Evaluation

Question four- How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages.

                        

Evaluation

Question three: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

I was given some professional audience feedback by John, who creates music videos and Nikki, who studied media. Below is the feedback they gave me which includes strengths and elements I could improve on. 

The first strength that I was given by John Howe was the match on actions I have used and that the editing was well done. Especially the match on action at the start where the character reaches to knock on a door. I was told that he thought that it was a very smooth match on action. John also said that I set an eerie tone well in my short film, this was because of the time period, setting etc, I used an old house and old clothing to set this eerie tone. He also said the cinematography was very good and the I used 'well composed shots', I chose these shots specifically that I thought would suit the eerie tone I wanted to achieve and to get the right response from my audience. He also said my wide range of shots was good, I've used a variety, for example a close up shot to show a facial expression or a long distance shot to show someone walking or their outfit. He then also mentioned my use of after effects. I used after effects to mask a radiator and phone as they were out of the time period. He said that he 'couldn't notice it had been done'. Finally, he said he liked our establishing shot at the very start of the short film because it shows you the kind of place that the film is set in and very first sets the mood and tone that I wanted. 

The first improvement I was given was that its slightly jarring at the very start of the conversation, he then gave me a 'solution' of how I can fix this. His solution was to have a reaction shot before she speaks in reply. I intend to take his advice to improve my short film.

Another improvement he gave me was to put the outside start of my film in colour then once in the house to switch to black and white, in order to reinforce the eery feel. I'm considering this idea and how I can do it without it looking jarring. Maybe an effect such as 'sepia'. 

The first strength that Nikki Williams gave me was that I used a 'good variety of shots' which is the same as John. I used this variety intentionally for different aspects I want the audience to focus on such as a facial expression or a setting etc. Next she said that I used steady camera work, I mostly use a tripod to keep the camera steady. She also said that the dialogue is convincing. I split the sound from the clip and put it over the top of the clip, this makes it a little louder as well and more clear. She similarly to John liked my 'awesome use of after effects.' 

The first improvement that Nikki gave me was that I need a smoother transition at the start between the silent clip to having sound. Here I intend to put eery music over it to set the tone and so there isn't jarring sound. 

Also she said that the colours in the lighting don't 'flow together'. I can resolve this by using the effects of black and white or sepia. John also gave me an idea to this previously. 

From this task, I have learnt where I have faults in my short film. From having these faults pointed out I can now look for ways and ideas to address these issues. I have also been given some ideas from this feedback which I can take into consideration. From being given some strengths I can now continue trying to work like that and I know what is preferred to other ideas I may have used. 

Evaluation

Question two - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The image to the right is my first ancillary task, a film poster. I designed it to reflect my short film because if it was a real media product it would have to have a very close link between the two as the poster would be the first thing your audience would see. Therefore, you would want it to persuade people to want to watch your product. It would also have to be quite memorable so they would be curious about the film until they finally went to watch it. I think my text is quite effective. 

I think the text on my film poster is quite effective. At the very top, in the biggest writing I have the film title. I chose to have 'Down House' on my poster because that is the name of the house my main character lives in and this is specified in the film so it makes a direct link to my main product. I used quite a simple font because I didn't want to over-fill the poster and its quite a neat appearance. The font also is quite formal looking which could represent my main character Lady Pennington as she is upper class and formal. I next have a tag line on my film poster under the title. This links to my main product because "There's someone lurking in the shadows." refers to my plot twist as Lady Penningtons daughter is living in the home without Lady Lockhart realising. Finally, at the bottom of my poster the text links to my short film because it makes the poster like a real media product with production company, directors, editors and actors to make both texts seem more realistic. 

The image on my film poster also links well to my film. My short film is set in a country manor home on Dartmoor. Pheasants are very common around Dartmoor because of the commonness of locals going shooting. That is why I chose to use a pheasant on my film poster. Also I chose to have an image of a dead pheasant because it foreshadows the death in the film and what is to happen to the characters. I put this on my film because I hoped it would intrigue my audience. In the detail on the pheasants wings, you can see the faces of my two main characters. I chose to have the faces on the wings because it made the film poster more personal to my short film. This is a clear reference to the film. 

Overall, I think the combination between my short film (main product) and my film poster (ancillary task) works very effectively because they have very clear links and the poster leaves mystery to the film causing the audience to be intrigued to watch the film. That is the point of my film poster. 

Evaluation

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

Evaluation from Lucy Trigger on Vimeo.

Script

Script

From writing my script I have learnt when I will need certain types of shots such as when there is dialogue because certain characters will have to be the focal point of the shot. It also helped me to know what my plans are and how to go about creating them and making them work effectively. It also shows me what props I will need or what the setting has to be like such as lighting. I have learnt how I need to film my five minute short film as my script works as a clear plan of action.

'Eliza' changes halfway through the script to 'Miss Lockhart' I decided to change her name because it was more fitting to the time period.

Test Footage

Test Footage

When I was filming the shots for my short film, I filmed some shots which were to test what it would look like. This was very helpful so I could see which ideas worked and which didn't work, this saved a lot of time and it meant I could improve shots before I tried to edit my film. This was a good task as it gave me more experience and practise at filming.

Here is a compilation of test footage I have filmed:

Ancillary Tasks

Film Poster

The photo below is my film poster for my short film. I have included my short film title which is 'Down House'. I then included a tag line of "There's someone lurking in the shadows" which makes a reference to my short film, I intend for this to intrigue the audience as they will want to know what is lurking in the shadows. My film eventually reveals what is lurking in the shadows, therefore this tag line applies well to my film, especially by setting the tone. I then added 'Housework productions' to make it more realistic and like a film in the real world. I also include who directed the film, who stars in the film and who edited the film. This provides the audience with more information about the film. Finally, the original image I have used is a photo of a dead pheasant. This reflects well to my short film because the setting I have chosen is set in on remote country moorland. Pheasants are common in these country areas. Also the idea of death is key to my short film. The dead pheasant may foreshadow whats to come in the short film. Again reinforcing the audience to become intrigued. The original image was edited on Photoshop by adjusting brightness and contrast to make it appear darker and eerie and to highlight the colors in the pheasants feathers making them look a richer color. By making the image darker I think it gives the audience an idea that my film is quite sinister, it creates quite an ambiguous idea of how the film may develop and end. I also used Photoshop to impose my two main characters faces into the wings of the pheasants. This gives the poster a personal touch to my film without being two obvious. Th subtlety of the faces means the photo is still simple and not over crowded. However, I may have made the faces a little more obvious and clear. Overall, I am happy with my short film poster and reflects my short film well. 

Location Recce

Location Recce

Risk Assessment

Permission For Filming

Permission for filming

I filmed my film at my friend Emily's grandparents house. As it wasn't filmed somewhere I owned, I had to ask for permission to film in her family home. To do this I messaged her on a social networking site, I chose Facebook because it was quick and very convenient for me to use. The image below is a screenshot of her agreeing to let me film at the family home. First, I asked Emily if it was ok to use the home, she then agreed, she thought that was fine and a good idea. 

This image below shows us arranging a time that suits us both to do some filming at the house, this shows that she was very happy for me to film at that time and I had permission to be there. I first asked her the time that suited me and luckily she agreed that it was ok for her and her family. This shows the confirmation for me to film in the home and when is acceptable. 

History and Devlopment

History and development of short films

The very first films were shown through Thomas Edison's kinetoscope in 1894 for individual viewing. Below is an example of one of Edison's films 'The kiss'. 

Short films have been the form of choice for films such as newsreels, cartoons, adverts, technical films and music videos. In the earlier years of film production, majority of films were 'short'. Feature length production developed as the cinema industry became established and grew. During the 1970's, the arrival of blockbuster film knocked short films. Instead, short films have migrated to other media such as television and internet. In the UK, television had great success for short films, for example, the Wallace and Gromit films in 1989 onwards. Short comedies were also very popular and came in series such as Charlie Chaplins. 

A few animated short films still continue to be popular within mainstream film distribution. Pixar are a good example of creating shorts to go along with each of their feature length films during 1995 and they started producing short films permanently after 2001. 

Dream Works also now often produce short film sequels to have in their special edition releases of feature films and are typically broadcast as a TV special.

Short films have been viewed as less significant to features at major film festivals such as Venice. The low budget of short films and the convenience has made them very popular over time with festival and production companies. Short films have developed increasingly today and have an keen and continuously growing audience.

The new demand for short films has come from the internet. Sites such as YouTube have proved this in today's society, making short films even more popular. People have become captivated by receiving the same information in small doses.

Shooting Schedule

Shooting schedule

This shooting schedule shows how long I took to film my short film and what i had filmed and when. This is good for organisation to know my deadlines and what needs to be completed. From this I learnt how important achieving my shots by a deadline and when I filmed them. It also meant if I needed to re-film some shots I can monitor when I first did them and when I redid them.



Settings Board

Settings Board

From creating a settings board of original photos I have taken, it has shown me how many different settings I have used and it can also help me know what shots will be best. The different settings I have used are all shown below, inside and outside settings.

This is a photo I have taken of the house my film is set in, the start of the opening is filmed outside the house, I chose this house because it is situated in a remote area and has a lot of land which is very creepy and can help add to the eeriness of my short film. Also the house is quite old fashioned which is the kind of setting I wanted for my film because I wanted it to add to the time period and suspicion. 

This is a photo I have taken of the bedroom my main character lives in. This is where a lot of the short film is set and where the character spends a lot of her time. I chose this room as a setting because I think it looks quite old fashioned and eerie. Also it looks like a 'spare bedroom' because of the twin beds which is what the room is meant to be in my short film. The style of this bedroom adds to the creepy setting I wanted.

This is a photo I have taken of the staircase which connects the house. My main character walks up these stairs multiple times during the short film. Also the maid uses these stairs during unsettling, creepy moments as a quick escape. The stair case is quite windy and old fashioned, being able to look down the stair case from the top is very unsettling as the characters at the top can see down at what is happening downstairs.

This is a photo I have taken of the landing. This is upstairs where a significant moment to the plot happens. My main character first begins to get suspicious here after the maid is acting suspicious after the main character hears running footsteps. Behind this cabinet there is a door which will be key to my plot because behind it is the hidden person.

This is a photo I have taken of the landing from the view of the main characters bedroom door. This shows her perspective when she leaves her bedroom. You can see the stairs very close by.

From this task I have learnt which different shots/settings have a big influence on my short film. Also I have learnt that my film includes a lot of different settings even if they are only briefly shown, I think this is important because it may become boring if I did not use enough. variety throughout my short film. 

Costume Board

Costumes

My actress Emily is playing the character of Miss Lockhart. Below is an image of the dress she will be wearing. I chose for her to be wearing a pink, floral, long dress. Its quite an old fashioned style as its very loose fitting but is tighter at the waist. Its also a very long dress which is quite old-fashioned and respectable. I chose her costume to be old fashioned because my short film is set around the 1930's era.She wears a long, warm, burgundy coat in my short film when she first arrives at the house. Its also quite old-fashioned as its very simple with only buttons. She uses a large, grey handbag to carry her possessions. Its also quite a basic bag with two straps.

My actress Lydia is playing the character of Lady Pennington. Below is an image of the dress she will be wearing. I chose for her to wear a purple floral dress because its an old fashioned pattern and style.The deep purple colour is quite royal and make reflect her status she has in my film. I used a brown belt to bring the dress in at the waist to give her more shape and I think this suits the time period I have chosen. Its a long dress as you can see below which makes it a respectable dress.

The actress playing the maid is wearing all black to reflect her low status in the house. She's dressed smartly in a black blouse and black skirt with black tights because she is working in a well off respectable manor house. I chose to have the blouse tucked into the skirt so it looks smart. She is also wearing a pair of black, patent, buckle smart shoes.  

From this task I have learnt the importance of choosing the correct costumes. The biggest aspect I had to take into consideration was the time period my short film is set in, this meant I had to select old-fashioned looking clothing. I have also learnt how important it is to use the same clothes every time you film to keep the continuity working well. I quite enjoyed choosing what I thought they should wear.

Actors Profile