Evaluation – Looking back at your Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I have learnt a lot from completing the main task since completing the preliminary task. Looking back I can see that I have learnt a lot about a number of different fields’s relating to our product. My knowledge in how to make and effect on the audience by using certain techniques and how to attract an audience by using certain forms and conventions of your genre has greatly improved. I have learnt a lot about the use of camera angles, camera movement and camera distances and how they can be used to have an effect on the audience. For example a close up on a characters face can be used to show a reaction and/or their emotions. Also I have learnt a lot about editing and how the change from one shot to another can have an effect on the audience. For example fast paced jump cuts will build suspense and tension for the audience. I have learnt a great deal also about sound and how it can have different effects on the audience whether it is sound effects or music and non-diagetic or diagetic sound. For example; using sound effects can be used to emphasise violence. I have learnt a lot about mise en scene as well and how it is very important when trying to have the right effect on the audience. For example ensuing that you prevent any continuity errors in your production as this can make it look very unprofessional; this was specifically a vital point for us to ensure we got right as we made a continuity error in our preliminary task and therefore we had to learn not to make this mistake again. Also I have learnt a lot about the general process of making a film and all the planning that has to go into to a product before it is even put into production. Lastly I have learnt a great deal about all the people who work on a production and how it is very important that everyone works as a team and works well together. I have leant a lot from completing the main task production and I feel that my knowledge has greatly improved since completing the preliminary task.

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

Whilst completing this product I have learnt a lot about technologies relating to the production of our film opening. I have worked with video cameras, tripods, transferring footage to computers, editing software, etc… before, but my knowledge was fairly basic. Since completing this project and throughout the task I have felt that my knowledge in all the fields of technologies we have used has improved greatly. I have learnt a lot about the use of cameras and the different functions that we can use on them; for example night mode and zoom. Also I have learnt a lot of about tripods and the uses they can have whilst filming. Specifically I have learnt about the different tripods you can use; for example  we used a Gorilla Grip Tripod in our production which is very useful for filming from obscure angles and locations; for example a tree branch. Also I have learnt a huge amount about the editing process and transferring footage from camera to computer. Whilst filming we have had to  continuously transfer footage from the camera onto the computer and convert the footage into a file that is readable by the editing software that we were using. I learnt how to do this and became very efficiently at completing this process quickly with no errors. Also I learnt a lot about using the editing software; for example cutting down scenes, adding music, adjusting sound and sound effects, adding special effects and adding title sequences. I felt that I have learnt a lot about a number of different technologies whilst completing this product and I feel that my knowledge has improved greatly.

Evaluation – How did you attract/ address your audience?

When we were carrying out our audience research not only were we able to establish a target audience we were able to find specific forms and conventions of the Horror Genre (the genre we decided to use) that out target audience (Males and Females between the ages of 15 and 35) liked to see in Horror films. We had to pick out specific forms and conventions of the Horror Genre to attract our audiences because from our research we found out that this is what our audience would like to see. Specifically we used fast paced editing and mysterious music as our audience research enabled us to see that these were popular forms and conventions of the Horror Genre for our target audience. Also we tried to use characters from either ends of our target audience age range because this would mean the characters from our film opening would relate to people from our target audience. Also the locations of our filming we selected carefully as we wanted our target audiences to be able to relate to their own lives. Our audience research video shows how we were able to establish what forms and conventions of the Horror Genre that our target audience would like to see and there we knew what we would have to include to attract our target audiences. Our Primary Audience Research can be seen here:

Evaluation – Who would be the audience for your Media product and why?

During the planning for our Media Product we did our own Audience Research. Before our research began we made an initial approximation of our Target Audience and we decided that it would be Males and Females between the ages of 15 and 35. We did our Primary Research where we ourselves went out and interviewed a small group of teenagers and asked them what they liked to watch. We also did Secondary Research where we looked at viewing figures for certain movies and movie channels on television. Our Primary Research Interview can be watched here:

Our Research helped us greatly as we were able to see what people like to watch on television. Our research enabled us to deicide on a Genre for our product. We were able to confirm our initial Target Audience from our research as we found that both Males and Females from this age range do enjoy watching Horror films. From this research we were able to establish what characters to use in our production so that we could appeal to both ends of our Target Audience. Therefore we included an older character in our production (Sam’s Character) to appeal to the upper end of our Target Audience and we included younger characters (Mine and Jack’s Characters) to appeal to the lower end of our Target Audience. So our Research enabled us to decide that our Target Audience would be Males and Females between the ages of 15 and 35.

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

If our Media Product was made into a full feature length film it would definitely aim to reach mainstream audiences. I think that our Product would be looking to reach national audiences across the country and be shown in private and multi-screen cinemas nationally (For example Cineworld Cinemas and Odeon Cinemas). I do not think our film would be aiming to become a Hollywood blockbuster production, but a U.K. based film that would appeal to audiences within this country. Also I think that our product would be appropriate for distribution as a DVD for purchase within the U.K. community.

Evaluation – How does your Media product represent particular social groups?

Our Media Product shows characters from more than one Social Groups. Therefore our product represents these Social Groups to our audiences. When planning our product we thought about the Social Groups our characters would come from and thought about factors including clothing and the way they speak. Sam’s character was an ex- private investigator/exorcist so therefore we had him dressed in a suit and he was very well spoken. This is because people from this background and from this field of work are likely to be highly intelligent and therefore are likely to be well spoke and dress smartly. This means that Sam’s character (ex- private investigator/exorcist) is represented as a high-class, well spoken man who is of great intelligence. Also Sam’s clothing (a Suit) portrays him as a figure of authority in our product so that the audience can see that this man is of great importance. I and our friend Jack both play two teenagers in our product. We were both dressed in hoodies and jeans which is common for people of this age. This represents our characters as stereotypical teenagers which is correct as it comes apparent that the stereotypical teenagers get themselves into trouble and it is Sam the high-class, figure of authority that has to come and get them out of trouble. During the final scene Sam is wearing just trousers and a t-shirt as he wakes up and receives the mysterious phone call that ends our product. The fact that Sam is waking up in his day clothes and seems scruffy represents him as a high-class man who is having troubles in his life at the moment and is struggling to cope. The way that our characters speak and the clothes that they wear in our product, have a huge effect on how they are represented in our product to our audiences.

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

Our Media product is of the Horror Genre; which meant we had to include the correct forms and conventions of this genre to ensure that our product has a good effect on the audience. Throughout the planning, filming and editing we ensured ourselves that we were using the correct forms and conventions of the horror genre so that our product has the correct effect on our audiences. For example our product title ‘The Possession’ uses slow, sinister and tension building music a number of times throughout our product to help build the atmosphere for the Horror Genre. We also used fast paced jump cuts throughout or product to build up tension where necessary and to build the atmosphere for the Horror Genre. Also another form and convention of the Horror Genre that we used in our product is the use of lightning. We ensured that when it was necessary to build tension we had our lighting quite dark to help build the Horror Genre atmosphere; this is a common form and convention of the Horror Genre. We did also used fast paced music in the running scene to help build tension for our audiences. Throughout our product we did use forms and conventions of the Horror Genre, but we did put a personal touch on our product and used some forms and conventions that may not necessarily be forms and conventions of the Horror Genre. For example for one shot in out product we used a freehand camera shot; this helped build the tension in this scene and helped create the Horror Genre atmosphere. Also the beginning of our product shows a close up of a Ouija Board spelling out the word ‘DIE’. I do not see this as a common form and convention of the Horror Genre, so this gives our product a more personal and individualistic touch.

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