Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?
This is Question 4 as part of our evaluation. We have discussed who would be the audience for our media product in terms of age, gender and class.
Evaluation Question 3: What kind of media product might distribute your media product?
This is the answer to Question 3 as part of our evaluation. We have discussed possible methods to distribute our media product; by a film studio and through an opening scene.
Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?
This is the answer to question 2 as part of our evaluation. We have discussed how our opening scene represents sexuality, subcultures and age.
Evaluation Question 1 : In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
This is our answer to the first question of our evaluation. We all took part in the construction of the answer, I wrote the scripts, me and Sian recorded the voiceover, and Rebecca put together the powerpoint with the audio.
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Evaluation : What Went Well
Overall I think that the process of creating our opening scene was relatively successful and we managed to improve on our preliminary to create a good romantic-comedy narrative and opening scene.
For our planning, I think our research went particularly well because we gained a lot of in-depth knowledge about the genre and characters before beginning to form our own concept. We spent a lot of time formulating different ideas and options for our opening scene based on what we had found out and then once we had a basis of what we wanted to do, we began to sculpt and mould the ideas to be better. For example, we came up with a simple narrative about how we wanted to show the journey of the character 'coming out' and then we began to add to it by coming up with the idea of using texting which we got from researching into rom-com LoL. We also then decided to begin with the end of the film, an idea we got from researching into Love Rosie which we perhaps wouldn't have thought of hadn't we done enough research.
For our filming, I think our directing and visions were what went well as when we got on the set for each scene we already knew exactly what we wanted to do and what needed to be done. This enabled us to then effectively direct the actors and the camera to make the visions become reality. It also increased our productivity as we began to film as soon as possible after arriving on the sets rather than spending time trying to figure out what to do and having to constantly change and refilm things.
For editing, the studio logo went particularly well considering none of our group had previously ever made one and when completed we were impressed with what we had created and now have learnt a new skill. Also our perseverance was something that helped us achieve a good final product because when editing we faced numerous difficulties, but managed to learn and find a way to overcome each of them which enabled us to carry to get our final product.
Finally for our evaluation, our delegating went well as we split up what needed to be done between the group which meant everyone had a high level of input and lots of different ideas were discussed for each question. It also meant that we managed to complete the whole evaluation in a shorter timeframe as everyone took on a piece of the workload to complete rather than us each doing it individually which would've taken longer.
For our planning, I think our research went particularly well because we gained a lot of in-depth knowledge about the genre and characters before beginning to form our own concept. We spent a lot of time formulating different ideas and options for our opening scene based on what we had found out and then once we had a basis of what we wanted to do, we began to sculpt and mould the ideas to be better. For example, we came up with a simple narrative about how we wanted to show the journey of the character 'coming out' and then we began to add to it by coming up with the idea of using texting which we got from researching into rom-com LoL. We also then decided to begin with the end of the film, an idea we got from researching into Love Rosie which we perhaps wouldn't have thought of hadn't we done enough research.
For our filming, I think our directing and visions were what went well as when we got on the set for each scene we already knew exactly what we wanted to do and what needed to be done. This enabled us to then effectively direct the actors and the camera to make the visions become reality. It also increased our productivity as we began to film as soon as possible after arriving on the sets rather than spending time trying to figure out what to do and having to constantly change and refilm things.
For editing, the studio logo went particularly well considering none of our group had previously ever made one and when completed we were impressed with what we had created and now have learnt a new skill. Also our perseverance was something that helped us achieve a good final product because when editing we faced numerous difficulties, but managed to learn and find a way to overcome each of them which enabled us to carry to get our final product.
Finally for our evaluation, our delegating went well as we split up what needed to be done between the group which meant everyone had a high level of input and lots of different ideas were discussed for each question. It also meant that we managed to complete the whole evaluation in a shorter timeframe as everyone took on a piece of the workload to complete rather than us each doing it individually which would've taken longer.
Evaluation: The Editing Process
After beginning the filming process of our opening scene, we began a long editing process, spending around 8 hours editing our opening scene. At the start of the process we appointed Sian as the main editor as she had the most experience in editing out of the three of us and understood the software we used - Adobe Premiere Pro - better than us.
After filming our first scene we started to review the footage and put the different shots we had filmed into chronological order. However, we quickly noticed that the shots hadn't turned out as we hoped with the actors breaking the 4th wall, and we didn't have a range of shots. At this point we decided the best thing to do was to re-film the whole scene.
The titles were then created and added over the shots in the conventional order of a title sequence. We wanted to make them subtle over the shots so used a white, simple font. We once again added transitions to the titles so they faded in and out with the shots. We had some problems with the titles and kept coming across the issue of what we typed not going onto the shots when we dragged them into the sequence. We quickly overcome this however, by rendering the project and re-opening it.
After filming our first scene we started to review the footage and put the different shots we had filmed into chronological order. However, we quickly noticed that the shots hadn't turned out as we hoped with the actors breaking the 4th wall, and we didn't have a range of shots. At this point we decided the best thing to do was to re-film the whole scene.
After re-filming the scene, we repeated what we did prior and put the shots into chronological order. The new version of the scene looked alot better than the original version and so we then started to cut down the shots, and edit them so we could switch between them during the scene of dialogue. We soon began to realise that the end of the scene didn't seem to work and there was continuity error with the character standing up and to tracking him backwards. At this part there was also a problem with the audio levels between the previous shot and when tracking. To fix these two issues we had to first add a dissolve transition between the two shots where there was a continuity error to show a passage of time and then we refilmed the audio of the final scene and put it over the shot with a slight echo so it fades and matches the transition we added.
We followed the same pattern for the next scene filmed at the Tamworth castle grounds; ordering the shots and cutting them down to size. That's when we began to look at audio and sound levels. We planned for the shots in the scene to be accompanied with a soundtrack so we reviewed the audio in each shot and lowered it ready for when the soundtrack was put over.
Following this, we started to add transitions at the beginning and end of each shot for the first scene. We crossed the transitions over between the scenes to make them more fluid rather than cutting and rigid. We also added the transition 'dip to black' at the last shot of the first scene to signify the ending of that scene and also at the end of the second scene to signify an ending.
The titles were then created and added over the shots in the conventional order of a title sequence. We wanted to make them subtle over the shots so used a white, simple font. We once again added transitions to the titles so they faded in and out with the shots. We had some problems with the titles and kept coming across the issue of what we typed not going onto the shots when we dragged them into the sequence. We quickly overcome this however, by rendering the project and re-opening it.
Once this was complete, and we had rough draft of our opening scene we got it reviewed by our teacher who found the narrative confusing and suggested reordering the two scenes making our originally-planned first scene the last. We took this into consideration and how the narrative we created was portrayed to the audience but decided to stick with the original order. We did however, review our opening scene and make changes to help the narrative for example adding '6 months earlier' prior to our last scene and over our establishing shot to set the time-frame to the audience.
The final stage of our editing process was to add our soundtrack to the opening scene. We decided on the karaoke version of I'm Yours by Jason Mraz as the sound matched the light narrative we were trying to portray. Once the soundtrack was converted into an MP3 file, we inserted it into the sequence and spent time adjusting all of the audio levels until the soundtrack was balanced with the audio of the shots.
We did a final review and then the first draft of our opening scene was completed and edited together.
Casting - Costumes
When storyboarding for our opening scene we had a very clear vision of the costumes and instructed the actors for each scene on what they should wear.
As we wanted to present the idea that it was set in winter and cold in our first scene, it was crucial that the two actors dressed to match the weather. Both actors wore coats, one wore a scarf, and in the opening shot where the camera shows the two hands entwined and then pans up, it is visible that the characters are wearing gloves. This is shown in the photo below, taken directly from our finished product.
For our second scene, we needed to try and portray as best as possible that it was set in canteen - a sixth form canteen. We did so by ensuring that all the characters were dressed in what would be appropriate attire for sixth form, with the 3 male characters in suits and the female friend in smart monochrome. However, the two characters on the left of the shot were both wearing matching ties which we deliberately made sure our protagonist wasn't wearing in order to connote the idea there was a difference between them and him. The costumes for all these characters in the second scene is shown in the photo below, taken directly from the finish product.
As we wanted to present the idea that it was set in winter and cold in our first scene, it was crucial that the two actors dressed to match the weather. Both actors wore coats, one wore a scarf, and in the opening shot where the camera shows the two hands entwined and then pans up, it is visible that the characters are wearing gloves. This is shown in the photo below, taken directly from our finished product.
For our second scene, we needed to try and portray as best as possible that it was set in canteen - a sixth form canteen. We did so by ensuring that all the characters were dressed in what would be appropriate attire for sixth form, with the 3 male characters in suits and the female friend in smart monochrome. However, the two characters on the left of the shot were both wearing matching ties which we deliberately made sure our protagonist wasn't wearing in order to connote the idea there was a difference between them and him. The costumes for all these characters in the second scene is shown in the photo below, taken directly from the finish product.
Casting - Our Characters
For our opening scene we have spent a lot of time researching into characters and creating individual characters for all those we had drafted onto our storyboards. Overall, we have two protagonists and 3 minor characters in our opening scene.
For our two protagonists we came up with a criteria to create an individual personality and gave this to our actors in order to make the characters as believable as possible. We spent time researching into the portrayal of homosexuals in different media texts such as Glee where we looked into how young homosexual teenagers are represented and Modern Family where we looked into how a serious homosexual couple were represented.
For the main protagonist Matt we decided he should be:
- Slightly Insecure
- Stereotypically Normal
- Friendly
- Excitable (around Sam)
- Confused
For Matt's love interest - our second protagonist Sam - we decided he should be:
- Excitable
- Hyper
- In Love
- Over-dramatic
- Stereo-typically Gay
- Funny
We found the actors for these two characters through Sian's mutual friends and both actors were homosexual which made them more comfortable when filming the scenes than if the actors were straight.
We cast the 3 friends based on mutual friends who were comfortable with acting and available during the allocated times on our production schedule.
The cast was as follows:
Matt - Matt Wallpole
Sam - Tom Higgins
Friend 1 - Tom Hendry
Friend 2 - Christopher Mcnulty
Friend 3 - Becky Harris
Before filming, we informed each of the cast members about their role and gave them an insight into each character to prepare them and make the beginning of filming more efficient and we also instructed them on the costumes. For Matt and Sam in the first scene, we asked the actors to wear warm clothing, portraying the idea that it was set in winter. For the scene in the school canteen, we asked all the actors to wear suits and to look smart to make the setting more credible and believable.
For our two protagonists we came up with a criteria to create an individual personality and gave this to our actors in order to make the characters as believable as possible. We spent time researching into the portrayal of homosexuals in different media texts such as Glee where we looked into how young homosexual teenagers are represented and Modern Family where we looked into how a serious homosexual couple were represented.
For the main protagonist Matt we decided he should be:
- Slightly Insecure
- Stereotypically Normal
- Friendly
- Excitable (around Sam)
- Confused
For Matt's love interest - our second protagonist Sam - we decided he should be:
- Excitable
- Hyper
- In Love
- Over-dramatic
- Stereo-typically Gay
- Funny
We found the actors for these two characters through Sian's mutual friends and both actors were homosexual which made them more comfortable when filming the scenes than if the actors were straight.
We cast the 3 friends based on mutual friends who were comfortable with acting and available during the allocated times on our production schedule.
The cast was as follows:
Matt - Matt Wallpole
Sam - Tom Higgins
Friend 1 - Tom Hendry
Friend 2 - Christopher Mcnulty
Friend 3 - Becky Harris
Before filming, we informed each of the cast members about their role and gave them an insight into each character to prepare them and make the beginning of filming more efficient and we also instructed them on the costumes. For Matt and Sam in the first scene, we asked the actors to wear warm clothing, portraying the idea that it was set in winter. For the scene in the school canteen, we asked all the actors to wear suits and to look smart to make the setting more credible and believable.
Role Allocation - My Role In Creating Our Opening Scene.
In creating the opening scene I had an active role in all stages. This is because we made the decision as a group at the beginning of the process that for each stage we would delegate roles so everyone had some sort of responsibility.
When forming the concept of our film, we collectively decided on the genre of Romantic-Comedy and then I began to research further into it and began putting forth possible narratives. I collected my research by forming mindmaps of ideas for our film (featured on my blog) and researched into existing products, in particular one my favourite films - Love Rosie. It was from researching into this film that we came up with the idea to begin with the end of the film. Another film I researched into was Lol featuring Miley Cyrus and Douglas Booth. From this film, we got the idea of incorporating technology and texting into our opening scene.
Once we had the narrative for our opening scene I created two storyboards, a physical version where I drew what we wanted for each shot and then repeated this by creating a digital storyboard. We began a production schedule and collectively planned when we were going to film and edit based on the time we had been given and our schedules.
When filming, my main role was to direct the other members of the group and direct the shots to match what we had story-boarded and planned. After filming each shot, I along with the other members of the group would rewatch what we had filmed to ensure it was as we wanted, and if needed I would re-direct the actors and shots to ensure they looked good.
After filming, we moved on to editing which I have very little previous experience in so I took more of a backseat role so Sian, who was the strongest editor in our group, could lead the stage. I did however still participate in the editing process and had a very active role. I was present throughout editing the opening scene, and had regular input into what we could change and what needed to be done. I was also responsible for creating the title sequence and editing it onto the opening scene and also worked on picking the soundtrack.
For our evaluation I had a dominant role as writing is one of my strengths and was involved in creating 6 out of 7 of the questions. As a group we had discussed what we wanted to involve in all of the answers and decided which questions were going to be completed by who and in what format. For Questions 2, 3 and 4, I was responsible for writing and creating the Prezi's. For questions 1 and 7 we decided to answer digitally and my role in creating these questions was I scripted the answers and recorded them as a voice-over ready to be inputted over the powerpoint created by Rebecca and our opening scene.
Overall as a group we worked well and all shared the different roles and responsibilities based on our strengths. Rebecca was heavily involved in the filming process because she had experience using the cameras and filming, Sian was heavily involved in the editing process because she is the strongest editor and has experience using the software, and I was heavily involved in the evaluations as my strength is more writing and answering questions.
When forming the concept of our film, we collectively decided on the genre of Romantic-Comedy and then I began to research further into it and began putting forth possible narratives. I collected my research by forming mindmaps of ideas for our film (featured on my blog) and researched into existing products, in particular one my favourite films - Love Rosie. It was from researching into this film that we came up with the idea to begin with the end of the film. Another film I researched into was Lol featuring Miley Cyrus and Douglas Booth. From this film, we got the idea of incorporating technology and texting into our opening scene.
Once we had the narrative for our opening scene I created two storyboards, a physical version where I drew what we wanted for each shot and then repeated this by creating a digital storyboard. We began a production schedule and collectively planned when we were going to film and edit based on the time we had been given and our schedules.
When filming, my main role was to direct the other members of the group and direct the shots to match what we had story-boarded and planned. After filming each shot, I along with the other members of the group would rewatch what we had filmed to ensure it was as we wanted, and if needed I would re-direct the actors and shots to ensure they looked good.
After filming, we moved on to editing which I have very little previous experience in so I took more of a backseat role so Sian, who was the strongest editor in our group, could lead the stage. I did however still participate in the editing process and had a very active role. I was present throughout editing the opening scene, and had regular input into what we could change and what needed to be done. I was also responsible for creating the title sequence and editing it onto the opening scene and also worked on picking the soundtrack.
For our evaluation I had a dominant role as writing is one of my strengths and was involved in creating 6 out of 7 of the questions. As a group we had discussed what we wanted to involve in all of the answers and decided which questions were going to be completed by who and in what format. For Questions 2, 3 and 4, I was responsible for writing and creating the Prezi's. For questions 1 and 7 we decided to answer digitally and my role in creating these questions was I scripted the answers and recorded them as a voice-over ready to be inputted over the powerpoint created by Rebecca and our opening scene.
Overall as a group we worked well and all shared the different roles and responsibilities based on our strengths. Rebecca was heavily involved in the filming process because she had experience using the cameras and filming, Sian was heavily involved in the editing process because she is the strongest editor and has experience using the software, and I was heavily involved in the evaluations as my strength is more writing and answering questions.