Audience Feedback

After uploading our film to YouTube and showcasing it on social networking site facebook and to friends and colleauges we asked them to give us some feedback on what they thought about our short film.

This is some of the things they said:

Generally a nice love story, bit sad that he didn’t get more than a key and the door in his face. But suppose he can come and go as often as he wants now...

Liked the concept, story ran smoothly – could have been slightly more ‘off the wall’ / ‘in depth’

What’s the matter with texting? – See loves not dead, it was good, bit long winded though.

Just go to the door don’t just stand outside! and rather like him I didn’t get what the key was for I cant help feeling that they would have been so happy to have confessed their love that they would have snogged not just given him a key and slam the door in his face but I guess the story isn’t important its the making of the film, it was good

I think the major thing I notice is that the sound editing is very choppy. That is to say that whenever the audio track changes there is a slight popping sound. Although as an upshot the lighting is rather fantastic. The whole thing is really awesome I also really liked the camera movement it helped add a more dynamic feel to it - there aren't any glaring problems from a purely technical standpoint.

From looking at these notes, we realised that the sound was quite out of sync and this could have been improved as well as the use of the voice over to help portray the story and the meaning of the story as it was not quite understandable. However overall the feedback was positive as a short film overall, and most managed to understand most of what it was about.

Evaluation

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

When creating our short film we decided on the genre of romance, we followed the conventions of this genre by creating a boy/girl scenario that has them being split apart but a happy ending, as it were.
Here are the finished products :




We also used the hearts and kisses on the notes or signs to show this genre. We did also challenge conventions in the use of signs in that it wasn’t a modern form of communication such as text message or as simple as going to the door at first as there was the window as a barrier but he had to get her attention first. The music we used also helps to connote the meaning of love and romance as its light and bouncy with a happy feel to it almost like the tingle you feel when in love. The short films I had looked at in researching for our film did not really match our ideas as it was quite a new idea however it was similar to the communication barriers. I did find a couple of short films where they also used signs but it was in relation to the workplace and sort of office romances. Our idea also followed the ideas from the music video by Taylor Swift where they successfully transferred messages through signs as ours also did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw

Due to the problems with our filming we couldn't use the bedroom as we had first planned like a paper plane flying through the window and so instead we used a kitchen, which had all the everyday accessories in it including the washing up - which we used to show the typical role of a woman seen as the housewife as it begins with her doing the housework and recieving the first message through the window. When we were trying to film through the windows the natural light was reflecting off the window so we had to shine a spotlight onto it in order to be able to see through it. This caused continuity errors as the windows were different however if the location had been set up first and we realised the problems we would have had these may have been able to have been overcome perhaps if it was a first floor bedroom with no natural light bouncing off windows such as being in the shadow of a house.

The use of the editing process means that the parts all follow on from one another despite being filmed separately and at different times such as the movement between signs, this is thanks to new technology enabling us to not have to film everything in a linear sequence, this was very helpful as filming was a problem. Our poster and article also follow in using conventions of romance genre film posters and articles as with other posters we saw the theme was based around hearts and light colouring, a design style we also followed through the use of light or blocks of colour. We used a more typical layout for the article with few columns but continuous text with breaks in the interview questions, we also add slight call outs with the use of hearts and a metal key in the centre of a heart to tie into the idea of holding the key to someone's heart. The pictures could maybe have been taken better to fit the article layout and design as the picture of a sign being held up could be from anything in general and as you cannot see the other character it makes it mysterious but also confusing. Due to the problems we incurred during filming however this was hard to avoid and with better planning the three products could have been linked better.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I think that the combination of our main product and ancillary texts work well together incorporating ideas of love and communication and how body language and the actions we do can be portrayed in different ways or taken in different ways. The use of the colours in the poster and article help to portray the romance theme and tie in with the film itself as the girl wears the key around her neck which is the key to her heart that is incorporated into the design of the ancillary texts. The main theme around the 3 was the key to the heart, shown clearly in all 3, the use of the similar catchphrases about the key in the poster and article also tie these together. The use of similar colour schemes on the poster and article tie them together along with the use of the paper, which reflects on the idea of the messages being sent between the two characters in the film.


By using a genre and subject that appeals to most people, as love is something everyone goes through at some point not just in the sense of an intimate relationship, we think we will attract our target audience well with the use of the poster design which uses no pictures from the film. I feel it makes you want to read it and ask what it is about, the article gives you more of an idea as it is an interview with a director and although giving a lot of the film away tells the messages in the short film a reason that people may want to watch it to see how this is portrayed. I think that the poster is possibly the strongest product which has a very professional design and incorporates all the ideas really well; followed by the article in the use of the hearts and its overall design yet the pictures used could have been better and the background could have been slightly stronger as when it was changed colour in photoshop it looked slightly blurred. I think I would change the film to have had a beginning credits or intro as there is nothing to begin with to lure the audience in and on the article I would make the text straighter and further over from the centre as mentioned earlier in my blog if it were in a magazine and in the centre where stapled, parts may be cut off. Overall I think that the article and poster would effectively promote the film as the design, layout and content of both help to promote the ideas within the film and the film itself, something which when doing audience research they said an underlying message was a good thing to have and many of the other texts and designs for promoting feature length films used similar techniques as ours.
Here are the examples of posters in comparison to ours.


3.What have you learned from your audience feedback?

After getting some feedback from people who had viewed our short film, it gave me chance to reflect the work and it helped me realise that although our concept for the film was good, the planning and research then making of them film lacked, as well as there being problems with the filming and having to change things last minute. The editing of the film could have been improved by matching the sound and cuts better as well as the fades etc and using different techniques, as well as using better techniques in the overall filming to help in showing the full story as it was clear that much of it was not understandable. The use of the voiceover was introduced to help show the story yet failed to still fully show the extent of the story and the characters and was not fully understandable, the sound could also have been improved in the recording as despite being the same girl in the voiceover she talks completely differently in one part and is quite abrupt in others about the story, which wasn't quite the aim and so better actors could also have improved the film. Despite all its pitfalls however there were a lot of comments and praise about the idea behind the film and some of the filming was very good, so overall I was pleased with the outcome, despite the problems we had.
These are the questionnaires we had used in our audience research, this was important to target our audience through our article and poster. They reflect the idea that an underlying message was important, however many films don't complete their marketing ideas until completion which we had to do to wait for the complete film with characters, photos and full storyline. An example of this is with trainspotting where they did not know how to market it until they were complete.




4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the course of my media project I have used different media technologies. The use of computers has to be the biggest and most used technology for research, design, editing and distribution of our short film. The convergence of technologies from the digital cameras, my camera phone and the digital camcorders I have connected everything together through technology. I used the PC first to research short films both on search engines such as Google and on social networking sites such as YouTube where I found examples of other related short films and gained ideas to brainstorm our own idea. Not forgetting the important updates to my blog using the computers.



We then used digital cameras to take photos of our work and our storyboards to upload them and make animated storyboards which were then uploaded to my blog along with other converged materials such as my PowerPoint on lighting and other pictures of our continuing progress of work and filming. This leads me on to the filming where we used digital camcorders to film and then uploaded the footage to a PC to edit on Sony Vegas software, whilst also creating the backing track using Audacity music software also on a PC. This image shows the use of publisher in the design of the article layout.

The finished product was then uploaded onto YouTube and promoted personally through my Facebook account to gain audience feedback. This also shows how we can communicate through the internet to gain feedback on texts as well as promote them as well as with the poster and article which would be printed out but were created using Photoshop and Publisher software on the Computers, all this software and media technology converges in it all being used together and linked through the various sites and blogs such as with web 2.0. I thought this image effectively showed how published content can then get feedback instantly and be broadcast to a wide number of people on various sites.The use of computers has made the overall planning and production of our product much easier, we were able to communicate with one another easily outside of college as well as work on pieces at home and have been able to create and edit the whole thing much quicker than it would have taken when everything was analogue and film reels would need slicing and it would have had to have been filmed in a linear sequence. With this my IT skills have improved in learning to use new software and expand on skills on software I already used such as Photoshop from my media work from AS level to A2 level and was able to layer and place objects etc much easier than last year when it took me a while to get the hang of it. As far as media technologies are concerned we have had little in the way of problems other than it being difficult to upload certain files and images to the blog for updates etc. We did have problems in terms of our filming process as we had to re-film it all however this was due to location and lighting so we were to use a light the second time round, we also had to re-take photos etc as our actress changed.

However overall I think our media product is a good love story based on the idea of holding the key to someone’s heart as well as the barriers of communication in love. Although our filming has continuity errors and could have been better or restrictions on time limit and locations available as well as having no budget means we could have done it better had it been a real media product, therefore, as it is it would work well for showcasing on the internet etc but would need improving to be entered into short film contests such as the virgin media short film awards.

Completed Film

We completed editing our film on Wednesday the 10th March and have uploaded to youtube,
Here is a link to the finished product.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05m32HXsWBc

Due to the time constraints our voice over did not work quite to planned however, we think it all tied together nicely in the end.

Completed Film Poster

This is our final poster design, which was created using publisher as the design we used would not work on Photoshop. It ties into the article using lots of hearts and the colours incorporated with love - lots of reds and pinks. It also links to the article by using similar catchphrases and the names of other productions by ourselves. The use of the little hearts on both pieces connotes the ideas of love and romance and how the whole idea is based around the heart and the popular catchphrase of giving someone the key to your heart. This idea was reached by looking at similar genre film posters like Love Actually and The Paper Heart, despite these being feature length films they both also portrayed the effects of love and the ideas of the story.

Completed Film Article

After contemplating whether to change the layout of the article we stuck with the original design as we realised that if the page were to be folded in a double page spread it would only be the hearts that would be slightly folded over, as I looked at few other examples of double page spreads and usually not alot of the pictures were lost even as they stretched across and you could still see what the pictures or writing were. However I did change some of the content of the article itself as it was not directly speaking about short films at times and added some more questions from the interview.
This article was designed to include the ideas of holding the key to someones heart incorporating the little keys in the centre hearts and then the whole idea of love and romance across the page with the colours associated with love running right through the article.

Finishing of the Film

Today, I finished off our short film and tidyed up a few bits i thought could have been tweaked.
As I was away with college all last week Sarah edited a lot of the film and decided to include a voiceover to help the story make more sense and flow better, she also added the backing track.
We used a piece of music that was copyright free from the software available on the college computers that Sarah and I put together.
This means that our film is not infringing on any copyright laws or artists work.
There are definately still flaws in our short film, however these can be looked at in more detail in my evaluation.

Uploaded Footage and Article

I uploaded all the footage we shot during half term today and hopefully will start sorting and editing it tomorrow.

I also changed bits of my article and so this is what i have now.

Because we re-filmed all our footage with different actors I had to take a different photo for use in my article, i also included a bit more of a spin into my article content and changed some of the interview question and answers.This is my almost final draft however i think i may need to re-align the writing on the left hand side as if it were to be in a magazine that has 2 side to it the very centre bit would be slightly squashed, this also points out a flaw in the design of the hearts, but if it was not a binded magazine and had for example two staples through the middles this would not be a problem and the design would be seen fine.

Filming

On the 16th February, Sarah and I met to re-film all of our footage as we decided that the lighting was not good enough and the focus of the camera also blurred quite a bit in the footage we had done previously.
Whilst trying to film we faced quite a few problems as when trying to film a bedroom window you could not see in it and it would have been a funny angle to have seen in from, it also meant trying to film through an open window which could have been dangerous, we also kept getting reflections on many of the windows but it would have been no use trying to film at night either and so used an inside window from an inside to film the female and an outside window for the male, this gives continuity errors but in the time constraint we had and the location we had to film we had to work with what we had.

We took some photos whilst filming,

We will upload all the footage when we are back in college, and if any adjustments are necessary arrange to re-film bits, hopefully we will be able to edit it all straight away.

Magazine article research/layout

In order to prepare for the magazine article I did some research into other article layouts and found these :

This article layout I liked because it uses a main picture of what it is about and uses very simple boxes to seperate the other pictures and text, it isn't about a film, however I thought it was a good double page spread design as the focus is on the place.

This double page spread if from an NME magazine, I like this because its obviously aimed at a younger generation, however I think it is quite cluttered and will take away some meaning to the love story article.

This article I have used because it is an example of how an interview can be set out, however this is using the interviewee in the pictures where as the article about my short film will be plugging the film through the pictures and design used rather than the director who I have interviewed.

I liked this article layout because its simple and effective the colours used add to the effect that it gives the reader and the uses of the bleakness draws you in to read the article unlike the NME layout that stood out and there was loads of things staring at you at once.
I picked this article because it was another idea for showing steps or the interview questions through the use of different background colours however its almost babyish in the cartoon use and colours used, so I still prefer the simpleness of the last design.

I then designed some ideas of my own to incorporate the hearts and the paper incorporating the idea from the signs for our article, this also ties into the poster design that Sarah has made which uses the colour Red obviously symbolic of love and the paper heart.

Instead of using the computer to make designs I decided to use my craft bits to come up with some ideas using paper and cutting out paper hearts these are what I came up with after I photographed them.

I prefer the first picture to the second as it is much simpler, the second I used confetti hearts but it makes it look a bit messy and also you can't actually tell there hearts so that idea would not have worked.

The first was if it was to be used as a single page but as it has to be a double page spread I changed the idea, however 2 of the single pages could have been put together but I don't think it would have been as effective, the second picture shows my final idea with the use of the confetti hearts as trails from the other paper hearts and little silver keys in the centre of the middle sized hearts to incorporate the idea of the key to the heart. I really like my idea but because i've done it on paper and it needs to be done electronically from the photograph i'm not sure how well it will work.

I also made a computerised version of my design to show the proposed layout.

I think this will be used as my article layout as it shows the use of the hearts and the paper well, and i edited the colour setting to also make it slightly pinker, however i may need to re-do it as this photograph was slightly blurred.

What makes a good short?

There are no hard - and - fast rules as to what makes a good short film but here are a few tips I found that may help us.

• An exciting & original idea
• A Strong Script
• Good Acting
• High Production Values
• Make it Short
• Strong Beginning
• Avoid Repitition & Punch Line Twists
• Exciting New Techniques & Styles
• Other Resources
• Related Guides
• Help us improve the filmmaking Guide

Obviously there is an element of subjectivity in any short film as different exhibitors set their own criteria as to what they think makes a good short, which they feel their audiences will enjoy. In many ways it is an exciting time to be making shorts in the UK as there are a wealth of different festivals, screenings and organisations, websites and content providers looking for short films to exhibit.

Safety with Lighting/Risk Assessment

Here is a powerpoint I made to show the health and safety risks that must be taken into account when using lighting. It also includes the examples of how lighting can be used that we experimented with in lesson.

Before starting to film we were required to fill out risk assessment forms for all risks associated with filming in the location we had chosen.
Here is a photograph of our completed risk assessment form.

We had planned to film in the first few weeks of January but due to heavy snowfall we had to postpone it.

We worked out when all the members of our group were free and used a few media lessons to film some footage, however we were unable to use this footage as it was blurred and un-focused.

We then arranged to re-film on the Tuesday in the half term, where we unfortunately were let down last minute the night before by our actress and actor and also a member of our group.

So Sarah and I managed to find a new actor and actress and spent the day filming on set, but having to change a lot of the plans due to problems in filming on the sets we had initially planned to use and change of actor/actress meant we also had to re-shoot everything and get new pictures. We managed to do this on the day.

Storyboarding/Planning

We made two storyboards during planning our short film, the first was not very well drawn or detailed so we made another which has notes to accompany it.

Here are some photos of our storyboards also.

We also created a props and character list.

Props needed:

-Paper

-Pen/Permanent Marker

-Lipstick

-Key

-Ribbon

Characters:

Boy - Was to be Natasha's friend , instead played by Matthew Stebbings

Girl - Was to be Natasha, instead was Jade Louise Rogers

Location to be used is my dad's house just round the corner from college, as it is big and pretty much a blank canvas to use, unfortunately it wasn't as easy as we thought to film through windows.

Our script was very simple and was just what was written in the pitch, however when filming it was changed from a bedroom to a kitchen and instead of being laid on her bed she was washing up, etc, in order to help the story still fit with the change of filming set.

Film Posters

I did some research into film posters to look for ideas for our poster and this is what i found.

These pictures were taken to incorporate into the idea of the girl looking through the window with a key hole the shape of a heart, however we decided this idea would be too difficult to do.

With these posters there is recurring theme of the two characters being very close and intimate but in a sweet pose together i dont thnk this is the sort of film poster we are aiming for .

I then looked at some more romance film posters and we found these which will tie in with our ideas much better:

I liked the love actually poster as it is simple modern and incorporates the colours of love simply, obviously it was a feature length film though and the use of the hollywood actors and actresses names possibly won the audiences over in this case.

I liked this poster design as it showed the paper - as with the signs we would be using along with it almost being sewn together as could be the case as in our film the girl has turned the boy down before but tells him she loves him this time so is she mending his heart in that case...It is again simplistic and to the point with again colours denoting love a reddish colour.

I liked this poster as it was showing the sort of taking of the heart and the boy and girl in the shadows, it also has the colours associated with love however gives an idea of being more for teenagers and younger than a wide audience of 15-25 year olds as our film is.

After looking at some more film posters and trying out the designs we found it was going to look better and be easier to create if we made it simple by using just a heart and a key. As our filming did not go to plan either we had to get some new photos for the article which were included in there instead of the use of the 2 above that were initially going to be used in both.