Evaluation - Preliminary Task

Digital Technology

For the digital technology that i chose to use for my preliminary task was using a camera and a piece of software which allowed me to edit the task as a whole. With the camera, i used an ordinary camera which (along with the tripod) helped to give a good presented image as someone were to watch it. With the software, i used a new version of IMovie on a Mac computer which caused the task to become of a huge success due to the software being very much easy to use. I felt that this version of IMovie was much more simpler to use than the old version and it caused it to become very comfortable when editing my work.

With the whole structure and story line of this 43 second production, i decided that i would make the genre Comedy. For this genre to become known as people watched this, within some scenes, i sped up the time sequence so that it appeared for of a slap-stick comedy production. For instance, from 0.31 seconds, the audience are able to denote the character dialogue being sped up as she speaks. Due to her tone sounding highly pitched, it causes it to become rather unusual which then reflects upon the comedy aspect that the audience feels whilst they are watching it.

Within my opening sequence, i sped up some clips slightly so that all the shots taken would sync in well with one another. I created this type of editing on IMovie as Dan begins his actions of domestic abuse towards Jade as she walks out of the kitchen at 1.00 within the production.




Within this preliminary task, i was given objectives that i was expected to fill such as the types of different camera shots. From 0.23, this establishes the first shot of a ''Shot, Reverse, Shot'' as the two characters first begin their conversation with one another. The second one is denoted from 0.23 and the shot is then reversed back to the original shot at 0.31 seconds. From this over the shoulder shot and the rest of the shots denotes, it caused to become of a very successful approach as a practice run for myself main production opening sequence due to me having an idea of the different types of shot types and camera techniques i was able to re-act upon. Also, i was given many skills on how to create continuity editing within my work so that the production would flow better.

Due to the new version of IMovie being new to me, i was given a tuition lesson on how to use it. It took a little bit of time to get used to the software but in the end, i managed to find it quite easy to use in order to edit my task. I felt that the task as a whole happened too quickly and i felt that i could have used more shots whilst i am seen (as a character) walking up to my friend by the swing.

With my main production, i was able to edit more efficiently due to the fact that i had already used the IMovie software before when editing my continuity editing exercise. Due to this practice  i was able to expand more strongly with the previous skills that i already had. For instance, at 0.20 on-wards  the audience are able to hear diegetic sound of screams and banging sounds whilst the door is shut where Becca is standing outside. Due to my previous experience with IMovie, i was able to record these sounds separately and edit them on top of the production afterwards in a way that would match what was happening on screen.



Creativity

The basic scenario that i aimed to reflect upon was to show a character opening a door, walking into a room, and having a conversation with another character. I chose to use a bicycle as transport instead of walking due to this creating a sense of good creativity which helps to make the production stand out towards the audience. Also, as the music plays throughout the production, i felt that the bicycle transport fitted in well with that as well as well as the genre of comedy which i aimed to achieve. The use of transport within the preliminary task was (what i felt) the strongest element to the creativity of my work due to the fact that this type of transport is not normally exhibited within productions. 

Post Production/Research and Planning

With the post production for my preliminary task, i created story board sheets which included drawings of the different shots and the story line of the whole clip. This caused my production to become very easy when filming due to me having planned what shots, angles, and dialogue i would include within the task. 

With my BSR opening sequence, i created a shooting script instead which was in a similar format to the story boards which i created for my continuity editing work but didn't consist in any drawings of shots. I felt that the shooting script was a weakness of mine because i felt (for some reason) a difficulty when trying to follow it. with the story boards, due to there being images to follow, i felt that way was easy in a way. Although next time, i will think strongly about the structure in which i lay out the shooting script so that i am able to follow it correctly and without any hassle and this will be one of the improvements that i am to make in the future. 

The research that i conducted for my preliminary task was mainly gathering important knowledge about all the different shot types and editing techniques in order for a well flowed production. This being Shot - Reverse - Shot, Close up, Long Shot, Extreme Shot, Mid-Shot etc. After taking in this knowledge and research, i was able to interpret this within my preliminary task so that it came out successfully as a media production. 
With this, i felt that i could of improved more on the number of different shot types used so that my production would have a variety of them which the audience would be able to denote whilst watching. 
When it came to producing my opening sequence production, i was able to think more about the different types of shot types that i would be using in order to achieve that full BSR media representation.

Evaluation - Technology

Evaluation - Addressing/Attracting Audience

Evaluation - Social Group Representation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Within the world of media, teenagers are normally represented in a conventional way which tends to stand out towards the audience. They are stereo-typically characterized by their personality, sex, and appearance. Most teenagers within the media are represented as attractive, confident, and white; this of which could cause the related age grouped audience to become very paranoid about the way they look due to the intentions that they may feel after examining such a perfect stereotypical aspect of a teenager shown across the television screen.

Within my media production, I chose to represent my teenage character differently to this stereotypical aspect whilst being inspired by the representation of the main female character from the British film production of ''Fish Tank''.
The main character within my film Becca is represented as a 16 year old character and is denoted wearing dark unfashionable clothes which could connote her lack of class as a character. These dull colors could also maybe connote emotional depression that she goes through within her life.  Within the film, due to her age being of a young represented teenager, the audience may tend to judge her before her actions. Becca tends to act very mature about things within the beginning of the production (when we view her trying to stop an argument caused between Dan and Jade whilst they are resulting in actions of domestic violence) but as the rest of the film follows, the actions and decisions that Becca chooses to act upon completely change the way the audience look at her from how she was represented at the beginning of the film to how she changes in the rest of the story line; she turns into a violent aggressive character and this causes the audience to witness two different aspects of a typical teenage girl revealed within the media world.



Camera/Editing

Within the opening sequence, Becca is denoted as a young teenager and she is only denoted within the production for a few short moments. During these moments, the audience witness her knocking on the door and sliding down a wall resulting in her curled up on the floor. Whilst she sits herself amongst the floor, the camera pans down following her actions which then results in a high angle shot. This helps to connote that she is weak and is struggling on what to do within the situation that she is in at that moment of time. This tends to happen to most teenagers due

to the fact that in harsh situations like these, females such as herself would not know what to do. With women, they are normally stereo-typically judged as the weak ones out of the two sexes. Due to this being stated, Becca is witnessed in a similar way due to the power that Dan holds over Jade being so strong which Becca is then unable to prevent from causing.

At 0.20, I placed the camera so that the door and Becca were denoted within the shot. As this shot commences, the audience are able to hear the strong load sounds of screaming and banging which Dan is inflicting upon Jade within the room. Due to the camera being placed out side of the room away from the main action, it causes the production to create enigma towards the audience due to the fact that they are unable to know of what harsh damage is being inflicted upon Jade from Dan's strong domestic abuse actions.
Also, due to the shot denoting Becca outside of the room, it connotes that she is of a young age and she is not suitable to be experiencing these type of actions due to her being of a young age (16 years old).


During the beginning of this production, we witness one of the characters Jade walking into her flat after going somewhere without letting anybody know that she had left. As Jade walks up the staircase, the camera uses a close up shot of her footwork; as the audience denote this, it causes a sense of tension and causes her actions performed to become very strongly focused upon when being one of the first female characters to be introduced. While she is walking into the flat, Dan is denoted within the kitchen looking through the fridge. Both their actions twists with the stereotypical expectations that the audience have when witnessing their actions. Normally, the audience would expect the female character to be within the kitchen and the male character being the one to walk into the flat after going somewhere. 

At 1.54, we denote Becca suddenly walking up to a door and opening a letter slot to see if anyone is in the house. I used continuity editing to approach this whilst the camera is on the other side of the letter slot as Becca opens it from the outside. Usually, an adult would not typically be seen doing this action of opening a letter slot; they would be ringing the door bell or knocking like a normal person would. Due to Becca opening the letter slot in hope that someone opens the door, it is quite immature of her and helps to connote her representation as a teenager.

Sound

For the first 0.57 seconds of this opening sequence, i created a sound track to play on top of the action that commences from Jade and Dan. (The software that i used to create this was through Logic on the IMac). From researching into my target audience, i created the sound track in a way which would suit their musical appeal; this being genres such as Garage, Hip-Hop, R&B etc. Although this sound track has a depressing emotional element to it, the rest of track apart from the minor key melody line has a very deep strong based representation which relates to genres such as Garage and R&B due to these genres consisting in thick textured base lines. Due to my sound track being of this format, it would appeal more to the main social group that i am aiming towards for my target audience.

From 1.20, the audience are able to hear diegetic sounds of screaming and banging which Dan inflicts upon Jade within the room. Whilst denoting this, it connotes to the audience the type of character that Dan is whilst listening to all the harsh loud banging that he is inflicting upon Jade. Whilst hearing the screaming, the audience feel a sense of sympathy for Jade due to her being a female which the audience would stereo-typically judge her to be of a weak represented character. 

Mise-en-scene/Expressionism
The location which i chose for my opening sequence was a broken down flat estate which gave a very low working class representation towards who is living in it. Within the kitchen scene in the sequence, the audience are able to denote a lot of mess and one of the cabinet draws missing. This causes the mise-en-scene to appear of a unstable unvarnished feel whilst the audience watch the scene.

For Becca within the scene at 1.20, the expressionism with the lighting matches her representation and appearance once she is denoted. Due to the lighting being of a dim quality, this could connote the difficulty and depressed situation which Becca experiences at that moment as well as others. Due to her being of a young teenager, this lighting connotes her being in darkness of the situation and her standing there unable to help could connote her helpless actions towards what Dan is causing to Jade. The lighting also reflects upon the harsh actions in which Dan is acting upon within the room which causes it to appear as such a effective scene as he is a male adult within the sequence. 

Evaluation - Conventions Of Media Products

Evaluation - Film 4

Evaluation - Who Are The Audience?