Media Coursework Evaluation
The planning process for my project was straight forward and was of great use as when it came to filming I knew exactly what I was to do, the time of the day I should shoot certain clips, and the location required. For example, during my planning I recognised that timing was of great importance due to the fact it starts to get dark at around 4pm. This had an impact on what time I was to film specific shots as I did want them to be in daylight. I managed to hire a camera to use over the weekend which gave me more time to prepare and organise props for filming beforehand. When it came down to filming, I was aware that I needed to use varied camera angles in order to keep the audience interested and to show different perspectives of the character and the locations. In one scene, I chose to zoom in which emphasised the characters blank facial expression. As well as focussing on camera angles during the planning process, I also had to make a list of any props I would need along with costume which the protagonist was to wear. I wanted the clown to be represented as an abnormal clown to reflect his personality. To enable me to do this I decided not to dress the protagonist in an original clown costume, but instead black clothing, along with black balloons, and a small, tatty suitcase for the clown to carry. I felt this was successful because the character could still be easily indentified as a clown by his face paint. In terms of location I knew I wanted to shoot some scenes locally by the lake, and others at home to show the character preparing for his role as a clown. When I had finished my planning I needed to ensure that I had around 5-10 minutes worth of filming to use for editing to produce the final piece. This meant I was to repeat some shots but from different angles which could be edited at a later date.
During the planning stage I had chosen each individual scene and specifically planned out what would be required. However, there are a couple of scenes I decided to change. In one of the scenes I was going to film the clown walking across a field on his way to a child’s party, but on the day of filming the grass was wet and quite slippery, so, instead I chose to film the protagonist walking down a path which enabled me to capture a variety of angles. As well as location issues, I had to make sure that I filmed during the daylight because I was keen to focus on the protagonists face and expressions made. Unfortunately, on the day of filming there were frequent light showers which made it difficult to repeat shots without the rain and wind. The weather did have an effect on the filming as I had planned for every shot to be in the daylight, yet due to the rain, in some shots it was evident that it was growing darker. Nevertheless, I decided to add an extra shot of the protagonist walking down a pathway into the darkness which I felt was very successful and could be used as the ending of the opening sequence.
I faced very few challenges during my filming; the main challenge I had to face was with the weather. When I was filming locally, by the lake, there was a strong wind which actually caused one of the balloons the protagonist was carrying to blow away. This slight set back was overcome as I had brought a couple of extra balloons with me. Many of the shots I used in the final piece were of the protagonist by the lake, and show the bad weather, although when editing my filming I found that the wind actually added a great effect to the shots as it caused the camera to shake which created a sense of fear.
One way in which I challenge the conventions of a media product is that unlike most opening sequences to crime films which usually include a chase scene with great suspense, or a shot of the crime being committed, I chose to use a more subtle approach to try and intrigue the audience by
introducing the main character but not giving too much away in a short space of time. I felt this added mystery to the film as the audience are unable to predict the storyline and plot.
My film is an enigma, it is a mystery which is slowly unravelled when the audience are shown the clowns background and understand his childhood. This uses the conventions of a real media product as similarly, it is based around a key central topic in crime thrillers: psychological exposure.
The actor used for the opening sequence was of a particular age group, the reason for this is that I wanted the character to be portrayed in a specific way. This was particularly important as the storyline states that throughout his life the clown had been isolated, and has pursued a career as a clown to gain revenge on children. Therefore the actor I used was a male in his mid fifties which I felt fitted the part perfectly.
I believe it is most likely for my project to be viewed on the internet, as with most films distributed on the internet, it only had a low budget which I feel has an effect on its distribution. Due to the low budget, I think it is unlikely that the audience would pay to see it on the television or cinema.
The audience for my film would be teenagers. I think due to the storyline, and the central topic including abduction, it is not appropriate for a young audience. I feel that it is unsuitable for children, but as having a phobia of clowns is relatively common, it could be successful in thrilling the audience in scenes of great suspense. As the films protagonist is a clown, it may or may not attract the audience depending on whether they have an existing fear or phobia. As the story is uncovered the audience will learn that there are psychological issues behind the clown’s actions.
During the process of constructing my project I have learnt many things about technology. Before editing my film I had never used a Mac before. After consistent practice I became more confident with the cuts I was making and the way the project was piecing together. I really enjoyed editing and finding new techniques to add effects to the shots. I learnt that characters and locations can be represented in different ways through the use of editing techniques. One of the effects I used was ‘black and white’ which I personally felt fitted in well with the mood and representation of the protagonist. It also had a great effect on the location and surroundings, creating a sense of loneliness.
The location, sound and titles were very important aspects of the film as well as the protagonist. It is a common occurrence for thrillers to be set in an isolated, remote area, so when I chose to film by the lake I was following the conventions of the genre. The shots of the clown by the lake create a sense of loneliness as the clown is very calm. Instead of involving common scenes such as chase scenes or a crime being committed, I felt the shots added a sense of suspense in an unexpected way.
I created the music for my soundtrack on Garage Band which I felt was my biggest challenge. I wanted to make sure the instruments used fitted in well with the tone I was setting through the film. In order to do this I used a mixture of pianos and violins to keep the music peaceful, and then would build up the instruments together to create more of an impact on the audience. The final piece of music I produced worked well when joined together with the film. The music was also played during the titles, which were shown in between shots. After trying out different coloured backgrounds and fonts I decided to use a black background with stark, white font, which felt appropriate for the genre. All in all, I felt the combination of the different shots, the music and the locations all tied in well and helped portray the protagonist as lonely and depressed.
Although I am pleased with the final outcome I feel if I was to do it again I could improve on a number of things. When cutting scenes I feel that I should have kept some of the stand still shots of the clown, showing more facial expression, and less of the walking shots. Secondly, I feel that maybe more should have been revealed in terms of the storyline, as very little was given away, which may cause the audience to question how it is a crime thriller. On the other hand, I feel some of the effects I used had a positive outcome, such as the black and white effect, and slowing down the shots which helped to add the sense of loneliness.
I was happy with my choice of location regarding the lake, as one of my favourite shots was the protagonist sitting on a bench looking over at the lake which I shot from behind.
Through the process of the project I have learnt how valuable it is to plan, especially during a filming project, it is very important in case of weather difficulties, or actors busy schedules. I have also learnt how to use an Apple Mac, which was very enjoyable as it is very different to a normal PC. Alongside this, I have gained knowledge on how to operate a camera, including varied angle shots which can be used to represent characters in different ways, and how to load the footage onto the Mac which in fact is a very simple process.
During the planning stage I had chosen each individual scene and specifically planned out what would be required. However, there are a couple of scenes I decided to change. In one of the scenes I was going to film the clown walking across a field on his way to a child’s party, but on the day of filming the grass was wet and quite slippery, so, instead I chose to film the protagonist walking down a path which enabled me to capture a variety of angles. As well as location issues, I had to make sure that I filmed during the daylight because I was keen to focus on the protagonists face and expressions made. Unfortunately, on the day of filming there were frequent light showers which made it difficult to repeat shots without the rain and wind. The weather did have an effect on the filming as I had planned for every shot to be in the daylight, yet due to the rain, in some shots it was evident that it was growing darker. Nevertheless, I decided to add an extra shot of the protagonist walking down a pathway into the darkness which I felt was very successful and could be used as the ending of the opening sequence.
I faced very few challenges during my filming; the main challenge I had to face was with the weather. When I was filming locally, by the lake, there was a strong wind which actually caused one of the balloons the protagonist was carrying to blow away. This slight set back was overcome as I had brought a couple of extra balloons with me. Many of the shots I used in the final piece were of the protagonist by the lake, and show the bad weather, although when editing my filming I found that the wind actually added a great effect to the shots as it caused the camera to shake which created a sense of fear.
One way in which I challenge the conventions of a media product is that unlike most opening sequences to crime films which usually include a chase scene with great suspense, or a shot of the crime being committed, I chose to use a more subtle approach to try and intrigue the audience by
introducing the main character but not giving too much away in a short space of time. I felt this added mystery to the film as the audience are unable to predict the storyline and plot.
My film is an enigma, it is a mystery which is slowly unravelled when the audience are shown the clowns background and understand his childhood. This uses the conventions of a real media product as similarly, it is based around a key central topic in crime thrillers: psychological exposure.
The actor used for the opening sequence was of a particular age group, the reason for this is that I wanted the character to be portrayed in a specific way. This was particularly important as the storyline states that throughout his life the clown had been isolated, and has pursued a career as a clown to gain revenge on children. Therefore the actor I used was a male in his mid fifties which I felt fitted the part perfectly.
I believe it is most likely for my project to be viewed on the internet, as with most films distributed on the internet, it only had a low budget which I feel has an effect on its distribution. Due to the low budget, I think it is unlikely that the audience would pay to see it on the television or cinema.
The audience for my film would be teenagers. I think due to the storyline, and the central topic including abduction, it is not appropriate for a young audience. I feel that it is unsuitable for children, but as having a phobia of clowns is relatively common, it could be successful in thrilling the audience in scenes of great suspense. As the films protagonist is a clown, it may or may not attract the audience depending on whether they have an existing fear or phobia. As the story is uncovered the audience will learn that there are psychological issues behind the clown’s actions.
During the process of constructing my project I have learnt many things about technology. Before editing my film I had never used a Mac before. After consistent practice I became more confident with the cuts I was making and the way the project was piecing together. I really enjoyed editing and finding new techniques to add effects to the shots. I learnt that characters and locations can be represented in different ways through the use of editing techniques. One of the effects I used was ‘black and white’ which I personally felt fitted in well with the mood and representation of the protagonist. It also had a great effect on the location and surroundings, creating a sense of loneliness.
The location, sound and titles were very important aspects of the film as well as the protagonist. It is a common occurrence for thrillers to be set in an isolated, remote area, so when I chose to film by the lake I was following the conventions of the genre. The shots of the clown by the lake create a sense of loneliness as the clown is very calm. Instead of involving common scenes such as chase scenes or a crime being committed, I felt the shots added a sense of suspense in an unexpected way.
I created the music for my soundtrack on Garage Band which I felt was my biggest challenge. I wanted to make sure the instruments used fitted in well with the tone I was setting through the film. In order to do this I used a mixture of pianos and violins to keep the music peaceful, and then would build up the instruments together to create more of an impact on the audience. The final piece of music I produced worked well when joined together with the film. The music was also played during the titles, which were shown in between shots. After trying out different coloured backgrounds and fonts I decided to use a black background with stark, white font, which felt appropriate for the genre. All in all, I felt the combination of the different shots, the music and the locations all tied in well and helped portray the protagonist as lonely and depressed.
Although I am pleased with the final outcome I feel if I was to do it again I could improve on a number of things. When cutting scenes I feel that I should have kept some of the stand still shots of the clown, showing more facial expression, and less of the walking shots. Secondly, I feel that maybe more should have been revealed in terms of the storyline, as very little was given away, which may cause the audience to question how it is a crime thriller. On the other hand, I feel some of the effects I used had a positive outcome, such as the black and white effect, and slowing down the shots which helped to add the sense of loneliness.
I was happy with my choice of location regarding the lake, as one of my favourite shots was the protagonist sitting on a bench looking over at the lake which I shot from behind.
Through the process of the project I have learnt how valuable it is to plan, especially during a filming project, it is very important in case of weather difficulties, or actors busy schedules. I have also learnt how to use an Apple Mac, which was very enjoyable as it is very different to a normal PC. Alongside this, I have gained knowledge on how to operate a camera, including varied angle shots which can be used to represent characters in different ways, and how to load the footage onto the Mac which in fact is a very simple process.
