Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
At first I was intending to make a more conventional film; I was really inspired by the introduction to Apocalypse Now, I loved the idea of an introduction about someone lost in their own thoughts and going completely insane with a lot of close-up shots. However I realised it wouldn’t be possible to make anything nearly as good as that; after all, Apocalypse Now is such a widely known film, and the actor would’ve rehearsed that scene lots of times.
Our film wouldn’t be the type to be viewed in cinemas; it is more of an unusual art film. It is for a young audience (ages 15+) who prefer ambiguous psychological films which could have a few different meanings. For example, the idea of her sitting in a dark room could be interpreted literally, or it could be symbolic of her mental state, like she is escaping from a prison of her own device. It isn’t a conventional psychological thriller; first of all, the filming in most thrillers isn’t usually unsteady, or intentionally unsteady. Also the lighting changes in the parts where we filmed Louise in the bunker at La Pulente and in the dark room at school. The music is a lot louder than music usually is in title sequences. There isn’t much given away in the introduction, but this is how I intended it to be.
2. How does your media represent particular social groups?
Our film represents a girl in her late teens who is going insane and has felt completely trapped. It is about her escape from this and her new life. It isn’t a typical angsty film about teenagers falling out with their parents and running away, it’s about this girl’s mental journey. Instead of her life spiralling downwards from the introduction, it gets better.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Touchstone Pictures would distribute our film as it is one of several alternate film labels of the Walt Disney Company. Its films are more mature than the films typically associated with Walt Disney. If I could’ve changed the film company now I would; as I think Touchstone Pictures is probably too well-known for a film like ours. It would be distributed by a small film company, as it isn’t the type that appeals to a large audience. I think a company such as Paramount Vantage which produces more art-house films than commercial films.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
I really like the first shot of Louise as it goes well with the music; I think it would make the audience want to continue watching. I also think the music draws the audience in at first; it gets rather repetitive towards the end but at the beginning it sounds quite exciting. The shots down the pathway are aimed to make the audience feel like they are exploring this place and trying to find out more about this mysterious girl hiding in a dark room. I decided to rate the film as 15; partly because it wouldn’t appeal to anyone below that age. There would also be slightly disturbing scenes in Louise’s flashbacks of her past.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Before starting this year of Media Studies, I had never used a camera the size of the Canon XL2, and it proved to be difficult to maneuver at first as it is so heavy. I didn’t realise shooting a 2 minute introduction could be so time-consuming; however I can say that I can now successfully use a Canon XL2, after the initial hang-ups of not working out where the record button was located. I’m glad Sophie and I decided not to include speaking in our introduction as it would’ve been very hard to edit. I found the editing on iMovie HD relatively easy, and I think it runs quite smoothly and fits in well with the music. I think the fading in and out transitions from the pathway to Louise work well. Adding the music as a final touch was difficult as I had to edit a 5 minute song on to a 2 minute introduction; I suppose it’s lucky that I chose such a repetitive song.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full?
I think the biggest flaw in mine and Sophie’s production was time management; we got off to a slow start and it was difficult to try and catch up when it came to completing our film intro. I also think we should’ve balanced out the work more as I ended up doing the majority of the editing and filming.
I have learnt a lot in making this production; mine and Sophie’s introduction runs a lot smoother than my initial preliminary and makes a bit more sense. Perhaps that is because I had to film my preliminary about 5 times because it kept getting deleted and I ended up getting fed up. I have also learnt how to successfully turn on a Canon XL2, and shoot relatively steady shots compared to how mine were at the beginning of the year. I also learnt that After Effects (the editing program we used) isn’t as complicated as it looks, and once I got the hang of it I found iMovie HD very easy to use.
Over-all, I have really enjoyed making this production. I think we picked a good location even if it was very far out. Even though our film introduction didn’t turn out exactly as planned, I am personally quite pleased with it.
