Media A/S PowerPoint/Continuity/Final film

Continuity task.

Final film 

Evaluation

 1. In what ways does you media product develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The credits do not disrupt the story as they appear as the villain is talking, the credit take up the space around the villain which is an idea that I got form the original django movie. The credits are fast so they will not distract the viewer from the project.

The first scene is introducing the villain and the protagonist and explaining why the protagonist does what he will do later on in the film, a short back story that gives all need contexts. It is linear film which shows scenes in a chronological order which is good for what I wanted to portray, although it is a liner film it does not adhere to toderovs narrative fully the seems to skip equilibrium and jump to recognition that there has been a disruption and the protagonist tries to repair the disruption and fails leaving the film in disequilibrium. At the beginning continuity editing was used because I wanted the audience to build  a bond with both the villain and the protagonist, a good example of that is in the first scene I don't show the heroes face but I show the villains mask the entire first scene, in the next scene at the graveyard the protagonist is the only person shown and he is crying but you can just barely see his face, both of these scenes are there so the viewer can pick a side, a good example of this in real  big budget film is in the dark night, the joker is a villain but some people prefer him over batman and I tried to get that across in this media project. The back ground suggests that they are in the protagonist’s home with picture in the background and a television showing that this could be the living room or a family room.                   

The first shot used was a POV but the viewer does not know this until I cut next shot which was a medium close up, I used this this because I wanted the viewer to feel the villains words as if he was saying it to them and I burst that bubble by introducing the back of the protagonists head for the next shot, this gives the viewer an idea of what just happened, having the viewer feel the like villain was talking to them makes the protagonists method for revenge more understandable. In the POV shot the villain is wearing a gas mask which could connote to having a scar or there could be something wrong this idea came from Friday the 13^th using the mask to tell a story about the villain and why he is the villain. The shot of the protagonist and the villain, the villains stance connotes purposeful mocking of the protagonist by crouching down as if to say look what you've become and belittling him by talking to him and the same level like he is a child, on the other side this could be seen as the villain giving the protagonist equal ground but I done it this way for the viewer to decide. In the shot you can see the house is a mess which could show that the villains were looking for something and not just mindless killers. My villain is supposed to be strange and a bit unpredictable, I feel he changes convection by giving the protagonist the tools to get his revenge as if he wanted to create a monster and then take it down for fun but the villain’s intentions are not very clear. This scene also shows the protagonist as an innocent person without giving extra context locking the viewer into a false sense of empathy.

the next shots are set in a graveyard with the protagonist mourning the death of his parents the first shot is of  the protagonists parents joint gravestone, this explains the situation the viewer straight away giving me the ability to tell a story without the immediate use of sound. The scene at the graveyard is still using continuity editing because a slower edit is better to show the sadness a sorrow of the scene this is common in real media as easing into emotion is a better way for the viewer to understand the scene. The protagonist is already wearing a hood and all black this could connote to funeral clothing and the hood is a symbol that we want to leave in darkness ass the hood shrouds his face, the hood could also be a way to hide his sadness form his parent’s gravestone. I wanted the grave yard scene to help develop the protagonists character as he is a silent protagonist I wanted to show sadness instead of using speech, I also wanted to change the conventions of a silent character as they do not usually show emotion in some of the big budget films, but without the emotion most viewers wont connect as well with the protagonist so one scene dedicated to showing the protagonist is still human at heart was needed to help the story along and to help the viewer keep track. This scene is also where the protagonist puts on his mask, the mask represents the fact that he wants to distance himself from what he is about to try to do. Wearing the mask also creates a wall for the viewer cutting of the emotion he had just shown and in essence becoming something else. Masks are commonly used in hero movies and TV shows like Batman, Kickass and arrow were the protagonist don't want their true identity to be found the mask are also used to distance themselves from there vigilante actions and to create an alibi and I try to use that idea to my advantage going along with the conventions of wearing a mask. you can still see his eyes with the mask on and the eyes are said "the eyes are the window to the soul" so although the view cannot see his mouth they should be able to see the emotion in his eyes basically creating a crack in the barrier and showing he is still himself even if it is the smallest amount.        

The next scene is the death of the first guard three cuts were used in this scene, I needed to show the hero getting a new gun for the next scene and taking a weapon form a guard is commonly the way that protagonist in movies and Television acquire a weapon so following conventions was important to get the story across in this scène. The body guard also followed convention in his appearance butch tall wearing a coat in summer but his actions said otherwise the guard was not standing and guarding he was watch a video which is frowned upon we guarding something but I wanted to change the conventions and make seem as if he was bored or that he is so confident in his skill that he does not need to be attentive, this body guard dying show that conventions are there for a reason and changing them can be bad in the long run. the shots I used for the guard death scene were a medium close up and a close up I used the medium close up to show the guard slacking off and removing his guns I did this so the viewer would be at a distance form the when he dies and have no emotional bond with the list important characters. I used a close up because I wanted the viewer to see the protagonist picking up the gun and did not include the guards face so the view can only concentrate on the gun.

The next scene is with the villain and his body sitting down watching something which is very untypical for a villain, but my villains supposed to change the conventions and be an anti-villain of sorts, the villain and his body guard hear a something and the body guard has to check what just happened, a track shot is used to show how strange the villain and his body guard looking around,  the track shot is also where the  project transitions from color to grayscale this is done to represent a change in atmosphere, it’s also changes the convention of a normal film as there is no transition the film is ether interlay in black and white or in color. The shot where the body guard is going to check what is going on I used a medium shot to show the bodyguard standing , I did this because it is a very impersonal shot and I did not want anyone growing to attached to the bodyguard because in the next shot he get shot twice, this is very untypical for a body guard to be killed without  warning there would usually be a huge fight and the protagonist would win and then the protagonist moves up the villain but to change convention I removed the middle man and jumped straight to the villain fight. The next shot is a close up of the villain saying well that s unfortunate as if he didn’t really care about his bodyguard which is a very typical villain trait in most big budget films the body guard are seen as expendable protection, but the use of a close up was meant to show the emotion in the villains face but like the protagonist the villain is wearing a mask but in this mask you can barely see his eyes and if “the eyes are the window to the soul”, the mask suggest that the villain barely has a soul. The next shot is of the back of the villain head, call the protagonist out and the protagonist does what is common in most big budget films and comes out not thinking if it’s a trap feeling as if they have the upper hand.

The next shot is when the protagonist walks up to the villain and put a gun to his head, what is typical for a protagonist seeking revenge is he want to savor the moment, but the villain does not play ball and grabs the gun this is very typical as no villain ever really wants to die so they will do whatever they can to stay alive. The protagonist in a last ditch effort to get his revenge pulls out his empty gun and tries to bluff the villain, the protagonist keeping his empty gun shows the bond he has with this gun it was catalyst of his destruction and now it is a means of revenge. The villain and the hero are in a standoff, the villain not knowing he has the advantage they both put their guns on the floor and kick them away from each other. This  is very untypical for the villain instead of fighting he could of kill the protagonist at the beginning of the project and avoid losing any body guards but it is as if he want to fight someone that he is doing this for his own sick pleasure. The fight scene the protagonist seems to lose and is on the floor the villain walks to the guns picks up his gun, kick the protagonist down and then shoots him this changes convention from a big budget film as the protagonist just lost. I made the protagonist lose because seeing the same ending over and over again made me want to change the way a protagonist can be portrayed instead of him being completely cold and hell bent on getting revenge I want him to still be human at heart and this was his weakness, I wanted to show that you cannot get strong by being given a gun and direction and that he was doomed form the beginning. The roles have be revered for my protagonist and my villain as in modern stereotype the colored people are the villains and the white the hero’s so I want to change those conventions but still keep the conventions of colored person losing not to be racist but to show who media can twist in on its self in normal situation the protagonist  wins and the villain loses and in some media the colored people lose and white people win I want to show that these conventions create a paradox in which the hero loses, the protagonist did not lose because of his color that was a coincidence but the idea is still valid, the protagonist lost because in the entire movie he was not the protagonist he was the victim being lured into a trap by the villain who had all the cards and seemed to enjoy toying with the protagonist he also lost because of his lack of training.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

There are many reasons how our film represents things thinks to a particular social group. The first thing is the representation of the characters. The main character Ryan is portrayed as an ordinary teenager who could represent a teenage social group. Our film also represents people who have lost a parental figure for any reason as the protagonist has lost his parent and some could relate.

The villain is wearing all a coat, a shirt and a tie which could connote to him being smart clean and in control, his tie is red which is an elegant color normally worn in a black tie event which connote to the villain having money to spend the villain could be middle to upper class because his is wearing smart clothing to murder, but the red tie could also connote to his love for blood and valance which would have no effect on his class. At the beginning the protagonist wearing a grey hoody which could connote to him being a normal middle class teenager but after his parents die his grey hoody is replaced with a black one which connotes to him becoming emotionally unstable or an emo due to the death of his parents. The protagonist house has pictures of what seems to be his family and his “parents” are both white and he is black this could connote to him being adopted or this could be some sort of foster home. The protagonist’s skin color could connote to the black community. The protagonist and the villains re both using guns which could connote to them both being criminal as firearms are illegal this cold represent a stereotype that all teenagers are into gun crime and that they will use a gun to commit crimes.

The villain and his body guard are the only people who talk in the entire project, the villain’s voice sounds muffled, and cold showing no emotion. The opening sequence show the protagonist be helpless and weak unable to change what had happened to his parents and revenge became is only means of survival. This anger had a path when he was given his parents murder tool and that tool was a method to get more strength and become less vulnerable.

3. What kind of institution might distribute you media product and why?

There are many different production companies that could distribute my film project there are a couple that stand out to me because of the types of film they distribute and the sales they get in there countries. The production companies are universal studios, 20^th century fox and rain dance.

 Twentieth Century Fox's most popular film franchises include Star Wars, Ice Age, X-Men", 'Die Hard, Alien, and Planet of the Apes. Television series produced by Fox include The Simpsons, M*A*S*H, The X-Files, Family Guy, and 24.  I feel that Twentieth Century Fox would be a great way to get my film know as it has allot of well know movies that are similar to mine and those films have done well so I can only assume that if I use them the movie film would be an instant hit.

Raindance Film Festival is Europe’s leading independent film festival. Listed by Variety as one of the world’s top 50 ‘unmissable film festivals’, Raindance aims to nurture, support and promote independent films and filmmakers from the UK and around the world. They are not a distributer but they are a good way to get your film known so in a way they do distribute a film just to a lower audience.

4. Who would be the audience for you media project?

The audience of this project would most likely be male gender, working / middle class, as the main characters and the villain are both male and the male gender can relate with themselves. This can appeal to the some female audiences as there is some emotions show and that makes the protagonist more relatable to but the project won’t appeal top most females.

The target audience is students as students are usually home with their parents and this creates a sense of thankfulness and love for their parents as they are hopefully still alive or with them it can also show a the protagonist as a kindred spirit  and help those how have lost a parental figure feel less lonely.

The age of this project is a 12A. I compared the film to the BBFC guide lines because there is injury and pain. There are only a few threats in this project and there is nothing that is easily accessible to the general audience there is blood but it is a not emphasized or on screen long. There is now vulgar language or any sexual meaning a younger audience and watch it and it would not raise any flags. This film could not be very relatable for children under the age of 12 so the possibility of it being a PG in near impossible as although the scene are not too violet younger mind could still be corrupted. The weak real life threat level make this film suitable for 12 and up but it is recommended more for 13-14 year olds.

5.How did you attract/ address your audience?

I attracted out my audience by uploading it on YouTube and onto social networks like Facebook and twitter. I put on YouTube so I could feed back form my pear and also people on the web so I could have a broader range of feedback. I attracted people by calling the video my media project this was done so people know that it was a media project and also the constructive criticism was completely welcomed.

My target audience includes my age group and maybe there family and friend so there is a broader amount of people I can reach. I thought that Facebook, twitter and YouTube were the right places to upload my video as I could attract more people I knew and they could share or show it to people they knew or thought would like it.                                                                                                               

My project may appeal to youths that are black, white or mixed race ethnicity as a media project; the black youth is portrayed as the protagonist and the white ethnicity as the murderous winner, the attracting factor could be the villain as he shows personality.

The film should strict the working and middle social classes as this project was distributed on sites that are usually dominated by these social classes. It also appeal to these social classes as the house some of the project was filmed in is working/middle class which mean it is more relatable to these classes and be better received by them.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of this product?

Before start the preliminary task and final task, I was very familiar with cameras and camera software I was very experienced with it, for the continuity it was only me and tafadzwa hove so I was on camera and we recorded the film as a two man group I directed the continuity and filmed it and edited it and  tafadzwa acted in it as I feed him lines and we were able to compete it in in the space of three days without the help of our other group members.

As I had the most knowledge in my group on the camera, I decided that I should be on camera for my group but I could only do some of the shot since I was in the film. Because I could not do all the camera work I decide that I would also do the editing as I was he only one who had previously used editing software. I used Sony Vegas and after effects to edit the final product and for the preliminary I used final cut, I decided that I would use Sony Vegas because I was able to edit  twice as fast  and I thought that that would be better for editing the final peace . Although I already knew how to edit I decided that I would play with the software’s to see what effects I can use and what extras I could add to my project.

After everything was filmed and edited, I had to render the peace and export it to YouTube, blogger, Facebook and twitter. I uploaded our film onto YouTube so all I had to do to use it on the social networks was paste the Html making it easily assessable to my group and people who wanted to share it. Facebook was the best social network to post it on because people could comment on the film easily and I was able to find the comment instantly because of Facebook s notification system blogger had no comments so it was not a very useful means of distribution.

YouTube was by far the best place to upload the project as it was very well know and anyone can view the project, I did also upload the film on vimeo but it was not as well-known and an I got little to no feedback for the project.

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

Looking back on the preliminary task , I fell that the preliminary task was allot easier and took a lot less time compared the final which was a nightmare because I gave myself to much to do. As it was a continuity task as I did not have to worry about story or real dialogue. For the continuity we decided that we would go with conventions as there were barely any conventions to go against as the situation was not explained and there was no context into what was going on. The only convention I feel we kind of went against was the idea that in the situation the female seemed to be at a higher potion than the male.

I used the preliminary task to play with weird angles and new camera shot although I did not film all of it I did the more technique shots as I had the sturdiest hand and I can make some handheld shot look like they or on a tripod for track shot and pans.

When editing the first task, I was using final cut which was great software and I know how to use it but too actually you it I had to go to my bosses office and use his mac and that meant I had a time limit to how long I could edit as he would close his office at five. I knew how to use every part of   final cut which made editing quick and easy. Although I was good at camera work and editing I did not know how and why continuity was important we making a film so making the continuity was a good experience as I got to learn about continuity and also got to learn rule you need to go by when making a film. I filmed the continuity over the course of three days, on the second day one of the actors was wearing something different and I could not film anything with him in it as it would create a continuity error, so I filmed everything without him and plan to film his scenes the third day.

After I used final cut I found that it would be too complicated to only edit when I’m in the office so I got a copy of Sony Vegas pro 12 on my home computer which made it a lot easier to edit work when I wanted and I also found that it was allot quicker to edit and it was not pa big learning curve compared to final cut so I picked it up and was able to apply that to my final task.      

I have found that getting prepare to film is very difficult when some member of your group are uncooperative, we had to keep moving  the filming date because someone could not make it or if someone lied about a location.