Evaluation: Use of Technology

Question 6)

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

For our reseatch into the teen romance-drama genre, we mainly used websites such as YouTube and IMDb to gain knowledge on the different films as well as looking at trailers and clips from the films themselves.

In the planning stage of pre-production, we used the software 'Celtx' to produce a script, storyboard, production schedule and character profiles.

Script:

 Production Schedule:

Character Profiles:

Storyboard:

During the filming process, we used a Nikon D5100, which is a standard DSLR camera. This gave our opening a more professional appearance and enabled us to work with focusing and zooming more accurately, developing our camera skills. We worked with a standard lens that enabled us to do this effectively. Working with a DSLR camera was much more helpful when attempting to capture the best quality in our digital filming, which would have been harder to achieve with a video recorder or flip camera. 

We also used a tripod to help us to keep the camera straight and enable us to steady the camera movement when using pans and tilts. This kept the camera on an accurate axis so that the shot was near-perfect. What was helpful as well was that the legs of the tripod extended very far so that the camera can be held at a higher angle and still stay straight.

The main software we used in the post-production stage was iMovie on the apple macs. Throughout the editing process, we put all the clips together, cutting out clips that disrupted the continuity and eliminating the inaccurate shots. 

We added music and credits. To get our music, we bought 'What If' by Emily Hazell from bandcamp.com using PayPal, and for the other songs in our soundtrack, we converted them to mp3 from YouTube.

When we added our voiceover, we found that the recording on the mac was fuzzy and it picked up the background noise very easily. In order to make the sound sound more professional, we used an audio editing software called 'Audacity' to eliminate the background noise.

 Throughout our entire prodution process, we used Google's 'Blogger' to document our research,planning and filming processes. We also altered the template and settings in order to make our blogs more appealing and link them to our chosen genre through images and fonts.

Evaluation: Comparison to Preliminary Task

Question 5)

 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

In our preliminary task, we focused on the 180 degree rule and getting the sequence as continuous as possible whilst including a variety of camera shots and movement throughout. For example, we used a close up on the door handle as the girl opens the door, as well as a pan movement to follow her across the room.

This task enabled us to practice our technical skills and camera work before attempting to film our final opening.

We then transferred our newly developed skills into the filming of our opening, making sure there was continuity and accuracy, and that shots were clear and neat. For instance, in the sequence where we see Emma on her way to the train station, we managed to display a range of camera shots and movement whilst portraying continuity through her journey:

Continuity was really important in our opening so that it was easy to follow and did not seem like there were any gaps or jumps in the story. I think we worked best with continuity in the journey to the train station scene, as even though we did not show every single step of the way, the audience can still easily follow the journey, and it all links together.

Throughout our opening, we used a range of camera shots and movement, like in our preliminary task:

Evaluation: Reflecting on Our Opening

Question 2)

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

Question 3)

Who would be the audience for the media product? 

Question 4)

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Institution Research: Choosing Our Distributor

Question 1)

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

After researching several distributing companies that could work with our 'independent' film, we agreed that Fox Searchlight Pictures was the perfect choice. Fox Searchlight Pictures are owned by the huge American company 'Fox' and specialise in distributing independent and British films to American audiences, and internationally. This is crucial as it widens our audience and forms attachments to the Hollywood industry, perhaps allowing a chance for our film to be successful in the box office internationally if it becomes popular enough.,

PREZI PRESENTATION: 

The Final Product

After many late night editing sessions, we finally completed our opening for a teen romance drama film.

Changes During Production

Change in script:
At first, we made changes to the scene headings so that they matched up to the storyboard:

Then we changed it again during the filming process as, in our first attempt at filming, we found that the dialogue did not achieve the right effect and sounded a little strange, so we made Harry's opening line more casual, sounding less weird. In addition, we altered the opening sequence so that her reflection was in a bathroom mirror as we were not able to get a shot of her through the window of a classroom without a reflection of the camera:

Change of casting:
During the filming process, we encountered problems with scheduling due to our actress for Emma coming from another school, which meant that we had to work our schedule around her, which was not always easy. We discussed the possible solutions and agreed that we should re-cast the character of 'Emma' and use someone from our group, so scheduling would be easier to manage. As a result, we cast Katie as 'Emma' and re-filmed the train station scene that we had already filmed, changing our production schedule.
(add production schedule changes)

New character profile for Emma:

Change of Storyboard:
During the filming stage of our production, we decided to change the very beginning of our opening from a classroom to a school bathroom, as that way we would not need as many people, and it would be easier to work with less people. Plus, the lighting and colours were better in the bathroom location than in the classroom. We decided to alter the storyboard after filming just to show what we wanted it to look like and how we executed it.

Production Schedule

We decided to film our opening during the week around after school time due to the fact that we needed the correct lighting to create verisimilitude, as the part where Emma is walking to the train station, and the scene in the station itself are set around the time when school finishes (3.00pm - 4.00pm.) We arranged the dates around our lead actress as she attends a different school to us, so we had to work around the times she was available for, meaning Wednesday and Monday after school.

Storyboard

Our storyboard is useful in the planning stage of our coursework as it allows us to visualise our opening and establish the right shots for the right moments in the sequence. We will use this as a guide when it comes to filming our opening. There may be changes in the production stage but we will use this as a base for our filming.

Preliminary Task

I was absent for the lesson we had for our preliminary task, but the rest of my group filled me in on the research and the process that went into producing it. We had to film a sequence of a character walking through a door and sitting down to engage in conversation with another character. We included a variety of shots and movement to add variety to the camera work, such as a close up shot on the handle of the door and a pan movement across the room. We aimed for the sequence to look as professional as possible. In the research before beginning the task, my group found a helpful video on YouTube to help with the process and explained the 180 degree rule well.
180 Degree Rule Video
After the sequence had been shot, we used iMovie to edit the clips together and polish the short piece so that it looked sharp and clear.

Scripting our opening

This is our final script for our opening:

Characters

CHARACTERS:

Protagonist: Emma Turner

Love Interest (Hero): Harry Ryder

Father: Steve Turner

Steve is Emma's step-father who turned to alcoholism after losing his wife (Emma's mother) and shuts Emma out because she reminds him too much of her mother.

Dispatcher: Tiff Lawson (and Harry)

Tiff is a girl at Emma's school who she shares a similar home situation with, they barely know each other until their counselor (Jo) gets them to talk to each other and discuss their problems at school and at home. Tiff is an average girl at school, who has a lot of friends and is never really alone, but she relates to Emma in a way that none of her friends understand. They eventually become friends, and Tiff (as well as Harry) convinces Emma to make a change in her life.

Helper: Jo

Jo is Emma's counselor at school, who she shares her home and school problems with confidentially. She is compassionate, helpful, kind and determined, giving good advice to Emma and Tiff.

Our Idea

A 17 year old outcast girl meets a mysterious boy at a train station, and as they become closer, he helps her to reconcile with her grieving stepfather.

FILM NARRATIVE:
Equilibrium: 
Emma is an outcast who has no friends and a lonely school and home situation. Her mother passed away so she lives with her step-father.
Disruption:
She goes to the train station after school one day, where she meets Harry. They talk for hours and miss the last train, so he walks her home. Before they get to the house she stops him and makes her own way from there, arousing suspicion from Harry. They do not see each other again for weeks, and have no way of communicating.
Recognition:
They finally see each other again and get to know each other better. Harry finds out that Emma's step-father is an alcoholic and shuts her out because Emma's counselor, Jo, checks up on her.
Attempt to Repair:
Harry is angry and convinces Emma to stand up to her step-father. He opens up to Emma, talking about being an orphan, and tells her that he does not have a family so she has to hold on to what she has left, and try to make things better herself. She confronts him but he breaks down, leading her to find out that he has just been grieving the loss of her mother all along, and has shut her out because she reminds him too much of her. They reconcile.
New Equilibrium:
Emma and her Steve now have a better relationship, and she introduces him to Harry, whom he approves of. The counselor begins monthly check-ups at the house as Emma says things improved, and Steve takes a shine to her. Steve gives up alcohol, with the help of Emma, Harry and Jo.

OPENING:
Creation of Enigma:
We are not told anything about Harry's character; his name or his past. Not much about Emma's past is revealed either, all we know is how she feels, but no facts about her, which allows the audience to connect with her thoughts and feelings as opposed to her lifestyle or facts about her.
Introduction to characters:
A voice-over introduces Emma, establishing a connection with the audience as she is lonely and outcast. She is the first character introduced, showing how she is the protagonist and automatically putting the audience on her side.
The introduction to Harry is from Emma's point of view, him being shown how she would see him. This would allow the audience to feel the same way about him as she does, in a sense that they are less likely to dislike his character.
Setting up plot:
Conventional girl meets boy narrative, implying that the two will get involved in a romantic relationship. They are both quite secretive characters at first, suggesting that details about them and their past will be revealed later on in the plot.
Pace and Rhythm:
The pace is quite steady as Emma is introduced, showing how her life is routine and boring. Pace speeds up as she makes her journey to the station and meets Harry, giving the impression that there is new excitement in her life and things are going to change.
Mood and Tone:
Non-diegetic music- acoustic/soft but tuneful music to introduce the characters and the plot. Music fades as Emma meets Harry, showing that her world stops for a moment, and that moment is important in the story.

Brainstorm of Ideas for Opening of a Teen Romance Drama

Before we decided on our idea, we composed mind-maps on our chosen genre and possible ideas for a film. I tried to think of conventional plot-lines and characters for our film. For example, I thought that the protagonist could be female, as in our research the majority of our target said they would prefer a female protagonist as it would be more relatable. For the protagonist to be easily identifiable with, I thought it would be a good idea to make her an outcast of some kind, whether it be that she does not belong, that she has some problems or that she just feels invisible; It would make her vulnerable and unsure of herself, which many teenagers can relate with. It also leaves room for character development where she can become stronger and happier. For the love interest, it would be best to make him mildly good-looking as, with a female majority among our target audience, it would be easier for them to connect with the protagonist if they also feel a small attraction to the love interest. We would make him a non-popular character, as arrogance and over-confidence often found in typical "jock" characters is not very attractive, so we could make our make lead funny, witty, intelligent and strong, but also impulsive, defensive and confrontational - which would make him protective and give him some qualities to show that he, too, is not perfect. This would give more depth to his character and make him seem more real, creating verisimilitude. As well as the lovers, it is conventional to have adult characters such as parents, guardians and teachers, as well as doctors, counselors and therapists.

My ideas for the plot had to be conventional, so I stuck to the typical 'girl meets boy' structure. One revolves around the love interest being new at the protagonist's school, him showing her how to come out of her shell and live her life. This would attract audiences, especially female, as they would like the idea of someone coming along and having a romantic impact on a character's life, at the same time as helping them be a better person. A lot of teen romance dramas follow the idea that the boy and girl are 'kindred spirits' or make each other better so I though it was best if the characters were similar in particular aspects of their lives, whether they are both outcasts or runaways, so that they have something big to connect them to enable an instant friendship and romantic interest.

Documentary - Teen Romance Drama

For our documentary, we allocated each person a role and a part of the documentary to do. Chlaryse spoke about the genre and its history, I worked on the codes and conventions of a teen romance drama opening, looking at different openings from films such as 'The Art of Getting By' and 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Katie and Becky looked at the target audience and created a mood-board, as well as conducting audience research and collecting data.
Once we had all created our separate sections of the documentary, we put them together on iMovie, and started the editing process. For our titles we used stop motion; taking separate pictures and putting them all together at a quick speed to give it an animated effect. We used the same font and white background for the subtitles, except for the genre section where we unintentionally reverted it back to the original font. For our background sound we chose light, tuneful music with a soft instrumental so that it did not distract from what was being said, but it gave it a teen feel, as these types of "indie" songs are commonly associated with teen romance dramas such as 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'.
We are pleased with our overall product as it gives the right effect and relates nicely to the genre we are trying to portray, but if we were to improve on it, we would make the font consistent and make sure each section has similar colouring and lighting as some sections were darker than others. Also, we would make the music a decent volume so it does not overlap the dialogue, and we would try to improve the quality of camera, as it went out of focus at some points.

Interviews -> Voxpops

We pulled together the interviews that we conducted, consisting of the same questions, and edited them together to make voxpops of the answers. By putting the answers together, it is easier to collect the information and see how similar/different the answers were. We used this to aid our research into what the target audience want and do not want in a teen romance drama, and to help us with ideas for our opening.

We interviewed a 16 and a 18 year old girl:

Moodboard

The mood-board represents our target audience, consisting mostly of girls in their late teens. We took the pictures from their interests and preferences, and it links to how we want to portray teen life within our opening. As common in teen romance dramas, there is an outcast character, who never quite fits in or feels like they belong, and conventionally that character finds their way throughout the duration of the film. This is why we have chosen both happy and sad images for our mood-board to represent our target audiences expectations of the genre. For example, the image of the girl hugging her knees with the word "freak" written across it signifies how out-of-place teenagers can feel, and the struggle to find themselves and fit in. The image of the bird in a cage portrays how they can feel as if there is no escape, and feel trapped. These elements of a teen romance drama make the protagonists more relatable for the target audience. On the other hand, the images like the couple in the centre present the happy ending, and finding love - which is common in teen romance dramas, and of course, the romance element within the relationship as they are in close proximity to one another and appear loving and intimate. There are images of lipstick and nail varnish, relating to the typical teenage girl who would be most likely to be interested in a teen romance drama, as well as a recurring theme of pinks, whites and pastel colours to show the softness and delicacy of femininity, as teen romance dramas are mostly aimed at females. We have also included props like a camera, vinyl and books, to represent the teenage girls who challenge stereotypes, and would find an educated, interesting, developed protagonist more relatable as opposed to a stereotypical teenager.

Focus Goup

We held a focus group in our free time to get responses on what the target audience expect from a Teen Romance Drama. It consisted of 5 teenage girls, ranging from ages 16 to 18, as our target audience is mainly adolescent girls, as the genre is more mature.

We played two openings from different teen romance drama films. We had originally planned to show one that had a female protagonist and no voice-over (The Last Song) and one with a male protagonist and a voice-over (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) but due to technical difficulties, we were unable to access the one from 'The Last Song' so we had to make do with the opening for 'The Art of Getting By' instead.

[The Perks of Being a Wallflower Opening Here]

[The Art of Getting By Opening Here]

^Our Focus Group (Video) 

Questions:
1) Which clip did you prefer? Why?
2) Do you think that a voice-over is effective?
3) Which background music do you think gives the right impression and sets the scene better?
4) Which character was more relatable?
5) From the two openings, could you easily predict the rest of the story?
6) Which extract made you more intruiged to carry on watching? Why?
7) What could be improved?

We asked these kinds of questions because we wanted to find out what the target audience's preferences were, and what they did/did not want to see in a teen romance drama opening. I found this really helpful as we found that they do not want the credits to be too long, and that they prefer a voice-over as it creates a connection between the audience and the character.

Research Summary: Teen Romance-Drama Film Openings

CREATION OF ENIGMA:
Establishing location (busy scene): This contrasts to the protagonist, and emphasizes their importance in the story after being shown after a huge city, or busy scene. It also shows normality and contrasts to the outcast, who is out of the norm and does not quite fit in.
Voice-over: We often hear the voice of the character before you see the character, allowing the audience to judge the character on what they say and not what they look like. It also establishes a connection between the audience and the protagonist, as they empathize with that character, developing an emotional attachment and becoming more invested and intrigued with the film.

INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS:
Reflection: We are often met with the character's reflection before their actual selves, reflecting how they do not want to share their real selves first, and are insecure and unhappy.
Arc/Zoom: The arc movement connotes how the story revolves around them and draws the audiences attention to them so they become familiar with the protagonist. A zoom out from focus on the character to their surroundings shows how in a big space, the story is about this one character, emphasizing their importance.
Protagonist introduced first: This gives the impression that the story is their story and that the audience will follow them through it, being on their side the entire way.

SETTING UP PLOT:
Voice-over: As well as introducing the protagonist, the voice-over often sets up the plot and acts as a guide to indicate where the story will go. For example, the protagonist can mention a changing factor in their lives (e.g. In 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' the protagonist states that he is starting high school) and that introduces the start of the story.

PACE AND RHYTHM:
Editing: It is common for the city scenes and opening scenes to have fast-paced editing, connoting liveliness and what is the 'norm' which then leads on to create a contrast to the protagonist, where the editing becomes slow-paced and relaxed.
Camera: The camera also focuses on the protagonist, often staying on them throughout the voice over and never looking away or drawing attention away from them. As it is constant, the pace is slower.

MOOD AND TONE:

Non-diegetic music: It is common in the opening to have moderately upbeat music, connoting normality and setting the scene effectively. Sometimes the music appears daydreamy, like the character is in a world of their own, and hints at what it is like to be inside their minds.
Voice-over: The voice-over is often monotone, or has a slight unhappy, miserable tone to it, making it appear as if the characters are insecure and bored, and that leaves it open for the plot to unravel and for things to improve. They often talk quite slowly, showing how they are a bit shy and reserved.

Research: Looking at 'The Art of Getting By' opening

CREATION OF ENIGMA:
As with the other openings I looked at, the location was established before the characters were introduced, creating enigma as to who the characters will be, and what the story will be. The contrast again emphasizes the dramatic difference between the busy, city life and the outcast. Low angle shots show the difference between the one character among the massive city, and emphasizes how this character's story matters among the thousands of lives in the city.

INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS:
A voice-over introduces George, the protagonist, and he walks across the street, showing him as part of the big city, but not quite blending in. The voice-over consists of statistics which gives the impression that he is intelligent, but it all seems skeptical, which implies that he does not agree with school life and education, and that may be why he is an outcast, as he has to go to school but hates it. A tracking movement follows, drawing attention to him, establishing that he is important, and the audience automatically become interested in his story.

SETTING UP PLOT:
The skeptical mood of the voice-over implies that somewhere along the plot, his mind will be changed. There are several shots of a female character, anchoring what he is saying in the voice-over, which suggests that she may be the romantic interest in the story, or that she will be the one to change his mind. They are never shown in close proximity to one another, giving the impression that they are distant, and will become closer throughout the film. It could also connote how she is 'out-of-his-league' as she has friends, and is possibly popular, and he is lonely and outcast, but they will help each other somehow.

PACE AND RHYTHM:
Like the other openings, it starts with fast editing of something busy, in this case, the city. The pace slows as the voice-over begins and the protagonist is introduced, contrasting between the vibrant, busy, large city to this one character, alone. This creates emphasis on the character and the audience knows that he is important.

MOOD AND TONE:
The high-key lighting reflects positivity, but it contrasts to the black clothes of the protagonist, and the skeptical voice-over, but as it leads on to the girl, there is an opportunity for positivity and the mood lightens.

Research: Looking at 'The First Time' opening

CREATION OF ENIGMA:

Enigma is created at the start of 'The First Time' as a party atmosphere is established but the audience does not know whose party it is and what relevance it has to the plot. It establishes a teen environment, and audiences are given an idea of what to expect from the film, but we are not yet introduced to the main characters.
The first thing we see of a character is a close up on his hands and facial features, not quite revealing his full identity. This makes the audience wonder who this character is and what importance he is to the story.

INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS:
A medium long shot revels the main character on his own outside the party. It goes from close ups of his face and hands, to longer shots, showing his body and surroundings. When the camera is closer to the character, it feels as if the audience is invading their personal space, and allows a connection with that character as we become familiar with them. The girl is introduced as she comes out of the party and sees the boy talking to himself, and they begin to talk to one another. The diegetic dialogue informs the audience that they are both in high school; the girl is a junior, the guy is a senior. We do not know as much about the female character than we do about the male character, which gives a sense of 'boy meets girl' in the narrative as opposed to two characters meeting a finding each other, so the audience empathizes with the male character.

SETTING UP PLOT:
This automatically helps set up the plot as we know that it is the male character's story, and that the plot will involve a development in their relationship, and it will branch out to others in their close circle, where we will perhaps learn more about them as characters, ans their friends and family. As the guy is shown to be preparing a speech, we can infer that he will try to get the girl he is preparing a speech for. However, due to common storylines in the genre, we can guess that he will end up falling for the girl he meets outside the party.

PACE AND RHYTHM:
The editing between the party scene and the guy alone is fast-paced and often shows quick glances to give the impression that the party is eventful and lively, and everything happens in a blur (possibly due to the effects of alcohol). It slows as we are  introduced to the male character more, and when he meets the girl. This connotes normality as they begin a casual conversation, contrasting to the lively, party atmosphere which emphasizes how they are like outcasts.

MOOD AND TONE:

The party scene is accompanied by upbeat, pop-rock music which sounds youthful and connotes liveliness  and fun, which sets a happier mood, contrasting to the mood created by the main characters. The overall mood and tone we receive from the male characters is that he is unhappy, as the diegetic dialogue gives the impression that he is unhappy and a bit miserable, through a lower and slower tone. As for the female character, she seems less miserable, but a little sarcastic as she has that sort of tone through her dialogue.