Evaluation - Dilys Latham

EVALUATION - DILYS LATHAM

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

SHORT FILMS I HAVE RESEARCHED AND HOW THEY CHALLENGE CODES AND CONVENTIONS

NARRATIVE

• (1,2,3) When conducting my short film Research I was particularly impressed by the construction of the narrative in the short 'PlayGround' as although it appears to have quite a simple linear story line which  effectively allows the viewer to watch as the character's lives intertwined and evolve through the film. Which helps build up to the unlikely twist at the end which makes the film interesting. From the beginning, the film cuts between the action between the man and the girl to the man addressing the camera and recounting his past. It is not until the end we realize that he is actually speaking from his grave which the girl has put him in and it becomes apparent that the girl is actually just a much a villain as the man. This clever use of manipulating the order of events and delaying giving the audience information makes good use of the genre convention of building surprise and intrigue. 

•       (4,5,6) The plot of the short film Appearances is in a linear structure as it shows the two characters, who from an outsiders point of view would never normally cross paths, are in fact in similar positions in the short. The story behind the two character’s lives is that in reality they are both unemployed and homeless, but the plot of the film shows how although they may look different they have an ironic bond is formed.

•       (7,8,9) Todorov’s theory can be applied to Coming of Age as there’s an equilibrium, disruption and resolution. By using the theory we can see how brutal and harsh life has become for the protagonist and it allows us to empathize with him as we discover how he lives and his responsibilities. It also shows us how humans could end up behaving like animals if an apocalypse ever did happen and the basic instinct of survival in all humans. Coming of Age have used the conventions of narrative reflect the themes of coming of age.

•       In Coming of Age we have a very clear divide between good and evil so Levi-Strauss theory can be applied. The protagonist, a young boy represents good as he cares for the girl and risks his own life to get her the medication she needs, the two bandits’ present evil they are animal like and will kill to get what they want. The narrative is based around this as we support the boy and want him to succeed against evil which makes the short enjoyable to watch and uses the forms of narrative to do so. 
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Characterization

• (4,5,6) The characterization in Appearances is effective when considering the meaning of the short and the message it is trying to convey. The short introduces the characters in a special way so the audience can't help but make pre-conceptions of them so that when the truth is revealed the message of the short, that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover is very clear to the audience. 

• The woman in the short is clean, smart and well spoken connoting a very stereotypical middle class female look. Whilst the male is dirty, un-shaven and dressed in black suggesting that he's been sleeping on the streets and achieved very little with his life. The importance of this is that at the end of the short when the true identity of the woman is revealed that the audience understand the problem with judging without real knowledge of someone.

• So Appearances is using the forms of stereotyping and applying it to the social realism genre to clearly convey the underlying message of the short. 

• (1,2,3) The characterization of the two characters in the short film Playground is very interesting and done to challenge the conventions of short films. The audience is initially introduced to the lead male character and are able to immediately deter that he is untrustworthy and perhaps evil as he recounts his past actions. They are then introduced to the female character in the film, who is presented as a young, naive and vulnerable female. As the story progresses their roles become more established and the audience can begin to predict the unfortunate outcome. However at the end the twist reveals the girl is perhaps just as dangerous as the man as she also goes around killing people.

• This interesting character development in the short film, where the stereotypes have been broken makes the short very interesting and captivating to watch.

Mise en Scene

• (7,8,9) The desolate and eerie locations used in Coming of Age are very important when considering the themes of the short film. Bildungsroman is a key element of the film as the lead character is very young and he is having to care for the ill girl whilst living in fear for his own life. The vast locations help to reflect the young characters fear and isolation as he becomes a man. 

• (4,5,6) In Appearances there is only one location but it is very informative also when considering the film as a whole and the importance of representation in the short. It is set in a bright and lively cafe which suggests happiness and enjoyment, but the two characters in the tale are the opposite and live in turmoil and fear. The decision to film in the cafe is to show that the pain of having no money and living in fear not being able to eat can be apparent anywhere, so although it would of been an obvious choice to film on a street corner or in a tunnel the filming in the cafe is far more effective. 

Genre Conventions

• (1,2,3) The genre conventions challenged in the short film Playground have a great effect on the overall viewing of the short. It is a thriller and the suspense is built up as the audience are most likely to be aware of what happens to young girls which get into cars with strangers. However it is the twist at the end of the story which effectively works well with the genre of the short as the audience believe they have the story figured out and the the twist gives the shock factor and thus more enjoyment. 

• Playground uses many semantic conventions to help communicate the thriller to the audience. The use of lighting and juxtaposing between light and dark in the same shot is very effective at simulating a sense of fear within audience it also creates mystery in the narrative which keeps the audience interested. The internal monologue from Gordon is where the thriller breaks the typical conventions of a thriller as it allows for insight and character understanding.

• Most shorts also have an theme or hidden meaning to the story as part of the genre conventions and this is apparent in both Appearances and Coming of Age. The stories are simply used as metaphors to tell an audience that is it is unwise to judge someone without finding out the truth or not being able to see their other strengths. 

• (4,5,6) Buckingham says that genre is a ‘constant process of change and negotiation’ and this is evident with the short film Appearances as issues of social class are addressed with a much more subtle modern approach where the underlying problems of social realism are not made clear until the end.

• (7,8,9) Neal’s theory of instance and repetition can be applied to Coming of Age as although there and many thrillers and coming of age films, it more original due to it being set in the future after an apocalypse and the boy having to deal with killers rather than his peers. This challenge of the convention makes the short more intriguing to watch.

Editing/Post production

• From my initial research I noticed the use of colour in both Coming of Age and Playground was significant when considering their strengths as short films. In Coming of Age there are many browns and grey featured in the shots but very minimal, if not any bright colours like red and yellow, this is important as it effectively helped to convey the young characters scary and isolated life where he must constantly live in fear. 

• Similarly in Playground the background is always very dark and the only light is on the character's faces which is very crucial as the story is a painful truth about young girls hitchhiking. Also the truth about the fact that people are never as they initially seem works well with the use of colour as it is clear that both characters are hiding parts of themselves and are both in some respects evil. 

Representation

• (4,5,6) Representation of social class in Appearances is very successfully displayed in this short film to help criticizes modern society and it embedded ideologies. The short allows the creator to play with the representations of social class, the woman’s presentation and thus criticize society and its process of judging a book by its cover. 

• (7,8,9) As the film Coming of Age is set post-apocalypse it is hard to determine any social groups as it would appear all characters are in the same predicament, searching for food and shelter. However it is clear that the two men have power over the young boy due to their being two of them and because they possess a weapon. This lack of social division makes the short better as it shows the complete break down of society and norm in such a world. 

• (1,2,3) In Playground Gordon’s character is a slight stereotype, a lonely middle aged man with a painful past picking up young girls, however it isn't a  negative stereotype as the narrative informs the audience that he has always been an unloved and unaccepted person. As the short is a thriller there is a suggestion that because of its sinister and painful storyline that the characters representations will then reflect upon their social class. However as it has a social realism style to it there is an indication the film is instead trying to portray the harsh reality for some people with a less wealthy background.                                                                                       

OUR SHORT FILM LIBERATION AND HOW IT CHALLENGES CONVENTIONS

Narrative

• From my initial research I discovered that many of the most enjoyable short films I watched had quite a simple chronological narrative, as it allowed the strong message of the short to be successfully conveyed. 

• Similar to the narrative of Appearances our short the narrative is in chronological order and we decided that because our short has to convey a strong meaning in a very short space of time a simple narrative would be most appropriate.

• Todorov’s theory can be applied to Coming of Age as there’s an equilibrium, disruption and resolution to show the reality for the lead character, it can also be applied to our short film. The equilibrium is established through all the shots at Louis' home as he prepares himself in the mourning, we are then introduced to the disruption in the form of his sister who makes him feel inferior and then we have the resolution as Louis draws his escape. However we have then challenged this form of narrative as at the end there is a new equilibrium established but it is a sad one and the truth of the situation is that there is no resolution for Louis' problems. 

• The use of locations and fades we used in post production has insured that although the film may have a simple narrative it is still interesting to watch.

• The final two shots are also conventions of narrative as an audience will be left questioning what happened to the boy, did his sister destroy him with the picture or is he stuck at the derelict house?

• In Coming of Age we have a very clear divide between good and evil so Levi-Strauss theory can be applied it can also be applied to our short film. We decided to establish our protagonist Louis in a way which will make him likable and enable the audience to empathize with him later on, he represents the good. Then we introduce the second character the sister, who's face we never see so she just remains a negative and oppressive force on Louis, she represents the evil. 

• The close up shots of Louis make sure he is the focus of the narrative and the audience continue to empathize with him. These shots are quite personal and are an effective way to  show his change of emotions when he is in certain situations. They are juxtaposed with long shots to show his change in location and also isolation and need for escape. Image 6 is a medium shot from the film which really effectively shows that he is in his world and at peace when he is in this world. 

• We chose specific audio and sound to reflect the character's mood and help tell the story. At the beginning he is listening to a classical violin piece which his sister then stops and then later on he is playing the piano and again his sister comes in and stops his creativity. This use of sound allows us to clearly show his oppression whilst be interesting to watch.

 

Characterisation

• Characterisation was a crucial element to our film as without sufficient portrayal of our lead character's attributes an audience wouldn't feel sympathetic towards him and therefore understand the message of the short. In the short film Playground there are many close ups of the lead character Gordon to make the film a lot more of a personal account from him. We chose a similar approach in our film we had many close ups of our character Louis to help introduce his feminine qualities and homosexual nature for which he is discriminated for by his sister.  

• The first few shots in our film are a mixture of close up's of Louis' belongings and himself, we thought this would be an effective way to quickly establish the character into the story and consequently make the actions of the sister seem more nasty. 

• The short film Appearances is all about not judging someone by the way they look so they quickly establish two obvious stereotypes to convey the message, there is only one location and there is a lot of focus on the pairs interaction. In our short film Liberation we wanted to take a different approach and make the character's stereotype clear from the beginning and the reason why he feels inferior clear. We also wanted to show his desperation to escape which is why we had many different locations in which he draws and transports to. We found this would be more effective way to convey our underlining message that discrimination is not alright.

• The first two pieces of music playing in the short have also been specifically chosen to help introduce our character and his particular qualities so the treatment and the underlying message of the short is clear. 

• We also chose to keep the identity of Louis' sister by keeping her head out of the frame in the medium shots she is in so she becomes hidden only recognizable by her black clothing and hair. So the emphasis remaines on Louis and to also reflect how isolated he is from the world. 

• The medium shots of Louis and the close up shots of his belongings and fashion designs help to show his qualities and the reasons he feels suppressed and out casted at home. 

 


Mise en Scene

• As our short is a social realism piece we spent a long time choosing our locations for filming as we wanted our lead character and his struggles understood and honestly portrayed throughout the film. The desolate empty beaches were chosen to reflect Louis' internal isolation. The locations Louis drew were also outside which showed how he was desperate for freedom from his challenging life at home. 

• We chose to set Louis' bedroom and home in a fairly middle class house to also help show that the problem he faced as a character can be present in any society; rich or poor. 

• The costume in the short film Appearances is a prominent part of the short as it allows the audience to read them in a certain way and make a judgement before even hearing them speak.

• The costume we dressed our character's in was also specifically chosen to help show their qualities whilst also making the themes of the short clear like in Appearances. The protagonist Louis is dressed in bright shirts and ties. His dressing could be considered a stereotype of homosexual men but as our short is only five minutes long we decided that the stereotype was necessary so that the film's meaning was clear and why he draws his pictures for escape. The sister is dressed in black throughout the short to show that she is shadow and negativity in Louis' life and the reason he tries to break free. 

 

Genre Conventions 

• The social realism genre is defined by its ability to portray and relate a reality to an audience. In Liberation we have challenged this convention of the genre as we have taken a reality but included a twist so it is more enjoyable to watch and to insure the message of the short is clear. Louis' reality is at his home where he is treated as inferior, which is a reality for many people and we portray this through our character. However we have given Louis the power to transport himself into his drawings in the film which isn't possible in real life but is an effective way to quickly convey the problems with a discriminating society and the effects it can have upon an individual.

• Our film like many shorts acts as a metaphor for the problems in a society where people are out casted for their difference to the norm.

• Neal’s theory of instance and repetition can be applied to Coming of Age because of the twist at the end of the film. I also think it can be applied to our short film as although it is a social realism piece where we have told the story of a guy who is being suppressed for his sexuality we have have given it a twist. The character has the power to draw and escape to places far from his painful home life. We have chosen to include this impossible element to show how discrimination can be so terrible someone has to physically find other places to be. So as Neal's theory suggests we have taken a genre and twisted it to relate our message clearly to the audience.

 

Editing/Post Production

• Having watched many short films in our research we knew how important editing was in the success of the films as they were all only five minutes long which is a very short about of time to convey a lot of information and therefore editing was crucial. When editing our short film we knew that we had to keep the storyline clear so that our audience wouldn't get confused with all the transitioning that takes throughout and so we included fades to help show the transitioning.

• We also knew it was crucial that the message was kept clear throughout and didn't get lost due to all the different locations and sounds. To insure this we decided to de-saturate all of the shots taken at Louis' home when he is being made to feel inferior to help highlight his oppression  The decision to de-saturate was also included so there was a sharp contrast between Louis' home and the locations of his drawings in which he escapes to, so that empathy was created and the painful reality of his situation clear to the audience.  

Representation

• Representation of social class in Appearances is very successfully displayed in this short film to help criticizes modern society and it embedded ideologies. In our short film Liberation we have tried to establish the Louis' fairly middle class home and lifestyle so it shows the underlining problems he faces can happen in any society.  

• In Playground Gordon’s character is a slight stereotype, a lonely middle aged man with a painful past picking up young girls and in our short film Louis is a stereotype of a homosexual man. However we found that to quickly establish the message of our short it was necessary to have him a stereotype as otherwise our audience wouldn't understand the message. 

POSTER

In my initial poster research I analysed some posters and discovered how they used conventions to help an audience identify genre and style and therefore be inclined to watch the movie!

Nowhere Boy

Representation

Nowhere Boy is a film all about coming of age and the impact of living in a working class family. The lead character has no father and was left by his mother at a young age, the story follows him as he meets his mother and forms a band. The film is very much a representation of the effects of living with a working class society and the pressures of growing up.

In the poster the use of yellow and blue is very effective as they are contrasting colours and so reflect the characters rebellious nature and also his experience of his new adulthood. As the film was targeted at a teenage audience as well as an older market the posters colours effectively offer intrigue and vitality to the audience. 

The bold text used for the title is also significant as it reflects again the themes of growing up and striking out and away from the comforts of childhood. In the poster we can see the main character John is wearing turned up jeans which also helps to show his working class background and youthfulness. His hair has also been styled in a quiff which shows the era the film was set in and also helps to show that the characters still young and finding himself. 

Genre

The film follows the life of music legend John Lennon when he was young and it is set in the 50's/60's. The bright posters reflect this time as it was a time of adventure and daring chances. The contrasting colours reflect this idea and also show the film as being a music based as the 60's was an incredible decade in music.

The pictures of the two women placed either side of John Lennon is also effective as it shows the film is also of the social realism genre. These two women were very important in John's life and had a great effect on the music he produced which is what the film is all about, John's relationship with his mother who was unable to care for him as she was too young and didn't have much money.

This poster would effectively attract an audience to watch the film as it shows that there is a musical and fun element to it as they will see how the Beatles were originally formed but also a surreal realism part to it as it shows the truth of John Lennon childhood.

Narrative


The audience going to watch this film will most likely know who John Lennon is and understand that the film will be looking back at his life and his past. On the poster the actor who portrays Lennon looks relatively young so the audience are then made aware that this film will be concerned with the beginning of his life and the formation of the Beatles.

The audience will also be able to see that this film although retrospective will be looking at Lennon's life in chronological order as in the poster the actor is walking which suggests change and moving on. The slightly faded out women in the letters also lets the audience will also be introduced to the important women in Lennon's life and how their appearances throughout his life shaped him into being the man he was and the music he produced.

Audience

This poster is very bright and vibrant which would attract a younger audience to come watch the film which I think it is targeted for due to the themes of coming of age. The costume of the character would also help to target a more youthful of audience of perhaps 16-25 as it shows someone with unique style discovering who they are which is what many people of this demographic do.

 I also think the poster has been designed in a way that would attract an older market also, as above the title the black text references the lead character, John Lennon who in reality a real praised artists in the 60's. The decision to include this information on the poster will make sure that an older demographic looking at the poster will be aware that the film is about the man John Lennon and his adolescent life as he began to form the Beatles.

Media Language

The decision to place John Lennon at the center of the poster with no picture behind him is very significant as it shows his importance and that film will all be about him. This positioning has also allowed the two picture of the women be placed in the background which is significant as shows their importance in his life also.

The use of mise en scene in this poster has been used with great effect as it cleverly reflects the youth and diversity that helped Lennon become the great artist he was which will help intrigue the audience as they will know that the film praises him. The choices to use blue, yellow and black is crucial as they are big contrast just like John Lennnon's aunt and his mum who deeply influenced Lennon's upbringing which is what the film is all about. The costume of the two women also reflects this; his aunt has her hair up and jacket done up to the top whilst his mum has lots of skin on show and her hair is all lose. The effectiveness of this is so the audience looking at the poster are also aware of the social realism genre apparent in the film. 

• The bright bold yellow title would quickly catch the viewers attention and stand out on a website or billboard in the street. The contrast between the yellow and blue is an effective use of colour to help grab a potential audience member's attention. 

• The tag line across the top allows the audience to learn a little about the film and the decision to include John Lennon's name helps to target those who are fans of music and show how the film may interest them. The colours also reflect the themes or coming of age and the characters experimenting as they discover who they are

• Three of the main actors in the film names are listed to show that there's fresh talent or audience favorites appearing

• The image of the boy in the center of the page is a very important component of the poster as it shows the audience what ear the film is set in and that the story will be based on this male character who the viewer recognized as being John Lennon. This is a clever marketing move as it will get the older audience interested in the film

• The listing of the production companies in the billbox at the bottom of the page makes the poster look more professional and recognizable

• The quote at the top of poster gives the audience reassurance in what they are going to watch and that it is worth it. The star rating is good as it is a very widely understandable exppresion and the audience will immediately know if the film is a success

KIDULTHOOD

Other Elements A Film Poster Must Include

The image on this poster above informs a viewer what the film will be about, a coming of age story which is a comedy. The two teens on the poster are very unique and differing individuals which may attract an audience to watch the film as they would be assured that although there may be more serious themes the film is inherently a comedy.

The name of the film is clearly presented on the poster in a bold green font which again reflects the themes of discovery and youth in the film. The decision also to have the title in a font that looks like it has been sketched on the page by hand is also significant as it shows that the film is a comedy.

At the bottom of the page the production companies, cast and crew are listed so that the audience can immediately identify who worked on the film.

A few of the lead actresses and actors in the film are displayed across the top of the poster which is important as if an viewer recognizes a name of an actor or actress they admire or enjoy watching they may be inclined to go see the movie.

The films tag line is posted just beneath the title to give the viewer a little insight as to what to expect from the film whilst still keeping the plot and characters a mystery. A tag line is often a very important part of marketing a film as it is one of the first bits of information an audience gets about a film and it can determine they opinion of a film from the very start.

A quote from a magazine editor is also visible so that there is reassurance to the audience that the film is commendable and worth going to see.

Our finished film poster

First Version of our Film Poster

Conventions

The image we have chosen for our poster is very informative as it lets the audience view the lead character and immediately start forming assumptions about his involvement in the story. Which is important as we want all the focus of the audience's to be on Louis. The decision to have our lead character's head on the poster is also so that the audience begin to identify the themes of the film and the meaning and understand that it is mainly from his imagination.

We decided to put the title of our film in a very similar font to that of the opening credits in our short film. The font is slanted and simplistic, but has an artistic element also, we decided to do this so the themes of art and freedom are clear from the poster not only the film. We placed the text across the back of his head as in the film all the drawings Louis does are from his head and imagination, so we thought this positioning would relate to this component of the story.

We decided not to include any production companies or crew on our poster as we wanted to keep it simple so a viewers focus would be on the character and not distracted by stars.

Our tag line is placed right across the center of the page in a much slimmer font to that of the title or quotes so that it looks like it has just been emitted from Louis' head or imagination which connects to the film's narrative whilst also giving the audience a clue about the story.

The quotes we placed at the top are short so a viewer doesn't have to spend a long time reading them but knows that the film is being recommended by a reliable source. The are also in a black font so they stand out from the picture and are easily readable by anyone.

Second Attempt!

We found that this second version of our film poster would work much better as a part of the media package as it reflected the themes of coming of age, the importance of the protagonist and the underlying message.
We also thought that it was far more striking and would grab our audiences attention as the image is identifiable and also intriguing.

FINAL VERSION OF FILM POSTER

CONVENTIONS

The image on the Juno film poster successfully shows the audience what to expect from the film and a shows that it is a comedy. The image on the film poster is a close up of our protagonist's face, it is a powerful image that immediately grabs the viewers attention without revealing barely anything about the short stories narrative or meaning. The expression of the face is vacant and slightly unreadable which was a conscientious decision on our behalf as it is intriguing to look at and makes you want to find out more about the short film. The image also places the viewers focus on the character which is important as the short is all about this character's story. Therefore the audience are already reading him and attempting to determine his characteristics.

There is little to read from the poster concerning representation apart from that he is a young adolescent male, which suggests he is coming of age and attempting to find himself. This is important as we didn't want our audience to form any pre-conceptions before viewing the film, as the underlying meaning of our short is that is it wrong to judge someone for their choices and nature in life. 

The image helps to hint at the genre of our short film as it is being revealed that its is a film will probably be all about the boy on the poster. I think the lack of identifying the genre could be a criticism of our poster as it is not clear that this social realism film is a sad one and to an unsuspecting audience it could be quite unsettling. 

I think our poster is good in the sense of successfully targets our demographic of 16-25 year olds. There is a boy on the poster of around the same age who may be identifiable to a viewer of the poster and therefore arouse interest in the viewer to go see the film. The editing to the image of the boy makes the poster quite quirky and unique which would again to a young and open viewer increase their want to see the film. 

What is quite unique about our film poster and may be considered to challenge the conventions of film posters, is that ours gives little away in terms of narrative and genre. The only image is of a young males face, there is no background or tagline which can help the audience deter anything about the short. We chose to layout our poster in this very simplistic format as we wanted to create interest in the viewers of the poster, so they are made to want to see the film as they can only find a little out from the poster. 

Similar to the Kidulthood film poster the name of our film reflects the themes of escape and isolation running throughout the film without giving spoilers about the story the short film tells. Liberation could also be interpreted in different ways and as a title is inviting because it is not conclusive. We decided to have it in a handwritten style font as it is how our protagonist escapes, by drawing. It is also very similar to the font of the opening titles for our short film. We placed the title across the top of his head as it shows the that it is the character's story and his internal struggle with society. 

To keep our film poster looking professional we included a billbox at the bottom which includes our cast and crew. This is in a small white font as we didn't want to detract from the importance of the lead character Louis.

We have removed the tagline from our final film poster as where ever we tried to position it upon the poster it looked out of place, or took the focus away from the image. So in the end we decided that we didn't want to include a tagline at all, we wanted to keep the poster most simplistic and revealing little about the story. 

In the Nowhere Boy poster there is a quote at the top of the page to offer the audience a very quick review of the film. We placed four quotes praising our film so a viewer can quickly see that the film is recommended by too reliable sources. It offers reassurance to the audience whilst again offering spoilers as to the genre and narrative. We also included an award stamp and film festival logo to again make the film poster seem more professional and ignite some interest in the audience. 


I think our final poster looks professional and uses many conventions of film posters to promote our film in an original and interesting way. The poster also works well with our review and film in a media package sense as the idea of freedom and discovery runs throughout them all. 

REVIEW

A Little White Lies Film Review

Conventions of the Review

1. The title of the film is clearly displayed at the top of the review or middle in a bold font
2. There is an image above the review either taken as a still from the film or taken as a photograph or drawing.
3. There is a subheading with three things listed; the directors, stars and the release date.
4. The review begins with the first letter of the first word larger than the rest and standing out in a bold font
5. At the bottom right of the review the words 'Anticipation' 'Enjoyment' and 'In Retrospect' can be seen clearly displayed
6. The review is around 500 words long
7. There is a little context in the review and a brief summary of the plot but no spoilers
8. The review has many adjectives, nouns and complex language
9. The is a use of quirky language and an element of humor running throughout the review
10. The creators of the film are also mentioned and so are the films genres

Our Review

Similar to the Little White Lies reviews shown above we have the title placed central to the review  so the audience can immediately gain a idea of what the film is about. We carefully chose the image as we wanted to ensure that the review worked with the poster and film as a media package. The poster is again a shot of our protagonist to show his significance, in the background is simply clouds which reflects the idea that the film will deal with our characters internal struggle and bid for freedom!

We carefully studied many Little White Lies reviews and learnt about the language used and the different points made. In our review we begin by giving the reader a little synopsis and context about the film without giving away any big spoilers. The language used is easily understandable and not too technical which is important when considering our demographic is mainly teenagers, there is also a humerus element so the review is enjoyable to read. 

The three boxes at the bottom telling the audience about 'anticipation, retrospect and enjoyment' offer a little feedback on the film for those who are unable to read the whole review.  

How effective is the combinations of your main product and ancillary task?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I sent the short film, poster and review to members of my targeted demographic - 16-25 year old.  As we made the three products our audience was a constant bearing over every decision we made throughout the portfolio as we knew it was their market we needed to appeal to, to be successful!

I thought receiving feedback through Facebook would be a good decision as a large percent of my demographic will most likely be on Facebook. Using the social network site would mean I could easily send the short to people of the demographic and receive comments in an easy and efficient way.

From the feedback I received I am able to identify which areas of my work are successful and also which parts portfolio need consideration and change!

FACEBOOK FEEDBACK

Feedback on the Short Film!

Looking through the film feedback I got via Facebook and in person I think a definite strength of our short film is the character development and the portrayal of the protagonist Louis. Most of the reviews I received said that the story and message of the short was clear and the character has helped to act as a metaphor for the social issue. Through this feedback I have learnt the importance of a likable and identifiable character to an audience, particularly in films which are social realism pieces. The feedback also celebrates the different camera shots used throughout the short film and how they compliment the character development and telling of the story.

The Facebook users in the targeted demographic all commended the easy to follow story line with a twist in the form of the drawings and transitions to locations. I think this is important as it shows they were kept intrigued by the visual way to tell the narrative and underlining message of the short. As it is a short film movement in the shots is very important to insure we don't end up with a static film. The audience enjoyed the editing and how it helped tell the story be told in a visual way which is something I shall definitely take from the feedback as really did help to determine the success of the film when considering the demographic. 

The Facebook feedback also praises the plot and story line saying it was easy to follow and understand whilst still being interesting and captivating. One viewer from the targeted demographic said that they specifically enjoyed the focus on the lead character and the little world that has been created in the short. 

The criticism I received was mainly concerning the ending of the short. Whilst some of the viewers thought it was powerful and a moving way to get the films message across others found it confusing. I think in retrospect perhaps a happier ending could of worked just as well in the short, perhaps the boy meets someone in the location and they form a friendship or he escapes to a happy place. However I still think our decision to have an unhappy ending works well for the short as it shows the message in the short on discrimination doesn't go away for many people, it is a constant in their lives. As a social realism piece there is no boundaries or obligations to conclude with a happy ending but perhaps we could have a clearer ending telling the audience exactly what happens to the boy. 

The feedback also praised our choices of music and how well they are edited to fit the film. The  lively opening music reflecting our character's happiness and the minor, sad music playing when Louis feels suppressed. The use of restricted dialogue was also popular with the demographic as one viewer said 'it successfully reflected Louis' silence and isolation that he feels at home'. From this feedback I'm going to take the importance of finding music that works well and reflects the atmosphere in the scene in the film. 

POSTER FEEDBACK

The audience seemed to mainly praise the poster for its simplicity and clear title. Many have commended it for its powerful image and the way that little is revealed about the film but there is lots to be read from the image on the poster. One of the targeted audience said that they didn't find the poster was particularly eye grabbing so in future to change this I would enlarge the title so it was easier to read and the viewer wouldn't walk past it. 

One member of the targeted demographic said it was easy to read and the choice of colour for the text on the poster was good as it created contrasts and looked professional. However they recommended that they thought it would work better is perhaps the fonts of the text were all the same. This feedback has showed me the importance of a clear layout and keeping some sort of continuity so it doesn't become to fussy and therefore difficult to read.

Our second version of the poster was a vast improvement on the first piece, it is interesting and  stands out. The genre, representations and underlining message are beginning to be established without revealing anything of the plot or story. 

REVIEW FEEDBACK

The feedback I have received concerning the review has mainly consisted of praise for the professional layout and style of review.

 'The quirky and humorous language is enjoyable to read and not too long for a busy teenager'

-Kristie Darling 18

'wouldn't usually read film reviews but this one makes the film sound exciting and original'

-Jordan Mold 20

'looks like real film review - well done'

-Shannon Phelan 18

 

  How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?