5. How did you attract/appeal to your target audience?

7. Comparing the prelim task to the final product

This is a screen shot I took for the footage from the preliminary task that our group filmed. This particular shot was filmed as a wide shot and shows the two characters, Laura and I, sitting opposite each other having a conversation. Mair used a panning shot as I was walking across the room, then when Laura and I had the conversation she used the camera and tripod to catch over the shoulder shots of both me and Laura.

                                                  Panning shot (below) 

                                                                  Over the shoulder shot

We used the knowledge we gained from shooting an over the shoulder shot to apply to our final product, this is what it looked like:

Issues that we encountered in the prelim task:
When we filmed the prelim task, we originally chose to film in the common room, and in theory it was a good idea. However, after we filmed and took it to the editing suite to start editing it, we soon saw that the audio was terrible and the actors voices couldn't be heard, and were very muffled. The only thing we could do to fix this was to re shoot the whole prelim, where it was a lot quieter! It turned a much better quality! 


Improvements made in the final product: 
Before we filmed our final product we made sure that all the rooms we would be shooting in were nice and quiet, although we did want to film a few scenes in the library field, which didn't work out due to noise from the general public. As we have progressed with filming, my ability to use the editing software has really improved, and I can how confidently edit and add effects to any footage. Also, as a group we wasn't familiar with the tripod before, as we couldn't even get it to stand up, but with a bit of practice we can do that now!  


What skills have you improved upon or gained over the course of this project? 
Over the course of the project I have used how to handle the camera (playback, rewind and fast forward), how to use the tripod, how to set up and use the lighting equipment software correctly and how to record a voiceover using the microphone. Being able to use Blogger has been a new experience as well! 


Another thing that I have learnt to do in this process is that organisation and preparation is very important, and If someone in the group is not putting the effort in it affects the whole group. For example, I forgot my shoes to use one day so we had to call off the whole filming for that day!   


In my blog post about the prelim task I set myself three targets to achieve by the end of the process, which were:

• Choosing better location and putting more thought into which locations would look authentic 
• Make sure the acting is to the best of my ability
• Concentrate on how well the film flowed, and try and avoid jump cuts. 

Looking at our final product, I believe that these targets were achieved, not just by me but by Laura and Mair. 

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

Camera


Mair, Laura and I used the camera at different times, as we were all in different acting scenes. The camera we used was borrowed from the college media department. The camera was much like the one that are used by the general public, it was handheld and attached to a tripod stand. At first, we found it a struggle to get to grips with how to screw it onto the tripod and get the tripod to stand properly, and at different angles. After a few tries, we knew what we were doing!  

Adobe Premiere Pro 


We used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit our opening sequence of our film. In order to get the footage off the camera, we connected it with a USB cable to one of the computers in the editing suite. We then opened up a 'new project' and named it 'deadly suspicion', which is the name of our film. What we did first was capture all the filming footage, which we could then drag to the timeline and pick and choose the footage that we wanted to appear in our opening sequence. We experimented with a few different video transitions such as 'cross dissolve' and 'dip to black'. Another thing that we did, with the help from Ed, was slow down some of the footage to make it appear more dramatic and visually appealing to the audience. To adds the titles, we clicked on the 'add new title' tab on the side of the page. 

Blogger 


As a way of documenting and evaluating our progress throughout our filming process, we have been using online blog site 'Blogger'. It took a while to adjust to the format of the site, but after a few posts I felt confident and have been enjoying updating people on my groups progress! The blogger has been a modern, up to date way of adding photos, videos and links for people to see. 

YouTube and Vimeo 


Online video site YouTube proved to be very helpful throughout the film production period. Iv'e been able to research and watch different Film Noir videos and gain inspiration from them. Iv'e also used Vimeo, not as frequently as YouTube, but it was there when I needed it and proved quite useful. 

PowerPoint and Word


Because the software required was not able to download on the college computers, I used Microsoft Word a few times to create a draft of my blog post, which I saved on my USB to upload onto Blogger. When analysing my questionnaire, it proved useful as I converted the data into a few selected graphs, and when we produced the script and shot list, we typed it up on Word. 


PowerPoint was used when we pitched our opening sequence to the rest of the class in a lesson. It was fairly easy to use and to set a background/ upload pictures onto the slides. Mair, Laura and myself are all confident with Powerpoint so we enjoyed creating a collection of ideas to present to the class. 

Sound effects and lighting 

Laura and myself used the sound equipment when filming the voiceover, which I recorded as the Femme Fatale. We had a lot of fun using it, as I've never seen such a microphone! Listening to it afterwards was really impressive, it sounded so professional!

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

This is a profile of our typical audience member: 


Name: Hayley Morris 
Age: 18
Location: UK
Likes/ dislikes: Enjoys watching films, especially old films and those of the Film Noir genre. Also likes romantic films and crime/action films. Dislikes horror films and sci-fi  films. 
What films she likes: Schindler's List, Pretty Woman and old 40's /50's films. 
Programmes she watches: Action programmes like Lost, 24, CSI. She also likes documentaries about film through the years and documentaries generally about the 30's - 50's.  
What music she likes:  Classical, dramatic music. Also music from the 50's.




I believe that 'Deadly Suspicion' would appeal to Hayley as she has genuine interest in old style films, especially in the style of Film Noir. She also has a very keen and passionate interest in films in general, and enjoys going to the cinema when she can afford. I also feel that because she is young and doesn't always have money readily available, she can watch our video on YouTube for free! 


Hayley likes watching films with an element of surprise in them, so the suspense and questions raised throughout our film will really appeal to her.  

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

The production company is essentially where the film gets their funding and spending from, along with ideas for the script and the treatment and organisation of the cast, crew and location. A production may directly fundraise the project, or alternatively be funded through a partner or private investor. As we distributed our film independently, our production company 'Blue Sky' had the advantage of deciding what we wanted to do in terms of these factors.


The distributor is responsible for where and when the film is released. Also, they are responsible for the marketing of the film, meaning posters, adverts, interviews and trailers. Another thing that the distribution is responsible for is the transportation of the film to the various cinemas around the world is going to be shown in. 


The two main types of distributor are major and independent. 

• Independent distributors have less resources and money, therefore making smaller scale films and generally relying on funding from large companies. 
• The major studio distributors produce and distribute big blockbuster films that are viewed globally. The are able to  produce and distribute as they have the money and resources to do both. 

The production company is the place that ideas and scripts are made, the film makers get their funding from the production company, along with the cast, crew and locations.

Mair, Laura and I chose to market and distribute our film independently, through the medium of YouTube. We did this as it enables everyone who has internet access to watch it.  

Before filming our opening sequence, we watched a few Film Noir films to get an image of films that are similar to what we wanted to portray. The Woman in the Window is a film that we all enjoyed. 

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

During the film, Mair plays the stereotypical criminal, who goes by the name of 'Miss Davies', adding suspicion even further to her identity. She is seen as omniscient, and portrayed as secretive and sneaky, which a vendeta. Non verbal mise-en-scene is used to convey the character as criminal, for example when she is preparing herself to commit the murder she is seen putting on a black pair of gloves and then taking a gun out of her pocket. It shows her intelligence and apparent experience, as she has thought about little details that may give her away, whilst showing that she has thought about the crime she is about to commit. 


The background music is a form of non diagetic sound used in the film, to increase tension and suspense, with the feeling that this character is a genuinely bad person. Towards the end of the sequence, she represents the typical criminal when she is bring questioned. She denies the allegations in a very smug and confident way, making gestures with her hands, showing her willingness to 'prove her innocence' and stay poker faced. 


The representation of criminals in our Noir film differs slightly from that of criminals in the media today, as our film was of a different time (40's and 50's) so our interpretation of a criminal was different, leaning more towards the classic 'gangster' style criminal. 

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

                                                                              Title        

We have used the conventions of Film Noir to design our title, deciding on italic font and a black background. The title slowly grows on the screen, then blurring out. We added a red line to give it more of a 'deadly' look, with red being associated with death and murder.

                                                             

                                                              Titles- Font and Style

This is a screenshot of a title in our opening sequence. We used a black font with white lining, which we felt matched the black and white theme that runs throughout the film, and one of the most important conventions of Film Noir. Also, we though a lot about the style of font, and went for italic which looked quite authentic to the 50's film genre.  

                                                                                        Location and setting 

This screen shot is from the office, where most of the film is set. We made the room we filmed in, which was the LRC, look like an office by using various props such as the telephone, desk and books. As our film is a Film Noir, we didn't need too many props because we were using lighting to make shadows. We also colour corrected the entire film to put it into black and white. 

                                                                    
                                                    Costume and Props     

This screenshot shows Mair in her first costume, which consists of a trench coat, black tights, black gloves, a black hat and a gun. We used iconography, which enables the audience to associate the costume and props used with Film Noir. Here its shown with the dark sidewalk that Mair is walking down. One of the conventions of Film Noir is the murder suspect being a male, instead we chose to challenge this convention as Mair was the murderer. 

Props (continued) 

This screenshot show me using the cigarette and lighter as props in my office scene. These are both iconic symbols of the Film Noir, so it was important that we implemented them. 

                                                                    

Me (as the Femme Fatale) using the phone and cigarette as props. 

This is me in my costume, which I enjoyed dressing up in! I wore a black and white spotty dress, to fit in with the black and white colour of the film, black heels, a black cardigan and I curled my hair. We feel that my costume fits in well with the conventions of Film Noir. 

Lighting

The shadows in this shot are examples of the lighting that we used. We borrowed the lights from the media studios; we had two lighting either side of the room to create the shadow effect.We used low key lighting and shadows because they're both conventions of Film Noir. 

Characterisation 

My characterisation here is showed through the character I played, Debra Manwell who is the Femme Fatale. We have used the conventions of traditional Film Noir films. The Femme Fatele of a Noir film is typically mysterious and seductive, using her looks and charm to get what she wants, but this often leads to getting herself into dangerous situations. 

     

                                                                     Camera Angles 

                           
                 We used a wide shot here to show the shadow in the background. 

This is an example of a low angle shot, which is one of the visual style conventions of Film Noir. The props, lighting, costumes, shadows, low camera angles and the black and white all suggest the film belongs to the genre of the Film Noir.  

Overall, we feel the shadows, lighting, low camera angles and the black and white all establish our film as being of the Film Noir genre.