Evaluation Comparing Preliminary and G321

For our preliminary task we had to create a storyboard. In our group this was my job as other members had done other things like shot lists and I had to do the storyboard. As we had to change some things after we thought of our storyline I had to create two storyboards this took a really long time and I wish I did it a different way. When we started our opening sequence we drew a rough storyboard but our storyline soon changed. This is when we decided to create a storyboard with post it notes instead. This way we could change bits around and move them over if we needed to. I found this extremely helpful as you didn’t have to draw everything out over and over. Saying this, we did create two storyboards as we needed a final one just to make sure we could follow this exactly. Having it a lot bigger and on post it notes made it extremely easier to follow when filming, we were able to photocopy it and carry around one when filming and also when editing.

 

Obviously our opening sequence took a lot more time than our preliminary task, but I found there were plenty more things that had to be completed before filming, like collecting consent forms, planning out times to film and finding times that we could film all the actors etc. We also had to plan when we would film due to different locations used. Whereas in preliminary we filmed afterschool until 5 one evening and the actors were just friends that lived close. I found that although preliminary was quicker and should have felt more relaxed as it wasn’t as detail, I found our actual opening sequence was more relaxed due to who we had chosen and where we were filming. I also felt more responsible as it was our final piece and everything we had planned and researched was to be shown through our final opening. This made me feel a lot more focused as preliminary was hard and thought out but didn’t feel as important to me. We spent so much time researching, collecting props and planning costumes. Finding locations and timing everything right that I felt it was actually a real film and was our film.

In our preliminary task we specifically used their different types of shots to keep the piece continuous. We used 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. This was really interesting to learn and helped us a lot in filming the preliminary. To help us we should have used all of these in our opening sequence but instead we only used 180 degree rule, this isn’t bad as this is the most important one as it helps not to confuse the audience. I think from following the strict rules in preliminary the 180degree rule came natural to all of the people in our group. From this I think we were all a lot more confidant with using the cameras and editing equipment. I found that filming was very similar, if not more interesting as we had to film a lot more shots and from different angles. This made me feel more comfortable with using the equipment and I am now more confidants. After filming our preliminary we had to use an editing programme called iMovie, this was very easy to use and as we were a close group we were all able to put our thoughts in and create something quite quickly and to a good standard. However when we started editing our opening sequences we were given the choice to edit with final cut express or iMovie. As our film contained spilt screens we had to use final cut express. I was happy with this as we were able to learn something new and I’m a lot more confidant with final cut express than I am with iMovie.

I feel that our final opening is a million times better than our preliminary even though I was extremely proud of the preliminary when we first made it. I’ve realised that filming takes a really long time as it is not just the filming but the planning and research behind it. I also like the fact our final product includes different things like split screens, titles and in most comparison the institution logos. Creating these was really hard and very time consuming but I think they make the opening just that extra step better.

Evaluation Attracting Audiance

Evaluation Target Audiance Work

Question 4 emilys

View more presentations from Emily Wallace.

Evaluation of Equipment and Group

Equipment and Technology on Prezi

Evaluation Presenting Social groups

Question 2- Social Groups on Prezi

Evaluation Commenting on Distributuon

After researching into the difference between institutions we got together as a group and realised that our final film would have to be distributed by a mainstream institution. We thought about making our piece fit for a niche market, therefore the distributors would be a smaller company like Film4 or MTV. I would have preferred this as most of the inspiration for our film came from films like Napoleon Dynamite and Four Lions.

Although saying this, our film is really happy and light, whereas these films are odd and dark. Looking at other films related to our film, for instance Superbad (2007) was distributed by mainstream company Columbia Pictures and Step Brothers (2008) also by Columbia. Therefore we decided as a group we would go with a mainstream institution. I then went off by myself and researched some facts about Columbia Pictures and also into Warner Brothers as they make a few popular comedies i.e. The Hangover (2009). I compared the two companies by looking into different facts. Warner Brothers has been active since 1918 and soon after the first start the company then upgrade only a few 5 years later. This shows they have been improve quickly since they started and as they started earlier its likely they have more experience. Although saying this Columbia Picture soon followed by being active since 1919 but upgrading in 1924. Both have headquarters in the USA which is a plus side as this will most likely help our film promotion and distributing. Columbia pictures have had connections with lots of different companies including Coca-cola as they bought the company in 1982. More recently Columbia has been bought by Sony Entertainment. This is a great positive as it means the company could help our film be produced in different ways including BluRay and in 3D. In comparison to this Warner Brothers does have other institutions connected to them, including DC Comics. This is good for our film as DC Comics make quite funny but very geeky films. This really supports our theme and could be helpful to us as if we were with a mainstream institution like Warner Brothers we would be able to use the advantages of DC Comics.

Overall I decided that our group should go with Columbia pictures simply because they have made films similar to ours before and they have good experiences of working in our style. They also have some great advantages like being connected to Sony which could open our film to all sorts of things especially BluRay.

We learnt that we would have to aim our film at a mass audience; we thought this because most comedies are really popular with a wide demographic as everyone like to see something funny, and comedies are especially popular during times of economic downturn, like now. We did some questionnaires and found that this was correct, a lot of people like to relax and they find that comedy enables them do to this the easiest as its gives them a sense of escapism. I would use a mainstream distributor to distribute my film. For instance this would help me get the film into a big company like Odeon or Cineworld, then my film would be played often, and everyday in a multiplex. This would help me reach my mass audience as a lot of people would want to see the film, and this would let them.

As I have chosen to distribute with a mainstream company our film will enable the companies to create new merchandise, therefore making everyone earn more money. This will also be helpful as its promotion for our film. For instance the ‘McLovin’ from the film now has an iconic t-shirt. By having a mainstream distributor this is another positive as it enables us to get more money and more promotion.

As we have chosen a famous, successful company there are many different ways for our film to be distributed after, before or alongside theatrical release? By having successful and distributors with a lot of money as this can enable our film to be promoted on YouTube or Facebook for example taking over Myspace, like The Dark Knight was able to. This includes across all video stores, especially HMV as they are one of the most successful video stores as they have been around since 1921. This isn’t as accessible as for say Amazon, as people all around the world can get onto this website and have films sent to them for a reasonable price. This opens up our distribution to our mass audience. Also we will distribute using things like iTunes as they don’t have to be sent and videos can be downloaded. Over the last few years downloading has risen in popularity, this will also help us to reach our target audience.

Evaluation Challenging Other Media Products

To start my evaluation I looked at what different things our media piece actually used. Looking at not only our final film but all of the research and planning before. I then went on to compare our final product with similar films of the same genre.

I started by researching into what were some of the most famous comedy films. I tried to include films I had already seen so it was easier for me to reflect. I looked at the different types of characters and found that the research we had done before support the way our main characters were all geeky. By looking at characters in SuperBad, McLovin and Evan (Michael Cera) I saw that they were similar to our characters Tom- who wants to be cool and Stu- who is straight edged and plain. A constant convention of a comedy is laughter. With our opening most of the elements are common actions but some are extremely over exaggerated and odd. For instance when the character Stu looks at his watch, he’s clearly waiting for his friends to be ready. Also when the character Bob is getting ready, there is a shot of him ‘checking himself out’ this is comical as its something that is often in comedies as is seen as funny. Later in the film we would plan to have funny lines, something memorable, like in a lot of comedies out at this moment. For instance Step Brothers has some memorable quotes ‘ can we make our beds into bunk beds so there is more room for activities’ this is already a funny quote but when every learns it and it is used in real life, it promote the film and makes people interested in it. Hopefully are film could do the same.

Titles- looking at other my timeline- the same? Better or worse?

The opening for our film clearly shows that its a comedy. By having bits that actually make the audience laugh is what makes the genre most apparent. By using certain scenes and certain techniques (like the cutting of the sound for Stus shots) it shows that the film isn’t a hundred percent serious and you can tell its meant to be like that. I think our group did well in picking out the right actors as they were able to over exaggerate there actions enough so they still looked real, but you knew they should be funny. I found when filming we helped to make this happen as when filming, it was very relaxed and we were already laughing when filming the shots. This gave us an indication that we would be making a Hybrid comedy genre.