FINAL PRODUCT (THE TIMING)

EVALUATION

FINAL EVALUATION OF MY FILM

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

My media product challenges the forms and conventions or a real media product in various ways. I wanted to make my product ‘film’ to be different to your everyday film and stick out to the audience from other films. There were a variety of different techniques that I used in which to do this. Most typical films these days are in colour because we now have the technology to film footage on a video camera in colour. I wanted to change my film to be in black and white to standout, also changing my film to black and white added to the strange, mysterious and puzzling plot.

It was a struggle to make my film standout a lot because the plot was nothing amazing but in some ways this was good because it brought the audience away from a typical film plot and made them concentrate more on what is happening with the character and what they could be feeling. In some ways I wanted my audience to watch the start of my film and be baffled and wonder what is going on, making my audience feel this way would make them want to carry on watching the film to find out what is actually happening.

When filming the footage I decided to stick to the forms and conventions of a film. I filmed my footage from various angles and levels, making various different clips to find which would be the best shot for each part in my film, the shots I used ranged from a close-up shot to a POV shot. I also made sure I did not break the 180-degree rule; I made sure I filmed everything from one side. I also included shot/reverse shot in my film for conversation, to make my film different I used shot/reverse shot even though there was only one character on screen but two people speaking, and switched to different shots for each time each person spoke.

The music in my film is like most other typical films with intro music over the credits/titles to make it more interesting. The music I used was played on a piano and was put over the credits at the start to open the film and then re-used at the end of the film after the girl hangs herself but the pitch of the piano/tune is a lot lower, this helps set the mood because it is a familiar tune to the audience because it was used at the start and having it in a lower pitch sets a more upsetting atmosphere, which goes with the hanging of the girl.

With the music/soundtrack in the film I wanted to make the audience sort of get a little bit freaked out by the girl crying at the start and the annoying metronome sound/beat in the background of the clips at the start. This also made my film different to most other films because it was trying to mess with the audience’s minds whilst still trying to make them watch on and be entertained.

My film used the forms and conventions of a real film with the credits having them at the beginning and the opening titles; this made the audience know who made and directed the film and who was going to be staring in it. It also stuck to the forms and conventions when having the title come in after around two minutes of footage, showing the audience the name of the film they are about to watch.

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents no particular social group in general but would most likely represent teenagers or is trying to at least leave teenagers with a message after watching the film. The film shows a sixteen-year-old girl who has OCD, she is shown as any other girl her age wearing the same sort of clothes and living the same sort of life but the only difference is her mental disorder of OCD obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I wanted people to feel sorry for the character and think about how life must be with a mental problem like hers. Through the film she looks and acts very similar to most teenagers and the only things she does differently is because of her disorder. I wanted her to represent an everyday teenager and the audience not to look properly into the disorder and just see her the same as everyone else. 

It does not represent either higher or lower class people in any way, it is just meant to be an average sixteen-year-old middle class girl. The film can really be for anyone to watch but is aimed more toward people sixteen or older, so someone like the character because they would hopefully be able to understand the hidden meanings of the film more than the younger generation and on top of that the person in the film relates to them in some ways because the people watching it are from the same age as her.

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

Most film institutions in the UK could distribute my media product or America or any English speaking places in the world. The film would not be distributed to places, which didn’t speak English because my film is in English and it doesn’t have subtitles. The film could when fully made be put in cinemas around the world and shown to people 16+ in age this would make people know of the film and it would spread by word about the film.

If the film is a hit at the cinemas it would be easier to sell the film to TV channels to be broadcasted on television. The channel’s it would most likely be shown on would be things like Discovery Channel and Sky Movies and BBC programmes. It would suit the Discovery Channel or any documentary channels because it is about a serious mental disorder, which affects many people. Other channels like BBC and Sky movies would show it because they know it was good in the cinemas and know they could get more people watching there channels is they show it because people most likely would like it and would make them money.

After showing it at the cinemas it could also be put onto DVD and sold in shops, it would be sold in most electronic shops like HMV and Virgin.

I think that any media institution which wants to educate and entertain there audience would want to distribute my media product because it is different to every other typical film. I also think that media institutions that like things that are different would buy and distribute my product. A media institution/film company, which would be interested in my product and might distribute it, could be Warner Bros Pictures or Universal Studios because they are big worldwide major media companies who would be able to distribute the film all over the world. It could even be distributed by smaller independent film companies like Village Roadshow Pictures which has be known to do more serious films like ‘Training Day’, which would suit my film because my film is on a serious topic.

• Who would be the audience for your media product?

My film rating will be 15 because of violence and disturbing images. It will be for both sexes and for people in any class, so you don’t have to be posh to watch. It would be for people who spoke or understand English, so would be distributed in the UK and in USA and others places which spoke an English type language. My film would have to be advertised on TV, on the Radio and in magazines like FHM or Heat or in newspapers like The Sun and other magazines and newspapers like it. I would get my distributor/ a major film company like Universal Studios to distribute and advertise my product to bring the audience in to coming to watch it.

• How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted and addressed my audience using a range of different techniques. Firstly I brought the attention of my audience in with my opening credits and titles, I used a black and white colour flow effects on the words and I also used an interesting font because it looks good and made the audience want to watch the rest of the film because if the credits look good then the film will probably look good/ be good too.

The music at the start of the film was used because the film/credits/titles looked good but it just needed the music to make it sound good as well. The tune of the music was appealing; this also helped attract my audience. The music from the start is used again later in the film at the end this was recognised by the audience and it helped address them.

Throughout the film the plot has been done to make the audience wonder what is happening, up until the end nobody knows what is happening, so people want to keep watching because they are in question of what is happening and want to know. The end is were it really grabs the attention of the audience because up until the girl hanging herself nothing is happening, and when she does hang herself its so sudden and unpredictable.  

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

From the process of constructing my film I learnt various things to do with the technologies needed when making and editing a film. When filming I learnt how to use a video camera properly, getting everything right with focus and zoom etc so the footage I capture is prefect and easy to edit. I also learnt how to find the best shot and what looks good and what doesn’t, I made sure every shot looked prefect weather it be a long shot or a POV shot.

When editing the film I learnt that editing is a process of skilful selection and that I needed to make sure I chose the best looking shot/angle for each clip. On a Apple Mac I edited the footage I captured using the programme iMovie, I had to learn how to cut out un-needed parts of footage, add music, add transitions, add titles and credits and whilst doing this I had to make sure it looked good. I also learnt how to use the program GarageBand on the Apple Mac because I needed to find music I needed and record sounds and voice over I needed for the film too.           

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

From looking back at my preliminary task, I have realised I learnt a lot about the selection of camera shots and camera angles and how different shots and angles can bring a whole different perspective to the final film outcome. Each shot has to be prefect to get what you want out of your film. I have also learnt how to use both iMovie and GarageBand to its full with making and editing films and making and recording music. On the whole I have learnt how to make a film.

•What would you do if you did it again?

If I were to do my film again I would do everything the same except for I would try a totally different genre and make my film a lot more upbeat and fun. I would most likely do a comedy film; it would also be nice to try something new.

MAKING THE SOUND...

Firstly i recorded the crying and the phone conversation using the recording microphone built into the Apple Mac on GarageBand.


It was then ready to put in myfilm. Secondly I found sounds like the clock ticking which I needed to put in the film over the clock using GarageBand.

I then found the piano tune for the non-diegetic music for the opening and the ending of the film. The music I had chosen was a sad sounding tune which wasn't very upbeat this suited my film because my film is meant to be upsetting.

Later in my film after the main point in the film has happened (the girl hangs h

erself) the music comes back on but in a lower tone/pitch and it makes it even more upsetting.

Using the same music twice to set two different moods is good be

cause at the start it welcomes the audience and the don't think anything of the music until they have seen the whole film.

This technique of the music pitch slightly changing, which changes the mood or to create a different level tension in the film has been done many times before, for example in most 'James Bond' films the theme music is used a lot of times through out the film at different points changing the tone or beat or pitch slightly to fit what is happening on screen.

When there is a silence in the film/ when the sounds are only the natural sounds, it makes the audience become more engaged with actual video footage and what is happening on the screen. It also makes it more confusing and it is different because the silence draws them in more. Also having music throughout the film doesnt look right and seems tackyand takes away from the video footage of the film.

After all this had been done all the music and sounds were added into the film.

THE MAKING OF THE FILM...

THE FILM:

The first thing I did after filming was look through my footage on the camera to make sure I had captured everything that I needed. The second thing I did was the importing all the clips of footage on to the iMovie program so I could then edit it. Once all the clips had been up loaded on to iMovie they were ready to put onto the timeline in the order I wanted them to be so I could cut out the unwanted parts.

I then dragged in order the clips of footage I had taken down to the timeline bar.

After I had all my clips in order I began to edit and cut out the bits of footage that were not needed in the film. I made sure I kept the best shot and angle for each part. I was able to cut the clip using the split video clip at playhead tool. I could use this tool to cut footage and make footage shorter.

After I had the footage all perfect I had to added Transitions and effects to make the film look the way I wanted and to flow the way I wanted it to.

After choosing a Transition by watching the previews you had to drag the Transition you wanted onto the timeline and put it between the clips you wanted the Transition to be on.

After you dragged the transition into the timeline it automatically was put into the film for you after it finished loading into it.

The next thing which I did was add Titles and Credits, you did this the same way as you did with adding the transition, after choosing what you want to write and the way you want it to look etc you dragged it to the place you wanted it in the film on the timeline.

It then loads into the film like with the Transitions.

After I had all the titles and the credits I needed I added some final effects and sounds before I had finished making the film.

I changed my film to Black and White because it gave the film a more of an upsetting and depressing feel to it, this linked with the plot of the film and the feel to the film. The Black and White could also makes it all seem more mysterious because it gives it a dark feeling to it and adds to the drama. Also people don’t tend to see Black and White films in the cinema or anywhere these days because we have colour television and we are able to film in colour. I wanted my film to be in Black and White because it would make it stick out and give a strange feel to the film.

The final thing I did was add the music from GarageBand, which I had found and saved for my film. The way you added the music/ sound was the same way you added Transitions and Video FX. Firstly you find the sound or sounds you want and the secondly you drag them into the timeline to place where it is needed.

After the music and sound effects were added the film was finished.

PROCESS:

FIINAL EDIT OF FILM WITHOUT CREDITS AND TITLE

This is the final edited version of the film before putting the credits and title in it.

EVALUATION FROM DIRECTOR

EVALUATION OF SOUND

EVALUATION OF EDITING

EVALUATION OF SHOTS USED

HOW WILL I FUND THE FILM?

The film is only an opening and is around two minutes long and the camera and camera equipment was provided by the college, so basically the film is funded by Victoria College Jersey, the college which I go to, but if I had a company name for my film/ production name it would be MJM studios which would be a joke on the famous studio MGM studios and MJM are the initials for my name Michael John McCallum.

THE WRITER,DIRECTOR AND EDITOR

The person who wrote, directed and edited the film was me, Michael John McCallum:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts resulting in compulsive behaviors and mental acts that the person feels driven to perform, according to rules that must be applied rigidly, aimed at reducing anxiety by preventing some imagined dreaded event; however, these compulsive behaviors and mental acts are not connected to the imagined dreaded event.

OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder and is nearly as common as asthma and diabetes mellitus. In the United States, one in 50 adults has OCD.In severe cases; it affects a person's ability to function in everyday activities. The disorder often has a serious impact on the sufferer's (and their family's) quality of life. Also, the psychological self-awareness of the irrationality of the disorder can be painful. For people with severe OCD, it may take several hours a day to carry out the compulsive acts.

The phrase "obsessive-compulsive" has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone. Although these signs are often present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) or some other condition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorder

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Filiming the FOOTAGE

Using a camera provided by school, I filmed at home after school the footage needed, so I could edit it when finished using imovie, which is a program on the Apple Mac’s at school. Once I got home my actress arrived at my house and we were ready to film.

I showed my cousin the storyboard I had made to give her the plot and the idea of what to do. I also explained to her that the character she is playing has OCD and is a mysterious character. I also told her that I wanted her to act it so it looked normal but underneath it all you can see something is wrong, I told her to try and make it strange to watch. When filming everything went pretty much perfectly and was not a hassle. I had to get use to using the camera before I filmed it but it was very simple and easy to use and understand. I tried to make sure I used various camera angles to what was happening ad to make it more interesting.

After filming all the footage I uploaded the footage on to the Apple Mac on to imovie was then ready for editing.

Filming location

THE FILM LOCATION WAS MY HOUSE :

FILMING ACTRESS

My cousin Alice Bravery was the actress playing the girl with OCD:

Storyboarding

Firstly I made/drew out a storyboard and then filmed through the storyboard explaining what will happen in the film and from which camera angles etc.

MISE EN SCENE

In my film the Mise en scene is primarily used to make the film look naturalistic and realistic, it also sets the mood for the film.

Costume: The costume is just everyday women’s clothes; the girl is wearing a pair of jeans and a light green jumper/hoodie. She is done to look like she normally looks in a normal day. Her clothing is dull which makes her look mysterious, this suits her character.

Lighting: The general lighting is done to look naturalistic and only uses the natural lighting or lighting fixtures already in the rooms.

Actors/Actresses: The actress will be an average looking normal everyday girl, who is made to just look like one of us. The actress will be played by my cousin because she does GCSE drama and has been in many Teenage Jersey Acting Productions, she has also been in many eisteddfods and has won golds and silvers. So she is known for her good acting ability.I will also speak with her in the voice over phone call, being my normal self. I am also a reasonably good actor and do A level drama and did GCSE.

Make up: No make-up will be done, unless she is already wearing make-up, it is all been done to look naturalistic.

Props: A knife to cut food, a sink to wash her hands, a clock, and various ropes and things to hang herself with.

Setting: A house/ My house.