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. 

DEADLY SUSPICION

This  is our final edit of our opening sequence, enjoy! :)

The Edit!

Editing for our final project


Ed is teaching us to use Adobe Premium Plus. The transitions that we will be using are the fade into black transition into the next scene, we are also using the cross dissolve and a fade transition. At the moment we are colour correcting our whole film as well, to make it black and white, fitting in with the conventions of a Film Noir. Ed is also helping us add quite a few sound effects, to make it sound a lot more real for the audience. The gunshot, the clicking of the gun, the phone ringing and a loud scream are being implemented, making it sound so much better!


We had some fun yesterday choosing background music to the video, in the end we settled with 'The Bank', which is unncopyrighted music. The music helps produce the atmosphere and mood in the film, making the audience aware that something mysterious is happening or is going to happen. 


Were planning on using some effects to slow down quite a few of the shots to make them last longer, and seem more Film Noir like. Something we've already done id add a grain effect on the film to make it appear older and more authentic. 

Production Diary

First shooting lesson :) 

Today was the first day that we got to grips with the camera - which was a task in itself! We couldn't use the tripod, as we have never had to before (excuse). Also, the original location that we decided on, which was the library field proved to be a no no as people kept coming into shot of the camera and making it look very unrealistic! STRESSED wasn't the word! All we really needed was a old looking brick wall, so we moved location to the college campus in a quite area, where Laura and I filmed shots of Mair holding the gun, putting a pair of gloves on and walking suspiciously - which took a few takes as it was so funny! 

2nd Lesson 

Our second filming sesh was ran a lot smoother, we booked a room in the top floor of the LRC to film my scenes in an 'office' where we moved a few desks around and set up the lights that we borrowed from the filming department. The location was good, as it was small enough to look like an office, but big enough to fit the camera and lights in. At first, we didn't really realize how important the lighting was, but then remembered that the low key lighting is a main convention of the Film Noir. It took us about 1.5 hours to film, which was a full lesson. Overall we were happy, as I was quite confident in front of the camera so didn't take much time to shoot! Happy days :D 

3rd Lesson 

Once again, the scenes we shot were in the LRC, so we were comfortable about setting the lighting and equipment up. I enjoyed it as I wasn't acting today, I got to boss Mair and Laura around with the camera ahaa! It did take a while to get all the filming equipment up the stairs though, we had a few tripods, lights and extension leads in a massive red bag - which had t make its way up 3, YES 3... FLIGHTS OF STAIRS!! The shots we managed to get were good, but we felt that we needed more of a variety of shots like over the shoulder when we next film. 

4th Lesson 

We edited the film footage we already had, in the editing suite. Quickly, we discovered that what we had was too short to make an opening sequence out of, so Louise suggested we take the camera and think of a few more shots to bulk up the content. We decided to go back up to the room in the LRC and add a bit more cut in scenes of me, fixing my hair and putting make up and perfume on.. nothing too strenuous! (ahh life is hard being a Femme Fatale) ;) 

5th Lesson 

Today was a bit embarrassing to be honest! I had to do a voiceover to go onto the beginning of the sequence, to establish the story more and help the audience. I had some pretty cringy things to say, like 'he was the best lover I ever had'... oh dear. I play 'Debra Manwell', and had to perfect my American accent which provided some entertainment! To do it we borrowed the fluffy microphone from the media studio to make my voice sound really clear. 

Script

  Script

   

 Scenes 1 – 18

                          
                       NARRATOR

  It all started last November, at the time, it seemed like the perfect plan. Of course, I knew what I was getting myself into and I knew it would have consequences.

  He....He was the best lover I ever had. Yeah, he had a wife and kids, but I’m selfish like that.

  And as the old saying goes, “what ya don’t know don’t hurt ya” well, until someone finds out.

  Scene 14

                            
                       SHAUNA

 (Sitting in office and the telephone rings and she answers)

  HELLO?

Scenes 17-18

(In the police station being questioned about the murder)

                

                    LAURA

Suspect number one. Murder enquiry. I’m here to question you, Miss Davies, on the murder of Debra Manwell that happened in the early hours of the morning, can you tell me your exact location at this time please?

                     MAIR

I already told you, I was at home. What part of that don’t you understand?

The Pitch

In lessons, Louise asked us to pitch our film to the rest of the class, with all our film information on it, which was a bit nerve wracking! We also used our moodboard and storyboard that we produced earlier to help the class visualize what our plans were. 

After the pitch, other groups in the class noted some feedback to help us in future, this is the kind of comments we had: 

                                       " detailed" "sound effects" and "good costumes" 

                                                      "good ideas " good costumes"

Overall, the feedback we got was very positive, with comments about good costumes, which we were very happy about! One comment suggested that  we should use actors outside our group, but we felt confident that we could preform just as well, if not better than any other actor! 

Schedule and Shot List

This is a timetable of our filming schedule, so we can try and keep on top of when we are going to film! 

Here is our shot list, which is in the order we are going to film the shots:

1. Extreme close up of Mair's eyes 
2. Cut in mid shot of Mair taking gun out of her pocket 
3. Wide shot of Mair walking towards the door 
4. Panning upwards shot of Mairs legs 
5. Cut in shot of Mair putting on black gloves 
6. Mid shot of Shauna looking in the mirror and doing her hair 
7. Mid shot of Shauna applying lipstick 
8. Panning shot of Shauna walking across the room and sitting down on a chair 
9. Mid shot of Shauna shutting a book and pushing it across the desk 
10. Extreme close up of Shauna lighting cigarette 
11. Mid shot of Shauna smoking cigarette 
12. Mid shot of Shauna applying perfume 
13. Mid shot of Shauna drinking out of a wine glass 
14. Mid shot of Shauna anwering the phone and dropping cigarette 
15. Wide shot of Shauna backing into the corner of the office looking scared 
16. Wide shot of the desk with the phone off the hook and wine glass on its side 
17. Over the shoulder shot of Laura questioning Mair about the murder
18. Over the shoulder shot of Mair denying the accusations 

Costume, Location, Props and Casting

Location 


We filmed our opening sequences in a few different location around the college campus. The outdoor scenes were filmed on the top floor of the media block, where we had no disruption and got the job done fairly quickly. The scenes in the police station and office were filmed in a small room in the top floor of the LRC. When we first planned our locations, the local library field seemed a good idea, although in practice it looked unprofessional as it was a public area and lots of people were walking in shot of the camera!  


Casting


Our film needed 3 actors, which we struggled to find so Laura, Mair and myself decided to play the various roles. We also felt that we knew how to act the parts correctly, as we made the characters up ourselves. 
The Suspect, a Femme Fatale and a police officer were the three actors we felt would fit well into the film. We chose to challenge the typical conventions of the Film Noir and used all female characters for the roles that males would usually take. 


Cast:


Police Officer - Laura Prigg 
Femme Fatale - Shauna Matthias 
Suspect - Mair Paintsil 


This is the room on the top floor of the LRC, where we filmed most of our films in: 

Costume


As our film is a Film Noir, we had to find costumes and props that looked as near as we could to the 1940's / 50's era. I played the Femme Fatale, so wore a black and white spotty dress which I thought would look authentic on the black and white screen. I also curled my hair, wore high heels and changed my make up to make it look more glamorous. Laura, who played the officer wore a white shirt and a black blazer, whilst Mair wore a long beige trench coat, and black hat and gloves.  

Props


We had a bit of fun when it came to props, as we used a gun (police station and Mair scenes) a cigarette - which we didn't actually light as we were indoors and perfume which was used by me. 

A glass of wine was poured by me in the office scenes, which was filled with blackcurrant, not red wine (unfortunately!) :-( 

Audience Research

In the lesson we produced questionnaires individually, to find out what peoples opinions and preferences are, in relation to film interests. On my questionnaires, i asked these questions: 

1. What is your favorite film? 
2. Who is your favorite actor/actress?
3. Do you prefer watching British or American films?
4. Have you ever watched a Film Noir? 
5. Do you know anything about the Film Noir genre? 
6. How often do you watch films? 
7. Do you prefer to watch films in the cinema or wait for DVD release?
8. Do you use media internet sites such as YouTube? 
9. What is your favorite genre of film? 
10. Do you prefer watching films alone, or with company? 

From the graphs it is clear to see that people prefer to watch British films, which I found to be quite a surprise. People also overwhelmingly prefer to watch films online, which was quite a relief as our film is being released over the internet! 

We based our target audience for our film around people who appreciate the genre of the Film Noir, or are interested in exploring the genre. We felt it was important for everyone to get the oppertunity to see the film, which is why we chose to use YouTube to distribute it. 

Storyboard!

This is our storyboard that we created in class in preparation of our film. We go through various shots and added a few words description underneath :)