Through our media project, and the film itself, we tried to create a product that matches the generic conventions of a film, from the fantasy/action genre. For example the main character is typical of characters from the genre, and is just going about daily life ,but is subjected to prejudice because of his supernatural power .
An example of this is Connor MacLeod, from Highlander who after receiving a mortal wound in battle, is returned to his home ,where he is not expected to survive the night. The next day he emerges from his death bed ,alive and with no visible wounds.The superstitious villagers are convinced that his recovery is due to witchcraft ,and as a result banish him from the village.
The music used in our film is similar to music that is used in fantasy action movies. Music for the action scenes is quite fast paced, in parts where there is less action, it will be more mellowed and classical. Both films contain a Variety of shots early on, changing from one shot to another shot, while still establishing the scene shots, such as point of view, and many close up shots. In the film highlander, the action takes place quite early, this is similar to our film, and there is a sense of danger in both films, from the beginning. The weather is another factor in both movies. at the time of filming our production, it was dark, grim ,and wintry , the sort of weather which often creates an atmosphere of mystery ,intrigue and anticipation, which is present in both films.
(Shots ,showing a variety of scenes from Highlander of the fantasy genre)
How does your media product represent particular social group’s?
There are a number of significant social groups that could be attributed to the main character in both our film, and Highlander, as well as other fantasy films.
I have researched other films ,such as Ladyhawke and Fluke. Groups that are socially identified because of disability, or race, could be defined in these main characters. As they are welcomed by some, but mostly judged, and rejected, because of a feeling of the unknown by others.
For example in the film highlander, it seems that the main character is under constant attack because of his immorality, and thus becomes an outcast in society because of this. The same is said for our main protagonist where he is under attack, because of his supernaturally power of turning into a dog.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our film is most likely to be produced by companies such as Warner bros, and other large production companies. The production may be better presented as a TV series ,in a number of parts and making the viewer think about what comes next.
However this is not to say that the film could not be produced by a independent production company.
There is great interest for fantasy films, with films such as the lord of the rings, Harry potter and avatar bringing in huge amounts of money.
This shows that there would be an audience who would be interested, even now, in this sort of film .There have not been many films with a story similar to the one we have produced. This may mean that there is further local and national interest for this type of film.
(The logos of both companies)
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The main audience for the film is 15 to 40 year olds ,though we thought it would appeal mainly to a male audience, it could just as likely be female. There is a large element of mystery to the film, but also action ,this allows the film to cross gender boundaries ,attracting both male and female. There are fast paced sequences throughout the film, but some slow sequences filled with suspense, attracting both audience types. We thought that the age rating of the Film would probably be set at 15 years for younger viewers. Movies such as the lord of the rings and Harry Potter are enjoy by many people of different ages from their teens to senior citizens . They appeal to everybody, but are not really suitable for young children and teens below 15.
The film also contains limited violence, and relies on fast paced action for some effects. If graphic violence and swearing were included in the film, it would of course be given an 18 certificate.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The opening scene for the film is very fast paced, changing between shots of a dog ,and the main character. This grabs the attention of the audience immediately, and because the opening scene appears to be exciting,
it gives the audience a good first impression of the film.
The changing shots of the main character, also attract the audience ,because there are so many different, shots in such a short period of time it gives a sense of fast paced action which will hold the attention of our target audience in the films opening sequences.
The action gives us a sense of vulnerability, and also the fear of an impending attack , from the unknown.
The main character looks over his shoulder continually, and seems relived when he has finally escaped from whatever danger is pursuing him. The music is another factor that helps create mood, the fast paced music enhances the scene, making us feel that the character is in great danger from the people chasing him.
At the start of the scene the music is not as tense, but this builds as the character begins to start running.
What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?
Much has been learnt in the way of technology since we started our project ,most notably the use of camera equipment ,and that of shots , shot types, that are required to make a movie. However ,there have been some weaknesses with the equipment provided to complete the filming. The quality of the cameras that we used previously in the first project we worked on, was not adequate for many of the shots we wanted to achieve. It did not always give good quality film, and frame rate. This time however we used the HD cameras, this gave us better quality shots and were much clearer.
Cameras were not always available for use when we required them, which created problems with our filming schedule.
For some of the shots I personally had to take the camera home with me to film, this created problems for us when booking the HD camera .
Doing a white balance manually before filming was also difficult , if we had no white paper available. The filming process also had many issues, most notably that we could not always rely on actors being able to change their schedules to fit in with ours.
This resulted in us having to film the opening scene in a relatively short period.
This combined with time constants, as well as the looming deadline caused us a number of difficulties. We also faced many problems when trying to find the correct music for the film, as many of the CDs we needed for none copyrighted music where not available. We did have a clear idea of the music that we wanted, but as it was copyrighted we could not use it . e.g. music from similar films.
(Old and new camera’s)
Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The detailed planning at he start of the project ,seemed to be helpful at the time ,allowing us to think though what we need to put into our film and storyboard.
The number of people in our group also proved to be an unhelpful factor within the completion of the project. Our group had only two members throughout the project ,while some groups contained five. This was problematic for us and meant that me and my partner had to share all the tasks between us ,overall we had a greater workload than the other groups ,who were able to divide tasks up between more members.
The shooting script, though set out to help us was more a hindrance. Also where we where going to film became a problem, as we needed a street that was not busy ,but which appeared lively enough to be realistic in our film.
Another point to make is that there is no substitute for doing some rough filming beforehand. Even though we had done the shooting script ,and story board .Once we stared filming we soon realised that some of our ideas were not workable in practice and we realised that we would have to go back to the drawing board for a rethink. In the end although we faced many difficulties with the project, I feel confident that the final product is satisfactory. The project as a whole has been a great leaning experience ,and has shown me just what I can achieve with planning ,and only limited time
(Shots from the Preliminary Task)
