OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 7

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

From the preliminary task where we looked at the ‘180 degree rule’ and ‘match on action’ to our final piece Viktim; we have made progress on which camera shots work best and apprpriate editing tools.

In our preliminary task, we focused on the 180 degree rule which is mainly used by directors to show a conversation and to see the facial reactions between each person. In our preliminary task we used the 180 degree rule to show the conversation between Josh (blue jumper) and Mark (green t-shirt) Mark is angry and in the screen shots above you can see Marks "annoyance" and then using the 180 degree rule  we switch to an ‘over-the-shoulder’ shot where we see Josh's unphased face. He isn’t intimidated by Mark.

In our final 2 minute opening, we used the 180 degree rule to show a conversation between the two actors above. The main use of this shot was to show the facial expressions between the two; Jasmine (Red hair) was cheerful and trying to be comforting, whereas Amelia (Blonde hair) is emotionless, she’s still mourning over the loss of her brother.



Another shot we used in our preliminary task was the match on action. Mark opened the door and we cut to a shot of him entering the room. We did the same with our two minute opening; they both open the door and we jump to a shot of them coming out. The quick jump from the shots tells the audience that this happened straight after, almost like a continuous shot. It also establishes a change in scene, they left the comfort of the house and are about to go outside into the open which also seems to happen at night (A typical horror cliché) they were edited in this way to show pace in time.

OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 6

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

At first we used Adobe Premier Elements to edit our 2 minute opening but then transferred the format to windows movie maker, because it was much easier and there were more tools and special-effects that you could play around with via windows movie maker.

In terms of equipment, I have learnt a lot about how to use them correctly, for example with the cameras we used it is best to film at least 3 seconds after the take has finished so that the camera doesn’t pick up the "click" sound. Also with the tripod, the tripods we had had to be adjusted to ground. An example would be grass, concrete. We learnt how to adjust them easily and safely just by looking at the ground.

OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

In this final version of Victim, we see the main film and also the dream sequence. I added notes at the end of the clip so it would pad out the clip to two minutes. This time frame was set by the teacher, and I believe I have followed the instructions well.

OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Age	16-23
Gender	Male
Occupation	Student
Favourite Colour	Black
Favourite Music Genre	Rock/Heavy Metal
Favourite Band	Metallica/Iron Maiden
Favourite Food	Fast Food
Favourite Films	Paranormal Activity Blair Witch Project
Favourite Actor	Bruce Willis
Favourite Actress	Kristen Stewart
Favourite Clothes	Long leather jacket

OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 3

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

My media product is a short film and would be distributed by a film distributor, and funded by a

production company.


A production company provides the funding for works in the realms of the performing arts, new

media art, film, television, radio, and video.

The production company may be directly responsible for fundraising or may accomplish this through a parent company, partner, or private investor. It handles budgeting, scheduling, scripting, the supply with talent and resources, the organisation of staff, the production itself, post-production, distribution, and marketing. Production companies are often either owned or under contract with a media conglomerate, film studio or entertainment company, who act as the production companies parent company (see Time Warner, Viacom), together, this has become known as the "studio system". They can also be mainstream independent (such as Lucasfilms) or completely independent (such as Lionsgate). Production companies can also work together in co-productions.

Being that, a production company is only operational when a production is being produced and most of the talent and crew are freelancers, many production companies are only required to hire management staff that helps to oversee the companies daily activities. In some cases, a production company can be run by only a handful of people. The company's funds are mainly committed towards employing talent, crew, and acquiring new updated production equipment on a regular basis. Many productions often require at least one to two cameras and lighting equipment for on location shooting. Production equipment is either leased or purchased from another production company or directly from the manufacturer. In entertainment, in order to secure experienced professional talent and crew, production companies often become a signatory company to that talent or crew members "guild". These signatory companies are required to sign an agreement with that guild agreeing to follow the guild regulations. All big budget guild productions are exclusive to guild members and non-guild members are not allowed to participate in these productions unless authorised by the guild. Productions with smaller budgets are allowed to use both guild talent and talent from the public. The majority of the talent and crew working in the entertainment industry are members of their professions guild. Most productions in the entertainment industry are guild productions. A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing (DVD, Video-On-Demand, Download, Television programs through broadcast syndication etc.). A distributor may do this directly (if the distributor owns the theatres or film distribution networks) or through theatrical exhibitors and other sub-distributors.

If a distributor is working with a theatrical exhibitor, the distributor secures a written contract stipulating the amount of the gross ticket sales to be paid to the distributor by the exhibitor (usually a percentage of the gross) after first deducting a "floor", which is called a "house allowance" (also known as the "nut"), collects the amount due, audits the exhibitor's ticket sales as necessary to ensure the gross reported by the exhibitor is accurate, secures the distributor's share of these proceeds, and transmits the remainder to the production company (or to any other intermediary, such as a film release agent).

The distributor must also ensure that enough film prints are struck to service all contracted exhibitors on the contract-based opening day, ensure their physical delivery to the theatre by the opening day, monitor exhibitors to make sure the film is in fact shown in the particular theatre with the minimum number of seats and show times, and ensure the prints' return to the distributor's office or other storage resource also on the contract-based return date. In practical terms, this includes the physical production of film prints and their shipping around the world (a process that is beginning to be replaced by digital distribution) as well as the creation of posters, newspaper and magazine advertisements, television commercials, trailers, and other types of ads.

Furthermore, the distributor is responsible for ensuring a full line of film advertising material is available on each film which it believes will help the exhibitor attract the largest possible audience, create such advertising if it is not provided by the production company, and arrange for the physical delivery of the advertising items selected by the exhibitor at intervals prior to the opening day.

If the distributor is handling an imported or foreign film, it may also be responsible for securing dubbing or subtitling for the film, and securing censorship or other legal or organizational "approval" for the exhibition of the film in the country/territory in which it does business, prior to approaching the exhibitors for booking. Depending on which studio that is distributing the film, the studio will either have offices around the world, by themselves or partnered with another studio, to distribute films in other countries. If a studio decides to partner with a native distributor, upon release both names will appear. The foreign distributor may license the film for a certain amount of time but the studio will ultimately retain the copyright of the film.

One way to fund a film would be to receive a grant from the British Film Council, or the National Lottery. If not, you can approach very wealthy businesses, for example: banks, or extremely wealthy people. In the production of the film, Jamie Ebrada was the director and chief editor, Josh Hitch was the cameraman, Mark Taylor was one of the actors (also designing the title graphics of film).

OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our actress Amelia is fairly similar to the actress Drew Barrymore in the film Scream. Even though the plots of the two films are quite different, the situation these two actresses face in the films are very similar. That fact that both Viktim and Scream are in the horror genre makes them even more similar to one another. Another similarity is that both main characters feel alone and that no one can help them even though they have people around them.

In the screen grab of Drew Barrymore (Scream), we see she is wearing a pale coloured V-neck soft jumper - the softness of the wool adds to her vulnerability. In her hands we see she is clutching a knife and a telephone. She appears to be defending herself as she knows her life is at threat.

In the screen grab of Amelia Woodhouse (Viktim), we see she is wearing a dark coloured jacket, and a scarf of various colours. This look is similar to Drew Barrymore as both actresses use clothes to make them seem older than they really are.

OCR Media Studies - G321 - Evaluation Activity 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (ie. film openings)

The screengrabs below demonstrate how our film, Viktim, compares with the conventions used in horror films.

 

The title of the film

The film is called Viktim. Substituting a k for a c is intentional and suggests the film is quite contemporary. The one word title is very punchy and memorable. You also know that the film is unlikely to be a comedy.

Title font and style

The screenshot above shows my design for the Viktim film title graphics. The red area represents a smear of blood on a wall. This design makes the film seem even more sinister, and suggests the genre of the film. The typography I used is Perpetua Titling MT.

Title font and style

The screenshot above also shows my design for the Viktim film title graphics. The red area represents a smear of blood on a wall. This design makes the film seem even more sinister, and suggests the genre of the film. The typography I used is Perpetua Titling MT.

Genre and how the opening suggests it

This screengrab below shows a typical chase seen used in many horror films. Chase scenes are famous for suspense and fear, as we don’t understand how the characters will end up, whether they’ll live or die. The fact the bad guy is wearing a balaclava and holding a baseball bat also suggests this is a horror/thriller film.

Story and how the opening sets it up

This screengrab below shows the two girls exiting the house. This helps us realise that most of the action in the film will be set outside. This is a typical storyline as most horror films use this type of location in the film industry.

 

How characters are introduced

This screengrab below shows the two main characters in a one-sided conversation. Jasmine (red hair) is talking to Amelia about her brother, but Amelia doesn’t respond. She is finding it hard to get over her loss.

Setting/Location

This screengrab below shows the location used for the film - a suburban housing estate. It’s not unusual for a horror film to be set in an ‘everyday’ location that many viewers can identify with. An example would be ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’.

 

Costumes and Props

As this screengrab below shows, the costumes worn by the two lead actresses are typical for modern-day late-teens. The bad guy, here seen in the background, is wearing a dark jacket and a menacing balaclava. He is also holding a baseball bat - a possible weapon.

 

Camerawork and Editing

This screengrab below shows a typical ‘over-the-shoulder’ shot, commonly used in the film industry. The viewer is treated as a third member of the cast, and is directly involved in the action. 

 

 

Special effects

The budget of this film is so low that we are unable to use special effects. This is not a bad thing as it keeps the action realistic. This is a technique used on many low budget horror films, for example ‘The Blair Witch Project’. The only special effects that we’ve added is are some titles that overlay the opening sequence (see screengrab below).

 

 

Official Two Minute Clip of Victim

This is the final two minute clip of Victim. It took us a while to get to this stage, but we finally made it.

Evaluation: Media Institutions and our Film

Distribution of a film is an important aspect in terms of getting your film known and in terms of making money. People are more likely to watch a film with an institution they recognise, for example Warner Bros or Universal studios. They are also key in gaining funds for a film, if u require a big budget for a film, filled with special effects you need money. Using institutions for funds gains reputation in terms of audiences knowing who they are, but fundamentally getting money to fund the project.

The dark background and soundless film title adds to the atmosphere as black has the connotations of being dark and evil. This can make the audience feel uncomfortable / uneasy. In terms of the distribution of our film Imagine entertainment would give us capital to spend on funding the film e.g. buying sets and props, equipment to paying actors etc. The reason why the production company's logo is at the beginning of most film and including ours; is because we want the audience know that we have had an approval of a well-known brand, therefore increasing the films popularity. They also give funding to distribute the films to cinemas and eventually to DVD and blue ray.

Viktim Clip with Sound

This is one of our film openings. It has sound accompanying the action, but this clip is not as recent as the clip further up the page.

Viktim Official Title Design

The screenshot below shows the title image and graphics chosen for our film. This design was created by me in one of Adobe's software downloads. It took me around three attempts to come across this design, the first two looked very amateurish. I'm glad I persisted with the designing, as I believe this looks very professional for a horror title design.

Evaluation: Media Institutions and our Film

Film promotion and marketing are very important in getting your movie known and, if successful, will result in more people seeing the film and therefore earning more revenue. People are more likely to watch a film made by a studio that they recognise, for example Warner Bros or Universal. Studios play a vital role in funding the film. If a director manages to get the backing of a well-known studio and distributor on board, he would have more money to spend, and will be more likely to make a successful film.

A good example of a successful studio would be 'The Weinstein Company'. The Weinstein Company (TWC) is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005. The brothers made their reputation at Miramax Films which they co-founded in 1979 and then sold to Disney.

Some of films the Weinstein's have been involved with include:

• Lassie (2006)
• Stormbreaker (2006)
• Hannibal Rising (2007)
• Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• The Fighter (2010)
• The King's Speech (2010)
• Submarine (2011)
• My Week With Marilyn (2011)
• The Artist (2011)
• Coriolanus (2011)
• The Iron Lady (2012)

Our Target Audience: 15+

Our target audience is late teenagers and young adults. We have chosen this age group because this is the audience who generally go to the cinema to see a horror movie. As we aim to draw in a large audience, we hope the film will be classified with a 15 certificate; this means both late teens and adults can watch it. As we hope the film will receive a 15 certificate, we may have to tone down some of the violent sequences in the movie.

Sound Research

As we are planning on making a horror film, the sound is extremely important and is seen as one of the vital components in a horror film. The sound of heartbeats and organ music can increase the tension, and make for an eery feeling in a horror film. Silence can also be used effectively to build tension, suspense and anxiety. 
 

Often sounds used in horror films are noises which you hear in the background, these generally increase in volume and pitch until they reach a crescendo. Sounds used in this way are great atmospheric techniques, useful for creating unsettling moments.