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Dear moderator,

Here is my finished blog. You will be able to find evidence showing what I have learnt through the processes involved (pre-production, production and post-production)

You should find my blog is easy to navigate through via the links on the right side of the page and the hyperlinks connected to the many images and clips.

You may find particularly useful the links to my teammates' blogs (Michael Cassidy and Adam Romo).

Thank you for taking the time to read through my blog and I hope you enjoy it!

Daniel Sheldon - 3720

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

Let me start by giving an overview of our film:

"Plead" is a gritty British courtroom drama, which follows the struggles of a young woman, Lzzie, aged 19, who has brutally murdered her abusive boyfriend of 3 years, Josh, aged 23. She pleads guilty to the charge of murder without considering the other factors involved.

It is the job of her lawyer, Arthur Windsor, to dig deep into her memories and those of her friends and relatives to reveal the hiddent ruth of this murder. THe film shows the courtcase and reflects on all the evens which may have lead up to the murder from the perspective of the Lawyer; this way the audience knows only as uch as the information presented in the investigation.

Inspiration for the plot


When discussing the plot of this film with Adam and Michael, I immediately associated this with the storyline of a court case in the BBC series Waterloo Road (Series 5), which follows a case where a teenager murders her father who has been abusing her mother in a similar manner to our protagonist.


This sereis targets a very similar audience (16-21 females) so I felt this is an appropriate example to refer to when finalising our plot.

Opening Sequence


The sequence opens with establishing shots of the suburban setting. We are then taken instantly to the actio, with Lizzie kneeling above Josh's brutally stabbed and blood covered body. She's breathing heavily taking her time to absorb the events which have only just occured. She is interrupted by a knock on the door from a concerned neighbour, Paul, who informs her that he has heard a "commotion" and desires to help; our protagonist, however turns him away.

Narrative Structure


Our film does not adhere perfectly to a typical narrative structure. However, Todorov's equilibrium-disequilibrium theory and Propp's theory of character roles were significant too.

Todorov's equilibrium-disequilibrium theory:

Our adaptation:

We open with diseqilibrium and the sequence occurs in real time to startle and engage the audience, making it feel more realistic and perhaps even uncomfortably believable.

Propp's theory of character roles:

Although these roles are typical of a courtroom drama, we included an essence of ambiguity to Lizzie's character (is she villain or hero?), to retain audience interest.

Form


The task set was to create an opening sequence of a film, so it was important to follow a set format which would include the conventions of a title sequence. Earlier in the year, when studying TV Dramas we analysed many opening sequences and learnt that the conventions are:

• the opening sequence introduces characters and their relationships

• Sets up the rest of the film
• Includes titles which introduces the cast and crew

Our opening sequence clearly presents the characters and through the disturbing shot of the blood splattered photo, the audience immediately understands that they WERE in a loving relationship.

Style

We knew our film had to have a unique style to gain audience appeal. To get inspiration for this we designed the mise-en-scene based on an array of films we had already seen and was able to decide on components which helped to create the atmosphere we wanted to present.

We found a video on YouTube called Leave me Alone! by Blackbox TV, and found that the use of steadicam with a slight shake created an eerie and more realistic tone.

We recognised early on that audio is particularly useful in subtly creating tension and imposing a heart-stopping impact. For this we used the technique from The Dark Knight (2008, Nolan) and Paranormal Activity (2009, Peli) where audio is very quiet and goes through a crescendo over a long period of time till the sound is sickening and generally overwhelming with tension. We particularly used low rumble drones like in Paranormal Activity, although it is a different genre (horror) because we knew it was effective due to its realism.

Finally, we altered the hue and saturation in grading the footage to further intensify the drama. We attempted to desaturate the film to give the gritty British feel, however we boosted the reds to make the blood more vibrant. We also made the bedroom have a reddish hue, since this is where the murder just took place, representing the "heat" of the moment. In contrast, we included a slight blue hue over all footage outside the bedroom to accentuate a pristine, realistic and gritty feel to display to the audience that life still occurs as normal in the outside world.

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

Lizzie has strong representations of both age and gender, with many conventions overlapping.

She is a role model and a strong representative for late teenagers and young adult females through her efforts to contain and handle the traumatic truth.

The plot represents a taboo which the social groups are being represented may be experiencing behind closed doors. PLEAD reaches these demographics to give them the reassurance that they do not have to suffer in silence.

Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

PLEAD Release Strategy

• National staggered release
• High profile premiere in Leicester Square

The film will first screen in multiplex cinemas around London and then we'll release in other major cities around the UK like Manchester and Birmingham.

It will be premiered in London because the film is a gritty British drama and set in the suburbs of London.


An Autumn Release
This is the time when the weather starts to become more dismal and stereotypical of Britain, and this reflects in the attitudes of the people.

After PLEAD has been released throughout the UK, we will release overseas, starting with the USA since they are particularly interested in British associations like the location of London with all its associations such as Big Ben and red buses.

This is a similar release strategy to Snatch (2000, Ritchie), where the film premiered in the UK on 23 August 2000 and wasn’t released overseas till a month later in Finland on 25^th September 2000.

 

Our distributor is Kingwell Studios and they distribute a variety of genres from drama to comedy to romance providing they are all gritty British films, which is why we have adopted Snatch’s release strategy since it has a similar appeal in terms of its British values.

Kingwell Studios is very similar to Universal in that they have a global presence and also a dominating position in the UK. They have produced many gritty British films like This is England (2006, Meadows) and Green Street (2005, Alexander).

Our production company is Madhouse Media and they concentrate on gritty British films, however many will have international appeal, especially to the USA, so that creates this international status. Then main demographics they target are working / middle class Brits with about a 50:50 divide in gender, since everyone is affected by the serious themes in their films.

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

Primary / Broad Audience:

·      -Female

·      -Aged 16-21

·      -British (More specifically, young women living in a suburb)

·      -Girls in a relationship who may be vulnerable, yet they keep quiet about their situation.

·      -They enjoy going out with friends, going to the cinema, partying, socialising (particularly with boys)     and social networking.

·      -They enjoy gritty British dramas and courtroom dramas with very serious themes.

·     -Like to stay in some nights to watch a film with their boyfriend and going to the cinema fairly often.

·      -Mainly students in sixth form and university

·      -They won’t necessarily have a full time job, however the may work at weekend in a bar / nightclub.

Secondary / Niche Audience:

·      -Female

·      -Aged 30+

·      British (More specifically, women living in a suburb)

·      -Mothers to daughters who may be secretive, outgoing, promiscuous and also those in domineering / abusive relationships

·      -They enjoy caring for their children, going out to the cinema, watching gritty British films and courtroom dramas in the evening either on their own or with a partner.

·      -In an occupation which pays from all spectrums, however more specifically a secondary school teacher, since they spend most of their time with the age group being affected.

A   After the screening...

d·      The feedback from the audience told us that we successfully targeted our audience since the majority said they would like to see the rest of the film in a cinema.

·      I am of the opinion that after producing the film opening our target audience has remained the same, because we used conventions of the genre which adhered to the expectations of the age groups being represented.

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

Group 5 Sample Audience Feedback

Our primary audience were females aged 16-21. At this age they form their own opinions and passions of topical issues. With the target audience in mind, we felt it necessary to consider the theory of uses and gratifications, with a key focus on fear and pain.

PLEAD is set in a conventional suburban region of London to create a believable location, somewhere the audience could relate to as it is “ordinary”. The audience could now be immersed in the plot, allowing the storyline to play on their fears and pleasures of everyday life.

Techniques / Conventions used to achieve this:

Continuity techniques (used to create a seemless narrative):

·        Shot / Reverse Shot

·        Match on action

·        Sound bridges

·        Gradual steps in shot distances (e.g. CU à MS)

·        Adhering to the 180 and 30 degree rules

The feedback gained from the screening indicates that our film successfully suspended the disbelief of our target audience, with the many people saying they would like to see the rest of the film.

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

PRE-PRODUCTION

HARDWARE

·        Personal flip camera

o       Used to document evidence of processes throughout the project.

o       Easy and efficient to use on location / whilst scouting and planning.

o       Helpful to create a visual storyboard.

SOFTWARE

Mainly used as methods of communication:

·        Our blogs

·        Facebook – also allowed us to contact our target audience in post-production

·        Skype – Video calling and screen control, meaning we could show each other    techniques by controlling the other person’s screen.

·        Blackberry Messenger

o       We created a “Madhouse Media” group, which allowed us to communicate using instant messenger, and also keep organised by syncronising key dates and lists of information in the Blackberry calendar.

• Xbox live - We new we would be on this console a lot since we enjoy playing on it together so we also used this opportunity to talk about our coursework project.

PRODUCTION

·        We used 1 hour long tapes and since we only recorded around 45 minutes on each shoot, we didn’t have to change the tape on shoot.

·        We encountered a technical failure when inserting the tape, however persistence prevailed and were able to record over that shoot weekend.

·       
 I learned how to use manual settings, which enabled me to experiment with shot variations including contra-zoom and focus pulls.

·        Cameras were HD compatible, however we shot in standard definition to avoid complications in post production. This caused grainy footage --> in future I would shoot in HD to get a more professional finish.

·        Boom-mic

·        Shotgun-mic

    3 settings depending on the distance you want to record sound from. You should use the “shotgun” setting when recording dialogue, however a whirring sound can be heard from the tape inside the camera. à in future I would use a boom-mic to reduce interfering noise.

·        Tripod

·        headphones

·        Halogen lights

POST-PRODUCTION

TITLES

·        Livetype

     Software on the Mac, which enables great customisation in titles, which were most appropriate for our opening sequence. We used this software and then exported them to the PC.

      Easy software to use, however we did encounter issues with pixelation after exporting. These issues were rectified.

AUDIO

·        Internet – Searched and downloaded royalty free drones (inspired by Paranormal activity and The Dark Knight)

EDITING

·        Adobe Premiere Pro

    Here we could capture footage, organise our shots and edit it together in separate sequences.

    Enabled us to experiment with grading, transitions 9both audio & visual), slo-mo.

·        Main issue was the grading often pixelated images, which was key in our project since aimed to heavily contrast the reds with the blues.

EXHIBITION

·        We screened our film to an audience
            Projector / Whiteboard

Surround sound system

·        In hindsight, I would raise the volume to ensure the drones had maximum effect.

·        Facebook

·        Posters

Together they proved to be effective since the audience turnout actually exceeded the projections, meaning some didn’t get a seat.

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

The brief of our preliminary tast was to shoot a basic continuity sequence given 1 hour of planning, 1 hour of shooting and 1 hour of editing. The purpose in this task was to learn the processes involved and discover potential problems, so we could pre-empt them in the coursework production.

Pre-Production

Or preliminary task required the processes of storyboarding, producing a shot list and script, since the time restrictions called for us to work intensively and efficiently.

Production Schedule

We carried this mentality of planning into our coursework project, although there was a larger time frame (11 weeks), however continuity in our project was a key issue due to the mess created by the blood, so we new precise planning was necessary to capture the footage in one shoot.

The planning process:

Shot list

Shot List
Acting contract

Acting Contract Concerning Media AS Project

Location reccies



This video clip shows us considering all aspects of working with the location.

Our planning and efficient work on location allowed us to capture everything we wanted. We did, however need a reshoot but our initial planning meant we could capture the remaining footage in just three hours.

I have learnt that planning is essential since it decides whether you meet professional standards in terms of time management, activity on set and quality of footage.

Production


Similarly in production, we carried forward the attitude to work efficiently and gel well as a unit, in order for our shoot to be successful.

Like the preliminary task we had to consider continuity techniques:

• Shot / reverse shot
• Match on action
• The 180 degree rule
• The 30 degree rule

• Eyeline match

To avoid potential reshoots we considered:

Time Management

• We heavily used a shot list and shooting schedule and we kept working to timed targets.
• We shot master shots from several different angles to ensure there was plenty of footage for editing. A reshoot would be problematic due to the position of the dead body and all the blood on him.

Thinking ahead...

We took several takes of each shot to ensure we had the variety and flexibility in editing.

It is important to recognise and learn from the continuity errors...

The errors made were subtle enough to pass the screening; no one commented on it.

I have learnt that production can only be completed successfully if the cast and crew remain well

disciplined and you ensure the continuity is kept at the forefront of your mind.

Post Production

We had only 1 hour to capture and edit in the preliminary task and although we kept to using a shot list and capture log we had technical issues which wasted much time.

In this task we avoided this issue but still took a long time because we didn't use a capture list. We should have learnt this from the preliminary task, however the message has definitely sunk in now.

Exhibition

The preliminary task didn't include time to exhibit the edited sequence, which meant we had to use this more to our advantage this time to ensure we use it to the best of our ability.

We screened our film on the projector when we decided it was ready to be criticised by our media savvy peers and also to see how it would look and sound using more sophisticated exhibiting software than the edit suite.

I have learnt that exhibition is by far the most effective way to get audience feedback of a technical nature and ensuring the storyline is clearly presented.