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

During the production process of our film product, I have learnt various things such as:

• How to create a blog and add features such as polls and videos.
• Acquiring the correct lighting for certain shots.
• How to correctly use a video camera and the various functions it can carry out.
• How to upload, convert and capture camera footage.
• How to edit our filming on the machines, and how to add effects such as fading, titles and applying music.
• How to convert filming and insert images
• How to use Photoshop to create our film group logo and to create mock ups of our potential film title.
• I was able to create and use a Gantt Chart effectively to keep on track and know what I had to do.
• How to locate and download copyright free material to use in the project.
• How to use computer programs such as Scribd, SlideShare and SmartSheet to produce things for my blog.

A majority of these things I have learnt, I didn't know during the preliminary, apart from the basic editing skills. I have also learnt that to actually produce the film a lot of planning needs to take place, and that filming has to be very organised. I have also learnt that communication is important within the group, with tasks needing to be shared out and plans needing to be made. I also learnt the importance of continuity editing from the preliminary, even though are film product doesnt use it as it is made in a different style.

Evaluation Part 5: Feedback

As part of the process, we were able to show our clip to our media class who represented our target audience. By doing this, we were able to acquire feedback. This was helpful as it aided us in finding out what aspects of our film opening worked well and what aspects didn't work. This allowed us to make appropriate changes in order for it to be enjoyable for our audience. Aspects that were successful were our sound effects and music, the use of the newspaper articles in the opening credits, clearly establishing the genre and the title screens helping to emphasize the genre. Aspects that didn't work well were shots going on for too long, the audience becoming confused with a change in the characters accents, and the title screens initially not being clear enough. Because we received the constructive criticism, we were able to rectify downfalls of our project.

Evaluation Part 4: Who would be the audience for your media product? & How did you attract/address your audience?

The target audience for our film product are teenagers of both genders. We have chosen teenagers as our target audience because we felt it was easier to figure out what conventions of films they enjoyed, and had access to them easily through friends or people in our class.

We achieved this by ensuring our teenage characters represented a variety of teenage stereotypes that our target audience may be able to relate to. Horror films are also relatively popular with teenagers, so by making our main characters teenagers it allows the possibility of our target audience perhaps identifying with a character. We also made our product age appropriate so that if it were to be shown in cinemas they would be able to view it. We used minimal profanities, and no violence so that we could achieve a low age certificate and still access our target audience.

We chose Jordan and Yvette to watch our film opening and give their opinion because they are our target audience and we felt it best to get their views on it and whether they felt we achieved the right effect and fitted into the horror genre with our conventions. Their feedback was also similar to the feedback we received when our clip was shown to our media class.

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

Our media production would most likely be distributed by an independent, low-budget company. We would look into distribution companies such as Vertigo Films , Metrodome Distribution or Haxan Films, because they have specialised in low-budget British films and some have gone on to be quite successful, even with limited cinema release. We could also use YouTube as a free means of showing our film, and that would help potentially get it seen over a wide area because it can be shared easily. These companies have distributed horror films that have either been made on a limited budget, on a short time span or films that could only reach a limited audience.

                                                    (Episode 50, a film Metrodome distributed)

We would choose these institutions because they can often specialize in our genre of film and the budget would have been on. As these films have had some success, we feel we'd be able to achieve the same.

Evaluation Part 2

How does your media product represent particular social2

View more presentations from ShakiraBBS.

Evaluation Part 1

In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use2

The Watcher Opening Clip

Our clip begins by running through the credits and title screens. Our music starts from the outset to help set the tone of the clip as sinister, easily being associated with the horror genre. Between title screens, it cuts to a close up of "Simon", and then pans left to "Will" which helps establish an initial relationship between the characters and introduce them to the audience. It then cuts back to the title screens. This then cuts to a close up of "Serena's" feet, with a tracking shot of her walking down a pavement. A fade transition is used to cut to the next shot of "Will". Diegetic dialogue can be heard in the background, faintly cutting through the non-diegetic background music. There is a close up of him, and he is being tracked, which shows that the group is travelling somewhere. It then cuts to the title screen. This is followed by various close ups and zooming of individual characters, which again helps the audience to establish a relationship and form their initial judgments of the characters. This cuts to text screen describing the events that had occurred and introducing the "lost footage" concept. There is a non-diegetic typewriting sound effect that replaces the previous creepy theme music. Then this cuts to the scene where the topic of the film is introduced through dialogue, with "Will" raising the topic of suspicious deaths occurring in the woods in relation to the warning sign. At various intervals, a crackling clip and sound have been edited in, to reinforce the video camera footage concept.
At the end of the clip, there is a loud noise which catches the attention of the characters, and after they have acknowledged it the scene cuts to the crackling scene. This makes the clip appear more mysterious, and makes the audience want to know more about the events.