A2 Media Studies Evaluation

1. A2 Media Studies Evaluation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RihbjmObH9g Lost and Found..

2. Narrative Narrative in film often follows particular forms and conventions. All films are stories and like all stories a film consists of a beginning, middle and an end. The most commonly recognised narrative Form and convention is arguably, Todorovs theory of an, equilibrium, disequilibrium and finishing with a new equilibrium.In other words this is the Hollywood narrative. His theory suggests a beginning of calm, a middle of disaster and A happy endng. However, there are many films that do not follow such conventions and furthermore break these codes, such as David Lynches, Mulholland Drive or the obvious 1994 Best film, Pulp Fiction. My film Lost and Found can be seen to follow Todorovs theory to an extent, for example, in that our female character has hit a disequilibrium and goes on to create a new equlibrium by contacting her mother. However, the film breaks the conventions of Todorovs theory as the film begins at a disequilibrium rather than an equilibrium, thus presenting repetition and difference in the film and the attempt to relate it as close as possible to the genre my group tackled as Social realism is showing life and who is to say that we start with an equilibrium in reality. We were presenting the breakdown of a household and moreover the breakdown of the relationship between mother and daughter. Another narrative theory my film touched upon, was Barthes galaxy of signifiers in which we connoted certain ideas to our audience. For example, we used connotations through our use of mise-en-scene to suggest our leading character has infact resorted to prostitution, by doing this there wasnt any use for explicit scenes and it makes a more emotional connection to the character as she is clearly ashamed of this act. The use of this theory and the use of signifiers helped the film to connote certain things, whether it be her lifestyle or the mothers emotion. The shot of her taking money connotes she has Turned to prostitution and therefore putting Barthes theory Into affect.

3. Music and Sound Music and sound is important in any visual media form as it is used to help increase the emotions on screen For any genre. In terms of music and sound within my media product, as a group we found it to be important that we had no diegetic sound and therefore no dialogue in the film. By doing so we broke a standard convention of the social realism genre as, many are dramatic and furthermore rely on the dialogue between characters for dramatic impact. However we chose to do this, not only for originality and difference but I thought by doing so it would put more focus on the characters individual day to day struggles and create the idea of complete loneliness For our main character, this visually suggested more of the idea that she is lost within herself, she doesn’t want to be found yet or ask for help yet because she is ashamed of what she has become. It is when she comes to the realisation of what she is doing and what she is putting her mum through we hear her ask for help. A practical reason as to why we made the film almost silent is that, it made production a lot more straight forward and it ultimately gave us more time to focus mainly on the camera work and editing to tell the story rather than the dialogue. Although it broke the standard convention of a social realism film it benefited the group rather greatly as we didn’t use professional actors, therefore we didn’t make time for errors such as retakes or poor acting ability. And with social realism it often has to rely on the actors acting ability to create an emotive impact on its audience. Fir 'Lost and Found', the use of non diegetic sound, as in music was very important in the product -ion of the film. Research was conducted in the process of making music choices and I actually carried out a questionnaire on the different pieces of music selected for the film. As a group we each used our wordpress accounts to gain feedback on our music choices and we gained information such as what compositions really fit in with the style we went for and what pieces didn’t However as a part creator of the product, as a group the music we used was very crucial For our film, however, subjectivity has to be considered, as what we think creates an emotional impact, another in our audience may think differently, therefore research and planning for the music was very crucial and as a group and individually we spent a lot of time going through you tube and other music platforms, such as soundcloud to find music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4_4abCWw-w

4. Mise-en-scene Our use of mise-en-scene was very important in the film as it had no dialogue, so it was very much a visual film, therefore as a group we actually had to take consideration in what we wanted the audience to see within the shots and whether certain props exposed the lifestyle our leading character led. The use of mise-en-scene in Lost and Found was very much based upon the narrative put forward by Barthes. We used objects such as empty alcohol bottles, stubbed out cigarettes, scrunched up foil and generally things that would be stereotypically associated with someone Who's life revolves around drug and alcohol abuse. Mise-en-secne was particularly useful as by having the mothers costume, simply As her pyjamas, it connotes the sense that although she has gotten out of bed Her first thought before any adequate one is to look at a picture of her daughter. This may not be clear to the audience but there are always different aspects to Certain images in films and many interpretations to be drawn. In production, the use of this simple costume suggests her life is incomplete and she is drained emotionally and physically to the extent that she doesn’t even get dressed any more. Similarly, in this example to the right, it is costume that Really helps the audience establish this characters lifestyle. With the film having very limited dialogue, mise-en-scene is Very important in effectively telling the story of the film And signifying to our audience the stereotypical attire and General surroundings someone has when in drug and alcohol Fuelled life.

5. My use of forms and conventions For my final piece of my specification we were given the task to complete a short film of any chosen Genre. As a group we chose to venture the world of social realism as we recognised that the forms And conventions within this genre were very practical to implicate. For example there is a list of codes To follow when making a social realism film. Films of this genre are often made on a very low budget , if any budget and use unknown actors as this gives the film a gritty authenticity that is crucial when trying to show life as it is. However for the sake of originality, every piece of social realsim will be different As theorist, Colin McArthur says, Genre are “constant growing amoeba” and that genres are constantly Evolving and adapting, therefore, every piece made in this genre is creative and ultimately changing the genre All the time. But all social realism films must follow the standard forms and conventions, otherwise, the film will Not appear to be of this genre and it will look as if no research has gone into the production of a film. As a group we Carried out research and planning. Within the group we watched two films following this genre and they were, This Is England and Requiem for a dream Both films are great examples of Social realism and it was also interesting To compare and contrast English Director Shane Meadows with American Director Darren Aronofsky. Both these films Used dull and gritty lighting, especially Requiem for a dream. Because Social realism is so simplistic in editing It was vital we embraced the natural forms and conventions of this genre. In the screen shot below it is clear that Lighting is natural. The only alterations made to the lighting was through I-Movie where we altered brightness, Saturations and contrast in order to get the dullest look as possible, but keeping it minimalist to fit the forms and Conventions This is an example off the use of standard froms and conventions used within my film. As you can see in the example from This is England They are in a run down housing estate and although the lighting is different , the example from my film clearly shows the forms and conventions Of social realism being implcated within my film.

6. Intertextuality Intertexuality is important within any media product. All media products will have elements of inspiration. As a group we did much research into media pieces in the world now. It is a form of professionalism as it is important to include things that you have seen in a media product for your media product to be modern and up to date in the film production world. In my film there are a number of elements of intertextuality. One big example is the use of parallel editing which was in fact inspired from the film, Requiem for a Dream. The inspiration came from the ending of the film in which there are four characters doing different things and its edited so it cuts frantically to each character. This was our inspiration behind the shots in which we have parallel edited mother and daughter waking up And doing there normal morning routine. For example when the daughter wakes up, it cuts to the mum waking up, and when the mum puts the picture of her daughter back in her purse the daughter stubs her cigarette out in a bottle. A Link to the film is on the first slide of this power point Here we have used elements of Requiem for a dream And incorporated a crane shot that is simply used over food But wth a cup of tea. Although we have used the same camera Angle we have sped up our shot to make it look more Orginal and it is an example of the repetition and difference Technique. The mirror shot that we used, was inspired from the Music video by Ed Sheeran. After seeing the video we Thought it was an amzing way to help convey the Emotions that the character is feeling at this point Of the film. It really conveyed the desperateness and The struggles the girl was going through. Her reflection And the state of her really impacted her and this was the Best shot to show such emotion.

7. Editing and camera work Although learning about camera work and editing in year 12, we didn’t learn About the two concepts in a practical sense until this year. Therefore, this was new To me and I had no experience handling a video camera in a film production aspect And I also had no experience with editing software. For social realism, editing wasn’t As important than actually getting the right camera shots and angles as apart of the Forms and conventions a social realist film is that there, is minimal editing, just piecing The sequences together. With social realism it is vital to get the best shots as they can be Used intelligently within the construction of typical forms and conventions and certain Representations. We had no problems with camera work and editing as with camera work We planned before shooting, with storyboards and shooting scripts, therefore making the Process straight forward. In the screen shots to the left, there is an example of both my use Of camera work and editing. The four shots are in a sequence going down. Firstly as you can See on the second screen shot down the camera angle is slightly tilted. I have done this Purposely to convey the characters state of mind as being messed up and that her head is not Because the camera is not the right way up. This angle is commonly used to convey a loss Of mind and an example of this is in the old classic, Brief Encounter when she almost kills Herself at the end of the film when her temporal lover has to leave. In terms of editing the Sequence cuts to a sped up image of a street getting darker whilst in parallel to the character Breaking down in the mirror. It was edited this way as I wanted to show time and the world Carrying on whilst time has in a sense stopped for the character, as that what it feels like When your upset, everything continues whilst you feel like your stuck in your problems Whilst they rest of the world goes by without taking notice.

8. Combination of main and ancillary texts For any product, and especially a media product it Is crucial that there is a combination of main and Ancillary texts. All products need to be marketed And for a film what better outlet is there than A poster and for it to be featured in a magazine or other media forms. Marketing helps to establish target audience and by doing so we become aware of there needs in your product. Audiences always want more than just the film. A film has to have initial advertisement for its audience to decide whether they think your product will be good or not. For my article for my double age spread I conducted research and asked through A questionnaire, whether or not a review was a good idea or whether an interview would be better. My results showed that both were equally liked by my audience, therefore I decided to do both in my article A film poster is crucial for any film. It defines style, story and an audience can get a sense of the film in this way.

9. Article and images For my article for my double page Spread I chose to do an interview/ Magazine style review. As an ancill- Ary task, it is important to really sell A product. The article is an interview From the independent film festival of Rotterdam, thuis suggesting we made This film purely as a form of art, as I Independent films are made for quality Not to see how much money You can through into making a massive Blockbuster that is no different to die Hard.On my film poster there is A comment form shane meadows and He is also mentioned in my article As in terms of British Social realism, he Is the best and most respected amoungst Indie film makers. The images I have used in my article are images of the main character doing day to day things Overall, I am very pleased with my choice of images as it almost in some sense reflects the characters desperateness, For example, I chose the main image to be of her looking into a fridge of food. This in itself almost expresses to the Audience her poor lifestyle. One interpretation that could be drawn from the main image is that not only is she Hungry physically but she is hungry for life, but her ways and actions are preventing her from getting her life back. In all the images I have used, she has no expression, just misery and id hope that by showing her like this it provokes My audience into wondering what is wrong with her and go and see it. Furthermore, I am overly pleased with how my Double page article looks and I really dont think id do anything to change it as I wanted it to connote a certain thing, and For me it does.

10. Film Poster- Font/Mise-en-scene Text on any media product is important. The font defines the style of the product. For my film poster I used a Cracked font and using photoshop, I placed the title “Lost and Found” to a slant to give the impression it is Like old cracked grafitti actually on the wall in the background. Colour was very important in this process. The film Had been edited to look dull and lifeless, in effect through editing I managed to make Chippenham look like A dull industrial town. Therefore, my poster had to reflect the films style. Selecting the most accurate font Is crusial in advertising. For example If a Victorian drama was being advertised As an audience we wouldnt expect to See the title written in “comis sans” it Would be written in an appropriate font Type such a times new roman for example. Therefore when it came to selecting an Font for my poster, I took time in searching For the most appropriate for a social realsm Film. The cracked font doesnt just Reflect graffiti, but perhaps her lfe is cracked Or broken in some sense. For me it connotes The sense of a broken lifestyle, this can be Drawn from the title, but its the expression On the charaters face that speaks for itself. Through Photoshop I lassoed the character and chose to put her In black and white. Colour is important in reflecting the style and What kind of film it may be. Just by looking at it, there is no colour whatsoever . She is dull and lifeless, almost numb in misery. The use of black and whit in the text is Also important as once again it is colourless. By doing this I have hoped that My audience will look at this dull girl and want to know her story and want to know Why she is in such misery.

11. What have you learnt from your audience Feedback? Audience feedback was very important in the making of both the short film and my double page article. Firstly, when Gaining audience feedback from our film I learnt many things such as what shots were needed and what weren’t in telling the Story. As a group we uploaded a rough draft of footage to youtube that we had pieced together very early on in production. From this We got much feedback as we asked peers within my class to watch it and give us feedback as well as other people as over youtube the video reached 40 views and as a group we were lucky enough to get comments , as it was clear from these shots of the style we were going for. By doing this it allowed us to establish a target Audience, which is vital in any product, especially a product in the media industry. Feedback was also very important in music choice as, as a group we conducted an online questionnaire through the media form of wordpress. In this we had four songs and were able to narrow them down to two for scenes in which music was crucial in creating the right emotive atmosphere. This was very beneficial as we had a lot of trouble deciding over which songs were best to Use. When finishing our first draft of the film as a group we showed teachers and peers, from that we received feedback and were Able to work on certain areas that could be improved. It was also important to carry out research after the film and ancillary tasks Were complete. I did this by doing a questionnaire and asking around 20 people of different ages to fill it out.

12. What have I learnt Through this process of doing media at A2 I have learnt a lot. Especially in terms of the Social realism genre I've learnt that without the research into this particular genre, I would have failed to make an effective social realism Film. As an avid film lover I initially had an idea of what forms and conventions social realism follows and through Research I was influenced by many independent and social realism films. I studied films such as This is England, Somerstown, Trainspotting and I even went as far to study American Social realist Film, Requiem For a Dream By acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky. These films were very influential in the ideas behind certain camera Shots, Locations, Mise-en-scene and even editing. I have learnt that audience have a lot in shaping a film and by doing Audience research throughout production, it is clearer as a director what shots were needed and weren't. You may Think your work is brilliant, but at the end of the day you are creating a product for an audiences enjoyment, therefore Feedback is incredibly useful during the process and after the process. For example I carried out a questionnaire After the film was finished and although my audience got the film visually, it was as clear as to what the message of The film was. By getting this feedback I have almost been criticised, however it is criticism that will help me In future projects. Another thing I have learnt through this process is that, errors can happen very easily when making A film, therefore, time-management is very important on projects such as this. As a group we timed it very well and only One problem, but it was easily rectified as we allowed ourself s the time to make mistakes.

13. Use of Media technologies I-Movie During the short film process,i used the Apple software, I-Movie. Prior to the production Of my main short film, we were given the chance to get practice On this software by producing a mock short film. Once Used to I-Movie I have grown to appreciate its simplicity, and Think it was the most ideal software for a student film, as I found It rather a fun process to edit my short film. However, as the chosen Genre was Social Realism, special effects and effect werent needed To enhance the film, as social realism is typically minimalistic In that aspect. There were a varied amount of tools used to get the Dull and dark effect on screen. I used light adjustment making the Picture darker and played with the saturation tool to get a more grainy Look for the film. The use of parallel editing is very important in telling The story and narrative of the film. With I-Movie it was very simple to use and Very easy to access certain tools, however, I found it lacking in the transitional Effects, and many of these effects looked almost too tacky to be put In a serious student film, So we were limited to fades and blackouts. But as Said it was in our interest to keep the film as minimalistic in editing as possible And as a group we found the fade outs to be very crucial in presenting everyday Routines in our characters lifestyle. Another good point about I-Movie in terms of my project was that it was very easy to Get music and sound effects incorporated with the shots, therefore making it a faster process in the long run.

14. Youtube Wordpress Wordepress Youtube was definitely of great use to me during the Production process, but mostly it was beneficial for My research and planning as it was through this Website I was able to browse through film clips Of the social realist genre and conduct further study Into the forms and conventions the genre follows. Although I watched films as research, youtube is a quick and faster Way of finding a wider range of examples of particular Elements to do with the genre and a great source for inspiration .youtube was also very Useful when finding pieces of music to put into my film. Its A quick and easy way to access all genres of music, without Knowing the exact name of the song. Youtube is also A great way to share videos and get feedback. Through youtube I was able to upload rough footage Of my film and get beneficial feedback. The finished film Is up on the site and is getting more and more views and Feedback all the time, which even after the project is still Beneficial for further possible projects. Wordpress is a great form of media blogging and allows millions to post and share work with eachother. Its a very straight forward website Which allows you to post work very easily. Wordpress Is a very practical way of doing coursework as once Its online its up, whereas if we were doing coursework The conventional work may be lost or your folder Might get ruined.

15. Photoshop InDesign Photoshop has been particularly useful in the production Of my ancillary text, especially the film poster. Luckily When I took the picture for the poster I manages to get A clear shot of the character leaving the background Slightly out of focus. I lassoed the character and made her Black and white to connote misery. I didn’t need to use Layers actually for the main picture. The layers are only The pieces of text, the stars and the certificate image. Indesign is a programme for designing items such As panflets, brochures and articles. I found indesign Easier to use this time compared to how I managed It at AS. Like photoshop, the programme takes time to To get used to , but I am very pleased with the Of my double page article.