Evaluation Questions

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation of our Editing

In two parts of the trailer we used match-on action, we used in the shots of the girl smoking and where she pours water on her face and looks back into the mirror. Match on action is an editing technique for which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. I think this worked really well for the smoking shots because it enabled us to put as much footage into one section without wasting time. It also worked really well for the toilet scene because we used a go-pro for the close which created a 'fish bowl' effect. 

In the first few shots of the preparing and injecting of the drugs we used a basic cut between each shots, this created disequilibrium at the beginning and also it allowed us to not waste time as we managed edit it within 10 seconds.

In the final shots in the teaser trailer we used the editing affect 'shot reverse shot'. The shot we used to revert back to was the close up shot of the girl looking in the mirror, looking back on her past. In the same group of shots we used a continuous flash back which worked really well with the light effect, however it was difficult to get the music and the shots to work together at the same beat which is what we wanted.

With the shot of the eye and the pupil shrinking in size we used a slow motion so that the audience could understand what is happening as in its normal pace it was too quick to see there was a change. In all the titles in the teaser trailer we photoshopped them so that we could put a video effect in the background, this worked really well as its something that hasn't been seen before and also the colours were relevant to our genre, however it was difficult to make sure all the words we clear as some parts were too dark to read.

Review of Research and Planning

Evaluation of Research and Planning

In order to review my research and planning, I have monitored my progress from AS to A2.

My creation of storyboards has been in area of improvement during the step up of AS to A2. In our 2-minute AS possession horror film opening about a boy who is possessed by a supernatural female figure, our storyboard had detail and most scenes had a full breakdown. Although we had some parts missing when we started filming. This meant that we had to keep rescheduling filming days in order to complete all of the shots needed, due to adding them throughout the production of the film opening.

 

Due to not storyboarding effectively, some of the shots were unachievable, including having the possessed antagonist making an immediate bruise on the protagonist, we realised that we did not have the equipment or skills for this.

In the storyboarding of ‘Eighteen’, we ensured that we did not encounter the same problems as we did at AS. We did this by writing a list of desired shots and a basic idea of the scenes we wanted to include. We then filtered these to choose the best clips. This allowed us to experiment with a range of shots and editing styles due to having an exact number of clips to film and a finalised storyboard.

Another area of improvement has been shooting scripts. At AS we made a shooting script for each filming day so that we knew the list of scenes and equipment needed. Although, we organised our filming days last minute, which meant that the planning was rushed. This meant that some group members couldn’t attend various filming days, reducing the amount of team participation.

This progressed in A2 as we organised the filming days ahead of time, we grouped clips that we filmed in similar locations i.e. a day in Paddock Wood to film the parts at my house, Five Oak Green park and Costa.

 

To conclude, my skills from AS to A2 have improved. This has helped me share better ideas with the group, and increase the quality of the planning and creation of our media product.

Shots we used for inspiration

•  Shot on left - We Are Your Friends (2015) - drama/music/romance film set in LA which follows the career of a DJ. The trailer features a extreme close up of a dilating pupil with a sharp focus on the iris and pupil. The shot is only half a second long and mart of a montage of footage of the DJ recording different sounds.
• Shot on right - our teaser trailer - we used a close up shot of an eye to show and emphasise the effects of drug use. Our shot lasts one second which gives the audience time to see the pupil dilate. The eye isn't as close as the shot we used for inspiration but we wanted to show that the eye was Roses.

• Shot on left - Trainspotting (1996) - this is a popular drama film set in Glasgow which tells the story of a group of young men caught up in a cycle of drug abuse. As our film was about drug use in response to mental illness, we were strongly inspired by the shots in trainspotting.  The shot above on the left shows the main character, Renton, injecting heroin into a vein in his arm using a needle.
• Shot on right - our teaser trailer - We attempted to replicate this shot using a needle used for printer ink refills. We obviously could not make the shot look as convincing as the shot from trainspotting as the actor obviously could not actually push the needle into her arm and we therefore made the shot as short as we could, ensuring the belt above the elbow is visible and the needle pushing against the skin.

• Shot on left - Trainspotting (1996) - this is a shot from the same scene as above in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. This shot shows an extreme close up of heroin being made on a metal spoon.
• Shot on right - our teaser trailer - we were inspired by the shot from trainspotting and recreated it using golden syrup and a lighter. We held the lighter under the spoon and let bubbles form. Using a +10 close up lens attachment we were able to capture this process in very good detail.

• Shot on left - Fish Tank (2009) - this is a shot of the titles on the trailer for social realism drama, Fish Tank. The titles are in a bold, sans serif, capitalised font on a black background. However the text is transparent which reveals a layer underneath on moving water. This therefore creates a visual effect o the water through the text which reflects the films name.
• Shot on right - our teaser trailer - we wanted to achieve similar titles to those in the Fish Tank trailer and therefore researched online how to achieve the same effect and applied it to all of our titles with a shot of Rose running through an orange lit subway in the background.

Music

Above - The XX - Intro - featured in Project X (2012), various crime/thriller shows Cold Case, Person of Interest, Law & Order

Above - Jacoo - Crossing Winds - we 7used this in our trailer due to its resemblance to the XXX's song. The tense heartbeat like percussion and building tempo make it perfect for our trailer.

• We researched music we liked and found artists such as The Black Keys and The Vaccines and other indie-rock artists whose music was used in teen drama trailers. We were oringially inspired by this music styles and looked for remixes and remakes online we could use in our trailer however we thought that as our trailer had a darker mood to it we would look for something more sombre.
• We liked music by The XX but their work was copyrighted so we found an artist called Jacoo on online music sharing site SoundCloud and came across his song Crossing Winds. I contacted the artist to ask for his permission and he replied almost immediately granting us permission.
• The song he produced sounds almost identical to The XX's Intro but has a beat and build more suited to our trailer.

Evaluation

• In conclusion, the majority of our shots inspired by existing work turned out successfully and we combined a range of angles and shots to give a restricted narrative outline of our films plot.
• As for the music, we were determined to find the perfect piece inspired by an existing artist and we added different songs to the clips to test the sounds and found Jacoo's song to be a perfect fit

Website deconstruction

• Social links listed on top right
• Promotes film - how you can own it on top of the page
• Tabs such as overview, story, cast and crew, videos, photos, news
• Have to scroll down for the rest of the information - doesn't fit onto one page

• Plays music automatically - also has the option to turn it off
• Can text 'Go London' to 85080 for exclusive clips
• Promoting dvd edition
• Has production company at the bottom and when the dvd comes out
• Tabs about the film such as: about, competitions, trailer, soundtrack, etc.
• Sites for advice and help listed under forums but no facebook, twitter, etc.

• Social media links listed on top right
• Synopsis listed when you arrive on home page
• Trailer at bottom
• Has 'buy now' button to promote film
• In cinemas now, age certificate: 15 - targets right audience

Deconstruction of typography in posters

• The font is bold like teen urban dramas
• The colours aren't opaque and have a faded effect so you can see the brick wall behind
• Billings block is below the title of the film
• Consistent colour scheme - white and a faded brown
• Main actors/actress' at the top; Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts
• No tagline

• The title is yellow and bold to make it eye catching
• The tagline is below the title in white and a smaller font 'we are infinite'
• 2 colours - yellow and white
• The O is filled in unlike other posters
• Main actors/actress' names at the top of the poster

• Just like the above posters, basic colour scheme with blue and black
• Main actor/actress' names at the top of the poster
• Title of the film is placed in the middle, with some words bigger than others
• Billings block is below the film name in a colour which doesn't stand out so it doesn't draw attention
• Billings block is smaller, in non capitals, unlike The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Deconstruction of the characters in "It's kind of a funny story"

Vladimir Propp's theory of narrative

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. He came up with 7 different character types:

• The hero - usually male, is the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium often by embarking upon a quest. The hero is invariably the texts central character.

• The villain - usually creates the narrative disruption

• The donor - gives the hero something, it may be the object, information or advice, which helps in resolution of the narrative. 

• The princess - is usually the character most threatened by the villain and has to saved by the hero.

• The dispatcher sends the hero on her or his task

• The false hero appears to be good but is revealed at the narrative's end to be bad.

Craig Gilner is 15 years old and suffers from depression. He started having symptom's a few weeks after starting highschool at Executive Pre-Professional. The school's intense academic pressure caused him much stress. After going to countless doctors and therapist's he stops taking his medicationand his suicidal thought's become greater to the point he contemplated jumping off the Brooklyn bridge. He then check's himself into a hospital and meets other patients. This is the main protagonist as the story revolves around him and his mental illness. I decided to look into this character because they are very similar to the protagonist in our teaser trailer; both suffering  from depression and suicidal thoughts.

Noelle is a patient at the hospital that Craig forms a strong bond with. Like Craig, Noelle broke under the pressure and became very stressed, leading to her depression. Unlike Craig however, she was pressured by boys. She cut her face with scissor's and was admitted into the hospital for self-harm. According to Propp's theory, Noelle can be seen as the helper as she forms a strong bond with Craig and helps him through his depression. 

Bobby is one of the mental patient's in the hospital. Bobby and Craig form a quick bond and Craig looks up to him, almost like a mentor. Bobby end's up getting a job, after Craig let's him borrow one of his shirts to wear to a job interview. Bobby can be seen as the donor in this film because Craig looks up to him and he offers advice for Craig.


Our trailer
Our character fulfils more than one sphere character type; the victim and the villain. She is self-destructive and destroys her own life by taking drugs. This was done by featuring a close up shot of her heating up syrup on a spoon which acted as heroin, followed by a tracking shot of her running away in a subway under low-key lighting; further emphasizing how her life has changed and that there is little hope. This shows that there is not always a hero and that she has to face her problems alone; conforming to social realism.

Soundcloud inspiration

For our teaser trailer, we wanted to use music within the indie pop/alternative pop genre. Therefore, I decided to look on soundcloud for possible music we could use, ensuring that it was for commercial use so it's not copyrighted. 

Vampire Weekend

Ed Sheeran

The XX

In conclusion, I feel that the remixes for Angels by The XX is the most appropriate from the tracks I found on sound cloud as the music gradually builds up, which suits the disequilibrium in our trailer.

Analysing posters I've created

In order to create a poster appropriate for our genre, I produced a few posters on photoshop so I could develop them for the final poster.

This is my first draft. In this poster, the text is very simple and random names and reviews have been inserted. I have also inserted a billings block found on google on the bottom of the poster. However, these elements will be made by our group for our final poster.

This is my second draft for our poster. We thought that the wall behind our protagonist was too plain so I found some images of grafitti on Google then layered it on top of the walls.This poster is much more developed as her make up has been enhanced to give a more tired appearance as our trailer talks about the consequences of drug-use. The tagline is also more visible compared to the previous poster but we are unsure whether this will be our final tagline.

This is our final poster for our teaser trailer "Eighteen". I have decided to use the above title for our poster because it matches the font and writing in our teaser trailer. I have also replaced the previous reviews with the reviews we used in our final media product. We have updated our tagline as we thought that this was much more appropriate as well as making "From the director of FISHTANK" smaller so it draws less attention. Awards used in our teaser trailer have been placed on the right of the poster to balance it out and the 18 age rating has been placed beside our billings block so we target the right audience. I have also ensured that the font used is the same as our teaser trailer and website. 

Evaluation

In conclusion, I feel that creating multiple products benefited me because it ensured that our final poster looked professional and conformed to common conventions in posters within our genre. I found that layering the graffiti on top worked really well as our genre is teen urban. I think that the tagline in the previous posters were too transparent and could have been edited better.

Editing in teaser trailers

- Teaser trailers tend to use small clips of different parts of the film which is used to entice the audience.

- This means that the most common type of editing used in a teaser trailer is a 'cut' between two shots which saves time in the editing process.

- Another popular choice of editing in teaser trailers is a 'fade' this sort of editing technique is used the trailers such as 'Star Trek into darkness'.

- However this editing method tends to be used in shots that are in equilibrium or in romance trailers because the fade makes the trailer smooth and calm.

Other editing techniques:

Continuity editing- Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies.

Cross cutting- Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.

Jump cut- A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action.

Matched cut- A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action. 
Montage- Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. 
Rough cut- The editor's first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs.
Shot reverse shot cutting- Usually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking. 
Wipe- Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films such as 'Star Wars'.
Sequence shot- A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing. 

Snowdon Teaser Trailer

- The beginning of the trailer uses a 'Fade' effect between each shot which conveys the idea of calmness.

- When the shot gets to the middle of the trailer there starts to become disequilibrium, then there is a use of the 'cut' affect which increases the pace of the trailer.

- At the end there is a 'jump cut' which makes the trailer enginmatic as it does the title of the film. 

Ip Man 3

- Though-out the whole trailer the main use of editing is 'cut' which is used to show the audience as much footage as possible into the trailer. 

- There is the use of a 'Slow-motion' which id used in a fight scene the emphasise the impact of the hit.  

- The shots appear and cut at the same beat as the music and as the music gets faster the shots and cuts appear quicker which makes build-up to the ending dramatic.

- After the build-up and the black shot, there is the use of 'fade' which makes the trailer in equilibrium again

Boyhood Teaser Trailer Deconstruction

Boyhood is a 2014 social realist drama film filmed over the course of a 12 year period to film the same actor as he grows up. This aspect is one of the main reasons for the films global success considering the film was written and produced by the same company as our film, Eighteen. 

The teaser trailer explains this production process in the titles and shows several clips o the same actor growing up.

  The following shots are 1-2 seconds long each showing a small scenario on which the character has aged;

 The trailer then states than the writer made 'cinematic history', which also sells the film due to the positive comment and giving the film a legendary status.

• The trailer then includes lots of 2-4 second shots of the young boy growing up in everyday situations such as the young boy fighting with his sister in the car and showing small childhood memories like riding a bicycle and playing with friends. 

• These shots are played with "Family of the Year's" 2012 indie rock/folk song Hero which features a gentle guitar tune and soft singing to support the nostalgic atmosphere to the scenes shown. The music builds and drum sounds are introduced as the length of the shots increase and more action is introduced as the children are with a man (maybe older brother) at a football game. The music also has a less nostalgic, cheery tone as the music develops and the father is show being controlling a violent.

(The boy is forced to have his hair cut)

(His father throws food across the table violently)

• More shots are shown of the boy as he ages and his appearance and voice changes.
• The shots are short to keep the enigma and engage the audience to tempt them to go ands see the film.

The end screen features a number of positive critic reviews

• There is little dialogue in the trailer which is also enigma.
• The trailer ends with the diegetic dialogue of a man asking the boy;                                      "What do you want to be, Mason? What do you want to do?" 
• Which leads to further enigma as the audience will want to know the answer.

Evaluation

• Overall, the trailer has a good balance between footage and titles to give a restricted outline to the films narrative by introducing the characters and illustrating the areas of disequilibrium; but not going into great detail about whether the problem is repaired etc.

Representation of youths

To help with our teaser trailer, I decided to research into youth culture and how they are represented. British youth culture has changed dramatically over the past 50 years due to the strong influence of technology and the demonization of youths in the media. 

The wariness of youth culture made it easy for the media to demonise youth in the 50's, shown in the creation of films such as "Blackboard Jungle", "Rebel Without A Cause" and "Teenage Bad Girl". These are some of the oldest examples of demonization of youth by the media. During the 2000s, hoodies had gained a negative image and was associated with trouble making teens and anti-social behaviour. Due to the increase in gang violence crimes, hoodies became nationally feared and there were many protests in favour to have hoodies banned. Chav refers to an anti-social subculture. Chav is an informal British derogatory meaning a young lower-class person who displays brash and loutish behaviour and wears real or imitation designer clothes.

Teenagers are often represented in the media as being rebellious, disrespectful, lazy and being associated with drugs and alcohol.

Representation of teenage boys

Teenage boys are usually presented as violent, irresponsible and having little respect for authority. Some teenage males have modelled their behaviour on representations these films promote, leading to the rise of gang culture, in particular, middle and lower class areas.

Hoodies have become a symbol of this representation and the wearing of them and constant reinforcement of the representation by the media has created a climate of fear surrounding one item of clothing.

Representation of teenage girls

Another representation is the sexualisation of teenage girls; ie. "Angus, thongs and perfect snogging". Girls are still portrayed as sex/boy obsessed and concerned with their appearance. Girls are bombarded with images of how they should look by the media, causing their perceptions of beauty to be altered. As a result, the distortion of reality causes insecurities and low self esteem as girls feel as if they don't look like the models in magazines

Examples

Breakfast Club(1985)

• Their dress sense is much more covered up and dull
• Youths didn't do many bad things as the consequence would be a weak punishment (detention)

Kidulthood (2006)

• Teenagers are much more free
• Their dress sense has changed; much more revealing with trackies and short clothing
• Youths are much more rebellious and the punishment is much more severe (jail)

Mean Girls (2004)

• Based on a group of girls
• Lots of different hierarchy/segregated
• Much more deceitful

Deconstruction of social realism posters

Kidulthood
- The colour scheme is very simplistic yet effective, colours such as grey, black and misty blue are used to create a dark atmosphere.
- The females are wearing tones of pink to represent their femininity.
- The white title is bold and stands out from the contrasting background.
- The baseball bat in the character's hand conveys the idea of violence.
- The use of 'powerful, moving and unforgettable' attracts the audience's attention and makes them interested in the film.
- The clothes represents stereotypes of todays youths, with the characters wearing hoodies and tracksuits. The mise-en-scene therefore makes the genre obvious to be a teen urban film.
- The lighting has a mixture of low-key and high-key, the low-key represents the darkness in the lives of the characters.

Fish Tank
- The orange font contrasts with the blue background which makes it stand out to the audience. The size of the font also draws the audiences attention as it takes up half of the poster.
- The tagline 'live, love and give as good as you get' stands out as well as the white contrasts with the black from her trousers.
- The low angle shot represents Mia as a powerful character. The low angle also portrays her as imitating as she looks as though she is looking down on the audience.
- The images of the buildings in the background suggests that it could be an urban drama.
- Mia's clothing suggests that she is working class and the use of the hoodie conveys that there could be crime and violence involved.
- The use of the clouds in the background and the bight orange title suggests the idea of freedom.
- The lighting on her face is half in the shadows and half in the light which shows that she has had a difficult past and is moving in to a positive future.

Bullet Boy
- The lighting is dark behind the boys head and bright on his face which suggests that he has had a difficult pst but is moving on to a brighter future.
- The colour of the image in his head connotes the idea of danger.
- The image of the young boy is holding a gun which suggests the film battles the social issues of gun crime and violence which working class youths.
- The tagline 'you only get one shot at life' is enigmatic which makes the audience want to know more on the narrative.
- The reviews contrast with the green and black background which make them stand out and the one worded reviews such as 'striking' catches the audiences attention quickly.
- The fact that the character is the only person on the poster porters the idea of loneliness.
- The background image is a eerie muggy green colour which creates mystery about the main character.

Representation of the working class in Fish Tank

The 2009 social realist film, Fish Tank, an accurate representation of the lives of the working class, especially youths as the film focuses on a violent but vulnerable 15 year old called Mia. 

• Set in East London, the film portrays the working class in a negative way, showing adolescents smoking and drinking alcohol and a lack of social mobility leaves them trapped by their own values and representation. 
• Mia is represented as an aggressive yet naïve teenager, which is seen as a norm for the audience as other teens are heard cursing and acting in a hostile manner. Mia however is not part of a collective group as seen in the opening scene of the film where she confronts an old friend, Keeley, which ultimately leads to a physical fight, adding to the violent representation. Due to this loss of identity and social isolation, Mia is left to find happiness in alternative ways, such as dancing. 

• Mia’s passion for dance is symbolism for her escape from the working class as an audition gives her an opportunity to move up from her basic and misfortunate life in poverty. Mia also finds happiness by seeking male attention, and this attention happens to come from her mother’s boyfriend, Connor. 
• Connor is of a higher class than Mia and her family, and he is seen as a paternal figure to Mia and her younger sister, which Mia is not used to after growing up in a single parent family with her mother having little interest in her life. However this family structure means Mia’s behaviour is influenced by her mother as a role model as Stryker quotes ‘a consistent set of behaviours reinforce the identity of a person or a group’ – supported by Mia’s behaviour mirroring her mother’s (drinking, dressing and dancing provocatively). 
• Mirroring her mothers behaviour leads to a blurring of boundaries between a paternal and intimate relationship between Mia and Connor, as he becomes more suggestive and lustful in the way he talks and acts around Mia. This increases audience comfortability and Mia is underage – this manipulative behaviour also highlights how the middle class exploit the lower class through capitalist ideologies. 

• Throughout the film, Mia continuously visits a traveller site where an undernourished horse is seen chained to the ground. The horse is representative of Mia’s freedom as she is unable to leave her working class background to live her dreams of being a dancer. Later in the film, after a failed dance audition, Mia returns to the traveller site to find the horse had been shot by its owners as she was ‘ill’, along with her failing dreams and loss of Connor after being used, she breaks down in tears. This is the first time we see Mia upset which subverts the stereotypical strong and apathetic personalities of working class youths as she suddenly loses everything she relied on for happiness and hope. 

• By representing the youths as different to audience expectations, director Andrea Arnold shows the audience that the working class are not all they seem and the reality is they have no choice but to collectively live in poverty due to oppression from the ruling classes. ‘the mass media…place subjects in such a way that their representations are taken as reality’ – Althusser states, showing that although typical but realistic working class mise-en-scene is used such as council estates, crime and violence, the stories of why the working class live this way is shown through the thought provoking storyline.

Our Films Classification

In a previous blog post, I researched different age ratings and which aspects puts a film into each category. I summarised the definition of each rating and from this we, as a group, decided on which age rating most suits our film and trailer.



	Bad Language	Sexual Behaviour	Violence	Behaviours that could be copied	Drug reference
Universal	Infrequent / very mild (damn, hell)	No overt focus, mild reference allowed	Very mild, reassuring outcome	Must be disapproved	None unless there is a clear anti-drug message
PG	Mild, context important (sh**)	Unlikely unless undetailed	Mild, no detail	Dangerous behaviours must be condemned	References without strong focus
12A	Strong language depending on manner and frequency (f***) non discriminatory	Briefly and discreetly portrayed	Moderate without great detail	Accessible weapons must not be glamorised	Infrequent sights of drugs but portrayal must not be glamorised
15	Great deal, no limit on no. of uses	Activity can be portrayed without great detail	Strong, no focus on infliction of pain or injury	Should not dwell on detail of dangerous behaviours	Can be shown without encouraging or promoting use with instructional detail
18	No limit on use of any language	Strong and detailed portrayals allowed	Strong with detail, pain and injury can be dwelled on	Very dangerous behaviour may be cut	Can be shown without encouraging or promoting

• Our film fits the criteria for the majority of the 15 category due to less extreme presentations of violence and language. However the strong language and hard drug use bring the film into the 18 rating due to its ability to expose children and younger teens to dangerous behaviours and extreme language.

• Below is the age rating block I created for the billings block which highlights the rating and description of the films harmful content to which the audience should respond to respectively.

• Further detail into the 18 rating category can be seen in the image below which is an extract from the BBFC classification document which clearly highlights the limits within each category. This includes exceptions for adults freely choosing what the consume and how the 18 category differs from the R18 category.