Post-Modernism

How it could be used in Q1:

-> Mix & Match "bricolage" - Lyotard
-> Mix time periods (older style movies), genres, narrative, styles of story telling (narration): 1st/3rd person.
-> High & popular culture - shakespeare, opera, museum, theatres however in post modernism slang, popular music, clothing etc.
-> Intertextuality - Specific reference made to another media product

Evaluation Question 1 Plan

Question 1 of Evaluation
For Question 1 I will be using WIX, this will allow me to structure my answer into seperate tabs.

Textual analysis of camera, editing, sound, mis-en-scene
(own video and print product)
-> throughout links and comparisons with case studies (can also be other videos/real media products that relate) similarities e.g. the scene where you can see the actor and the screen is inpirsed from another media film.

Critical theory -
Narrative / Narrative theory (story telling)
Two types of narrative - Linear and non-linear
Linear - Has a clear beginning, middle and end
Non-Linear - No clear structure, altering chronology (order of events) - may use techniques such as flashbacks and flash fowards.

- Circular narrative - beggining and end similar
- Concurrent narratives (music video)


Representation, post modernism

Narrative theories:
Todorov - Clear beginning and end - linear
Strucrualist theorist - common structures / linear
Equilibrium / Disequilibrium -> New equilibrium
5 stages of this theory:
Establishment of a scenario - > Problem / Disruption -> Complication -> Action climax -> Resolution

Levi Strauss - Structuralist
Binary oppositions -> narratives need oppositions and conflict -> creates tension which drives the narrative forward and keeps the audience interested.
Good vs Bad e.g. Male v Female, or in a gangster movie - Crime v. Law Order

Roland Barthes - Narratives require many codes to progress the narrative and keep the audience attentive
Codes in narrative:
Visual code - shot, editing effect
Sound code - effect, music
Action codes - Give us easily understand information about what is going to happen next e.g. suitcase
E.g. background music/sound that signify danger
Enigma codes - withhold information - pose a question (narratives have both)

Additional theories:
Propps theory - Binary opposition and character roles e.g. villain vs hero, weak and strong etc.

Evaluation Guide

Question 1
For Question 1 I will be using WIX as it will allow me to structure my sections.
Incorporating textual analysis, case studies and narrative theories.
Three print products - Video, 2 print products

Question 2
For Question 2 I will be using PREZI as I feel that as I will be analysing the products, a presentation software would be the best to opt for.

Points I will address:
How do the three products use similar themes, contentent, housestyle, imagery, tone & language.
Gathering the analysis and show how the three products link - how do the three products link?
E.g. colour schemes/palette, fonts in the print product, language, photography (film language - lighting, shot types etc), mis-en-scene - location, props (camera), costume.
Iconography / motifs
Advert / Music - Poster (film) are promoted products - How well are these done?
Branding - Visual signals
Placement - Where might your film poster be placed (tube station, internet etc)
Relate to real life packages

Question 3
For Question 3 I will be using EMAZE, a presentation website I have used before which allows me to embed my presentation and by having slides, I could seperate my answer into each part of the feedback.
Evaluate audience feedback throughout and how it helped you
- First feedback on the pitch (initial idea for short film) - how you reacted, how you used it, did you agree or did you disagree (Embed the videos)
- Rough cut screening of an incomplete film / music video - how you reacted, how you used it, did you agree or did you disagree (Embed the videos)
- Pitch of print product - - how you reacted, how you used it, did you agree or did you disagree (Embed the videos)
- Final feedback on all 3 products - get friends to look at final three products and comment on blog / surveymonkey (design yourself)

Question 4
For Question 4 I will be using POWTOON as it will allow me to creatively present the technologies and make it more enjoyable for the audience. Also by doing this I will be able to upload the Powtoon onto YouTube which allows me to use more types of technology.
Evaluate the technologies
Research & planning technologies - if you used google / youtube to research about the technologies
Construction technologies - What were your strengths, difficulties?
Editing - Strengths, difficulties?
Presenting - the technologies to present

Final Film Review Improved

After looking at the feedback I had received from the audience about my film review, as the creator of the film review, I have taken it upon myself to improve the film review. Their main complaint was my use of Comic Sans MS which made the film review itself look unprofessional. Due to this, I have changed the font to Arial Bold which suits the film review better. By doing this the columns have also lengthened however it still fit within the article as there was a lot of white space in the last column. By doing this I have allowed my film review to be more professional and consistent throughout.

Feedback from YouTube comments

I also got comments on the Short Film which shows that our Film had reached a wider audience. Although the feedback is not critical, they have good comments which show they like the video which shows that we have shot and edited the film well.

Feedback for Final Print Products + Short Film [Video]

We also collected more feedback along with our SurveyMonkey feedback for our Final Print Products and Short Film from three of our peers through Video. We asked them about what they liked about all the packages, what they think we could have improved on and how it compared to existing products.


Feedback 1:

SHORT FILM

What they liked:

• The use of music - when the music gets louder the audience was able to tell that something was going to happen which shows good build up.
• The action shot of when the photographer enters the house going to the computer is shot very well.
• The editing technique which showed the reaction shot of the photographer while he was on the laptop showing good editing skills.

Improvements we could make:

• Beginning was too long considering it was a short film - we had this as feedback from our rough cut already, we already shortened it however it appears that it was still too long so in future productions we should make sure that we try relate the story to the narrative as much as possible.

How well they think it compares with other Short Films:

• Compares well with existing products as we have used the same conventions as in other horror/thriller films.
• Also the ending creates shock (a typical of horrors) which is done very well.

FILM POSTER

What they liked:

• Stands out well as the red colour suits the monochrome image
• The font colours add a horror effect to the poster.
• The film name Shutter relates to the iconography of the camera and suits the genre also as it seems 'sudden'.
• The tagline is catchy.
• The reflection of slender in the camera is used to great effect.
• House style set out very well.

Improvements we could make:

• As said by this member of our audience, we could keep the top section where it says "From the producers of Eventide" more bold to keep consistency throughout the poster.

How well they think it compares with other Film Posters:

• Uses the same conventions and house styles a normal film poster would have such as iconography (which we have used in the camera) which represents the film well.
• Also the colour red represents the genre very well.

FILM REVIEW

What they liked:

• The layout and conventions are similar to other film reviews
• Colour scheme has been consistent throughout both print products
• The main image conveys an 'worried victim' and the still images show the film whilst not giving much away.
• Pull quote "When fiction becomes reality" is good as it would attract the audience into reading more.

Improvements we could make:

• Make the fonts consistent through the film review. I agreed with this because on the bit where it says 'Unmissable' and on the article, Comic Sans MS is used which does not flow with the rest of the font in the film review. 

How well they think it compares with other Film Reviews:

• As it uses the typical conventions that a normal film review would have, it compares very well to the other film reviews he has seen.

Feedback 2:

SHORT FILM

What they liked:

• Camera shots - there were a lot of well taken camera shots throughout the film.
• Editing technique such as when he was on the computer and his reaction shot was shown along with the screen. It made the scene seem more realistic.
• When he encounters the Slender Man, a lot of fast paced cuts were used which helped to create suspense.

Improvements we could make:

• Sound such as when he is walking through the woods, the sound of leaves was not in sync with his walking. We understood this as we had to use non-diagetic sound for this scene as the sound of leaves were not picked up well on our sound recording device. Next time we should either sync it better or test the recording properly before moving forward.
• When the actor is taking camera shots, it could have flowed with the film better.

How well they think it compares to other Short Films:

• One of the best films this respondent has watched in terms of quality and camera shots which allowed us to edit the film better. The use of cutaway shots also made the film more realistic according to the respondent.

FILM POSTER

What they liked:

• Masthead is bold which stands out
• The colour scheme is simple and effective

Improvements we could make:

• The actual actor in the image could have presented himself better in the photoshoot. For example in the picture the audience could see a hairy chest which was not appealing. Next time we should take into ethical issues into consideration when doing a photoshoot.
• Also more colour grading instead of using black and white. 
• The letters at the top should be changed to a different colour as the top fades to white which makes the white text hard to see. Next time we should change this to another colour that would stand out from the white.

How well they think it compares to other Film Posters:

• Compared to other film posters he has seen it is good but can be improved.

FILM REVIEW:

What they liked:

• The way the film review has been laid out which makes it easy to read and presentable.
• The masthead is big - this is a common convention in all print products as it allows us to promote the actual short film.
• The colour scheme has been stuck to as with the other print product which shows we have though about house style and convention.
• The column format has been set out well - this was an aim of mine as it allowed the article to be presentable and easy to read.

Improvements we could make:

• The font used seems childish and unprofessional so we should change it.
• Add more pictures - I disagreed with this as we already had three images on the film review and if I were to add more, it would mean there would have to be less text on the article.
• The star rating stars should be changed as they do not suit the film review.

How well they think it compares to other Film Reviews:

• This respondent has not seen many film reviews however insists it is good however there are still things to improve, which have been mentioned above.

Feedback 3:

This feedback was much more brief than the other feedbacks we have received however I will be evaluating it anyway.

SHORT FILM
What they liked:

• The film got straight to the point.
• Understood the plot of the film immediately.

Improvements we could make:

• Dialogue would have made it better as it could give the audience a better understanding.
• Character development so that the audience can know more about the character.

How well they think it compares to other Short Films:

• Some short films only stay in one location however this used more than one location which they find good.

FILM POSTER

What they liked:

• The title is bold and red which stands out which allows the audience to immediately know the name of the film.
• The use of iconography (of the camera) gives a hint on what the film is about.

Improvements we could make:

• More information on the film poster as it doesn't tell too much about the film. To include more information we could maybe use more conventions however we wanted to keep it simple and let the image stand out.

How well they think it compares to other Film Posters:

• It stands out well compared to other film posters as the colours have been used effectively.

FILM REVIEW
What they liked:

• There was a lot of information and images on the film review. This was an aim of mine as I wanted the film review to promote the actual film so I have included a lot of text, images and conventions such as star images, masthead, taglines etc.

Improvements we could make:

• The font used, Comic Sans MS, did not seem professional. I could change the font to make it more professional.

How well they think it compares to other Film Reviews:

• Compared to other Film Reviews, they did not really like it as they did not like the font used.

Overall, the feedback received from these three respondents have been very useful as it will allow me to know what I could improve if I were to make any other future productions. They gave good points and bad points which shows they were not biased and allows me to know how I could make the products better for the audience.

SurveyMonkey Questionnaire Feedback

From the previous questionnaire I had posted, I have received some audience feedback. I will be collecting and evaluating them.

Short Film:

From reading the audience feedback here, I can tell that the factors the audience liked about the short film is mainly the story line which shows we have achieved our goal of having a clear story for the audience. To improve on the film, they did however suggest to add a different 'twist' as the twist was possibly unoriginal or not executed as well as it should have been. It compares to existing products well as it has included features and conventions all short films should have. They do agree that the genre of the film does suit the typical horror/thriller films however one feedback does not agree with this which suggests we could have done much more to make it a better horror/thriller film.


Film Poster:

After reading the feedback received for the film poster, I could gather that the audience liked the use of colours on the poster. They mainly liked the colour scheme and the use of the monochrome background which allows everything else in the poster to stand out. To improve on the poster, there have been suggestions such as adding credits which is a convention not taken in the poster - I disagree with this as we have included the actor names and producers of the film in the baseline however they probably did not see this which suggests we could have made it stand out more. Also, they thought that we could position the image better as the actors face is cut off. Compared to other film posters, this suits them well as many of the conventions have been included according to our audience. They do agree that the poster links with the short film as it advertises the film well. They also agree that it links to the films genre of horror/thriller.


Film Review:

From the information I have gathered from the film review questionnaire, I could tell that the audience liked the layout of the film review as it was clearly laid out and easy to read - as I was the person who made the film review this is something I was striving for as I had to lay out the images and text well to compliment each other. To improve on the film review I could have added more features such as pull quotes. Also, on the line "Movie Guide: Unmissable" followed by stars, I could have aligned it better to make it more professional. Compared to existing products, it suits well because it follows the typical conventions of a film review. In all the feedbacks it seems like the audience agreed that we have included a lot of the conventions for each product, this is because we researched well and used case studies as reference. Also they do think that it links well with the short film as it advertises the film by including the release date and including a lot of information about the film. According to the audience the colour scheme is used well - we kept this the same throughout both print products as we wanted to keep our print products professional and follow our ethos and house style. Also again, they believe it links to our film genre which shows we have conveyed this well throughout all our products.

Survey Monkey Questionnaire for Final Print Products

We have created a SurveyMonkey for our final media package. This will be used to gather audience feedback on our final print products and short film asking them the aspects that they liked, disliked, how well it relates to the genre and what we could have improved.

Film Poster FINAL

This is the final version of the poster, in the previous poster no baseline was added however it has now been added to give the poster a more authentic feel to it.

Film Review FINAL

This is the final film review. From here, compared to Progress 3, I have changed the colour of some of the sub-headings from blue to red in order to match my colour scheme as I realised the blue did not match it.

Film Review Progress 3

As I got the Journalism and updated it, I could now begin adding text to my film review. Here I added text and colour to my Film Review. I have also included the title of the film, a tagline and a PG age to add more conventions and make it more presentable to the reader.

Film Poster Progress 2

Following the design of our layout, James (who is in charge of making the film poster) has now added many of the conventions onto the film poster. He has added the masthead, tagline, date and actor names. There are still a few basic things to do such as the baseline.






































As you can see, he has followed the colour scheme well which is red, black and white - a colour scheme we agreed on from our pitch of the print products as we felt that this dark colour palette would represent the film well. Also, if you look very clearly you can see a picture of our film character - Slender Man on the lense of the camera. This idea was taken from a film poster used in both the pitch and one of my case studies - Rear Window.

Film Poster Progress 1

As James is making the Film Poster, I have not been able to provide as much up-to-date progress pictures however he has starting making the poster. Using one of the pictures from our photoshoot, James has added the image onto Adobe Photoshop and set it as the background. He has already saturated the image so it would match our monochrome colour scheme. Also, by choosing a picture of the actor with a camera it shows we have thought about iconography throughout the pieces as a picture of the photographer holding the camera is also used in my film review - this represents the importance of the camera in our film.

Changes to the Journalism

I have added changes to the Journalism Romana had produced for me as I felt it was too long to fit into the film review. So in order to fix this, I have shortened some parts, removed parts I felt were unnecessary and also double checked to correct any grammar mistakes which I found.

Journalism for Film Review

In order to progress in my Film Review, I needed Journalism which was an important part of it.
Romana was in charge of the Journalism and sent me this piece to include into my Film Review.