What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from creating the preliminary task, to creating your film opening?

I feel that the main thing i learnt was continuity. In my preliminary film, The continuity was wrong for example one minute the man was leaning to his left, then to his right. Although the camera movement was good in this i felt that my preliminary could have been a lot better. For my final coursework piece i felt that i made some severe changes to the way i went about my filming. For example i was very conscious of camera shots, for example making sure part of the persons head wasn't cut out.
Also i tried to focus on the continuity more, for example making sure the glass was in his right hand throughout and the timing when cutting to a different shot while he was walking was alright.

I feel that i have competently increased my skills in my film work. I have a greater understanding of the hardware and software and i have a sharpened eye for spotting continuity and i am some what of a perfectionist now.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of construction your film?

From the process of constructing my film, There are technologies that i have i learnt. First of all i had never used a mac before this year and now i feel competent in using one. I find a mac a more comfortable piece of hardware to navigate and it i find it allows me to do more than a PC.
Secondly there were multiple film editing software's that i had never used before, such as iMovie, and FinalCutPro. I feel extremely confident with my skills of iMovie, yet final cut, i found more of a challenge.
Thirdly the practical hardware that i used was a Film camera, I have used them from a very young age and i felt like i didn't learn anything new. Throughout the whole process i have learnt numerous skills now which i am pleased of and confident with.

What kind of media institution might distribute your film and why?

In researching for the media institution to distribute my film, it came to my attention that i would need a production company that was small, for example a national company. Also i would need one that specifies in drama.
The company that i found was 'KUDOS Film and Television'

Kudos Film and Television is a British independent film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Kudos is part of the Shine group and also has it's own film unit, Kudos Pictures.
I first heard about this company because i did work experience for a set design company who worked on the same television show as Kudos.
They seem to be the perfect comapny because they do small television series yet at the same time they do british drama films.

How did you attract/address your target audience?

Firstly i addressed that this film was for my target audience because my character in the film fits that target audience himself, he is a young male. I also use aspects that they can relate too, such as a grand father dieing, or a father dieing, and not having that understanding of quite how to deal with it, which you can see through my character. Also i think a major part in attracting my target audience is by advertising it to them, which at the moment is by word of mouth. Also on YouTube the film is in links with other films for people of the same target audience. This helps show my film around purely because they will see it on someone else's video.

Who would be the audience for your film opening?

My Target audience would be people roughly aged in their 20's giving no preference on sex. I say this age because this is the ages in which people really start to understand the world and start to become more aware or other classes, social differences, they become more politicised and more aware of stereotypes that are thrown upon them. This is why this would be aimed at them because I think that they would be more open to it and would look into the political message of it more deeply than others.

How does your film opening represent particular social groups?

Stereotypically of drama's they link into the more obvious social groups, for example the struggle of the working class, or the hardship of racial minority in a working class environment. My film opening delves a lot deeper than that and in the complete opposite direction. It shows a young white male who seems to be living in a working/middle class environment failing to cope with his own problems. I think that my film doesn't represent social groups in a way that many people would believe them to be, but more in a sense of whats underneath, looking deeper, and showing that even people you wouldn't think of are dealing with problems and issues of their own. This completely contrasts with the common side of the film industry which relates more too stereotypes.

In what way does your film opening use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of existing horror/thriller/dramas?

I feel that my opening film uses the conventions of a drama extremely well.
For example it is quite a sunny day which does not necessarily show conventions of a drama but leads away from a horror. In a way the mise en scene does develop conventions of a drama because at first it a nice sunny scene, but then the mood is changes through the characters actions, leading it to take a dramatic twist.

Also a big part of developing the conventions was the themes that i am using throughout my film opening. They are alcoholism and drug taking, which links neatly in with someone who has just lost his relative (which we see through the man standing at his grave). I feel that all of these themes linking together use and develop the conventions of a drama.

Group Reactions of film.

I conducted a group viewing of my film which involved 8 people. After wards i then asked these people if they would vote either YES or NO on whether they thought my film was of an adequate quality.

Out of the 8, 7 voted that it was a good film. Many comented on how they were surprised about the realism of it, how professional it was etc. One person stated that they liked it because it was film opening, not a mini film itself, unlike most films made at AS level.
The one person who voted against it stated that it was too short and that it didn't catch their attention.
Taking this into account, the faults that were stated had always been playing on my mind through out this process, Also another confident factor is that no one stated that it didn't seem like a drama. Which comes accross to me as meaning that i completely fulfilled the conventions of a drama.

YouTube Charts

Below are some charts that YouTube made by analysing the viewers of my film.



Above shows the amount of viewers I've had since I've posted my video on YouTube which at the moment is 94 views.


This chart labels the countries in which my video has been viewed. As we can see, the majority of my 94 views have been from the UK but a very small percentage of them have been in the USA. This is shown because the country is a slightly darker tone of green than every where else.


This shows a key my average audience from the 94 viewers. This is slightly disappointing because this was not my target audience. My target audience would have been men and women in their who were you adults, i.e. 20-30's. But i must bare in mind that a lot of the people who i have shown this too and who have commented will be a lot younger as it is a commonality for younger people to be using the web.

Reactions,

To get some reactions for my final film, i decided to post the video on youtube. Here i get numerous comments on my film.

The Final Film

Any problems with Filming.

One of the main problems with filming at first was that i kept changing my ideas for the film. I must have changed about 7 times. What annoyed me about that was the it was only until the last month could i finally start productive work on the film. Also when it did come to filming, it was very hard to film due to dates. for example, when i was free to film, my actor wasn't. or the location was busy, or the mise en scene was not right e.g. bad weather. I literally had to wait for the perfect time to film.

Editing on Film

Leading up from my first draft to my final out come, there was some editing in which i have to do. The majority of it is all just cutting the shots into the right place. Other parts will be editing in titles, and editing in the music.



Here we can see the smaller titles in my film. I wanted them to be a lot smaller because then i could still have the film playing in the background. This is good for me as i don't need the dark fades, which i feel can convey conventions of the horror genre. Also in using white font this also steers away from the horror and helps me convey that my film is a drama.



The main title here is the most important part of the film, so i thought having a fade out for this would be appropriate. The fact that this differs from the other titles shows that it is the main title of my film.

Props on filming day

Like posted before, there was a list showing all the props that i would need for filming, Here we now have the pictures of the shots and screen shots of them in the film;
SCREEN SHOTS




The above show how the props are featured and how important they are to the structure of the film.
PICTURES OF PROPS

Market research on Fonts.

Once again with the choices of fonts i left it down to a focus group where i asked 20 people what they thought about the titles and for them to select their favourite.

title 1) 7
title 2) 6
title 3) 4
title 4) 3


As shown in the graph, the choice above, Title 1, was cearly the better choice. The focus group also mentioned that they were very attracted to slim font and that its italic. The fact the font was simple was a large factor. This/a similar font is the font i will be using in my film.

Different font suggestions for the Title.

Below are some possible font titles for the film, I think it is important to get this right because certain fonts convey a sertain genre, Also it seems that the font can make the film look professional or obviously amateur.
here are my choices;

Also below is a mock up of the smaller title fonts and colour. This one is not up for discussion as i am firmley please with it myself and i think that it is important for me to keep some choices based on my gut feeling.

Reactions of the first draft.

I showed my first draft of the film to the rest of the people in my class. this first draft was literally me editing the shots together. There had been no sound changes or editing done, nor any title put in. In all Honestly, first reactions were not too good. The main response was more thatn the film had potential but was not looking like A level standard. This has lead me to become eager to produce a good film.

Title Final Choice

The final choice for my title will be "Affliction". This is because, as seen in the previous posts, the graphs show that it is the most popular amongst my target audience.

Market Research on Title

I conducted some market research over the title of my film over the past few days and here are the results.
I asked 25 people what they thought on the titles and here are the results;
1) Grief - 3
2) Affliction - 10
3) Desolation - 6
4) Malaise - 4
5) i can't deal with it... - 2

They reported that Affliction was the best for the title, purely because it was easier to understand and it sounds most realistic as a movie title. like Desolation, it sounds good, but less people understood it. Greif and Malaise are easily understood but they do not sound right as a movie title. Also "i can't deal with it..." just sound too farfetched for a film title.

Possible Title of the film

As the film is about coping with depression i thought that it would be fitting to have a title the represents this. Here are some examples below;
1) Greif
2) Affliction
3) Desolation
4) Malaise
5) i can't deal with it...

I think that all of these easily represent the sorrow and grief that the main character will be feeling.

Final Choice on Music.

The final choice of the music i am using is one from an uncopyrighted CD from school.
i feel it is perfect for the film because it is exactly the right length, it rises gently with slow guitar strumming and finishes on a melow dramatic strum release.
example below.

Examples of music

Below are a few examples of what i consider to be the music i will use in my film.

What sort of music i will need?

Thinking about the type of music i need, i have decided that i would need slow paced mellow music. Possibly instrumental with just one or two instruments playing at each time for example a guitar or piano, This is because just having those playing quietly at a slow pace will completely connote the drama genre. The music will seem sad and along with the music, it will bring the film opening to life.

What Props will i need?

There are a few props that i will need for my film opening, They are vital to help convey the distress that my main character needs.
Firstly i will need a bottle of whiskey and a glass, I think it is important that the glass is an oldfashioned glass which could possibly give the connotations that he is at his grandfathers house, or the house he is in belongs to an old fashioned.
Also i find that having a whiskey bottle has connotes that he is depressed and has negative aspects to his life.
Another prop that i will need is some pills. This is to show that he is on medication for something. This along with the whiskey, it will heavily show that the main character is depressed. Obviously the pills i am using will be completely harmless and the whiskey will be fake, but the fact that it all looks real help it be effective.

Actors

I am using James forbes for my main cast. i thought it would be extremely significant that he was the only person in the film, This is because with the links to depression and troubles i thought it should be significant that its him, alone, dealing with his issues.
James is perfect for the role because he looks good for the role, he looks older than 16, and is a natural in front of the camera.

Final Locations, inc pictures

I filmed the first scene at a cemetery so i went to sutton cemetery to film. The setting was brilliant, it was a nice, sunny day and the landscape was perfect. There was nothing in the background except for tree's and blue sky. This helped convey the genre of the film.








The second scene was in my kitchen/dining room. I felt this was the best choice because it was easy to use, the lighting was automatically done due to faded windows and the mise en scene was the exact right colour. Also i felt it was good because it was an average kitchen. Unlike most films which would use the general conventions of a british drama, for example a dingy council flat. Where as i live in a very middle class environment and felt it was important to show that everyone has problems.

Locations for my film opening

The first location is the graveyard, so i will need a local cemetery to film in on a sunny day. This is because cemetery's automatically have connotations of the horror genre, so i have to do whatever i can to steer well clear of that. For example it is very important that it is a light sunny day with birds tweating. This is because they automatically convey the opposite connotations.

The second location will have to be a dining room in a house. The mise en scene will have to be blank boring looking house, extremely bland, i want it to be yellows/browns and beige colours. This is important because i want to show the finer details of this persons life, for example not a lot of money, old fashioned etc.

My Story Board

Below is my storyboard showing and explaining exactly how my film will look.

AS media storyboard: JACK CASEY

View more presentations from jackcasey92.

Why I decided to change?

I then decided to change because i was not happy with the original plot. It didn't feel real enough for me and i was always concious of time. Also i thought that as this is a film important it is very important not to have a mini film, and that the footage i have should leave the audience wanting more and asking questions.

PLANNING: New proposal

I have decided once again to change the film, The idea of coping with loss is still there but i am changing the loss of a friend in a war to the loss of a relative. This makes it a lot more personal to all viewers because they can all relate to it. Also having a war setting would mean i would of had to have a larger scene which would have meant that i would have gone over the limit of the time, and also it would change the genre to a drama instead of an action film.

The proposal will see a young man at a grave after multiple shot of a cemetery. the scene then cuts to his house with the young man asleep on a table, hungover, who wakes up. We find out that he is depressed after he walks into his kitchen and drinks after taking some tablets. He then walks back into the dining room and holds up a photo of his deceased relative. this is where the titles will role.

Opening Titles

I am going with the opening title of SHELL SHOCK. the font i am using is called Consolas.
The font will show over a black screen in pitch black, I think an important part of the titles is the contrasting colours, and the black background with a white font is exactly what i want. The character casing is very loose on the titles as it seems to add a more serious effect to the tone of the film. The fact that each letter is standing individually helps convey this.

Opening Titles quotes

I thought that it would be a good idea to have a few quotes about mental illness effecting the troops of this country.
It seems that it would help convey the plot of the film to the viewer and help them understand what is going on even before its happened.

1) "Britain faces a "ticking time bomb" of mental illness and suicide as troops return from fierce combat..." The Tories
2) "We are living in a state of constant fear"
3) "War takes a toll on Iraqi mental health"
4) "War trauma leaves physical mark"
5) "War is hell... it has an impact on the people who take part that never heals"
6) "War is terrible and beyond the understanding and experience of most people"
7) "A generation has grown up knowing only war"

Titles

The title of my opening is something that i have debated over for a while.
Seeing as though my film is a war related drama, which refers to the psychological effects of war and loosing a friend, i thought it was only fitting that the opening title be something along the lines of a war related illness, here are some examples.

1) Shell Shock.
2) P . T . S . D
3) Time Bomb

Sign Post Prop.

At some point in the film, a sign post will be needed to give off the hint that it is being set somewhere in Eurasia, no where specific to save from stereotypes.
The sign will not be saying anything specific other than the location and a bit of information in a generic Eurasian like language.
Below is an example of what the sign will look like, this sign happens to be a russian road sign.

Filming (House and Cemetery Scene)

Date:
Saturday 20th february.
Locations:
house - My house in sutton
car - My father's car
cemetary - Camberwell Old Cemetery
Times:
Actors:
James Forbes
Clothing:
James: white shirt, jeans, black shoes?

Filming (war scene)

Date:
Saturday 27th february.
Locations:
Woods - Banstead/Chipstead Woods
Times:
Actors:
0 James Forbes - Good Soldiers (main character)
0 Sam Pearce - Good Soldier (supporting role)
0 Ben - n.s - Main Villain
0 Max kurn - supporting villain
0 David Smith - supporting villain
0 Joon Han - supporting villain
Clothing:
James and sam: Army clothing
Others: Blacks, greens, browns, Military like clothing
Props:
- Air rifles x2
- Toy rifles x 3
- Pistol x 1
- Aviators (Ben - n.s)
- Black wooly hats (David and joon)
- Black boots if possible?
- As much webbing as possible.

Special Effects Testing

Locations

The war scene will either be shot in Banstead woods or Chipstead woods. They are both relatively near me but at the same time it is a relatively rural area and there is not a lot of people or city landscape around there.




The scene of our main character in the cemetery will be at Camberwell Old Cemetery, i am using this place as i know that, in the right weather, it is perfect for the shots. i have visited both sites on several occasions and will be showing pictures soon.

Character listing

James Forbes - Chris Clayton
(the main character of the film)

Sam Pearce - James Allan
(the supporting character and Chris's best friend, dies in battle)

Ben Newman Sanders - Victor Morozov
(The Main Villain of the film, the person who Chris and James are chasing)

Max Kurn - Ivan Alekseev
David Smith - Dmitri Egorov
Joon Han - Seung Kwan
(These three characters are mainly supporting roles, but are essential for the credibility of the story line. The will be playing victor morozov's men.)

New proposed story line,

WORK IN PROGRESS

Media Evaluation: new idea

the new film will start of with an establishing pan of a grave yard. But to stay away from the cliche horror film, the cliche will be on a sunny day, with birds tweeting. We will see a grave stone of a certain man, with the shot holding, a man walking can be heard, and the bck of amans legs can be seen, stading in front of the grave. we pan up his body and it is not clear who he is or why he is there, in a series of flash backs we can see that he was a soldier and he is visiting the grave of a friend that has died with him in battle. After the brief shootout, we can see that the main villain who they were perusing had got away, this will be the end of my film but it will open it up for the rest of the plot if this was a full production.

Edits from Film

You will have noticed the film below is really dark.
This means i will have to film my film during the day time and edit it to be darker.
Also after thinking about the time limit of my film, i have decided to do a re-write my script completely.

First time of filming.