Mr Judge one to one tutorial

After our one to one tutorial on the 2/02/15, it was evident that you are making good progress for your research and planning, unfortunately there are still some outstanding tasks that need to rectify as soon as possible. Please refer to the SMART targets that we set up previously and have them completed for my next session. 

Ohsinja

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my Preliminary Task, I feel like I've learned more about editing and pre-production than i did before i started creating my product. Firstly, The Editing aspect of the course i already knew from past experience using Premiere Pro and After Effects back in Secondary School however my skill set has expanded where by i now know more than i originally knew. When i first edited my product without any transitions or effects, it was very plain and not as suspenseful as i intended it to be. after getting feedback from my teacher i was able to adapt my product to start making it into a Horror Film. At first i originally had scary background music which was intentional for me as music is quite important in the Horror Genre, but with the opening scene being as dark as it is and quite quiet, the music takes away the suspense from the scene making it less scary. by getting rid of the soundtrack and replacing it with Sound Effects and slight silence in the background it starts to make it suspenseful and scary more than the music did. Once i finished adding my audio files into my product i now needed to work on the footage. When i asked my teacher about adding texture to make my footage look scary she told me about adding color correction and using transitions, i never used color correction before editing my footage so this was new for me. i mainly learned more about textures and transitions when editing more than anything as i already knew some techniques in my past courses in secondary school (Film Studies and Media BTEC).

Other new techniques which i learned about were in pre-production, i already knew how to make a script, storyboard, camera script, recce assessment but i didn't exactly know how to develop my ideas so that they fitted the horror genre. When creating the titles for my film 'Nightmare Productions' I've had past experience making introductions as Special Effects and CGI is my specialty in editing. however because my titles weren't 3D i made them 2D instead as there's more you can do with them technically. I have learned a lot about Premiere Pro/Photoshop Techniques but i also learned more about cameras themselves. in order to film my product i used my Sony Cyber-shot HX60 so i already knew about camera techniques. to create the music in my first cut i used a software called Cubase which is a music creation/editing software, i also used a copyright free track downloaded off the internet. when i added this to my first cut it took away the tension and suspension from the scene, it didn't make the scene scary so the music i created was deleted off the final product which was a good decision as mainly focusing on sound effects was better. i got my sound effects from a website called

freesound.org which is a free subscription website which you have to sign up to in order to download the sound which you want by searching in the search bar. the website has over 2,000 sounds which are free to download. the sounds for the demon 'Ohsinja' were downloaded off the website but were edited using Cubase by adding effects such as Reverb, Reverse, EQ, Delay and other effects. the software is as advanced as Premiere pro but has different abilities. Premiere pro is mainly designed for Editing Footage and creating short films, documentaries and films. Cubase on the other hand is a very advanced software designed to create professional recordings bands such as Hozier and Linkin Park use Cubase to record, edit and produce their albums.

Prelim Task

February feedback

You are making steady progress toward your goal. Ensure the evaluations use creative technologies. 

Be thorough in evaluation and check research and planning is complete.

what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

before i started to create my product i already had some knowledge of editing software but through the process of creating my product I've learned more about editing, sound, camera, mes-en-scene and creating a good story. At the start of making my product i used Microsoft Word to write out a Plan, Script, Idea Board and Camera Script. Once all work leading up to filming was complete i filmed my footage using a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V Compact Camera in 1080p using a Tripod.

 When in the editing process of creating my product i used a number of Editing Applications, The Main editing software i used was Adobe Premiere Pro on a Mac to get all the clips cut down and the color corrected to give it more of a cinematic feel. I also used Adobe After Effects to create my Company Credits, i also used After Effects to help with the Lighting in my Footage as i wanted it to be dark but visible at the same time. To edit the Sound Effects i used Cubase 7 to create some harsh sounding demonic creature voice. Other Sounds used in the Product were from a website called Freesound.org.

I'm also using Blogger to create my Blog to update my Process in creating my product, however Blogger is a website rather than software. In the Blogging process I'm going to add Videos to my Posts which identifies certain areas in my product. When filming my product i used my own camera like i mentioned before. As i already know the features of my camera i felt it would be easier to use. The camera shoots in 1080p so i already knew with some editing i would have a nice looking product with shots that blend together well.

How did you attract/address your audience?

In my Media Product I Attracted/Addressed my Audience by using certain characteristics and themes through the use of Mes-en-Scene, Story and Character. I attracted my audience through the use of Mes-en-Scene to create the feeling that this character is similar to any everyday person. Charlie the Main Character is wearing a Tracksuit as that is what the average modern teenager wears, however this can be seen as a bad thing as tracksuits are know mainly for mischievous chavs and teenagers as they are seen as bad as they get up to no good smoking and drinking in the streets taking drugs and doing stupid things. I made him wear a tracksuit to represent the average teenager but when you look around the setting you'll see he's in a very nice, clean, sophisticated, big house this shows us that he may get into some trouble at times but still has a life better than most teens his age (Aged 17). I addressed my audience by adding some small details to my Story for instance I added a dolly shot of a fire place with pictures placed on the mantle piece, the camera slowly moves past the images to show how family is important in Charlie's life. there are also some more small things in my product which makes us wonder about the character whether he is good or bad again this links in with Mes-en-scene due to the use of costume, color, lighting and Props. in the scene you see charlie walk to a kitchen draw and grab a knife. we as the audience dont know yet what the knife is going to be used for, good or bad use.

Who would be the audience for your media product

According to the Statistics 'YouGov' presents when searching for a Horror  Film similar to mine YouGov stated that the Audience to suit my Media Product would be of Male Gender, Aged between 25 - 39 year old's who's Social Grade is C2DE. It also states that they have a Monthly Spare of less than £125. The Audience also has an interest in drawing, buying/selling online and driving. Their general interests include Watching Movies, Playing Video Games and Animals and Nature. Their favourite Sports include Snooker and Boxing and the most likely pet they own is a Cat.
All the information YouGov presents is all well and good however it doesn't give me 100% positive answers as some of the answers are just based on accounts created on their server. YouGov also shows statistics for what the Audience may or may not like, these include (Music Artists, Favourite Actors, Songs, Films, Where they Shop, What they search for online, What Games they play on their Phone. All the Statistics seen on the website are from information taken when I searched for Insidious as that is a similar film to me as the film is about Possession and the pain/struggle of a Family.

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

A media institution which might distribute my Media product would be 'Alliance Films', due to their recent success with the hit trilogy 'Insidious' they have accomplished 2 films and the 3rd will be released later this year. They have also Distributed films such as 'Resident Evil : Retribution', 'Dark skies' and 'Piranha 3DD'.

Insidious is about A gripping story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident in the attic. Little do they know that there is much more to this endless sleep than meets the eye as they explore the paranormal, and rediscover the past; the key to getting their son back once and for all'. The film made a Gross Total of $53,991,137 in August 2011 in which the number has maximized since. In comparison to my media product we both share similar themes/stories as both films (Insidious and Ohsinja) are about Possession and about being haunted by an evil spirit. However another company might also distribute my product 'Ghost House Pictures' also benefit my product due to their success with films such as 'The Possession' and 'Evil Dead' which seems more beneficial than 'Alliance Films' as Alliance seems more for action Films instead of Possession films.

The Possession is about 'The basketball coach Clyde and his wife Stephanie divorced a couple of months ago and their teenage daughter Hannah and the girl Emily 'Em' live with their mother and spend the weekends with their father. One day, Clyde stops his car in a yard sale and Em buys an antique carved box and becomes obsessed with it. Em finds the hidden lock and releases an evil spirit that possesses her. Soon Clyde discovers that Em has a problem, but his annoying ex-wife and her boyfriend Brett do not pay attention to him and get a restraining order against Clyde. Clyde seeks out Professor McMannis and when he sees the box, he explains that it is a Dibbuk Box, where a fiend is trapped inside. He also explains that the box should not be open; otherwise the person will be possessed by the spirit. Now Clyde travels to a Jewish community in New York and the rabbi's son Tzadok returns with him expecting to exorcise Em to save the girl'. The Possession made a Gross Total of $49,122,319 in November 2012. Evidently Insidious is more popular in comparison to The Possession as it has a better audience due to the themes/story used in the film. 
The Possession is about '

(Left - Alliance Films Logo. Right - Ghost House Pictures Logo)

Coursework feedback

Research and Planning - 12

Research and planning is complete, and some areas are detailed and excellent. The research into similar products is well done, with a variety of film openings explored. However there is no meaningful work shown on target audiences, this needs much more work on it, looking into areas such as demographics and applying it to the film opening. There is some work on the organising of actors etc, but no thought on props is evident, although this was clearly thought about throughout the film. The script is excellent, as is the concept idea. However there is no storyboard to go with the work. Overall there are some holes on the blog, but what is there is of a high standard.

Main Task – 43

Excellent use of props, the camera work is also confident and controlled throughout. There are a good variety of different shot types and the sound is sophisticated throughout with a layered sound-scape being built up that works well with the images. Close attention has been paid to mise en scene and the work clearly reflects the research work carried out. The opening is a little dark throughout and would have benefited from some more thought to lighting, and it would also have benefited some more dialogue. However,  the voice over fits with convention and the opening is appropriate for the task set.   

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my films opening scene you can clearly see a certain social class within my film. My main character is 17 years of age living a quite extraordinary life. The hero of the narrative is a 17-year-old boy, which is unconventional in horror films. You always see children getting possessed with parents and family by their side but seeing a teenage boy by himself is different compared to horror films such as 'The Possession' and 'The Exorcist'. In the box Office ‘The Possession made $49,122,319 (USA) (16 November 2012) Gross Total. The Main Character Charlie is 17 Years of Age. In the opening scene Charlie is wearing a Grey Tracksuit and Grey Hoodie, The Color Grey is used to show how dark the situation is. Also his body language is not as positive as a normal person to show how scared, distraught and frightened the Character is. The Color Grey is also

associated with Darkness however he's wearing a light grey to show there is still light in a dark situation (relating to the candles used in the scene - the candles surround Charlie with light linking to the theme of hope). This Makes the audience think whether the character is a Dark or Nice character, this allows the audience to create some speculation to whether the character is bad or not as because its the start of the film this means that anything can change towards the end. Charlie the Main Character is represented through Age, Gender and Class/Status because as he's a Young Male Character some people may think he's up to no good because he's dressed in Chav like clothing. Just because my character is wearing a tracksuit can represent him as a chav but it can also show how my character is different compared to others. most of the British population wear tracksuits so by my character wearing this gray clothing shows that even though he's the same as any other Teenager he still has personal problems which changes the way we look at him.

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

In my Media Product i decided not to add any music for my opening as the music i chose was too 'in your face' it was too bold for an opening so i decided to have no music and focus mainly on using sound effects. even though dark music is a convention of a horror film i thought it created more a suspenseful feeling without music (helps the audience to engage with the film better). Props were used quite well in my opening scene. i used candles, matches + match box, candle holder, a book and a knife. Knives are a common convention within a horror film as they are classed as a dangerous item along side other household items and garden equipment. However the Knife was used to stab a book instead of a villain such as a person or possessed animal (no Blood was viewed in the opening as because it was the beginning of the film you may want it to be as innocent as possible if you want the audience to believe your story). Relating back to sound, Sound Effects were used for the Demons 'Demons' Voice, i mainly wanted to build on the idea that the voices were running mad in his head, driving him insane. Demonic/Demons is also another Convention of a horror film. My Horror Film challenged conventions by incorporating the end Scene at the start of the film. in horror films such as 'Insidious' they show the Demonic household with the child in the bed, this is done with no narration but also mainly focused on a soundtrack with creepy, eerie music, they then show the title at the end of the opening credits. My opening credits relate to this as there is barely any narration accept on the demons voice saying 'I will kill you, Get out!!!'.