Evaluation Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task, do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Evaluation Q6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of making this product?

 In the production of my media text I now have a much better knowledge about using a camcorder to film. To be able to film effectively with a camcorder there are some factors that need to be taken into consideration. Using a tripod is very important for certain shots to keep it steady and get an even shot. I found using a tripod for panning shots is much more effective than holding the camcorder.

Lighting is also a big factor when being able to film effectively. I had to re-film a shot because the lighting wasn’t good enough and you could not see the character clearly - because of this I learnt that I should film a shot more than once so that there is a higher chance I will have a successful shot and not need to go and film the same shot again on a different occasion.

Through editing and film sequence I have learnt that keeping all shots during the editing process is very important. After editing you never know when things might change or you may have added in something or take something away therefore you may need to change something else. Editing also helped with the length of my media text. I was able to speed up certain shots if they were too long or slow down shots if I needed it to last longer.

I also learnt in editing it’s best to edit small parts at a time as often a couple of milliseconds can make a big difference and it’s easiest if you don’t have to redo a whole shot because you cut too much. Editing little and often is also something I found successful. 

I found editing scenes soon after you’ve filmed them rather than once you’ve done all your filming works better as it’s easier to establish what you still need to film to improve it or not to film something you were originally going to film as it looks good enough without it – saving you time that could be spent doing something else.

Post production skills I have learnt are to do with sound/music and titles and special effects. Choosing the right song for my media text was very important and music plays a big role in all films. I found finding a good range of music first was best rather than thinking of one and hoping it will work. By picking a few when it comes to putting it onto the film you will have a better choice therefore more likely to pick the best suited one. 

I also learnt about multi trimming sound and being able to take sound form one shot and putting it into another one. In the fight scene I had a scene that was much better than another but the sound wasn’t as good so I moved it so it played at time that was suitable for the other shot – this was really successful. I learnt that adding the titles can be part of the film rather than just being on the screen. For example when my main character opens his drawer I have a title come out of the drawer at the same time and I think this works really successfully. 

Finally I have used flashbacks in my film and originally it was hard to distinguish between when was and wasn’t a flashback. My teacher showed me the flashback effect that you can add before and after the flashback shots and this works so well in my media text and it’s now a lot clearer to the audience as to which bit is a flashback.

Evaluation Q5: What elements of your text would attract the target audience?

Evaluation Q4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation Q3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think the best distribution company for my media text would be Capelight Pictures. The same company was also involved in the distribution of the British crime film ‘Kidulthood’ and its sequel ‘Adulthood’ and another successful film ‘Cherrybomb’, also British with a sub genre of crime. Capelight Pictures has past experience working with low budget, British crime films, with a certificate of 15. This would definitely be an advantage as they would know what the film industry is looking for in the same genre my media text is. I think this type of distribution company would be a better option to opt for as bigger company’s will be used to working with films that have a much bigger budget and well known actors; they may not have as much experience distributing smaller, low budget films. I think Capelight would be interested in distributing my media text as it will also be a low budget, crime film and they have been involved with the same genre of films before.

Evaluation Q2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The genre of my media text is crime/gangster and this genre can influence the type of person used. Young adults are often used in this genre of film as they are young and their fitness ability is higher they can be involved in, for example fights and chase scenes. The two characters that are featured in my media text are late teens as one is in college and the other very early twenties. I have indicated this through a number of different factors for example costume and props, body language and camera shots.

I have used costume to represent the type of people I have used in my media text as I think it is a clear indicator to the audience. Hoodies have been associated with teenagers and young adults, especially in circumstances of crime. Dan (the older character) wears a hoodie in the majority of the film, Dan is unemployed and quite lazy and I think a hoodie is ‘easy’ clothing therefore it suits his representation. The stereotype teenager also uses a hoodie to cover their face, this has been linked to crime by people using a hoodie to cover their face when stealing so they cannot be caught. Therefore I think using this in my media text will clearly tell the audience the age group of my character and maybe hinder that he has been involved in some sort of crime. My second character is Shaun, he is in his late teens and is represented is a better light that Dan as he is the one who is beaten up. Shaun wear quite popular clothes among his age group at the moment - I wanted to represent him as being a popular guy who everyone likes and I think the type of clothing I chose (dark jeans and wet look jacket) portrays this well as he looks like he would ‘fit in’.

Props have also been used to represent the type of person used in my film. I have had all the characters use modern phones that are very popular among young people and I think this gives a clear indication of the type of person my characters are – someone who likes to have the latest phone and likes to be in touch with their friends as all have their phone on the all the time. Smoking is also often associated with teenage/young adult crime and this is partly the reason I have one of my characters smoking in a scene as I doesn’t really portray them in a positive light.

The use of body language also subtly suggests what type of person the characters are. For example in one scene I have a young adult slouching against a wall; it is unlikely you would find a middle aged or older man doing this. In the very first scene I have one of my characters relaxing on his bed, I think this is more common among young adults and this gives an indicator of my characters being of a young age group.

Camera shots are also used to indicate the type of person my characters are. In the fight scene I edited it so there are lots of short, fast paced shots, not only does this make the scene more interesting to watch but it suggests the fight is happening very quickly and this would not be possible if the character were quite old therefore giving an indication of the type of person my characters are.

Overall I think I have used a variety of factors to represent my characters and I think this has worked well. I have also tried to represent the typical person of their age group and characteristics to make it clear to the audience what type of person my characters are.

Evaluation Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the convention of real media products?

Preliminary Task

 I did this preliminary filming to get used to the camera and get an idea of how I want to film my media text.

Props and Costume Boards

Doing these props and costume boards I have put more thought into how the props and costume will portray the type of person the characters are. It has also made me think about the type of clothing that stereotypes teenagers and young adults and how I can use this to my advantage to make it clear how old each character is.

Settings Board

Using this park to film our main character running away from his enemy will work really effectively. I will have the freedom to film from a range of different angles making for a more interesting media text. 

I think the open space also offers more choice for where I can film the main character running.

This is where I plan to film the final scene of my media text of the main character flagging down a bus. I thought this bus station would be appropriate as there are rarely any people there so I won't have any interruptions when filming.The position of the bus stop against a long road will also give us more choice for camera shots.

This is the house I will use to film inside and out. I think it suits the type of person my main character is and the type of background he comes from. The angle that door comes out on to the path is perfect for what I want to film when my main characters comes out of the house.

By looking into the setting and where I want to film in detail it has made me think about the types of shots I want to use in my media text and how different shots will be more successfully in different places. By doing this I have taken into account how I will film and I feel more confident about where I have chosen to do my filming because of this.

Character Profiles

Doing these character profiles has made me think more about the type of person that each character is. Hopefully by doing this I will be able to portray the characters personality more successfully in the film therefore making it more successful and the viewer sympathising with the characters.