Evaluation 7

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

When comparing the main task to our preliminary task youc an immediately see that we did a lot more thought into it. We did a lot of research into the issues raised in the main task and made sure they were accurate. We spent a lot more time editing on premiere elements to make sure we had created the correct atmosphere.

After completing the preliminary task we got some feedback on how to improve for the main task. From this we learnt that we needed to improve the lighting, and have a stronger genre and plot.

The main task required a lot more work than the preliminary task, but in a sense was easier as we were not restricted to the type of shots used (180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action) and we were restricted to the story lines, as it had to involve a coversation whilst sitting at a table. For the main task we were free to use any shots and could have any plot we wanted.

For the main task we were much more professional than before. We used a tripod to keep the camera work steady when needed and made sure the acting and editing was done to a higher standard.

We made this film based around something we would enjoy watching, meaning that the audience would be a similar age to us.

Evaluation 6

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


During the process of creating our media coursework i feel i have learnt a lot about technologies used within the media. We used many different forms of media to produce the film including:
-Computers
-Two handheld cameras
-Camera

This is a screen print of the editing software 'premier elements'. Throughout editing our film with were faced with many problems with this software. It would crash several times a lesson resulting in us loosing editing and did not have the specific effects we wanted. We feel because of this our video is not edited to it's full potential, and could be more professional. It also put the film into a format that only a small number of computers recognise. 

When filming we used a  Sanyo Xacti and a tripod to keep jerky filming minimal. The only problem experienced with this was that the zoom was too quick and lowered the quality of the image. 

We also used:

Blogger - to record our work

Paint- to edit pictures

Youtube - to evaluate and distribute

VLC player - to play the film and play the music

Facebook - to ask permission to use the music

Evaluation 5

Evaluation 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is a picture of our typical target audience. We based a film on something we ourselves would want to watch, therefore we also fall into our target audience. The age range for our targeted demographic is 14-18 years old, although arguably we should be targeting it towards the 30+ age group as they are the group who are more likely to have the most money to spend on media products. But young teenagers are limited to things we can do, so may spend more time and money on dvds and going to the cinema. We also spend more time on smartphones and laptops, making advertising very easily accessible.

For 14-18 year olds, the two-step flow is more fluent as it is a very social age range. They will converse about films they have watched and their opinions on them. Many 14-18 year olds watch films to relax and unwind.  

Evaluation 3

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

A production company is responsible for the creation and production of a media product, therefore  we could say  Alice, Bethany, myself, the I.T team and Ms. Hammond has acted like a production company throughout the process of producing an opening scene. Alice, Bethany and myself we responsible for every aspect film, with guidance from the I.T team and Ms. Hammond. 

A distributor is a company responsible for releasing media products to the public. An ideal distributor for our product could be paramount films, distributing similar films including 'shutter island.' We could also distribute our film at a film festival such as 'slamdance festival' or 'screamfest film festival' this is where Paranormal activity was first screened, and being a similar genre and amateur production like ours, would be an ideal place to screen it. 

We view our film as being institutionally similar to Paranormal activity and Blare witch project. This is because both are low budget films, and amateur productions filmed on handheld cameras similar to the ones we used.

Alice, Bethany and myself could be seen as the distributors of the film, as we have showed people it to get audience feedback. We did this through the use of dvd burning and youtube, so youtube could also be seen as a distributor. 

The budget of our film was extremely low, spending nothing on it, just using old clothes and make up was already had. But as we view ourselves as being institutionally similar to paranormal activity,  we would be looking at a similar budget to theirs of $15,000. 

We have not added titles to our film to show how did what, as we all worked together as the production company deserve equal recognition. 

Evaluation 2

How does your media product represent  particular social groups?

Lola Gray and the character 'Teddy Daniels' in 'Shutter island' are both based around mentally unstable people with issues they were unable to deal with resulting in the psychological conditions. Although the character in shutter island has a more severe condition than Lola's they both have similar symptoms. There are many differences between Lola and Teddy, we did not base our character on any other characters, we just created her.

The obvious difference between the two characters is the cultural differences. Shutter island is set in 1954 in the U.S.

The differences in both characters in terms of appearence is gender and accent Lola Gray is an English female, whilst Teddy Daniels is an American male. This obviously causes different circumstances to arise during the film.

When creating Lola we tried to create a character as normal as you and I, but because she was neglected in childhood, it shaped her to have a psychological illness. Because of Lolas drug abuse and her poor unstable background, Lola is part of the 'underclass.' Social groups are generally determind wealth, which Lola does not have, leading to her being involved in crime. We see nothing of her interests as she does not have to time or money to spend on them. Lola's life is taken up by simply trying to survive and feed her addiction. We have presented her as a warm-hearted young girl that has been pushed onto the wrong path. Lola has not chosen this life, but has little opportunity to get out of it, it's a vicious circle.

Evaluation 1

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

 The first frame shows the name of the film, the setting and the main character. The title of the film is Lola Grey and appears at the bottom of the screen. We chose to put it here so it would not totally distract the viewers attention from the main character, but is still obvious within the frame. The font used is a simple, bold, red font, as we did not want to use a font with any connotations of a different time period or genre. Also after researching, we found that many thriller films use plain and simple titles. We chose to colour the title red, as many people link red with anger or blood therefore a hint of the rest of the film, creating a feel of tension and making the audience wanting to watch more.

We set the film in acres of fields, next to a railway and an abandoned farmyard. In the background you can see a worn down building which is used to store farming equipment, which we thought looked scary. By having this in the background the viewer will presume that the building is linked in with the flashbacks. Because the thriller genre covers such a wide area, it does not have a typical setting, but as psychological thrillers tend to have empty secluded space reflecting the mind of the character, which we used that in our film.

Unless the thriller is set in a specific time period, it is not incredibly important how the character is dressed. We dressed Alice in plain dark clothes complying with the dull de-saturated colour scheme, and covered her with mud to show her struggle. We also put ketchup on her representing blood. We used hair products to make her hair look messy and greasy, implying that she has not been able to wash.

In the first second and third shots we used a tripod enabling us to capture steady shots. For these shots we used a wide shot. We only used one shot to show continuity and emphasise that the other frames were flashbacks. When filming these shots we tried to use the zoom setting on the camera, but as the zoom has a set speed we found it zoomed out to quickly and was not very steady, resulting in us having to slightly change the way it was filmed to still get a professional look.

For the rest of the frames we used handheld so the shots would shake a little, implying that Lola was shaking from fear. Also by using a handheld camera is makes the viewer feel as if they are expiriencing the same things as that character, and is typical of a psychological thriller.These shots show the character in more detail, this builds a relationship between the viewer and Lola, and does not jump into a film with a character who the audience know nothing about. By showing the character from afar in some shots and close ups gives the viewer to build up a good profile and form an opinion on Lola.

The third and fifth frames show flashbacks. Because this setting is totally different to the others, a distinction between tenses can be clearly made. He movements show she is struggling and constantly thinking. The setting is dark and claustraphobic, so it uneasy for the audience to watch. There is also a big contrast between both settings, going from a wide open, relatively light space, to a small dark room inside.

The fouth and sixth frames show Lola rocking backwards and forwards; this shows her nervous distposition and is also typical of psychological thrillers. The eighth frame is an extreame close up of Lola's face focusing on the emotion. It is uncomfortable and claustraphobic for the viewer to look at.

For the seventh frame we used a completely black screen. This shows complete darkness and builds up tension for the viewer as they do not know what is going on, leaving the viewer wandering what is happening to the character. The next frame is an extreame close up of Lola's face, which appearing after complete darkness will stay in the audiences mind.

In conclusion, we felt that we have used used typical factors of a psychological thriller making the genre more apparent, and making it comparable to other thrillers.