Evaluation Task 7 - What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from the Preliminary Task to the full product?

I have learnt many different things since doing my Preliminary task and feel I have improved and progressed while learning a wide range of things during the production of our final product.

When producing our Preliminary task i learnt what shot reverse shot was as it was a technique we had to use. This helped me to understand what this was and how to use it. Since then I have learnt how to use this shot more effectively and in our final product was able to use an over the shoulder shot when using shot reverse shot so that it was more clear that the two people were in a conversation and we were not cutting between scenes. We were also able to apply this technique to a genre of film as our Preliminary task was not of a specific genre. We were also able to use mid-shots to emphasise the importance of this conversation as it is the first time the male and female lead roles meet. 

I also made progress in the different camera shots and angles I learnt to use, this is shown as in the Preliminary task we used basic shots and did not move the camera often, especially when inside the room. However in my final product the camera was moved much more which is evident in Madison's room as the camera zooms in and out of different feminine props, setting the scene and pans following Madison across the room. 

Another technique we used in our preliminary task was match on action. This allowed us to cut out unnecessary pieces of information that added too much time to the end of our film. Learning this benefited me in my final product as it meant I knew how to make cuts between different pieces of footage that was not needed and made the film a lot longer than it should be. It also allowed us to make smoother cuts that made the continuity of our film flow much better. 

In our Preliminary task we paid attention to what was in the immediate back ground of our shots and some of our shots had other things such as recycling bins in them. However we were much more observant of this when it came to our final product and we tried to make sure that the framing of our product did not contain anything that it should not have.


We also learnt how to crop parts of the image out of the screen when making our final product, this was really effective as it made it easier to get suitable footage. For example when we were driving the car we had to crop out part of the image as there was a reflection of Alice from when she was filming.


I also think our planning has improved since we made our preliminary task, this is evident in the costumes we used. As our preliminary task had no genre the costumes were not vital as the people in the film were ordinary people so we did not think this was necessary , however costumes were much more essential in our final product as we needed to find a way to portray these characters so that it was easier to tell which characters had which personality's and characteristics therefore we  had to make sure that the costumes fit the stereotypical conventions of a teen angst film and the characters involved.

The Mode of Address was similar in both the Preliminary task and our final product. We used standard English in our final product as this meant there were no accents that can be difficult to understand for certain people. This also makes it seem more professional, which is why we used it in our preliminary task as the pet shop would be professional as this makes it seem more sophisticated in a shop.

Our final product also used titles which is something we did not use in our preliminary task. This was something new we learnt so we were able to experiment with different types of fonts and colors. Using this in our final product is effective as it made it a lot more realistic like other teen angst films.

Evaluation Task 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

 When creating our media film we used a variety of different technologies which each benefited the production of our film in different ways due to their own personal advantages and disadvantages. This taught me how different technologies work and how to use them all. 

Google Chrome 

Firstly we used a laptop computer to use two different web browsers, Google Chrome and Internet explorer to search for different teen angst films and to do some research into these films so that we could try to learn the stereotypical conventions of a teen angst film to ensure that our film fit this. However after searching for these teen angst films we thought we should watch them to explore them further and discover 

Internet explorer logo

Netflix

things for ourselves. I watched the majority of these films on Netflix, and some others I already had on DVD. 

After researching these movies our next step was to plan our piece. During the planning of our piece we used email accounts and text messaging to organise things with each other and help each other to plan.

Microsoft email

Gmail

Facebook messenger

I think using email was really effective as we could all communicate on conversations together so everyone got all the information we needed and we were not passing on information to each other. It also meant we could send documents so everyone could see the work each person was doing to make sure everyone was doing equal amounts of work. We also used the well known app facebook messenger, another way we could communicate with each other. During the planning stage we also created a PowerPoint presentation to present to the class with a pitch of all our ideas to the class. While we were carrying out or planning we used a 

Microsoft Powerpoint

Blogger logo

website associated with google called blogger. On this website we were able to keep track of our progress and show how we planned and what research we did. I think using this website was really useful for me as it meant I could be organised and keep track of everything I was doing as I did. It also allowed me to checkpoint and make sure everything I needed to be done was done. 

Tripod

The next part of our planning process was the filming of our piece. To do this we used a HD camera so that we would record good quality. I was not used to recording with these cameras so learnt a lot, I learnt what buttons do what and I also learnt how to playback videos.  To make sure we had steady footage we used a tripod to film the majority of our opening sequence. I learnt that this was much better to use as it meant that our filming was not jumpy. 

Voice recorder

As we used a voiceover in our product we had to use a voice recorder. I had not previously used this so I had to learn all the buttons that I would use and also learn how to play this back to make sure we had a clear recording. 

After filming and recording on the voicerecorder we had to transfer all of this onto the Mac computers using the leads, we then had to up load this work onto the editing software we were going to use. We used a software called final cut pro. This program allowed us to layer different things on top of each other, which included the footage, sounds and also to add special effects and transformations between each clip. Final cut pro is also designed for the brand of products Mac which made the general application of the software easier and short cuts made for the Mac's made the process more efficient. As this software was new to me I found it very difficult to use but as I worked on the project more I became more familiar with the programme and can now say I am more confident in using this. 

Adobe photoshop logo

When making the logo for our film name a program called adobe photoshop was used. This was to edit fonts and a lips logo onto a transparent background that did not effect the background in the film when it appeared. I have not used this program before and really struggled with different techniques and how to do certain things but after spending some time exploring the programme I found it so much easier to complete this. 

When searching for sound for our piece that we could legally use we used a website called freeplay music. This website was really difficult to search on and we spent a lot of time searching for a piece we could use. After this we had to download the piece and make sure it was stored in a safe place. Our next step was taking the piece and transferring it off of the laptop and onto the Mac. To do this we used a memory stick, I am used to using memory sticks, however not used to taking stuff off of them onto a Mac, therefore by carrying out this procedure I learnt how to do this. 

Evaluation task 5 - How did you address/attract your target audience?

Paragraph 1 - This attracts our audience as it highlights that our film specializes in British film making and that the only films we produce are of a high quality star rating

Paragraph 2 - The use of the girls handwriting and the purple font attract a female audience due to connotation of love and femininity

Paragraph 3 - The kiss attracts an audience as it is widely used in teen angst films, such as Angus, thongs and perfect snogging but also as it connotes love and romance, something widely seen and expected in teen angst films

Paragraph 4 - Having the alarm clock ringing shows that she is just a normal girl with a daily routine. This will attract the audience as it portrays realism and makes Madison more relateable. This would show personal identity for the audience

Paragraph 5 - The note from Madison's mum is something teen girls are used to seeing if their Mum has to tell them something. This will make them portray Madison as a character that they are similar to.

Paragraph 6 - This is an iconic scene shown in many teen angst movies so therefore the target audience would expect to see something similar in this film. This is also something girls experience often as they have to try to decide what to wear, it also suggests that madison cares alot about her appearance and teen girls would empathize with her as they do too and want to fit in with the trends.

Paragraph 7 - The pink fonts connote the femininity of the teen girl (Madison) which will therefore attract the audience as it is stereotypically associated as a female colour and is used in many teen angst films such as 27 dresses and mean girls.

Paragraph 8 - Seeing the front of the school attracts the teen audience as they can relate to the age of the characters and therefore will feel more emotion towards these characters.

Paragraph 9 - The use of the sporty group of boys shows the audience different social groups. This group is a stereotypical group seen in many schools and therefore teen girls expect to see this in the film.

Paragraph 10 - The iconography of the lockers show the audience that it is a real school and represent this. This makes it realistic and sets the scene so the audience can imagine and relate to this

Paragraph 11 - A mid shot of the door being flung open shows the first bit of drama in the movie, the audience will be intrigued to see the narrative and will want to continue to see more.

Paragraph 12 - The group of girls moving out of the way when the trio of antagonists walk through the door show the authority they hold. The audience will want to see this as they want to know the backgrounds to these girls story.

Paragraph 13  Amber waving and greeting Dylan shows her crushing on him. Stereotypically it is expected that the mean girl and the popular boy are together and like each other. This happens in both teen angst films and in real life situations, therefore the teen audience are looking out to see this and will therefore want to watch it to see what develops.

Paragraph 14 - Dylan helping Madison and their conversation when they first meet each other shows the audience the start of their relationship. This is a stereotypical relationship in teen angst films, such as High school musical and the audience enjoy seeing this as they aspire for this situation to happen to them

Evaluation 4 - who would be the target audience for your media product?

This is an image of the target audience we have aimed our film towards. We think that the audience of our film will mainly be females and we think that they will be between 14-16 years of age, which is why our idea of the target audience member is 15 years of age.

We think this audience member will come from a British background as this is a British made, low-budget film so it is not likely to spread globally so people in other countries may not see it.

The target audience we have aimed our film towards will still be in secondary school studying their GCSE's which could mean they are on no income, however they also may have part-time jobs to give them some income, which is still likely to be very low. One of the jobs they might have at this age is a waitress in a local restaurant which is why we have suggested this in our image of our target audience.

Psychographics

The personal characteristics of our target audience show what they are like, it is important to consider this as it suggests what types of young girls this film will appeal to and will want to go and see it, as not all 15 year old girls will enjoy going to see films like this due to personal preferences.

We thought that the target audience of our film would have quite an outgoing personality and would probably be quite popular, she would also care about her appearance and follow trends, however she would have positive attitudes towards school and ambitions to go to university. She would  be very materialistic and care alot about making sure she is as up to date as everyone else is, however this is where she could relate to Madison in our film as Madison wants to be liked and therefore moves to the mean girls. This will make the film even more appealing for them. Teen angst films normally include mainstream, chart music which makes young girls want to watch it, we have tried to include music like this in our film that sounds like what is in the charts as we think this is what our target audience would want to hear.

As we have highlighted our target audience to have a part time job we think this film could be watched at the cinema as this is the sort of thing teens will spend their money on as they enjoy doing this. However our target audience will use social media sites such as twitter so we will make sure there are pages for our film on them so that a hype will be created in order for the target audience to want to watch this film. If they do not go to the cinema to see this film they are likely to use streaming and film sites such as netflix, so we would want to put our film on here for them to watch.

Evaluation 3 - what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Who would distribute your film?

Film 4 would distribute our film because they often produce and distribute small British independent films. These include films that are low budget. They are part of a bigger cooperation which is Channel 4. This gives us the chance of our film being promoted on TV and a large audience seeing this as Channel 4 are a big corporation. 

What else have they done?

There are 2 teen angst films that film 4 have produced, “Crush” and “Very Annie Mary”. These films are similar to ours as they are low budget, British, independent films. Another film that Film 4 helped to produce and distribute is “The Selfish Giant”. This film was very successful and was nominated for many awards. 

What is the USP of your film? The Unique selling point of our film is that it is a British made independent film that follows the stereotypical American style of the teen angst genre. This will be appealing to a British teen audience as it is more realistic and relatable to them than an American teen angst film would be. This means there is a gap in the market for a film like this as teenagers want to be able to relate to the films they watch. 

What marketing methods would they use? How will this target your audience? Marketing methods they would use would include technological convergence by creating pages for the film on social media websites, such as Facebook and twitter. These pages will provide a place for fans of the film to share quotes and other parts of the film onto their own pages. This would spread hype about the film as these peoples friends would see this and then want to watch the film to see what it is all about.

The use of the social media sites will also appeal to the teens as they are recently new to these sites and use them to catch up with their friends regularly; therefore they are well used and will be seen often on them.

We would also use posters and trailers to market our film as well as using synergy by teaming up with the well-known cosmetic brand, along came Betty, to create products that represent our film. These products will include nail polish’s, eye shadow, lipsticks and mascara. We will create different ranges of make-up, personalised for teen’s favourite characters. This will include ‘Amber’s range’ of products which will be called ‘along came Amber’ and will include a bright pink nail polish, pink eye shadows and a pink lipstick to represent Amber’s favourite colour which she often wears so fans can make themselves look like her. We will also release ‘Madison’s range’ of makeup which will be called ‘Along came Maddy’ and will include more neutral colours that are more subtle as this is the look Madison has portrayed through the film. The company will also release a range of shower gels and bath bombs related to the film that represent different parts of it. These products would be good quality yet cheap. We chose this company as the colours they use on their products are pinks and purples, which match the colours we have used in our film to relate to the teen angst genre.

The price of these products is essential as our demographic target audience suggest that they have part-time jobs but will be on very low income due to still being in school. Therefore using this popular brand shows that it is good quality products, however for an affordable price that the young teens will be willing to pay.

Where would you see marketing material? Why? The posters created for our film would be seen in social areas such as shopping centers and cinemas as our target audience are known to visit these places regularly and therefore will see our poster many times. The trailer we created would be the main source of marketing as it would be uploaded to YouTube and then linked to other websites such as Twitter and Facebook which can then be shared again on to personal accounts. This is a form of technological convergence as these websites can be viewed on many platforms like tablets, phones and laptops. These trailers would also be seen on TV and specifically channels which show similar films to ours as it will help increase our target audience.

What sort of info would be on posters and trailers? Why? On the posters and trailers for our film we would want the release date to stand out because this is the most important information as it tells the audience when they can see our film. Other information that we want to be seen would be the rating given by reviews, actors that star, the title of the film and the production company as all of these may influence someone to see our film. 

When would they release your film? Why? The film would be released during the summer holidays around June or July as this is when our teenage audience would have the free time to go and watch our film as they are on break from school and the six weeks gives a large time period to give people the chance to go see it. It’s also when groups of friends would be able to go maximizing the amount of people paying to see it. The genre of our film is teen angst which usually is linked to positive and cheerful and sunny days which we would want replicated throughout our film which would be found in the summer period instead of releasing it around November/December time in the winter. We would release our film in the summer so if it was to be released on DVD it would be scheduled for the Christmas period, meaning more hype and more DVD purchases. We would also benefit from releasing the film after specific film festivals so the film will have awareness and have hype.  

Which Cinemas/festivals would it be shown in? why? 

Particular festivals we would show our film at would be both small independent festivals as well as well-known film festivals around the UK. Examples include the UK film festival, the Cambridge film festivals where the film would just be screened and larger film festivals such as the London Independent Festival which is more competitive.

Our small independent film would be screened in CURZON cinemas which show small, unique independent and foreign films which are based around London, which is our demographic location for our target audience.

Planning - sounds

When planning our piece we decided we needed a piece of music that was:

• upbeat
• happy
• quirky

This was because after doing our research we know that many teen angst films use this sort of music, as it makes sure the opening to the film is positive, and catchy which will make the audience want to watch the rest of the film.

other non-diegetic sounds we know we needed to use in our films are:

• an alarm clock sound
• a voiceover
• a school bell
• the sound of birds

These sounds would all add effect to the film and make it run more effectively.

Risk assessment

Planning a Teen angst opening sequence

Our initial ideas

Target audience

• The target audience of the teen angst film would be 13-18 year old girls.
• The target audience will be females as teen girls watch movies that show love, relationships and friendships, where as boys seem to watch more action type movies that show thrilling scenes and stunt doubles.

costumes
using colour pink for mean girls as this is stereotypical of teen angst films and groups them so they are easily recogniseable
Madison to wear neutral colours in opening scene as she is new to school therefore not in a group, this will also make her stand out.
Dylan to belong to sporty group so seen to be athletic and therefore will be seen kicking around a football with his group of friends.

Evalutation task 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Danny trying out for the sports team in Grease

basket ball team in High school musical

Madison walking past

In this shot of our film you can see a group of boys playing football in the background. This group also contains Dylan, our main male character, who is portrayed to be very athletic and very popular. This group is the sports team of our film who are always seen to be playing football. This is very similar to High school musical, as Troy Bolton the lead in that is always seen with his basketball team and they are the most popular boys in the school. This is how we have portrayed Dylan's group of friends in our film. Portraying our character like this counter acts another teen angst film, grease. In this film Danny the male lead tries out for the sports team to impress Sandy, the female lead who he likes. However it does not work out for him and the film does not base around the jocks, as this film is much older than the other films we are left to believe this could be a reason why the jocks are not as important as they are in the more contemporary films we watch today, such as High school musical. This is why we have made sure the boys in our film are seen to be the popular sporty ones as the target audience will be expecting to see this. 

Amber and her followers

A Cinderella story  - mean girls

Similar to a Cinderella story our mean  girls are a trio with one being the obvious leader. In this film they are shown to be wearing the colour pink which connotes femininity, which is something we tried to replicate in our film. We constructed this by making sure there was high-key lighting which makes the girls look much more young and exciting rather than a dull atmosphere. We also made sure that the main mean girls shown to be in front of the other girls at all points in the film as this shows she is more important. However we also tried to make sure our main mean girl was different to the mean girls in other films. We made sure she was a counter-type as stereotypically mean girls in films have bleached blonde hair, whereas Amber, our main mean girl, is shown with black hair. This is so that she stands out from the other films, such as A Cinderella story, and is also relatable to other people, that can not always compare themselves to the girls in other films.

Sam - A Cinderella story,  Gabriella - High school musical,  Georgia - Angus, thongs and perfect snogging

Madison, our main character, is portrayed as the new girl in our film, this is similar to Gabriella, in High school musical.   Gabriella is shown to be very shy and quiet and also incredibly smart and focused on school, this is something we tried to portray in our character in the opening of our film. We thought this is how our character would be represented if she was just joining a new school for the first time. Our character is also similar to Sam, in A Cinderella story. Sam is seen to be very quiet, she tries to blend into the background so that people do not question her and stay out of her way, however she always ends up in the limelight. This is similar to Madison, she wants to stay hidden and just focus on school work and on making a few, nice, new friends, however she struggles to as everyone watches her as she is the new girl. She then befriends Amber and her followers which makes her top gossip of the schools social circle. Another character Madison could also be compared to is Georgia Nicholson in Angus, thongs and perfect snogging. In this film she is not in the most popular group, however the popular, school heart throb ends up liking her, something very similar to our film, as Dylan is the boy everyone wants, just like Robbie is in Angus, thongs and perfect snogging.

Madison - female lead character

Madison, being the female lead is different to some films, such as Clueless and wild child. In these films the female lead is seen to have bleach blonde hair and to be very rich and into fashion and always wanting to buy and wear the latest designer trends. They are portrayed as the popular girls in school from the beginning, something Madison is not. However in Wild child, Poppy, the female lead is very popular before she moves to the school, however seems to get a reality check when she joins and realises that she will not be as popular here, so in some ways she could be compared to Madison. Cher, however is seen to be very popular from the beginning of the film, there is a time in the film when Thai, her friend, seems to gain more popularity, which is one of the problems Cher has to overcome within the film. Therefore Madison and Cher are not similar in anyway and show many differences.

Cher - Clueless,   Poppy - wild child

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

In shot 1 an establishing shot is shown. This shot shows what time of day it is which is therefore setting the scene. Over the top of this shot is the title of our film, displaying the film logo that we have used. The logo includes the title of our film "Madison. However we tried to use a font that was similar to a young girls handwriting. We did this because it is commonly used in films of all genres, especially teen angst films, examples of films using this include '27 dresses', 'footloose' and 'the fault in our stars'. In the logo of our film we have also used an image that suggests someone has just kissed the page. This is to suggest that Madison has signed the page and then left her kiss as a signature. The kiss is used as it is usually associated with teen girls and teen angst films normally use this, for example in Mean girls the lip print is used to cover the 'burn book'.

Shot 2 shows a mid-shot of the three 'mean girls'. In this shot all three girls are wearing pink which connotes femininity and calmer, peaceful love. As pink is a colour used to represent girls we noticed teen angst films use this colour often, especially to be worn by the 'mean girly girls'. This is why we therefore choose the colour pink and made sure that the three antagonist characters were wearing this coloured clothing. As  all three girls are wearing pink it also groups them together and makes them easier to distinguish from the other characters for the audience. We tried to make sure that the other characters in our opening sequence are not wearing pink and are wearing costumes that represent them. In the opening scene and title sequence of our film we dressed Madison, the main character in blue denim jeans, a white top and a black leather jacket with faux fur around the top. We thought this was quite a neutral outfit which showed she was new to the school and therefore was not part of a select social group. The white top also connotes her innocence and naivety which we used to foreshadow the end of the film and she is naive and moves groups to sit with the mean girls as she thinks it will gain her popularity and make the boy she is crushing on like her.


Shot 3 was a panning shot we created around Madison's bedroom. We wanted to use this shot as it showed perfume bottles and other things the lead character has in her room. This set the genre of the film as the pink perfume bottles and mirror suggest a females bedroom. As the camera panned round the room other things were shown such as fairylights, jewellery hangers and pictures of young girls were shown. This would furthermore suggest the femininity of the person who the room belonged to but would also suggest the age group of the characters in the film. It would not be expected for older women to have fairylights and other items like these in their room, however it is a stereotypical teenage girls room filled with stuff that would be used. This therefore shows the genre of the film as showing a mostly pink quite girly room would make the audience assume that the film is going to be a teen-angst based love story, rather than an adventure or a horror film which would use different colours to connote different things and would also be likely to use much darker lighting than the lighting used in this shot.


Shot 4 is an establishing shot as it shows the location of the scene being shown. The shot shows lockers which would immediately suggest a school setting to the audience as they would not expect to see lockers anywhere else. There are few characters in this shot of the film, however the audience would pay little or no attention to these characters as they are not made to stand out or shown in the centre or foreground of the screen, instead they are based in the background of the scene and pushed to the sides, also none of these characters are looking towards the camera or showing any signs of body language which suggests that they should be paid attention to.

Frame 5 shows an example of the editing that was used to create our film as it shows a screen shot from a shot reverse shot sequence where Madison and Dylan, the male and female lead, first meet. It is also the first time Dylan is actually introduced to the audience and they learn anything about him. The frame also shows more advanced camerawork as an over the shoulder shot has been used to show who the conversation is between, as well as the 180-degree rule being used. As this scene in the film is very important we had to make sure we had chosen the correct camera shots and angles to be used, this is because it is the first time the characters met which sets up the future story lines.


Frame 6 shows how characters are introduced. In all teen angst films, such as mean girls the mean girls make large entrances, this highlights who they are and portrays to the audience the popularity they hold. We tried to recreate this stereotypical scene from teen angst movies in our opening sequence when the mean girls are first introduced. To do this we had the trio of antagonists burst through a door, Amber obviously leading them. This creates a type of tension already and all the attention is drawn to that moment, the other characters who showed students in the school noticed this and stepped back, out of the way of these girls. This is because it shows that they are popular and no one wants to be in their way or get on the wrong side of them as their life at the school would then become hell.



Frame 7 focuses on the font and style of writing used. We used the fancy handwriting type font as this suggests someone writing but the curls and flicks suggest it is written by a girl. This is then confirmed by the use of the two colours pink and white. The white is used to stand out and tell the audience the job title, however we used a different colour for the names of the people as this was much bolder and more eye-catching. We felt this information was more important than the job title and therefore needed to be shown in a more obvious way.


Frame 8 is one of the first shots shown after the title's and shows a closeup shot of a note stuck to a door wishing Madison a good day at her new school. This sets up the entire storyline and tells the audience exactly what is going on. Up to this point all sound heard has been non-diegetic sound of music and an alarm clock, therefore there has been no speech that highlights what is happening in the story, however this tells the audience so they can build anticipation as to what will happen on her first day and therefore make them want to watch it to find out.

Frame 9 is a shot from a car window as Madison is on her way to school in her sisters car, we used special effects here as we wanted to make the shot shorter so it was not boring but we did not want to cut out too much of what was happening, therefore we speed this shot up which made it much more effective and faster for the audience to watch.

Final teen angst opening title sequence - Madison

First draft of our teen angst opening title sequence