Film: Overall Evaluation Process

Question 1

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

•       Consider the conventions you spotted in your research and how you have embedded these into your work

•       Editing? Transitional scenes?

•       How did you develop these conventional ideas? Have you adapted ideas in a new way or used a linking factor?

•       Have you incorporated anything new into your film that has not been seen before? Why has this been done?

When conducting my initial research, I began with analysing a range of short horror movies of various sub-genres, I done this so that I could identify features across all movies as well as individual effects and features within my chosen sub-genre. A general feature Identified that I wanted to incorporate within my short horror movie was non-diegetic music, this is because I believed sound played a key part in bringing tension within a scene therefore my opening scene would consist of a soundtrack which would bring a sense of discomfort within the audience. Secondly a feature I identified within my sub-genre; paranormal was a sense of build up from the outset, this is why in my first initial movie draft we created a chronological build-up of tension. Therefore, my media film would tie in perfectly with existing movies as i followed the conventions from the movies I researched. I also tried to develop the ideas gathered from my research in order to make my media product follow the conventions of media product such as adding more of a story to the reason why a possession occurs within my movie. I decided to use news articles to create a sense of real life within the short film, this is because being an active viewer of horror movies, I identified those movies with more meaning and factual sense created more tension as it created a lasting effect. Therefore I adapted ideas from long horror movies and adapted it to my short horror film.

Question 2: How did you find the filming process?

•       What was your individual area and what did you aim to do? Did this end up happening in the way which you had expected?

•       How did the group work together? What was this experience like?

•       Comment on the planning of your film, rehearsal and how your schedule informed your decisions – did you think there was anything that could have been improved for the next time?

•       How did you find post-production work? Was it simple or difficult to edit the film and why?

My individual area was Mise en scene, I felt this was a key area of a movie as without a good location, good props, good costumes it would not create the same tension and build up. I aimed to make the location as scary as possible, I achieved this by filming in a dark area where not many people would be, using police tape outside the house to develop the idea that this area shouldn’t be entered in which the boys still continue to do. Within the house we ensured that it was empty, this was because we decided that it would not have the same effect if modern props such as TV’s, Sofas and other furniture was present therefore prior to filming I had removed all the items I felt I didn’t require. I made sufficient use of the fake blood by splashing it all over the sink, over letters and over the news articles which is clearly identifiable within the film. The group at first was dysfunctional however I took a directing role and organised a time schedule in which I made the group keep on task and not drift away from what was required to do. Although it was good experiencing issues on our first filming as it ensured that the same mistakes would not be made again. Before filming the draft I made the group rehearse how I wanted them to act and facial expressions although I explained to them I wanted them to act natural and not stick the script fully as I wanted it to be as natural as possible. At first not much attention was paid to the schedule although after the first filming draft I understood that it was key in ensuring that the film went to plan and no scenes would be missed. After producing first draft, this is when post production would come into play such as incorporating sound and editing which are essential to the overall success of the film.

Question 3: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

•       Consider the research you undertook before producing your first draft; how did this inform your decisions? What did you include for your chosen demographic?

•       How did your questionnaires change initial decisions?

•       What did different target audiences comment on and how did you make the decision to choose one over another?

•       Who did you review and did this give you a biased or range of feedback? How?

First, I conducted a normal questionnaire which I distributed to a wide range of people of different ages, genders but all of which had an interest in horror movies which ensured all data collected was relevant. After this I conducted a smaller but more targeted questionnaire towards my target audience in which I done over a social media site called WhatsApp within a group. This data allowed me to develop my initial idea for creating my first product and make decisions on type of characters, props and locations. From my initial idea, the questionnaire was mainly supportive and followed the ideas of what I chose to film however in the areas that the feedback wanted that wasn’t incorporated in my idea I would add it in. My target audience were all ranged from 17-19 and I made conclusions based on a majority answers. Furthermore, I seeked advice from a previous person who filmed and producer who advised me on what to do within my movie which helped as it ensured my idea was realistic and achievable although successful.

 4. Question 4: How did you incorporate a range of media technologies within the research and planning stages of your film?

In my process of short film horror research, I tried to use a range of digital technologies in order to achieve best possible marks. I used social media software’s ranging from YouTube to twitter and WhatsApp. I was able to develop a portfolio of information in a suitable way as social media is the way modern day citizens communicate as its becoming easier and faster. WhatsApp allowed me to create a group and ask questions of which everyone was giving feedback of what to include in the horror film. I could identify that there was a correlation to create a film which edged towards being a paranormal film. This is because Paranormal activity is a popular horror movie and has proven to be quite successful among youth as well as elder horror viewers. When presenting my information, I favoured presentation software’s such as Prezi, YouTube, SlideShare, Emaze and Storyboard. I faced difficulties using Storyboard as It was only valid for a period of two weeks before becoming premium by which I wouldn’t be able to access or edit it. I have used new media software’s for my first horror film draft such as editing movie app. Our group helped each other with editing as it was the challenging process. Due to having no experience of editing this was the negative aspect as this prolonged the process of producing the film. However, overseeing sound I used online media to add sound effects into the sounds I produced on keyboard pianos which gave it a real-life effect.