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

My preliminary task film was done to simply show the use of continuity editing and the 180 degree rule, the techniques that are used heavily in conventional films. In it I used only simple camera shots such as mid-shots and close ups and shot transitions were only straight cuts. In my final product I feel as though I expanded on my use of these factors by for example using point-of-view shots , high angle/low angle shots, and long shots. Also in the preliminary, apart from one zoom, the camera was always static, whereas in my final film I used pans and tilts with ofcourse the movement of the POV shots aswell. With shot transitions I leant about new effects I could use such as sharper cuts between two contrasting shots, fade outs including the use of a white fade to represent a change in time. Ofcourse there were many types of shots and cuts that I have not used in my film but am still aware of.

Looking back on my preliminary, the lighting was an issue due to obvious unwanted inconsistencies. In my first film I made which I later scrapped, I agin did not address this issue as the lighting seemed very bright and stale in one room and too dark in the other. In my final film I attempted to resolve this by filming outside to create a much more natural and generally consistent lighting. I feel I achieved this in nearly every shot excpet one or two wjere cloud coverage made them slightly dimmer which I didn't notice whilst shooting. I also played around with the more abstract uses of light through one shot which is focused right at the sun as it comes through some trees which created a really nice effect I feel.

Another aspect was that in my preliminary I had a very direct approach that did not encompass much planning to shots, rather just film as we go along. By the experience through this and my scrapped film where there were many planning difficulties, I realised the importance of good planning. I did this by drawing a more detailed and thorough storyboard and making sure I had all my props I wuld need on set. This allowed me to film in a much more efficinet way and also a more relaxed environment.

In my preliminary task I felt I kept the continuity well, however I showed too much unnecessary action, such as walking from the door. In my final film I attempted to use match on action better, for example by showing the detective spit out his gum and show it landing, but not it travelling through the air.

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

The main thing I learnt about technology surrounding film was the use of the editing software programme iMovie. Before the undertaking of this project I knew roughly how to crop clips and put them in order, but that was really the limit of my knowledge. Through using it to edit my movie I have gone on to learn about using it's inbuilt features such as shot transitions, shot effects/filters, it's typing software, and most importantly it's soundtrack devices. I used many examples of audio layers over each other at different volumes to create effect. Another piece of software I was used was Garageband to create some soundclips involving orchestral scores, I found this very helpful as this avoided the problem of copyright with soundtracks. Both of these pieces of software come with iMac's which I had not used before, and after a period when I started using them where I was unsure of them due to my predominant use of PC's, I now feel no problem using them.

In terms of the recording technologies, I used a DV camera to film which I had not used before. I found this camera very helpful because of it's ability to film in seperate clips which meant they could then be re-arranged easily in the editing process. This was especially relevant to me as during filming it was more effective to film some shots such as conversations at the same time even if they may not appear in that order in the finished product. However these cameras are far from perfect as the effects of lighting, however subtle, were very prominent in effecting the quality of footage and I also noticed that they picked up a lot of background noise that it converted to a noticeable buzzing in the shots.



I have also learnt that technology is not perfect, such as battery running out unexpectadly or computers crashing, and therefore I have learnt it is important to be prepared for these things. I did this through filming in a location close to where I could easily recharge my battery for the camera if needed, and also making sure my work was saved or atleast imported into more than one place.

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

A device that I have employed that is commonly used in the thriller genre is the use of enigma codes. After the antagonist corners his victim, the shot fade cuts to the victim lying dead on the floor which causes a sense of intrigue in the audience as to how and why he has killed her. The conversation between the two detectives was purposely made to be vague to the audience through them referencing 'it's got to be the same guy' and what the significance of the lotus necklace is to them. Having these questions left unanswered makes the audience want to continue watching to find out. As my target audience includes males in the teenage/young adult bracket, having the two protagonists be around their same age attracts them more to the film as it gives them a sense that they are more connected to the film, especially as these people around their age have obviously risen to some sort of prominence in the form of detectives.

In terms of marketing and advertising, my aim would be to have a large scale cross-media campaign to reach the largest audience possible. This would include trailers to be shown furing advertising breaks on popular channels among my target audience such as SkySportsNews and Channel4 and E4. They would also be shown in cinemas before films similarly in the thriller genre to further attract my target audience. Audio trailers could also be used for radio. Posters, such as on public transport, and billboards would also be effective. Hopefully the film could be promoted through interviews with cast members or features on the film a few weeks before it's release to build up hype around the film and allow possible audience members to feel more connected with the characters. In recent years the creation of web pages in facebook or myspace for example has risen to prominence because of their popularity. As such websites are popular among my target audience, a web page like this may bring more attention to the film as a means of viral advertising, especially due to the nature of the sites where friends pass on links to other friends.

Evaluation: Who would be your audience for your media product?

Before I define my target audience, I need to decide what rating would be given to my film, as naturally this defines a certain starting point for my audience. The two organisations I would need to predominantly rate my film would be the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and the Motion Picture Assocation of America (MPAA) as they are the organisations that determine movie ratings in countris where my film would gain the most attention.
The ratings system of the BBFC are; Universal, Parental Guidance, 12A, 12, 15, 18, and Restriced 18. While the MPAA's rating system is; General, Parental Guidance, PG-13, R (under 17), and NC-17 (17 and under).
For the BBFC rating, I would consider my film to be rated as a 15. This is due to the fact that 15's and 18's are generally the ratings for crime/action thriller films because of their inclusion of murder, the wide portrayal or even glorifying of crime, and the gritty nature of the characters. Also i intend to include elements of psychological thrillers through the killers interaction witht the detectives, which is usually lost on younger audiences. From the off, my film immidiately includes death and will go on to do so in the rest of the film aswell. However I don't believe it to be an 18 due to the plot being more focused on the intrigue of finding the killer rather than the gory nature of the killer and his deeds.
I think R would be the appropriate rating for MPAA system as although I personally think 17 is too high a cut off age, I more strongly feel 13 is too low an age. Also the larger gaps between the ages of the MPAA system indicates to me they are more strict with film ratings than the BBFC.



I believe my target audience would be mainly be the young adult demographic of 18-25, however this is in no way the only audience I would aim at. I'd imagine due to the focus on the psychological nature of crime than the gory side, older audiences would also appreciate the film. In terms of gender, thrillers would normally be perceived as appealing more to a male audience, but not ruling out a female fanbase for the same reasons as why older viewers may enjoy it. In terms of socio-economic group, groups B/C seem to be the most likely to watch the film, with C likely being more prominent as students who fall perfectly into our age demographic will be in that socioeconomic group.

These were my initial thoughts on the target audience I believe they have been upheld through some quick surveys I did where all the people in my class who fit into my main target audience of young males said they would be interested to see the film. Whereas when I asked people out of this group such as those over 25 or female, although most responses were positive, there were those who said it would not interest them.

Evaluation: What kind of media institution might distribute your film and why?

The media institution that would distribute my film would be a film studio, of which there are three kinds.

The first type would be a hollywood studio such as Warner Bros or Universal. These kind of studios would grant a large budget to the film which would make attracting the elite of actors to the film easier and would also mean a very large advertising campaign accross not only the USA but most of the western world aswell. State of the art CGI effects would also be avaliable for use if needed. These studios tend to bring large amounts of media coverage to the film regardless of it's quality.



Another type would be a British film studio such as Film4 Studios. This kind of studio would grant an average sized budget for the film and would create a good advertising campaign accross the UK, but probably not the rest of the world, although British based films have been known to earn critical success overseas. Well known British actors would be cast for the film. The size of the studio would also mean they would be more likely to give more creative control to the films creators and offer less interference which would be likely in a hollywood film studio.



The last type are Art House/Independant film studios. They tend to only distribute films that strongly distort normal film conventions and do not not offer much mainstream appeal. The budget would be fairly small with access to predominantly unknown or emerging actors and as such there wouldn't be much of a media campaign behind it.

Overall the type of studio I would choose would be a hollywood studio because of the resources it would bring to the movie and also the more or less assured guarantee of it getting box office success. This is despite the fact that with a British film studio there is perhaps a greater likelihood of the film maintaining a sense of integrity. When members of my target audience were asked they chose the hollywood studio because they felt it would allow them to find it more entertaining due to the presence of big name actors and resources such as extravagant sets and CGI effects.

Evaluation: How does your film represent particular social groups?

Stereotypically, females are represented as vulnerable in my film as the girl is the victim, whereas again stereotypically males are portrayed as more important as they take the roles of both the protagonists and the antagonist. The anatagonist is wearing a hooded sweatshirt which is stereotypical of a working class young male which is usally associated with a menacing and aggressive demeanor. However the hooded top is mainly used to cover the antagonists face so it does not necessarily connote he is of this this social group. The two detectives also talk to each other very informally and also use some bad language,which would not be typically expected from detectives, also connoting that they may be from a working class background in a stereotypical manner. This dialogue between the two is also stereotypical of male interaction, as such that they seem 'unbothered' by the murder and unwilling to show emotions about it, but this convention is ended at the end when it is clear that they do care about stopping the killer.

Evaluation: In what ways does your film use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real films?

One of the clearest ways in which I have used conventions for the thriller genre is the role of the males as the protagonists and the antagonist and the female as the victim. This is a commonly used form as stereotypically males are seen as strong, physically and mentally, whereas females have a much greater sense of vulnerability about them. The portrayal of the protagonist also follows convention of thriller movies to a degree as they are portrayed as 'gritty' detectives, but people who still care about protecting the safety of others. This hard exterior of characters is common in thrillers as it allows a gradual unravelling of the characters true personality that the audience can follow and feel more connected with the film. The location of the forest also conforms to thriller convention as it is a secluded location where there is no immidiate help or safety, which makes the victim feel more vulnerable.
I have slightly developed conventions by showing who the main antagonist is right at the beginning of the movie, however I have still kept the sense of mystery to him by not revealing his face or any other details about him such as his motive for killing.
I have challened conventions by immidiately giving the protagonists a vital clue to who the killer is. Usually in thrillers it is between a third to a half the way through the movie where the protagonists know what they're dealing with. In this case they know who they're dealing with from the start, so the whole movie is based around their specific search and interaction with the antagonist.

Audience Feedback

For my feedback I asked mainly people in my age bracket aswell as my teachers as they all fall into my target audience. The most notable positive thing many of them said about the film was the contrast of the scenes of the chase and the peaceful shots of the forest and how this also builds up tension and suspense well. The use of a white flash to cut between the chase and present time was also praised for the shock value of not knowing what the killer is going to do to realising the victim is dead. The audience said how it created mystery to how and why he killed her. One audience member stated 'Impressive, I like the use of non-diegetic sound to create atmosphere (the heart beat, the sinister music) and the black and white imagery to represent the flashback.' I am very encouraged by this feedback as the parts of the film mentioned were parts where I had a desired effect, which seems to have worked.

A late addition I made to my film was the flash of a lotus flower right at the end of it accompanied by a heart beat. As it was such a late addition and was not in my planning stages, I decided to survey a few target audience members to whether they felt it added to the film opening.

Out of ten people asked, nine felt it was a good way to end the movie and also praised it for the surprise factor. The one person's reservation was that it didn't fit into the film, but because of the response from the other people, I am going to disagree with this sentiment.

Film Final Product

This is the finished opening 2 minutes of my film entitled Lotus.

Evaluation of Soundtrack

Music is an important part of creating atmosphere in movies, and is particularly prominent in thrillers. However I feel that it should not be overused to such an extent where it seems to detract from what is actually going on in the scene or even to appear to be out of place entirely.

In the opening sequence I have used sound to further contrast the shots of the forest with the chase sequence. The forest shots include ambient noises of bird song with a peaceful, calm soundtrack,whilst the chase sequence has no non-diegetic sound with just the sound of the victims breath and footsteps. There are also more subtle noises in the background of the forest scenes such as a cold wind blowing, and a quiet foreboding soundtrack on the last forest scene. I have also made the sound levels on he chase sequence higher than the forest scenes to create a sharp contrast when the shots cut between each other, increasing the tension for the viewer. The last part of the chase sequence where the victim is cornered by the attacker includes sharp, suspenseful music building up in volume to the point where it cuts out at the same time as the shot and changes to a heartbeat as the victims face comes into shot as she is discovered later on.

The first part of dialogue between the detectives has no soundtrack over it, only when they discover the lotus necklace does foreboding music begin to build up underneath their dialogue. The sound of this non-diegetic music is not too loud at first so that the importance of the dialogue is not compromised, and then very near the end it builds in volume where it then decreases in volume as the shot fades out. It is then replaced by a brief orchestral score to go over the title of the movie and finishes with another heartbeat to make the brief appearance of a lotus flower at the end more sudden and seeminlgy important.

Evaluation of Filming

Overall I am much more pleased at how the filming for the new film went than the previous one. Filming outside allowed the lighting to be much more natural and consistent, and generally made the film look more professional as a result. As with the previous filming though, there were some sound problems. The day I decided to film on was fairly windy which has led to some noticeable humming and buzzing noises in the background of scenes, some louder than others. Hopefully the inclusion of soundtrack will help to detract from this.

The most serious problem I faced however was unfortunately out of my control. The tripod that I had borrowed from my school to use was broken in several key places. Although not apparent at first glance, when it came to the filming it became apparent that one of the unfold-able sections of one of the legs had been snapped off. This led to me having to use a bucket as a prop to attempt to keep the tripod level, which meant I had to choose carefully where I placed it on the ground. It was also broken on the section where the camera itself rested, meaning it automatically slanted when placed on it, and in order to fix this I had to place an object of very exact size underneath the camera fixing to level it out. This meant I had to be very delicate when moving or adjusting the camera during filming.

Other minor problems were I have had to make some slightly unusual choices in editing between shots in some instances in order to try to keep continuity or simply to work with the footage I had in he best way. In none of these instances is it a particularly big issue though.

Overall I am very pleased with how the filming worked out in the end because of the way the footage has come out. There are only some small things that I perhaps would change if I could, but I feel overall the quality is very good.

Editing Software for New Film

Once again I am going to use iMovie for editing my footage. Eventhough my new film will contain many more instances where some sort of effect will be put into a scene, I have gone through the capabalities of iMovie's editing programmes and found them to include all the things I need. These include turning shots into grey-scale, putting more than one soundtrack over each other, shot transitions such as fades, and putting titles over shots. Also the ability to take sound from iTunes is in iMovie which I think I will need at some point, eventhough iMovie has a good amount of sound effects already in the software. Because I used iMovie editing together the last movie, I feel I have used it enough to be comfortable using these more advanced features of iMovie.

Planning: New Film Storyboard

For the last storyboard, i felt I didn't do enough frames, which meant I wasn't as prepared when it came to filming. So with this storyboard I wanted to try and draw a still for every single shot I could think off,and if I think of anymore when it comes to the filming I will incorporate that into the film too.

Note: This blog would not allow me to upload the scanned images of the sheets that were in in Microsoft Word, so these images are taken from photos of the sheets leading to a decrease in quality.

Planning: Target Audience

The rating I would give to this film would be a 15. This allows me to target a much broader audience as that rating indicates that it is accessible for teenagers and also adults. Ofcourse due to the nature of the genre it is not suitable for younger children. I imagine based upon typical audiences for thrillers, the main audience would be 18-25 year olds. As the plot of the movie seems to be more focused on the intrigue of finding the killer rather than just out and out action scenes, this would open the genre up to a female fanbase who typically do not enjoy action thrillers as much as a male audience.

Planning: New Film Casting, Costume and Props

I will use the same main two actors to play the detectives in this film who played the scientists in the previous film as I found it easy to work with them and again their attendance of drama lessons makes them ideal choices. The third actor, the one who gets chased and murdered, will be a girl as it is stereotypical in the genre for female characters to be more vulnerable to attack.

In terms of costume, as they play detectives, the two main actors will have to wear similar costumes to connote they work together, notably including a white shirt and black tie combination, black trousers and a black coat. The antagonist who chases and kills the girls costume will be dark and very concealing to create a mystery around their identity and also a sense of fear as his face can not be seen. For this he will wear dark trousers, a dark hooded top and a balaclava over his face which will create the fear as no human emotions can be seen from him. The girl's clothes will be light coloured and not concealing to create a contrast between the evil antagonist and he innocent girl he kills.

The props I will need are the lotus necklace which I already have possession of and a packet of gum so if the scene with the gum being spit out doesn't work first time, we can re-film it.

Planning: Filming Location

I have decided to film in the woods near one of my actors houses as this means everyone knows how to get to the location, so no delays are caused, and we can also go back to his house to recharge the camera if necessary.

For the opening scene I need a long stretch of woodland so the victim can get chased down by the attacker. This stretch of woodland below is very good as it is reltaively clear, but also has a few obstacles the victim has to avoid whilst being chased to make it seem more frightening for her. The first picture is where the victim will begin running and the second picture is where she will end. The log at the bottom of the 2nd picture also is a good prop as that could be the thing that causes her to trip and be caught by the attacker.

After the log there is also a clearing which is where the two detectives can stand and discuss the murder

Planning: Plot for New Film

The new plot for my film once again falls within the thriller genre. It will revolve around the discovery of a dead body by a detective and his partner and the beginning of the investigation that follows it aiming to find a serial killer who leaves a unique calling card of a lotus flower necklace. The film will be a hybrid of a crime thriller and an action thriller, with elements of psychological thrillers too.

The scene starts with calm shots of the surrounding forest where it is being set. These shots will cut with flashback sequences of the victim's point of view as she is chased through the forest and eventually cornered by her attacker. It then changes to the present time with the dead body and the two detectives discussing the murder. When one of them spits his gum away, he notices the lotus flower necklace calling card on the ground and recognises it from a previous similar murder. They then realise they are dealing with a serial killer and need to stop him before he kills again.

I feel this is a good opening to the movie as it contains a lot of action and establishes some of the plot and characters but still leaves some enigma codes to intrigue the audience to watch on.

Filming Mid-Point Evaluation

After the initial filming of the opening of my movie, I have decided to make a number of significant changes to the way I shoot next time and also the plot of the movie. I feel as though my initial filming did not work out the way I wanted it to for a number of reasons. Firstly I feel the plot of the movie was too unrealistic in terms of it was always going to be difficult to find somewhere that resembled a laboratory, and the substitute location I chose was not convincing enough to be used. Secondly, the way I filmed the shots were not up to scratch as I did not consider enough some aspects such as lighting, variety of camera angles and mise-en-scene. When I finished editing the shots together I also found that it was about 20 seconds under the 2 minute mark, so I also need to add some more dialogue to the movie.

For the next time I film, I will have to consider the things I previously did not pay enough attention to, a lot more than I did before. I will also have to re-write the script to better fit the resources I have available to me. I will keep with the thriller genre for my movie so that my previous research is still relevant for me.

Rough Film

Note: This is not the preliminary video, but the rough attempt at the film.

Editing Software

After looking through my footage, I have decided to use iMovie as the software I use to edit my footage. This is because in my film I have not planned any scenes that would require special effects of any sort, that would require software like FinalCut for example to incorporate. All I really feel I need is shot transitions such as fade outs and the ability to add sound over the top of the footage, both of which iMovie can do aptly, so because of this I feel iMovie is perfect especially as I have previous experience of using it.

Filming Analysis

A major problem I found with the filming of my movie was the location. As the main characters of the movie were scientists, the most preferable location I could have used would have been a laboratory. But after some enquiries, it was clear that I would not be allowed to film in any. In the end I used a computer room from a local school as the large amount of technology in the room meant it looked science related at least. Other problems I encountered after uploading the footage was there is some very noticeable camera jolts in the first scene I filmed which was not noticeable to me when I was watching the film back on the video camera. Also due to the cooling systems in the room I was filming in, there is also slight humming audible during most of the scenes.

Some continuity errors also became apparent after I uploaded the footage, such as a large difference between the time showing on a clock and some minor wardrobe differences. I hope these will be able to be fixed with good editing, or some re-filming if necessary.