Evaluation Question 4
Matthew Thomas A2 CW
Monday 25 February 2013
Saturday 23 February 2013
Friday 22 February 2013
Evaluation Question 2
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
When creating my short film, magazine article and film
poster I ensured to have a consistent style so that the theme of the film will
be easily identified by its target audience, resulting in better promotion of
my short film and ideally drawing in a wider audience at the festivals it is
shown at. The extended metaphor that runs through all my products is that money
isn’t everything and that happiness can’t be brought. By demonstrating this
more rough around the edges lifestyle it emphasises that it’s oneself which
makes them happy not of what they poses.
My short film has been created with the purpose of not just entertaining
its audience but demonstrate an art form that can inspire and lovers of film
will enjoy. By leaving the ending at the close of the day it is also intended
to give something that each individual can perceive differently as you would
expect in a more conventional art form. The
way it is filmed in a realistic manor focusing on the sounds and little
everyday actions is not only intended to tell a story but give something that
is different to every individual that watches it.
The purpose of the film poster is purely to promote the film
and give off the image I expect my short film to portray. By creating a
simplistic yet powerful image I intend for its target audience to want to find
out more and put in their own research into the film rather than having it all
given away, something I have discovered through research that film lovers
enjoy. The fainted skull in the characters face is intended to portray the
darker side to my film that is given with the director’s cut. By having this
non fairy tale ending it gives me the power to comment on the real world and
not just that of a story. The graffiti stylised text gives off the impression
to an audience that my film isn’t all about being neatly cut and happy but
rather something realistic and harsh that an audience can divulge their
personal opinions upon.
My magazine article however is used to promote my film not
from the fictional side but through reality. This form of promotion see’s the
film from a more analytical view that is generally further persuaded by
cinematic enthusiasts. By actually getting behind the camera and learning of
the real actor it portrays the film it portrays the film as more of an artistic
piece than the entertainment side demonstrated in the film. Opposed to my
poster this form of promotion will be seen by a much more specific audience in
that of the magazine readers rather than the general public on billboards and
adverts. For this reason I am able to tailor the article exactly to their
interests and capture the interests of my priority target audience. The ways in
which the two forms of print media are designed to complement the short film is
ideal as I can bring in multiple audiences whilst still focusing on my primary
audience, and ideally creating an experience that will be enjoyed and respected
by different people with different values.
Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In order to understand the
conventions of short films I set out to analyse several films of different
genre. I took ones from a narrative aspect a, a documentary aspect and ones
that have been created for pure visual affect and no real story. One convention
that is predominant in a lot of short films spanning all genres is that lack of
spoken word. Therefor in my short film I have removed all verbal dialogue and instead
focused on telling a story purely by the picture and sounds focused on and
created in the day to day life of that main character. This is a key feature in
short films as it allows a director to demonstrate their ability in creating
something that is interesting to an audience purely using artistic and cinematography
skills, something I believe I have been able to accomplish.
Another yet seemingly obvious
convention of the short film is that of characters. Short films tend to stick
to one or two main characters as they are considered too short to develop any
further characters deeply. I have obeyed this convention but reformed it
slightly. Although I only have one main actor with a supporting female
character, I used them to create two seemingly identical main characters living
in different worlds. This presented me with the task of having to create two
different backstories for the same person. However as typical with short films due
to the lack of screen time the need to develop their backstory is insignificant
and the characters present life and actions are predominantly focused on.
When creating a short film one
thing that is by far near crucial is the inclusion of a twist. This can be
anything bizarre or out of the ordinary that captures a viewer’s full attention
as with being so short it is important they do it quick and make it memorable.
I decided to do this in mine by creating the parallel universes which
interchange almost unnoticeably, I then was able to build on this by attempting
to build a poetic twist in which wealth equated to loneliness and happiness
equates to a care free non materialistic lifestyle.
Like the majority of short
films mine was independently created and therefor had little to no budget. For
this reason most short films have very few locations and minimal special
effects. For this purpose the majority of it is filmed in the same household
with mise en scene altered between the two worlds allowing me to create a budget
able yet clear difference between the two worlds. I also constructed a storyline
which used few unobtainable props and focused on a realistic yet hyper reality
which did not need any form of big budget special effects or stunts.
A key convention to the short
film in itself is the short part. Maximum length for a short film is 35 minutes
and typically they span between 5 and 10, any longer and they would be
considered feature length. This time constraint can be challenging as you are
required to build a setting, tell a story and give a conclusion all in this
short space of time. I conformed to the typical time creating mine in the 6
minute mark. I felt this was an appropriate amount of time for me to tell my
story to its best yet also keep an audience interested and entertained.
Another way in which short
films capture an audience is through the situation they create, they will tend
to tell of a realistic and relatable situation which is then flipped on its
head allowing the audience to connect with the characters yet still be
intrigued about what is going to happen next. By depicting a typical daily
routine I have created a setting in which an audience can share their
understanding of, yet by adding the factor of parallel worlds I have created a
supernatural reality which can be used to keep my audience entertained and
curious as to find out how it will result.
When creating my magazine
article there are much clearer conventions than that of my short film. This is
down to the fact that it is still image rather than moving and does not require
the medium of sound as well as picture. One way in which a magazine can be used
is for escapism therefor it was important to create an article and world in
which the reader can get lost in.
I introduced a fact file into
my article as conventionally magazines are intended to inform a reader of a
certain topic, in this instance about the short film ‘Parallel’ and it’s
leading actor Max Dowling. Whilst the article itself is full of information
about both readers tend to skim through a magazine sometimes looking for a
shorter piece of text to interpret. Therefor this small fact box is a great
tool for getting a reader into the article and ideally getting them to pursue
it more. It also tells of more intimate facts than the main article creating a
bond between Max and the reader making them feel involved and significant.
The use of pull quotes and
large close up images is also intended to draw a reader into the article and
get them interested in the story at hand. This is the predominant purpose of a
magazine after all and ideally will get readers interested in seeing ‘Parallel’
as the main purpose of the article is to promote this new short film and its
release.
Opposed to feature length film
posters I became aware that with short film ones they tend to be a lot more
simplistic, for this reason I have focused on one single powerful image paired
with the title and main actor’s name. A release date is made unnecessary as the
film be shown at film festivals rather than at the local cinema and has a more
specified audience.
I have also included all the
typical information you would see at the bottom of a film poster using the same
stylised font and format in order to create a realistic and professional
poster. The lack of information given is deliberate in order to peak an
audiences interest getting them to research and find out more about the film, as
the audience I intend to target will be interested in doing such things. This
is down to the idea that they view cinema as more an artistic form than just
purely entertainment.
Thursday 21 February 2013
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Film Poster Final
This is the re done version of my film poster. A lot has changed mainly the fact that I have improved the text and made it appear as a more credible poster.
Magazine Article Final
This is the final copy of my magazine article. I took feedback I was given from the last copy and have constructed it into a way that I see is professional and realistic.
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