UNIT G321 EVALUATION

 This is a first draft of my coursework evaluation;

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

Our media product is fairly typical of its genre, one feature being our strong opening monologue from the perspective of the main character in the film (Ritchie, Karl Tedder), which is very common in these types of crime thriller film openings for example ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Snatch’ and ‘RockNRolla’. Another convention of our opening sequence typical of its genre would be the fact that the beginning of the film is in fact the ending, giving the audience a feel for things to  in the film, real media product examples of crime thriller films that also have used this technique would once again be ‘Snatch’ as well as ‘The Business’. An aspect that is not typical of the films drama I feel is how we have moved on and developed in a sense from the average main character in a crime thriller as more of a ‘thinking man’s gangster’ instead of the average one dimensional gangster.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main social group represented in our film opening sequence are that of working class underworld characters, there are examples throughout our product that portray both stereotypical and counter typical of this particular social class. The stereotypical side of the characters in terms of their social class would be the swearing, drinking and violence that the characters are seen to be involved with throughout. However, there are some examples of counter typical aspects such as the smart clothing that the characters are seen wearing throughout.

3. 3. What kind of media institute might distribute your media product and why?

A company we feel that would be suited to the distributional side of our media product would we Columbia Pictures (UK). Our reasoning for this would be because they in the past were responsible for the distribution of the films ‘Snatch’ and ‘The Business’, two films very similar to ours that we feel share the same target audience as we do. Therefore, people who enjoy such films as these would be more aware of our media product as they would know that these distributors are responsible for many films of the crime thriller genre and therefore would be more inclined to watch.

4. 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

We would like to think that the demographics for our target audience would be people that are between the ages of 16 and 30, 70% male 30% female and social class C1. This is backed up by two films that are very similar to ours; RocknRolla; whose target audience was; ages 15-34 [77%]; 71% male, 29% female; Social Class C1 [35%] and Snatch; whose target audience was; ages 15-34 [74%]; 57% male, 43% female; Social Class C1 [30%].

http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide_details/4573/rocknrolla

http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide_details/918/snatch

5. 5. How did you attract/address your target audience?

I feel that by sticking to the ‘norm’ of this genre of film, we will have been able to address our audience as they will be able to understand the film and its content and our own unique take on the genre will hopefully attract our audience. As well as this, I feel that the dramatic opening will draw attention and the fact that the characters involved are that of around the ages of 16-24 which is the same of that of our target audience can also be of use in attracting our audience, as we hope they can feel that they can identify the characters with themselves allowing a greater understanding and enjoyment when watching.

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

Before beginning this project, nobody in our group of 4 had used an Apple Mac or any of the software involved with them. But as the project went on, we have become more accustomed to using the Mac’s and there software; Final Cut Express, iMovie, GarageBand. The main application we have used in the editing of our media product is Final Cut Express, and we have learnt such skills and techniques as the cut tool which allows you to trim parts of your video to let the film run more smoothly and video transitions one of which being fade which we have used for flash backs giving almost an effect of a blink of the eye.

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

From viewing our preliminary task, I can see many areas in which we feel we have improved hugely, mainly I would say this is in terms of camera work, the preliminary task is very shaky and not great quality due to the fact that a great deal of it is shot on a mobile phone camera in comparison to the HD video camera on a fixed tripod used for our final piece. There is also visible improvements between our final piece and preliminary video in terms of video transitions which are considerably smoother I feel in the final piece. Overall I feel that we as a group and me as an individual have improved and progressed greatly between our preliminary task and final opening sequence product.

Script

This is our final script for our real media product, Brand New Shoes, it should stay exactly as it is here, however it is obviously subject to change on the day of filming.




Scene 1

[Camera focuses target through the scope, a few people walking around]

Archie:
Come on, come on. Where are ya?

[Target (Murphy) walks into view of scope]

Danny:
Oi, what are you doing? Do you know who that is?!

Archie:
Does it look like I give a monkeys…

[Danny grabs Matt by the scruff of the neck, but Archie pushes him back]

Danny:
His boys are nasty Arch

Archie:
…you saw what he did to Crumble.

Scene 2

[Fade in; Crumble laid out on the floor beaten]

[Cut to Murphy running off; Fade Out]

Scene 3

[Archie turns away from Danny and props gun through window]

[Camera focuses back on the scope again, target (Murphy) right in the centre]

Archie:
Fuck it

[Shot is fired]

Scene 4

[Ritchie stumbling through a field]

Voice over of Ritchie:
It wasn’t always like this, my old man always told me “you’re going round in circles kid, don’t you want me to be proud” since then I’ve been on a one way path to the top and at the start that was all it took to make me happy but life has a funny way of throwing obstacles your way. At times we’re down because we want it all and when we get it, its not enough, we find ourselves in a maze of deceit and betrayal. Someone once told me; “be careful who you trust, few people care, most just want to hold your bollocks for ransom. No one could touch me; I had the guns, girls and the geezers, use, abuse, dispose. People didn’t like this, that’s when I started to notice the ugly side of the good life, times have changed, friends have become enemies and now look at me, but fuck it I’ve always done it the hard way, why stop now? Let me take you back to the beginning, lets meet my boys.

Scene 5

[Non-Diegetic Music]

[Camera cuts between Danny, Archie, Ritchie and Crumble drinking shots]

StoryBoards

Here are our storyboards drawn up in planning for the filming of our real media product, Brand New Shoes, showing our extensive ideas such as camera shots, durations, sounds and dialogue for the first three scenes of the film opening sequence including the roof top scene, the service tunnel scene and once again the rooftop.

Casting, Props, Locations

Here we have our final list of ideas we have for our opening sequence, including;

Who is playing which role in the film opening

Where we will be shooting the scenes,

and finally which props we will be using in the opening sequence.

Risk Assesment

Although there were virtually no risks involved with our filming, there were a few that we felt were of significance and although the likelihood of the events suggested being so low, we feel that they are still worth mentioning, although could be seen as clutching at straws.

Location, Location, Location

Here are two photos of our group on scene on two separate occasions during filming.

This is us on location whilst filming scenes 1 and 3, the roof top at Waitrose, Windsor, where we shot the infamous scope shot of Brand New Shoes through a window of one of their car park’s many staircases. 

This is our group on location of scene 4 of our real media product, Brand New Shoes. This is our first shoot of this particular shoot of two, hence the different colour shirt of which the main and only character of this scene is wearing in this shot in comparison to the final piece. After feedback we did go back again to this location better prepared with better results as a result.

Wild Bunch Productions Logo

     This is the logo we have designed and made for our film production company, Wild Bunch Productions. We have made this via Macromedia Fireworks, and we feel it portrays a similar feel as does our film itself, showing some successful looking well dressed individuals with a violent background.

Target Audience

The demographics for our target audience would be fairly niche;

Between the ages of 16 and 30

70% male 30% female

Social class C1

I feel that these demographics are very accurate for the type of film we are making and similar films to ours which back up our target audience would be;

RocknRolla, whose target audience was;

Ages 15-34 [77%]

71% Male, 29% Female

Social Class C1 [35%]

Stats from; http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide_details/4573/rocknrolla

and Snatch, whose target audience was;

Ages 15-34 [74%]

57% Male, 43% Female

Social Class C1 [30%]

Stats from; http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide_details/918/snatch

The similarity, I feel, between the demographics of the target audiences for these very successful other crime thriller films and ours show that our film is aimed at the right set of people to be a success.

Preliminary Task

Before making our final piece film opening sequence, we were tasked with making a preliminary video to get us used to the cameras, acting and editing that would be involved with the real thing.

Our preliminary task had to include a person walking through a door into a room, using:

·         Shot Reverse Shot

·         Match On Action

·         180degree

We shot the preliminary task in the school and it included, Fernando (a member of our group) walking through a door to see Karl (another member) and partake in a drug deal including dialogue etc.

Whilst editing, we added music in the back of the video which fades in and out, in relation to when there is dialogue involved.

... and this is our finished and edited preliminary task which we were asked to make for our Media Studies AS coursework before our main opening sequence task of which we will work on next.

Enjoy!

Godfather (Film Opening)

Here I will talk about the openings of 3 different films, of similar genres to the film we as a group are planning on making for our AS coursework film, discussing techniques used in each which are significant whether it be due to them being stereotypical, counter typical or simply appealing and interesting to the viewers. Understanding  these techniques and the reasoning behind these will be key for the successes of our final piece.

The opening of The Godfather consists of an Italian-American man, typical of this genre of film, speaking to the Godfather (Don Corleone) about how his daughter had been taken advantage of by some American boys who had left her badly beaten. The reasoning for this man being in Don Corleone’s company soon becomes apparent when he asks him for justice, something of which he feels the police were unable to give him leaving him with Corleone as his only option left. This film, like so many others of the crime thriller genre, features an opening monologue which is definitely something of which we will have to take note of in the production of our real media product.

Goodfellas (Film Opening)

The opening for the film Goodfellas firstly features a subtitle, enabling the viewer to see that the film is based on true events and a real story, which would interest the viewer immensely as they will realise that things they are about to see have and could happen in the world that they live in, giving a sense of reality to the film. Next, the subtitle writes “New York, 1970” giving the viewer a sense of setting for the film, with this particular city and era of time being popular in these kinds of crime thriller films giving the viewer an understanding of things to come in the film. After this, it cuts to a shot of 3 well dressed ‘gangster’ males driving an expensive car along a road, a very stereotypical view of this genre of film and the characters associated with them. Then we hear the sound of banging coming from the boot of their car, another stereotype of ‘gangsters’ before they pull over, open the boot (revealing a badly injured male cover in blood and gunshot wounds) and finish off the individual with further shots coming from the gangsters guns to eventually kill the male. After this, we hear a monologue of one of the characters speaking the words “As far as I can remember I wanted to be a gangster” accompanied with the non diegetic sounds of brass instruments of which are also usually associated with this genre, especially in the context of the particular era that this film is shot in.

Rock N Rolla (Film Opening)

The opening of the Film RockNRolla consists firstly of the song "I'm a Man” by “Black Strobe” as a non-diegetic backing song, over which the voice of Archie (a character in the film) is dubbed over with the infamous opening monologue: "People ask the question... what's a RocknRolla? And I tell 'em - it's not about drums, drugs, and hospital drips, oh no. There's more there than that, my friend. We all like a bit of the good life - some the money, some the drugs, other the sex game, the glamour, or the fame. But a RocknRolla, oh, he's different. Why? Because a real RocknRolla wants the f***ing lot”. During this dubbed monologue, another character of the film, Johnny Quidd, is shown flossing a gun and partaking in drug, drink and sexual activity, these activities are very stereotypical this particular genre and the characters you expect to come across in them. 

Then follows a cut to the character Archie who gives a speech introducing the film to its audience and giving them a sense of what is to come in the film by talking about things such as real estate and the powerful figures in the crime world displayed in the film.

Me & Our Project

Hi.

My name is Matt, and i am a media student.

My favourite films are mainly of the crime/thriller genre such as Rock N Rolla,  Goodfellas, Scarface etc.

Over the coming months, as part of unit G321 of media studies, we will be filming and editing our own film opening sequence. I will use this blog as my portfolio and a way of updating our progress in this project with pictures, videos and text.

Luckily all of my group for this project are intersted in the same type of genre of film which we have therefore decided to use as our film opening sequence; crime thriller

At this stage we are hoping to include the usual aspects of a film opening to a film of this genre, an interesting and strong opening monologue, light violence etc. but with our own take on the genre.