Final video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yIgTTHrwis&feature=plcp&context=C4565c4aVDvjVQa1PpcFOuqm9ZHSLApJqBMOf6JFwUnPMnaxvWjBI%3DNOTE - scene from 1:45 to 1:55 is a corrupted file which is the reason for the out of sync audio. Film was corrupted whilst uploading to Youtube.

Final film poster

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

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

During planning the main type of technology that was used was the internet. It was used to help us present information in new and different ways to create a different effect on our blog and make it more interesting.
 Survey monkey was used to create graphs on the questionnaire that was created for target audience. We have never used survey monkey before and although we found it quite easy to create a questionnaire. I also found it difficult to put the graphs onto my blog so that i could evaluate the information on them, to resolve this i sought advise online and found that i could do this by using screen grabs on a mac computer.
Googles Maps was used when trying to find new and different locations for us to film. We also needed it to find directions to the locations we wanted to get to such as Greater Leys. It was very useful to us however we found it difficult to use in the beginning because we were getting the wrong information. This was resolved later on through practice. I liked how simple the directions were and it allowed us to get a different range of locations for our video.
Final cut and iMovie was used to make a story board for us to have a outline of what shots we needed and where we needed to take them. This was very useful although we found it quite difficult to use Final Cut at first. After watching many tutorials on the internet using Final Cut began to become easier, although we still mainly used iMovie. During planning the main type of technology that was used was the internet. It was used to help us present information in new and different ways to create a different effect on our blog and make it more interesting. Survey monkey was used to create graphs on the questionnaire that was created for target audience.  We used them to present information in a different format to make it more interesting. I have never used slide share before and i found it by searching online for a power point presentation. i found it easy to use after a while as it was quite straight forward and easy to use. We liked the way i could make the presentation look more interesting and i was able to add and annotate pictures on it.

Final cut and a still camera was used to make an anamatic story board for us to have a outline of what shots we needed and where we needed to take them. After having watching a tutorial on how to use it it was easier as we only need to put it onto the timeline to fit with the time on the story board. During planning the main type of technology that was used was the internet. It was used to help us present information in new and different ways to create a different effect on our blog and make it more interesting.

Other websites we used in research was slide share. we used them to present information in a different format to make it more interesting. I have never used slide share before and i found it by searching online for a power point presentation. i found it easy to use after a while as it was quite straight forward and easy to use. We liked the way i could make the presentation look more interesting and i was able to add and annotate pictures on it. For our movie soundtrack we used a variety of music software to create a greater flowing piece. We initially used Garageband to quickly get our songs on the computer to start our editing. Then the music was put onto Logic 9.0.0. which is a comlex music production software used by professional producers, this was done as Logic has 'Fade in/out' effects which helped keep the music from jumping to the next and sounding cheap and unprofessional. 

The music was then compressed into a file then put onto Ableton 8 Suite  which is another music software which is better for mixing music together than Logic which is stronger for producing, using these two powerful softwares together helped us produce a very strong music piece.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

We received feedback from many different sources and they were all helpful in helping us produce our final product.

Our initial idea for film had a very different plot, involving a lot more characters and props and having a very different style all together. It was one of our actors Alex Bagnel who stated that our production wouldn't be as successful in creating a typical Noir style production, 'I feel your production lacks the typical conventions of a film Noir. Although the plot is strong it seems more like a crime/thriller so maybe a change has to take place'. What Alex said helped us realise we were heading in the wrong direction. This is when we re-wrote the script and went at the whole production in a completely different direction.
With our new script written we started filming our production, we initially used longer panning shots, along with the overuse of certain camera shots such as extreme close up and a simple 2 shot. To find out if what we had filmed so far and to see camera shots and angles were as gripping and exciting as we hoped it to be we carried out as survey. Obviously we couldn't just ask the audience which camera angles they thought worked best as many viewers wouldn't know how to answer and don't usually pay attention to it. So we had to think up other specific questions that would help us find out what our film was missing.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L2XYCJN - Link to actual survey

1. How well do feel our production flowed?

How well do feel our production flowed?  Slow/clunky Smoothly Too fast/jumpy out of sync

2. Was what we filmed so far in our production entertaining to watch?

Was what we filmed so far in our production entertaining to watch?  Yes - kept me pulled in No - losing interest at certain points

3. Was what we filmed so far typical to a Noir Style film?

Was what we filmed so far typical to a Noir Style film?  Yes - stayed true to conventions No - did not stay true to conventions Both - Some aspects stayed true to the conventions whilst others scenes did not

From what we found out from this feedback the editing did not sync very well, we also got  results with 100% of the feedback saying we stayed true to the conventions of a Film Noir. This inspired us to keep with the same style but also adapt our editing techniques. We began using many different shots and editing them and a much greater speed but still keeping it flowing well like we had previously.
We showed our newly edited piece to Alex and others who had taken part in the survey; Alex - 'Editing is now flowing at a much smoother level whilst making the scenes more exciting and keeping the person watching involved.
Our media teacher Mr Stapley gave very good advice on where certain shots should be stopped, cut and edited using different techniques. He gave us advice on when during the driving scene when to cut it off and introduce the next scene.
Further audience feedback helped us decide on what time of music genre should be used for our film piece - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LL8MKBP - This survey had a variety of responses, but with a majority vote of 3, the Jazz genre was the most selected. We had already decided on using Jazz music for our film piece, but having the majority of the audience agreeing with you gave us more confidence.

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

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


Cross media advertising theory; a strategy used by business owners to market a product using various types of media. This is exactly what we are doing with our three products. The combination of our 3 products is a prime example of the theory working to full effect. Our 5 minute short film, radio trailer and poster all work in synergy to create a very convincing set of productions.

The Film Noir theme is present throughout all 3 tasks. For example our film poster is the same action shot as the ending shot in our film production which gives an exciting effect for the person watching. The poster we created is very mysterious leaving people looking at it with little information about what is going on in the film, this was done intentionally to draw the audience in so when they do watch it and see the ending scene they subconsciously remember the poster, leaving them with a very strong sense of de ja vu.

Combining the poster and film so closely together was an original idea of ours but we didn't completely stick with a conventional Noir styled poster as we went for a more minimalist approach with a single large image covering the whole poster, instead of using multiple images on a single coloured background, more commonly seen in Noir posters for such films as 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and Alfred Hitchcocks 'Rope'. We chose to use similar Noir style fonts as we found it stood out when placed against other items, but still appeared classy and sophisticated, much like the actors in our production are meant to be portrayed, due to there not being a large contrast between the different fonts clashing against each other. Another way in which we kept continuity between our media products was by using a prop from the short film in our poster. The reason for this was to make our production seem more professional and to allow our audience to make an instant link between the products.

Our radio trailer is also used very effectively in its combination with our main task. The radio trailer consists of audio clips from the film production itself, the reason for this was so the audience could easily establish the link between the separate media pieces, but as well as marketing reasons it was also done to create a flowing effect and give the radio trailer more of an effect. The added voice overs used for the radio trailer was also very similar to the audio dubbing used in the film production to help the audience establish a relationship between the two products.

Media Evaluation

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

When looking at different film genres in preparation for our group piece, we considered the forms and conventions of each one.  We watched a range from action/adventure to romantic comedy which often used fast paced editing and lots of action to keep the audience enticed. Then we began to look at Horror and Film Noire and as we focussed more deeply on this, we realised that Film Noire would be our main focus, with elements of Horror and Thriller. The reason we reached this group decision was because, paradoxically, Horror/Thriller films often employ a wider variety of forms and representation than the others. 


Noire and Horror share many cinema-graphic conventions such as the representation of dark, enclosed environments and strong stereotypical main characters. Some of the common themes of Horror and Noire are also shared, such as death, violence and murder as well as the conventions of production such as ominous music, editing and narrative structure which create a mystery and enigma for their audience. Although 'The Big Sleep' (1946) may seem to be a great contrast to 'Frankenstein' (1931) they both contain many of these elements, for instance the dark lighting and chilling music. However there are differences; the soundtrack for a Noire film is often a lot more targeted at the mood and tone of the different scenes. This genre was dominant during the 1940s and 1950s when sound technology in films was more sophisticated than immediately after the silent era. In our production task we used predominately jazz songs from artists such as Miles Davis, mimicking such classic film Noire soundtracks as Davis's score for 'Lift to the Scaffold' (1958).

We generally adhered to other conventions of the Noire/Horror genre by representing the classic characters of the genres, for example the 'victim good guy’ and the ‘archetypical murderer’, as well as employing enigmas by showing the murderer's face in the dark whilst the detective, who represents the moral core, was in the foreground in the light (image above), symbolising the contrast in character between himself and the villain (image below). We used iconography similar to that of other Noire films. These included the location; dark alleyways which were filming using little non- diegetic lighting as illumination comes from the elements in the scene, such as sweeping car headlights and the sharp contrast in light and dark created by street lighting( look for example film). 


However to be more creative we didn’t stick rigidly to conventions. One example of this is that we used a contemporary and more enigmatic storyline. Conventional Noire films are not only literally in black and white, their plots follow a clear-cut narrative structure of exposition, development, complication, crisis and resolution (see Tudorov). Our film 'The Hard Way', employs a flashback and two main characters who have similar personalities. It is  also set in the present time involving modern cars and modern weapons. It is still shot in black and white, however.

Radio Trailer

RADIO TRAILER LINK BELOW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6BXbPaRwoU