Looking Back

Looking back at the filming we took on Wednesday at the cadet centre, here is a few shots that we put together:

Filming

Eventually we have started the filming process. We took the video cameras and still cameras with their tripods to the cadet centre in Kingston park to start the filming of the cadets etc. The first thing we done was look around and jot down ideas for shots and different areas for filming whilst waiting for the cadets to arrive. Some areas of the building looked to modern but we can easily work around this for other parts of the short film. there is also plenty areas that are suitable for the time period and the cadets were all in their kit so they looked the part. We took the still camera so we could take photos that could potentially be used in the ancillary tasks but I feel I got slightly too into the filming and forgotten about the camera so this is something that I will try keep in mind for next time so we have more to work with. There was a few parts of the filming where I thought that the background didn't fit with the time that it is meant to be set in, however, the sound was great and would be very useful still in the film. We just hope that the sound has came out well with the filming otherwise we will have to do it again with proper sound equipment. Many shots were good but we are going to have a few sessions of filming in this area with the same people so we get the best possible shots for the filming. As this is the first step of filming we aren't promising that these will be the best shots that we take so we will look through them when we're back at school and see where we can improve and take more and then go back to the centre next week for more filming.

Taking photos

Rebecca and I took out her nephew from nursery in the afternoon to take photos of him and check that the costume is good enough for the film setting. When we picked him up we were unfortunately too late to take him into the studio at school but we got him ready in the clothes to see how it looks. We've decided that the clothes he had aren't quite what we are after and aren't suitable for the film time so we are going out to look at other clothes like shorts and polo shirts that would pass for that era, this could be difficult but we think it is still achievable if we keep it as simple as possible.

Location

For locations, there isn't a set location that we are going to be in as it is all about the flashbacks and going to different places and times. this will be hard as we have to ensure that everywhere we go to film there isn't anything there that would suggest a different era. We will be posting up some photo's of our locations soon as we need to find them and ensure we will be ok to film there too. Our ideas for location have been in fields without cars or houses in the background, an army base or cadet base to get a look at the uniform, and also a couple of rooms, one being blank and another having more objects of that era in.

Props

For props, we are thinking of old photos of war and the army, medals from war, uniforms, clothing from the specific times and anything that we need to put in the room where the character is in. Here is what we have got so far which is authentic photo's and medal generously supplied by my grandad.

Sound

During the research for my short film I have looked at the music that people in that era would have listened to as this is a very important factor of my short film. Ensuring I get the correct era for ,y short film is vital otherwise it wouldn't correctly portray that time and storyline. In finding the music of that era was simpler than previously expected, our search lead us to the BBC website, you can have a look at this website here.

Script

We have decided that we are not having any dialogue, there may be some at the end which we are yet to really need to think about properly and go through with the scripts to decide. If we do decide there is dialogue, it would be at the end and not much of it as we would rather concentrate on portraying emotions and putting the storyline successfully across to the audience through sound and cinematography, however dialogue may come into it.

Storyboards

These are the storyboards in which we are basing our film off, timings may vary to fit with the music and we might find that certain shots look better in different angles etc. 

Target Audience

Target audience from AlexandraMediaStudies

What is the purpose of my product?

The purpose of my product is to entertain. Short films are a form of escape and therefore need to be a source of entertainment for the viewer. It is important to make the film fun to watch and so they watch it all the way through. As these films are short, said in the name, it offers a short release from the real world but it can also be used as a hobby, just like watching feature length films can be for people, however short films are more convenient and easier to find. You could have a far varied range of short films to watch on the internet than a feature length film so it can be easier for people to choose short films and watch one after another instead of one long film. Short films are not as well known as normal length films, and you would never find a short film night at a multiplex cinema, but rather you would find them in independent cinemas. There is a rise in the short film industry which we can only assume to be from the increase of technology and the internet. They are far easier to find now with sites like Youtube and how you could be watching something unrelated to short films but it could be related to the story, and Youtube would suggest different videos for you to watch in the related column. this means more people are going to be coming across them without even searching for them. This is good as it is opening the spectrum of film and for the viewers also as they have more choice of things to watch.

Theory

Here I have researched all of the theories that come with films and anything else that could apply with my short film:

Representation

I have looked into representation and what it means in short films, here is what I have came up with:

Pitch

I am aiming to create a short film with my friend and media studies partner, Rebecca. we are working as a pair and have decided on the storyline of a short film however our genre is flexible. We will be using a mix of conventions that are carried out in different genres and different short or ordinary films that we have seen to fit with our story.

The time it is set varies due to the flashbacks that he has but it will roughly from 1930's, possibly late twenties onwards until the age that he is presented as the current time. this is a testing time period because of the change in fashion and buildings and many other props that we may have to use so we have thought a lot about being careful and not using too many props as these may be difficult to get.

The setting will be unclear except from the flashbacks so there is a sense of revelation within the story and hopefully there will be a twist to the tale at the end. We do plan to use a room and various places for the flashbacks such as outside in open areas where there is no buildings or cars that could give away the true time and spoil the period the film is set in.

The basic story for it begins with a man reminiscing which triggers him to have a series of flashbacks of him growing up and the unfolding of different events that has happened in his life. The events will vary in emotion to get a sense of the character. The twist will be at the very end which is a common convention and that will be how the story ends. Many plot twists lave the story on a cliff hanger however that is not the aim we're going for. It would be more suitable for a short film to have the revealing what is truly happening in the current state.

I don't want to have much dialogue so it doesn't reveal too much throughout the film. The most dialogue will be in the flashbacks to give a sense of character but to also question what he is like now.

I will be posting videos pictures and other information about setting, props and sound so it gives you a clearer view of the short film.

Questionnaire results

Questionnaire

The questionnaire that I created was made on Survey Monkey, an online survey maker, but to gain a larger response from more people I have also printed the survey out so I can hand it out around to people. Tis way I can get a larger response but it also means that I can give it to people of specific ages, for example my own age by handing them out around school. Also, not everyone will see this survey online so this will ensure that I get people to take the survey and that I get a response. Here is the survey that I handed out:

Online Questionnaire

I have created an online questionnaire about short films and what you think of them, you can take the questionnaire here.

Ideas

Here are some ideas that I have came up with of what I could do, I used WiseMapping to create the mind map:

Short Film Ideas

Rebecca and I have been brainstorming together to think of what to do for our short film. We decided on a short film as we think it will be more interesting and we could really stray away from the trailers. With trailers having common conventions and ways of putting things together we thought we could be more adventurous and have less conventions to go with, with a short film to make it out of the ordinary to ensure people want to watch it. Looking through various films has given us ideas and inspiration about what we could do ourselves.

Film Review Analysis: 3

Film Review Analysis: 2

Film Review Analysis: 1

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Analysis

War Horse Analysis

Martha Marcy May Marlene poster analysis

Roles and Responsibilities

Short Film Analysis 3:

'Adrian' is another short film that I found particularly entertaining which was also created by the same people who made 'Memories' and 'The Return'. 'Adrian' is about two males, one being the main character and the other being Adrian. Adrian is a fragment of the main characters imagination and annoys him continuously. The main character eventually tries to get rid of him by shooting him but as he is in his imagination, he is always there.

I feel mise-en-scene and cinematography have the least effect on the film. The mise-en-scene does portray his personality with him playing games, on his phone, eating and drinking, which can be a stereotype of male teenagers with a very simple lifestyle. Having simple mise-en-scene is good in this short because it emphasises on his simple personality, which is why he is imagining a friend.

The feature I found most prominent in this one was the sound because there was dialogue, non-diegetic, which helped create the story along with diegetic dialogue and music. The music was quite comic to show Adrian's annoyance whereas the non diegetic dialogue was to show what he was thinking, which is ironic because this film is about Adrian who is just his imagination. The diegetic dialogue comes from Adrian who is nagging the main character to show who is the irritant between them.

The second most effective and important code must be the edit. Not for the cuts between shots, although they were used accordingly, but for the short time near the end when the shot went from black and white to colour and then back to black and white. The monochrome was used to imply the torment he is in caused by Adrian but to also show his very basic, monotone, personality he has - this could be why he has imagined this friend. The moment in which the screen faded to colour was when the main character shot Adrian to get rid of him to show his sense of relief and normality. It fades back to black and white when it becomes apparent that Adrian is only in his mind and so is always there and is back to annoying him again.

Short Film Analysis 2:

'Memories' is a dramatic short film about two friends who got into a situation where one was unfortunately shot and killed. That is the basic storyline however the film goes through the memories that one of the friends had which builds it up to the point where it happened. It is untold who got shot at first until the very end building suspense and adding a dramatic effect.

The mise-ene-scene was very dark in the room with only the male's face light coming from his laptop with text of 'Dear Taron', implying this is his friend which he is writing to. It is silent until he starts to speak, which we suspect is what he is typing in the letter as it cuts to his hands typing on the keyboard and it is being directed to his friend. This is the main setting in the film as everything cuts back to that room with that friend sitting there. It is evident which are the memories throughout the film as it is cut around the boy in the room. The memories have both friends in them and are in various different places which don't lead on from one another smoothly showing that they are different memories, but they are also very colourful which is in contrast to the black dark room.

The cinematography also helps identify the memories through using hand held camera to get an unsteady shot. This has connotations of youthfulness and looks like they could have taken took the film, but we know they didnt however it does give that effect. It can also be so that it looks like we are looking back at them memories with him and his memories aren't steady and perfect but jolty with lots of movement.

The sound is very calm and slow at the start when the male is is looking at the screen but stops for his monologue to start and another piano mood influencing music to overlay. It doesn't have negative connotations as the dialogue carries the mood more effectively. At the end the music stops before the dialogue has so it can enhance the dramatic effect that his words are carrying.

Short Film Analysis 1:

The Return is a short film carrying a message about driving and using a mobile hone. The main character is the person who is using the mobile while driving and crashes into a mother while her child watches. It goes on to the main character saying sorry and asking for forgiveness but the child refuses. This however is during a flashback which you can see by the editing of the film that they have blurred the edges to have it a flashback/dream like effect and later in the film the male goes back to the house to once again say sorry, for the boy this time to forgive him.

I find the edit the most important code during this film as this is what carries the story along. As I said before, flashbacks are shown by the blurred edges, but also the flashbacks are in almost full colour whereas the present time is depicted in black and white. You would tend to find back and white as a convention for a flashback but in this case it is used in reverse to hold connotations of grief and despair as the male is in turmoil over what he has done, when before the colour is presented to show that he was happy then before the accident.

The sound also adds great affect to the storyline. It starts with an airy sound with piano which can create a suspicious unsettling sound, coinciding with the male character walking on the road. At this point there is no knowledge of what he has done but we automatically know that there is something wrong. There is dialogue and diegetic sound throughout but mainly in the flashbacks to give a bit more narrative depth. The mood music is continuous throughout the short continuing the unsettling feeling.

Mise-en-scene and cinematography was for me the least effective codes. I do believe however that the cinematography was good for capturing specific close ups to add effect such as using close ups to show emotion on the characters faces. The mise-en-scene is simple by using the same areas: car, road and house. It is limited to what you see in the car but the road is very long and wide so it can imply how he is isolated when walking along and very along which adds to the turmoil he is feeling.

Short Films

Rebecca and I have started watching some short films to give us ideas and inspiration for our own short film. We've looked at various different types so we have an idea on genres and how to create it with different shots to make it a good short film.

Ideas

Here are some ideas that I came up with of what I could do, I used WiseMapping to create the mind map: 

The Camera Experience

Here is what we created from the short time using the cameras:

Camera experience

During a media lesson we had the chance to get the cameras to either start the preliminary task or get used to and understand how the cameras work. I have had experience on cameras but not on the schools. Fortunately my friend Rebecca who I am working with has used the schools cameras before so she knew the basics but it wasn't difficult to get the hang of. Rebecca and I messed around with the camera and got different shots together and created somewhat of a vlog through iMovie just so we could have an understanding of the camera and the ways in which we cut the shots.

Tyneside Cinema

Tyneside Cinema came into school during a media lesson to show us what activities they have to offer and the latest one was a documentary course, so we were given the chance to make a mockumentary. Basically a documentary that isn't serious and shorter. We were put into groups and  given cameras and tripods and a short lesson on how to use them in it's basic form.

The mockumentary that my group had to make was of Fork Music and how a band came together playing music through forks and other cutlery and kitchen supplies. I had a lot of fun in creating this and just made me want to continue to film. We didn't have much time to create and then edit the filming however we did get a start on it.

Tyneside cinema are to complete what we started and they will be sending the mockumentaries back to us when they have completed them.

Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we have been given the starting point of a chase sequence. We have to come up with a short story or something similar relating to a chase. This way we get to have a go on the cameras and get used to using the cameras and tripod and understanding what to do with movies and angle types. We looked at past students work which ranged from adverts to horror stories. So now it's our turn to create our own.

Working in a group

For this years A2 tasks we are allowed to work in small groups. I have chosen to work with my friend Rebecca as a pair for these tasks. When working in a group we have to use management skills to assign people with certain jobs. However, we will both help each other and give input to certain jobs regardless of if it is our assigned jobs. In doing this it allows us to have an experience of all areas of filming and editing and sound and finding what we excel in. We have put our heads together and came up with ideas which I will post soon.

A2

A2 media studies has begun and we have started by looking at what our tasks are and understanding what is expected of us this year. We looked at potential ideas that we could use for our coursework element and what our preliminary task is.

Final Product

Front cover:

Contents page:

 

Double page spread:

 

Article:



Evaluation Question: 7

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

New technologies used

Evaluation Question: 6

Question 6 of my evaluation is:
What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of creating this product?

Photoshop is the most common use for editing pictures and creating media products like my own. Also, InDesign is another, which is good for writing and columns and both are good quality and professional.
However, there is more than just creating it. when you are creating a magazine and you want it to be the best possible one on the market you need to find out if the magazine is right for your target audience. Questionnaires/surveys are a good way of going about it. Typically surveys would be done on paper and handed out by hand to which I have used this technique in my feedback, however, times are changing and doing things on paper and handing them out are getting slightly 'old', especially towards my own target audience. I have to understand what my target audience do and what is the best form for getting feedback from them, hence why most of my surveys are done through Survey Monkey which is an online survey website. By using this website it also makes it quicker and easier to get results, it is also free which is a very important factor. I used both techniques to ensure that I got a range of people as not everyone would find the survey through the internet. Recently, there has been advertisements of Survey Monkey on the TV so this will gain recognition of the website, then for my questionnaires and then also to my magazine, so it is good using this sort of technology in different ways.
To talk about my magazine and it's progression I have used Blogger which is a site that you can create your own blog on and post just about anything on it at any point anywhere, so it's quick and easy. this is a good way of getting visuals of the progression of the magazine and also a chance for the audience to see it and say if there is something that could be changed or added. Means of presentation varies; I have used Slide Share and Prezzi to show slideshows. Podcasts are another form which are also used in other websites and music magazine websites.
Varying methods of presentation is also good through sites such as Prezi and Slideshare, videos through Youtube.
Using the internet and technologies through this is a good technique for my magazine not only because of it's ease but also it reaches my target audience due to them being young which young people often use the internet. This helps build status for the magazine and popularity.
All of the techniques I have used are through the internet and computing, therefore I have learnt that the popularity of the internet is growing and how it is far easier and cheaper to do these techniques through it. I have also understood that people prefer visuals of what is happening rather than just writing and so this is good to keep in mind for the future.

My reader profile

Evaluation Question: 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question: 4

Question 4 is:
What would be the audience for your media product?

My ideal audience would be a teen to mid twenties music enthusiast. I would hope that my magazine would bring more females to the music scene as it is lacking in this audience. Although I still want it to attract just as many males as some of the present music magazines do. In making this happen I have used a female on the cover and also brought a slight gossip element to the magazine and what would be provided in it to attract a female audience and to keep it up beat and fresh for the younger generations that would be interested in my magazine. However, my magazine is based on the music industry and events rather than the personal lives of the stars so it is more of an informational magazine. This would also attract older generations which is expanding my audience range.
So for a music fanatic this would be an ideal magazine for them. They would be interested in gigs and also seek that rebellious refuge without being that person and my magazine would provide this.

Evaluation Question: 3

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

Evaluation Question: 2

How does your media product represent social groups?

Question 1 further

Question 1 further

Evaluation Question: 1

I have now started my evaluation for my media product. The first question of the evaluation is:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I have created Prezzi's to present my work:

Video response

I asked two people out of my target age group some questions about my magazine and what they think about it, here's their response:

Manual Survey

Here is what my survey looks like:

Manual Survey

I have created a new survey to which I will hand out manually as not all of my target audience would find survey's online so finding people of my target audience was another way for market research to collect information about my magazine.

Feedback

I gathered feedback for my double page spread and article to get the best possible outcome for it. I done this by simply going out and asking a small group of my target audience what could be changed or improved on in the double page spread and article and I made note of what they said. One of the things that was mentioned was that on the double page spread the two columns were the same size bar the length of the second as it was slightly shorter than the first column. I will now go away and alter this to ensure they are perfectly aligned and the same size to make it look more professional.

Article

I have wrapped the text around the quote so it doesn't overlap. I have had to adjust the gap between the text and quote to an appropriate width. I have added the page number along with the name of the magazine at the bottom of the page to continue the house style.

Article

I have put a quote in which is a typical convention of magazine articles with the colour used from the previous page so it shows that it is part of one article.

Article

I have now inserted my text into the columns.

Article

The rest of my article is put onto an extra sheet that I have created on InDesign. This is a good way for making the columns the correct width and evenly spaced out. Here is the start of it:

I have sectioned the page into three columns with a border around the page so the writing isn't too close to the edge of the page.

Fnished Aticle

This is my completed double page spread introduction to my article:

Article So Far

The start of my article has been inserted into two columns with an initial to give it a story like feel.

Article So Far

I have added an introduction to the article to give an insight to who this band is and what the article will talk about.

Article So Far

I have put colour on the background of the left side and a title. The colour I chose to use is from one of my models tops so it matches. 

Article So Far

This is the start of the double page spread. I have put the picture on the right hand side because when people turn the page that will be the first thing they see so it draws the reader in to reading it. the image overlaps slightly onto the left side however this is not a problem as this is a common convention in magazines.

Article

I have had to change my article to what I planned because of the length of the interview. My original plan was to create a double page spread that would have an image on one side of the page and the article on the other, however, whilst making it was evident that the article was not going to fit, by a whole page that is. So instead I have created another flat plan to incorporate an extra page.
Here is the updated version of my flat plan and I will now start to follow this instead.

 

Flat Plan

Finally, I am now onto creating my article and so, here is my flat plan.

Survey Results

From producing the survey for my contents page, it was agreed that there was no need for major improvements and that the colour scheme fit well with the house style. They also agreed that the name of the magazine should stay on the contents page.

Contents Page Survey

Click here to take the survey.

Contents Page Progression

This is my finished contents page: 

Contents Page Progression

For finishing touches to my magazine contents page I have added arrows that are pointing to what is on the cover by labelling the arrow with 'cover story'. I have made them red to fit with though house style but to also make them stand out. I have also gave them an outline of black to draw more attention to it and making it bold. Here is a close up of them:

Contents Page Progression

Key parts in making a contents page are to number where the pictures are from as the pictures are what catch the eye first therefore if someone likes the look of that picture they may want to go to that page straight away. I have made the numbers large in white and bold on the pictures so they stand out in contrast to the red numbers in the written contents.

Contents page progression

I have inserted more pictures, subheadings and contents to fill up the space and to ensure it is full. 

contents page progression

I have started to section my contents page into it's columns and started on writing the subheadings with the contents underneath them. 

Contents page progression

This is the start of my contents page which I am completing on Photoshop. I have split the page into two bodies, the top being a picture which would be something eye catching and exciting for this week and the second at the bottom for the written contents which may also include photos but not as big. I have put a banner going across the middle with the name of the magazine on for house style and 'what's on' which is informal to make it a casual approach to the reader of what this months issue has in it. The page has been titled in a black box with an outer glow on it to make sure it stands out from the background but to also go well with the glow of the lights on stage of the gig photo behind it. 

I have now started to create my contents page to my magazine. Again, here is my flat plans for my contents page as a reminder to what I want it to look like.

Survey Results

People who took the survey noted that the picture was slightly yellow in places and the exclamation mark was touching the edge of the page in the top banner and so I have took down this information and I will change it.

Front cover survey

Here is the front cover survey.

Front Cover

here is what my front cover has ended up like:

Front Cover

Here is a further updated picture of my front cover:

Mast Head Survey Results

From posting s survey I was able to see whether or not 'Muse' was a suitable title for my music magazine and the results are in! It shows how the audience had the same thought as that 'Muse' didn't fit the music genre and the runners up to the final title name were:
Venue and Scream in third
Bones in second
And in first place, Riff, with a strong 45% of the votes.

Mast Head Survey

Through the progression of creating my front cover I have had doubts about the title. I'm not sure if Muse really strikes me as a rock genre so I have decided to let the public decide and in doing this it ensures that the magazine is right for the genre and therefore more likely to get a better audience.

I have a list of different names that I have came up with that may be a better suit for the magazine and it's genre, however Muse is still in there so if it is still a choice for the audience to keep it if they wish.

Here is the survey.