Harrison Smith Coursework Questions

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

The genre of our media product is British gangster so it uses conventions from the genre. First the setting used in our scene is a pool room and an alleyway, These are both familiar settings scene in British gangster movies. Our story also follows the conventions of British gangster because it is follows a small time Hitman (Jason) who works for a criminal that is very respected and feared (Mickey). Mickey gives Jason a job which involves killing another well respected criminal (Vinny T), so Jason has to kill anyone who stands in his way to work his way to the top. This story displays conventions such as money, weapons and drugs that our familiar with the British gangster genre. Our dialogue also uses the conventions of British gangster as they talk to each other in a harsh manner using cockney accents. Our mise-en-scene uses conventions of British gangster as the two crime lords are dressed in smart suits. It also challenges the conventions because the low life Hitman is dressed quite smartly whereas they usually look scruffy. We did this because we wanted to show that Jason was serious about his work. Our cinematography used a wide range of shots seen in gangster films such as close ups, long shots, establishing shots, tracking shots and over the shoulder shots. Also our sound uses conventions of British gangster because we used the song black and white town by the doves which are a British band which sing in alternative rock. Our opening sequence uses conventions of British gangster because it is set in a big mansion, in the pool room. Our characters in the opening scene are also dressed in suits which is a convention used in many gangster films.

· How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our media product represents the backstreets of London and the gangsters that control them. Our product is stereotypical because the gangsters are ruthless killers that desire power, respect and money. The gangsters in our movie are men which represent them as being more powerful than women and also more cold blooded. Our product represents young people badly because the gangsters are young actors. Lastly it represents wealthy class as being rich and powerful because they are the boss's, and the poorer class are pushed around such as Jason is.

· What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A British institution such as Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group would distribute our product because it is a British film about the backstreets of London so it would appeal to the United Kingdom, and they have also distributed films such as Snatch which is British gangster.

· Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience would be young adults living in the UK as it is a British film not suitable for children because it contains violence. I think it would be popular with young male adults because the actors are mainly male and the genre is preferred by males.

· How did you attract/address your audience?

We attracted the audience by setting the scene in the opening shot. The scene we showed was the opening scene which introduced the main characters and story. In the scene we see the plan of the assassination so it promises the audience that it will happen later on. The scene hints on violence and crime lords which is what the audience want to see in a British gangster film. We also attracted the audience by rolling the credits in the opening scene this showed them who the main characters were and what their names are. Lastly we used alternative rock music in our scene which promises action, this drags the audience in so that they want to see more.

· What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

We first learnt how to use the camera to record the images we wanted. We then learnt how to record the scene and store it onto the tape and then load it onto imovie on the mac. We also learnt how to cut what we have recorded so we can edit any mistakes. This was really useful because it allowed us to cut as much as we wanted to get the scene to run as smoothly as we could. We learnt how to edit the shots so we could watch it all at the same time, this helped see what worked and what didn't. By watching our scene on imovie we learnt how useful the tripod is because it’s very hard to keep the camera steady without it. We also learnt how to import music into our scene so that we can play it at the same time we watch it. We also learnt that you can fade the music in and fade it out as well as adjusting the volume, we used this to our advantage so that we could hear the voices over the music. Lastly we learnt how to cut the soundtrack so that we could repeat a part of it as many times as we wanted, this helped because we cut the beginning of the song and played it over in the beginning of our scene, to add a build up effect.

· Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task helped a lot with the final task because it was a guide to help us produce our product. It showed us how important the planning was, because we could use the storyboard and script while we was filming so that we didn’t forget anything and we already knew what to do. It also helped us pick a location because the different shots required a certain atmosphere. We have also learnt how to use the camera a tripod to its full potential to produce well structured shots. From doing the preliminary task we also learnt a lot more about editing. We learnt how to cut our clips down and then fit them in together which helped us a lot in our final product. It was important that our clips fitted together and that there were no mistakes so that the final product flowed very well. We also learnt how to use credits in our product, this was useful because we used them to introduce our characters and who was playing the part of that character. Although we didn’t use music in the preliminary task we used them in our final product. The soundtrack was very important as it drags the audience in. We choose a song that really works well with the setting, it was a hard job editing the soundtrack to fit in with the shots but we did it in the end and it all works very well together creating a well produced media product.

Harrison Smith Treatment

Target Audience: Adults 18
Genre: Adults 18+
Characters: Jason the hitman, Micky the boss, Vinny T the gangster.
Plot Development: London, ,Modern day, backstreets, alley ways, industrial areas. Vinny T has high status and power has a lot of authority and people who work for and protect him. there is another character Micky who hires the main character to become a hitman for him to take out various people and get him to the top. Micky gives Jason the job of killing Vinny T. Micky will inherit his power and status and Jason will receive little for his efforts and its a life risking job because of Vinny T's protection.


Jason kills Vinny and is on the run from his henchmen, Jason goes back to Mickey and Mickey makes a quick escape to prevent being killed by Vinny's henchmen. Jason chases Mickey down and he kills him. Jason is then caught by Vinny's henchmen but offers the money he got now Mickey is dead and Jason inherits Vinny T's status, power, authority and money. Jason is now top of the chain and has all the power in the underworld of the gangsters.

Harrison Smith Blog Questions

1) The most valuable aspect of the planning stage was the story board because we got to lay out all the camera shots we were going to use.

2) I learnt about continuaty editing and all of the different camera shots such as long shots and close ups.

3) The editing proccess played a major part in completing our film because we got to cut shots to make them fit in, and make the films less boring.

4) We received possitive feedback Especially our range of camera shots.

5) The best technical aspect i feel is the variety in the camera shots and the time in which we cut them to make the film flow well.

6) The aspects i would improve is the lighting because some shots are darker were others are lighter. I would also improve on the editing as some shots dont fit in because the props are in a different possition.

Robbie Jay Audience Coursework Feedback

1. Is The Product A Clearly Recogniseable Opening Sequence?

Yes, it is a recognisable opening sequence because it establishes the hook of the film which makes the audience want to watch more, which is the fact that Jason, the main character, is about to embark on his journey, which is also introducing the storyline/plot/narrative. The characters are introduced and the genre is made aware to the audience through the use of generic conventions of a British Gangster film. These are all what is expected from a opening sequence of a film.

2. Is The Genre Apparent?

As stated before, generic conventions of a British Gangster film are used in the opening sequence, the characters wear suits and speak in Cockney accents, which strongly resemble previous gangster films made such as Snatch and Lock Stock, which we're big influences on this film. The settings contrast to show power within the gangsters, the powerful and wealthy gangster Vinny T is shown in a large house however the lighting reflects his personality, dark and evil. Then Mickey and Jason are shown meeting in a rural and unattractive ally, which reflects their status but also their power and wealth levels, they are clearly a much smaller force within the gangster hierarchy.

3. Who Do You Think The Target Audience Is For The Product?

The target audience for this film is young males, from older teens to late twenties, early thirties.

4. Do You Think The Product Would Appeal To The Target Audience?

Yes, because the opening sequence is fast paced, it grabs the audiences attention and makes them want to watch the rest of the film because it leaves them with a cliffhanger. The British Gangster conventions are displayed effectively in the sequence and makes the target audience know exactly what the genre is. The actors are late teens and are males and this means that the target audience can relate to that because of age and gender similarities. Also the settings are very reflective of real life, which means they can also relate with that.

5. How Well Do You Think The Following Technical Areas Have Been Adressed?

Cinematography - This has been used very well because there are a variety of shots used within the product, for example there are close ups of the characters, to introduce them to the audience and also to show their emotions and there are also point of view shots to show the scene through the characters eyes.

Sound - There is a good use of sound within the sequence, the non diegetic sound, which is the music, works well with the sequence because its also fast paced and upbeat which matches the tempo of the scene itself. The diagetic sound also works because the characters speak with a cockney accent which is a generic convention but also fits with the characters personalities.

Editing - The editing is continuity editing which works well with the product and helps it acheive what it aims to. There is use of shot reverse shot when Mickey and Jason are in conversation, which is also a very effectively used tool. The pace of the editing is quite fast and hits the audience at a quick rate, but still lets them take everything on board and understand it.

Mise-En-Scene - The mise-en-scene has been used to reinforce the genre and to aid the overall effect the sequence wants to create, the suits worn by the characters shows that they are powerful individuals and are not the type of people you want to anger. The settings of the alleyway is also well used because its a typical setting that would be expected for a British Gangster film.

6. Overall How Successful Is The Finished Product? Give An Example Of Something That Can Be Improved And Something That Works Well.

Overall the product is very successful in what it trys to create, which is a tense atmosphere and putting the audience on edge to make them want to know more. It also trys to create the British Gangster genre feel which is does effectively using the conventions. The narrative is something that is successfully executed within then product. However, the opening sequence could be a little bit longer by adding in more shots or dialogue for example.

Robbie Jay Media Studies AS Coursework Questions

Media Studies AS Coursework Questions

 

 

 

1.    In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop, Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Your Real Media Products?

 

The film that my group created is a British Gangster film, it generally uses the conventions of media products rather than subverting against them. The sound for example is the appropriate type, it builds up some tension and puts the audience on edge, it aims to tell the audience the kind of genre the film is. The diegetic sound is also what is expected from a British Gangster film, London accents that make the characters look rough and aggressive. The three main characters in the film are also introduced and clearly established so the audience are informed. The opening sequence starts the storyline, which is a typical convention that is expected, It leaves the audience wanting to know what is going to happen next. The settings are also either dark or secluded with nobody else around, this indicates to the audience that the privacy is needed by the characters because of the illegal things that they are involved in, this is also an indication of the genre of the film.

 

2.    How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

 

The social group that are being represented in this film are gangsters. This group are being represented in a positive way in some ways but also in a negative way but this is expected from the audience because gangsters don’t abide by the law. They are being represented positively because the three characters are dressed smartly in suits so this tells the audience that they take care of their appearance and like to look good. Also, one of the characters are shown to own a large, well-kept house which also gives gangsters a positive representation. However, there are also some negative representations of these characters, the first is that they are shown to be involved in things such as drug dealings and they are also shown to be aggressive and impatient. Micky also tells Jason to kill Vinny T, therefore they are being displayed as cold-hearted killers and will do anything to get money, power and respect.

 

3.    What Kind Of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product And Why?

 

This film would most likely be a mainstream British film because of how the opening sequence is constructed, which means it would have a reasonally big budget and follow the typical conventions of the British gangster genre, which this film does. This is a British film but it expects good box office so it will be distributed by a Hollywood distribution company, for example Snatch, a British Gangster film was distributed by Sony, which is a large Hollywood distribution company. The film would then be distributed to multiplex cinema sites and large cinemas across the country. Because this is a high budget, Hollywood film it will appeal to a large amount of audiences, this is why it would be distributed nationally.

 

4.    Who Would Be The Audience For Your Media Product?

 

The target audience for this film would be older teenagers to young adults and possibly adults too. This is because the actors of the film are young and the lifestyles they lead are not what most adults can relate to as how their life is, that is why the younger audience will be more interested. However the storyline isn’t the sort that would be restricted to a young generations film, so some adults may take an interest in this film.

 

5.    How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience?

 

The genre of the film will automatically attract anybody that likes the British Gangster genre, at the very start of the film, fast paced music plays and this indicates to the audience that something is going to happen and puts them on the edge of their seat and this attracts them to watch more of the film. The end of the opening sequence sets Jason, the main character, on the main storyline of the film, so the audience are attracted to the film to know what happens.

 

6.    What Have You Learnt About Technologies From The Process Of Constructing This Product?

 

I have learned from constructing this product how to use a camera professionally, with the tripod and making sure its suitable for editing. I learned about how the variety of shots are vital for a media product to look professional and to flow. I also learned that shot length is another important factor because if a shot lasts for too long or is over too quickly it affects the whole piece and can have a positive impact. I also learned the editing process, what is involved and how to carry it out myself. For our editing we used the iMovie program on an Apple Mac computer.

 

7.    Looking Back At Your Preliminary Task, What Do You Feel You Have Learnt In The Progression From It To The Full Product?

 

Mise-en-scene is extremely important in creating a media product, it needs to be chosen carefully because it is so effective and can define the whole product. I have also learned about the pace of editing, if you set the pace of the piece fast then it will create a certain effect and set a mood however if the pace is slow it will create a completely different effect and the mood will contrast greatly, so the pace needs to be chosen wisely. Finally, I have learned how important planning is for a film to be created and assembled efficiently, the storyboarding is a vital task because it tells the director exactly what shot is next, the shot length and type and any sound that is accompanied with it. Without the storyboarding the filming of the media product will be almost impossible and it will be of a low standard.

Robbie's Blog Questions

1) The most valuable aspect of the planning stage in my opinion was the storyboard and the shotlist, this is because it gave the group a straight forward and easy plan to follow and saved alot of time when we was filming.

2) The things i learnt about camerawork was how to cut the shots to make each shot a different length, this ensures that the pace isnt always the same and that it doesnt get tiresome for the audience.

3) The editing really helped me understand how a media text is constructed, becuase when filming is complete its only 50% completed because the editing plays such a major and important role. A high amount of care and thought needs to go into the editing process because whatever happens in the editing part is the final peice that the audience will be viewing.

4) Our final peice recieved some positive feedback in the sense that our camera shot variety and length created a good and professional effect, the mise-en-scene is another aspect that recieved some positive feedback.

5) The technical aspects that I am most pleased with about our final piece is the fact that we have used alot of camera shots and they differ in length which really does create a good effect and make the peice flow.

6) The aspect that i would change is the lighting because some of the shots turned out very dark because of the sunlight in the windows, and also i would redo some of the shots because in some places the shots dont seem to flow perfectly and there are slight jolts.