Evaluation 4- How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Mood boards illustrating all of the technologies used in the film and ancillary tasks-

1. Computer used to edit the film.

2. DVD' s used to put the film onto.

3. Tapes used to record the film on the camcorder.

4. Mini camcorder used to record feedback.

5. Pro Light used in the film.

6. Hard drive used in the editing and feedback processes.

7. Sony camcorder used to record voice for audio commentary.

8. Sony PD-150 used to record the film.

9. Microphone used to record the sound for the film.

10. Tri-Pod used to put the camera on, along with the base plate.

11. Adobe Premier Pro software, used to edit the film.

12. Red Head light used in the film.

13. PhotoShop used for the postcard.

14. Scanner used to get things onto the blog such as the storyboard.

15. Internet Explorer used for a variety of activities.

16. Microsoft Publisher used for creating magazine page.

17. Microsoft Word used for a variety of tasks.

18. Microsoft PowerPoint used for creating documents such as the location recce.

19. Blogger used to upload all parts of production.

20. Camera used to take photos for the postcard and location recce.

What would have occurred if I didn't have the technology available to me-

This technology made the whole concept from Pre-Production, to this evaluation happen, and even writing this sentence needed technology to come into place. Creating a film without the technology that we have used would have been very difficult, and it would have limited our abilities to be able to create a short film, such as the one we have now.

There may have been things that we could have done if we did not have the technology that was available to us. Firstly, starting with the research that was involved with this task required a lot of time spent on the Internet, but if I did not have this then it would have been the task of going through books and paper material for the information. This obviously would have taken more time and it is likely that I would not have had as good and precise information as I have now, as the Internet is a huge resource that is full of information, but which must be used with caution.

Creating some of the Pre-Production documentation without the use of tools such as Microsoft Word, would have meant that we as a group would of had to most likely written everything out onto paper, and then used external resources to be able to get them onto Blogger. This would have taken a lot more time, because of the shear difficulty of writing everything out, where typing on a computer is a much faster solution.

Actually filming and editing the short film without the technology we had would have been very difficult as the camera, in general is very advanced and can do many things such as manual adjustment of the white balance. Having a camera that was not as technologically advanced and that did not have all of the functions that we had on the PD-150 would have made the job of filming a high quality product a lot more difficult and therefore the final outcome would not have been the quality that we have now. The editing software used was very advanced and it enabled the user to perform and add on many effects, which helped our project a lot. We had a lot of crackly sound on our production, but the editing software has tools that can reduce this interference, and so we added such effects to get rid of this unwanted sound. Without these tools, the sound on the film would have been a lot worse and if we had software which was not as advanced, we would have probably had to re-shoot the sound, or even the whole footage.

Creating a postcard would have also been very difficult if I did not have tools such as PhotoShop. Adding effects such as titles would have been near impossible, and the only way we could have done this is to place a piece of paper in the shot with the title on in order to get it onto the image. However this would not have looked as good as it has when it's been edited on.

Finally for this evaluation, which involved getting feedback and putting an audio commentary over the top would not have been possible without the technology such as a camera and the editing software. The way we could have done this is to have a paper copy and write out everything that happened, which would have again taken a lot more time and would not have been using media to the full advantage.

Summary-

Technological advancements have made a production such as a short film much simpler, and without some of the technology we were able to use, we would have had a difficult task in having all of the aspects we have today, because it has been of great help and use from the research stages, through the construction stages and finally at the evaluation stage. Therefore I believe that we used the technology available to our full advantage in order to produce a short film that we have. Not having the technology we had as discussed above would have made the production and everything that was involved a lot harder, and so I am grateful that we had this technology available.

Specific skills learnt and developed from AS-

I have learnt many more things, and have developed my skills that I had previously had from continuing media onto A2 from AS. Firstly, I had a basic knowledge of the way in which certain technologies worked, such as the camera and the editing suit, however now from stepping up one stage, I know how the functions on these technologies work fully and how to create effects which can make the production of higher value. The camera for example was the first time I had used it, although I had operated another camera last year that was not as advanced. However from recording, looking and doing research into the different functions, I now know how to use it properly and accordingly in order to create a film that is desired. The editing suit was also used last year, however I now have a much greater, deeper understanding of what the service can fully do and how the image and sound can be manipulated in order to create a piece of work that is of high value. The sound for example was very crackly this year when we captured the footage and we had to do something about it, and from choosing and picking tools and testing them, we were able to get rid of a lot of this sound. Putting effects on from the software, therefore allowed us to come back from footage that would have been useless and very poor. Therefore my technical ability has increased from AS, from working with the technology a lot more and becoming more in terms with it.

One skill that I have learnt is the use of specialisation and the benefits that can come from being specifically in charge of one section of the production. We assigned one person from the group to be in charge of a part of the production. The categories were: camera, sound and lighting, mise en scene and Director. From here each person would be in charge of that sector and would have to do the work that was involved in that section, such as I was in charge of the camera and so did the shot list and the storyboard. This worked very well, as although each part of production would be discussed by the group, each person had specific work to be done, and so this got everything done a lot quicker. Therefore we were able to meet deadlines and also come out of a piece of film that was well planned and had all components needed. Consequently, specialising one person to a specified section helped us to save time and made sure that everything that needed to get done was completed so that we could progress, and then turn out with a production piece that had clear planning.

Finally, one skill which had been developed dramatically is my organisation and time management. From doing media, which is set on deadlines and a lot of work which is involved, I had to adapt to meet the needs of the subject, and so organisation was a top priority, which also involved having time management. Making sure that all of the documentation and the research involved was completed before we began filming needed some organised thought and planning which was done. Also, just before we were going to film, me and the Director set out what we were going to film each day and where everything was going to be shot. This made sure that we could get all the filming done in the allocated time period and that we could start as soon as we got to the location, without having to sort out where the camera and lighting were going to go. Therefore developing my skills to organise and to manage time effectively allowed me and the group to complete the project in the time period we had and we were able to do it efficiently.

Summary-

All of these skills have allowed me to develop as a person and to improve my knowledge and ability in media. The advancement in my technical ability has made me more aware of problems that can occur and the ways in which they can be amended. This has all stemmed from AS, and now I am in A2, I feel much more capable with many aspects of production than I did last year, and this is all down to producing the short film which was demanding by testing my abilities, but it also upgraded my skills.

Evaluation 3- What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

This is an audio commentary of feedback received from various people and my replies to the feedback. The image is the rough cut of My Brother Leon-

But, due to technical difficulties, the sound is a few seconds out of sync.

Feedback written out-

Tanya- The mise en scene is good in scene 2 with the knife-

This scene in particular was meant to provide an insight into Leon's identity and what the problem with him is early on, so that the audience could understand and know what his character profile is.

Good contrast between Leon and Lily with their bedrooms-

We tried to show Leon to having a dark, unfeminine room so that this would also help the audience in understanding Leon as a character. Lily's room was chosen to be pink, because it represents her innocence and the contrast between the lightness that is her life, and the darkness that is Leons.

There could be more variety with shot distances, but they steady shots-

The shot distances were chosen because in a lot of the scenes, there is more than one person in shot and so although we tried to incorporate a variety of shots, it was somewhat difficult where these scenes occured as they mostly had to be either MLS or MS.

Grace- Girl looking at mum over stairs in scene 14, shows vulnerability-

The girl here is meant to be shown as a small, and less significant person because there are adults around and she is only a bystander. Also, she is seen by the mother to not understand what is going on, but when she really does.

Good editing in living room with folder-

This scene is one of the earliest ones, and it was shown so the audience could understand that she is the quiet one of the family and gets on with what she needs to do without causing trouble or disturbing anyone, whereas this is the opposite for Leon. Therefore this is meant to capture her personality and identity.

Sound was crackly-

There were problems with the microphone from the beginning, and the sound levels were not monitored as they should have been by the sound technician.

Callum- Good contrast between Lily and Leon-

We wanted this contrast as this is one of the main aspects of the film showing the difference between the two as they are meant to have very differing personalities, even though they are from the same family. Also the reason to why we didn't have any speech from Lily is that this is also another contrast as Leon speaks a lot while she says nothing.

Flowed quite well, but a bit slow paced-

We have changed a lot of the scenes by creating faster cuts and cutting out other shots. Also, we have deleted scenes in which we did not think to be important or added anything to the film, as this would also create more pace in the film.

Chloe- Good framing, but a couple of shakes of the camera-

We tried to get as much of the characters in the shots as possible, and as small amounts as possible of objects which were in the background, in order to focus on what was going on with the characters. The shakes of the camera should not have been there, but we learn from our mistakes and if we were to do another production, they would not be there.

Mother was not comforting enough-

We did not have many people who would act and have the appearance we wanted, so we had to use what we had and we were grateful that we were even able to find someone to act as the mother.

The scene with the black eye was good, but it was not seen enough-

We tried to emphasis this as much as possible, however there were constraints in the location in which we were filming, as there was not much room to put the camera, microphones and lighting. Also the lighting in the location was very bright and could not be turned down, and so this is why it was difficult to get a very clear shot of the black eye.

Joe- Framed quite well, good camera movements, but there was one wonky frame-

We tried to get everything captured onto the film as needed, which therefore needed camera movements, and I as the cameraman tried to make sure they were as smooth as possible and kept the main aspect of the shot as central.

Good in the way in which the girl keeps going back to the same door-

This is one of the main aspects of the film, as we wanted to show each separate day as beginning the same, but something different happens each time.

James- Lily does not talk, but Leon does-

Leon is meant to be overriding Lily and her not speaking is showing her softer, more innocent nature, whereas this is the opposite for Leon. This therefore is showing the difference between the two characters and their personalities.

Questionnaire template used to receive feedback from audience-

This is a questionnaire I created in order to receive feedback from a selection of people who were willing to participate. The questions cover main aspects in which I though to be important, to receive feedback on.

Summary of feedback received-

1st persons feedback- Hannah-

To the question of was there a strong enough message in the film, she said yes because of the effective cuts between scenes and the fact that Lily does not speak shows her worry. She said yes to whether the characters profile and personalities are easy to identify as they are well formed and can be identified easily from the start.

For the third question, she said that because of the cuts between the scenes and the contrast of Lily and Leon, there was tension and an atmosphere throughout the film. The answer to whether the film was interesting and exciting enough was yes, because it was enthralling and there was a questionable, ambiguous ending.

Her favourite part of the film was the concern shared by the mother and Lily in the final scene when they are sitting together and then turn to one another. The least liked part of the film was the sadness that was associated with Leon's character.

There were also no suggestions or other comments on how it could have been a better short film.

2nd persons feedback- Julie-

For the first question, she said that it was very clear that Leon was getting into trouble and that it was affecting the whole family. Her response from are the characters profiles easy to identify?, was that you can tell the sister is much quieter and worried for her brother, and the mum is more fiery and wants to protect Leon.

The answer to whether the film was effective in building up tension and an atmosphere was that all the aspects were very effective and made the viewer want to know what was going to happen next. Also she said there was a feeling that there wasn't going to be a happy ending although there was hope that there might be.

Her response was positive for whether the film is interesting and exciting enough by saying that she felt anxious about what was going to happen next, and this made it exciting. Her favourite part of the film was the way in which Lily was shown to be very worried about Leon although he wasn't interested in her worry. Her least favourite part of the film was where Lily looked into Leon's bedroom at the end, and we assume that he is dead. There were again no improvements or comments added.

3rd persons feedback -Ryan-

The answer to the first question from this person was that there was a strong enough message because the characters made the impact early on and from there, the message was continued and was strong. The answer to the characters profiles was that yes they were because of the costumes used and the acting in which they were directed to do.

The components of the film were said to be effective in building up tension and an atmosphere because there was sometimes harsh lighting and the sound with arguments that were involved, were good in creating the tension and atmosphere.

He said the film was interesting and exciting because there were good shots and fast cuts that made this excitement, along with the story. His favourite part of the film was the policeman scene as there was good acting from Lily and the policeman which made it very effective and interesting to watch. The least favourite part of the film for him was the acting from the mother as he did not think it was convincing enough. His one improvement that he said could be there was that maybe there could be more action incorporated to create a greater sense of Leon being involved with a gang.

Summary-

This feedback, although not from our target audience, who would be industry professionals, have given positive feedback which is very promising and there was only one improvement which was thought of. If I were to change the production, I would incorporate this improvement. However before I would make any changes, I would collect more feedback from more people and also try to receive some from my target audience in order to find out if there was anything else which could have been done to make the production better.

But, looking at the feedback I received makes me think that I have a film which suits the target audience and is interesting enough for them to watch. Therefore it could be said that we as a group were successful in making a film which suits and meets the needs of our target audience.

Feedback received for ancillary texts-

I also received feedback from the same people as before regarding the ancillary texts.

1st persons feedback- Ryan-

Back of postcard-

The first thing he said was that the layout was good because of its clarity, and everything was positioned well. However he did say that he thought the font could be touched up, as it wasn't as good as it could have been. He also commented that maybe there could have been more colour incorporated behind the boxes which the text is in. The one other thing which he said was that the information which was on the back was precise and informative as there wasn't anything on there which was irrelevant.

Front of postcard-

He commented that the title was effective because of the font used and that it stood out from the rest of the picture. Also he said that having the notepad showing hangman was a good idea because the picture speaks for itself and it has real significance in the film. His final wording was that the front was 'simple, but effective'.

Review page-

He thought the details that were shown about the film were very well selected and gave the reader everything they needed to know about the film. The layout was also given compliments as everything was said to be clear and it looks professional. There is also an understanding of what the film is about straight away.

2nd persons feedback- Hannah-

Back of postcard-

The first comment on this was the good usage of colours as she thought they complimented the front of the postcard. However, she did say that there could have been more creativity with the font used.

Front of postcard-

She firstly said that the title was creative and matched what was going on, on the back of the postcard. Also, she commented that the image makes you want to know why shes doing the hangman picture, and that this is a very effective tool, when using it as a marketing strategy.

Review page-

She liked the layout and the picture was said to be eye catching. The title was also seen to be clear and it looks inviting for a person to read.

3rd persons feedback- Julie-

Back of postcard-

She was not sure about the back colour as she said it might have been more suitable if there were colours of black and white as this would have been continuous with the colours of the notepad. The title was questioned as she believed it could have been made bigger for it to stand out more. However she did say that the information was very presentable and it included everything that was needed, especially as it was clear on who was involved in the production.

Front of postcard-

She liked the written style of the font, however she said that maybe there could have been bolder lettering. Despite this, she said the message was clear and that it gives the main point of the whole film.

Review page-

The layout was given compliments to as it was very professional looking and had everyone who was involved with the film accounted for. Adding items such as the cast and credits were seen to be inventive. One thing she especially said was good was the synopsis, as it is in a different coloured box and this makes it stand out. Finally though she did say that maybe it would have been more suitable if the picture had been the same as what was on the postcard.

Summary-

These comments from this selection of people have been good, and there has also been some suggestions where improvements could be made. If I were to do the ancillary tasks again, I would take these suggestions into account, and change some of the things that were said. However, overall they seemed to like my postcard and review page, and so this has made me infer that both of these tasks met the creative and aesthetic needs in order for them to be effective.

Evaluation 2- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Demonstration of my thought process in designing my postcards-

This shows screen grabs from the film, which are all the equivalent to my drawn designs. Then there is an explanation of why I chose to design this and what significance it has.

This screen grab shows one of my designs which I hand drew, and I considered using this image because it is one of the first shots in the film and also it is one of the most important as it is setting both characters identities. Lily is looking for love from her brother and is concerned by what he is doing because she wants him to be safe. Meanwhile, Leon is in his own world and carrying a knife which obviously gives dark messages to the audience for later scenes.

This image is from a scene where Lily is hearing a conversation between her brother and an unknown voice that sounds to be dangerous. She is obviously seen to have taken effect from it and so I believed that it could be used as the image for my postcard as it is showing the distress and effects that Leon and his actions are taking on his sister; and this is one of the main messages in the film.

This screen grab is from scene 11, where Lily has come down after hearing the conversation that scared her. Therefore I chose this image as it shows the brother storming out of the kitchen and the house, while Lily is looking on. Because both of the main characters are in the image and it is a crucial scene, I believed that this for my postcard would have been suitable and effective.

This image, although not one of the main designs that I drew, could have been used as a design and led to me drawing the design which was a picture of all of the family being torn through the middle. This is because the two characters in this image are meant to have a strong bond, and this is replicated in the drawn design, with Leon being the character which is torn off the photo.Therefore I believed that the image would give a strong message on what the film was about, however I did not decide to use it as my final design because I thought it might give too much away about the film.

This image is showing Leon pushing Lily while he makes his way to the front door, and it is different to the way I drew my design, because we changed the way we were going to film when we were at the location, and I had drawn the design already. Therefore, it is not as strong and effective as the image before, and so I did not choose to use it.

This is the image that I used for my postcard, although the one that is on my actual postcard is different because when we filmed this scene, the stills camera was not available and so I had to take a similar picture on another day. I chose this as my final design as I believed it is one of the most key scenes in the film, where she is hearing an argument and spelling out the word brother on the hangman game. The postcard shows this image, but it also makes the viewer question what she is drawing as they would not know until they have seen the film, and so it is a very effective marketing strategy. Consequently this is why I chose to use this image and add a title which looked hand written for my postcard.

Summary-

My thought process when I designed my postcards was that I wanted images that would contain information so the audience would be intrigued, but also some enigma and questions, so that as a marketing campaign, there would be interest which could lead to outcomes such as blogs or pages on social networking sites where word of mouth could occur; and therefore this could create good publicity. I chose the image which I believed could be used for this and the picture also has a major significant object in it, the notebook with the hangman drawing, which is one of the main parts of the film. Consequently, I believe that this image was suitable for the postcard and was the best out of what I designed.

Film magazine review page-

Audio commentary for film review page-

This is an audio commentary which discusses the decisions made over the article content and how I have targeted my audience.

Summary-

I believe that my review page contains all of the items and information which are needed, and the style of the review which I have written, would appeal to the audience in which my film is intended to meet. Therefore basing it on Sight and Sound seemed to be the right decision in creating a page which is an effective combination with the production, as it is a short film.

Evaluation 1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Screen grabs from a short film similar to ours in order to depict the conventions of a real media product-

The film I chose is called Universal Effects, and is based on the effects that knife crime has on a family. This is similar to the genre of our film, as Leon is involved with knife crime and we are seeing the effects of this on his family.

This frame is an establishing shot and they are very conventional is short films where they can occur at all times during the film. They are used to provide the audience with an insight into the geographical location in which the film is meant to be set, and therefore people can make assumptions about what to expect; where then sometimes the outcome may have a twist and is not what the audience expected.

Fast, hard cuts are very common and conventional in short films as they are used to bring pace in order to provide a message which is meant to bring out emotions to the audience. This shot is one where a fast, hard cut was used because the family has just found out that their son/brother has died.

Jump cuts are used in short films to provide an explosive and decisive message, and they are used in this film for the same reason. Therefore they can be said to be conventional in short films, where there is a harsh message trying to be shown and for a film that is dealing with knife crime, it would be expected to have these jump cuts. This shot is a jump cut cutting in closer, where there was a MS before.

Short films usually have a wide variety of shots used, and it is very conventional for there to be close ups of characters in order to show the emotions they are feeling. This will cause the audience to feel some emotion as well, whether it be sympathy or other feelings such as anger. Universal Effects has a lot of CU's and they are used to portray the effects that the family is feeling after the death.

There is frequent use of fades and dissolves in short films, to either show time differences or changes in location. As both of these are very likely to occur in short films, it is conventional to have them. This shot is showing a cross dissolve from a change in location.

This frame is showing a scene outside where there is ambient sound, and this type of sound is very conventional for short films, as there is a want from the producer to get the audience to understand the location and to receive any other information that is important with the scene. This shot i used in Universal Effects to provide the viewer with a feel of the two boys characters and the area they are in.

One thing which is typical for short films, in relation to the camera, is for there to be a lot of movement, and for there to be hand held shots where the feel of realism and somewhat documentary style is wanted. This is common in this short film and is seen a lot films which involve the concepts of crime. Therefore this shot in the film contains movement and the camera is hand held.

The lighting used in this frame is seen to be conventional as their son is dead and there is blue, cold colours used for the lighting. This is conventional as this creates a sad atmosphere for the audience and therefore is used in short films in order to create these types of atmospheres and effects.

The narrative structure of this film is to show an event (the stabbing) and then the effects on the family. This is very conventional for films of this genre, and there is usually the showing of some action, before the effects are shown to have taken toll on the family. This frame is showing the end of the film, where the boy who was stabbed is now dead.

Screen grabs from our film to show the conventions we did and did not use-

This is the first shot in our film, and it has seen to be conventional for there to be establishing shots throughout short films because they provide the viewer with an idea of the location and the surroundings. However we broke this convention because we did not want the audience to become distracted by the stereotypes that would have been apparent if we did have establishing shots; we instead wanted to focus on the emotional effects that were taking place.

This is a very quick cut in our film, and is from the first scene. These are very conventional for short films and we used a lot of them when dealing with emotions or parts of the film where it required pace. Therefore we have stuck to this convention in order to provide the viewer with a clear, explosive message where needed in many scenes in the film.

One very conventional item when looking at the camera shots, is that there is frequent use of CU's when trying to express emotions. We used close ups to try to show emotions where we could, however we only had a few and not as many as we should have. Therefore we did break this convention, because in a lot of scenes where they could have been used, they would have been jump cuts or cutting out other information that was needed in the shot.

This is showing the use of fades and cross dissolves that are present in our film. Our film has a lot of time lapses and changes of locations and days, and so it was necessary to have these dissolves. In Universal Effects, there is a lot of fades used as there also is a lot of changes in the location and time. Therefore we have stuck to this convention as they are needed in order for the film to flow well.

In this shot in the film, Lily is sitting with ambient sound in the background. This is another conventional item in short films as it gets the audience to realise and understand the location and can also play some part in setting up the characters personality. We decided to use a lot of ambient sound in our film in order to provide the viewer with a sense of what Lily is like and it also has other significance, as for example the same TV show is on everyday in the living room.

This frame is showing a convention that is apparent with lighting, where that when there has been death or sadness in the film, there is blue, cold lighting used. We used this convention because we believed it would be effective to the audience because it could represent anything that is sad, and there is no conclusion to whether a death has occurred.

This frame is showing the effects of Leon's actions on Lily and the distress she is going through. The convention for a short film that is relating to a similar genre to ours is that the narrative structure is usually set out so that the audience see some action, such as someone being beaten up or stabbed, and then after the effects are shown. However we have broken this convention as we show the effects throughout from the beginning, and the film does not contain any action of Leon being beaten up or stabbed. We went against this convention because we did not want the audience to focus on the actions that would have been shown, rather the effects that are taking place on the family and especially Lily.

This frame is showing a jump cut that we used in our film, and we decided to use it as our style in order to make our film different. In the film that I chose to depict conventions from, they also used jump cuts, and so it could be said to be a convention when dealing with films that are similar to our genre. We used them to bring impact and expressive emotions and this will also be used when dealing with issues such as knife crime.

This frame is showing some use of camera movement, as it was seen to be conventional for there to be a lot of camera movement and free hand used. We do have camera movement in our project, but only a couple of hand held shots such as this one. Therefore we have partly used this convention, but have not used as many hand held shots as other short films and in this aspect we have broken this convention. We did not use too many hand held shots because we were not showing any kind of action such as a stabbing, and so we did not think it would be suitable.

Summary-

I chose Universal Effects because it is based on a similar concept as our film, and so depicting the conventions from this film seemed suitable. In My Brother Leon, we have used many conventions that are present with short films, but we have also broken some as we wanted to be different in some ways, and did not think that some conventions were suitable, such as the establishing shot convention. Evaluating the production has made me realise that we have had a mix of using conventions of short films similar to ours, but also breaking some; and now when looking at the production, I believe that we could have incorporated some conventions which were not present or were of very little presence, such as having more CU's. However I believe that even though we have broken a few conventions, we have made our own style and an effective short film that provides a strong message which is necessary in order for it to be successful.