A society is moulded by influential trends which, in turn, enable other members of the public to follow, or rebel in another trend. A moral panic is a negative reaction to a trend as the general public feel it is a threat to the society’s values. As a result of these moral panics, cultural identity shifts as the folk devil and initial crisis either merge into the standards of the social order or are resolved by bringing in new laws or measures.
As a result of these moral panics, two appropriate models were made in order to monitor the process of the crisis and decide whether or not it should be classed as a moral panic. They both contain a number of stages, each specifying what is to be expected within in a moral panic. The first to be put into practice was the ‘Processual Model’ created by Stanley Cohen. This model consists of seven stages, for example, the first; ‘Emergence – when a form or behaviour becomes a threat.’ Throughout the model, it explains how the moral panic is handled before being resolved and finally, ‘submerging into the culture’ and creating a legacy of changing people’s views, thus our cultural identity. This ‘Processual Model’ could be seen as the more formal and structured model as it states the usual conventions of the moral panic’s process. The second model is the ‘Attributional Model’ by Goode & Nachman. This includes only five points of criteria for a moral panic and mainly expresses the reaction of the public rather than the process of the resolution. For example, the fourth stage is ‘Disproportionate - the reaction by the public is out of proportion to the cultural harm’, which is representative of the tendency of this particular model. As each model has different criteria, depending on the process of the moral panic, one model may apply to a given crisis better than the other. These models will come in useful when deciding how each moral panic affects and alters our cultural identity as the path they each follow lead to different outcomes.
A key example of a moral panic is the uprising of child abuse. Although child abuse has unfortunately happened throughout time, one of the most important cases was in 1973 when Maria Colwell who, aged 7, was beaten to death by her stepfather, came to trial. As a result, awareness began to slowly spread throughout the public. Nevertheless, as the case didn’t gain as much coverage as expected – most likely due to the horrific concept being so new, thus unbelievable – this was not yet seen as a majorly threatening issue. Therefore there wouldn’t have been a shift in our cultural identity, but just the beginning of a gradual process to change. Sir Keith Joseph, Minister for Social Security, played a key role in resolving the ordeal. However, it was only when the media became involved, having used the criticism of the social work system as a lead, that the moral panic appeared to be well under way. This was due to the media’s typicality in over-exaggerating the situation, and choosing to further the decision to blame social workers.
As a result of all this, parents and the public in general were shocked and rightfully scared, but for two reasons. Firstly, suspicions grew for parents as to whether their child’s safety was in jeopardy. This suspicion would most likely fragment our cultural identity as people become less trusting, thus creating friction as any abnormal behavior would generate doubt in their ability to care for children. Secondly, in relation with the first fear, and consequentially, parents and child minders in general would fear for their status as reliable carers. This reaction would most likely bring people together as those who see the epidemic as being over exaggerated would fight together to bring a sense of reason back to society. So overall in this epidemic, fragmentation and form are inextricably linked in that the mass media solidifies the public’s cultural image of a “typical” mother. This results in cultural forming – as those who appear to be a “typical” mother come together – and fragmentation in which within society people can become hostile, or overly concerned when people do not conform to this specific identity.
Another example of a moral panic is the uprising of ‘Rave.’ This was an outbreak unlike anything else due to the main concept of it being more of a taboo rather than essentially breaking the law. Rave culture was very distinctive, they always used extensive lighting, wore eccentric clothes, and the music had around 120 beats per second. This chaotic theme is all very necessary once you understand why the mutiny was so looked down upon. Drugs were the main concern surrounding rave culture, and although manic dancing and eccentric settings aren’t illegal, drugs are. This is what caused the moral panic and sent the public wild with alarm, producing a formation of worried parents, those who were affected, and thus an army of resistance.
The police made many attempts to bring down the raves however they were up against several tactics used to keep them out. All the people who considered themselves as ‘ravers’ were, in principle, included in a huge cultural forming. Therefore, they fought for their revolution. Organisers argued that the raves were private functions leaving the police with no grounds to work with, and that’s if they could find the events - the venues were kept secret until the last minute, and were in rural places such as barns and airfields. Because the ‘ravers’ were in an unstable position of control, they were very tightly bound and thus became more detached from society. So although at the time there were two very motivated and strong formations of society, this evidently leads to an overwhelming split in our British culture. It was only when Leah Betts died on her 18th birthday due to water intoxication – a result from ecstasy – that the moral panic began to come to an end. This moral panic seems to follows the steps of the ‘Attributional’ model, and although the death of Leah Betts came as a blow to both groups, the public reaction still seemed disproportionate to the cultural harm, and so following the process of the model, the panic soon subsided.
A further example of a moral panic that hit the nation was AIDS. This differs from the previous two, as the shocking and life changing crisis had no one to blame. Most moral panics have a folk devil, as they play the role of the people who are threatening the rest of society and their culture. However it was only after the pandemic was over that the public realised AIDS was an exception due to the virus infecting unknowing suspects. When AIDS came about, panic broke loose as people could find no explanation. It was only when the media suggested it was a ‘gay plague’ that the true moral panic took place – as the public finally had a folk devil to hold responsible – and people generalised it with homosexuals and later drug users as knowledge spread that these were possible ways of contracting AIDS. Much like the rave rebellion, formations were created by the supposed folk devils being singled out as wrong doers. Quite understandably, those who received grief, as well as having to cope with the infection, started to run campaigns fighting to bring sense into the isolating calamity. This was a mass moral panic and so went on for a long period of time. Therefore as time went on, and as people began to learn more about the pandemic, views and opinions on the matter grew more and more diverse. The obvious risk of having so many outlooks on such a serious and culture-affecting issue is that sooner or later, people create confrontation and hence, cause fractures in society. So although like other moral panics, some people form a cultural identity in accordance with their beliefs, overall, our culture is dangerously fractured as there are too many apparent subdivisions.
Moral panics always come in different forms. This is evident from looking at the differences between the child abuse, rave, and aids epidemics. Child abuse is a harmful and worrying crisis as targets are unpredictable and helpless. The rise of rave was just a large youth subculture which was harmful in terms self infliction, and the influencing of others. The AIDS epidemic was purely a misunderstanding as because the infection was so new, the public felt the need to blame someone without knowing the facts. During all these moral panics, culture shifts regularly. There will always be formations of individuals wanting to fight to bring the crisis to an end, as well as those who group together as a result of feeling targeted. At least we can take comfort in the fact that all moral panics do fade, or at least become regulated, and all the groupings and segregations eventually loose their force.
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Thursday 5 November 2009
Film Research
Today i found a truly British film that i decided would be useful in helping me to further my knowledge on the what makes a film British. The film was Doctor in Distress, directed by Ralph Thomas, and made in 1963.
I believe that films of this era were easier to decipher as British as this was the time that people base our cultural traits on; pompous men with mustaches, rounded classic cars, and proper British speaking. Funnily enough, this film includes all these conventions. Even from the introduction, the connotations of all the films aspects were pointedly British. The non-digetic music was formal and upbeat, typical of a film of this era. The characters shown were chugging along in there old fashioned British cars with rounded head lamps and chrome finishing. The reason for this being so apparent is in order to inform the audience the setting of the film making it an initial conclusion drawn.
The plot that runs through the film is also very British. It's a romance including Doctors as the protagonists. By using the profession of a Doctor is significant as it is seen to be a respected line of work, and these beliefs is a signifier of British culture. Despite the obvious English accent, even the way they talk is characteristic of a British person, whether it be a heavy londoner's chat or upper classed grousing. The genre is also archetypal of a British film as this was around the same time as the Hays Code adaption, making it very family friendly and thus noticeably British.
Overall i have gained a better insight into recognizing a British film as the more examples i research the more i familiarize myself with the characteristics.
I believe that films of this era were easier to decipher as British as this was the time that people base our cultural traits on; pompous men with mustaches, rounded classic cars, and proper British speaking. Funnily enough, this film includes all these conventions. Even from the introduction, the connotations of all the films aspects were pointedly British. The non-digetic music was formal and upbeat, typical of a film of this era. The characters shown were chugging along in there old fashioned British cars with rounded head lamps and chrome finishing. The reason for this being so apparent is in order to inform the audience the setting of the film making it an initial conclusion drawn.
The plot that runs through the film is also very British. It's a romance including Doctors as the protagonists. By using the profession of a Doctor is significant as it is seen to be a respected line of work, and these beliefs is a signifier of British culture. Despite the obvious English accent, even the way they talk is characteristic of a British person, whether it be a heavy londoner's chat or upper classed grousing. The genre is also archetypal of a British film as this was around the same time as the Hays Code adaption, making it very family friendly and thus noticeably British.
Overall i have gained a better insight into recognizing a British film as the more examples i research the more i familiarize myself with the characteristics.
Wednesday 14 October 2009
Moral Panic and the Media
Moral Panic - (aids, youth uprising, child abuse, paedophilia)
- Breakdown/lack of morals - performed by the 'folk devil'
- Large public outcry - people feel threatened and want to resolve it.
- Gap in the media - how do they cover it?
- Something that happens which causes a moral discussion - needs to be sorted out.
Abstract concept used to make sense of "irrational public hysteria"
Public and academic debate on moral panic works on the assumption that the media plays a significant role in determining the characteristics of a moral panic.
This signifies a complex process that shapes public perceptions of a perceived threat to the moral code of society.
Process Model:
Applies to process of a moral panic. 7 defined stages (Stanley Conon "folk devils & moral panics" 1973)
1. Emergence: when a form of behaviour becomes perceived as a threat.
2. Media inventory: explanation of the threat is manipulated by media (desertion exaggeration)
3. Moral entrepreneur: group organisation speak out and offer solutions.
4. Experts: socially accredited experts who diagnose solutions
5. Coping resolutions: reaction of the media, moral entrepreneurs and experts leads to legal reform.
6. Fading away: the condition disappears; submerging into the culture, or deterring becoming less visible.
7. Legacy: a moral panic has a long term effect and creates big changes in social policy, the law or society's views on itself.
Attribution model: Eric Goode & Nachman
Ben Yehudah Study - "Moral panics = social construction of deviance" (1994)
Claims those working in the media, political insitutions of the legal system impact on moral panics through "claims making."
- 5 elements of criteria distinguish attributes of moral panics.
1. Concern - a heightened level of concern, measurable through opinion polls etc.
2. Hostility - increased hostility to a group or category - seen as 'enemy' to respectable society (folk devils)
3. Consensus - a sustained segment of social agrees that the threat is caused by wrong doers.
4. Disproportionates - the reaction by the public is out of proportion to the cultural harm.
5. Volatility - the idea that moral panics are volatile by nature, erupts quickly but also often subsides quietly - each episode cannot be sustained for long.
- Breakdown/lack of morals - performed by the 'folk devil'
- Large public outcry - people feel threatened and want to resolve it.
- Gap in the media - how do they cover it?
- Something that happens which causes a moral discussion - needs to be sorted out.
Abstract concept used to make sense of "irrational public hysteria"
Public and academic debate on moral panic works on the assumption that the media plays a significant role in determining the characteristics of a moral panic.
This signifies a complex process that shapes public perceptions of a perceived threat to the moral code of society.
Process Model:
Applies to process of a moral panic. 7 defined stages (Stanley Conon "folk devils & moral panics" 1973)
1. Emergence: when a form of behaviour becomes perceived as a threat.
2. Media inventory: explanation of the threat is manipulated by media (desertion exaggeration)
3. Moral entrepreneur: group organisation speak out and offer solutions.
4. Experts: socially accredited experts who diagnose solutions
5. Coping resolutions: reaction of the media, moral entrepreneurs and experts leads to legal reform.
6. Fading away: the condition disappears; submerging into the culture, or deterring becoming less visible.
7. Legacy: a moral panic has a long term effect and creates big changes in social policy, the law or society's views on itself.
Attribution model: Eric Goode & Nachman
Ben Yehudah Study - "Moral panics = social construction of deviance" (1994)
Claims those working in the media, political insitutions of the legal system impact on moral panics through "claims making."
- 5 elements of criteria distinguish attributes of moral panics.
1. Concern - a heightened level of concern, measurable through opinion polls etc.
2. Hostility - increased hostility to a group or category - seen as 'enemy' to respectable society (folk devils)
3. Consensus - a sustained segment of social agrees that the threat is caused by wrong doers.
4. Disproportionates - the reaction by the public is out of proportion to the cultural harm.
5. Volatility - the idea that moral panics are volatile by nature, erupts quickly but also often subsides quietly - each episode cannot be sustained for long.
Friday 18 September 2009
Michael Caine
Michael Caine is a well known British actor whose career kick started when he starred in the TV play The Compartment, which later lead to him starring in Zulu, Alfie, Hurry Sundown, The Italian Job, Get Carter and many more. Unfortunatly, Caine (real name Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.) came from humble beginnings; his father was a Fish Market Porter and his mother was a Charwoman. From an early age he was eagerly interested in the film industry, but found himself being turned down more often than not. Atfer many agents,and shooting TV play The Compartment Caine was finally took on by Dennis Selinger who was the biggest agent in England at the time. This was the initiation of his career as it wasn't long after that he got his breakthrough film role in Zulu. Since then, he has only built upon his extraordinary reputation and is still starring in brilliant British films.
Cover Work
The term "Folk Devil" (introduced by sociologist Stanley Cohen in 1972) means a person or group of people who are portrayed in the media as being rebels or outsiders. They are stereotypically mods and/or rockers accused of committing crimes and blamed for social problems.
"Moral Panic" is expressed when a population feel that the social order is under threat by an intimidating and alarming group of people (often called folk devils). Moral panics are by-products of controversies that produce arguments and social tension.
"Moral Panic" is expressed when a population feel that the social order is under threat by an intimidating and alarming group of people (often called folk devils). Moral panics are by-products of controversies that produce arguments and social tension.
The Motion Picture Production Code (MPPC)
The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry censorship guidelines which were put in place from 1930 to 1968 in the US. These guidelines were set up in order to monitor the production of films, and to inform motion picture companies what was acceptable and not acceptable. This was to ensure that the contents were suitable for public audiences and would not set a bad influence. The MPPC was also commonly referred to as the Hays Code after its creator Will H. Hays.
Here are a few of the codes "General Principles"
1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
Here are a few of the codes "General Principles"
1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
Comparison on Britsh Films
Somers Town and Slumdog Millionaire are both British films, but what makes a film British? They both have elements of different cultures in them, with some elements more apparent than others. In Slumdog Millionaire for example, the whole film is set in India and has an almost all Indian cast. This would lead you to disagree with the notion of Slumdog Millionaire being a British film, however there are other factors to include in this argument. Although the co-director, Loveleen Tandan originates from India, Danny Boyle is a typically British Director who has a number of British films under his belt. You would also assume that it's target audience is British as it uses the English language. In addition, the theme of the whole film is based around the archetypal British game show 'Who wants to be a Millionaire', suggesting it's ideologies are also British.
Somers Town is similar but in a different way; it's set in the England's capital, London. This instantly directs an audience towards labeling the film as British also, however like Slumdog Millionaire it has a cultured and relatively concentrated cast, Piotr Jagiello who plays Marek who is polish, Ireneusz Czopn who plays Mariusz is French and we also meet many other characters whom are also immigrants. The reason this film shows culture is its focus on the newcomers settling in and the troubles they may face.
Overall, I would categorize both films as cultured British Films, with Slumdog Millionaire less typically British than Somers Town.
Somers Town is similar but in a different way; it's set in the England's capital, London. This instantly directs an audience towards labeling the film as British also, however like Slumdog Millionaire it has a cultured and relatively concentrated cast, Piotr Jagiello who plays Marek who is polish, Ireneusz Czopn who plays Mariusz is French and we also meet many other characters whom are also immigrants. The reason this film shows culture is its focus on the newcomers settling in and the troubles they may face.
Overall, I would categorize both films as cultured British Films, with Slumdog Millionaire less typically British than Somers Town.
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Homework - Curtisland
This article is suggesting that the release of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, (the day after Labour leader, John Smiths death) was a turning point in English media as our ideologies changed. The film couldn't be called kitchen-sink nor carry-on and this lead to the perception of Britain to change. We became a broken home yet produced feel-good films it happy endings.
Thursday 10 September 2009
Wednesday 9 September 2009
Teaser Trailiers
We were set a task to find out what makes a tease trailer. I discovered they are normally shown more than a year in advance to the films actually showing. They are also normally used to inform the audience that the film is coming soon rather than to advertise. Conventionally they use short and snappy editing, mixing impactful images with simpler, almost blank shots. They're intentionally ambiguous leaving the audience eager to watch the film and solve the enigma. Horrors, and thrillers are most commonly use teaser trailers.
First Lesson of Y13
It's nice to be back and put my media head on. Today we were briefed on the upcoming year, and were told alterations being made to the way we'll be working and the reasons for this. One of the issues the moderator brought up was that our blogs were lacking in regular entries and therefore It's my new goal to write up any media related issues that seem relevant, on a routinely basis.
Monday 15 June 2009
Beginning of A2
We had our first lesson of media on collective identity today. We looked into what is British as we are studying British films. Mrs Baird talked us through the process of the year and introduced our first topic. Collective identity is the theory of individuals feeling a sense of belonging to a group, and in turn, the collective identity forms a part of his or her personal identity.
Overall, very successful first lesson back.
Overall, very successful first lesson back.
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Evaluation
For our media coursework, we were asked to produce a two minute opening to a film. Before we could begin the practical side, we had to choose a genre and create a story in which our opening would take place. We chose horror as we decided this would be an easy genre to portray and would be most gripping.
In order for us to get the go-ahead for filming, we had to present our idea in the form of a pitch. Firstly we came up with an initiative for our opening before expanding our thoughts into an idea for a whole film, as this was what we would present in our pitch. During class we drew up a storyboard, firstly to explain in the pitch how we wanted our film to appear, and also to guide us when it came to the actual filming. We ensured we followed all the crucial media rules such as ‘Shot-reverse-shot’ (used commonly in conversations with two people) ‘match on action’ (used to show an action from more than one point of view), we also had to follow the 180° rule for the viewers ease on understanding. We also had to write an actual pitch that portrayed our idea in a gripping and blurb-like way.
Overall our pitch went well and they were very pleased with our progress so far. They were happy for us to continue in the direction we were heading however they gave a few suggestions on how to create a more dramatic ending which we later incorporated into our initial plan. Then together we arranged a date in which to collect the filming equipment.
We used my house as the setting for our ‘teenage accommodation’ and set up the kitchen, in which most of the filming took place, according to mise-en-scene. We placed empty bottles around the surfaces to suggest regular drinking, (if not a party the night before). The radio was arranged with an empty Jack Daniels bottle and an apple (referring back to original sin - Adam and Eve). I also wore a pyjama top to connote morning, along with tights to suggest she’d had a party previously. In general we wanted to portray our main character, Imogen, as an easy-going but reckless adolescent. We included her smoking and having a laid back attitude to life to emphasize her amendment later in the actual story. I believe our representation of this particular social group is accurate but to an extreme length. However a main theme throughout the film is the transformation of Imogen from wild, to acceptable in modern society.
In terms of target audience, I believe our genre would appeal to most class groups from the high C through to the Fs as the elite classes may not find this stimulating or generally entertaining due to there. In terms of target age, I presume mainly a younger generation would be attracted. However we aim our target audience to range from an age of 16, up to 40 years in order for our production to appeal to as many potential viewers as possible. Also, our film would appeal to both sexes, bearing in mind our main character is a female, and, due to an ever-growing feminist society, this would attract the female audience. In terms of males, I feel they would be drawn in, as they are commonly known to be an enthusiast of the horror genre anyway.
As our production is aimed at a the younger audience, I would expect most cinema companies to hold showings so to keep in touch with today’s modern and social society. I also imagine institutions such as Film4, channel 4, BBC 3, ITV3, could also broadcast this type of film as these are fairly modern channels and are often popular with the generation we are appealing to.
In order to attract our audience, we decided to begin our opening with equilibrium. This is a brilliant technique used to create the sense of norm, before hitting the audience with the incident that initiates the key drama theme for the film.
We were rather successful in following the conventions found in the horror genre. One of these conventions includes mis-en-scene. For this we placed empty drink bottles around the setting to connote heavy drinking, cigarettes to show an adolescent attitude, and blood/zombie look to denote a dangerous atmosphere or warning. Another convention is use of camera shots and we tried to vary our shot types as much as possible. These shots consisted of close-ups, to emphasize minor details of a certain shot (close-up of my face as ‘zombie’ runs past window), panning which was used to follow my character around the kitchen, and a shot which I believe was most effective at end where we shook the camera, whilst approaching my character, as if from the ‘zombies’ perspective. When it came to editing we researched films of a similar genre to our product to explore how real media institutions create effect in editing. We also had a visitor, whom had experience in the production of films, come in to help suggest ways of creating a more dramatic effect. He suggested that towards the end, to help build tension, we should decrease the length of shots, more and more, to create pace and emphasize the break in equilibrium.
Looking back on my preliminary task I believe I have learnt a lot more in terms of editing techniques, mis-en-scene, and general effects used to attract the audience’s attention. A key alteration that I believe improved the outcome of my final piece was a change in grouping after the preliminary task. This was due to my new group being more familiar with each other, as well as us all living in the same area in comparison to others in my class. I feel I understand more about semiotics and this is visible when you compare our two films. A key aspect of film making that I have definatly learnt, is that you should always be patient, and be prepared for if things go wrong.
As we spent the majority of our time editing the film itself, I can confidently say that I am comfortable with the application iMovie, as this was what we used to edit, and create effects. We began slowly by familiarizing ourselves with simple editing features such as straightforward cutting, and deleting scenes, before moving on to more advanced aspects such as adding sound effects, credits, and voiceovers. When it came to these more advanced features, recording the voiceover for example, it was often a case of using our initiative. This meant deciding that simply talking into the microphone in the Mac, would be too clear (bearing in mind we wanted to create a radio effect) so we resorted to recording the broadcast onto a phone, before playing it into the microphone on the Mac. I also feel happy due to the fact the application I used in my preliminary, differed from the one I used in my final production. This has helped me in terms of being capable of adjusting my skills.
We are having some difficulty at the current time in sorting putting up our storyboard as scanning it in has proven difficult. As soon as we can sort this problem everything will be up to date.
In order for us to get the go-ahead for filming, we had to present our idea in the form of a pitch. Firstly we came up with an initiative for our opening before expanding our thoughts into an idea for a whole film, as this was what we would present in our pitch. During class we drew up a storyboard, firstly to explain in the pitch how we wanted our film to appear, and also to guide us when it came to the actual filming. We ensured we followed all the crucial media rules such as ‘Shot-reverse-shot’ (used commonly in conversations with two people) ‘match on action’ (used to show an action from more than one point of view), we also had to follow the 180° rule for the viewers ease on understanding. We also had to write an actual pitch that portrayed our idea in a gripping and blurb-like way.
Overall our pitch went well and they were very pleased with our progress so far. They were happy for us to continue in the direction we were heading however they gave a few suggestions on how to create a more dramatic ending which we later incorporated into our initial plan. Then together we arranged a date in which to collect the filming equipment.
We used my house as the setting for our ‘teenage accommodation’ and set up the kitchen, in which most of the filming took place, according to mise-en-scene. We placed empty bottles around the surfaces to suggest regular drinking, (if not a party the night before). The radio was arranged with an empty Jack Daniels bottle and an apple (referring back to original sin - Adam and Eve). I also wore a pyjama top to connote morning, along with tights to suggest she’d had a party previously. In general we wanted to portray our main character, Imogen, as an easy-going but reckless adolescent. We included her smoking and having a laid back attitude to life to emphasize her amendment later in the actual story. I believe our representation of this particular social group is accurate but to an extreme length. However a main theme throughout the film is the transformation of Imogen from wild, to acceptable in modern society.
In terms of target audience, I believe our genre would appeal to most class groups from the high C through to the Fs as the elite classes may not find this stimulating or generally entertaining due to there. In terms of target age, I presume mainly a younger generation would be attracted. However we aim our target audience to range from an age of 16, up to 40 years in order for our production to appeal to as many potential viewers as possible. Also, our film would appeal to both sexes, bearing in mind our main character is a female, and, due to an ever-growing feminist society, this would attract the female audience. In terms of males, I feel they would be drawn in, as they are commonly known to be an enthusiast of the horror genre anyway.
As our production is aimed at a the younger audience, I would expect most cinema companies to hold showings so to keep in touch with today’s modern and social society. I also imagine institutions such as Film4, channel 4, BBC 3, ITV3, could also broadcast this type of film as these are fairly modern channels and are often popular with the generation we are appealing to.
In order to attract our audience, we decided to begin our opening with equilibrium. This is a brilliant technique used to create the sense of norm, before hitting the audience with the incident that initiates the key drama theme for the film.
We were rather successful in following the conventions found in the horror genre. One of these conventions includes mis-en-scene. For this we placed empty drink bottles around the setting to connote heavy drinking, cigarettes to show an adolescent attitude, and blood/zombie look to denote a dangerous atmosphere or warning. Another convention is use of camera shots and we tried to vary our shot types as much as possible. These shots consisted of close-ups, to emphasize minor details of a certain shot (close-up of my face as ‘zombie’ runs past window), panning which was used to follow my character around the kitchen, and a shot which I believe was most effective at end where we shook the camera, whilst approaching my character, as if from the ‘zombies’ perspective. When it came to editing we researched films of a similar genre to our product to explore how real media institutions create effect in editing. We also had a visitor, whom had experience in the production of films, come in to help suggest ways of creating a more dramatic effect. He suggested that towards the end, to help build tension, we should decrease the length of shots, more and more, to create pace and emphasize the break in equilibrium.
Looking back on my preliminary task I believe I have learnt a lot more in terms of editing techniques, mis-en-scene, and general effects used to attract the audience’s attention. A key alteration that I believe improved the outcome of my final piece was a change in grouping after the preliminary task. This was due to my new group being more familiar with each other, as well as us all living in the same area in comparison to others in my class. I feel I understand more about semiotics and this is visible when you compare our two films. A key aspect of film making that I have definatly learnt, is that you should always be patient, and be prepared for if things go wrong.
As we spent the majority of our time editing the film itself, I can confidently say that I am comfortable with the application iMovie, as this was what we used to edit, and create effects. We began slowly by familiarizing ourselves with simple editing features such as straightforward cutting, and deleting scenes, before moving on to more advanced aspects such as adding sound effects, credits, and voiceovers. When it came to these more advanced features, recording the voiceover for example, it was often a case of using our initiative. This meant deciding that simply talking into the microphone in the Mac, would be too clear (bearing in mind we wanted to create a radio effect) so we resorted to recording the broadcast onto a phone, before playing it into the microphone on the Mac. I also feel happy due to the fact the application I used in my preliminary, differed from the one I used in my final production. This has helped me in terms of being capable of adjusting my skills.
We are having some difficulty at the current time in sorting putting up our storyboard as scanning it in has proven difficult. As soon as we can sort this problem everything will be up to date.
Thursday 12 March 2009
Preliminary - Editing
This is where our film suffered in terms of meeting the deadline. I think its safe to say that we are clear on what we're doing when it comes to editing. We successfully completed editing our film, however the application quitt itself erasing all the work we had done. Unfortunately this happened many times and it is only until recently that we have been able to upload it onto out blog.
Thursday 15 January 2009
Preliminary - Filming
Our filming was successful, we arranged the room to create an area suitable for our type of film, although it took a while adjusting to the camera, as this was our first opportunity to use them, but once we felt we were happy the rest of the production went smoothly.
Storyboard
Before we began the actualy filming for our preliminary task, we had to create a story board explaining the type of shot, character movement, etc. We experimented with two types of story board, one being hand drawn, the other using photographs, both with annotations. Below are images of our storyboards after being scanned in. This was the adversity in completing our task as we did not have acces to a scanner at the time and it is only until now that we have discovered an available scanner in school.
However now below are both of our completed storyboards.
However now below are both of our completed storyboards.
Preliminary
We have been set a media task to complete a short video to prepare us for our final peice. In this short film we had to include someone walking through a door, into a room and exchanging dialouge with someone. Aswell as myself, my group included Rachel Conway and Lewis Bennet. During our peliminary project, many difficulties occured preventing us from completeing our project to the best standard. However, now it is fully completed and although it has been submitted to my blog a long while after, we pursued our project to our best standards and to a certain extent it was not us as a team's fault.
Tuesday 13 January 2009
The Editing
We used the camera to upload our film onto the Macs. Although i was new to the editing programmme iMovie, (as i used a different one for my preliminary) after i had figured out how it worked i found the process much easier. We found that there were alot of clips to be deleted as we did retakes to make sure we got the best quality of shot, however once we had cut out the main chunks we began with the proper editing. Also, as we used match-on-action to link scenes so we had to ensure the end result was seemless and made sense. Overall, we all feel pleased with the outcome of the process, and its quality met our expectations.
The Filming
Me and my group began filming on the 14th of December. We chose to use my house as the set and added to it using props relating to Mise en Scene in order to create the right feel for student housing. We felt that with full commitment we could complete the filming in one day, especially as we had to begin early in the morning in order to make most of the sunlight. We had trouble with the camera as we were missing a part of the tripod, however we still managed to complete shooting after about 3 hours. Overall we feel the production went well despite the faulty camera and misjudgements with the type of shot, for example, overestimating the space available leading us to restrain from a long-shot to a mid-shot in some scenes.
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