Showing posts with label Alexander Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alexander Martin. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Problems with Production
Despite how successful the film came out there were a number of serious problems that threatened the feature even being created never mind produced. Here is a list of the most serious.
1. Officially the media groups are expected to be between 3 - 5 which our group fell under for the initial planning stages, however after 3 weeks one of our group dropped out of the course leaving the group with only 2 memebers which meant the research, filming, photography, acting and the editing was all performed by only 2 people, perhaps one of the most serious handicaps.
2. Malfunctioning machinery led to us losing the entire 1st filming of the office scene and having to re-shoot it, it didn't lead to an immediately serious problem because we simply re-shot it but none the less it led to alot of lost time (the problem was the on board mic wasn't recording sound). Not only that a similiar incident happened with the title sequences when it came to editing there was a blue dot constantly on the screen which didn't look very professional and couldn't be removed as a result it had to be re-shot but again this didn't drastically effect it but led to lost time.
3. My PC broke down 3 weeks before the hand in date which led to some problems with updating the blog and had to time manage to use other peoples and the colleges internet to contiune to update.
1. Officially the media groups are expected to be between 3 - 5 which our group fell under for the initial planning stages, however after 3 weeks one of our group dropped out of the course leaving the group with only 2 memebers which meant the research, filming, photography, acting and the editing was all performed by only 2 people, perhaps one of the most serious handicaps.
2. Malfunctioning machinery led to us losing the entire 1st filming of the office scene and having to re-shoot it, it didn't lead to an immediately serious problem because we simply re-shot it but none the less it led to alot of lost time (the problem was the on board mic wasn't recording sound). Not only that a similiar incident happened with the title sequences when it came to editing there was a blue dot constantly on the screen which didn't look very professional and couldn't be removed as a result it had to be re-shot but again this didn't drastically effect it but led to lost time.
3. My PC broke down 3 weeks before the hand in date which led to some problems with updating the blog and had to time manage to use other peoples and the colleges internet to contiune to update.
Evaluation pt. 4 - What have you learned from your audience feedback ?
When it comes to a films development consideration of the target audience is essential since it is these people who the directors and producers will be relying on the make back their investment. This project is no exception with an extensive audience research procedure carried out in the form of informal interviews, questionnaires and internet surveys to establish how much of an audience there was for the particular genre chosen, what they expect from it and how it should be dealt with regarding distribution and exhibition.
Before project began I understood that people now a days are used to seeing big blockbuster, visually stimulating movies pumped out by a film producing machine that does all it can to not shock the audience, not offend anyone or try and make them think too hard, the group decided that we would take a different route and instead of focussing necessarily on a film idea but more on the possibility of making the film about an emerging public social issue of the over-reliance on media in an age where people are literally bombarded by media near constantly even throughout their daily lives, it also became apparent that this can inoculate these people and even drive them to rely on it for social sustenance which isn’t a good thing and can be made dangerous for certain, easily influenced, individuals. Audience research before production began there was an initial questionnaire sent out using the internet social networking site facebook which enabled us to reach a much larger audience at a much quicker time as opposed to going into the streets and asking to volunteers from a normally unresponsive public. The results were of a mixed reaction which can be expected since the survey was sent out to all manner of people from males and females to people from different culture groups i.e. Goths, rockers, homosexuals and even people of different ethnical backgrounds i.e. oriental’s. The results proved that both males and females had a similar response to the idea of the film but the females liked the idea of a male being the victim for a change since the social norm is for it to be a female victim and that the music should be orchestral, quiet and eerie in order to add tension and provoke a sense of foreboding in the audience etc.
Our initial research proved useful in that it made it clear that there was a market for our perticular genre and not only did it indicate this but it also stretched across soial boundaries not only did the average cinema goer show interest but so the did the academic and the sreet cultures all showed a genuine interest in the type of film that would be created from this provided that it was done to a good degree i.e. good use of music, effects, acting, lighting and locations which made is focus harder on the atmosphere of the whole film and the careful selection of the shooting locations.
However the initial research proved alittle biased since only those who came forward were males which left a vaccuum for a potential male audience, we were able to remedy this in the next audience in the facebook questionnaire and the film opinion interview but none the less this didn't drastically effect the films production since the girls said they enjoyed the film and wouldn't change much if "anything" if given he oppertunity.
Throughout the film’s production it was imperative that we keep the audience’s comments in mind when it came to their opinions of how people behave in the psychological genre, mainly be quiet, disturbed but not raving just quiet and detached which is where the idea of a voice-over came from since it allowed the main character to appear quiet and subdued but also introduce himself and a character using a voice-over display the idea of an unstable mentality. Not only that the message the film wanted to put across had to be made more apparent which was done though the use of props and locations i.e. DVD stack, large TV and an empty almost cell-like apartment, to create the eerie feel the use of lighting in both the 1st and 2nd scenes were done to create tension and hint at possible plot twists or alternative personalities.
The use of these effects were used to make the message more obvious and the used of certain effects i.e. stop-motion in titles, the shadowy stranger transporting everywhere, the clean room one minute and wrecked room the next, all this was done to provoke tension and reactions in the audience and the idea for making a separate snuff film for the actual film using the lead actor in both was another idea taken from the audience at the suggestion of involving more than one twist. The idea for music again came from the audience who suggested an orchestral eerie music normally played at low volume with interludes or slightly louder sound effects i.e. creaking or a bell tolling, however none said they expected a vast selection of music was required which inspired the idea to try use just one piece of music throughout and was achieved quite well and if ever there were certain sound effects we wonted then they were either recorded or the music was edited slightly so it matched the actions on the screen.
After taking all this into consideration during the film’s production when the film was close to completion a sample copy was shown to a selection of those people who answered the questionnaire, the selection was made to be mixed so that different responses could be attained, we selected a female and two males each representing a different sub-culture i.e. one goth, one rocker and one academic to see what each person thought. Initially it proved difficult to get any constructive criticism from these since they were all very complimentary of the film and endorsed it fully however once the matter was addressed directly they provided some small details that could have been altered i.e. more fluid editing, involve another actor and improve the dialogue slightly, however even these problems were minor and required very little to tweak.
The first two individuals seemed to get the overall meaning of the film by simply saying that all that needed to be done was make it more fluid and that the lack of dialogue actually added to the film which meant they understood the meaning behind most of the film however the third person claimed that there could have been more actors involved which is an understandable and valid critique however the inclusion of more actors would have made the idea of loneliness less acute however it did inspire the idea to involve a 3rd shadowy character to add to the atmosphere instead of the previous idea which was to just use sound effects.
It seemed after everything that cultural differences didn’t impede the films audience much but it was discovered that the psychological genre has a particular appeal to people of certain sub-cultures such as goth, rockers, academics and fans of intellectual and avant garde cinema who are the people that were it was going to be aimed towards anyway since its advising them not to become like this and to seek lives away from the reliance of media.
Before project began I understood that people now a days are used to seeing big blockbuster, visually stimulating movies pumped out by a film producing machine that does all it can to not shock the audience, not offend anyone or try and make them think too hard, the group decided that we would take a different route and instead of focussing necessarily on a film idea but more on the possibility of making the film about an emerging public social issue of the over-reliance on media in an age where people are literally bombarded by media near constantly even throughout their daily lives, it also became apparent that this can inoculate these people and even drive them to rely on it for social sustenance which isn’t a good thing and can be made dangerous for certain, easily influenced, individuals. Audience research before production began there was an initial questionnaire sent out using the internet social networking site facebook which enabled us to reach a much larger audience at a much quicker time as opposed to going into the streets and asking to volunteers from a normally unresponsive public. The results were of a mixed reaction which can be expected since the survey was sent out to all manner of people from males and females to people from different culture groups i.e. Goths, rockers, homosexuals and even people of different ethnical backgrounds i.e. oriental’s. The results proved that both males and females had a similar response to the idea of the film but the females liked the idea of a male being the victim for a change since the social norm is for it to be a female victim and that the music should be orchestral, quiet and eerie in order to add tension and provoke a sense of foreboding in the audience etc.
Our initial research proved useful in that it made it clear that there was a market for our perticular genre and not only did it indicate this but it also stretched across soial boundaries not only did the average cinema goer show interest but so the did the academic and the sreet cultures all showed a genuine interest in the type of film that would be created from this provided that it was done to a good degree i.e. good use of music, effects, acting, lighting and locations which made is focus harder on the atmosphere of the whole film and the careful selection of the shooting locations.
However the initial research proved alittle biased since only those who came forward were males which left a vaccuum for a potential male audience, we were able to remedy this in the next audience in the facebook questionnaire and the film opinion interview but none the less this didn't drastically effect the films production since the girls said they enjoyed the film and wouldn't change much if "anything" if given he oppertunity.
Throughout the film’s production it was imperative that we keep the audience’s comments in mind when it came to their opinions of how people behave in the psychological genre, mainly be quiet, disturbed but not raving just quiet and detached which is where the idea of a voice-over came from since it allowed the main character to appear quiet and subdued but also introduce himself and a character using a voice-over display the idea of an unstable mentality. Not only that the message the film wanted to put across had to be made more apparent which was done though the use of props and locations i.e. DVD stack, large TV and an empty almost cell-like apartment, to create the eerie feel the use of lighting in both the 1st and 2nd scenes were done to create tension and hint at possible plot twists or alternative personalities.
The use of these effects were used to make the message more obvious and the used of certain effects i.e. stop-motion in titles, the shadowy stranger transporting everywhere, the clean room one minute and wrecked room the next, all this was done to provoke tension and reactions in the audience and the idea for making a separate snuff film for the actual film using the lead actor in both was another idea taken from the audience at the suggestion of involving more than one twist. The idea for music again came from the audience who suggested an orchestral eerie music normally played at low volume with interludes or slightly louder sound effects i.e. creaking or a bell tolling, however none said they expected a vast selection of music was required which inspired the idea to try use just one piece of music throughout and was achieved quite well and if ever there were certain sound effects we wonted then they were either recorded or the music was edited slightly so it matched the actions on the screen.
After taking all this into consideration during the film’s production when the film was close to completion a sample copy was shown to a selection of those people who answered the questionnaire, the selection was made to be mixed so that different responses could be attained, we selected a female and two males each representing a different sub-culture i.e. one goth, one rocker and one academic to see what each person thought. Initially it proved difficult to get any constructive criticism from these since they were all very complimentary of the film and endorsed it fully however once the matter was addressed directly they provided some small details that could have been altered i.e. more fluid editing, involve another actor and improve the dialogue slightly, however even these problems were minor and required very little to tweak.
The first two individuals seemed to get the overall meaning of the film by simply saying that all that needed to be done was make it more fluid and that the lack of dialogue actually added to the film which meant they understood the meaning behind most of the film however the third person claimed that there could have been more actors involved which is an understandable and valid critique however the inclusion of more actors would have made the idea of loneliness less acute however it did inspire the idea to involve a 3rd shadowy character to add to the atmosphere instead of the previous idea which was to just use sound effects.
It seemed after everything that cultural differences didn’t impede the films audience much but it was discovered that the psychological genre has a particular appeal to people of certain sub-cultures such as goth, rockers, academics and fans of intellectual and avant garde cinema who are the people that were it was going to be aimed towards anyway since its advising them not to become like this and to seek lives away from the reliance of media.
Evaluation pt. 3 - How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary texts?
The idea of the main product was to not only to create a deep and interesting media experience by exploiting the genres of Psychological Horror so as to tell a message along with entertain and/or horrify. Bringing to light certain modern social issues that may have been overlooked was the goal which I feel was achieved expanentionally and after conducting an audience research found that some were able to understand what the film was meant to represent however this was usually from an experienced watcher of the horror and psychological genres with the more media challenged at first viewed it as a normal psychological horror but expressed interest to watch it again and that they would go watch it if it was distributed.
The radio production proved difficult due to the lack of any real research material which led us using a film which is almost the exact opposite to ou own (DR Who) but none the less proved effective in that it showed us how the advert should be structured, we decided to make it easier on our selves by only recording the promotional phrases on a zoom mic and using all the atmospheric music and sound effects from the film to enhance the trailer and make it more entertaining to listen to and ultimately make people want to go and see the film. We went through the motion by statig the people involved in production, he title of the film and who starts in it and eneded it with the entising traditional words of "coming soon" which will make people wonder about its release and keep an eye out, this could unintentionally lead to a cheap form of advertising through word of mouth.
Along with the project two pieces of ancillary texts were developed namely a poster and a radio trailer both of which involved using media in or related to the film. The poster, both draft and actual, was made using both scenes and props from the film itself so as to carry some of the weight and message along with it. The draft sums it up completely with Derek, protagonist, sitting in front of a blank screen, alone with DVD’s strewn about the floor this symbolises his loneliness and his reliance on media for comfort which I feel encompasses what the film was trying to convey, mental imbalances caused by an over-reliance on media.
The main poster was a lot more minimalistic in that it just involves a table with a noose strategically placed with the DVD within the rope so as to link both suicide and the media. While this may not be as obvious as the previous one it does appear more like an actual movie which will ultimately attract an audience so they can see the message and thus spread it above and beyond its target audience, being both teenagers and adults both of which I hope will find the film educational and provide them with a necessary incite as to the dangers of relying on media to replace reality so they can then spread it themselves through word of mouth both the message and the film allowing not only for a word-of-mouth advertising technique but also do a genuine good deed.
The radio production proved difficult due to the lack of any real research material which led us using a film which is almost the exact opposite to ou own (DR Who) but none the less proved effective in that it showed us how the advert should be structured, we decided to make it easier on our selves by only recording the promotional phrases on a zoom mic and using all the atmospheric music and sound effects from the film to enhance the trailer and make it more entertaining to listen to and ultimately make people want to go and see the film. We went through the motion by statig the people involved in production, he title of the film and who starts in it and eneded it with the entising traditional words of "coming soon" which will make people wonder about its release and keep an eye out, this could unintentionally lead to a cheap form of advertising through word of mouth.
Along with the project two pieces of ancillary texts were developed namely a poster and a radio trailer both of which involved using media in or related to the film. The poster, both draft and actual, was made using both scenes and props from the film itself so as to carry some of the weight and message along with it. The draft sums it up completely with Derek, protagonist, sitting in front of a blank screen, alone with DVD’s strewn about the floor this symbolises his loneliness and his reliance on media for comfort which I feel encompasses what the film was trying to convey, mental imbalances caused by an over-reliance on media.
The main poster was a lot more minimalistic in that it just involves a table with a noose strategically placed with the DVD within the rope so as to link both suicide and the media. While this may not be as obvious as the previous one it does appear more like an actual movie which will ultimately attract an audience so they can see the message and thus spread it above and beyond its target audience, being both teenagers and adults both of which I hope will find the film educational and provide them with a necessary incite as to the dangers of relying on media to replace reality so they can then spread it themselves through word of mouth both the message and the film allowing not only for a word-of-mouth advertising technique but also do a genuine good deed.
Evaluation pt. 2 - In what ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Throughout the films planning it was essential that we not only maintain the status quo towards psychological horror but to also bring something new to the table and challenge the social norms that surround the genre. The conventions that were maintained revolve around the use of traditional camera shots and sequences i.e. Subjectivity and restricted narrative. The audience is constantly kept with the mind of the character with very little genuine dialogue but also within the parameters of what the character knows and sees.
Furthermore the use of conventional camera angles and pace of editing, slow and tense, is maintained throughout with a final climactic scene accounting for almost all of the films loud and expressive elements being saved until last.
However it was also important to do something new that challenges the conventional approaches in several forms such as a male lead which could attract a female audience since it normally a female victim but also to make the a single almost unattached character to heighten the loneliness whereas normal horror movies involve a popular social figure to make the feeling of loss more profound and impacting in the world of the film but ours is very isolated at first with the idea of the “cursed DVD” expanding only made apparent in the office and last scenes.
But despite the conventions and challenges it manages to remain loyal to the genre with a very slow pace of editing so as to build tension and to allow the characters and sequence of events to develop into the climactic finish at the end where it feels that all the emotions and tensions have been building up to this point in order to unleash on the audience the raw power of what has occurred and what has been implied since the beginning of the film.
In terms of subverting expectations the film manages to keep the usual norms but also to add a different twist into the genre. Since psycho-horrors are usually aimed at a large audience but made primarily to scare the female audience since its those that are normally portrayed as the victims but here the man is the victim which can make the females more at ease and the males more tense but the idea being that since the public are used to a female victim and the males all of a sudden being targeted creates a feeling of equality and that men are just as much in harm’s way as the women.
It becomes obvious to any fan of the horror genre that our film takes many snippets and idea from pre-existing films in that scenes and angles are used that are commonly used to add atmosphere in the horror genre i.e. the car park scene taken from Candyman and the DVD scene taken from the Ring, indeed the whole premise of a killer DVD, representing the media in general, is common as portraying that the media can cause harm wither it be enhancing an already disturbed characters condition or actively taking part in the character demise. However these films tend to have the character “death by media” occur as a result of supernatural occurrences whereas our film doesn’t actually have the character being killed by the DVD but rather adding a supernatural element that is meant to represent the character approaching death and the actual death being the result of the characters mental imbalances and so whereas most horrors usually have a simple message i.e. don’t drive at night or don’t trust a stranger, our film takes a different route.
Our film is an indication of the characters overreliance on the media which causes him to detach from reality to a point where is death is only natural since he can no longer be considered a part of this world and the implications of it spreading shows that this isn’t an isolated events but can occur to anyone at any time and unless it is monitored and managed can spread.
The idea is to shock and scare the audience into realising that media reliance is a serious issue in today’s modern age which makes me believe that this film carries a more serious and up to date message that the audience can relate to and ultimately feel responsible for whereas other horror film rely on the supernatural element to drive home and take up the whole film with a message thrown in for good measure, here its vice versa with the message (psychological) being the priority and the supernatural (horror) following behind as secondary.
After the audience research I believe we have conveyed this message effectively however duo to the social norms dominating the horror genre the audience can be confused since the film doesn’t follow it word for word, that doesn’t mean that the message is lost but it does mean that the audience may need to watch the film two or three extra times to finally realise what the film is meant to represent since they won’t be used to a psychological horror film being dominated by the psychological side rather than the horror, but alternatively this only occurs due to the superiority of the traditional market which is tailored to only scare the audience whereas to a psychological genre fan it is made a lot more aware what the film is about making the film itself tread a fine line towards its potential audience.
Snuff will attract a horror fan due to it scariness but also a psychological fan due to its implied meaning which I feel can make it appeal to both a causal film goer and an educated media specialist who will see the implied message and the horror fans seeing as a different style of horror film who will see hints of a message and be attracted to watch it again to further their own understanding. In a sense I can feel proud of the fact that when a person takes a real interest it can educate the audience no just by bringing to light the issue of media reliance but also to look deeper into other films for hidden messages that are apparent throughout all films but often overlooked.
In conclusion while this project makes a lot of effort to follow the tradition of the psychological horror genre it also takes great pains to deviate if only slightly, it makes the film message more obvious but in order to do this the supernatural element had to be toned down but even though this was done both psychological and horror are still maintained equally the message of films like the Ring and the Grudge can often be over looked and indeed not noticed due to its heavy scare tactics which was something I wished to avoid by making the message more obvious but also using message heavy films like Paranoia and Shutter Island as a reference since these tend to ignore or tone down the tense and emotional areas in favour of the message. These films help to not only generate conventional ideas in terms of camera shots and atmospheres but also to create a unique and challenging blend of the two genres that enable the audience to understand that a films depth can run further than simply what’s on the screen and reach into the real world to display something that is already there but overlooked.
Furthermore the use of conventional camera angles and pace of editing, slow and tense, is maintained throughout with a final climactic scene accounting for almost all of the films loud and expressive elements being saved until last.
However it was also important to do something new that challenges the conventional approaches in several forms such as a male lead which could attract a female audience since it normally a female victim but also to make the a single almost unattached character to heighten the loneliness whereas normal horror movies involve a popular social figure to make the feeling of loss more profound and impacting in the world of the film but ours is very isolated at first with the idea of the “cursed DVD” expanding only made apparent in the office and last scenes.
But despite the conventions and challenges it manages to remain loyal to the genre with a very slow pace of editing so as to build tension and to allow the characters and sequence of events to develop into the climactic finish at the end where it feels that all the emotions and tensions have been building up to this point in order to unleash on the audience the raw power of what has occurred and what has been implied since the beginning of the film.
In terms of subverting expectations the film manages to keep the usual norms but also to add a different twist into the genre. Since psycho-horrors are usually aimed at a large audience but made primarily to scare the female audience since its those that are normally portrayed as the victims but here the man is the victim which can make the females more at ease and the males more tense but the idea being that since the public are used to a female victim and the males all of a sudden being targeted creates a feeling of equality and that men are just as much in harm’s way as the women.
It becomes obvious to any fan of the horror genre that our film takes many snippets and idea from pre-existing films in that scenes and angles are used that are commonly used to add atmosphere in the horror genre i.e. the car park scene taken from Candyman and the DVD scene taken from the Ring, indeed the whole premise of a killer DVD, representing the media in general, is common as portraying that the media can cause harm wither it be enhancing an already disturbed characters condition or actively taking part in the character demise. However these films tend to have the character “death by media” occur as a result of supernatural occurrences whereas our film doesn’t actually have the character being killed by the DVD but rather adding a supernatural element that is meant to represent the character approaching death and the actual death being the result of the characters mental imbalances and so whereas most horrors usually have a simple message i.e. don’t drive at night or don’t trust a stranger, our film takes a different route.
Our film is an indication of the characters overreliance on the media which causes him to detach from reality to a point where is death is only natural since he can no longer be considered a part of this world and the implications of it spreading shows that this isn’t an isolated events but can occur to anyone at any time and unless it is monitored and managed can spread.
The idea is to shock and scare the audience into realising that media reliance is a serious issue in today’s modern age which makes me believe that this film carries a more serious and up to date message that the audience can relate to and ultimately feel responsible for whereas other horror film rely on the supernatural element to drive home and take up the whole film with a message thrown in for good measure, here its vice versa with the message (psychological) being the priority and the supernatural (horror) following behind as secondary.
After the audience research I believe we have conveyed this message effectively however duo to the social norms dominating the horror genre the audience can be confused since the film doesn’t follow it word for word, that doesn’t mean that the message is lost but it does mean that the audience may need to watch the film two or three extra times to finally realise what the film is meant to represent since they won’t be used to a psychological horror film being dominated by the psychological side rather than the horror, but alternatively this only occurs due to the superiority of the traditional market which is tailored to only scare the audience whereas to a psychological genre fan it is made a lot more aware what the film is about making the film itself tread a fine line towards its potential audience.
Snuff will attract a horror fan due to it scariness but also a psychological fan due to its implied meaning which I feel can make it appeal to both a causal film goer and an educated media specialist who will see the implied message and the horror fans seeing as a different style of horror film who will see hints of a message and be attracted to watch it again to further their own understanding. In a sense I can feel proud of the fact that when a person takes a real interest it can educate the audience no just by bringing to light the issue of media reliance but also to look deeper into other films for hidden messages that are apparent throughout all films but often overlooked.
In conclusion while this project makes a lot of effort to follow the tradition of the psychological horror genre it also takes great pains to deviate if only slightly, it makes the film message more obvious but in order to do this the supernatural element had to be toned down but even though this was done both psychological and horror are still maintained equally the message of films like the Ring and the Grudge can often be over looked and indeed not noticed due to its heavy scare tactics which was something I wished to avoid by making the message more obvious but also using message heavy films like Paranoia and Shutter Island as a reference since these tend to ignore or tone down the tense and emotional areas in favour of the message. These films help to not only generate conventional ideas in terms of camera shots and atmospheres but also to create a unique and challenging blend of the two genres that enable the audience to understand that a films depth can run further than simply what’s on the screen and reach into the real world to display something that is already there but overlooked.
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