In June we had to set ourselves 5 SMART targets that we would meet by the end of this year . 1) was to become more familiar with the edit suites 2) was time management 3) was to create a better quality film 4) organisation and meeting deadlines and 5) was allowing myself to become more creative.
Target 1: This target is a hard one to complete, although i feel i need to do some more research and notes into edit suites. For me to feel i have met this target i am going to need to have further experience on the edit suites, before actually editing our film, so it will be less time consuming and beneficial for everyone. I am going to make sure i have done some research by next week, on edit suites and the sound techniques on them, and hopefully this will extend my knowledge and help me when editing our film.
Target 2: The second target was for me to ensure that this year me and my group will be more prepared and up to date with all work as last year it was hard for us to get started which may have effected our overall production. I feel that this year i am more prepared and am keeping up to date with all work that has been set. This is because from my experience last year i want to do better and get keep a constant good grade for this course.
I am also interacting more with students and getting their opinions on things. For example: when we were asked to come up with an idea about our script, i asked some class mates to help me, and eventually when i created an idea another class mate gave me feedback on what i could improve on, and we even developed my original idea.
Target 3: For this target i am going to have to devote as much time towards the making of this film, in order for it to become a good quality film. As i now know from last year, we left our production to last minute, which i have learned not to do this. I am going to do some research on what different audiences like and dislike, even though i have a rough idea, from the other part of the course. Also i will compare what age ranges like which specific genre's.
Target 4: I feel that target 4 is being met slowly, i am completing all work that has been set as quickly as possible, rather then leaving it to last minute where i will then be left behind.
Target 5: This target needs to be met consistently throughout the course. The aim is to improve our creativity and originality in the course which is why we are set little tasks which with help our imagination. We already have a rough idea about what creativity means, and what specific elements it has to it, but some more research into creativity and originality would also be helpful. I could also have a go at doing small little independent tasks, just like the one the teacher set us in post 2.
The targets are very specific and have detailed requirements for completing them, i feel that my five targets are good enough to help me improve my overall grade in media studies, and help me develop my knowledge in this course.
In order to complete every part of my targets i am going to need to re read the whole of my notes, and class work, and research up on anything i don't understand to help me with the course For example: i would read up on the different theories and theorists so i can widen my knowledge and have a better understanding for the exam.
Creating and thinking of a storyline for our script was very difficult. We were just asked to think and put down some idea's of a main character. Keeping everything in mind from what we have learned from the session with Becky, i eventually came up with an idea of a female football player, based on one of my friends.
In the beginning, i had no idea of what i would do. Speaking to friends and family, i still couldn't come up with a basis for a storyline, and one that would be established within 7 minutes. I had to keep telling myself that i shouldn't come up with a complex story, because the time limit for the film was 7 minutes.
I knew the deadline was for the 1st of November, and was eager to get started and i still could not get a rough idea of an outline for the script.
My first initial idea, was to create script based on the journey of someones life, without dialogue. Then i remembered i had to fit it all in 7 minutes. Every story i was thinking of was too complex.
I was in the library working one afternoon, and i asked my friend if she had any ideas, so she would be able to help me. She then said confidently, "base your story on me", i thought she was just being silly at first, then i realised i could base my story on her, a female football player.
When we went to our next lesson we were asked to share our idea's to the person sitting next to us, and then we would read out each other's idea's. Carolyn's reaction to my story was positive, she said she particularly liked the idea, that she breaks her leg which shatters her dreams, she thought it was unexpected, and a good idea. After speaking to our partners about our stories we were told to explain the stories to the class.Then other students and our teacher would give feedback, and were asked what they thought of people's idea's. When Carolyn read put my idea, a peer asked the question "What is the turning point?" i then needed to think about what i could include to make my story more interesting, and appealing. Our teacher then said that for her the story needed to be thought about, and researched into more, to see it it would relate to real life issues. I decided to research into different female footballers and the stereotypes which come with them, as in today's society is it common for women football players to be negatively portrayed as apposed to men. I have researched into Kelly Smith the professional football player from Garston. I found a short interview from the newspaper "The independent" and the headline was the dialogue Kelly has said which was "i should have been a male football player, then I'd be a millionaire"
The phrase indicated the stereotypical views that occur today, and the stereotypes that come with them, it is saying that because she is a female she does not get highly paid as male footballers, yet she is just as good.
Other research i found showed that many female football players who had dreams of becoming professional footballers had their dreams destroyed due to injury's. Some research had suggested that this may be because they have had not enough training as Male's have had and women are more "delicate" then men.
My basic plot outline was originally girl has big dreams to play in FA cup, breaks her leg, dreams are devastated. After taking to Carolyn she said that i should have a twist, something like she wants to be noticed by the cleaner of her football club, and in the end when she breaks her leg, the man rushed over to help her.
I liked this idea, and came up with a new storyline which was....
Girl wants to play in the FA cup, and asks her parents for a day off school to try out for the FA cup team.
Her parents say no, and tell her that she is not good enough anyway, and she needs to concentrate more on her school work. (This knocks her confidence)
The coach ensures her she can do it, and if it makes her happy she should pursue her dreams.
The girl Lie's to her parents and misses school for the try outs, where the cleaner of the football club is watching, she wants to impress.
She breaks her leg, tacking someone harshly, and is devastated, the cleaner runs over to help her, and calls an ambulance.
Her parents find out she has lied and is disappointed in her behaviour.
The girl is devastated and very emotional, she then comes home from hospital to find out her parents have bought her tickets to the FA cup at Wembley Stadium.
In the last scene we see the girl sitting cheering her team on wearing an engagement ring with the cleaner.
LESSON 1 When writing our scripts we need to know the difference between a story and the narrative. "Story is the irreducible substance of a story ( A meets B, something happens, order returns), while narrative is the way the story is related. (Once upon a time there was a princess...) (Key concepts in communication-Fiske et al (1983) Web definitions are: Story- a. A usually fictional prose or verse narrative intended to interest or amuse the hearer or reader; a tale. b. A short story. 3. The plot of a narrative or dramatic work. Link to story definition Narrative-a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program; "his narrative was interesting"; "Disney's stories entertain adults as well as children"consisting of or characterized by the telling of a story; "narrative poetry" Link to narrative definition
My own opinion on the difference between story and narrative are, the story is the basic line, which needs to be followed. e.g: Boy meets girl, they get married, happily ever after. Narrative is the way the story is told.
Julian McDoughall warns us not to "clumsily apply a formalist model" as it "does little in terms of understanding our roles in constructing narratives, and how narratives carry discourse that appear natural".
He is trying to get the audience active in our narrative, and so we can interpret narrative in a different way. The audiences have their part to play in interpreting narrative. Narratives can also have certain readings based on personal interpretation. The "Natural process of discourse"As seen on the other posts it is important that we know how to make a good script, and the elements needed to make one.
The last activity we did in class was watch the short film signs. Our teacher would stop the film at relevant points where we would have to guess what would happen next. We also needed to ask our self, what makes this such a good film? We started watching the film, and immediately we notice that the main character is a man who is lonely, scared, shy and bored e.t.c. Our teacher asked us to write down the characters want, need, and obligation when watching the film. We came up with:
Want- Love. We know the character wants love because of the way he acts around the woman in the other office. His dads phone calls also contribute as it implies the character is lonely and needs a woman in his life.
Need- Company. The characters need is company due to his loneliness. He has moved to a City where he knows no one and it is clear that he is secluded from society.
Obligation- The characters obligation is to go to work, and sleep. He has to work, and he tries to live up to his parents expectations. He does not answer his parents phone calls, he listens to their answerphone messages which suggests he wants to be left alone.
LESSON 2 In Lessons we have been preparing and getting ready to write our own script. We have been doing small tasks to help our thought process, which will enable us to create a good quality script. Our teacher set us a small starter task where we had to identify what sources can serve as a basis for a dramatic/documentary project. We had 5 minutes to write down some ideas, then we would go through and share each others idea's. I came up with 6 ideas:
imagination /idea's and fantasy's- Depending on how imaginative we are, a good quality script could come out of our fantasy's and dreams we may have. For example: I have a dream of becoming a singer, so i would write a script about me becoming famous in the music industry.
Personal experiences /memories- Often the best scripts cam come out of our personal experiences, and certain memories we have. For example: someone could have experienced a car crash, therefore they would create a script involving their experience of this car crash.
Other short films- With this idea, we have to make sure we do not copy the complete storyline of another short film which has been made, it must be original, therefore be your own work.
Books/TV/film- These elements Can help develop and further your story idea, and also help create different points of view for each of the characters.
Friends and Family- You can make a script about the different relationships you have with your friends and family, and how they affect you as a person.
Social issues/issues within society- Issues within society is very common fore the basis of what people want their story to be about. Many people want their stories to have a message about the factors affecting today's society, For example: crime and vandalism, social class issues/dominance, Racism e.t.c.
After discussing our ideas as a class, many more was added to my list such as: -Abuse -News/magazines- People may want to base their stories on things they see and hear in the news and in magazines. They may want to base it on a particular story in a magazine for example: Katie Price and Peter Andre's break up. -Places- Places would usually be based for documentary purposes, telling a story where the main idea is based on a particular place: For example, a train station and its journey throughout the day. -Poems -Religion- Stories can be based on a certain religion, which can also be linked to personal experiences. Showing the values of religion an be effectively shown through a short story. -Dreams and nightmares- Linking to personal experiences, certain dreams or nightmares that people can remember can be the basis for a story.
Historical events- Certain events that take place could influence the basis for a good script. For example: a film could be based on war, houses of Parliament, the army e.t.c
We were then given a handout which was a step-to step guide on how to help us get a storyline for our short story. We were asked to read it in our head and were asked for homework, to come up with an idea for our short story, and relate it to 8 key elements. These were:
Introduce the main character; (set the scene)
Give the character a problem, obstacle, obsession or addiction.
Let the character work out a plan to overcome the problem.
Before setting out to solve the problem, there may be a moment of doubt that will require the hero to seek advice from a mentor; teacher; best friend. This is an opportunity to let the audience know more about the problem and weigh it up in their own minds. What would they do?
With new resolve, the hero sets out to overcome the problem, obstacle, obsession or addiction.
Overcoming the problem or challenge will be met by extreme opposition from the rival, who will usually have greater but different strengths and will in some ways bear similarities to the hero: the nemesis of the hero's dark side
The hero will appear to fail in his quest. He will glimpse defeat, even death, and will require superhuman effort to overcome his final task
The hero wins the final battle, with an opponent, or enemy, or with himself, and returns to his natural state, wiser, or stronger, or cured, but not necessarily happier. The journey have made him a different person.
The following day, i was struggling to get a good storyline and was stressful knowing we had to have an idea for our next lesson. In the library i was with my friend doing some homework, and asked her if she would know of any idea's for a story. She said i should base it on her, as i thought she was only joking i didn't take any notice of it until half an hour after i realised i could base my story on her, so i did. Our teacher also said we should come to lesson with a beginning, 2 turning points and an ending. I knew my story would be based on a female football player, but couldn't quite think of a turning point. My friend often tells me she gets injured playing football on Sunday's, and always tells us how "good" she is and how she can make it into the FA cup one day. It then clicked. I thought My character could have huge dreams to be in the FA cup, but something bad would happen to her, so her dreams would be shattered. I then applied my story to the 8 point guide.
Introduce Molly, with her watching a football match, cheering when her favourite team score.
Her dream is to play in the FA cup (Addiction)
Her plan is to train really hard to get into the team ( before/after school) no time for school work. She wants to impress the cleaner at her football club.
Her parents say she is not good enough (moment of doubt) and that she needs to concentrate more on school work. Her coach is very encouraging and supportive, and tells her to pursue her dreams.
She practices one to one sessions with her coach every day after school.
She is now at the trials for the FA cup team, where they will be picked.
She then falls over tackling someone, and breaks her leg, her dreams are shattered.
The cleaner of her football club, rushes over to help her and calls an ambulance. The next scene shows her watching the FA cup, cheering on her team, wearing an engagement ring.
My characters want is to be a success full football player My characters need is to be notices/ acknowledged. My characters obligation is to live up to her coaches expectations, and please the cleaner at her football club.
When film producer Becky Knapp came into our lesson, we all learnt more about a script and the requirements we needed to know to make a good one.
Becky introduced some idea's and tips we need to consider when making a script.
1) We need to have a clear idea of what we want our film to be, and how we are going to make it. e.g: budget, characters,location e.t.c
We should ask ourselves can they write? For example, can they (who ever is writing the script) come up with a plot, structure, reasonable characterization, dialogue. In this case it would be ourselves, so we need to ensure we write a good quality script.
We also need to consider the 3 parts to our script.
The beginning The middle The end. Having these parts in our script will ensure that we make a high quality and detailed script. These idea's also link to the theories we have been learning in class, especially the theorist Todorov who believes in the notion on equilibrium. He states that the story should start with an equilibrium(meaning the narrative is unbalanced), then transforms into a disequilibrium (when something changes), which that ends up in a new equilibrium (something that can not be the same).
2) Who is the audience? a good script requires you to plan, and approach your target audience effectively. For example: getting the required message across to the audience will ensure you have hit your target audience.
My target audience would be for the younger generation who are interested in sport, ie football. Teenagers who play football could be linked with my storyline as they will be able to understand and connect with the message. The London Film festival is the city's most expansive film festival which will return to the city for the 7th edition, over ten days at London's best venues in January 2011. The festival has over 200 short films, which come into contact with Britain's finest film makers. The best short film of 2010 was you're the stranger here directed by Tom Geens. The nominees were: THE BEDFORDS (Henry Coombes)
BELIEVE (Paul Wright) JADE (Daniel Elliot) KID’S MIGHT FLY (Alex Taylor) LAST TRAIN (David Schofield) THE REAPERS (Nick Jordan / Jacob Cartwright) RED SANDS (David Proctor) STRANGE LIGHTS (Rosie Pedlow / Joe King) THE WAKE (Loren Slater / Kerry Kolbe) YOU’RE THE STRANGER HERE (Tom Geens)
Here is the trailer to the award winning film your the stranger here. The full film is not available to watch yet. It is a story about a woman with a "crazy " leg, where she lives in a fascist regime where people with her condition get shot on the spot. Inspired by the courageous death of one of her fellow sufferers, she goes on an all or nothing quest to change the world, falling in love with her executor in the process. Film reviews have enhanced that this film contains a powerful message. Some have even described it as " an ideal film for those who enjoy witnessing outbursts of inexplicable and disturbing violence in surreal and unsettling places" and an honoured powerful piece.
I would like my own short film to contain a message which enables the negative attitudes towards women footballers to be re established in a positive way. Even though many women are let down in the process to becoming professional footballers, many women are made proud by their level of skill. There are stereotypes which allow some form of negativity towards female football players. Foe example: some men have the attitudes towards women such as women are not as good as men, and women cant play football.
I am not the sort of person who is interested in women football, but many of my close friends like football, and play for a team which helps me when writing a script.
3) Budget- the budget required questions that we should think about, such as can i raise the money?, and do i particularly want to work with film makers are things that need to be considered. The website Britfilms indicates that there can be 4 main funding area's for short films in the UK.
These are: Public funding- This type of funding operates in areas such as distribution, producer support, promotion, festivals, training, new technologies and exhibition. Broadcasters, UK tax credits and International links. Other websites state that there are certain steps you have to follow in order for a short film to become funded. The first step is you have to watch a short film, then you have to think about the network, broadcast it online and organise face to face meetings where you can. The next step is to ask yourself why do you want to make the film, which you should then develop further training. Then you should think about and analyse your idea, making sure it is good, appropriate and original which you should keep developing. Below is a link to the website to the short film funding guide. http://www.stilettofilm.co.uk/funding/
Depending on how long each short film will last (in our case 7 minutes) there are different requirements which need to be thought about.
Under 5 minutes- this short film, usually requires material to play on stereotypes, and the character should be established straight away.
5-12 minutes- the character may change, and go on a dramatic journey
there should be simple characterisation, where stereotypes should not necessarily be used.
12-30 minutes-these types of short films are usually high budget films.
they usually require a sub plot (more then one story happens in the film).
Becky came up with the idea of 3 main elements to think about when writing our scripts, and thinking about the character we want to create.
1) the world the character lives in
2) who the character is (they have to have a problem which establishes dramatic tension to the audience), and the audience needs to know about this problem through messages in the text.
3) There should be an obstacle which makes the story more interesting (internal obstacle), for example: something that gets in the way of the character meeting its goal. ( a boy likes this girl, but she has a boyfriend) this would be an common example of an obstruction.
Point of view- who's story it is.
The short film should be showing the audience what is happening rather then telling the audience what is happening.
ex positional dialogue. We also need to ask ourselves if dialogue is required, so if we want dialogue or not, and how the message can be put across in these circumstances.
Becky also indicated that we have to make choices about what we are telling, thinking about how we can get the message across to the audience.
we could also introduce the idea of stakes, what is at steak for the main character, and what are the risks?
Tone
The genre is less important in a short film, but it should be tonally inconsistent. For example is it a romantic short film, or a dramatic one?
We should have a rough idea of what genre the film would appeal to and the audience we want to target.
Title
Becky said that before writing our script we should think about the title, and think about whether it sets up the tone of the film.
The title can also contribute to the setting of the short film, time and place.
we should also think about the character, and who is the main character. For example a script Becky showed the class was a script called "Donna" which was the main character's name.
We should also consider the character's wants and needs.
Other questions we should ask ourselves are :
Who is the opposition? (i.e enemies, protagonist/ antagonist)
What is the catalyst for change?
The climax- how could i present the ending?
the resolution- what happens at the end?
What does the audience feel? (Theme)
We were told not to have too many characters in a short film. Each character should have a function, may often have a problem.
Is the scene working for the story or the character?
Treatment
A short film should have a treatment. It often tells the writer, if the script works or not.
step outline. Becky mentioned the phrase step outline which was fairly new to all of us. As part of my in dependant study i decided to expand my knowledge and research on what Becky had told us in class.
Step outline is a detailed telling of a story with an intention of turning it into a screenplay or motion picture. It briefly explains every scene in detail, and often has dialogue and character interaction. The scenes are often numbered for convenience, which can also be extremely useful for a writer working on a script.
We have to think about what is revealed that is significant to the plot.
What is revealed the is significant to the audiences understanding of the characters.
Lastly, is there any indication of the theme.
We have to think about the decisions we will need to make in our groups, and we have to think of a way which can be the most effective order of telling our story.
We have to ensure that our short film is cinematic, not television like, it needs to have particular cinematic qualities.
Establish the world of the character. (Maximum speed, minimum dialogue), we have to make sure the audience react in a particular way to our film quickly, with as little dialogue.
WE ARE SHOWING RATHER THEN TELLING
The sound is important to establish the meaning and message the producer is trying to get across to the audience
Becky also mentioned that we should keep the tone the same, to save complications, we need to keep the tone consistent meaning there should be no tonal change or a change in theme.
There should also be an active character, which is always doing something (no passive character), this makes the story line more interesting for the audience.
Another factor i learned that is important is our need to show change in the character: for example, their relationship with others, having a visual character reference, clothing (often related to particular stereotypes) and the characters body language.
Our short film should also require a log line. A log line is a brief description of a television programme or a film, often providing both a synopsis of the plot, and an "emotional hook" which would stimulate interest. The log line first came into recognition after the old days of the Hollywood studio's. Producers would write a one line summary of what the script was about. An example of a log line is... Charlie brown is finally invited to a Halloween party; snoopy engages the red baron at a dog fight; and Linus waits patiently in the pumpkin patch for the great pumpkin. This is a famous example of a log line, which can be found on titantv.com 2005-10-25. Lastly, the last point to remember is that short films have a fairly knish market, they are not to distribute to a wide range of audiences and have a box office hit, they are made to purely sell your own talent and promote yourself to the film industry. They are not distributed like an hour long feature film, they have small postcards which help them target their smaller audience, which are usually written personally to the specific audience.
In lessons we have developed our knowledge on Audience reception theory and critical thinking. We need to consider this theory when creating our own short film, and what requirements are needed to get across a good message to certain target audiences. The first short film i watched was the film strangers.(2004) It lasted for 7 minutes and 11 seconds and was directed by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv. This short film does not consist of any dialogue just movements and actions of the characters.
Dominant hegemonic representation-The message in this short film is hard to get across and make sense of because no dialogue is being formed, yet character action and movement can be established. The message in this short film shows a diverse group of people, on a train, running away from fears and issues in life. The message could then be fore shown as a racial divide between the Jews and Arabs.
oppositional hegemonic Representations are when the audience understands the message being put across, yet they do not agree with the message.- The audience in strangers, would be action/adventure audiences which could understand the message being created for the issues in someones life, yet they would not agree that as a result discrimination is the answer. Negotiated Hegemonic- The audience may be able to understand the character's issues in the stranger, due to the background they come from, yet the may not understand why their actions are unreasonable. They do not agree with the meaning and interpret the meaning differently, so they may have interpreted the film to establish the issue of crime and violence more then the issue of racism.
Moral panic- From the audiences perspective they know that something exciting is going to happen, by the facial expressions and camera movements. The camera does close ups of the different characters eyes, to explore the tension being created. With no dialogue reinforces the tension, leaving the audience wanting to know more, even though they May be in a state of confusion. The tension ends, in a man being chased off the train, thinking he is going to get hurt.
Mode of address- There is a relationship between the adresser and the addressee constructed in the text. The producer makes assumptions about the audience, for example: the producer assumes the audience would expect tension therefore produce close up of their eyes. The producers are trying to get across a message to the audience to interpret it, the audience interpret the films through what they whiteness through screen, they do this through camera movements, characterization and many more techniques.
Profile the target audience- The audience need to be targeted when producing a film, in order for it to become a success. Strangers, did not do so well and was not a hit. Audiences may have found it hard to understand and relate to this type of film, as immediately you do not notice one person is a Jew, and the other is Muslim.
Viewing environment- Viewing environment determined on what places enjoy and would be able to interpret the film. The environment i think this would have a huge impact on would be London. Being a part of London means that crime on the underground is very common, and often violence occurs in the central parts of London. This means they would be able to relate and interpret this film better then someone living a life in sunny California.
About a girl- was an award BAFTA winning short film made in 2001. It was directed by Brian Percival. The film lasts for 9 minutes and 52 seconds.
Dominant hegemonic- About a girl is purposely meant to shock the audience, and their expectations of what happens. The message gained is that teenagers are alone in life, and as life goes on teenage issues such as pregnancy are growing, without the help from family. The message in this film also leads us on to ask questions such as why cant she tell her mom? why did she throw her baby in the lake? and so on...
Oppositional hegemonic- The young population can relate to stories like this, maybe through personal experiences, but the message being conveyed can be interpreted in many different ways. Although several audiences may sympathise with the message being put across, different audiences may have different interpretations of the short film, some people may feel it is her own fault no one Else's, others may blame the mother, so many different audiences can interpret the message differently.
Negotiated hegemonic- Similarly, audiences can have different interpretations leading us to ask questions about what will happen in this girls future. The audience may be able to understand the message that this girl is isolated and alone, due to her background, nevertheless others may believe the message is a warning about teenage pregnancy.
Moral panic-About a girl shocks the audience, leading us wanting to know more. From the minute we hear the girls dialogue, we notice she is from a rough background from stereotypes in our everyday lives. The expectations may be different due to the different audiences and when the girl is standing by the lake with a plastic bag, it was unexpected she was going to throw a baby in the lake. Immediately after that different audiences will have different views and questions to ask about the whole situation, which may differ to what part of society you are from.
Mode of address- the relationship of the adresser
Profile the target audience- This short film won 4 awards as well as a BAFTA award for the best short film, as it was well known for conveying a powerful message. It also won a prize at the London film festival. Compared to the film strangers we notice immediately that this film, is of much better quality, and has definitely reached the target audience, and was a huge success.
Viewing environment-The environment this film would have the most powerful effect on would be London as it has high rates of teenage pregnancy as well as single parent households. Viewers from that era would be able to relate to this text again through personal experiences, and through the condition of their society. On the other hand a wealthy family would not see this film as acceptable and would not be able to relate to this type of film. Black Hole- This film is about a sleep deprived office worker. He discovers a black hole whilst photocopying, and he uses the black hole in a creative way, which could cause trouble.
Dominant hegemonic- The message in this short film is difficult to identify. One interpretation could be never to take risks on something you are new two. The black hole is a new discovery which could always end in trouble, creating tension for the audience.
Oppositional hegemonic-The audience may get the message never to take risks, but not necessarily agree with this interpretation. Others could argue that it is an opportunity, maybe something good could come out of it, nevertheless the audience would not agree with the overall message.
Negotiated hegemonic- Negotiated hegemonic interpretations are hard to explore with this type of film, as it only lasts 2 minutes audiences may not be able to gain a real feel and relate to a type of film. Some audiences may argue it is more like an advertisement on the television rather then a film. Moral panic- It is hard to gain a moral panic on a 2 minute sort film, even though the audience can feel the tension, wanting to explore more. As the man is fascinated by the black hole, we want to establish what is going to happen to him, and the audience can also feel a fear of what will happen next, then when he gets stuck in the vending machine it leaves the audience in suspense and an also be argued confusion. Mode of address- The mode of address for this type of film must be a quick short message, the producers are assuming that audiences want to see a quick film that will establish a clear message. The producers want to gain a relationship with the audience, which is why they are crating tension, and like abut a girl, leave the audience asking questions and wanting to know more. Profile the target audience- This short film was not as successful as about a girl, mainly because the message was clearer in about a girl, and it was longer for the audience to relate to the film. A specific target audience for this type of film is hard to identify, but we could relate this type of short film to the office workers and the older generation. Viewing environment- The viewing environment for this type of short film would be adults in the business industry. Even though it is set out and can be interpreted as an advertisement, the people who are in the working class could relate more to this type of short film, rather then a group of teenage girls. Snap. It was directed by Monalo Celi in 2003, and lasted for 4 minutes and 28 seconds.
Dominant hegemonic- The message given out in this short film could be associated with trust. The camera could also be a symbol for something powerful in the story. The man with the camera taking pictures of the family, ran away once the man of the family wanted to have a look at the picture, a message to be noticed from this short film could be don't trust anyone. Oppositional Hegemonic- The audience may be able to receive this message about trusting certain people, and the camera being a symbol for trust, yet they may not agree with this interpretation. For example the audience may feel as though the message is based on something different other then trust, which could be fun and harmless banter. Negotiated hegemonic- The audience could understand both interpretations of the film being about trust and friendly banter, but again not necessarily agree with the interpretations, they may include their own views, from personal experiences within life. Moral panic- The moral panic within this film is a good one to analyse. The music plays a big part in this short film as it Set's the scene for something drastic, and shocking will happening, leaving the audience intrigued. The pace of the music is fast, upbeat and the colours are bright indicating the scene. The music stops when the man is taking pictures, and when the other man goes to look at the picture and the camera man runs off, the music starts up again, fast paced and lively and the audience are being created with a moral panic. Mode of address- The mode for address for this type of film, can be produced from the producer trying to create a relationship with the audience, through mode of address. The producers gain a relationship with the audience through the music, and the audience are pulled in wanting to know more. A relationship occurs when the audience have related to the film, gaining the message wanting to be received from the producers. Profiling the target audience- Snap was a miniature film made for the entertainment industry, it won several awards for this quality. It was a successful short film, meaning it should have met all the requirements, meeting the target audience, funding and so on. For entertainment purposes, the audiences would have had to relate to the film in a positive way, and laughed at the fact the man ran away. Viewing environment- The viewing environment for this type of film would have to be in the united states of America, even though some English audiences may have been able to relate to it. It would mainly appeal to the American audiences because it was filmed near Miami beach, and the style would suit American society. It also had Latin American actors/ actresses which would again appeal to the American audience.
Below is a link to some PowerPoint's that we produced in class. Our teacher gave us all different Theories to look at and we had to produce a PowerPoint in groups to break down the relevant points which would give off good information to the rest of the class.
Robert Altman is a theorist who had a strong opinion on Genre Theory.
Genre Theory.... Genre can be identified and explained in many different ways. Theorists, such as Daniel chandler, have their own personal views on how to define genre, as media students we are to explore the different ways genre can be interpreted and the theorists views on the word Genre.
In class we looked at different films, and how they can be categorised into genre's and sub genre's. We also thought about the "big question" which is why do we need genre theory?
For independent study we were asked to look at three different web links which have different views, and opinions on genre.
The first one was the media department in the Robert Smyth School.
A theorist called Barry Keith Grant stated that "Genre movies have compromised the bulk of film practice, the iceberg of film history beneath the visible tip that in the past has commonly been used as film art"I agree with this statement as Movies which have been categorised under a genre have been successful, even in the past and more importantly today's society,they are also easy for audiences to watch, and for them to make a choice of which film they would want to watch depending on their interests. He also stated that film has commonly been used as film art, and by the use of genre he has formed the argument that genre could be the make of film being classified as "Art".
Altman another theorist has other views concerning genre. He encourages us to consider the following:
-That genres are defined by producers and easily recognised by audiences.
This can be argued as true as the producers who make the film, target the audience to which specific genre, (usually the most popular at the time) making it easily recognisable for the audience, helping them to decide if they would like to go and watch the film.
-That texts belong "clearly" to a particular genre in each case.
People May disagree with this statement as there are many films that can fall into two different Genre's or sub genre's. For example: white chicks could be classed under the "comedy" category and also come under the chick flick genre.
-That genre's develop in predictable ways.
-That texts in a genre share key characteristics
This can be shown by the amount of films that come under more then one genre/ sub genre's. they must share some of the same features in order to categorise under more then one Genre.
-That genre's are ideological
This statement creates an assumption that a particular idea, that has been put in place for a reason, which people should aspire to. In terms of media, the idea would come first, then it would need to have people to back it up, and then it would result in power. For example: the idea could be a horror film, which would then have people to support it, which would be the audience, who go and watch it, then in power would be the producers and directors who made the film, who created a box office hit!
-That they are not specifically located in history
-and crucially, that genre critics are distanced from the practice of genre, or its working.
This statement is true as the critics are an audience just like us, and are put behind the work of the producers and directors, meaning they are distanced from seeing what really goes on, meaning they are distanced.
(Altman R) asks the question... should we read genre as a noun or an adjective. There are specific differences between a noun and an adjective. A noun is a doing word, whereas an adjective is a describing word.
I think that audiences would say that Genre is an adjective, a way in which to describe a particular film, and its qualities.
On the other hand, producers, directors and people who work in the industry could class it as a noun, because they think of a specific genre, and atchually make the film.
WIKIPEDIA....I have also looked at wikipedia's version of the word "Genre" and it said that the definition from dictionary.com states "a class or category of artistic endeavour having a particular form, context, technique, or the like"
Genre's according to Daniel Chandler, create order to simplify the mass of available information. He is saying that having the Genre theory creates order and prevents chaos.
Another theorist Amy.J Devitt focuses on rhetorical genre. She says that viewing Genre as a rhetorical device gives the author and the reader more freedom and "allows for choices". I agree with Amy as she is saying that Rhetorical situations define Genre, and i think that having a genre theory does allow for more choices, less chaos and more order within the film industry.
DANIEL CHANDLER....I already know Daniel Chandlers views in a basic form. He thinks that the word Genre creates order and prevents chaos. He believes that the word Genre comes from the French which is originally Latin and its meaning is "class""Contemporary Media genres tend to relate more to specific forms more to the universals of tradegy and comedy's"I think he is saying that Genre nowadays is more complex, and are more specific and popular rather then just the ordinary tradegy and comedy's.Daniel Chandler also believes that films are routinely classified nowadays (e.g television listings in magazines) as "thrillers" "westerns" and so on.
For this task we were asked to produce a table which would outline the skills and creativity we have, under the different exam topics. We wrote a number of different headings in the columns, which were the following: - Digital technology - Research and Planning - Post production - Media text conventions
For each topic we needed to identify a specific skill that we needed for the production of our AS film. These were - Cognitive skills - Technical skills - Interpersonal skills.
After we had produced this poster we now needed to produce a voice over video, which we would need to explain each point we added, and give reasons and examples to back up our main points. Our group took it in turns to speak, I read through the first column (digital technology), Sade read through the second column (Research and planning), Zoe read the third column (post production), then Sade read out the last column (media text conventions).
our skills gained throughout the main task was relevant to everyday live in a way, i think i gained skills witch would be appropriate out in the workplace and general communication skills. Learning new skills makes it easier to operate equipment and interact with pupils, and i think my current level of skill was average, then developed even further. SMART TARGETS specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time based.
1) To become more familiar with the edit suites, and be confident and comfortable with different editing techniques. I will do this by researching and finding out about different edit suites, which will help me to use them when it comes to editing our film. We will also have to think about the amount of sound going on when filming, as in our opening sequence we had to turn it right down in order for our soundtrack to be heard over the top.
2) Ensure that when producing our film this year, we enable much time for it to be completed. (As last time it was done in last minute, which caused much stress). I will do this by completing any unfinished work at home for independent study, which will help get all work up top date and ready to start work the teacher sets in the following lesson. Interacting with other pupils in the class, to see where i can improve will also help to get my work up to the best possible standards, and working as a team to ensure everyone is up to date and has all their own work completed.
3) To be able to create a well put together short film, with a plot that becomes interesting and what audiences want to watch. To help me achieve this i will research around what audiences like, and what they dislike. I will also do some research into what genre of film's they like, by using box office statistics and audience reviews. I will also ask family members and friends which genre of films they like to help me get an idea of which age ranges like which specific genre's.
4) Organising the project sensibly so that all deadlines are met, and the course is finished on time. This will be done by completing independent study at home, and reading around and finding out anything i do not understand. By completing work at home enables more time for class work and helping us not get behind on any work. Finding out anything i do not understand enables me to extend my knowledge, and become more independent to find out things by myself.
5) Allowing myself to be more creative, by breaking away from the obvious media conventions. To achieve this target it needs to be something unusual and something that is not regular (original). I will research the different media conventions and gain idea's about how we can be different from everyone else, and create a film that an audience will like, and want to watch on.
