Final Product Video- Loves Sinister Gift

Prelim Evaluation Video

Audience Evaluation Video

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Film audience based on rating

Depending on the content that a film has, they are placed into separate classifications. 

A 'universal' rating includes those that are aged from four years to older. These films have no clear focus on sexual behaviour, language and they also do not include references or innuendos to sexual content. The content of universal movies are very mild, from the bad language to the violence that is depicted in the movies, making it age appropriate.

The next rating from universal is PG or 'parental guidance'. These films are normally appropriate for all ages, however certain films may include themes or scenes that may be unsuitable for younger viewers, such as death, racism and bullying.

Films can also be rated with certain ages, such as 12 and 12A.  A '12' may be viewed by any person aged 12 and over, however 12A's require an adult present in order to view the particular movies. These movies acquire this particular age classification due to the fact they will typically include subjects of moderate violence, strong language and brief sexual content. However, the tone of the film should not affect the audience, nor should it contain discriminatory language or behaviour.

The next rating increases to a '15', meaning that individuals aged 15 and older are legally allowed to view this movie. The movie classification is applied to these movies as they may include frequent strong language, substance abuse, discriminatory language, behaviour and sexual content.

This is then increased to '18', meaning that adults are the only ones permitted to view these movies. These can contain content such as frequent and very strong language, as well as discriminatory behaviour. They also may contain frequent substance abuse, strong portrayals of sexual content and horror. Thus, making it inappropriate for younger audiences.

The most common classification that is applied to thriller films is '15'. Therefore, this classification is a subject of the genre and informs me that themes and the content required for a thriller film are appropriate for those aged 15 and over.

It is because of this research that I have decided to classify my film as a 15. My neo-noir presents the conventions needed for this classification as the tone of the film is capable of affecting the audience, therefore I aimed to have an appropriate teenage audience for my film as well an an elder audience who would like the .

How did you attract/address your audience?

Prezi about target audeince

Looking at my preliminary task, what do I feel I've learnt in the progression from it to my final product?

There is a clear distinction between my preliminary task and my final product.

When creating my preliminary product I was still new to media, having never studied it before I was unsure of how to properly use the camera and how to use camera angles and movements to add to my film. Throughout the year I gained knowledge about camera angles and movement and how they can represent different things, I applied this knowledge to my final product making it better than my preliminary task. Not only does my final product have a greater range of shots but also the shot types are used effectively adding and building tension in places and showing continuity in others.

When making my Preliminary task although I had a clear image in my head of how I wanted the product to end up, I was unsure of how to precisely film it in order to create what I had envisioned in my head. This uncertainty in how to film resulted in me breaking the 180 degree rule, however with careful editing I found that the break in the rule was not as obvious, I did this by cutting the shots quickly and used close ups shots. In my final product I was more aware of how what I was filming would appear on screen, this awareness made it easy for me to not break the 180 degree rule. It also helped with continuity in my film as I was able to visualise how the shots would go together and flow into each other.

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

Prezi about technologies

What kind of media institution might distribute my film?

The Studio I decided to use for my media product was Warner brothers, I made this decision based on their long and illustrious past with film noir during the golden age of Hollywood. Warner Bro's were the original studio for creating film noir in the 1940's, back when they were just getting started they made money through the genre as creating films that fit this genres codes and conventions was cheap and easy. Outside sets that didn't need money for props were used instead of building sets from scratch and effects such as dry ice for smoke and expert light use made it cheap to produce good results. 

I created my own production company 'Constantine Film Productions' to work along side Warner Bros studio, by creating my own production company I was given creative freedom in both the style and genre on the production company clip, I was able to give it a darker undertone which fits in with my media product. 
In the film industry production companies are responsible for aspects such as fundraising for the production of the film, which may be through parent companies, partner companies or private investors. It is often the production companies which handle the budgeting for the film as well as looking into the talents such as actors, artists and music producers available for a film. Scripting and post-production work is also handled by production companies. It is also down to the production companies to handle distribution, marketing and advertisement of the film once completed. It is often found that production companies usually work for or are part of larger film studios or entertainment companies, this has become known as the 'studio system'

Making my Production Company...

Using the software Adobe After Affects I created a film production company. By deciding to create my own production company, I was trying to show initiative and understanding of technical aspects of media.

To begin with I had to watch tutorials to teach myself about Adobe After Effects After that was done it was simple to move on with the process. Deciding what image and name was the next step. I chose my surname as the company title to make it clear that I was the one creating the film but decided to have a pentagram as the image. This decision was based on the darker role undercurrent I wanted for the film. 

The effect I used was a distortion effect, this made the image appear shaky at certain intervals on my choosing, I decided to go with this type of effect as it build mystery and adds tension from the get go as it is an effect usually seen in thrillers, and horror movies buts before a film cuts off and although my Film is a film noir I wanted it to have a darker undercurrent.

Every aspect of the production company was made by and edited by me, by working alone I was able to create Exactly what I wanted. I used black and white as a colour scheme as I wanted a link to the past and old film noir. 

Coursework feedback

Hannah,

Your desire for perfection is commendable and the film that you are editing is an improvement on the previous edit and demonstrates an aspiration toward the higher grades. The issue now is time and completing all aspects of the coursework.   Your research and planning is thorough showing excellent understanding of codes and conventions and audiences and institutions. 

Targets

• Complete an edit of the film and  let me have a copy to upload to our you-tube page
• Ensure the evaluation questions are complete and use technology to present this where possible
• Manage your time effectively including spending time on Tuesday after 4pm completing the coursework with me

Codes and Convention

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




My film noir opening is loosely based on the 1996 David Fincher film, Se7en. To begin with my film opened with a title sequence from the femme fatales point of view. This allowed for the audience to be given an insight into her mind. It suggests both insanity and gives the film a dark and mysterious tone from the get go. This type of sequence is used in Se7en, and by basing my title sequence on it I am meeting the codes and conventions of a neo-noir/film noir movie. The lighting used in this sequence is low key, this is the classic film nor lighting as it allows for mystery to be built through the abundance of shadows. This lighting accompanied by the ambient non-diegetic sound track builds tension, adding a sinister undertone to the title sequence. This sinister undertone is what accompanies the femme fatales character. Like classic film nor my opening sequence features a femme fatal, by keeping to the classic dark representation of a female femme fatale I'm meeting the conventional codes and conventions of a film noir. Femme fatales in classic film noir films are shown to be beautiful, naïve to the world and in need of a 'hero' this is part of their allure that reels in the detective in the film. By innocent act however is a trap that hides their devious even murderous nature. In my film the codes and conventions are clearly, the voice over when detective Greyson talks about feeling 'like a fly lead by a spider' is a classic example. This not only shows the femme fatales codes and conventions but also shows classic film noir conventions, the sexist language and the uses of a voice over are all aspects of a film noir.  Although my character is not actually shown to be talking she is shown to be wearing a nice coat with a fur hood outline this meets the conventions of a film noir. 







 This would make the audience especially females feel a little empowered but also resentful towards the negative stereotype. Especially as in today's society women are striving for gender equality. 

This negative female representation of a femme fatale is juxtaposed by the female detective in my film. By having both a negative and positive representation of females in my film opening I'm trying to both show the codes and conventions and but also a modern woman who is more relatable to the audience. By having a female detective which is a stereotypically male role the typical codes and conventions of a film noir are being challenged. the two role female detective and femme fatale oppose each other, showing two sides of women. The female detective is also used in my film to represent a side of reason, she's not going to be fooled by the femme fatale like the male detective.

 

Feedback

You are making sound progress toward completing the coursework

Ensure that you complete each evaluation answer thoroughly

Add any further research and planning

Organise your web-log effectively

We need to try and complete this film if it is to replace your original version.

Prelim Video

Loves sinister gifts shot types

Establishing shot- This uses a wide pan to set the scene. It shows an isolated field, making the audience feel vulnerable. This is reinforced when the body is eventually revealed as it appears alone. It creates and builds tension.  

Having various close up shots of parts of the body helps to build tension in the audience as it builds ambiguity, it creates mystery as it implies something bad has happened. It also creates a sinister atmosphere as the non-diegetic sound track builds tension.

The close up shots also allow for the audiences attention to be drawn to things which are important, such as the note in the hand of the victim. The show and draw attention to them subtly.

Having a series of these type of shots after each other creates an almost snap shot effect. This adds to the sinister atmosphere as it almost dehumanises the victims. It also build up from the intro/title shots as photos of the victim are shown then in the hands of the killer.

 

 Having a mid shot that transitions into a wide shot allows for the audience to see both the details of the body when close and the position of the body in the overall scene. It also allows for the action of the next shot to bee seen.

 

Following on from the wide shot, a mid shot of the detectives walking whilst having a conversation is used. This allows for the detectives outfits to be seen along side their reactions. This shot clearly shows the codes and conventions through the characters outfits.

 

 

Having an extreme close up of the letter from the detectives point of view allows for the audience to see what he see's and build a relationship with the character. It also makes the message appear more sinister as it allows for the audience to be in the detectives position, this builds tension.  

 

A low angle mid-shot is used to look up at the detectives as they're the good guys, people should actually look up to them and aspire to be like them. it is used to signify them being the protagonists of the film.

Over the shoulder, shot reverse shot is used during the detectives conversation as this shows that they're the ones having a conversation. These shots also show the characters point of view giving the audience a chance to see the action from their eyes. this builds audience and character interaction, making the audience feel closer to the characters and more easily relatable to them.

An over the shoulder shot is used to show the detective pointing out the femme fatal, this show the direction of the shot and also gives the audience the first look at the femme fatal. by having this wide shot of the femme fatal first it doesn't give the audience a clear image, building to the characters mystery.

A tilt shot is follows the wide shot, this type of shot is another way of building mystery as it doesn't give a clear image straight away. It also allows for more close up details to be seen as it tilts up the entire body.

A close up of the femme fatales face is last used, this is accompanied by the detectives voice over. this shows the characters lack of emotion and gives the audience insight into her character.

Production Schedule

 

Date	What I did	Why I did this
Monday 19th January	I drew a new story board and created a new scrip to match it	I wanted to create a more classic film noir as I felt my first film opening wasn’t that strong. I created a story board with a range of shot types. My new script also showed the codes and conventions clearly as it included film noir classics such as voice overs.

Friday 23rd January

Filming my new opening sequence

I decided to film a new opening sequence as I was not happy with the final product of my first film. Also the weather on this day fit in with the whole mise-en-scene of my film as it was a gloomy and grey day- fitting in with the atmosphere I was trying to create for my film.

Tuesday 27th January	Editing my footage- In this session I went through all of the clips I filmed, naming and deciding if they were useful. I then placed them in an initial order on Adobe Premier pro.	By putting them in an order I looked to see if there where any inconsistencies in my film. This also gave me a chance to see roughly how long my film would be.
Friday 30th January	Editing my footage- clipping my shots to make the film fluid. I also added the first few transitions.	During this session I focused my editing on the film its self, ignoring the sound for now. I made it so the movement between shots was successful.
Monday 2nd February	Editing my footage- sound editing and voice over.	I recorded my male detective’s voice over because the sound of the original was poor. Also voice overs fit with the codes and conventions of a film noir. After creating the voice over I spent the remainder of the session editing the audio grain to make the sound clearer and appear more professional.
Friday 6th February	Filming a title sequence- my movie footage was slightly short so I decided to make my title sequence part of my film.	The title sequence is filmed from the femme fatales point of view and gives the audience insight into her mind. It also adds and builds tension.
Tuesday 10th February	Editing title sequence- Because my title sequence is short I was able to edit both the footage and the sound in one session.	I wanted to ensure that the quality of my title sequence was high and appeared professional. Both the audio and visual aspects had to flow and fit the genre.
Tuesday 17th February	Going over final product and uploading- I spent this session really trying to find and faults. Once I was happy I exported the file	This allowed me to really get my evaluations done, as although I had started some, I was unable to complete all if my evaluations.

The Fifth day- Audience & representation of social groups

Audiences & representation of social groups

My media product is aimed towards young adults, as this type of thriller often gratifies their need for an adrenaline rush, without isolating them with stereotypical teenage pursuits for example clubbing. It creates and builds tension in them and allows them to experience the pleasure of an adrenaline rush and the euphoria one would bring on afterwards. The darker shots in the beginning are used to build tension, they show the femme fatales inner darkness, the twisted mentality of her character. It sets the dark tone and creates an enigma from the get go- Who is in the images? whose hands are shown? Whose lips? 

By first opening the film with a mixture of point of view shots from the femme fatale (Josie Lovel) and titles I aimed create an enigma for the audience. It allowed them insight into the characters dark mind and showed them the depth of her characters personality. However it is not initially clear that it is her characters point of view, this adds to the enigma, the only things that are clear is that the character who's hands and lips are shown killed a girl. It's the subtle hint towards it being Josie that builds drama and mystery.  This dark representation of a female femme fatale meets the conventional codes and conventions of a film noir. Femme fatales in classic film noir films are shown to be beautiful, naïve to the world and in need of a 'hero' this is part of their allure that reels in the detective in the film. 

My Femme Fatale

This is done in my film and shown clearly in the voice over when detective Greyson talks about feeling 'like a fly lead by a spider' They are usually beautiful, wearing the latest high fashion clothing and quite often speak with a upper crust English accent. Although my character is not actually shown to be talking she is shown to be wearing a nice coat with a fur hood outline. This fits to the characters codes and conventions. These attributes all add to the audiences opinion of the femme fatale, they make her appear intelligent, classy and almost too good for the detective. This innocent persona is usually seen through quite easily, revealing the femme fatale to be dangerous, selfish, cunning and manipulative.

The stereotypical classic femme fatale- (shot from the Maltese falcon)

 This would make the audience especially females feel a little empowered but also resentful towards the negative stereotype. Especially as in today's society women are striving for gender equality. 

This negative female representation of a femme fatale is juxtaposed by the female detective in my film. By having both a negative and positive representation of females in my film opening i'm trying to both show the codes and conventions and but also a modern woman who is more relatable to the audience. By having a female detective which is a stereotypically male role the typical codes and conventions of a film noir are being challenged. the two role female detective and femme fatale oppose each other, showing two sides of women. The female detective is also used in my film to represent a side of reason, she's not going to be fooled by the femme fatale like the male detective.

Female Detective

I also decided to make the female detective paper more modern in the way she dressed, by wearing a leather coat instead of a typical trench I hoped to make the character more easily relatable to a younger audience as her attire would be something they would wear.  

The male detective in my film noire is a classic detective based on classic detectives such as Sam Spade from Maltese Falcon or a more modern Detective William Somerset from Se7en. I wanted to keep to the codes and conventions with my male detective to show contrast between the two detectives. The female was more modern whereas the male was a more classic representation. This is clearly seen in the mise-en-scene as he wears a classic fedora and suit- the fundamental detective uniform. By making him quite classic the male audience would not really be able to see him as relatable as her although played by a young actor is representing an older persona.

Coursework feedback

You have chosen to film footage again which is commendable as your lighting issue were preventing you from achieving your potential. Time management is now key to ensure that ll aspects of eth coursework are complete.

Reworked Film noir Script and screenplay

Film Noir screen play – Loves sinister gifts

EXT. Establishing shot empty Fields

Wide pan shot showing the field: A prone body of a girl is revealed.

Greyson (V.O) In all the years I’ve done this job it never gets easier, if anything it gets harder. The world is said to be always changing but I never see that, all I see is the pain and the darkness. People they never change, not really

Camera shot changes- Close up of body revealing the girls hand it appears s though she is holding a piece of paper. The camera moves to show two detectives approaching the body.

Detective Greyson (re: Detective Carter) this is the second body this week, Do you think it’s the same killer?

Detective carter hopefully, I would hate to think that we have more than one psychopath running around…

Detective Greyson [Interrupting] even if it’s not the same killer there will always be more psychopaths running round.

Camera changes to a slow mid-shot as Greyson bends to look at the victims hand. He retrieves the paper and looks at it

Camera angle changes to a over the shoulder shot looking at the paper

Greyson look at this the murderer left us something. [Reading the paper] ‘Do you like the presents I’ve left you my love?’ well that answers it it’s the same killer, who do you think this is addressed to?

Camera angle changes to a mid-shot as Greyson stands to show Carter the paper.

Over the should showing carter

Carter I’m not sure, the victim or perhaps us?

[Cut off by Greyson as he loudly Hhmmm’s]

Over the should showing Greyson

Greyson Hhmmmm, No. Who found the victim’s body?

Over the shoulder shot of Carter as she points towards a woman standing off to the corner

Carter That would be one miss Josie Lovell, she was friends with the victim. She found her whilst walking home.

Tilt shot off Josie Lovell starting at her feet and going up.
Close up of her face

Greyson O.V  I should have known then that no woman who looked that lovely would be innocent, but like a fool I was blind to the truth. Taken in by her, like a spider to a fly.

The 5th Day - codes & conventions

Codes & Conventions

My media product challenges the codes and conventions of existing media products by convening the detective as a young man. This is different from other representations of detectives as in most media products detectives are portrayed as being older, World weary men. This younger detective is based on Brad Pitts character detective Mills from the 1996 movie Se7en. By making the character, detective Grey younger but keeping to the codes and conventions by having in world weary personality it creates character depth and makes the audience want to know more about the characters life and back story. The characters history adds to the narrative of this story as it implies the characters disability, hinting towards the character suffering with PTSD. This indication adds to the characters development and makes the audience want to know more about him. The characters PTSD was shown through the use of sound clips and editing put over the filmed clips- sounds of explosions going off in the distance during his dreams, and while awake where used. PTSD can be shown in media in many different ways, for example Marty Deeks from NCSI: Los Angeles suffers with PTSD during season 5, he is shown to suffer from terrible nightmares and have vivid flashbacks. This is a more extreme representation than my characters but it shows how PTSD is shown in Media.

This shows the actors younger age challenging the traditional codes and conventions.

Another way in which my product challenges the codes and conventions of a thriller is the rural setting, in most thrillers an urban settings are used such as cities. By using a rural setting a feeling of isolation is built this makes the audience feel vulnerable. The location also creates foreboding in the audience as it conveys a sense of being lost. Its a location where everybody has been and implies that the situation could happen to anybody. This type of location is more common is horror movies such as Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it was because of films like this that I decided to use a rural setting. Often these type of horror films have subgenres of survival thrillers. 

This shows the rural setting that was used for this scene, it shows the long isolated road and creates a feeling of isolation and vulnerability. 

The other way that my media product challenges the codes and conventions of a thriller is the role of the female character. Instead of being a femme fatal the female character in the beginning of the film is shown as to convey innocence and unjustified violence. After finishing this opening sequence and watching it through I decided that I would rework certain aspects, initially this was planned to just include reshooting some shots but in the end I reworked all aspects of my film, created a new storyboard and script and used different actors.