Media Coursework Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Film Noir as a genre has always been given a number of meanings; however there is a basic guide line that I have learnt which is ECMS, (Editing, Cinematography, Mise-en-scene, and Sound). With the research I have done on other film noirs, such as Sin City, Brick, Detour etc, I have tried to use the codes and conventions, from these films and incorporate it into mine. In comparing mine to I see that obviously that they would have a larger budget then me if I was truly creating this into a film.
The characteristics I followed, were things like the Femme Fatale, the use of lighting, in film noir’s is usually very dark, also starting the film at the end, which presents an enigma that helps draw the audience in. In terms of how well I followed them, I feel I did pretty good seeing as the lighting was very dark, except from that one source of light which helped cast some beautiful shadows, the female character we only see in the flash backs still help the audience think that she has some connection with the main character getting into trouble thus creating a Femme Fatale.
In terms of developing or challenging the genre in itself, I feel that the actors which were in their adolescence, helped bring down the age of film noirs, as people tend to think of them as for the older audience. The voiceover in my piece I feel, was very stylized as I wanted both part to sound the same, so it kind of throws the audience, challenging the genre in that perspective.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The people my media piece represents are those in their mid to late teens, this is a time in people’s lives when things are new to them; they tend to experiment with things such as drugs and sexually as well. Seeing as that I am also in this age range I could create a piece that truly speaks to those of my generation. The people and places in the film, represent ordinary places in a normal town or city, thus connecting with the audience because it is realistic and they can relate to it. Those that aren’t represented are the more elderly, as a stereotypical view on film noirs is full of those above the age of 30. They messages that were meant to come from the character’s, are the basic morals of people , love, respect, greed and the usual what happens if your bad, you get your comeuppance.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If this was to become a full motion picture, based on the budget that would be given, the distributer I would have in mind is like Film 4 as they are usually associated with art house films, the reason for this is that they have some influence in their television programme, also many films of the same type have gone on to be very successful. In terms of where the film would get exhibited would be small independent cinema’s, and only a very few at first, however by word of mouth and critic reviews it could become very popular, thus a larger income would arrive allowing the creation of more copies, and so on. Also things like film festivals are also a popular place for a screening of the film. TV channels would be things like Film 4, BBC and the time slot, I feel would be at a later time such as 9 o’clock, seeing as the film is within the boundaries of a 15 it would be unsuitable for the younger audiences.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The typical audience for this film I feel would be the majority cinema ages between 15 and 25, seeing as the characters are all within that range. Also the film is aimed at an active audience since I want them to feel something as they watch. This film would provide them with intellectual puzzles, emotional pleasures and such, all to stimulate them into a form of diversion, an escape from their lives or an emotional release from their pressures. Under the BBFC rules the piece I have made would come under the rating of a 15, this is perfectly fine as it includes the majority of the cinema going audience. The response to the showing of the film opening was very positive, the only real things that they didn’t like was the titles, the blue glow they had seemed to put people off them. The music everyone agreed that it really set the tone of the piece, also the lighting and shots used were also really good.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The way I felt that I had to attract our target audience was to create a film that contained those of the same, age, the ideas placed out would be relative as to what happens in their time, so things like drug abuse, sex and growing up and learning that you have responsibility. The styles, used where to really make the point hit home hard, also the pace, of how it builds up, then comes to a dramatic close, which will leave the audience wondering whether or not the main character has died due to the results of his actions. The costumes are simple, not too designer and not to poor, so that everyone can associate with these people.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
In terms of using the technology at our disposal for the research stage, using things like the internet and blogs, really do help and speed up the process of searching for information, and with the blog, it’s a place that you can save your work and not risk losing it. During the planning stage, blogs were still helpful in the same way, but creating an animatic helped me visualize how it would go thus helping me decide if I want to change anything or not. In the production stage the GIB-ARM we used, made a brilliant opening shot, the one single light helped cast sum nice shadows. Learning how to use the camera as well as the tripod then applying it really for the final thing was quite nerve racking but I got the hang of it. The editing software Adobe Premiere Pro was very easy to use and offered a wide variety of effects, to help make the piece more smoothly.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When the preliminary exercise was first done, the first mistake I had done was not leaving enough handles and taking far too few shots to work with; I seemed to have done it in a rush. Since then I have learned to slow down, take plenty of time, leave at least 5 second of extra time, and too take loads of shots. Also in terms of lighting and sound, we had not been able to use them and control them to a certain extent, yet in the noir opening, I was able to create the mood that I deemed fit to the situation. The planning as well wasn’t really an actual issue, however this time round; it was very important to get everything right and settled so that when the actual filming and editing came, we were prepared for it. Organisation had also improved, with our exchange work , I was not very good at it, but because I had previous experience I was able to keep up to date.
In terms of my contribution to the whole group I feel that I did very well, since we only had 2 members, I was able to carry half of the work load and made sure that me and my other member where happy with what we had. Also my roles as director, cinematographer and editor, I think that I played those individual roles just as well as the group that had 4 people in it. My technical skill had also improved vastly, as I was the one in charge with the equipment and the software