Maria Carter
"THIS LOVE"
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The media convention our media group used was romantic comedy. Romantic comedy conventions of real media projects are typically light hearted, humorous, dramatic stories, centred on the “perfect couple”. The majority of romantic comedies tell a story about two people that start of either not knowing each other or disliking each other but by the end of the film have fallen in love with each other.
Our opening sequence has typical romantic comedy conventions; and these are shown throughout the sequence with the use of cinematography, mise-en-scene and sound. Nearly all of the scenes used for filming were set in romantic places; the London Eye, Hyde Park, London Bridge and places that held some sort of importance to both of our main characters, each set showing our "perfect couple". During the whole of the opening sequence, each shot used are long shots, showing the different locations that the couple have been to, making sure that each shot shows the couple together, portraying that it is the start of a romantic film. Another way in which our media project is shown as a romantic comedy is the use of the non-diegetic voice over. This voice over develops the original conventions of romantic comedies, involving the audience with what is occuring in the film. Narrated by the main character it tells the romantic story of him and his girlfriend but also integrates many comical stories about his girlfriend to fulfill the comedy genre.
However, although it makes use of these romantic conventions, it also challenges them. Most romantic films begin with the main characters not knowing each other, our couple however, start the film knowing each other, seeing each other and already being in love with each other, which then turns for the worst two minutes in, with the "perfect couple" breaking up and no longer being a "perfect couple" but two regular people that clearly weren't made for each other. It makes use of classic romantic conventions yet twists them to make use of the comedy conventions.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The whole of the opening sequence is based on the one character, Nathan. Although both boy and girl are represented in each clip, the sequence is based on the story of the boy. This boy is shown as from a working class family; he wears normal high street clothes, owns a mobile and takes his girlfriend on dates around the City of London. However the couple the audience see also go against the regular conventions of social groups. In many films, black and male characters are shown as rebellious, going against the law, being the heart breakers, constantly being in the wrong with the women and being the total opposite of white and female characters. In our clip however we show Nathan as the total opposite; he talks about how much he loves his girlfriend and sees through all of her faults, whereas she, the white female is the one in the wrong, breaking her boyfriends heart.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our media project would be distributed by the Film Institution. As our genre and storyline is one that would appeal to many different audiences, it would be advertised and shown by mainstream cinemas to universal audiences.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our media project is aimed at both male and female audiences. Nowadays, most romantic comedies appeal to both men and women; the romance for the women and the comedy for the men. As our project is about a younger couple, it should also appeal to viewers of a younger age as they can relate to the problems that the main character goes through with his girlfriend.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The methods we used throughout our media project to attract our audience was by the use of; the characters we chose, the mise-en-scene we used, the choice of song and the genre of the film.
As our product is aimed at a teenage audience, we decided to use the story of a teenage couple as the main storyline. We did this so that the audience would be able to relate to what the main character is going through and be able to understand the feelings he has for his girlfriend. This main character also addresses the audience and involves them in what he's going through by talking to them and telling them step by step what he's feeling for his girlfriend by means of the voice over. The mise-en-scene also added to the attraction for a teenage audience. The wardrobe the main characters wore were ordinary high street clothes that ordinary teenagers would wear, the different scenes used were locations in London that many teenagers would find familiar. The final addition to make our media project seem attractive to teenagers is the choice of song. When the credits begin on our product, the song played is "This Love" by the band Maroon 5, this song is an easily recognisable song to people of all ages, especially teenagers.
Audience feedback:-
After watching our opening sequence to our romantic comedy, the audience said that it was a clearly recognisable opening sequence, it introduced the characters well and clearly introduced the situation of the couples relationship by use of the voice over.
The storyline used also made it obvious to the audiece that the genre of the film was romance and the clip also showed comical moments from the narrator.
From watching our project the viewers thought that it would have been aimed at a teenage audience as it is based upon the story of a teenage love.
The response the audience gave to if they think our product would appeal to the target audience was a positive one. Firstly, they said that a teenage audience would be able to relate to the characters situation, aswell as being able to relate to the storyline itself. Secondly, the settings we chose to use are easily recognisable as they are various locations seen in the City of London.
For the duration of the film, the audience said that the scenes were established well and through the use of mise-en-scene, they could establish that the duration of the opening sequence was set over a period of time from differences in location, weather, wardrobe and props. For the audience this gave the effect that there was a build up of relationship, helping them understand what the main character was feeling. To help with the understanding of the storyline, the editing of the non-diegetic voice over explained the content of the sequence to the audience to help them understand what the couples situation was.
However, when the audience had finished watching our product, they commented on how the voice over worked really well, however it could have been improved by playing a song quietly throughout the voice over as they thought it was too plain by itself.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
During the process of creating our media project, the different technologies we used were; Sony video camera and tripod for the filming, iMacs to put the footage on, iMovie to edit the footage we shot and ( ) to do the technique of the split screen. All of the equipment we used are pieces of modern technology and were new to me so I learnt how to use each of them whilst constructing and editing our footage. By using these technologies I have learnt how to set up a camera for filming and shoot a range of different shots, save footage onto a computer, open up our project and then edit. During our editing stages I learnt how to; shorten and cut unwanted footage, out them in order of filming, add in different transitions to the project to create different effects, add a non-diegetic voice over to our sequence, I learnt how to add a variety of effects to the credits, showing the film title and the names of the characters. For me, it was interesting to see the different stages of the film editing and learning how to add all of the different transitions and see the different effects they created.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During the development of our full project, i have learnt how important planning is. The storyline used was filmed from the plans we made and the storyboards we drew. I have also learnt that throughout each filming stage, it is important to make use of framing and the tripod, especially when filming a tracking shot.
However, the most important development I leant was the choice of mise-en-scene. Each different setting and all different props used create various feelings within the audience, and every one of the scenes chosen and props used have to give the impression of romance and comedy to the audience.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Friday, 13 February 2009
TREATMENT FOR OPENING SEQUENCE
Maria Carter
Target Audience:-
The target audience for our media video is men and women from ages 12+
Genre:-
The genre for our film is Romantic Comedy
The title of the film is 'This Love', telling a story of a young boy and his "true love". The film is narrated by the main character, Nathan, who talks to the audience about his girlfriend and how she's the one for him. The opening sequence shows and tells the audience how great the couple are together and how much they are in love with each other...that is, until the unthinkable happens...
Characters:-
Main Boy: Nathan
Main Girl: Susie
Plot Development:-
Throughout the opening sequence the characters will be introduced, scenes established and a story will be told by the main male character.
Structure:-
Our project will begin with a Story line, narrated by Nathan and then the Credit Sequence.
Sound:-
There will be a non-diegetic voice over at the beginning and a song from Maroon 5 when the Credits start.
Mise-en-Scene:-
Lighting-the lighting will all be natural lighting as most of the scenes will be shot outside.
Costumes-the costumes will be everyday wear as we want the audience to see how comfortable the two characters are with each other.
Setting-Nearly all of our settings will be shot at romantic tourist attractions in London.
Mood:-
Within our audience the atmosphere that we are trying to create with the voice over is a humourous one.
Target Audience:-
The target audience for our media video is men and women from ages 12+
Genre:-
The genre for our film is Romantic Comedy
The title of the film is 'This Love', telling a story of a young boy and his "true love". The film is narrated by the main character, Nathan, who talks to the audience about his girlfriend and how she's the one for him. The opening sequence shows and tells the audience how great the couple are together and how much they are in love with each other...that is, until the unthinkable happens...
Characters:-
Main Boy: Nathan
Main Girl: Susie
Plot Development:-
Throughout the opening sequence the characters will be introduced, scenes established and a story will be told by the main male character.
Structure:-
Our project will begin with a Story line, narrated by Nathan and then the Credit Sequence.
Sound:-
There will be a non-diegetic voice over at the beginning and a song from Maroon 5 when the Credits start.
Mise-en-Scene:-
Lighting-the lighting will all be natural lighting as most of the scenes will be shot outside.
Costumes-the costumes will be everyday wear as we want the audience to see how comfortable the two characters are with each other.
Setting-Nearly all of our settings will be shot at romantic tourist attractions in London.
Mood:-
Within our audience the atmosphere that we are trying to create with the voice over is a humourous one.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
EVIDENCE OF RESEARCH - MAIN TASK
Opening Titles and Opening Sequence in 'Se7en'-
Cinematography-
First opening shot shows the main character and his lifestyle: alone, neat, quiet.
Further scenes still focus on the main character but going into more detail, showing how he acts, what his career is and telling the audience his name.
Low angle shots show the main character as a greater figure as the audience is made to look up at him.
Editing-
In the titles sequence alot of cutting and flashing is used to cause suspense.
Dull colours are also used throughout the opening and titles sequence, this gives the audience a sense of coldness giving the impression that this genre of film is horror, thriller and crime.
Sound-
In the scenes that we saw from 'Se7en' there was alot of diegetic background noises used, sirens, traffic, dogs barking and also the dialogue of the characters.
In the titles sequence, loud, fast, high pitched music was used, putting the audience in suspense.
Mise-en-Scene-
In the first sequence; empty, plain and quiet shots were used, showing how he is alone and the juxtoposition between his home and work life.
Maria Carter
Cinematography-
First opening shot shows the main character and his lifestyle: alone, neat, quiet.
Further scenes still focus on the main character but going into more detail, showing how he acts, what his career is and telling the audience his name.
Low angle shots show the main character as a greater figure as the audience is made to look up at him.
Editing-
In the titles sequence alot of cutting and flashing is used to cause suspense.
Dull colours are also used throughout the opening and titles sequence, this gives the audience a sense of coldness giving the impression that this genre of film is horror, thriller and crime.
Sound-
In the scenes that we saw from 'Se7en' there was alot of diegetic background noises used, sirens, traffic, dogs barking and also the dialogue of the characters.
In the titles sequence, loud, fast, high pitched music was used, putting the audience in suspense.
Mise-en-Scene-
In the first sequence; empty, plain and quiet shots were used, showing how he is alone and the juxtoposition between his home and work life.
Maria Carter
Prelim Task
1. Which aspect of the planning stage did you find most valuable?
I found that the most valuable part of planning was when we did the storyboards because we could plan each shot we were doing which helped when we did the main task. Also we planned the story and decided what we was going to say and what we was going to do, so the story board really helped with the practicle task. We planned each stage properly so when it came down to doing the task we knew exacly what we was doing and didnt waste any time.
2. What did you learn about camera work during the task?
I learnt how to use the tripod and the cameras. Also i learnt how to do the shots, for example i got to achally do a tracking shot, i knew what it was before but i never had the chance to do one and i also learned how to do a variety of other shots.
3. How did the editing process contribute to your understanding of the construction of the media text?
It helped me understand how to cut between shots, edit out parts we didnt want and put in shots in the order of our story board. The editing process bought our media production together as we could choose which parts we wanted and which parts to cut out. It was quite a long process so it made us realise how long it must take to edit a whole film.
4. How was your finished product seen by your peers?
The class watched it on computers in our class room during our lesson and thought it was good. they thought the idea was good and thougt we had edited it well as it ran smoothly. They thought we could improve on a couple of shots, but overall thought it was good for our first task.
5. What technical aspects of your finished product are you most pleased with and why?
I am pleased with the variety of shots we used and i think the storyline for our product was good. I am also pleased with the way we editited it as it ran smoothly.
6. What aspects would you change or improve and how would you go about this?
I would add a couple more shots to make the story clearer because in some parts it was confusing. i would also change a couple of the shotys as that would make the soryline clearer.
Katy Vinning
I found that the most valuable part of planning was when we did the storyboards because we could plan each shot we were doing which helped when we did the main task. Also we planned the story and decided what we was going to say and what we was going to do, so the story board really helped with the practicle task. We planned each stage properly so when it came down to doing the task we knew exacly what we was doing and didnt waste any time.
2. What did you learn about camera work during the task?
I learnt how to use the tripod and the cameras. Also i learnt how to do the shots, for example i got to achally do a tracking shot, i knew what it was before but i never had the chance to do one and i also learned how to do a variety of other shots.
3. How did the editing process contribute to your understanding of the construction of the media text?
It helped me understand how to cut between shots, edit out parts we didnt want and put in shots in the order of our story board. The editing process bought our media production together as we could choose which parts we wanted and which parts to cut out. It was quite a long process so it made us realise how long it must take to edit a whole film.
4. How was your finished product seen by your peers?
The class watched it on computers in our class room during our lesson and thought it was good. they thought the idea was good and thougt we had edited it well as it ran smoothly. They thought we could improve on a couple of shots, but overall thought it was good for our first task.
5. What technical aspects of your finished product are you most pleased with and why?
I am pleased with the variety of shots we used and i think the storyline for our product was good. I am also pleased with the way we editited it as it ran smoothly.
6. What aspects would you change or improve and how would you go about this?
I would add a couple more shots to make the story clearer because in some parts it was confusing. i would also change a couple of the shotys as that would make the soryline clearer.
Katy Vinning
Monday, 9 February 2009
EVIDENCE OF PRELIM TASK
(1) Which aspect of the planning stage did you find most valuable?
The aspect of the planning stage that i found most valuable was the storyboard. This was most helpful as it showed the group each shot of the film step by step that had to be shot and said what type of shot it had to be.
(2) What did you learn about camera work during the filming of your task?
Whilst filming the Prelim Task i learnt how to; set up the camera and use the camera to shoot the different shots we needed.
(3) How did the editing process contribute to your understanding of the construction of the media text?
The editing process contributed to my understanding of the construction of the media text in many ways. It showed me how to save what was filmed on the computer, cut scenes, put the scenes in the order of the storyboard and add special effects.
(4) How was your finished product seen by your peers?
The finished product was seen by the class on the school computers during our lesson.
(5) What technical aspects of your finished product are you most pleased with and why?
The technical aspects of my finished product that i am most please with is how the shots that we planned on the storyboard came out how we wanted them to, all the panning, zooming and close ups went smoothly.
(6) What aspects would you change or improve? How might you go about this?
The aspects that i would improve on the Prelim Task would be how the scenes cut to each other, they didnt run into each other smoothly so it didnt look as good.
Maria Carter
The aspect of the planning stage that i found most valuable was the storyboard. This was most helpful as it showed the group each shot of the film step by step that had to be shot and said what type of shot it had to be.
(2) What did you learn about camera work during the filming of your task?
Whilst filming the Prelim Task i learnt how to; set up the camera and use the camera to shoot the different shots we needed.
(3) How did the editing process contribute to your understanding of the construction of the media text?
The editing process contributed to my understanding of the construction of the media text in many ways. It showed me how to save what was filmed on the computer, cut scenes, put the scenes in the order of the storyboard and add special effects.
(4) How was your finished product seen by your peers?
The finished product was seen by the class on the school computers during our lesson.
(5) What technical aspects of your finished product are you most pleased with and why?
The technical aspects of my finished product that i am most please with is how the shots that we planned on the storyboard came out how we wanted them to, all the panning, zooming and close ups went smoothly.
(6) What aspects would you change or improve? How might you go about this?
The aspects that i would improve on the Prelim Task would be how the scenes cut to each other, they didnt run into each other smoothly so it didnt look as good.
Maria Carter
Friday, 23 January 2009
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