Final Media Product - One For My Baby

How did you attract / address the audience?

Audience Research
In our initial audience research we asked several questions as to what they would expect to see in the film, so we would incorporate them into our opening sequence, and also help to attract our target audience into seeing the film. This can be seen in our VoxPop videos which we made during the research stage of our opening sequence, and also in our survey results, as shown below:

Do you expect the protagonist to be male or female?

What type of music do you expect to hear?

What time of day do you expect to see in a thriller film?

To appeal and attract our audience we attempted to incorporate as many of the things that they asked for as possible. For example in our survey, we asked whether they would expect a male, or female protagonist, in which the majority of people said male. We used this information to make the film appeal to our audience by casting a male for our opening sequence, as our audience said that was what they would expect, and enjoy viewing the most.

When asking our audience, they also said that they would expect the film to be set an night time to create a more eerie tone for the audience. We did follow this, however we set it at night for a different reason. Instead of trying to put the audience on edge, we did it to make the audience ask themselves as to why he is awake so early in the morning, and to show how he can't sleep as he is suffering from reoccurring nightmares.

As for the pace of the music and editing in our thriller opening sequence, our audience felt that a fast pace would be most appropriate. Despite this we still decided to use a slower pace. We felt that this was more effective, as we tried using a faster score but it didn't work with what we was trying to portray to our audience. Also if we was to use a faster pace of editing the audience would not be able to pick up on some of the hints as to what has happened to the character in the sequence.

Audience Feedback

After making our final opening sequence we asked our target audience what they thought of it. We asked them several questions after them viewing the sequence, which went as follows:

• What was the plot of the opening sequence?

We asked them this question as we wanted to know if the story of our sequence was properly conveyed, and whether the audience would interpret it in the way that we wanted them to. Our feedback shows that everyone we asked had a general understanding of the story, and some had more specific interpretations of what had happened due to certain visual clues that they had noticed.

• Was the plot of the opening sequence easy to understand or did you have to think about it?

In our audience feedback, the majority of people we asked said they did have to think about it. This shows that our opening sequence was successful in what it was attempting to do, as we didn't want to directly tell our audience what was happening. This is due to us feeling our target audience would be the kind of person who would enjoy figuring out things on their own.

• What was the sexuality of the Protagonist?

Most of the people we asked in our audience feedback realised that the characters were either in a homosexual relationship, or were very close to one another. This is good as it shows that we was able to effectively show the audience what we wanted, without having to tell them.

• How did you feel about the sexuality of the Protagonist?

Our audience said that they would be comfortable with the protagonist of our film being homosexual, and said that is worked well and was fitting. This is due to us showing homosexuals in a positive light. This also shows how our target audience was chosen correctly as they was comfortable with the topic of sexuality, and was mature enough to understand that aspect of the film.

• Would you be interested in watching the entire film?

All of the people we asked in our feedback said that they would be interested in watching all of the film. This is positive as it shows that our opening sequence was engaging and interesting enough for our target audience for them to carry on watching.

• What did the props and costume tell you about the protagonist?

In the feedback, our audience spoke positively of the range of props that we used, and were able to state and understand our reasoning behind using such props. This shows how we carefully thought about each prop and costume piece, and how we used them correctly to convey the meanings that we intended.

• Were there any cinematography or editing techniques you particularly enjoyed?

This question was asked to our audience so we could understand what parts were the most effective and for what reasons. This allows us to see the strengths in our piece, and also some weaknesses, such as were the audience did not enjoy it as much due to the cinematography and editing not being as advanced. This allows for greater evaluation of our piece and so we can rectify this problem in future work.

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

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

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


What technologies have you used? 
Apple Mac 
Nikon D3100 DSLR Camera
Tripod

Camera Caddie
Adobe Premiere Pro CS 

TubeChop

SoundCloud

QuickTime Player

Blogger

After Effects

Prezi

Cubase Studio 7

What technologies were brand new to you?
The DSLR camera that we used during the filming of our shot was completely new to me. I had used cameras for filming before but not this type of camera, and not this advanced. There were many features that were confusing to me at first such as the aperture and shutter speed, but after learning how to use them they allowed greater creativity with some of the pictures I took.

Another technology that was new to me was Adobe Premiere Pro CS. Like the camera I had use similar software before but nothing as advanced. This contained many extra features that were extremely helpful in the production in our piece and allowed us to play around with our shots easily.

Me using Adobe Premier, editing my opening sequence

What technologies have you developed your skills in?
The technology that I developed my skills most in was the editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro CS. When I first started using it I was only aware of a fraction of the features that were available to me, and only knew how to add simple cuts and transitions between shots. However by the end of the editing stage I knew how to use the software more effectively. This allowed me to create meaning in my piece through our titles, as we was able to use key framing. This meant that we could have one of the letters fade away, making it look more sophisticated but also created negative and sad connotations for our piece.

Before starting work on our opening sequence I had never used After Effects, however by the end of it I am now able to use After Effects to create simple animations such as our production company logo, "Polygon Productions". Learning how to use After Effects allowed me to use more advanced techniques in the production of our logo, which went beyond using a still image but rather animate it, which give our work a more profession look.

What technologies have allowed you to produce something really creative?
The use of Cubase in our piece allowed us to edit the score. We did this by adding a piano piece over a piece of music. Adding the piano over the top helped to add more complexity to our score and also create feeling for the audience due to the piano being played in minor.



Adobe Premiere allowed us to create really creative work through the many different options that it gave me. One example of this is during the dream sequence, during this scene we added colour correction and we also sharped the image to create a more dream like effect, and make it seem more surreal to the audience. The colour of blue also held connotations of sadness and made it more obvious to the audience that the dream he was having was more of a nightmare.




What technologies have allowed you to display your work in a creative way?
One technology that allowed me to add a lot of creativity to my work was Prezi, found at http://prezi.com/‎. Prezi is an online software that allows the user to create simple, but effective presentations. I felt it was a good way to add a lot of creativity to my blog posts as it isn't just a block of text but is more interactive and allows the user to move around the presentation easily. It is also very colourful, easy to use and can include other multimedia effects such as images.

Another technology was TubeChop, found at http://www.tubechop.com/. This allows the user to take YouTube clips, cut them into short segments and then embed them. This allowed me to display my work creatively due to me being able to show the reader exactly what I am talking about, when an image wouldn't be enough, such as if I am talking about a transition or cutting between two images.

What technologies need careful use or planning?
When filming our opening sequence a lot of planning had to go into the use of the DSLR camera. This was done through our story boarding so we knew exactly what shots to film and how to film them. This was important to make sure that we filmed everything that we needed for our opening sequence and also to save us from having to re-shoot any shots that we may have missed. We also had to be very careful with the DSLR camera due it being delicate and expensive, and if it was to be dropped it may break or be damaged.

What have new technologies allowed you to do that old ones wouldn't?
If I was to have used an older version of Premiere the editing of our blog may have been much harder, and our final piece may not have come out as well. This is due to the software offering a lot of functions that were easy to locate and use, but may not be present, or as simple in older versions of Premiere. One example of this is audio monitoring and colour correction. In older version of Adobe Premiere, these functions were not as easily displayed to the audience, and were not simply displayed in windows at a click of a button. These functions made editing much easier as we was clearly able to tweak the sound and volume of a piece, which would have been much harder in earlier versions.

Another technology that we would not be able to work without is Blogger. Without this website available to use we would not able we wouldn't be able to type up our evaluation, research and planning posts in such a creative manor.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our opening sequence we constructed different representations about groups of people. One of the main groups that we focused on was that of homosexuals, due to our protagonist, Daniel Markus being gay, and was in a civil partnership Edward Finch.

In our opening sequence we went against the common stereotype of homosexual men being very effeminate, and wearing bright colours and obsessing over their appearance, which are the ways that homosexual men and normally represented in TV and film. Instead we decided that our character would have a more of a rough appearance, showing that he doesn't care about his looks and has given up following the death of Edward Finch. We did this through the mise en scene, such as the character's clothing and props seen around during the sequence. Markus' costume is very rough and dirty, which consists of denim jeans, and a white tank top, and the props he has consist of bottles of whiskey, and tablets, also his hair is very long and unkempt. This goes against the stereotype of homosexual men being well groomed and looking after their physical appearance, which is created in TV shows such as "The New Normal", in which both homosexual characters appear well dressed and look after themselves, instead our character follows the stereotype normally associated with heterosexual males which is that they don't take as much pride in the way that they look and are not as bothered about clothing and style.

The characters from the TV show, "The New Normal" They both are well dressed and well looked after, with the character on the left wearing expensive looking clothing, and both of them being clean shaven.

This shot from the film, "Broke Back Mountain", shows the two protagonists. This shows how the character's are well groomed and clearly look after their own appearance.

Daniel Markus from our opening sequence. He has long messy hair, a dirty tank top and is carrying a glass of whiskey. His appearance is completely different to that of the characters in the new normal, and doesn't look like a stereotypical homosexual.

 

In our opening sequence we also went against the stereotype of homosexual men being very promiscuous. This is due to the fact that our protagonist was in a steady relationship with his late partner, Edward Finch, and he also dreams about him and has nightmares about his death every night. This shows the audience that he still cares about him greatly and is steal grieving for his death. 

This is also shown through the cinematography and editing, as we use a lot of slow pans in the film and slow pace editing. This emphasises the sadness and shows how the character has given up on life, further emphasising how greatly the loss of his partner effected him. 

This goes against the stereotype of homosexual men having lots of one night stands with strangers, and wanting to have sex with every man they meet, which is created in films, such as "Bruno". In this film the main character, Bruno, attempts to have sex with strangers, which supports the stereotype of homosexual men wanting to have sex all the time.

In this extract the character, Bruno says "Makes you think of all the hot guys in the world.", and "Do we all share one tent?" This shows the audience that he is thinking about other men and wanting to have sex with the other characters shown in the film, due to him asking to sleep with them.

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

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

The normal conventions seen in a films opening sequence consist of many things.  Having these conventions are important.
These include:

• Set the tone and atmosphere and show the genre - This is needed during an opening sequence of a film to let the audience know what kind of film they are watching, and what kind of themes will arise in the film. Also if the genre that is shown at the beginning is different, it may confuse the audience, for example if a comedy film shows a lot of violence and blood it would come across as strange.

 

(Love Actually, Curtis, 2003, UK)

The high-key lighting, and the facial expressions of the characters, and the fact that they are hugging shows the audience that this film is going to be very positive and upbeat.

 

(Memento, Nolan, 2000, US)

The blood, gun, and murder of the man sets a very negative and violent tone and atmosphere for the audience so they know that this film is going to have a lot of very negative themes 

In our opening sequence the blood on the floor during the dream sequence sets the tone of the film to be very dark and negative, with very sad undertones. This hints towards the audience that Edward Finch, the person who was shown in the dream, was killed.

• Showing the setting/ Establishing shots - Showing the setting is a convention of an opening sequence as it allows to see the character placement within the shot and to get an understanding of where the characters are.
  
  
  
  

 








(Sex and the City, King, 2008, US)

This shows the audience that the film is going to be set in New York city, due to the the landmark of the empire state building and the bright yellow taxis.

  

(Skyfall, Mendes, 2012, UK)

This establishing shot shows the audience the area, and allows them to see the character in comparison with the rest of the shot.

 This master shot in our opening sequence allows the audience to see the bedroom in which the protagonist, Daniel Markus is sleeping in. It shows how messy it is and how he doesn't look after himself, and also shows that the setting is within his home.

• Show characters - Showing the characters is important as it allows the audience to identify them and know who they are. It allows the audience to see their costume, props and facial expression and get an idea of their personality and what kind of character they are going to be.

(Anchorman, Face Off, The Inside Man)

 

• Engage the audience - Engaging the audience is extremely important during the opening sequence. This is because if the audience was to lose interest during the opening then they may stop watching the film. By engaging them at the beginning they are more likely to finish watching the entirety of the film.

 

 By showing the characters fighting during the opening sequence it makes the audience think that there is going to be a lot of similar scenes throughout the film and hence make them want to see more. It also creates a lot of questions for the audience making them want to watch on to try and find out what is happening.

 

• Titles - Titles are important for the opening sequence give credit to the cast and crew, and to also allow the audience to know who is involved in the film, and also show the name of the film.

 

For our titles we chose to have a light blue text due it creating a sad and sombre tone. Also the titles fade in and out very slowly helping to slow down the pace of the editing, creating a melancholy atmosphere.

• Production and Distribution company - This is a convention of an opening sequence as if the two companies  are very well known and have created a lot  of popular films it makes the audience  think that the film is going to be good as they will immediately compare it to another film  that may have been created by the same  company. 

In our opening thriller opening sequence we chose to have icon distribute our film due to the other films that they have distributed.

Thriller films have their own set of conventions for the opening sequence which we have used and developed in our own opening sequence.

These include:

• A lot of the information is concealed from the audience - Hiding information from the audience is very important in a thriller opening sequence as it creates questions for them and makes them want to watch on. It also creates a sense of mystery and puts the audience on edge as they want to find out who the characters are and why they are hiding their appearance.

(The Purge, DeMonaco, 2013, US)

The audience is unable to see the character's faces due to them having their faces covered by masks. This makes them appear more sinister to the audience as it makes the audience ask as to why they have their faced covered, and it also stops the audience from identifying with the characters.

 In our opening sequence we used this extreme long shot of Edward Finch obscures his appearance, but allows the audience to see that there is someone standing in the distance. This creates a sense of mystery and creepiness around this character as he is simply standing still, and the audience cannot tell who he is.

• A serious tone is set - Setting the tone at the start of a thriller film is very important as it will allow the audience to prepare themselves for what may be shown, such as death and strong violence. It also creates a very sombre mood around the film and allows the audience to empathise with the characters more effectively as they may feel similar emotions to the characters.

• Slow paced editing and score - Conventionally the editing and score have a very slow pace as it  helps to create a sadder tone for the audience and also allows the audience to look more deeply into each individual shot to help them pick up on certain aspects, which they wouldn't notice if the film cut too fast.

These scenes from our opening sequence show the slow pace of editing that we used in our opening sequence, and also the slow pace of the score.

•  Serif font titles - Serif titles are conventionally used in thriller films as they create a formal tone for the audience and show that this film is going to be serious.

(The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan, 1999, US)

In our thriller opening sequence we chose to have a grey colour for our font. We felt that this was effective as it showed how depressed the character is and how boring his life has become. Also the titles do not grab attention away from the rest of the shot allow the audience to concentrate on what is actually happening in the shot.

• Heterosexual male protagonist - In every single thriller film that I researched the male protagonist was a heterosexual, strong male character. This is done to create the impression that straight men are the strongest group of people, as they are depicted as the hero who must save everyone.

One of the main points of our opening sequence was to go against the convention of having a heterosexual protagonist, and to show the audience that a homosexual character can be just as strong as the stereotypical straight male character. This can be seen throughout our opening sequence, such as images of Daniel Markus and Edward Finch together at their wedding, and due to the fact that Daniel Markus is dreaming of his dead partner.

Distribution Company

 

We chose to use Icon Films for our distribution company. We chose this company because they have produced a lot of thriller films that have a similar target audience to our film. For example our thriller film is targeted at a more mature audience of around 20 - 35.  This is similar to other films distributed by icon such as Paranormal Activity. Their logo is also very effective for our film due it being of a large eye and having lightning in the background. This helps to set up an ominous tone for our film.

Titles

   CaslonCP









I was thinking of using this font due it being very bold and setting a serious tone for the film. We will not use this text however due to the text being too bold compared to the other text we have chosen and the serif doesn't stand out as much compared. This makes it look less serious in comparison to the text we chose.

Trajan Pro









I was also thinking about using this font due to it being serif font which gives it a very serious tone. Also the text is thinner and the letters are more spaced apart when compared to the other. In the end we will use this font over the other one due to it fitting the genre of our film more effectively.