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?

Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

What have you learnt about technologies when constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot throughout the production of our opening sequence, I have also improved my technological skills a lot since our preliminary task. I have mainly developed my skills within Blogger, iMovie, specific sound recording with a boom, using high quality DSLR cameras, YouTube, Prezi and briefly with the screenplay formatting website Plotbot.

Blogger

During our coursework we have kept a blog on blogger to record our work throughout the year. I had no idea what blogger was before this process and have thoroughly enjoyed setting up and updating my blog frequently. I have particularly taken an interest in designing my blog to look how I would like it to, by changing the theme, background and the various widths and lengths of the webpage. I have learnt to embed videos, slideshows and prezis as shown throughout my blog. Having created my blog has allowed me to explore blogging and share my coursework and our group work with my family and friends.

iMovie

Having only used Windows Movie Maker before starting the as level media course, I was apprehensive as to getting used to the iMovie controls, seeing as it makes editing extremely easier when you get used to the many (at first) complicated functions that iMovie possesses. At the start of the production I found it frustrating and had a lack of control in achieving the product that we had envisaged. However, after watching various YouTube videos and working on my other evaluation questions I gradually started to get used to and really enjoy editing on iMovie, both in and out of school. I now feel confident in editing and have enjoyed being able to create a more professional product due to the technology. I have learnt about exporting and importing files, downloading YouTube videos and using them for my shorts films, cutting shots, adding soundtrack, sound effects and utilizing the effects that you can add to pictures and shot sequences.

Sound Technology

We weren't expecting to have used any sort of specific sound equipment due to a lack of experience in the use of high quality diegetic sound within moving image. However when Miss Moore gave us the opportunity we took it and I was the designated sound person for the first afternoon of filming. I was responsible for carrying and setting up the boom for filming, which at times was trying due to the attention drawn to us because of it, and because of there being more important things to consider with time being a massive issue. I learnt which position suited the sound best after reviewing the sound and which was the most appropriate position for the boom with relation to the camera. Due to the mic jack not being the right size we unfortunately couldn't listen to the sound while filming, so that when we got back to the editing we realized there wasn't much point in using the boom again, especially as there was no dialogue it seemed a waste of time and effort. I still did learn as mentioned before the importance of good sound in a piece of film and the positioning of the boom being appropriate. I have enjoyed attempting to develop sound and make it the highest quality possible

DSLR Camerawork

Another technology I would say I learnt something about would be the DSLR camera we used. Having only used a DSLR previously at home to take pictures and to film our preliminary (I mainly edited on this task), it was important to get to know the new camera we used. Jake kindly let us film on his camera which was hard getting used to due to it being harder than I thought to achieve the shots you imagine during the pre production planning. I suggested that we tried a dolly zoom after seeing the one implicated in jaws as an example. We then got some advise on how to actually achieve the dolly zoom and had a go at it (this is shown as a blog post further down my blog with mine, Connie and Jake's attempts collated together). This proved to be an extremely challenging camera movement but when it is executed correctly it can look very professional and serve as an even bigger moment of realization for a character (as it does in our opening sequence). I enjoy using these high quality cameras due to the level of detail that they capture and have learnt quickly to operate them efficiently and effectively.

YouTube

YouTube has massively improved the quality and depth of my blog posts, providing vital links and examples of thrillers so that we could keep close to the conventions of the genre while also trying to challenge these stereotypes. We took inspiration from many media products that currently exist and YouTube's 'suggested' playlist has really helped us to explore many different examples of thrillers and get a wider range of examples. We have also been able to upload our work and publish it on the video sharing site, allowing us to show our film to a wider range of people including family members and friends, highlighting several different opinions on the film itself as well as our preliminary film. 

Plotbot

We were introduced to a screen play formatting sight called 'Plotbot'. This may have helped some screenplay writers but we found it very fiddly and we weren't very efficient whilst using it, so we switched to writing our screenplay on Microsoft Word. We felt much more confident with Word and successfully created a detailed screenplay of our opening sequence as shown in an older post on my blog. I am glad I was introduced to this new technology but I did learn that it wasn't software I felt comfortable using.

Prezi

The final example of how I think I have learnt through technology would be through the presentation site Prezi. At the start of the course I was very reluctant to use Prezi due to the other class members creating what looked like very challenging ways of presentation. I put using Prezi off until my evaluations when I realized that it would have to be used if I wanted to be successful in 'Multimedia blogging'. I used Prezi for my evaluation question two about representation of social groups, seeing as I could find a theme that I liked and fits with my blog and completely customize the paths that the Prezi would take I found myself getting quicker and enjoying myself more on the website. I can now confidently use Prezi on future projects and think of it as a very professional way of presenting. 

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract/address your audience? 

I think that we attracted and addressed our audience very well due to our use of particularly mise-en-scene. Our plot however, I think would appeal more to the new generation of thriller lovers, this will be helped by our British independent film distributor, who can advertise our film to their audience who will hopefully be within our target market due to the previous films FoxSearchlight has produced and published. Social media also played a big part in attracting our audience through our friends and families opinions we have been able to gather what was good and what needed improving on our opening sequence. Our soundtrack (embedded below) has also helped us in attracting our audience due to it being very stereotypical of the thriller genre with its various different levels of getting more intense as the opening sequence goes on. It also goes well with the pace of the film as the main character starts off walking for example then gets more hurried as the music intensifies. Our plot also helps massively to attract and address our audience, as identified in my audience research the stereotypical views of a thriller narrative were that it included a protagonist , antagonist, some action and a good ending. I feel that our opening sequence has addressed all of these and has expressed a successful enigma and plot twist (the antagonist turns out to be an antagonist).

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Audience Profiling and Research

We decided to give our opening sequence and film a certificate rating of 15 years of age. We thought that due to the somewhat sinister plot and 'adult' topics that are included this would be an appropriate age,but the film would realistically not be an 18 certificate due to the lack of explicit violence shown. The age range would be, in my opinion around 15-40. The content of the film is very accessible for this age group and could appeal to a large variety of people- hence the wide span of ages chosen. I chose to interview my family and record it to show their varied opinions on film. I then asked a range of family, friends and family friends their thoughts on thriller films and their favourite films. Below are the charts that show my results after collating them. 

As you can see from my results it is clear that the majority of males preferred the thriller genre compared to with the female results. This is also clear in other research that I have read with men having a much larger interest in these types of films and their general 'good vs evil' theme. This is shown in my recorded interview from my dad's point of view about thrillers seeing as they are his favourite genre.

Audience Profile - Tom

This is Tom. He is at the pinnacle of his teenage years- the tender age of 15. He enjoys; football cycling and penny boarding (as shown), playing on his Xbox 360 particularly on Fifa15, but most of all watching high definition Blue-Ray movies on his macbook air. Tom is very tech-savvy and has a strong interest in cameras and the work that goes into making films and television programmes. His favourite films include Taken, The Bourne Supremacy, Superbad and of course, Hancock. Tom is always however looking for independent films as he is a very spontaneous person. That's what attracted him to our film, its fresh and new. 

Evaluation Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I have embedded a short explanation below of my answer for evaluation question one, I have recorded myself answering the question within regard to the soundtrack, miss-en-scene, editing and camera work used within 'Redemption Rising'.

 

Opening Sequence- Credits Appearance

Opening Sequence Credits Appearance

Throughout the opening sequence, titles will appear on the screen as the footage plays on in the background. To begin with, the logo and name of our production company 'Balance Productions' will be shown on screen. The actors name will then appear on the screen in order of appearance: 

'Connie Meek, Christopher Gladding, Sophie Mathieson, Jake Williams, Lydia Murray'

Shortly after this, the roles of each person who produced the film will appear on screen: 

'Directed by Lucy Tomlinson, Costumes by Connie Meek, Sound and lighting by Kiara Eley, Camerawork by Lucy Tomlinson, Editing by Jake Williams' 

Final cut: Redemption Rising

Behind the Scenes Photos