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

Evaluation question four

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Evaluation - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback is crucial in determining if a product has been targeted successfully at its audience. It highlights what factors are interesting and engaging and what features could be developed in order to make the product more focused and improved in their opinion. One of the most important factors to take into consideration is interpretation. Interpretation is what makes a product. The product should aim to convey a director’s viewpoint but should offer room for the audience to develop their own ideas. This is crucial to a short film in which moral messages and artistic license are key factors of its construction. Audience feedback may not always be constructive; although this may not necessarily be a good and useful form of feedback any discussion is good for advertising a film. Debates are an integral part of an audience’s opinion and finding out if there is controversy or elements that the audience don’t agree with the director on, helps to make the film engaging for its audience.

Evaluation question three

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The majority of the comments I received on my short film poster were positive. The use of the bold colours on the black background was popular as it allowed the images as the focal point to stand out from the rest of the information. The font that makes up the film’s title “two” was also viewed highly by the audience as it gave a unique style that could be associated with the film, but is still legible from a distance. The constructive criticism I received on this product was consistent. The main suggestion was the information at the top of the poster should me made smaller as in people’s opinion it is detracting away from the main images. Another person suggested that the filter on Kathy (Saskia) was too bright and that it would be more effective if the edges were feathered more and the vibrant red was toned down.  Everyone that took part in my feedback was aware that these ideas are their own opinion and that others may not agree. I felt it highlighted the emotional contrast between both Kathy and Rhys and the danger that Kathy is in. Overall, the audience liked the poster design I had created. When analysing these results it is important to take into consideration that this is my personal Facebook page and that my friends and family are going to be bias and therefore these results are not conclusive.

The audience feedback for my Short film was undertaken on wall wisher. Wall Wisher offers a visual representation of people’s reactions and opinions. It helps to convey both positive and negative comments. It is also a good place conduct feedback questions as it is an online survey. One of the most important features of Web 2.0 is interactivity and this website allows people to comment freely. It is also a relatively new site and as the internet is constantly developing just like my target audience, this modern method should convey my audience’s passion and knowledge.  The comments on my short film are mostly positive and this reinforces the decisions I made during the planning stage of my product. The only improvement that makes a common appearance is removing the jittery action of the camera and the occasional tilt. Although some of the shaking during the shots is intentional in order to represent the danger and claustrophobic conditions they are in the majority is due to a broken clip on the tripod that despite my best attempt could not be rectified. I shared this point with the speaker and they recognised that this element was beyond my control.



The comments I received for my project were mostly positive. The feedback informed me that I had achieved my aim of producing a successful short film, review and poster. It also proved that the link between my three products was strong and that the theme of two is an important concept for the project. My questionnaire gave me the view of my target audience and the perception they have on these pieces. From the audience feedback I have also received some constructive criticism that if I were to produce these products again I would take into consideration. Some of the feedback I have received may incline in my favour but overall the audience feedback has shown that my products have been designed and marketed for the correct social group.  

Evaluation - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

Eval part 1 (2)

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

Evaluation one

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Evaluation one

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Final Product- Short Film

This is my final short film. Throughout the filming and editing process my original idea has been developed in an attempt to make a fluid and effective piece. My plan for this production has been changed repeatedly due to problems with the location, equipment and the time I had with my actors. Even though this is the case I attempted to keep the content and message of my piece consistent. The short film was edited using Sony’s Vegas Pro programme in order to make the cuts and transitions effective and to produce a high quality final product.

Final Ancillary Task - Review

Above is the final design for my short film review. The design is based strongly upon the conventions of professional film review articles. The design on this poster was considered in order to make an effective as well as aesthetically pleasing design. The short film review exists in order to advertise the film and entice new members of the target audience to the production. Reviews also aid the debate and discussion of the product which helps the audience engage with the moral message fully. The colours and tone of the article are used in order to connect the three products together. This design was produced using a combination of Photoshop CS4 and Microsoft publisher. These programmes were used in order to make a professional, aesthetic and legible product.

Final Ancillary Task - Poster

This is the final design for my short film poster. Through the construction and research phase this design has been edited and then altered in order to try and make it the most effective method of advertising as well as an aesthetically pleasing design that the audience will react to. The design used on this poster was not one of my original ideas but was developed in order to symbolize the strong theme that runs throughout the films narrative. It was constructed using Photoshop CS4, in order to produce an accurate and professional piece. I am pleased with the final outcome of this design as in my personal opinion it represents important emotions from the piece such as danger, fear and love accurately.

Development on the Poster

During the production of my original design it became apparent that the design wasn’t going to create a poster of high quality and an accurate representation of my short film. The images were of low quality which meant that that placing filters and effects on the pictures was ultimately in some locations degrading them. This was the main reason behind the idea was changed from the images of Kathy and Lucy to Kathy and Rhys. It also showed that this idea worked better as a concept rather than an actual production in the style I had planned. To make this idea effective I would have needed to show the two characters of Kathy and Rhys accurately as a background shot before the superimposition of the two together. This idea although feasible I felt was not an accurate representation of my short film and its content. As the basis of only two images was important to me as it is theme of the entire narrative of the film. I also felt if this idea was carried out it would need a different image in the background instead of using the same image as foreground.  The change to the design although it continues to show images of both Kathy and Rhys but they are not superimposed but are faded and edited to show the weight of the decisions and the danger they are in.

Filming/Editing Issues

During the editing process it became apparent that there were flaws and problems with the footage I had shot. Due to the time constraints placed on the recording, the actors did not have time to learn the script fully which ultimately lead to the issues I uncovered. In order to combat this, their lines were prompted. As a result it made the edited footage jumpy and uncomfortable for the audience to watch, because of the removed images and dialogue. The camera shots also suffered due to the previously stated problems. To remedy this, the entire content of the film will have to be reshot; this time giving the actors of my piece time to learn the lines or at least the emotion and reasons behind them.

Poster Idea Clarification

Colour is an important feature to consider when producing a poster that in an effective representation of the films narrative and themes. The audience’s perception of colour is vital to consider as different colours symbolise different emotions. By asking members of my target audience as well as members of my media group it gave me an example of colours and the emotions that they create. Putting them into a wordle (http://www.wordle.net/) shows a visual representation of the results I uncovered. With this information in mind it reinforced the colour choices made about my poster.

Colour and Font are also important to take into consideration on a poster. Both of these play a crucial role in the advertising of a film but also of its representation. Another factor that is important is the central image.  The idea has changed from my first design of both Kathy and Lucy to Rhys and Kathy in order to convey the ambiguity of the film and the tough relationship that the two characters face. It was also edited because of the higher quality editing that was afforded by the appearance of both Kathy and Rhys.

Distribution of my Short Film

Correctly determining the best form of distribution for a product is important. Without an accurate method of distributing a product to its audience, the short film in this case will not be successful and its aims will not be met. Taking into account the research from my audience questionnaire it highlighted that the most popular method of consumption of shot films was online using web 2.0.  The age of the target audience and the fact that internet viewing goes hand in hand with it reinforces that this is the correct method distributing a short film. The audience are constantly developing their relationship with the new media and continuing to distribute products in this format will allow it to be constantly viewed and keeps up to date with new designs and features that interest them.

Through this information this is the format I have chosen to distribute my short film. By placing video’s online it also creates a response mechanism for the audience to share their views and input about the films content. This is important as discussion about the film and their moral messages are crucial to a short films success. Online the video also has the opportunity to be seen globally due to the ease of linking videos onto a variety of social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook etc), Websites, Blogs and Forums; therefore raising the popularity of the film amongst its target audience.

Uploading and distribution can be undertaken by a variety of sites. The most commonly used are Youtube (www.youtube.com) for any form of video footage and Vimeo (vimeo.com) a community designed for the sharing of creative work.  As well as these general sites specific websites for short films are in use such as http://www.indiefilmpage.com/short.html where short films can be shared by those with a strong passion and knowledge for films of this style. Futureshorts.com is another example of a short film distributer within a creative community. Both of these websites would also be a successful method of distributing a short film to its target audience.

Final Costume Choices

There have been changes to the ideas suggested in the original concept phase for the costumes of the characters, Rhys, Lucy and Kathy. Both Kathy and Lucy do not wear necklaces in the actual short film as the risk of them catching on the rope would have been high and it would break health and safety guidelines. The style of clothing has also been changed. Previously both Lucy and Rhys were wearing formal clothing, but in order to create more impact it was decided that they should wear more casual items as it would help the audience relate but also add to the horror aspect of the piece because the danger they are in could faced by anyone. It also strengthens the bond between the audience and the social genre that the short film “two” is also classified under. The social genre explores humanity and its boundaries and by wearing casual, widely found clothes it represents the fact that the difficulty in making decisions can affect society as a whole. These changes were all implemented in order to produce a successful film that the audience can relate to easily and flows consistently. It was also implemented in order for the comfort and safety of the actors involved. Cost of replicating the outfitted planned also played a small part in the development of the costumes.

The costume worn by Kathy Miller (played by Saskia Brett) consists of a dark blue and green dress. The colours used in the costume are consistent with the original idea put forward. It represents an inversion of the traits traditionally associated with these colours. Kathy is not a trust worthy character or reliable as these tones represent. The fact that the dress consists of muted colours conveys the difficulty that Kathy faces in feeling emotion. The consistent use of a dress symbolizes her femininity and allows for a variety of audiences to interact with her. The wearing of her hair down emphasises this point of her appearance.  The style of the dress can signify to the audience the privileged background that Kathy comes from. The cut of the dress highlights the fact that though Kathy cares about her appearance, the femininity and the attention often derived from fitted dresses are not important to her. The dark tone of this dress represents the danger they are in and the horror genre of the piece. It also conveys the cold and empty nature of the room. Kathy’s hair is another factor that conveys femininity. The curls in her hair and the colour help to make her more flamboyant and approachable than someone with straight hair. It is another feature used to represent her rebellious nature.

Kathy’s boots are used in order to detail that her individuality is important to her. The colour of the boots remained brown in order to contrast the colours of her costume with her personality; a theme that is continued with her contrast to the traditional female stereotype. The style of the boot focuses her youth in the audiences mind and makes her an easier character to form a connection with, as her lack of emotions may otherwise hinder the process. The style of the shoe shows that Kathy rates comfort higher than aesthetics, contrasting with both Lucy and Rhys in this factor. It reinforces the fact that Kathy does not hold a profession that requires formal dress. Her individuality is a key feature to this outfit. By wearing these two items together is shows Kathy as a blend of stereotypes.

Lucy Morgan as portrayed by Emily Smith has the most significant change of costume of any of the characters. Originally her costume was going to portray the professional aspect of her personality but after careful consideration I decided to change her costume into a more casual style. After reviewing other films and discussing the idea with my peers, I felt a developed costume would make her more human and approachable and that casual clothes would do this. Her demeanour and language would still portray her as a professional but her clothing would strength the human aspect of her personality and the audience would be able to relate to her as a mother, friend and partner instead of just a worker.

 The long sleeve top, Lucy wears signifies her modesty and maturity compared to Kathy whose style of clothing represents her youth. The colour white was carried across from the original concept of costume. It represents her cleanliness and the fact she takes large amounts of pride in her appearance. Other connotations that are attached to the colour white are the belief of perfection, a trait that would be important to Lucy for her to get as far professionally as she has. The blue stripes that are found horizontally on the t-shirt are portraying her confidence and approachability. These are two factors that are normally found in Lucy’s personality, but are missing in the crisis when panic takes over. The blue also represents the same mystery and unknown that the colour purple represented in the first idea. The style of top that Lucy wears is a symbol of youth but also of the emotional development that Lucy has. Much like with the inversion of messages in Kathy’s profile, the colours and style are used to represent the equilibrium of the characters and how they would normally react.

The jeans that Lucy wears are also symbolic of this fact. Instead of wearing a skirt as previously stated, trousers were chosen in order to protect Emily from the cool conditions of the location but also as a strong contrast between the two women (Kathy and Lucy). Lucy’s hair is straight for this piece in order to convey the professional tone of her work and personality. It also represents her femininity that is not often portrayed as openly in her costume.

The final character is Rhys Miller, played by Baz Cloud, who like the character of Lucy has had his costume edited dramatically from the first idea. I felt it would add more emotion to the piece for them to be dressed in casual clothes which allows the audience to relate to them more easily.  One feature that was kept from my first plan for Rhys is the colour of his shirt. Rhys is wearing a white v-necked t-shirt. The style of the t-shirt represents his youth and is one of the personal touches in his costume. The choice of white as the colour was because it represents the flawlessness nature of Rhys’ personality. It also is interpreted as a key to the profession he holds and the importance of always looking fresh and presentable. The style of shirt is also common and could be described as being a feature of a stereotypical males outfit. This helps Rhys blend into his surroundings as he is not recognisable, a feature that was essential in the first concept.  Rhys’ hairstyle is also important. It is one of the only features that show a part of his individuality. It also has the ability to be restyled into a professional appearance, which would be crucial in Rhys compartmentalised life. The trousers that Rhys wears are also an example of the view of normality and equilibrium that exists within the characters live before they were captured.

Ancillary Task - Film Review Example

Film reviews include a variety of aspects and traits that make them recognisable and simple to understand. The conventions used within a film review offer the chance to not only incite interest but portray the content of the film and its production. It also creates a range of views and interpretations that allow the audience to develop their connection with the film, raising debates and questions that previously may not have been considered.  Film reviews are also designed to entertain and give basic knowledge about the film e.g. genre, director, cast/crew. Below is an example film review that I have written previously. It contains some of the features expected within a film review and offers room for development and basic features that a review on the short film “two” should contain.

Alice in Wonderland - Tim Burton

Why is a raven like a writing desk? The answer to the riddle eludes us all and continues to in Tim Burton’s new imagining of Lewis Carroll’s highly acclaimed series.  Alice returns to Underland aged nineteen and finds the world in disarray under the rule of the Red Queen. The narrative offers an exciting and thrilling insight into the world of Alice Kingsley and her attempt to liberate her new found allies. The stunning visual imagery conveys the importance of mise-en – scene to the director, and what a perfect story it is for his world renowned style.

Mia Wasikowska plays the imaginative and stubborn young girl, who breaks all of society’s norms, refusing to wear stocking and her corset, forging a strong connection with a modern day audience. She is confident, cautious and dubious at her surroundings, rejecting everything a high class society would have expected of her. These features are crucial to her success in Underland, standing up against the Bandersnatch repeating with confidence that this is her dream.

The Hatter, mad eccentric but naive with his desires, is her kindest ally and offers a chance for the audience to engage in the passion of Underland and most importantly conveys the human need for friendship and familiarity. The moral and the most importantly concept of self discovery are represented by the bond created by Alice and The Hatter. With his vibrant red hair, and ever changing accent, Johnny Depp’s interpretation is the embodiment of Underland and the unique tones it creates.  A never ending friendship helps to bond the two realities together. The Dormouse, Cheshire cat and Absolem; Barbara Windsor, Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman respectively, add to the theme of friendship and the importance of casting within the film; continuing the Burton tradition of British casting.

The production of the film was shot using predominantly green screen. This allowed the changes of reality and to connote the importance of the characters and locations. Without this technology the content of the film would not be as vibrant or as stylised as they are. Green screen also had the chance to add depth and reality to the film, an important aspect of Burton’s new vision.

Although some may question the “muchness” of the film compared with the other recognisable styles in Burton’s previous work. The pataphysical state of Underland and the perversion of normal boundaries certainly connect strongly with his other films such as Beetlejuice. The Fantasy genre that the film possesses, allows the mise-en-scene to be in control of the film, also with the importance of the unusual and yet with the use of verisimilitude, relatable characters. The film culminates with the battle between Alice and the Jabberwocky, the long shot used as a classic image of victory for women and Underland.  In the words of the Hatter “You would have to be half mad to dream me up” and with this triumph, it shows that Burton had the vision to succeed with this challenge.

Ancillary Task - Typography for Poster

Typography is an important feature in representing the genre and the themes of a film. It is also important that the font is memorable as this is one of the most iconic features and is crucial for accurate representation of the film and its advertising. Legible and clear writing are also important for the information to be communicated effectively.The Font is one of the most important factors of a poster and should be considered in great detail.

Font

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Music within two

Sound is an important feature of any film. It helps the audience to connect with a piece and reinforces the information already known through visual imagery. It supports the content that the audience have just witnessed and helps them to suspend belief and adds to the possible interpretation of realism in the plot. Sound be it non diegetic or diegetic adds an extra dimension to a film and often helps to make it a success. In the case of a short film in which the director isn’t able to explore information about the characters and themes of the film as in depth as a feature length would, the music is a strong representation of emotion and conventions of the genre. As short films are artistic by their nature it also conveys the importance of showing the audience information subtly.

The music used within my production was found at http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ and is royalty free which means it can be used. The pieces I have chosen are from Kevin MacLeod and were chosen due to the tone that exists within them and the fact that they would focus upon the surreal and yet dangerous situation that the characters are in.

A soundtrack is used throughout my short film. It creates an extra dimension to the film and explores the narrative and the emotions that the characters feel. A non diegetic track named “Private Reflection” is played over the film from the beginning till the point of Rhys making his decision. It helps to bridge all of the different scenes and reactions together. The tone of this piece of music is ethereal and strengthens the danger, darkness; as the situation the characters are in is completely unnatural. The base of the music ties all of the voices together, a symbolic gesture of the decision that has to be made. The lone voice that makes up the lead of the piece and performs as a solo for the majority is a representation of the lone choice that Rhys has to make and the fact his decision is the entire premise of the film.

The final track that is being used is “Touching moments three” The soft piano is melodic and is representational of the love that is hidden by both Kathy and Rhys. The simple melody creates strong emotions of sadness which signifies the intense sensations that Rhys is exposed to after having decided his sister’s death. The two tracks are edited so that they link together and portray the contrast of emotion.

Diegetic sound is also crucial to a successful and realistic production, so that the audience can connect to it. Within the production of “two” diegetic sound is found in the dialogue and movement of the characters. An example of this is the friction of rope against skin and the trap door opening. This sound effect is not shown with synchronous action but instead is played over the top of black screen. During the mixing process it will be insure that a balance is correctly found between the diegetic and the non diegetic sound. The soundtrack does not have as much sound perspective as the diegetic actions.

The last piece of sound that is used within “two” is the non diegetic voice over of Lance (The Villain); and at the end of the film Rhys Miller’s. The dialogue at the start conveys Lance’s perverse pleasure about his actions but also highlights the power he has, as he is not required to be at the scene. To the audience this represents the danger and the insanity as well as the choice that they may have to come to terms with. The voice over in the epilogue from both Rhys and Lace conveys the contrast between characters. Lance shows enjoyment and pleasure where as Rhys is broken and dejected. It reinforces the moral message about the difficulty in making decisions, but it also signifies the social genre of the piece. It leaves the audience unsettled by the amalgamation of the soundtrack.

Overall, the soundtrack is used in order to strength the emotions and themes of the film for the audience. The music within itself also acts as a method of advertising, if it features a memorable motif. Within the short film “two” the music is in place to support the action but also to reinforce to the audience the horror of the choice between life and death.

Filming Day One

Before filming began it was important to survey the location that was my friend’s cellar. This allowed me to find the angles and features of the room that were not suitable representations of my narrative and would cause problems during filming; an example of this was the window. Another feature that was important was securing the rope and testing it to make sure that it was the safe. The same needed to be done for the person tied to the chair. All pieces of rope used quick release knots in the sections that had to be tied, so they would break under pressure. Knots were only tied in the necessary places. The rest of the rope was just tucked in or sat on so there was no tension in it and the actors could control it. The aim for the first day of filming was to achieve the majority of camera shots planned and to cover all of the dialogue. This was undertaken in order to have consistent light and positions of the camera and the actors. It also meant that it portrayed important pieces that needed to be reshot due to a variety of factors; such as background noise, not being framed correctly and faults in the delivery of lines.  In order to assist the actors of the piece, the lines were read aloud before and they had to read them, due to the time constraints when learning a script.

Short Film Script - Second Draft

Shot opens with a black/blank screen with narration from the villain (Lance) over the top

                                                                        (Prologue)

Lance: (Cold, emotionless) who decides humanities survival? Who plays the God in our lives?  I worship every breath, every tear, and drop of blood that beats within wasted souls. I decide who lives and dies. It’s(loud, angry) my (momentary pause) choice! I’ll make sure you welcome the silence and yet wish it never came.  

                                                                    (End of Prologue)

An abrupt flash of light bridges the two scenes. It’s a dark screen; a close upshot to the inside of a bag. The sounds of heavy breathing and frantic scrabbling are heard over the top.

Rhys: (Heavy breathing) what?
(Whispers) Kathy? Lucy?

Lucy: (Sobbing) you have two minutes to decide. Follow the human flaw and choose. Think carefully for one of them must die (Breath hitch) don’t dare to defy me; I designed every detail. You have two minutes to decide. Enjoy my game Mr Miller. Good luck! (Crying)

Rhys: Kathy? Lucy? Are you alright? Are you hurt?

Lucy: (Highly emotional) Oh god! I can’t (Sob)

Kathy:  (Sarcastic) Of course! Having the time of my life!

Rhys: (Angry, weary) Now is not the time Kathy! (Confident, assured, masking fear)  You’ll be fine. I promise! Both of you!

Lucy: (Whisper) Please, Help me!

Rhys: (Assured tone) Kathy, move gradually to the right.... Don’t put any tension on the chord

Lucy: (Screams as the noose pulls tighter around her neck)

Rhys: (Angry, confidence slipping) STOP, Just Stop! (Directed at Kathy) I’m sorry! I’m so sorry (whispers to them both)

 Kathy: (pause, before continuing quietly) Rhys, I’m nothing to you! Always a disappointment, always kept as the dark secret. It’s painless isn’t it; like choosing between heaven and hell.

Lucy: Please no! That’s not right (Whispers to self) (Pause)  

(Directed at Rhys) Promise me you’ll make sure Ben and Amy are cared for. Help them deal with this. Help them get over me (Voice steady, though still crying)

Rhys: (Serious tone) I’m meant to protect both of you. I can’t.... (Looks at both of them, eyes not focusing)
(Turns to Kathy) I always taught you it was wrong to make promises that you can’t keep

Kathy: (Voice calm) Promises are there to be broken. Mother taught me that.

Lucy: (realisation. Anger) What! No! Rhys you can’t do this. This isn’t what we agreed! This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.

Kathy: (Calmly, Confidently) don’t resent him. His biggest fault is he cares too deeply. He couldn’t live knowing he’d orphaned two children. He’s too generous for that.

Lucy: (Yells angrily) Shit!

Rhys: (sadly) I love you, Kath.

Kathy: (First time with emotion) I know.

(Dialogue stops. Reaction shots of Rhys and the decision he has had to make. Final shot a close up of Rhys’ eye as he blinks. Sound of the trap door opening on the black screen)

                                                                       (Epilogue)

Lance: (Simultaneously, Gleeful full of pleasure) and then everything stopped counting

Rhys: (Simultaneously, cold and emotionless) and then everything stopped counting

                                                                  (End of Epilogue)

 

Props Facts and List

Prop’s List:
- Rope
- Chair
- Wedding Ring
- Ear Piece

There are only a small number of props required within the production of this short film. This is largely because the tension is created by the dialogue, narrative and location as well as in the acting. It is also an important feature because of the minimal number of locations used. All the characters within the short film are immobile; Rhys tied to the chair, Lucy and Kathy by the nooses around their neck reinforcing the fact that they cannot interact with a large majority of objects. It represents to the audience that this is a location emotionally unconnected with any character due to the lack of personal content, connoting the danger the characters are in.

Due to the fact there are only minimal props within the piece means that each item needs to imply a crucial fact about the characters behaviour. The ear piece is a central point within the film. It is the only connection within the main structure of the film to Lance, the villain, who is holding them in the location. The ear piece while crucial for communication also represents the importance of technology and the modern era that the short film is based in. It also conveys the only piece of technology in the film, contrasting with the traditional roles and methods used, reflecting the danger and conflicting nature of Lance’s personality.

The wedding ring is a crucial statement about supporting the character and her background to Lucy. Lucy’s ring represents that she is married and has a family, supporting Rhys’ decision to save her. Lucy represents a traditional role and character, with simple and stereotypical roles. Despite the fact that her position and career represent her as serious and intelligent, when faced with danger, she portrays a variety of conventions of a damsel in distress. Her ring reinforces her partial dependence when compared to Kathy.

The rope and chair are the most important props within the short film. They are the construction of restraint and danger within the piece. These props symbolise the peril that the characters face. Being bound in the chair with rope is not only a physical restraint but is a symbolic restraint of Rhys’ mental choice. He has been forced into this decision and cannot choose otherwise. The rope that creates the noose upon the necks of Kathy and Lucy is literally a line between life and death. This metaphor is commonly understood for dying and this acts as a visual representation. Rope is also a dangerous object and conveys the inevitable passing of one of the characters.

Audience Questionnaire - Results

The first question asked was used in order to find out and classify the gender that is most interested in short films.  It is important to know the target audience as varying genders and audiences based upon stereotypes have different ideas and opinions on films content. Establishing the most predominant gender also is important as viewing the answers of the questionnaire influences the overall content. The questionnaire highlighted that the largest proportion of the audience are female, with the ratio 7:6. This information also details that males are also a predominant part in the viewing of short films. With this knowledge, the content and themes of my short film can be based around the female stereotype in order for them to relate to the film successfully. These results must also be kept in context as only twelve people carried out the questionnaire and the films audience is statistically much larger than this.

Age is an important feature to consider when producing a media production, especially a short film in which the content and themes are crucial to its success. Age is also a representative of how a product should be advertised and marketed.  Nine out of the twelve people who answered my questionnaire are aged 16-25 signifying that this is the most important age category to consider. It reinforces the form of marketing that could be undertaken. An example of this is advertising online, on websites popular with this age group.  Twitter, Facebook, Livejournal are all forms of websites that could successfully market the film. It is also an important concept to consider the life experiences and interests of an audience. Taking this information into account by product will quick cut with interesting shots and narrative in order to keep them involved with the film.

In order to find out the preferred genre of a short film, the questionnaire used a multiple choice answer system but allowed those partaking to rate them on a scale of 1-10. This allowed a fair perception to be created and detailed how effective and important certain genres are to an audience. The most popular genre was drama; this is a stereotypical choice for females but is also a broad genre. The boundaries used within the drama genre are flexible and reinforce the importance of creating a thrilling narrative and content. The second most popular genre was action.  Along with the drama genre it enforces the importance of movement, tension and strong emotions within a piece.  The third genre is order of popularity was horror. Horror is stereotypically a genre related to masculinity. This also represents the development of gender and how stereotypes are not always correct. Horror has basic concepts of needing tension, a threat and a protagonist and it also works in tangent with other genres an example being supernatural. These results show the importance of featuring these genre’s within my work as well as the conventions from each form that a vital in order to make this short film successful. It also represents genres that are not popular such as comedy that are not important to my target audience.

Discovering which is the most popular method of viewing a short film is important in the advertising process of the piece as well as making it sure it is uploaded to the location most likely to be viewed. The standard method for watching a short film is to view it via a computer using sites such as Youtube and Vimeo. Viewing films in this format allows them to be seen by a large proportion of people globally as well as offering the chance for repeat viewings due to no fee being exchanged. This makes the film more accessible for the audience. The second most popular answer was other. When asked to specify, the response showed that viewing short films through mobile devices was common, examples given included mobile phones, iPod’s/mp3’s and tablet devices. Making a short film for this format means it would require the ability to be downloadable in formats used by these devices as well as being of a high quality format so that visual content is not lost if it needs to be converted. Taking these factors into account during the production of my short film, will mean that it is accessible to the audience it is focused on as well as allowing it to be viewed simply.

The question “Are you aware of the conventions of a short film” is crucial in establishing how the audience interact and understand the content they are viewing. It is also representational of the quantity of short films the audience may have seen before, if they recognise the codes used within them. The results from the questionnaire revealed that over half of the twelve people asked did understand and could recall some of the codes used in a short film. Knowing this information allows for the codes to be used subtly or developed within my production. It also conveys the fact that the audience have previous knowledge of the style of a short film and will understand the methods used within it.

The final question asked was about how often they view short films. Knowing this information meant that it would represent exactly the audience for a short film. The questionnaire detailed that a large majority of teenagers have previously seen a short film, which is important as it supports the category I decided to make this short film for. The most popular choice was that they view a short film occasionally. This means that the production would be viewed by the age group it targeted. The second most popular answer was watching a short film at least once a week. Though this in enforces that short films may not be watched as frequently as the feature length counter parts but that they are an integral part of people’s viewing and that there is an interest in their production.

The fifth question asked within the survey was in place in order to discover what other interests the audience hold. The genre’s and themes of the programmes they watch may not always necessarily be linked but it gives a representation of their social class, their education and passions which are important to take into consideration when producing a short film.  It also means that an intertextual references that could be made, are in formats that the audience would recognise. The following are some of the answers to the question posed.  The similarities highlight the important concepts and traits that my short film should posses if it is to interact and interest the audience.  The results from the questionnaire cannot be deemed accurate for this question as some participants named more television shows and films than others.

Television:

-          Waking the Dead

-          Silent Witness (x3)

-          Criminal Minds

-          Bones (x2)

-          Blackpool

-          Sherlock (x6)

-          Doctor Who (x9)

-          Torchwood (x6)

-          Being Human (x3)

-          House (x4)

-          QI (x7)

-          Only Connect (x3)

-          Have I got news for you (x5)

-          Miranda (x4)

-          Being Human (x3)

-          Mock the Week (x5)

              Film:

-          Secret Window (x2)
-          Harry Potter Series (x7)
-          Inception (x5)
-          Saw Franchise (x2)
-          Sweeney Todd: The demon barber of fleet street
-          Nightmare on elm street (x2)
-          Donnie Darko (x5)
-          Severance
-          Edward Scissorhands
-          From Hell
-          The wizard of Oz
-          The sword and the stone
-          Coraline
-           Atonement
-          Psycho (x2)
-          Dracula
-          Sherlock Holmes
-          House of Wax
-          A clockwork orange