Director's Commentary

Made a director's commentary to answer question one of the evaluation.

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

My preliminary was essentially an exercise in continuity. It displayed only a basic filming and editing processes and ability. My final piece was a far more complex production.

In my preliminary, I showed a complete action. The audience watches everything from when the character walks through the door to where the clip ends. I then began reading about ellipsis (as documented on my blog) making use of this in my final production. This allowed me to take out parts of particular actions, whilst maintaining the audiences understanding and perhaps most importantly - interest.

In my preliminary, I made very basic use of editing, using no effects on my footage, and no clip transitions. In my final, I made frequent use of clip transitions, titles and I also changed settings on the footage such as Exposure and Saturation. I learnt that these were very important in establishing a mood, and also pace, within a strictly visual piece.

My preliminary only contained sound recorded on the shoot by the camera microphone. In my final piece, I used not just a soundtrack, but also non-diagetic sound in the form of the lighter clicking. This not only involved recording the sounds, but also using audio software to edit them and video editing software to paste them into my final cut. I found that using sound to accent particular actions emphasized their importance and interest for the audience. The use of a soundtrack was very, again, in establishing pace and mood.

The photography on my preliminary was extremely basic. Following my audience research, I learnt that many people saw choice of shot as very important within an opening sequence. I decided to focus more on choice of shot in my final piece and found this to be very effective. Considering my piece was strictly visual, the photography became very important.

I paid much closer attention to mise-en-scene within my final piece, that my preliminary. My preliminary had a very plain mise-en-scene, with very little effort made to create a mood, leaving it somewhat generic. I learnt very quickly that mise-en-scene was possibly the most important factor in creating the right mood when using film as a media. Thus, in my final piece, a paid close attention to choice of setting, as well as costume and other visual factors within the scene such as the black and white colour scheme.

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

Research:

In my research, I used a variety of websites in order to gather information and inspiration for my piece. I did a lot of reading on websites such as Wikipedia, Cyber College and Time Out. These proved very useful for researching things like filming techniques influential professional productions, possibly because many of the articles had been written by fellow film makers or other such experts. I also made great use of Youtube throughout my research. I learnt that this was an incredible source of media and it proved invaluable for watching other film extracts and its ability to embed video into my blog. I did, however, find that a shortcoming of much user generated material is that it is not always reliable. I also found that a lot of footage on Youtube is posted without consulting copyright, making it illegal. In hindsight, I should have checked how trustworthy the uploads to the websites I used were.


Filming:

I filmed my piece on a Sony Mini-DV camera, fixed on a tripod. I learnt to hold a shot steady, as well as tracking characters through scenes. I found using camera placement and the zoom function particularly useful when composing my shots and focusing on specific areas. I learnt that it was often better to use the manual focus on the camera, rather than relying on the auto focus, as it allowed me to have more control over which parts of the frame i was focusing on. I also made use of a Nikon D3000 Digital SLR camera to take stills and document the filming process. I did find using DV tape often meant footage became grainy, especially when using the zoom. If I were to repeat the project, I would try and use a different format for recording my footage.

Sound Production:

When composing my Original Soundtrack, as documented on my blog, I recorded it with the Ableton Live recording package, alongside my X-Station Synthesizer and Novation Launchpad software controller. I found using this software very easy as I was already familiar with it from previous music production. I then was able to upload my recorded ideas to the Internet using Soundcloud - a music streaming service. I learnt that this was very useful as it allowed quick uploads and almost instant streaming, as well as being able to embed files in my blog.



As well as my soundtrack, I also recorded some sounds to go into my film. I recorded these using a microphone into Audacity, a free music recording software, and then imported the sounds to Ableton to touch them up before adding them to my film. I found the Audacity program very easy to use. The microphone I used did produce a lot of background sound on the recordings. If i were to repeat the process, I would choose a better quality microphone to reduce background noise and static.

Editing:

The main editing program I used was iMovie. This proved very functional for simple processes such as importing footage, cutting clips, and adding basic transitions, sounds and effects. I felt, however, that my choice of editing package was perhaps a little weak in terms of variety of effects. A better choice may have been the more powerful program Adobe Premier, which features a far more professional range of tools.


Others:

Blogger. Speaks for itself. It has been ideal for presenting my ideas as well as keeping track of other media student's work was progressing. Perticularly useful features were the ability to embed images and video from the Web as well as from the collection stored on the computer.

Facebook. Was fairly useful for contacting actors and other collaberators in order to arrange to meet for shoots.

Quicktime and iTunes. Both were used for audio and video playback. I learnt that Quicktime was far better than iTunes at video playback simply due to quality. iTunes often produced video that appeared far too grainy, or was of the wrong aspect ratio or size.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Within my audience research, I found out things that most people found positive within a film opening. This included a vast range of factors, from the main character to the choice of shot.

Many people within my research said they found visuals far more important within an opening than dialogue. This is something I addressed within my piece. I chose to use no dialogue whatsoever, and spend a large amount of time choosing locations for my shots around Norwich, as shown by the locational shots on my blog. When I showed my piece to an audience, many of them picked up on the use of photography as one of the pieces strong points.

I choose to use black and white. This was perhaps one of the bolder choices I made, however I felt it necessary in order to attract a more artistic audience. People seemed to respond well to this idea in my audience research, and also seemed to like this in the showing. For many, however, this may be too unconventional and may loose the film's general appeal.

Many people in my research displayed a distaste for fast-paced, action-packed openings, typical in many modern films. In response to this I used longer cuts, similar to those in European cinema, and chose a slower pace of music to further establish a more simple and understated opening.

I would consider the most attractive factor for many of my audience would be the relatable

main character. Being of a similar age to many in my target audience, they may experience a

heightened sense of empathy, and also a further understanding of his feelings and situations. Many teenagers would experience similar emotions to Alex. A feeling of isolation, alienation and displeasure with the world around them would be experiences teenage audiences would likely share.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

At this point, it would be good to remind myself of the initial idea I had for my ideal audience member.

"Jack is sixteen. When he's not at a party or trying to get served at the pub, he likes modern art, pondering life, and watching Skins."

This is the initial statement I made to summarise my target audience. Obviously, I am aiming for a teen audience, that much is obvious. I am certain, however, that many teens may not enjoy my piece, or it would not appeal to them.

My target would be a teenager who is of a similar age to the main character, but also has the interest and maturity to understand and enjoy the introspective nature of my piece, particularly the black and white mise-en-scene.

Typically, they would be interested in films or other literature that have also influenced me, or are of a similar style. These would include films like Control, television programs like Skins, or books like A Clockwork Orange. These pieces of literature all feature a typical troubled main character(s) which is a main feature of my piece. As my film is in a typical 'art house' style, ideally, my audience would have an interest in art films, and other independent productions and not typical teenage films such as Twilight or other such mainstream cinema.

Aside from literature and films, other interests could include modern art or photography in order for them to engage with the photographic and visual nature of my work.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

This choice would involve a choice of distribution company. Bearing in mind that my production is likely to be independent, this would limit my choice to company's that would be interested in such a film. Here are a few possibilities.


Momentum Pictures specialises in independent films. As a brand of Alliance Films, it became one of the leading UK distributors of independent films, releasing around 2o films per year. Past successes include Control, Dorian Gray and P.S I Love You. The company has recently been purchased by Paramount Pictures UK.


Paramount Vantage is a specialised arm of Paramount pictures. It distributes films with, for the most part, a more 'art-house' kind of feel. It has had vast critical success including the Coen Brother's films No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood, amongst others such as The Virgin Suicides. The company as a whole considers the quality of film more important that financial gain, having received an array of critical acclaim but only one film (No Country For Old Men) making a profit.


Focus Features is the 'art-house' films division of Universal Pictures. Although, based in the US, it does distribute foreign films alongside producing and distributing its own work. Its most successful releases include Brokeback Mountain and Traffic. It was also responsible for distributing Billy Elliot.




I think these distributors would be most likely to be interested in work similar to mine. They all specialise in Independent films, or art-house styles. In the case of Momentum, the fact that it has distributed Control makes it more likely they would be interested, as my film is of a very similar style. Of course, them coming on board would also involve a large investment, as well as a production studio such as BBC Films, or Film4 who are interested in British youth film making.

How does your media product represent perticular social groups?

My main character (Alex) clearly represents the social group of teenagers. He forms the stereotypical teenage outcast- isolated, misunderstood, and somewhat confused by the world. These are many characteristics shared by 'JJ' from the popular British drama 'Skins.'

The opening of JJ's episode in the series represents his character in a very similar way to my opening.

Both characters spend a vast amount of the opening alone, shunned by those around them. JJ is taunted by the children in the street, Alex is simply ignored. Interestingly, JJ does infact find a place of happiness in his local model shop, whereas Alex seems to have no such place perhaps creating a severely bleaker representation of teenage outcasts. A feeling of isolation is common among many teenagers.

Each of the characters are somewhat perplexed by their respective worlds. JJ clearly shows this through the presentation of writing on his bedroom wall- his personal way of understanding relationships. Alex on the other hands seems to find no pleasure in the world as shown by the drawn out shot of him staring at his urban environment, trying to make sense of his own feelings. This is a common feeling felt amoung many teenagers, not just those who are considered outcasts.

Music forms a key part of the presentation of character in the extracts. They are both of simular styles, reflecting the pace of the extract and also the mood of the character. The music adds to the melancholy mood of the piece and the character in general, emphasising the dark world of the teenage outcast.

You can watch the opening to JJ's episode here...

Evaluation Questions

In my evaluation I must answer the following questions:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions ofreal media products?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

How did you attract/address your audience?

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

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

Filming - A Picture Diary

Costume

Here are just a couple of pictures of the cotume I've planned for the main character of Alex.
The costume seems remincent of the character himself, and goes a fair way towards representing him. The actor himself choose the clothes, meaning they fit very nicely into his character.

Audience Response

I showed a rough cut of my film to a group of parents and others last night. They completed feedback sheets and there have been a variety of interesting responses.

• 'Nice music and use of camera angles etc. Not sure about it being in black and white.'
• 'Intro didn't fit title.'
• 'Not an obvious link, black and white intro, and title = not hooked, but good filming.'
• 'Good use of music to create atmosphere. Not sure if phone call to door knock creates sufficient suspense and the impact that you are after. Perhaps lengthen the phone call and door shots.'
• 'Didn't understand what the topic was.'
• 'Good planning to think of the places for shots and the use of lighting was really well done.'
• 'Very good intro.'
• 'Nice shot of Forum. Too long.'
• 'Very atmospheric.'
• 'Really liked this one, very well shot, beautifully filmed.'
• 'Good shots but did not draw me into the story.'
• 'Feeling of sadness. Black and white effective. Artistic use of shots. Not sure what the film was going to be about.'
• 'Like use of lighting for street lamps in city. Good background sound. Very good opening shot, love flames ideas. Sharp and grabbed attention.'
• 'Lots of mystery.'
• 'Good shots of Norwich.'
• 'Too many bright backings. Only problem however.'

It seems the music has come off well and that people liked the images. Given that people of that age were never really my target audience, I should probably take their comments with a pinch of salt.

Most people seem to like the music and images and appreciated the mood I was trying to create, but for many people, this wasn't particularly enjoyable or interesting for them. People seemed to be split on the choice of a black and white. I would guess that many thought it fitted the mood well, which was the effect i was going for, but I could imagine that for some it was too unconventional.

Some people didn't really understand what the film was about. For some, my choice of cutting, and cutting again, and giving as little away as possible may have left the overall effect too subtle. I would argue that the subtlety suits to style well. People in my audience research were generally split as to whether they preferred action or a gentle start.

Ellipsis

During editing, I've been reading up on ellipsis. The narrative device dictates that the audience doesn't need to see the entirety of an action to understand what has happened. For example, man doesn't need to be seen standing up from a chair, walking across a room, opening a door and walking out of it for us to understand that he has left the room.

Hopefully I can make good use of this in my edit.

Here's the article I've been reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis_(narrative_device)

Making of the sound effects

The sound of a lighter clicking is very key within the opening. In a sense, it is the first contact the audience has with the character. I therefore thought that it might be a good idea to record the sound effect properly. Here's how I did it along with a couple of screen shots...

1) I recorded the sound using a simple microphone and Audacity which is a freely available, easy to use recording and editing package.

2) Once I'd recorded a whole mess of samples, I picked out the best ones; one of the lighter clicking, and one of the lighter actually igniting.

3) I then exported these samples into Ableton Live which is a

more professional audio program. Here, I used compressors and equalisation to remove

background noise from the budget microphone, and make the sounds sound altogether more

realistic and of better quality.

Who's who in the opening titles...

As i'm thinking about putting together my footage, just been reading up on opening titles. It seems there is certainly a convention to follow, especially in regards to who is included in the opening titles.

Here's the material:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_credits

Anton Corbijn

I've been reading up on the director and photographer Anton Corbijn. He's well known for his monochrome style and well chosen bleak shooting locations. He directed 'Control' and has photographed 'Joy Division' and 'U2' amongst many others.

Here are the articles I've been reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Corbijn

http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/3522/anton-corbijn-interview.html

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/10/01/anton-corbijn-talks-ian-curtis-biopic-control-using-killers-track-in-film

/

http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/control-anton-corbijn-interview

He seems to talk a lot about his B & W style as characteristic of the period and it's very much in keeping with the mood and the band itself at the time.

This is an example of his music photography. It's a picture of Elvis Costello and I think the whole effect (including lighting, the B & W and the composition) really encapsulate the 'rock 'n' roll' lifestyle.

I think I could recreate this in my film by using low-key lighting and then converting the footage into B & W when I'm editing.

This is a still taken from 'Control.' It clearly shows how effective a choice of location can be, and also how dramatic a setting can become in B & W. Iconic telephone box. Grimey brick wall. It's all there. All representations of the British North. The northern location and the terrace houses are all symbolic of the grey area of the north.

Here are a few shots I took whilst out on location, set to some musical ideas I've got for the soundtrack.

I really like the interesting architecture around the forum, especially the St. Peter Mancroft church. The lighting will work really well, and I think the Gothic style reflects the character well.

The lighting around the market and the lonely corridors will work really well and are characteristic of the Film Noir style.

The street lamps in Chapelfield Gardens is ideal, and the colourful underpass contrasts the character and will come out nicely in Black and White.

Audience Research

Finally! It's finished!

My Ideas So Far

I'm still deciding on some of the details of my opening. I have, however, come up with some shots I think would be effective. These have been storyboarded, and I will upload that when it's finish. For now, I'm just going to blog my shot descriptions to show some progress.

Opens to credits. Names of actors and other key production credits appear white on a black background, slowly fading in. Music begins. Quiet piano chords.

A black screen is suddenly lit from the spark of a cigarette lighter, briefly illuminating the face of main character (Alex.) This repeats. The lighter sparks again, igniting this time.

Close up of lighter lighting a small candle creating a small pool of light, illuminating a small collection of items (blurry photographs, rough sketches.) This hints of a life before the events of the film, intriguing the viewer.

Pan shot of the entire room. Messy. Shady. Lit by several more pools of candlelight. Camera pans slowly around, eventually reaching the main character. He is sitting before a large window. Roughly lit by street lamps from outside and candle light. His face remains hidden.

Close-up of mobile phone. It reads 'No Messages.'

Shadow of Alex pulling on a jacket is projected onto a wall in flickering candle light.

Close-up of hand pulling large front door open, and feet leaving.

Shot through door viewer of Alex back, walking away from the house.

Shot of the Forum, and skyline. Alex walks into the frame and stops, looking at the building as the title slowly fades into the skyline and music reaches a slight crescendo.

Close-up of Alex's face, shaded by a hood, but partially visible in the light coming from the building.

That's as far as I've got. There are some OK shots in there. I know my character is heading somewhere, not quite sure where though. Suggestions welcome. Hoping lighting, music and mise-en-scene will establish the mood. This is only outlines the general direction of the opening. Additional shots and changes are bound to happen on the day.

My Ideal Audience

Just a 25 (ish) word statement which personifies my idea of the ideal audience for my work.

"Jack is sixteen. When he's not at a party or trying to get served at the pub, he likes modern art, pondering life, and watching Skins."

Preliminary Task

I've done my Preliminary short piece of film. It's nothing amazing but it has to be there.