1. Is the product a clearly recognisable opening sequence?
Yes because the characters are introduced and the main storyline is begun, which is Jason being hired to assassinate Vinny T which also establishes the hook of the film and gets the audience interested. The genre is also made clear as British gangster as we use the conventions of the genre. It is expected in the opening sequence for the genre to be clear to the audience.
2. Is the genre apparent?
The genre is apparent as British gangster because there is use of the conventions of that genre, the characters wear suits and have cockney accents for example. The non diegetic music also establishes the genre as it is fast paced and makes the audience aware there will be action a main convention of British gangster.
3. Who do you think the target audience is for the product?
The target audience is late teens to young adults, mainly focusing on males
4. Do you think the product would appeal to the target audience?
Yes because the target audience can relate to the actors who are young males like the target audience. The conventions of British gangster in the sequence are apparent so they know exactly what type of film they are watching from the start. The music suggests it will be a fast paced British gangster film full of action which will appeal to the target audience.
5. How well do you think the following technical areas have been addressed?
Cinematography: The opening shot of a mansion is a good establishing shot and a variety of shots have been used during the opening sequence. For example a tracking shot was used to show Jason walking down the alleyway to meet Micky.
Sound: Diegetic: The characters speak with cockney accents which is good because it is a convention of British gangster films
Non diegetic: The music was good because it was fast paced and upbeat much like the scene
Editing: Continuity editing was used to allow the sequence to flow smoothly. A shot reverse shot was also used effectively during Jason and Micky's conversation.
Mise-en-scene: The settings of the alleyway and pool room were good choices as they are typical settings in the British gangster genre. The suits the characters wear also work well because suits are worn in a lot of British gangster films such as Snatch.
6. Overall how successful is the finished product? Give an example of something that could be improved and something that worked well.
The variety of shots worked well together and the genre is clearly shown from the conventions used in the mise-en-scene such as the suits and sound such as the cockney accents. To improve on the sequence you could make it a bit longer. Overall I think your product is successful.
Friday 1 May 2009
James Monahan Media Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our media product uses British gangster conventions. An alleyway and dark pool room were used for the setting, these being one of the conventions of the genre as they are two places used commonly in British gangster films. Our treatment also uses a general convention of British gangster in which the main character is a small time hit man who is forced into a power struggle between two big time crime lords and comes out on top, an underdog convention used in many gangster films. We also use the convention of power and money that is in the genre. In our opening sequence we use credits to introduce the characters as they appear which is a convention used in some British gangster films, another convention would have been using a voice over to introduce the characters but we decided it worked better to just use credits as the opening sequence tells the audience what they need to know already. Our diegetic sound ties in with conventions used in British gangster films with the characters having London "cockney" accent Our non diegetic soundtrack also fits in with the British gangster conventions as it is fast paced which is generally used in the British gangster genre.
2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our product represents gangsters in Britain. The audience can see from their suits and the house that Vinny T owns that they are higher class criminals who have a lot of power and are more likely to have men to work for them then to be doing the work. They are also seen as power hungry and ruthless with Micky telling Jason to kill Vinny T so he can take his power and money.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The media institution most likely to distribute this film would be a large company that has already distributed a British gangster film, a company like Sony for example who distributed Snatch or Universal Pictures who distributed Lock stock and two smoking barrels. The film would be distributed across cinemas in Britain as the film will be mainstream and would expect a good box office.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our main target audience would be from the late teens to young adults as that is the audience for most British gangster films. The actors are young as well and so are easier to relate to by late teens and young adults than older adults. The lifestyles of the characters are lively and exciting which is more likely to appeal to the younger generation which is another reason why we chose them as our main target audience.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
People who like British gangster films will already be attracted since it is the British gangster genre and we use many conventions of British gangster film, rather than trying to alter the genre, so it is guaranteed to be similar to mainstream British gangster films. For example organising a assassination in the opening sequence, promising action which is a main convention of British gangster films. Fast non diegetic music plays throughout the opening sequence which tells the audience it will be a fast paced film full of action which is appeals to our target audience the most.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
We have learnt how useful the tripod is and how hard it is to keep the camera steady without it. We have also learnt how useful programmes like iMovie are in the editing process. Allowing us to edit our shots to place them in the correct order and length, as well as being able to use credits and add music to the media product. The practice from the preliminary task really helped us learn how to use the software effectively. Although the more complicated things such as adding the soundtrack which was not practiced in the preliminary task was harder to do we worked hard on it and eventually got the hang of it so that the non diegetic soundtrack works really well with the product and it is easy to hear the diegetic sounds as we raised it to a higher volume and lowered the non diegetic sounds volume when needed.
7. Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
From the preliminary task we have learnt how to first use a camera and we have improved in our handling of the camera throughout the filming of the full product. Now that we had experienced filming we were better at shooting the scenes we needed and choosing a place, angle and height for the camera to be to get the best shots. We had also learnt from the first task how helpful planning can be in the filming process and we needed a more detailed plan for the full product so we thought more carefully about the storyboard and treatment. As we began filming we knew exactly what shots we needed to do, how long we needed the shot for, the script for each shot which allowed things to run smoothly. We did look through the storyboard throughout filming and thought of ways to improve it if we thought it could be improved.
The mise en scene for the full piece had to tie in with the British gangster genre to keep the products verisimilitude, so for our setting we used a dark pool room and an alleyway both being used in many British gangster films. We learnt how important our opening shot was and we made it a shot of a big house which established the scene of where the pool room is and also showed how rich and powerful the character Vinny T was to have such a house from a life of crime. We wore suits as that is what is normally worn in gangster films. We also used a pool cue in one of the opening shots to establish it is a pool room.
I think are best improvement was in the editing process, we organised it really well in deciding which shots worked best and which shots would not be needed. It was important are shots worked together and that we had a variety of shots so as not to be repetitive and to keep the audience interested. We also used the editing to include credits during the product to show the film name and characters, as they appeared, to introduce them as main characters. The main part to the process was choosing a non diegetic soundtrack that would fit it in with the scene. We had three original choices that we felt all fitted in with the genre and picked the one we thought would work best with the product, after we finished editing it with the product we felt we made the right choice as it seemed to work really well together.
Our media product uses British gangster conventions. An alleyway and dark pool room were used for the setting, these being one of the conventions of the genre as they are two places used commonly in British gangster films. Our treatment also uses a general convention of British gangster in which the main character is a small time hit man who is forced into a power struggle between two big time crime lords and comes out on top, an underdog convention used in many gangster films. We also use the convention of power and money that is in the genre. In our opening sequence we use credits to introduce the characters as they appear which is a convention used in some British gangster films, another convention would have been using a voice over to introduce the characters but we decided it worked better to just use credits as the opening sequence tells the audience what they need to know already. Our diegetic sound ties in with conventions used in British gangster films with the characters having London "cockney" accent Our non diegetic soundtrack also fits in with the British gangster conventions as it is fast paced which is generally used in the British gangster genre.
2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our product represents gangsters in Britain. The audience can see from their suits and the house that Vinny T owns that they are higher class criminals who have a lot of power and are more likely to have men to work for them then to be doing the work. They are also seen as power hungry and ruthless with Micky telling Jason to kill Vinny T so he can take his power and money.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The media institution most likely to distribute this film would be a large company that has already distributed a British gangster film, a company like Sony for example who distributed Snatch or Universal Pictures who distributed Lock stock and two smoking barrels. The film would be distributed across cinemas in Britain as the film will be mainstream and would expect a good box office.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our main target audience would be from the late teens to young adults as that is the audience for most British gangster films. The actors are young as well and so are easier to relate to by late teens and young adults than older adults. The lifestyles of the characters are lively and exciting which is more likely to appeal to the younger generation which is another reason why we chose them as our main target audience.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
People who like British gangster films will already be attracted since it is the British gangster genre and we use many conventions of British gangster film, rather than trying to alter the genre, so it is guaranteed to be similar to mainstream British gangster films. For example organising a assassination in the opening sequence, promising action which is a main convention of British gangster films. Fast non diegetic music plays throughout the opening sequence which tells the audience it will be a fast paced film full of action which is appeals to our target audience the most.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
We have learnt how useful the tripod is and how hard it is to keep the camera steady without it. We have also learnt how useful programmes like iMovie are in the editing process. Allowing us to edit our shots to place them in the correct order and length, as well as being able to use credits and add music to the media product. The practice from the preliminary task really helped us learn how to use the software effectively. Although the more complicated things such as adding the soundtrack which was not practiced in the preliminary task was harder to do we worked hard on it and eventually got the hang of it so that the non diegetic soundtrack works really well with the product and it is easy to hear the diegetic sounds as we raised it to a higher volume and lowered the non diegetic sounds volume when needed.
7. Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
From the preliminary task we have learnt how to first use a camera and we have improved in our handling of the camera throughout the filming of the full product. Now that we had experienced filming we were better at shooting the scenes we needed and choosing a place, angle and height for the camera to be to get the best shots. We had also learnt from the first task how helpful planning can be in the filming process and we needed a more detailed plan for the full product so we thought more carefully about the storyboard and treatment. As we began filming we knew exactly what shots we needed to do, how long we needed the shot for, the script for each shot which allowed things to run smoothly. We did look through the storyboard throughout filming and thought of ways to improve it if we thought it could be improved.
The mise en scene for the full piece had to tie in with the British gangster genre to keep the products verisimilitude, so for our setting we used a dark pool room and an alleyway both being used in many British gangster films. We learnt how important our opening shot was and we made it a shot of a big house which established the scene of where the pool room is and also showed how rich and powerful the character Vinny T was to have such a house from a life of crime. We wore suits as that is what is normally worn in gangster films. We also used a pool cue in one of the opening shots to establish it is a pool room.
I think are best improvement was in the editing process, we organised it really well in deciding which shots worked best and which shots would not be needed. It was important are shots worked together and that we had a variety of shots so as not to be repetitive and to keep the audience interested. We also used the editing to include credits during the product to show the film name and characters, as they appeared, to introduce them as main characters. The main part to the process was choosing a non diegetic soundtrack that would fit it in with the scene. We had three original choices that we felt all fitted in with the genre and picked the one we thought would work best with the product, after we finished editing it with the product we felt we made the right choice as it seemed to work really well together.
James Monahan Other groups conventions
British gangster- Lock stock and two smoking barrels
British gangster mixes violence with money being a central part in most whether it be stealing money like in the Italian Job or owing money to a dangerous character as in Lock Stock and Two Smocking Barrels. The scene begins showing two main characters selling stolen goods until the police arrive and as they run a voiceover introduces them. This shows them as small time criminals which suggests they are more likely to owe money then to pull off a big money heist originally.
Romantic comedy- Notting Hill
In a rom com a boy will meet a girl they fall in love have an obstacle to overcome and then they get together at the end. The main characters will often come from different classes, as is the case in Notting Hill. This is indicated from the start as Julia Roberts is shown constantly throughtout the credits having photographers all around her everywhere she went. Hugh Grant also mentions it during his voiceover talking about his small quiet life in Notting Hill.
Spaghetti western- The Good, the bad and the ugly
Spaghetti Western is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the mid-1960s, so named because most of them were produced by Italian studios. It follows the general conventions of westerns with desert scenary, guns, horses and good vs bad. The opening sequence is a long credit scene with a upbeat rhythm playing throughout, gunshots can be heard and a man on horseback can also be seen. The Good vs Bad can be seen in the title.
War- Saving Private Ryan
The War genre is usually about naval, air or land battles, the experiences of the soldiers, patriotism and remembering what has happened . The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan shows a old man walking through a world war II military grave yard with the American flag being shown for patriotism. There is then a flashback to world war II as allied ships are attempting to reach enemy land under heavy machine gun fire showing the experiences of the soldiers as some are sick while others drown from the weight of their gear as they abandon their ships.
Horror slasher- My bloody valentine
Slasher horror usually follows a serial killer who wears a mask and normally the killer is one of the characters who is known to the audience. The sequence begins in typical fashion with people in masks, a woman then removes her mask and goes into the arms of the other masked person, the person seems only interested in a tattoo of a heart on her chest and all of a sudden seems to fill with rage as he drives her through a pickaxe he had put on the wall with the pickaxe sticking out exactly where the tattoo was. This showing the gore that is sure to be on show throughout the film
British gangster mixes violence with money being a central part in most whether it be stealing money like in the Italian Job or owing money to a dangerous character as in Lock Stock and Two Smocking Barrels. The scene begins showing two main characters selling stolen goods until the police arrive and as they run a voiceover introduces them. This shows them as small time criminals which suggests they are more likely to owe money then to pull off a big money heist originally.
Romantic comedy- Notting Hill
In a rom com a boy will meet a girl they fall in love have an obstacle to overcome and then they get together at the end. The main characters will often come from different classes, as is the case in Notting Hill. This is indicated from the start as Julia Roberts is shown constantly throughtout the credits having photographers all around her everywhere she went. Hugh Grant also mentions it during his voiceover talking about his small quiet life in Notting Hill.
Spaghetti western- The Good, the bad and the ugly
Spaghetti Western is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the mid-1960s, so named because most of them were produced by Italian studios. It follows the general conventions of westerns with desert scenary, guns, horses and good vs bad. The opening sequence is a long credit scene with a upbeat rhythm playing throughout, gunshots can be heard and a man on horseback can also be seen. The Good vs Bad can be seen in the title.
War- Saving Private Ryan
The War genre is usually about naval, air or land battles, the experiences of the soldiers, patriotism and remembering what has happened . The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan shows a old man walking through a world war II military grave yard with the American flag being shown for patriotism. There is then a flashback to world war II as allied ships are attempting to reach enemy land under heavy machine gun fire showing the experiences of the soldiers as some are sick while others drown from the weight of their gear as they abandon their ships.
Horror slasher- My bloody valentine
Slasher horror usually follows a serial killer who wears a mask and normally the killer is one of the characters who is known to the audience. The sequence begins in typical fashion with people in masks, a woman then removes her mask and goes into the arms of the other masked person, the person seems only interested in a tattoo of a heart on her chest and all of a sudden seems to fill with rage as he drives her through a pickaxe he had put on the wall with the pickaxe sticking out exactly where the tattoo was. This showing the gore that is sure to be on show throughout the film
James Monahan Horror- Torture porn Conventions
The conventions of torture porn films are death, blood, shock, violence, torture, tension and victims. Saw follows these conventions in its opening sequence.
The scene starts in darkness and faint outlines of a man gasping for air as water goes down a plughole, this is a mixture of shock and confusion for the audience as they can't tell exactly what is happening. Tension is built through periods of silence and darkness as the character continues to gasp for air and expresses his confusion of his situation. The lights are turned on by a second character and instantly the room fills with light as rows of lights turn on, and there are close ups of everything in the room which sum up the conventions.
A very grotty washroom can be seen with blood all over the walls and floor. Two men are in opposite corners chained bu their ankles to pipes this signifies them as victims. Between them is a corpse holding a handgun and a cassette player this shows death and the handgun suggests there will be violence
The scene starts in darkness and faint outlines of a man gasping for air as water goes down a plughole, this is a mixture of shock and confusion for the audience as they can't tell exactly what is happening. Tension is built through periods of silence and darkness as the character continues to gasp for air and expresses his confusion of his situation. The lights are turned on by a second character and instantly the room fills with light as rows of lights turn on, and there are close ups of everything in the room which sum up the conventions.
A very grotty washroom can be seen with blood all over the walls and floor. Two men are in opposite corners chained bu their ankles to pipes this signifies them as victims. Between them is a corpse holding a handgun and a cassette player this shows death and the handgun suggests there will be violence
James Monahan Seven opening sequence
1. what do we learn about the character?
The two main characters are police detectives, Somerset and Mills. This is the first time they have worked together. Somerset is close to retiring and he is a cautious man who wants to know every detail, Mills is almost a direct opposite a young and cocky detective.
2.where and when is it set?
It is set in a big city in the USA, it is during the contemporary time
3. What has happened what do we expect to follow
There has been a murder and they have both come to investigate it, I expect that they will be more murders until they solve the case
4. What generic conventions are being used
Use of colour, black and white with red appearing every so often in the opening credits to signify blood
The two main characters are police detectives, Somerset and Mills. This is the first time they have worked together. Somerset is close to retiring and he is a cautious man who wants to know every detail, Mills is almost a direct opposite a young and cocky detective.
2.where and when is it set?
It is set in a big city in the USA, it is during the contemporary time
3. What has happened what do we expect to follow
There has been a murder and they have both come to investigate it, I expect that they will be more murders until they solve the case
4. What generic conventions are being used
Use of colour, black and white with red appearing every so often in the opening credits to signify blood
James Monahan Blog Questions
1. I think the storyboard was the most valuable aspect of the planning stage as it gave us a good idea on what camera shots we were going to use.
2. I learnt about continuity editing which allows it to flow and all the camera angles that can be used such as tracking shots
3. It helped a lot as the editing process helped put the shots together properly and without it the film would not work properly
4. We had generally positive feedback, our variety of camerashots being the main positive
5. I think our best technical aspect of the finished task was the camerawork, the variety and timing of each shot really seemed to work well together
6. The aspects I would improve would be, firstly the lighting of a couple shots as they put a character in the dark and I would also make sure the editing was better timed
2. I learnt about continuity editing which allows it to flow and all the camera angles that can be used such as tracking shots
3. It helped a lot as the editing process helped put the shots together properly and without it the film would not work properly
4. We had generally positive feedback, our variety of camerashots being the main positive
5. I think our best technical aspect of the finished task was the camerawork, the variety and timing of each shot really seemed to work well together
6. The aspects I would improve would be, firstly the lighting of a couple shots as they put a character in the dark and I would also make sure the editing was better timed
Harrison Smith Audience Feedback
1) Is the product a clearly recognisable opening sequence?
The sequence is clearly an opening scene because it establishes the characters, setting, genre, narrative and opens the story for it to be developed later on.
2) Is the genre apparent?
The genre is apparent because generic conventions of British gangster are used, such as suits.
3) Who do you think the target audience is for the product?
Older teenagers and young adults are the selected target audience.
4) Do you think the product would appeal to the target audience? Give reasons for your answer.
It would appeal to target audience because it uses gangster conventions and is also fast paced. It would also appeal to target audience because the actors used were teenagers
5) How well do you think the following technical areas have been addressed – give examples for each:
Cinematography: Good variety of shots used, the opening scene in the pool room was a bit dark it could have been lighter. The opening shot of the mansion is a good way to open a British gangster film.
Sound: Good use of music for the genre because it was upbeat.
Editing: used continuity editing and the cross cutting shots was good.
Mise-en-scene: The pool room, alleyway and suits were a good choice for British gangster.
6) Overall how successful is the finished product? Give an example of something that could be improved and something that worked well.
I liked the narrative, variety of shots and the way you used mise-en-scene to show it was British gangster, to improve your product you could have made it a bit longer. Overall I think your product is very successful and it’s going to be a hit.
The sequence is clearly an opening scene because it establishes the characters, setting, genre, narrative and opens the story for it to be developed later on.
2) Is the genre apparent?
The genre is apparent because generic conventions of British gangster are used, such as suits.
3) Who do you think the target audience is for the product?
Older teenagers and young adults are the selected target audience.
4) Do you think the product would appeal to the target audience? Give reasons for your answer.
It would appeal to target audience because it uses gangster conventions and is also fast paced. It would also appeal to target audience because the actors used were teenagers
5) How well do you think the following technical areas have been addressed – give examples for each:
Cinematography: Good variety of shots used, the opening scene in the pool room was a bit dark it could have been lighter. The opening shot of the mansion is a good way to open a British gangster film.
Sound: Good use of music for the genre because it was upbeat.
Editing: used continuity editing and the cross cutting shots was good.
Mise-en-scene: The pool room, alleyway and suits were a good choice for British gangster.
6) Overall how successful is the finished product? Give an example of something that could be improved and something that worked well.
I liked the narrative, variety of shots and the way you used mise-en-scene to show it was British gangster, to improve your product you could have made it a bit longer. Overall I think your product is very successful and it’s going to be a hit.
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