Film movie posters, and looked at how they would display and advertise their film within a poster. The majority of Horror Film posters had one person/figure or face in the centre, then with the title above. The were kept very simple, but contained an eerie atmosphere. I cut out and faded the majority of my picture, to keep the audience guessing, and to not give to much away about the character. The red tint again is to emphasise the mood of the poster, and i also thought it went well with the red title, which resembles blood and danger.

I think the photo works very well, as it represents a horror film, and captures peoples attention. The eyes especially are quite bold, yet still fade out, which draws people in, and lets them want to see more. The red contrast with the Black background also makes the poster stand out, as they are two contrasting colours, and both represent death, danger and blood, which all play main parts of a typical horror film genre.

I included a line from the song 'Silent Night', which is also the title of my short film. The song and the theme plays a huge part in my short film, as not only is it set at Christmas, but I have an instrumental version of 'Silent Night' playing throughout the film. The song is a Christmas carol which is meant to represent peace and unity, which i play against, as the shocking fatality of my short film is anything but peaceful. I took the line, "all is calm, all is bright" because I think it resembled the message well, and again draws in the audience, as they get a tiny hint and glimmer of the film.

Overall I am very happy with my finished poster, considering I only used limited resources, such as paint, as my Photoshop skills are rather amateur. I believe it gives off the right mood and atmosphere to represent a horror, and captures people's attention through the contrasting, bold colours and fonts.

Audience Feedback

Film Poster: Average mark 8/10
Good postitive feedback for use of colour and image, fits well with genre. However the text is not very clear, which makes it difficult to read, so that is something that I will look into re-doing. I also need to inlcude a production company within in my poster.

Film Review: Average mark 7/10
Review needs slighly more work to improve it, inlcuding the colours and making it more engaging and eye catching, this could be done by including some pictures. The layout got good credit, especially using the coloums and ratings etc.

Main Character Profile

Sex: Male
Age: 50's
Occupation: Retired (does work in his own time- meat supplier)
Marital Status: Widower

My main character plays the mysterious, eerie old man, who throughout the short film appears suspicious and a suspect. I wanted this character to represent an alone, older person, who obviously has some sort of troubles. He needed to be a good actor, with quite a strong looking build. I think Mark was perfect for this role, as although he isn’t necessarily the everyday conventional horror suspect, he has the right ‘look’ to create that spooky atmosphere. His dark hair, skin and eyes all resemble the darkness and shadows, which go well with the dim setting, and his big build also helps create the sense that he is quite strong and overpowering.

My Short Film Review

This is the Film Review for my Short Film, 'Silent Night'. I created it on Microsoft Publisher, which is a programme I feel more confident in using. Firstly I refreshed my memory by looking at film review websites such as, 'Empire' and 'Total Film'. Due to my film review research that I did earlier on, I felt quite confident in the layouts, designs and creative writing technique. I choose to use really bold, contrasting colours, like black, yellow, white and grey. This was purely for boldness and catching the eye. It also sets my review apart from the rest by using unique, different shades of colour, and also using the name 'Flix' to make the review look more professional. I wanted to keep the review short and sweet, so it wont bore the readers. Using snappy, creative language I wanted to engage the readers, and want to make them go and watch the film. I included the conventional 'star rating' method and key information’s, such as Director and Actors. This again allows people to get a really quick insight and understanding of the short film, and how successful it is, without having to read pages of writing.

If I could improve my Review, I would like to of used more pictures, maybe screen shots from the short film itself, and I would spend more time on the layout and review itself, just by trying to make it even more interesting and detailed.

If I could improve my Review, I would like to of used more pictures, maybe screen shots from the short film itself, and I would spend more time on the layout and review itself, just by trying to make it even more interseting and detailed.

First Draft - Poster

This is my first draft for my Film Poster. Sticking with my horror genre, I obviously wanted to represent my film as something rather frightening, and which will capture people's attention, especially those who are fans of this genre.

The choice of colours used are rather stereotypical for the horror genre (Blacks/reds) again creating a chilling tone and atmosphere. The dark colours immediately make it obvious to viewers that the film is dark and mysterious, with the red colour almost representing blood.

The font used for the title, was something I found on an independent website, which I believed suited my genre very well. It stands out to the audience, and the dripping blood just emphasises the gore and sheer terror. The short reviews and other comments on the poster are in a more subtle font and colour, this is so it doesn't distract anything away from the main image and title, however the red colour still draws in enough attention for it to be noticed.

The images I have chosen to use, were ones that i had found on the internet, which I then went on to edit, this is just to give me a taste of what I will need to do in my second draft, and the kind of images I want to use. In my Final Poster, I am going to be using my own photographs, which I will then go on to edit on Photoshop. The photograph I will use will be rather similar to the ones already in this poster, which I will fade so it blends in with the dark background colour, this again emphasises the mysterious tone of the poster, and how something is lurking in the shadows almost.

The problems I have foreseen in this draft, is the font of the further text containing important information, such as the website, and featuring actors is not bold enough, and makes it visually barely able to see. Obviously this is a problem that needs to be fixed, and thanks to my audience feedback I am able to do so.

Main Props Checklist

These are the MAIN props needed in my own Short Film, 'Silent Night'. I would like to find something simular that resemble what is in the pictures.


Candles- To light up the kitchen, and create a spooky atmosphere.

Jars of Meat- These will be props used which will cover the kitchen work surfaces. Again this is to just add to the mood, and give the audience an insight into what the character does.

Apron/Bloody Apron- This is the characters main outfit, as most scenes are placed in the kitchen, where he is cutting up meat. The stained blood resembles the fact that he may have been doing this for a long time, by the amount of stains and wear it has had.

 A childs toy watch- These small props are just used in a quick scene, which however play a huge part in the film, as it is the first sign of what the main character is capable of.

A faded photogrph of his wife - Again adds more to the main characters profile, as we learn more about him as a person, and suspect this is somebody he was once close to, and questions whether he is still a family man or not?

Kitchen Utensils/Cutting Tools -  These props are merely used to frighten and scare the audience, and again add to the characters strange behaviour and fetish for weapons.

Black Cat- This is the only other living thing we see in the same scenes as the main character , suggesting this could be his only companion?

Prodution Company