Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what have you learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task, I have learnt that hard work and dedication is the way forward. I have learnt a lot whilst making my film. I learnt how to make background noise fade, how to cut from one scene to the other smoothly, how to add  appropriate background music at the beginning of my film and how to add some background music to the film. I have learnt how to use a camera properly and how to use the settings; also I have learnt how different camera angles have effect on target audiences. For example a camera angle I have learnt, and won’t forget Is the extreme close up. I learnt that it is used to show emotions and feelings. In my personal opinion I think I have made a huge progress from my preliminary task to my final edited product.

Question 6: what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the filming of my opening sequence I found it quite difficult using a tripod because when I played the scene, the tripod made a lot of noise. To overcome this problem I decided to use my hand to hold the camera. This was a lot better because my hands were quite steady which made it better to film and the background noise reduced. I used an Apple Mac Computer to edit my opening sequence. This software was really hard to use but I played around with it for a while then I got used to it. It was really helpful because I was able to cut some of the unnecessary background noise out, I was also able to use the effects such as “The Ripple” to help create emphasis on my the scene. I produced the music that I used in my opening sequence using “Garage Band”. Whilst I was making my film I had to make sure that there was no obstacle in the way, I also had to make sure my location were in a safe area, and shooting all my scenes during daytime, this is so my characters are safe and no accidents happening during filming.

i used a Canon Camera to video my opening sequence.

<i  used the editing software on a Mac computer to edit my film.

Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Before I filmed my opening sequence I had to do a lot of research to make sure I attracted& address the right target audience. I had to make sure that my film was exciting and I had to make something a teenager would be interested in, and something they would want to carry on watching. Having teenage characters also helped in attracting and engaging the right target audience, it also helped the teenage viewers feel involved. I wanted to make an opening sequence that the audience would watch and think to themselves “I know that feeling”. Attracting the right target audience to suite my film idea I had to, create a questionnaire, this allowed me to see what different people of different age groups preferred watching. I didn't make my film according to the results of my questionnaire this was because I had a lot if adult response. I also had complete a task for our Blogs on our favorite movie genres, this helped  me in making the decision of making a “Coming of Age” drama as my opening sequence. My personal favourite Movie genres are: teen drama/comedy Movies. This is because I can relate to them, and also understand the message they are trying to get across.

Question 4: who would be the audience for your media product?

From doing my research on the BBFC and watching my opening sequence piece, my film will be rated 12. The narrative of my  “Coming of Age” drama focuses on a female teen character who is 18 years of age, therefore my film will appeal to anyone in their teenage years and now growing up into adulthood. I think the BBFC I rated my film is appropriate, because I wrote the film from a teenager’s perspective. My opening sequence piece hasn’t got expensive cameras used to video it, so it didn’t come out top range like other coming of age films such as: 16 wishes, but the storyline can help my teenage target audience relate to whatever it is that’s happened to them or if they haven’t experienced such thing, my media product can give them an insight on what others that have been through it really feel.

Question 3: what kind of media institute might distribute you media product?

It is very unlikely that my film will get distributed to a big media institution like a cinema. This is because it doesn’t have the level of quality to be shown/distributed by a media institute of high standards. My chosen film genre has already been produced and released to high quality; releasing another “Coming of Age” drama into cinema with poor quality wouldn’t seem appropriate. On the other hand I would like to see my media product launched on social networking sites such as: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter & MySpace. By doing it creates a hype, enigma and buzz for the audience. It would also be easier for my target audience to have access to. Reason being; technology is the new way of everything, especially with teenagers. My media product being on networking sites will allow my target audience to access it anytime during the day. Teenagers don’t spend time watching TV anymore, they would rather be on their laptop socializing with friends. And from if a teenager sees the advertisement, they can pass the information to their friend and they can pass it on from there as well.

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents a particular social group through Gender& Age. It represents teenagers growing up and leaving the childish ways, and experiencing the feeling of reality hitting them hard. In my opening sequence piece I have a female character as my main focus. The film starting with a female character in some ways creates a sense of vulnerability. In some films women are presented to be weak, passive rather than active. In my media product I presented the characters to be friendly, caring and fashionable. They are shown to be matured, independent, and respectful. The main character in the film is turning 18, this shows that that’s the age where leaving the childish ways behind is essential. As we see in the last scene sometimes girls can’t handle reality and rather than facing it head on, like some boys do, girls tend to breakdown. It follows on with chick flick movies such as; Mean girls and Clueless. They all use female characters to play the main character because they present them to be strong physically but shown to be very weak and vulnerable inside.

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The title of my two minute opening sequence is called “The Unwanted Wish”.  The title was inspired by a major event that happened on my 14^th birthday. On the morning of that day I made a wish, I got out of bed and everything from there went downhill. In the early afternoon of that same day I found myself in the middle of a huge water fight. I was soaked, and dripping with water from head to toe. It felt like a dream I couldn’t wake up from.

I got the opportunity to make my own short film; this made me think hard on what I would want this short film to be based on. I then decided to make the film similar to the event that happened on my 14^th birthday. My opening sequence piece falls under the category of the “Coming of Age” genre. My chosen genre is quite common as it engages my target audiences, which are mainly Teenagers. This is because my opening sequence piece is based on what goes on in the modern society and in teenage life now. Often teenagers make wishes for the future, but sometimes theses wishes don’t always come true and sometimes they can go terribly wrong and backfire.

I have had a lot of influences on teenage drama/coming of age films, examples of my influences are: twilight, fish tank, freaky Friday, 17 again, 13 going on 30, 16 wishes and finally 16 candles.

I had a laptop and a broken white candle as props for my opening sequence piece. I chose to use the laptop as one of my props because it shows how modernized the film is, and it also show how technology has changed from when they made films in the 1980’s till now. The broken white candle in the last scene of my film represents her confusion and how incomplete she is, this could have been the reason she made the wish.

I used Diegetic and non-Diegetic sounds in my opening piece.

Diegetic:

·         At the beginning of the film we can hear the character talking to her friend on Skype and als0 when she spoke to her brother, when he came to wish her happy birthday.

·         Footsteps, door opening, can be heard in the film

We know its Diegetic sound because it’s within the frame and within context

Non-Diegetic:

·         I used different background music to help create a foreshadowing of what’s going to happen in the next scene.

We know it’s a non-diegetic sound because it’s not happening within the frame or context.

I decided to make the costumes for my characters in my movie modern and in trend with the fashion sense going on in this generation. This is because it will appeal more to my target audience.

As my opening sequence is a “Coming of Age” drama I decided to use basic camera angles such as; close up, over the shoulder shot and a 360 shot. These shot were kept basic because if I made it too complicated my target audience wouldn’t be interested and they would lose focus in the film.

In making this opening sequence I achieved a lot. I learnt how to use different camera angles and how to incorporate them into different scenes of my movie.

Film Locations

Scene 1
Monique's room: 
This is where Monique will be video chatting to her friends and this is also the room her brother comes in to wish her "Happy Birthday".

Scene 2

(Exterior Shopping Complex)
This is the shopping centre where Monique,Tianna and AY finished their shopping.

scene 3
This is the class room  where all of  Monique's friends will
be waiting for her to walk through the door and they shout
"Happy Birthday"

scene 4
this is the last scene in the Film this is where she opens her eye after blowing the candles of her cake and she discovers she her wish has gone Wrong.

what I Decided to Change.

I have decided to change the last scene in my movie idea

My own personal idea:

“Her best friend then brings the birthday cake to her and her friends/guests sing “Happy birthday”.  After the song, she blows out the candle with her eyes closed.  A friend in the crowd shouts to her telling her to make a wish. The birthday girl closes her eyes again to make a wish; this is where everything takes a turn for the worse. It flash-forwards to what happens to her after she makes the wish. When she opens her eyes and it’s filled with tears and flame.”

After gathering ideas from family members:

Her best friend then brings her to the room where all her friends are then they  sing “Happy birthday”.  After the song, A friend in the crowd shouts to her telling her to make a wish. The birthday girl closes her eyes again to make a wish; this is where everything takes a turn for the worse. It flash-forwards to what happens to her after she makes the wish. Everything is pitch black and when she opens her eyes she is in a different location standing on top of a hill, and on top of that hill there is the view of almost all the buildings in London.in her hand she has a candle, She looks at the candle with confusion in her eyes.This is because she didn't have any cake for her birthday neither did she have any candles in her hand.The camera will then be placed in the main characters hands and she will put it up and it will just be her face and the view from the hill top that we can see.

Showing my Family My Film Idea and getting their feedbacks.

Over the Christmas holiday I presented my film idea to my family and they contributed in different ways. They gave me numerous ideas that they feel would make my 2mins opening sequence Exciting and Interesting and leaving the audience wanting to know what happens next.

This below was my Brief idea for my opening sequence:

 “The Unwanted Wish”

My movie is based on a teenager who is turning 18. One of her friends plans a surprise party for her and everything is going well up until she makes her birthday wish. The wish goes terribly wrong.

This idea influenced me this why I decided to give the movie the title “The Unwanted Wish”.

The film starts with the girl on her computer having a webcam conversation with her friends on the morning of her birthday, it then moves on to the evening where she walks into her friend’s house and the guests shout out “surprise”.

Her best friend then brings the birthday cake to her and her friends/guests sing “Happy birthday”.  After the song, she blows out the candle with her eyes closed.  A friend in the crowd shouts to her telling her to make a wish. The birthday girl closes her eyes again to make a wish; this is where everything takes a turn for the worse. It flash-forwards to what happens to her after she makes the wish. When she opens her eyes and it’s filled with tears and flame.

Camera Shots

·         I will use an establishing shot at the beginning of the movie to show the girl’s bedroom and everything around her.

·         I will use a shoulder shot to show her talking to her friends on the computer, I will then tilt the camera to show her hand gestures.

·         I will zoom in on my main character’s face most of the time; this is to show her facial expression.

·         I will zoom in on my main character when she is closing her eyes to blow out the lights on her candles. I will also be zooming in on her eyes when she closes it to make a wish and when she opens it and her eyes are filled with tears and her eyes has flame behind the tears.

Setting

·         My film is going to be set in two different houses, the first house that will be shown in the film will be my main character’s house and the second house will be the main character’s best friend’s house.

·         There will be birthday banners around the second house to show the guests where the party is.

Costumes:

·          The costumes will use in my film will be very modern and classy. The party guests will be in smart casual clothing – clothing which would be suitable for a party.

·         In the morning as the main character is chatting via web cam, she will be comfortable clothing such as pyjamas or a tracksuit.

Reading through this with my family made me realise that I will need a lot of technological devices to actually make this idea realistic and to make sure it is produced to the best, but the school might not be able to provide this. So after gathering all the ideas my family gave to me, I decided to change some things with my first “Idea” And create something the technology provided can handle.

Film Brief

In our lesson we received our brief, we are to create an opening sequence of a movie that lasts approximately 2mins.

We have been advised to avoid the following sequences for our film:


Ø  Stalkers following a woman in the woods

ØFlashbacks

Ø  People playing cards
Ø   Someone waking up, brushing teeth, getting ready to go out.
Ø  Ouija board
Ø  People tied up and trapped in rooms
Ø  Someone sticking a knife/pins into someone’s picture

These are the Movies that influenced my film idea

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