Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I collated my audience feedback in three primary formats. The first method I tried was through notes I took when I showcased my three ancillary texts, this method proved to be useful, but not as effective as other methods I tried. The second method was a digitally-made questionnaire I created using Microsoft Word, I then printed off several copies which I handed to as many people as I could. Thirdly, I recorded audio feedback from my class mates. Overall, I would say the most effective form of collecting audience feedback that I used was the questionnaire approach. This allowed me to gather a wide array of feedback, which helped immensely in improving my coursework and ancillary texts. However, if I were to do something like this again, I would definitely try the SurveryMonkey approach. Due to the success I had with printed questionnaires, I think having a digital version which anyone could complete would allow me to collect a much more varied range of honest feedback, which I might not have got from family and friends.

With my audience feedback I learnt many things that I had to improve. One of those things was to add cinematic bars to my footage, 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen. This gave my short film a professional and realistic film appearance which added greatly to the atmosphere and tone of the film.

Secondly, I gathered through my audience feedback that on my poster I had too much clutter, which complicated the overall simplicity that I now want. This also helped my poster to look edgy and slick. The problem with many film posters is the abundance of unnecessary logos and promotions which take away from the message the poster is trying to put across. Leading to many viewers not being able to completely decide whether they want to watch that particular film.

I also got the idea to add short film festival logos to enhance the realism and professionalism of my poster. This helped immensely as now my poster immediately grabs the viewer’s eyes. Therefore, the importance of a professional looking poster is paramount in a successful marketing campaign for movies.

Also my audience feedback allowed me learn that many audience members could not completely grasp the plot. To solve this, I came up with the idea of creating a plot device in the form of a diary entry from the perspective of the private detective. I edited this sequence within Adobe After Effects using key frames and plug-ins. I believe this works effectively and has significantly improved the effectiveness of my film.

The feedback stage has proved extremely useful in the improvement of my film. I learnt many things that have significantly improved the look and feel of all my main and ancillary texts. Which I hope leads to a successful blend of all three texts.

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 2

A2 Media Evaluation Q2 from RebuiltBurrito

Evaluation - Script

Evaluation

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My short film uses many conventions of a short film. For example, limited amount of characters, in my case this is two. By keeping the character count down to two, I can explore both characters well without making the runtime too long. Short films do not have the time to explore multiple characters. Another convention I used was the idea of a twist ending. Twist endings are used to make the short film more intriguing and worthwhile because of the limited amount of time a short film has to grab an audience.

The title of my short film, Preparations, is meant to refer to the amount of prep the private investigator had put into finding the malevolent doctor but still was not prepared enough to expect the unexpected. Using this strange title forces, the audience to think about the meaning, in the process they decide their own meaning or stumble across my intended meaning.

The setting of my short film also sticks close to the general setting convention of a short film. Many short films, due to their length restrictions, are forced to incorporate a single environment. I too, decided to stick to this convention to avoid overcomplicating the plot and narrative structure so I could hold my audience’s attention throughout the entirety of my short film.

Whilst I was directing my short film I was thinking very much about the camerawork and the framing of each shot. I tended to stick with medium to close up shots due to the limited amount of room I had at my shooting location. I attempted a canted angle of a gunshot, however my tripod was not working how I should so in the end I had to leave that shot out.

Similarly, I had access to a GoPro Hero 4K which proved to be extremely useful. However, once I was in the editing stage of the entire process I realised that the footage was essentially unusable. The main camera I used shot in raw 1080p, which looks incredibly, but does not seamlessly transition with the GoPro footage. I tried multiple things to overcome this problem. I removed the fisheye effect using the GoPro editing suite. I colour graded the footage to match my base footage but still not luck. The jarring transition between camera quality brought the audience out of the movie and reduced the overall realism I was hoping to achieve. I was hoping to challenge the convention of either sticking to handheld footage or digital footage by incorporating first person perspectives using the GoPro. In the end, there was only one GoPro shot I could use. I do not believe this is enough to truly say I challenged that particular convention.

During the editing process I experimented with many different fonts until I chose the one I believed work well. I finally landed on a font which suited the edginess of the film but also looked interesting, as appose to the standard Arial font.

Another convention I incorporated was the use of a limited budget. Many film fanatics appreciate the unique style and appearance a film has when it lacks the glamour of the Hollywood system.

After I had completed my draft edit I realised that the narrative was hard to grasp if not properly explained. Therefore, I created a plot device in the form of the protagonist writing a diary entry. I am happy with the end result of this plot device, I believe it significantly helps the viewer understand the protagonist’s intentions and motives.

To keep with the conventions of a short film I used multiple close up shots. This allows the audience to harness the emotions of the characters and relate to them. Creating a more personal relationship which heightens the emotional empathy the audience has for the characters.

Overall I would argue that I adhered to more conventions of a short film than I challenged. However, I believe this approach has allowed me create a more traditional short film than could be consumed by many different ranges of audience types.

Q2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

My thought process for my ancillary texts was to create a similar tone and mood throughout all products. This way I could ensure that my main product and ancillary texts combined to create a realistic and professional effect. One similarity I purposefully tried to achieve was the overarching influence of gritty realism. For my main product I added a grungy colour grade effect in Premiere Pro. Likewise, my poster features a picture that has been colour graded in the same way my main product has, this allows the theme of grimy realism to transcend my products. Furthermore, my magazine review opts for a similar approach. I used a real Empire magazine page as my inspiration which immediately makes it more professional looking.

I created my texts with similarities because it significantly improves the synergy between all products. If a potential viewer reads the magazine review and then saw the poster, they would expect the short film to be exactly how it is; gritty and realistic.

Another reason the combination of my texts works well together is the fact that everything is linked to my main text. The magazine reviews sole purpose is to persuade potential audiences to view my film. Likewise, the poster incorporates the same objective. Therefore, when combined, the mixture of the texts all lead to the promotion and potential viewing of my film.

Also, I purposefully strived to make the poster more related to the film, rather than the magazine review. My thought process for this was that because the magazine review would have been created and distributed by Empire magazine. Therefore, the tone and style would have been slightly different to the texts I would’ve created myself. But, I still tried to keep the same undertone of dark, realism present throughout all texts. I believe this technique works effectively in keeping all the texts related without seeming exactly the same.

Similarly, I used the same font for the magazine review and the title on the poster. This helps creates a feeling of consistency and competence when seen side by side.

However, with all things said, there are some inconsistencies which take away from this effect. One being the bullet hole on the poster. Some would say this looks cheesy, which is definitely not was I was aiming to achieve. Yet, the effect and diversity it brings to the poster makes in stand out amongst others which helps the overall tone come together.

Q3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I collated my audience feedback in three primary formats. The first method I tried was through notes I took when I showcased my three ancillary texts, this method proved to be useful, but not as effective as other methods I tried. The second method was a digitally-made questionnaire I created using Microsoft Word, I then printed off several copies which I handed to as many people as I could. Thirdly, I recorded audio feedback from my class mates. Overall, I would say the most effective form of collecting audience feedback that I used was the questionnaire approach. This allowed me to gather a wide array of feedback, which helped immensely in improving my coursework and ancillary texts. However, if I were to do something like this again, I would definitely try the SurveryMonkey approach. Due to the success I had with printed questionnaires, I think having a digital version which anyone could complete would allow me to collect a much more varied range of honest feedback, which I might not have got from family and friends.

With my audience feedback I learnt many things that I had to improve. One of those things was to add cinematic bars to my footage, 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen. This gave my short film a professional and realistic film appearance which added greatly to the atmosphere and tone of the film.

Secondly, I gathered through my audience feedback that on my poster I had too much clutter, which complicated the overall simplicity that I now want. This also helped my poster to look edgy and slick. The problem with many film posters is the abundance of unnecessary logos and promotions which take away from the message the poster is trying to put across. Leading to many viewers not being able to completely decide whether they want to watch that particular film.

I also got the idea to add short film festival logos to enhance the realism and professionalism of my poster. This helped immensely as now my poster immediately grabs the viewer’s eyes. Therefore, the importance of a professional looking poster is paramount in a successful marketing campaign for movies.

Also my audience feedback allowed me learn that many audience members could not completely grasp the plot. To solve this, I came up with the idea of creating a plot device in the form of a diary entry from the perspective of the private detective. I edited this sequence within Adobe After Effects using key frames and plug-ins. I believe this works effectively and has significantly improved the effectiveness of my film.

The feedback stage has proved extremely useful in the improvement of my film. I learnt many things that have significantly improved the look and feel of all my main and ancillary texts. Which I hope leads to a successful blend of all three texts.

Q4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Research Stage:

During the first stage in the construction of my short film I had to undertake an extensive period of research that helped me build the groundworks for my final product. This included things such as: using the internet to find useful resources that I could use to build a better picture of what I wanted to achieve. I believe I used my time and resources effectively; I used things such as a refined Google search which essentially allows you to modify the search criteria for your Google search in order to find a more appropriate, valid and refined source of information. Also, I used a Google sub-project called Google Scholar, this useful tool allows you to search for a keyword or phrase in their huge library of academic books available online. You are then allowed access to your book of choice for free. Overall, Google Scholar became an absolute necessity during my research phrase.

Whilst researching I discovered the importance of reliable sources when I stumbled across a Wikipedia entry stating that Stephen King loved Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, a film in which I drew many elements of my short film from. This proved to be incorrect when I discovered Stephen King had created his own mini-series based on The Shining due to his disappointment in Kubrick’s version. Luckily, this misinformation hadn’t been a huge detriment to the progression of my film. Therefore, you should always check the reliability of your source, and the age.

Planning Stage:

By the time I had to begin thinking about how I was going to plan my short film, I had already gathered sufficient information during my research stage that I basically knew already what I had to do. First, I had brainstorm an idea which I could evolve into a 5 minute short. Then, I would have to write the script. Next came the storyboard and then the misc. tasks, such as creating a call sheet, risk assessment and time management schedule.

Brainstorming an idea proved a difficult task. Mainly due to choosing an idea which would work on a limited budget and be effective. However, when it came to choosing a format on which to create my brainstorm I chose to use bubbl.us because of the amazing things I had heard from people. Using Bubbl was simple and efficient and allowed me to produce a useful brainstorm.

When it came to choosing a script writing software I could choose none other than Final Draft. Final Draft is effectively the industry standard in screenplay writing because of its helpful keyboard shortcuts and layout. Writing my script couldn’t have been any easier simply because of the power Final Draft has behind it.

Creating a storyboard was possibly the hardest part of this stage, mainly because of my horrendous drawing skills. I decided to use the old fashioned method of drawing my storyboard, I printed off 10 copies of a template I found online and used the script to visualise what each shot would look like. However, I should have found an alternative method because my storyboard, whilst useful, was a mess. My film shoot could have gone a lot smoother if I had a more precise and accurate storyboard. For my next film I will be sure to have access to a better storyboard.

For the misc. tasks I used Microsoft Word and Excel for creating a chart for my risk assessment.

Video and Ancillary Stage:

Whilst filming I used my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera for the majority of the shots due to its incredible pixel density and capability of shooting in raw 1080p. Although shooting in raw 1080p leads to massive file sizes, it produces beautiful footage which looks amazing once colour graded. In order to capture perfectly still shots, I used my tripod. Tripods are extremely useful in small spaces and because I was shooting in a garage it came in handy. For some shots I had to reduce the space between the legs of the tripod so I could fit the camera tightly into the corner of the garage. I would not have been able to get a still frame without access to the tripod.

Also, I had access to a GoPro Hero 4K. However, I did not want to overuse it because it can sometimes feel like a gimmick. Therefore, I chose one shot for which I thought would look the best. I used the arm strap which came with the camera to fix it to the shaft of the hammer. In the end I had a great shot of my protagonist being hit with a hammer in first person.

To create my ancillary texts, I used Adobe Photoshop in order to achieve the professional look I was hoping for. I used various tools within Photoshop to create the text and photos on the magazine review.

For my poster I had to use the drop shadow effect to create shadows behind the text. This gave the poster depth which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

Evaluation Stage:

For my evaluation I am using a microphone to record all the evaluation. I will then create a video for each question using Premiere Pro; I will lay my voice on top of related pictures and information that further describes what I will be talking about. I will then render each video separately and insert them into a Prezi presentation in order to simplify the accessibility of each of them.

This method is method I believe will work best for my evaluation.

I would like to thank whoever may be listening to this. And I hope you have enjoyed Preparations as much as I have enjoyed creating it.

Thank you,

Matt

Film Theorist - Graeme Burton

Burton's Six Elements

Burton suggests that each text in a given genre shares particular key elements to make up the generic formula, these include:

• Protagonist
• Stock Characters
• Plots and Stock Situations
• Icons
• Background and Décor
• Themes

Repetition and Novelty

Generic texts repeat many elements of a formula, to offer audiences the pleasure of recognition, but also have novel elements of surprise, to offer audiences something new. Repetition is also appealing to producers, who have to put less work into their texts.

Film Theorist - Stanley Kubrick

Director of Dr Strangelove etc had the theory that all you needed for a captivating narrative was seven Non-Submersible Units. These were scenes, images, actions, sounds or a combination of these that created a strong impression on the audience that they couldn’t ignore, shrug off or forget.

Film Theorist - Syd Field

Syd is a practicing screenwriter and his theory is more of a piece of advice for potential film makers. He is interested in the way one thing leads to another or causality. As you watch a film you should see a structure of events develop as things lead to other things.

Field says a typical Hollywood film can be separated into three separate dramatic sections or acts.

Act 1 is the setup. The first 10 mins is very important to grab the audience. If they like it in the first 10 mins they are unlikely to change their minds later. The film maker should show the audience who the main character is and why they should care what happens to him/her. They should see what style and genre the film is going to use. The next 20 mins show the audience the nature of the problem the hero has to face or this can be left to plot point 1.

Act 2 is the confrontation. The longest act shows us the hero in more and more extreme problem situations. He/she is helpless against the opposing forces. There may be a mid-point where they start to turn things around but not until plot-point 2 will they realise the way to succeed…

Act 3 is the resolution. The hero wins out (often by confronting the opposing forces on their own territory)

Where Act 1 becomes Act 2 and Act 2 becomes Act 3 there is a plot point – a particularly important piece of the plot which turns around the lives of the characters, change their relationships and alter the tone of the film. Films often have a number of plot points like these but Field points to two major ones between the acts and a less important one in the middle of the film.

Film Theorist - Levi-Strauss

He argued that all meaning-making, not just narratives, depend on binary oppositions – a conflict between two sides/qualities which are opposites.

E.G. Westerns where there can be many binary oppositions such as:

Cowboys	Indians
settlers	natives
Christian	Pagan
domestic	savage
weak	strong
garden	wilderness
The law	outlaws
helpless	dangerous
clothed	naked
whites	redskins
telegraph	smoke signals

Film Theorist - Barthes

Barthes suggested that narrative works with different codes which the reader tries to make sense of. The most obvious is the use of enigma codes. These are little puzzles which the audience needs to solve throughout the plot. This makes us work but gives us pleasure when we solve them correctly. The plot might need the solving a big enigma code but there will be little ones along the way.

Film Theorist - Todorov

Todorov also saw underlying structures to narratives.

He argued that stories all begin in “equilibrium” when all forces are in balance.

This is disrupted by a problem to cause “disequilibrium”. Then more events take place before a “new equilibrium” is established.

Many film makers today don’t bother setting up the normal world in order to disrupt it with a problem (a killer shark, etc.) and go straight for the problem and disequilibrium. However, there will always be a sense in the film of what life was like before the problem came along and therefore what the characters can return to if they can only sort the problem out.

Film Theorist - Propp

Propp looked at folk tales and saw some structures they shared in common. He found 8 character roles and 31 functions that move the story along.

The 8 character roles can also be types of action because they are not the sort of roles which appear in the cast list. One character in the film or play can occupy several of his character roles or types of action. They are:

1. The villain
2. The hero (not always good but always carries the story along, the central character and not always male)
3. The donor (who provides an object with some special property)
4. The helper (who helps the hero)
5. The princess (the reward for the hero and object of the villain’s schemes)
6. Her father (who rewards the hero)
7. The dispatcher (who sends the hero on his way)
8. The false hero

The 31 functions include events such as:

The hero is prohibited from doing something

The villain learns something about the victim

The villain is punished, etc.

Short Film Inspiration #1: Spider

Spider is a brilliant Australian produced short film directed by Nash Edgerton. The atmosphere and story are creepy and thought provoking and the ending is one of the most shocking revelations I've ever seen in a short film. The dark humour that resonates throughout the short film is perfectly balanced between the sombre moments which all work together to creating a truly exceptional piece of work.

From Spider I tried to replicate the humour, without making it seem as a complete comedy.

Inspiration for Magazine Review Page

To create my magazine I used a review for inspiration from the popular film magazine, Empire. I will insert said review here. You can spot many similaraties between the reviews, I tried to make it as authentic as possible without it appearing as a complete copy.
I chose this particular review to mimick because of the genre similarities. Also, I believe the simplistic design and overall modern feel lends a certain authenticity to any review design. My plan is to use certain elements of this review design/style whilst trying to make it my own by using a slightly different colour scheme with different fonts.

Troubles with Audio on Preparations

Whilst editing my short film I encounted numerous issues. One of the main concerns I had was that I recorded two seperate audio tracks, one from a microphone and one from the Blackmagic camera. When it came to editing I discovered that portions of the audio recorded through the seperate microphone had corrupted and were unusable. This meant that I was forced to use portions of the inferior audio. This created another problem for me, how do I make all audio tracks appear seamless?
I achieved the best sound I possibly could by individually tweaking each audio track and inserting a ambient sound track.

Three Finished Ancillary Texts

Preparations - a short film

Preparations - Billboard Movie Poster. Made using Adobe Photoshop.

Preparations - Double-Spread Magazine Review Page - Based Upon Empire Magazine.

Photoshop - Creating a Magazine Review Page

Whilst creating my magazine page, I came across a few issues that needed addressing. First of which was choosing an appropriate fonts. My first port of call was DaFont, where I found an amazing font for 'InCinemas' which I believe works well. Secondly, choosing a stock image for my review that I hadn't already used in my poster became a difficult task. Ultimately, I decided on the shot that I used because it features both protagonists.

Task M - Camera Movement Practice Shots

I didn't have access to a tripod whilst practising my shots. Also, this was only a rough practice in order to gather a few ideas of the angles and types of shots I could use.

Task J - Location Shots

My chosen location is in my back garden. I chose this location because of its confined spaces and ease of access.

Task O - Original Images Before Manipulation

Portrait Poster Before Manipulation

For this picture I had to crop the sides and manipulate the image so it would fill a whole portrait poster.

Landscape Poster Before Manipulation

This picture needed no cropping due to it being used for a landscape poster.

Using Photoshop to Create a Poster

During this course my skills with Photoshop has improved considerably. I've watched numerous YouTube tutorials teaching me the basic and intermediate levels of using Photoshop. This has helped immensely in creating my poster for 'Preparations', which I am pleased with. One problem I had whilst creating the poster was the resolution of the image, which was poor. However, I overcame this problem by reducing the canvas size to an A4 sheet of paper. This drastically improved the resolution of the image, therefore creating a more professional looking poster.

Premiere Pro

When I began editing Preparations I used Sony Vegas Pro. However, through peoples suggestions and my own personal experiences I realised that Vegas was not the correct choice. This is because Vegas makes it extremely hard to use third party plug-ins that help colour-grade etc. Therefore, I began editing again using Adobe Premiere Pro, which has proved to be much more helpful and has ended up becoming a much better film, editing wise.

Creating a Credit Block

To create a professional credit block for my poster I used Photoshop and downloaded a credit block font. Using a picture of a real credit block I replicated the image and produced my own, which I am happy with. Also, I added logo's, such as Dolby Digital Sound and Blackmagic Design, which elevates the authenticity.

Audience Feedback from Draft Edit

Today I screened my draft edit to two people from my media class, and this was the feedback I received:

Tom: Audio needs a little work, perhaps create sound bridges to make the gaps between audio clips seamless.

Ellie: The script is good, however some portions are out of sync and need correcting. She also noted how she likes that both of the actors look into the camera.

With this audience feedback I can understand some of the problems that need addressing to attain the highest mark I can.

I will soon be gathering more audience feedback to add to my current feedback.

Draft Edit

I edited my draft around a week to two weeks ago. It is now available to watch on YouTube.

Audacity - Creating a Hammer Hit

To create the most realistic hammer hit I could I took two royalty sound bites (downloaded from www.freesound.org), a hammer hit, a bat hit and a meat hit. Then, I used a sound bite I recorded on set of my actor yelping. Finally, I adjusted the pitch and tempo of all three sound bites, added some bass and other effects then exported the finalised hammer hit.

GoPro Studio

College lent me a GoPro Hero 4 on my film shoot. However, the GoPro shots didn't merge seamlessly with my other footage, creating a jarring difference in quality and colours. However, to reduce this problem I have used GoPro's own video editing suite to colour grade the footage and make it appear more professional.

Audacity

I used Audacity to change the opening dialogue to make it appear more fluent and natural. The part highlighted is the part I removed and it has made all the difference to the flow of the dialogue.

Sony Vegas 13

I have been editing Preparations using Sony Vegas 13. One of the reasons why I use Vegas is because of the simplicity and ease of access that the program allows you to have. Although, I have encountered some problems, one of which is that I cannot colour grade effectively within Vegas. Therefore, I will most likely have to complete the editing and sound stage and colour grade last, in a different program.

Task H - Script

Link to script on Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwp23wh6KwhISUFkU1I5VDhiT2s/view?usp=sharing

Task P - Drafts with Feedback

 Feedback of DRAFT poster and magazine review

POSTER DRAFT - Made using Adobe Photoshop

 Feedback:
1.) Preparations title too small
2.) Perhaps switch actors names around
3.) Credit block has invisible line blocking the top of the text
4.) No colour correction of image

Task F Part 2 of 2 - Poster

I created this draft using Photoshop. I thought it would be easier for me to create a draft using this format, instead of drawing one. Due to the fact that my computer skills are better than my drawing skills. Also, I believe this will allow me to more closely understand what poster I want to produce.

Task F Part 1 - Draft of Magazine Review

The magazine review page I used as inspiration comes from Empire magazine.

Original:

My draft:

I wanted to draw inspiration without seeming like I simply copied Empires style. I believe I have altered enough details to be an homage yet can stand on its own. Having this draft allows me to completely understand the desired layout of my magazine review once I get onto Photoshop.

I believe a simplisitic design and a light-hearted tone allows for complete enjoyment of a review.

Task B - Planning of Music

Task B – Planning of Music

I will strive to create all the music which I possibly can. However, there will be moments where I'll have to incorporate some royalty free music.

Soundtrack:

Introduction music: dark, ominous piano melody with subtle drum beats underneath the piano track.

https://freesound.org/people/zagi2/sounds/240157/

Beginning to middle: I want the music to slow down in the dialogue heavy sections, eventually becoming silent. 

Middle to end: Music begins to quicken up until the finale when the music climaxes off.

https://freesound.org/people/are16ocean/sounds/144981/

Sound will be layered appropriately to create a multi-layered soundtrack with depth.

Diegetic Sounds:

Sound effects I will need:

1      1.)    Gun cocking – I will source this sound effect from either the prop gun or the internet.

https://freesound.org/people/SmartWentCody/sounds/179011/

2      2.)    Gun click – I will source this sound effect from either the prop gun or the internet.

https://freesound.org/people/knova/sounds/170272/

3      3.)    Light switch on/off – I will film this sound effect myself.

https://freesound.org/people/StevenBrown/sounds/128439/

Non-Diegetic Sounds:

1      4.)    Suspenseful sound will be added beneath the soundtrack to create an atmosphere fitting to the plot.

https://freesound.org/people/Toivo161/sounds/266009/

NOTE: ALL SOUNDS ARE ROYALTY FREE