Point 39 and 40: Final Cut

This is the final cut of my film after the re-editing stage that I explained in blog post 38.

The Audience Feedback Task

I have posted my final cut to YouTube and have shared it with my Facebook friends in order to receive feedback. 

I have taken screenshots of some of the feedback that I received from people on Facebook. Mostly the feedback I received was positive with multiple compliments about the 'creativity' and 'variety of shots'. I am happy that people have picked up on this as one of my main aims was to use a variety of shots to creatively show the different titles with the film. A criticism that came up was maybe focusing on the credits for longer so they are easier to read. I understand this and in the future will keep it in mind so that it is easier for the audience to read the titles.

This is the statistics of my video which shows that so far since I posted it on YouTube it has been viewed 23 times. it was also view in four different countries which shows that the feedback I received came from multiple cultural backgrounds. Most people viewed my video on YouTube which makes sense as the link was sent to them. Unfortunately YouTube were unable to identify the gender of my viewers unless they were signed in which so far none were.

Evaluation Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

This video shows me reflecting on my preliminary task and how I have developed and progressed since making it.

When I completed my preliminary task I had very little experience in filming, editing and really anything to do with media. Since then I have definitely learnt a lot and have progressed throughout the course up until the production of my finished product.

At the beginning of the course I worked in a small group with two other members of my class. This allowed us to share our knowledge and learn from one another.

After this I began completing some individual tasks, which were called introduction activities. This allowed me to practice the skills that I needed to learn in order to create my final piece.

During this I learnt about the used of sound and how to construct oral diagrams. I did an investigation into narrative theories and the key elements of the genre that I chose to base my film on.

I also completed a lot of audience research and studied other movies that I wanted my film to appear artistically similar to. I also learnt about how there are key shots in a film and the importance on having variation.

I completed a textual analysis on the opening of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ as I wanted to use the opening sequence for inspiration.

So since the preliminary task my knowledge and understanding of filming and editing has significantly increased. This made it easier for me to understand how to create my final piece.

When looking back at my preliminary task my transition between shots were not smooth and this is something I believe I have significantly improved in my final film.

Also since we filmed the preliminary task in the library when other people were there we gained significant background noise. This is why I chose to film my final piece in a quiet and isolated location.

I also didn’t know how to control level volumes and so some of my preliminary task was hard to hear. For my final film I improved this and made sure that I got my sound at the levels I desired.

For the final shot of my preliminary task I put it in slow motion, which is cheesy and unprofessional. I steered away from changing the speeds up in my final film.

Over all I believe that I learnt a lot from filming and editing my preliminary task that has allowed me to make my final film better.

Evaluation Question 6: Technology Knowledge and Processes

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your target audience?

I have annotated a copy of 'Standard Goods' in order to explain the ways in which my video attracts my target audience. This is something I had to keep in mind throughout the entire planning and filming. As it is key that the mis en scene you use throughout the film is easily relatable to the target audience. I used an older version of my film to add the annotations to so that they don't disturb the audience when they watch the final cut.

Annotated Version

These are screenshots of the reason I chose to include certain things in my film and how they attract my target audience.

Evaluation Question 4: Audience

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product? from Olivia Gardiner

Evaluation Question 3: Media Institutions

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

This is the editors commentary version of the prezi that I made.

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

It was important that throughout the creation of my film that I made sure it represented the correct social group. I will explain how I managed this in the video below.

Evaluation Question 1: “In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?”

Above is the nine shot grid of the key parts of my film including the title, setting, costume, camera work and editing, font and styles, narrative, genre, character and special FX. Within this grid you should be able to see how my film reflects the independent music film genre and the way it may challenge the normal conventions.

Within the first photo on the grid you see one of the actors names being present on in-film titles within music notes. This is similarly used within the photo of the band tickets and on the door; they are all alternative and creative ways to present the titles. By presenting the titles this way you are able to draw upon the genre and make them match with the setting. The use of music sheets and concert tickets automatically helps to suggest to the audience that the film is about music.

I also chose to include the title of my film as in-film titles which I think can be seen as something different to what is usually done. I wanted to challenge the normal media conventions and see if I could include it in the film without having to add it on later.

A special FX can be seen within every photo as I chose to colour match the clips so they all had a similar filter. This helped to add to the genre as I used warm lighting to create the sense of intimacy that a lot of independent films tend to offer.

From the editing point of view you can see that as well as in-film text I chose to place some of the titles in using digital text. This allowed me to choose a fun and unconventional text to reflect the indie vibe of the film.

My character within the film is shown on the grid and I believe challenges some of the genres norms. Most independent music films are based around a strong male protagonist whereas my film is based around a strong female protagonist. I believe this stretches the normal conventions in a very positive way.

The setting can be seen during the over the shoulder shot of the character allowing the audience to see the characters bedroom. This allows the audience to further understand the situation and genre of the film due to the visible band posters and the guitar in the room.

The costume I chose for my character was of course her pyjamas which consisted of an old black shirt and bottoms. I believe this is fitting to the genre as usually the character in music films tend to wear grungy clothing. Due to this being a bedroom scene I also wanted to keep the costume to a minimum to reflect the realism of the scene.

Point 38: Re-shoots and Pick Ups

After receiving feedback from my teacher and from my observations I decided that I needed to re-shoot a couple of the clips as well as re-edit certain aspects. One thing that I had to reshoot was some of the in film titles that were out of focus. I re-shot these titles and edited them into the original copy of the film. Secondly I decided to put a filter over the film to help it come across as more independent and alternative. I also chose to edit the text font to better match the independent genre with a more rounded and free flowing font.

Point 36 & 37: Rough Cut

This is my first draft and rough cut of my opening sequence to the film I have titled 'Standard Goods'.
I realise that there are some shots that I need to re-shoot as the focus or steadiness isn't correct. However I am happy with this as my first draft and now know how I can improve it before I publish my final cut.

I had to very carefully plan out the order to which I was going to shoot the film in so that the characters morning routine was parallel to the chronological opening titles. The actress and I went over the scene multiple times to make sure the transition between clips were smooth. Something that I struggled with throughout the filming process was making sure that the cameras shadow was not visible on screen. Due to this challenge i am going to have to reshoot some of the scenes as I am not happy with the outcomes of the clip. Overall the shooting process went well and the first rough edit is what I was hoping for. Now I can look over it and improve on the errors and mistakes that are present within the film

Point 35: Props and Costumes

For the film I am creating I will not need that many props and costumes.

The main ones I will need for certain shots can all be found in my bedroom expect for the posters and guitar.
For the posters I am going to print them off and the guitar I am going to borrow from a housemate.

Secondly I think it is really important that the clothing my actors wear represent the independent music scene. Luckily mo
st of my actors dress quite alternatively already and the rest of the costumes I have brought with me to school and are in my wardrobe.

Obviously for the bedroom I will need a bed and duvet etc. I already have these and now just need to print off posters of bands to hang around the bedroom.

Point 34: Casting

Pippa Randal is the actress I have picked as my protagonist for the shooting of my film. The reason I chose Pippa is because she is an experienced actress and is also a good singer. Pippa is also easy to work with and I know I can rely on her.

Jil Henschel will play one of Pippa's bandmate and friends. I picked Jil as I can rely on her to help out. Jill may not be as experienced an actress as Pippa but she is very enthusiastic and would love to be a part of it.

Esme Edwards will play the other bandmate and I know she will do a great job as she is an experienced actress. Like Pippa Esme does A-level drama and has also done many workshops and is very enthusiastic about my film.

Mattie Paterson is going to play the love interest of my main protagonist. I know Mattie will do an amazing job as this as he does GCSE drama and is very experienced.

However for my opening sequence Pippa Randall will be the only only necessary actress as the opening all takes place within the protagonists bedroom. I chose to cast the main actors for my entire film to create a better understanding for what the rest of the film will look like. I believe that by focusing on only one actor for the opening it allows the audience to get a better sense of who the protagonist is and the genre of the film due to the setting and decoration of the room.

Point 33: Risk Assessment

Point 32: Location of Shooting

Since I am attending a boarding school the locations are limited and so I have chosen my bedroom for the opening scene of the film as it is always accessible for me to use.

For the bedroom scenes I am going to use my own dorm room as it is easy access and is plain so can be decorated to fit the independent music film. Since it is my own room it means that I can spend time making sure the scene is decorated appropriately and realistically. 

This is the hughstreet of Elgin and if I were creating the whole movie I would use this for the scenes later on when the protagonist is meeting up with her bandmates. However it will not feature in the opening scene of the film I am going to make.

This is the Ogstoun Theatre at school which I would have used for band rehearsal scenes later on in the film.

In conclusion the only location I shall be using for my opening scene is the bedroom as that is where the entire opening and title sequence takes place.

Point 31: Shot List and Shooting Script

Here is my shot list and shooting script, clearly things may have to be altered when filming depending on how it turns out. It may change due to dramatic effect or if it isn't possible to do something a certain way.