EVALUATION & FINAL FILM

MAIN TASK - SUBMISSION

Teaser Poster

Poster

Magazine Article

MAIN TASK - OAM PRODUCTIONS

When researching posters, I noticed they have the film production logos on the bottom near the credits, so I decided to make my film production a logo which I can use on my poster.

MAIN TASK - MAGAZINE ARTICLE

MAIN TASK - MUSIC

I have been searching through music, using youtube to find music. Music in my film is very essential as it needs to mimic what is going on, and help build tension. I have found a few songs I would like to try out and test to see if it goes well

For some parts of my thriller I want edgey music playing to mirror edgey shots and cuts, for example this music I found would go really well with the packing scene, as it is very fast paced which reflects in this song

I like this song, I think it would work really well to my thriller, as there is a lot of build up in this song, which reflects well on what happens in my film

MAIN TASK - EVALUATION

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

Robyn uses many forms and conventions of a typical thriller film. This is through the storyline, mise-en-scene and character creation, focusing on the elements of tension and gripping the audience, as a thriller genre would do. The film revolves around the main character Robyn, an ex Mi5 agent on the run with secret documents, she is met by her match, a male who was signed to get the documents back, conducting a common convention of a thriller film, as two opposed sides fight. I open my film by developing my character, and more of her background is unveiled throughout the 5 minutes, which is very conventional way of allowing the audience to have an emotive feeling towards the protagonist in a thriller. Robyn also challenges conventions of a thriller in some ways, as using a female protagonist is not conventional of a thriller, but through research I found similar products to Robyn, such as 'Salt' and 'Hanna', both using protagonists as strong females often fighting by them selves. I didn’t use much dialogue in the narrative as I felt that the action would create tension, as I juxtaposed the beginning of the film from the rest, as there is a visible contrast between the long calm shots of Robyn getting up and doing her daily routine, to then quick sharp cuts as she packs and runs after receiving the pivotal phone call that turns everything around, which built up tension and suspense very well. I used the thriller Salt as inspiration for my plot, developing the storyline into my own creation but using elements of the unknown to where the female protagonist is either good or bad, this is a great convention used in thrillers to make the audience question, and entice them more to find out. Which later on in my film becomes known, as it’s revealed that the Mi5 killed Robyn’s husband after she accidentally told him her secret job title.  

How effective is the combination of your main task and ancillary texts?

The combination between my main task and my ancillary texts [poster and magazine review] are very reflective on one another. The poster covers its function of promoting my film, and does it very well. It doesn't say much about the storyline, but graphically it communicates well to the audience in connoting what genre it lies in, through things such as the bold and action like font, and the low opacity target in the background. I used a main colour red which flows through the poster, which associates with blood, danger and anger which are some of a few themes that are addressed in 'Robyn'. The main focal point is on Robyn herself, which shows that she is the main character and I also added a slight image of trees in the background which vaguely reveals where the film is going to be set. As a whole my poster is very eye catching with a bold title and strong image, which is a required function of most film posters as it is competing against other film posters in places such as cinemas and shops. The magazine article is the more suggestive text which gives more away about the film, through stills and information. This is something my target audience will read after seeing my poster, which is productive as each ancillary text use each other to function. I used the same theme which flows through my poster through my article, as this allows my target audience to easily recognise the film, and also this begins to create a visual marketing purpose as it starts to model a viable product which is recognised by aspects like the font and actors used. The detailed review allows my target audience to have more knowledge of whats going on and also a more emotive feeling towards Robyn the main character. Both of these ancillary texts help structure my film acting as flesh to the body of the main product and are effective as they help reflect on the film giving a taster of what to expect but helps entice them to watch it and make their own opinion. 

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

Throughout every stage of constructing my final product I used media technologies which are now commonly used when creating a film. Initially I used the internet such as youtube to help for inspiration to think of a storyline. When writing the script I used a software called Celtx, which correctly formats the script easily and efficiently which not only made it quicker for this process to be done, but also gave me more of an understanding of how scripts should be formatted. I used a HD camera to film my production, which was a important request of mine, as I think the clearer the picture the more aesthetically pleasing it is, and this was something I addressed during my preliminary task. I then used Final Cut Pro to edit my footage which is a good and well established software to use as it is easy to understand and good for editing HD footage. This was a new software to me, which I found quite challenging to learn but also gave me more knowledge of a software which is more likely to be used in the film industry. I used Photoshop to create my poster and magazine article, using my graphic skills to make use of the tools equipped. Also through the making of my production, I used Blogger to keep the research and diary entries accessible to keep up to date with how my production was going.

What do you feel you have learnt from your audience feedback?

My target audience were 18-35 male and females, and it was crucial to get their feedback on the film before taking it any further. When I showed my first draft of my film, my feedback allowed me to take it on board and improve on things they felt needed. This was a good task as it allowed me to meet my target audiences specification and was to their liking. They picked up on shots, transitions and music they liked and added how well I portrayed a simple but effective storyline into a short amount of time, which was elaborated well. This was one of my main worries, in filling out the 5 minutes with an interesting plot without it being to complicated or boring. 

MAIN TASK - EDITING 2

Today I finished cutting and putting the footage in order, and at the moment its 4.48, which needs to be 5 minutes. I also need to sort out the sound as some of the alltitude being different in different shots. Also I would like to do some colourising, maybe de-saturate when Robyn recieves the phone call and things start getting bad.

MAIN TASK - EDITING

Today I began editing my new footage that I filmed Sunday, I spent around 5 hours editing it today, which gave me a good amount of time to get the foundations down for the detailing to be put in place. So far its going well, some shots are a bit shaky and short but I can work around that, I also need to start choosing music to compliment the narrative and shots well.

Im using Final Cut Pro to edit my production, which is great because its not a difficult software to understand, and is good for editing HD footage. I also need to sort some sound out in Sound Cut Pro, and maybe do some colourising.

ROBYN FINAL POSTER

Here is my final promotional poster for Robyn, I changed a few things from my first draft. Which were deleting the various layers that mirrored the picture of Robyn, because I felt this connoted something different to the storyline. So I added a target in the background, connoting that guns will be used and also I put trees subtly in the background to show where it is going to be set.

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 11

Today I decided that I'm going to finish off my production with a magazine review, instead of a radio trailer. My decision for this was because I feel I can use my graphic skills to create a professional looking film review, rather than putting together a radio trailer, using new software that I'm not familiar with, and having to juggle that while editing my film.

I will need to

• Create A4/A3 review 
• Research into magazine reviews in more depth
• Take stills from film
• Maybe make a magazine front cover

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 10

FILMING  #2

Today was the re-film from the incident that happened during the first shoot. I contacted my actors, and Lucy who played Robyn is now fallen pregnant, preventing her from doing directions I needed in my film, e.g: Running. So I got another actor Enya Patricia, who I used as an example in my mock up poster. 

As a result of using a new actor, I had to re-film the opening sequence, but taking advantage of this I changed some aspects of the sequence from the feedback I received from my first edit. We begun the woods scene around 12pm, it was a sunny clear day, which meant bright lighting. This was an issue during filming as it over exposed the actors, making them very bright and white on camera, but this could be something I overcome by editing. I finished the filming, which as a whole went well, the actors did a great job, and after a few attempts of filming, I learnt from my mistakes.

(Photos coming soon)

RESEARCH - PROPS

I have a few props that are used in my thriller. From passports to a gun, these are all important things in my film as they add that attention to detail, to help convey that Robyn is a spy. I took some picture of my props:

RESEARCH - LOCATION

There are three main locations in my production: The bedroom scene, workout scene and wood/chase scene.

I have took some photos to show the locations, I chose these locations because they are realistic, though the workout scene I made up of gym equipment that I have to create a gym type look. The woods are good as they have a small cliff, which I am using to finish my film, with the final scene as Robyn and the man come  face to face.

Here are some photos

Bedroom:

Workout scene:

Wood/chase scene: 

MAIN TASK - RISK ASSESSMENT

RESEARCH - RADIO TRAILER

Here is a mind map about Radio Trailers, which I am considering doing towards my final production. I would enjoy doing this, and editing it together in a software like sound cut pro

Here are some questions I should consider about radio trailers:
1) How will I put this together?
I will use a software like sound cut pro or final cut pro to add music and audio together to create it
2) Using what technology?
Microphone, imac, sound cut pro
3) Special requirements?
I will need to record specific audio for voice overs, and will need to find suspense music 
4) How effective will this be?
It will be very effective, the music will grip the audience and the emotive choice of dialogue will stand out and interest the audience
5) Target audience?
18-30 males and females
6) Where would you broadcast it?
Since I have quite a wide range of target audience, I think the main radio stations would be best, like radio 1 and kiss, as ROBYN is quite contemporary like the music played on those stations 

MAIN TASK - TARGET AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

Here is my first edit of a snippet of Robyn. Today I showed a group of my target audience, and received some feedback on what they thought. This was a great way to take the advice on board and change or improve on some things before submitting the final one to suit my target audience more.

Here is some of the feedback I had:

• Some shaky establishing shots at the beginning
• Put music in that builds tension
• Short sound out to make level
• Great acting, and sequence is conveyed well
• Nice variation of shots used

From this I can develop on the editing, and maybe re-film some shots that were too shaky. Also I will add some music and level out the sound.

TEASER POSTER

STORYBOARD

Here is my storyboard for my thriller, I have broken down the scenes into short pictures to get an idea of the body of my final production. I think making a storyboard really helps make the idea and concept of the production come to life, and allows me to vision it better.

FINAL SCRIPT DRAFT

Robyn Final Draft

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 9

After thinking hard about what has happened, I need to re-film my production, but also in a new location. As I am using a gun as a prop, I need to use somewhere not public. So with this I also had to modify my script. I am thinking of using my local woods for the final scene, as its accessible and also not many people go there, allowing me to use the gun prop freely. I had to change things on my script for the wood scene to make sense in the storyline.

I will now have to re-schedule a new filming date, but I dont have much time left, as the deadline in getting nearer. Also by re-filming I can improve on things that went wrong the first time.

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 8

FILMING

Today I filmed, I filmed in a few locations, being Lucy's (my actor) house, public bus and queensgate. The first half of the filming went well, I got the shots I needed, improvising with some at the house/ bedroom scenes. I got to Lucy's for 10am and we got straight to filming, I told Lucy to just stay in bed, as it would show a better effect to her actually waking up. We finished around 11:30am, and caught the bus at 12pm, leaving us a bit behind schedule.

(Pictures coming soon)

The bus journey was around 20 minutes long, giving me enough time to get the shots I needed on the bus, and doing that important one take shot of Robyn snapping the sim card. After getting to queensgate, we got straight to filming the chase scene, we filmed some improvising shots in the bus station, and then the 'hallway' scene in a bridge. This all went really well. By now it is about 1:30pm, and we shot the stairway chase sequence, which went really well, getting some great shots up the stairwell and closeups of their feet running up. At 2pm we headed to the top of queensgate car park to film the rooftop scene, after about 20 minutes of filming, we were stopped by security as I didn't get permission to film on a public car park. Also due to using a very realistic gun as a prop, the police were called. After waiting 45 minutes for police to arrive, I was asked to delete my footage filmed in queensgate, which I later refused to do.

Now I am left with queensgate trying to prosecute my school, forcing me to delete my footage to prevent them from taking it any further. So I am now back to square one, with having to re-film majority of my film.

MAIN TASK - PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

Production Schedule

MAIN TASK - POSTER DRAFT 1

Here is my first draft poster I created on photo shop, using images I had taken recently of my sister and just practicing for my actual poster. There are some elements I will change when creating my real one, like the image to the real character in my film and maybe add some images in the background that indicate what happens in the film. The 3 decending layers of the image, suggest different things from my film, indicating she has 3 different personalities, but this isn't whats in my film, so I may have to change this to suggest different things.

PRE-PRODUCTION - SHOT LIST

Shot list

DIARY ENTRY 7 - ACTORS

I have two main actors in my production - ROBYN and MAN
I have found actors for these roles:

Both of these actors are perfect to fit my roles, as they both have to correct look I was going for, good looking young adults. Both were what I was briefly visulising when writing the script.

DIARY ENTRY 6 - TARGET AUDIENCE

Through research I found typical target audience for thrillers are 18+

• Age certificate
• Psychological
• Violence

From these graphs, I can see that the predominant audience that watch thriller films are 50+ female. This is an overview on who could be my target audience, but I think from the storyline and action adventure sub genre to my production, the target audience may vary.

I think my target audience is aimed at 18-35, which is a good 58% of who watched thriller. I think it would be predominantly aimed for males, as it includes action adventure elements, but as the protagonist is female, this would also attract to females aswell.

PRE-PRODUCTION - SCRIPT DRAFT 3

Finally I think I have finished my script, changing some aspects of the main plot. Here is my final plot:
- Robyn is an ex MI5 agent leaving after exposing her job to her husband and the secret service killing him. She left stealing secret documents, taking revenge on what they did. After a couple years constantly running and hiding away from them, they have finally tracked her. She now is on the run, but what is she really planning?

Robyn

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 6

I have set a filming date for Saturday 28th January and remembered that the weather could be an issue as I have a scene outside on the roof of a high building. So I checked the weather reports for that day to make sure it was a good day to film on, and it looks like a perfect day with no clouds or rain.

PRE-PRODUCTION - RESEARCH -SIMILAR PRODUCTS

My character Robyn is in someways similar to Evelyn Salt, from the spy thriller 'Salt'. A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.
SIMILARITIES:

• They are both the main character, being a woman protagonist
• They are both on the run from the government
• The audience don't know if they are good or bad
• They both change their appearance to disguise them selves
• They are both dangerous and clever women

PRE-PRODUCTION - CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY

ROBYN

Title- Miss

Full Name- Robyn Clarke

D.O.B.- 17th April 1986

Age- 25

Height- 5ft. 11

Weight- 8st

Shoe size- 5

Hair colour- Brunette

Eye colour- Blue

Ethnicity- White, British

Occupation- Ex MI5 agent

Marital Status- Single

Robyn is the main character in my thriller, she is a run away from the MI5, after exposing her job title to her fiance and he was then killed. In revenge she took secret documents, and is on the run with them. She now lives alone, in a small run down town, after leaving her luxury lifestyle, she makes the best she can in every house she runs to. She doesn't have many close friends anymore, since she's constantly fleeing to different cities. She is very skilled, physically and mentally. This was a requirement in her old job, but her body and mind have developed through time. She's killed many people, good and bad, for the right reasons. But after what her company did to her boyfriend, she has killed a lot more people. She is the worlds most dangerous weapon, and no one really wants to come across her bad side. 

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 5

I was thinking a lot about my initial idea, and after a few script drafts, I decided that the story line was being modified too much, and I decided I don't think its the right one for me. I have come up with another idea which I would rather do, as it is more full on with a spy action thriller.

NEW IDEA:
Is about a woman called Robyn, an ex-spy from the government, running away was a huge loss to them as she was their most dangerous weapon. They are now after her, she has some top secret documents they want back. She has been receiving unknown calls threatening her, so she packs her bags and runs away, fighting off the FBI on the way.

Here is my first draft of a script.

Robyn

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 4

I have found my style in filming through the media course and how I frame shots as a director, using intricate close ups which are very artistic. I want my style to feature in my thriller, maybe breaking the generic thriller conventional shots with it. So I went out and took some more practice shots of close ups I like with my phone.

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 3

I have been having trouble finding actors for my production, so I have put a advert on a amateurs dramatic site called StarNow.com, allowing actors to respond with a applications. This is a good way of casting for my production, as it allows me to meet knew people, as I would in the industry, describe exactly what I'm looking for from criteria of appearance to a description of my characters and also set up auditions, either in person or over videos.

RESEARCH - MAGAZINE REVIEW

PRE-PRODUCTION - SCRIPT DRAFT 2

Draft 2 Script

PRE-PRODUCTION - SPECIAL EFFECTS

In my film, I need one special effect which is a gun shot. This is quite important scene in my production, as it is the final scene and without the effect it could look bad. I will use the editing software like 'after effects' to put this on to my production but will need some guidance to do so.

Here is a video I watched to help me understand more about special effects:

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY 2

Today I went to Spalding and during the car journey I was thinking about shots for the car scene in my production. So I used my phone to film some practice shots and had a play around with different shots of the road and put them on youtube.
It was a good day for filming I thought, I didnt film until the ride back so it got a bit darker, but the sky was really clear and the sun was bright, which hopefully when I come to filming for the real thing, it will be like that.
I like some of the shots I did, some are quite different and artistic, which are some shots I would like to involve into my production.

MAIN TASK - DIARY ENTRY

Today I finished my first draft of my script, after a long discussion with my media teacher, I have decided agaisnt using the brain transplant as the reason for his flashbacks. We annoted the script together, brainstorming more ideas, I came to the conclusion of an idea.

Unshown background story

• James couple years ago killed someone
• His father (being a therapist/ hypnotist) hypnotised James into forgetting what he's done
• James is now beginning to have memories return to him from his past

The new storyline

• James has a dream about someone being killed
• He tells his parents about it, they tell him its nothing to worry about
• He then begins having flashbacks when he's awake
• He then visits the forest that is in his vision
• His parents chase him to the forest to stop him (audience think its them)
• James begins having vivid flashbacks of the murder, untill he realises it was him

SCRIPT DRAFT

          FADE IN.

          1. EXT. FIELD - NIGHT
          establishing shot of sun setting

          2. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
          PAN:

          JAMES is sleeping and having a nightmare, he tosses and
          turns in bed. There are flashes of his dream cut between.

                                                     CUT BETWEEN

          DREAM SEQUENCE - FOREST
          POV:

          someone running through a forest being chased by an
          anonymous man.

                                               END DREAM SEQUENCE

          3. INT. DINING ROOM - DAY

          JAMES and his parents SUZANNE and MICHAEL are sitting
          quietly as they eat breakfast in an awkward silence.

                              JAMES
                    I've been having weird dreams
                    lately

                              SUZANNE
                         (interested)
                    What's that then hunny

                              JAMES
                    Well its just this one recurring
                    dream about being chased in a
                    forest at night

          SUZANNE looks liable and puts down her orange juice

                              SUZANNE
                    Oo that sounds like a nightmare,
                    what's the forest like?

                              JAMES (O.S)
                    Urm...

                              SUZANNE
                    I mean do you recognise the forest?

          MICHAEL starts cutting his fry up vigorously

                              JAMES
                    Not really, its too dark to see
                    much. But I feel like Ive been
                    there
                         (BEAT)
                    I feel like it was real.

          SUZANNE looks down at her breakfast and sighs. She bites her
          cheek, thinking about if what shes about to say is the right
          thing.

                              SUZANNE
                    Well there's something we haven't
                    told you about -

          MICHAEL clenches his jaw and looks towards SUZANNE

                         (O.S)

          JAMES looks at his parents alarmed

                              JAMES
                    What... What do you mean? What
                    haven't you told me?

                              SUZANNE
                    Well, you see, the thing is, you
                    needed the brain transplant
                    urgently, and the only donor on the
                    list was the boy that was killed in
                    fairview forest.

          MICHAEL starts digging at his food

                              JAMES
                    Oh, I think you missed a big part
                    out of my surgery then guys! You
                    all lied to me!

          SUZANNE sighs and looks to MICHAEL

                              SUZANNE
                    Michael...

                              MICHAEL
                    Look James, we thought it was the
                    right thing not telling you. It
                    wasn't important at the time, the
                    important thing was getting you
                    healthy again

          JAMES has his head in his arms on the table

                              JAMES
                    So what do you think this has to do
                    with my dreams?

                              SUZANNE
                    Well Dr. Moore did say side effects
                    of this type of surgery could bring
                    back certain memories from the
                    donor.

          MICHAEL slams down his knife and fork

                              MICHAEL
                         (Shouting)
                    Suzanne! He's just having
                    nightmares, he's a kid! His mind is
                    full of imagery, he's been out of
                    school for over a year now, it's
                    got to occupy his somehow!

          MICHAEL starts collecting plates and gets up

                              MICHAEL
                    How stupid are you? Thinking he's
                    having memories from a dead person,
                    someone who's in the ground, stop
                    scaring the boy

          MICHAEL walks out

          SUZANNE puts her hand on JAMES remorsefully

                              SUZANNE
                    James, I'm not trying to scare you,
                    it's just I've been waiting for
                    this day to come ever since Dr.
                    Moore said. All I can say is, when
                    you have these dreams, write or
                    draw them down and maybe we can do
                    something about it.

          JAMES and SUZANNE hug

          4. INT. KITCHEN - DAY

          SUPER: "3 WEEKS LATER". JAMES is in the kitchen with a glass
          of milk. He has a flashback again and drops the milk.

                                                      CUT BETWEEN

          FLASHBACK SEQUENCE - FOREST
          POV:

          falling over and hides behind a tree. The anonymous man is
          more visible and is looking for the victim, with a baseball
          bat.

                                           END FLASHBACK SEQUENCE

          JAMES is on the floor with a nosebleed after the flashback.
          He then gets up angrily

          5. INT. BEDROOM - DAY - MONTAGE

          JAMES bombs into his bedroom

          JAMES messes up his room by pulling duvet off

          JAMES pulls books out of shelf

          JAMES pulls his hair

          JAMES rummages through draws and paper

          JAMES grabs paper and begins to scribble picture on them

          JAMES starts pinning pictures to the wall

                                                      END MONTAGE

          JAMES is sitting holding his head, breathing heavily.
          SUZANNE comes in the room and see's JAMES and the pictures
          he drew.

                              SUZANNE
                    Come with me

          LEAVING SEQUENCE - MONTAGE
          EXTREME CLOSE UP:

          SUZANNE pulls drawings off wall

          SUZANNE stamps note on fridge

          SUZANNE grabs keys

          SUZANNE shuts car door

          SUZANNE puts keys in ignition

          6. EXT. ROAD - DAY
          extreme long shot of the side view from car

          7. EXT. FOREST - DAY

          SUZANNE and JAMES are walking through the forest, JAMES in
          front.

                              JAMES
                    This is where my dream is, how did
                    you know?

                              SUZANNE
                    This is where your donor was
                    murdered...
                         (looks up)
                    Fairview forest

          JAMES cringes in pain and holds his head and has a flashback

          FLASHBACK SEQUENCE - FOREST
          POV:

          Looking around, breathing and panting as they run more
          through the forest.

                                           END FLASHBACK SEQUENCE

                              SUZANNE
                         (yells)
                    JAMES!

          JAMES stands there delusional with a nose bleed

          8. INT. KITCHEN - DAY

          MICHAEL walks in to kitchen from work, he reads the note on
          the fridge, drops his brief case and runs out
          EXTREME CLOSE UP: of the note

          9. EXT. FOREST - DAY

          JAMES is sitting, SUZANNE kneels next to him giving him a
          bottle of water.

                              JAMES
                    Mum, I'm fine. C'mon lets keep
                    walking

          10. INT. CAR - DAY

          MICHAEL is driving as fast as he can to get to the forest

          11. EXT. FOREST - DAY

                              JAMES
                    So they never found who killed my
                    donor?

                              SUZANNE
                    No, but your saying you have seen
                    him in your flashbacks?

                              JAMES
                    Well there's someone after me in
                    them, I just can't make out their
                    face

          JAMES stops suddenly

                              SUZANNE
                    James?

          SUZANNE looks at JAMES and see's his nose bleeding

                                                      CUT BETWEEN

          FLASHBACK SEQUENCE - FOREST - MONTAGE
          POV:

          Running through forrest

          JAMES is fitting

          Looking back and seeing murderer

          MICHAEL's feet running through forest

          Running feet through forest

          Falls over

          JAMES is fitting on the floor

          Looks up and see's murderer (MICHAEL) with baseball bat

          Flashes of being hit by baseball bat

          MICHAEL's feet running through forest

                                            END FLASHBACK MONTAGE

          JAMES wakes up from flashback on the floor and see's his dad
          MICHAEL standing above him, he realises his dad was the
          murderer.

                                                        FADE OUT.

                    - your brain surgery, and maybe
                    your nightmares have something to
                    do with it