Evaluation- Technology

Throughout this media project we have learnt about different technologies, and discovered why they are useful for people, especially film makers.

Digital cameras
These cameras can record with a good quality result when the footage is uploaded to the computer. They can connect to a computer via a USB port, ready to transfer. Transferring data is simple once you learn how to do it, and it lets you select footage you want, and delete the rest. Digital cameras are an effective piece of technology for recording footage, being simple to use. They can also be used just to record sound. We did this for our opening sequence, recording the radio conversation with the camera aimed at the floor. Although the camera can be used to record sound, a microphone is probably a better choice for the highest sound quality result. Digital cameras are small and compact, making them a good portable device. Most film makers would not use a digital camera, accept for independent film makers. This is because film cameras are of better quality. Professional film makers use expensive, top quality cameras, because they have a high budget, and  are making films which are intended to be viewed on a cinema screen. Film cameras are better quality, however they are expensive and lack the portability of a digital camera. There are some high budget films which use a digital camera such as Cloverfield, which uses it to give the effect that someone is filming the events with a handheld camera. Mostly independent films would use a digital camera either for effect like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project or because of their low budget.

Therefore we used a digital camera for our filming. There was only four of us creating this sequence, so we could not of had a camera team, which most film makers have. A digital camera is much more portable than a typical film camera, making it  a better option for us. We spent quite a lot of the day travelling on buses and trains to London, and did a lot of walking. This meant that a small and compact camera was much more suitable. In addition digital cameras are cheaper than film cameras, and since we had a low budget a digital camera was the most available option.














Final Cut Express
This software has a variety of tools to edit footage into a film. It has simple tools to crop, move and add clips, which is the main part of editing. Unlike some lesser editing programs such as Windows Movie Maker, Final Cut Express has a large variety of effects. These effects can be applied to clips, to alter the way they look, sound and appear. For some of films effects may not be needed, because only basic editing is required. However for films which contain green screens, there is an option in the software to use it, so an image can be placed behind the characters. Also some films require transitions from one clip to the other, for example a fade effect. Final Cut Express has a large variety of editing tools, so that the clips can be altered to look how the editor wants them. An example of this would be a shot which looks fairly dark can be made lighter. Something that Final Cut Express lacks is special effects, so it would not be a good software to use for certain film makers. The version of Final Cut Express we used is probably not good enough for professional film editors, because it lacks certain features that other editing software has.

Our film was a romance, which is a genre that conventionally does not have special effects. We were creating a conventional romance sequence so we had no need for anything better than final cut express. The software contained all the effects we needed, such as the linear wipe transition we used for the text.


Photoshop

This software can be used to create professional looking titles for a film. We used Photoshop to create the credits, and film title. The program has many features which can be selected to alter an image. It is a useful tool for marketing, because it can be used to create posters, banners, and billboards. The software is used by professionals, being one of the top pieces image editing software. A possible drawbacks of Photoshop are that it can be a very time consuming process, if a detailed image is being created, and there are many features which would take a long time to learn.


Blogging
It is a free, simple way of having your own internet page. Blogging allows people to have an independent webpage to post any information they want. A blog is a place where anyone can view what you have to say, so it is used as a way of communication. A film maker can write a blog to keep fans posted on the progress. This can be a way of maintaining fans through the long process of film making, so they do not forget about the film. A weakness of a blog is that there is limited customisation options, compared to creating your own website. However it is much quicker and easier than creating a website.

Blogging was useful for me because it allowed me to upload any media work I had done, such as presentations, videos and documents. The website let me connect with my group members by adding them as friends on Google Plus. This allowed us to share group work, such as our presentation. The website Blogger could be accessed from many devices, which meant I could post blogs from school, home, or when I was outside on my phone.


                                                                                   YouTube

It is a good place to post videos, especially trailers. Nearly all film trailers are posted on YouTube before they are shown on television, this is usually a teaser. YouTube is the most popular video streaming websites, and so it can be argued that it is a more successful way of advertising compared to television. Posting on YouTube is free, and it reaches a global audience, when a television advert will only be shown on selected channels and countries. The drawback of posting on YouTube is that people may not find the video, or click on it because there are so many other videos on the website. When a trailer is shown of television the audience did not choose to watch it, so it is more likely to be watched.

We uploaded our opening sequence to YouTube so that anyone can view it around the world and comment to give us feedback. It is a good website to use to show a video because it is free, and simple. By uploading our sequence to YouTube we could then embed the video on to our blogs.


Facebook/Twitter
Both of these social network sites are good places to advertise, because they are so popular. Posting on these sites is free just like YouTube so it might as well be done. The problem with the websites is people may just not view the posts about the advertised film, just like on YouTube.






Slideshare
This is a website a document can be uploaded to, which will give a HTML code ready to be pasted into a blog. The blog will then show the document in its original state. This is particularly useful for PowerPoint presentations and videos, because it allows them to played through.

I have used Slideshare for some of my blog posts, which were created from a separate document. This allowed me to present some blogs in a more unique way compared to the standard blog creation process.

Jordan Jackson

Evaluation- Learning

Evaluation- Film Distribution

Evaluation- Media Institution

Film distribution is the process of a film distributor makes a film available to an audience. The film distributor is responsible for the marketing of a film, so that an audience can be attracted to watch the film. Also the distributor determines the media the film will be viewed through, which is usually through cinemas but can be for a television, DVD, download and video on demand. In addition the distributor can also sometimes set the release date.

After a film is completed it is sent to the studio. Then the studio makes a licensing agreement with a distribution company. The distribution company decides how many copies of the film to make. They then shoe the film to prospective buyers representing the theaters. The buyers and the distributors negotiate the film they wish to lease and the terms of the lease agreement. After that the film is sent to cinemas to be shown (if that is the chosen media).

Most major studios have their own distribution companies. An example of this is Disney who own Buena Vista. The advantage of this is that it is simple to set up a distribution deal, and they do not have to share profits with another company. But the disadvantage is that if a film fails, their is no one else to share the cost so the loss is direct to itself. This means the company is very self reliant.

Film distribution companies are very important for a film to make sure it is marketed well, and shown through the right form of media. Although the distribution company will earn a percentage of the films profit, they are worth it. This is because the company knows how to market a film professionally attracting a substantial audience for the film. In addition, because the company make a percentage of the films profits they are not taking much money from filmmakers if the film does not do well. Therefore film distributors will do a good job marketing, because they are are at risk of losing money from their investment.

20th Century Fox Film Corporation
It is an American film studio located in the Century City in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1935 as part of a merger of Fox Film Corporation and 20th Century Pictures, Inc. High grossing films that they have already distributed include:

• Avatar
• Titanic
• Both Star Wars trilogies
• Home Alone
• X-men: Days of Future Past
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

20th Century Fox focus on mainstream films, such as Die Hard and The Simpsons Movie. They are highly successful and mainly release high budget popular films.

They would probably market our film successfully, having such much experience already. Our film is a very conventional romance. 20th Century Fox usually distribute conventional films so our film wont be a risk to them because our audience is well established. But 20th Century Fox usually release family comedies or action films, which might be why they are not the best choice to market a romance. The company may not be very good at marketing for romance, or might market our film wrong. 20th Century Fox would create a big budget marketing campaign, and release our film in the cinemas. I have no doubt that they would make our film a success, with their many years of experience and record.

Momentum Pictures
They are one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland. The company is English and was founded in 1996. Some of Momentum Picture's most successful films include:

• The King's Speech
• Amélie
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• Law Abiding Citizen
• Downfall

Although a relatively new distributing company, they have released some popular films, including The King's Speech which won an Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA. The company has released many niche films such as 'The Men Who Stare at Goats'. This is because they are a lesser know company to Fox, and so they are not wanted for big mainstream films. However Momentum Pictures has released some mainstream films such as: 'Snitch', and 'The Mechanic'.

Momentum Pictures have a diverse range of films they have released from 'Hobo With a Shotgun' to 'Movie 43'. This means that the company is good at distributing for all types of films. Therefore the company would be able to market a romance film well. However this does mean that the company does not specialise in a specific genre, so they will not be as good as a distributing company that does. The Company does release non-mainstream films, so it may not be good at releasing a very conventional mainstream film such as ours. Even though the company has created some mainstream films, they have released many more niche films.

Jordan Jackson

Evaluation- Audience

Evaluation- Representations of Social Groups

Our two main characters are purposely teenagers because we wanted our cast to look realistic because it would give more understanding to our target audience and engage them more as they will most likely be interested in watching someone closer to their age rather than an older couple such as 25 and older. This is obviously because it is aimed at teenagers so it'd only be right if our protagonists were teenagers/young adults.




The stereotypical portrayal of the youth in the media is quite negative. They are shown to be crazy, irresponsible and rude when they just want to have fun. They may portray them as bullies, lazy, have a lack of motivation, anti-social behaviour. Teens are probably wearing scruffy clothing with hoodies and very intimidating. Homosexuality and homophobia are very common. You will see a large portion of gay/lesbian teens and another portion of very homophobic teenagers. Knife crime seems to be used a lot in the media by the youth now which is not necessarily right but that is their stereotype.

The female stereotype is being girly, they like the color pink, they wear dresses. They are vulnerable, weak and innocent but can also be bitchy. Stereotyping the male would be masculine, he is the one with a job providing for the family and their profession is probably a builder as they only want to be highest on the hierarchy.




Protagonists
Our opening sequence is a semi-conventional because our female protagonist is using her phone most of the time however she is not showing a bad attitude, she is dressed smartly and stereotypically it is pink. The male protagonist is dressed in almost a suit showing his efforts towards his clothing.







Screenshot of charitable protagonist
The girl is shown to be charitable which challenges the stereotypical portrayal of teenagers in the media. We used a few close up shots of both characters' faces showing a slight smile connoting they are happy teenagers, contrasting stereotyped teenagers being aggressive, rude or unhappy.


we decided to do this to target both the mainstreamers and individualists to gain a wider target audience and open the movie to others. We had to be able to get these messages to the audience with no dialogue so that was quite hard! We wanted to do that so the audience can identify with the characters because the stereotype in the media of teenagers is not always correct! It probably influences them to be like them it's something new.

Evaluation- Challenging Conventions