Evaluation Q4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

We had various target audiences in mind when producing our film - predominantly the 15-24 year-old audience, as not only would we have more confidence when tailoring the film to them, but this group also makes up the largest portion of cinema-goers at 30.8%.

I have produced a Prezi (please click fullscreen for clear analysis) with full information on our various target audiences and how we targeted them...

Evaluation Q5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Using the uses and gratifications theory:
Through our knowledge of the uses and gratifications theory, we were able to successfully appeal to and entice our target audiences. As the theory states that consumers of the media are active, and will choose media which satisfies their needs, we were able to tailor our film opening to suit these particular needs for:
-entertainment & escapism
-information
-personal identity
-social interaction

Below is a mind-map of how we used this theory to address the audience...
(please use the mouse to navigate, + to zoom in and - to zoom out)


Use of conventions & audience expectations:
As well as the uses and gratifications theory, we also directly targeted our niche audience of psychological thriller fans using conventional characters, shots and action, as well as genre codes in order to maintain plausibility and meet the expectations of this audience. For example:

-The use of props (moodboard, camera, gloves, etc.) - in particular the knife - created a sense of unease and clearly indicated the thriller genre & darker elements within the storyline.

-Our use of framing for effect within the sequence: low-angle shots create a sense of power around the antagonist, whilst OTS shots and eyeline matches add perspective and immerses the viewer in the story.

-Use of pulsing music and cold grading are also commonly found in psychological thriller films.

An example of Grace's aggression

-Moreover, our use of continuity techniques (match-on action, eyeline matches, etc.) increased the realism our film was able to convey.

Meanwhile, we also used Barthes' enigma theory throughout (see Evaluation Q1), leaving questions from the audience unanswered to keep the viewer interested and watching to have these questions answered.

Audience feedback:

Throughout the project - especially during the production stage, we collected crucial feedback from a sample group of 8 people from our main target audience between 15 & 24 in order to track whether our vision was being translated into a decent finished article. To ensure the data was fair, the genders were mixed and the ages of the group varied. This feedback was of course extremely important and benefited us hugely, as it offered an insight into our work from the viewer's point of view. 

We conducted large-scale feedback after:
-the rough cut

-the final edit

Below are the results of the feedback after the rough edit:

Rough edit feedback results

The initial comments after the test shoot were, admittedly, pretty abysmal:

-The setting was too tight & this limited shot variation.

-The characterisation was poor: unclear who the characters were: we didn't use our main actress & didn't have any nailed-down hair/make-up & costume decisions

-The storyline & plot were completely lost, with weird sounds (e.g heavy breathing) confusing the audience.

However, in hindsight these comments were pivotal in helping us edit our storyline and in turning our project around - as is evident from the contrast in feedback between the initial rough cut and the final production. I also conducted some extra individual reactions from the audience which you can access by clicking the sheets & video below...

Final edit feedback results

(please click to enlarge)
Further audience feedback which I conducted after the final outcome

Audience feedback video

Evaluation Q6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I feel that I was able to learn a lot and gain many technological skills during the course of the project. I was able to utilise as much of the equipment at hand (both hardware and software) as possible, learning new techniques & correct procedure at all 3 stages, and consolidating previous knowledge from past work. In my opinion, we worked very well with technology as a group and, though there are still some possible improvements, our capabilities allowed us to create our final production to a high standard.

Hardware:

Software:


Technologies used at each stage:
Prelim & pre-production:
-Camera, tripod, headphones, shotgun mic, dual-monitor Windows PC
-Adobe Premiere Pro, internet

The Prelim was useful, as it provided a chance to recap and refresh previous practical skills before we embarked on the project itself. We used the same shooting and editing equipment as the main shoot, and I was able not only to consolidate shooting skills, but combine them with thinking about continuity laws (such as the 180° and 30° rules) for the first time.
During pre-production, though it wasn't specifically shooting or editing, I realised the importance and required quantity of research needed when preparing to create a new film or media product in general.


Production:
-Camera, tripod, headphones, shotgun mic
During production, we were able to put these skills to good use. The main improvement I was able to take away from this stage was to pans and handheld shots, which I was able to perform during the main & back-up shoot sessions.

Post-production:
-Dual-monitor Windows PC, Apple iMac, Blue Yeti mic
-Adobe Premiere Pro, LiveType, Audacity

During post-production, I was once again able to not just recap previous learning, but build on this foundation. In particular, I found learning about tools including the Pen Tool and keyframes very useful, as these were two important aspects which I had't been used to working with.

Please access below our use of software and hardware throughout the project:


Overall, I felt pretty confident when using hardware & software: both those which I had previously experienced, as well as technology which I hadn't been exposed to yet. In hindsight I would say that this was perhaps one of my biggest technological challenges personally, as I was stretched to become used to working with these tools, such as the Pen Tool and keypoints when using the Adobe Premiere Pro editing software.

Evaluation Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Whilst, of course, we wanted to create an entertaining opening sequence to a film, and were eager to produce our ideas on camera as soon as possible, we also understood from previous tasks - especially the preliminary task - that we had to adhere to a set brief:

The brief assigned to us for the preliminary task.

The brief assigned to us for the production task.

Our completed continuity prelim task

As mentioned, we took away valuable knowledge of continuity from the prelim, which we carried forward into the main production task:

shot / reaction shot in our prelim

match-on action in our prelim

eyeline match in our prelim

180-degree rule in our prelim

shot / reaction shot in our sequence

match-on action in our sequence

eyeline match in our sequence

180-degree rule in our sequence

Below is a presentation on how we applied the knowledge taken from the preliminary task as we progressed towards the finished article...

Construction Post 10: Looking back - reflections on our final outcome

In the end, I am absolutely delighted with the final outcome of our opening sequence. All things considered, with the seemingly huge task of re-writing a huge amount of the storyline and re-planning location, documents and props, I feel it was a massive success and testament to the good organisation and hard work we put into completing the project to both time and standard.

Our original brief

Taking the brief into account, I feel that we met every aspect specified (besides the length which admittedly is a little longer than usual). For instance, our video and audio were both original ideas produced by our group and tailored around feedback from the 15-24 year old target audience, and our primary & secondary target audiences were clearly indicated through the storyline, characterisation & representation of our sequence. 

If I were to re-do the sequence, I would perhaps leave more time to focus on its grading and aesthetics. Although colour was generally good, I thought that some shots were still a little different colour-wise, and I'd also had a very general idea of how I wanted the sequence's grading to appear rather than a specific concept which maybe could have been worked on with a few more references. Additionally, we included some adventurous shots, such as a POV from the window and inside the bag, though maybe we could have included one more - especially as we had to cancel a "CCTV-type" extreme long-shot as it wasn't practical. Overall, though, I'm more than happy with the finished product, and I hope that you feel the same way.

Please click this caption to link to an interactive version of the timeline above

Construction Post 9: My technical learning curve

The project enabled me to expand on
various technical skills, both when
editing and shooting.

Throughout the project, I made sure that I picked up on various processes and tools in order to develop my technical skills. In all 3 stages of pre-production, production and post-production, I felt that I honed these skills well, and that I was able to use the project as an opportunity to gain useful experience and knowledge.

Although previous projects and media assignments at GCSE and preliminary level had introduced me to the basics of shooting and editing, there were of course other skills which I was able to learn during the course of the project. For instance, during editing I hadn't previously used tools such as the pen tool, in order to adjust a section of a shot's audio to eliminate background noise. Another example of a previously-unused tool was the use of keyframes to edit the position of a shot on-screen (such as the sliding shots in the opening scene).

In terms of shooting, I learnt the significance of lighting when taking shots. Not only did our group have to pay close attention to the weather and lighting when shooting in order to get the aesthetic and conditions which we wanted, but also during the shoot, as one of the shots lost focus mid-way through recording and needed to be re-shot.

I believe that, having taken these processes and tools into account, I learned a great deal of new technical skills as well as recapping other areas of production and editing.

Construction Post 8: My personal contribution to the edit sessions

Me editing our sequence

As with any part of the process, I put in as much time and effort as possible when editing. I gave up a huge amount of free time both during and after school, often working at lunchtimes & until 17:45 to make sure the project was completed before the deadline, and to a high standard. 

I thought that me and Josh edited the sequence well, and edited our version of the opening sequence with confidence, taken as a result of previous experience with Premiere Pro for other projects & media work. Personally, I helped to cut out a lot of background noise from rushes, chose a grading style with blue tones for cold, moody cinematography, and also was responsible for mixing the music to conclude in time with our sequence.

I felt that one positive of editing with Josh was that we both paid meticulous attention to continuity, although in hindsight we maybe spent a little too much time examining small details. Moreover, if I were to change anything about our editing sessions, I would maybe divert more time into grading and lighting rather than concerns over shots being a frame too long, as there were still some colour differences between shots which were not resolved. Overall, though, editing went very successfully in my opinion.