Evaluation

Amber Salomone

8140

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

Conventions of media products

Use/develop/challenge

How your media product does that Evidence

LinearNarrative

develop I used a slow yet slowly developing linear narrative to introduce my character (Achmed) and his story. The linear narrative of the opening allows the audience to slowly be introduced to the character and the setting, allowing the audience to make their own assumptions of what is going to happen in the film.

Introducing characters

challenge I used the conventions of film openings by introducing the protagonist only in the film opening. In the film opening my main intentions were to focus on the main character Achmed and his phycoligal pain. I did not want to give the story away in my film opening, so I mainly stuck to focusing on Achmed and his feelings towards his brother and sister, without giving away what he would actually do in the film. I introduced the two of the other characters, one being the antagonist (Sabeen), through a photo. I believed that this was much more effective to the audience as it allows them to question when we can see these other characters and why Achmedis looking at a photo of them.The main character overall is developed through his physical movements and facial expressions which I believed was a much more effective way to build a character, allowing the audience to make their on mind up on him.

Titles use With my titles I decided that I did not want to incorporate the titles into the actions of the shots, purely because I believed that my main aim was to introduce Achmed and the setting to the audience. I made the decision to stick to simple and subtle titles throughout which appeared in the corners/top/bottom of the shots. Although I did not want them to stand out and take focus off what was happening in the scene- I incorporated the titles so that they appeared when the music came in/on a specific tone.

Setting develop I set the setting by two establishing shots in the beginning of the film. It was important that I did this as the first setting of the film is in Central London. As a famous landmark, I decided that it was key the audience knew where the main character lives. Following this, I initially set the setting again through the flashbacks during the middle of the film opening. Set in Syria, where the civil war is ongoing, I believed that this would be very important to the audience so that they can get a small amount of background information on Achmed and his life.

Conventionsof media products

Use/develop/challenge

How your media product does that evidence

Title The title of my film is called Return Me, which in sense tells the audience that the main character will be returning somewhere. I chose this title because due to the story line I felt like the title ‘Return Me’ was more like a statement from the main character, expressing his feelings. I believe that this made the film much more personal to people and allowed the audience to understand the main character Achmed’s desperation to be returned back to his home country Syria to find his brother (although the audience are unaware of this at the start of the film). In relation to existing film titles such as I Am Legend (2007) and I Don't Know How She Does It (2011) all contain the word ‘I’ which insinuates that it an opinion or feeling of a character.

Costumes and props

When filming I requested to my actor (Ibz Yildiz) who plays Achmed that he wore dark clothing and laid back, which will express his feelings or lifestyle. Mr Yildiz wore a black jacket, black trousers and black Timberland boots. This overall was an outfit which for one being black, represents his mood and state of mind as quite dark and lonely, and additionally his boots represent that maybe he is used to being a workman, opposing a typical boy of his age which would probably wear trainers. This was a challenge of my media product. Furthermore the use of props were important. The only prop used in the scene is the photograph of his little sister, Lilith and his elder brother, Sabeen. The prop was used to show the audience that these characters are close to his heart and introduced them to the audience without having to see them in body. The prop was simply printed out on a computer onto paper so that it was easy to scrunch up seen in opening.

Genre Initially, the genre of the film is a Thriller based on a 17 year old teenage boy in desperation to locate his brother, whom still is a child solder, a life that Achmed was lucky enough to escape with his sister. As it was a film opening, and not a trailer, it was difficult to show the audience clearly that it was a thriller film, as the start of the film simply does not show any sort of action and only introduces the character and his emotions. However the film opening does express that it is an emotional thriller which expresses the harsh reality of all civil wars today. If I was to change this I would probably put in the film opening some sort of genre relating nature such as a change of music or expression of the character as I do not think this was expressed as clearly as it could be.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

It was important that my media product represented a particular social group, however with only one actor in my opening, it was important that his expressions and personality expressed this.

In the opening sequence, the establishing shot of London is a different and possibly not a ‘usual’ way of expressing social groups, however I believed that it was a simple yet clear representation of what sort of people will be participating in the scene or what social group the actor is apart of. For example, the scene of London represents to the audience that the social groups will vary around working/middle class people who are constantly busy. In addition, expresses the multicultural nature of London which relates to Achmed and his nationality- Syrian.

The music I chose for the opening is a slow and emotional track which illuminates Achmed’s distress and his personality. Because he is a young boy living in central London, and additionally a child solider, the interpretation of Achmed from not only the audience but the people around him may be negative. However the music in the scene makes it seem to the audience that Achmed is in fact not dangerous nor to be weary about but very gentle and is suffering with dealing with his desire to see his brother again.

See commentary for continuation of evaluation on this question

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

The distribution company in definition terms is the company responsible for marketing the film, setting its release date and what method the film will be exhibited. My media product uses 20th Century Fox (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation). Founded on May 31 1915 by William Fox. While I was researching what sort of media institutions might distribute my film, I decided to research many films that I thought were similar to my own film, Return Me (see blogger). During my research I found that films such as Taken (2008) and Driven To Kill (2009). Both films are based upon searching for someone, both being action thrillers, a genre that I believe my film came under. I decided from my research that the best media institution to use would probably be 20th Century Fox, as it distributes the same type of films that my own is, I also believe that as 20th Century Fox also distributes TV show series such as 24 and The X-Files, my film could possibly be a film to be shown on TV, as well as in cinema’s.

I further chose the production company of my film to be Paramount Pictures. Paramount is a film and television production/distribution company and is additionally the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world. From my research of production and distributing companies (see blogger) films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998) Mission Impossible (1996) and Jack Ryan (1990) I believe that again, these films are mainly action thrillers, with the exception of Saving Private Ryan which is more of an Action Drama War film- they all still resemble characteristics of my own film. Many of the films I have researched and spoken about represent the theme of a mission or finding someone, or something, which is entirely what my film is about. I therefore decided that my production company would be Paramount.

In terms of where my film would be shown, I thoroughly believe that Return Me is a film to be shown in cinemas such as Vues and Odeons. I believe that Return Me is too much of an action thriller similar to very successful films such as Taken, to be shown in Art House cinemas. My distribution companies additionally rarely ever previews in Art House cinemas and therefore produce films to be shown on the large screen.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

When creating my media product, it was important for me that I aimed at specifically at my target audience throughout. From start to finish of development, my target audience has been specially a younger demographic ranging from the ages of 15-25. As my film is based on the life and personality of the main character Achmed, but also the ongoing civil war in Syria, the war scenes would partially be not suitable for a younger audience regardless of whom it was targeted at. Overall I believed that the film was more suitable for young adults as they are able to sympathize and connect with the characters possibly more than an audience who are older, would be able to. Achmed, the main character additionally is 17 years old therefore his emotions expressed and what he is going/gone through would allow young adults to imagine what it would like to be them, in his shoes. Hopefully, allowing the young population of today to become more aware of the issues going on in the world around them, especially the issues of child soldiers, possibly even convincing them to try and help make a difference to their community. However, although my media product is specifically aimed at young adults aged 15-25, I still would like my media product to be viewed by an elder demographic as although they may not be able to connect to the young character, Achmed, as much as the target audience, they will still be able to understand and be made aware of the devastation that is ongoing in Syria today.

“I like how the music represented the

mood of the character”

“I think I would of preferred it if there

was some sort of action in it”

“I think this film is brilliant in terms of

educating young and old people about the issues in our world

today”

“I think this film would be really

emotionally gripping but exciting and

happy at the same time!”

“I didn’t like the music throughout the

opening, I felt like there could have

been more than just one song”

“I struggled a little bit in working out what the film was about, I think I would have

had to of seen a little more to understand”

“I think the war clips made such a

difference to the opening, really made it clear as to what it

was about”

How did you attract/address your audience?

Following through from the description of my target audience, ways in which I targeted my audience was not only just through the age of the character, but additionally his clothes. In the scene Achmed (Ibz Yildiz) is seen wearing all black Timberland boots, a shoe in which is/has become very popular among young people today, sold in high street stores such as Office. As younger people view this, they are able to relate to the clothing of Achmed, again, connecting/relating with the personality of the character even more. Another way in which I attracted my audience was through the setting of Central London- Southbank. London is the capital of England and is known by everyone. I believed that setting it in London would attract the younger audience more as they are more likely to relate to the settings and possibly recognize them much more easily than an elder demographic. London overall is valued and considered to be the most cosmopolitan and stylish place in England and therefore younger audiences are therefore more interested in Achmed’slifestyle in the Capital.

Interviewing a member of my target audience, Zarenna Porter aged 17, was happy to give her view on what attracted her most to the media product. One question I touched upon was ‘What did you think attracted you most to the film opening?’ she answered- “One of the main things that attracted me to the film Return Me was the fact that you could easily see that Achmed was young and therefore I could allow myself to imagine possibly being friends with him, or even someone who just goes to my school. When I saw the short clips of the war footage in the film opening, I could then sympathize with him and try to imagine what it would be like to be him, or even know him. His clothing also made it clear that he was young. His choice of clothes made him seem like he was just an ordinary boy like the rest of us”. I then asked her – ‘Would you be interested in watching this film from the opening you have seen and why?’- She answered- “Yes I would. Particularly because I would be very interested in knowing about his life or his struggles, especially as he’s my age. I don’t think that we, as teenagers, are taught enough about civil wars and the use of children in them, we are not educated enough on the subject to want to make a difference, in my opinion. I think that this film will illuminate how severe the problem is and make us want to make a chance for not only the people of Syria but also the children and teenagers, who are just like us really. I would definitely be interested in watching the film with my friends in the cinema.” Finally, I asked her ‘If you could describe the film opening in three words, what would they be?’ she replied “Emotional, unpredictable and educational”.

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

Through the practical side of my AS MEDIA course, I have developed my ability to use different software’s, my techniques on editing and also the skills to create an interesting and eye catching product. The first media technology we were introduced to was blogger (www.blogger.co.uk) a site in which allowed us/I to upload and create almost a timeline of how I have developed my media product from start to finish. On blogger I learnt how to post information onto other people’s blogs, upload my own workand writing. Every lesson I uploaded something new and slowly but surely developed an interesting story of my product. I found that using blogger was really helpful to my work, not only because it was easy to get onto to or to view, but also because I wasable to share and discuss my work with other students to get feedback on my work. Viewing our pages was easy and I believe improved our blogs as we were consistently striving to have a full and exciting blog.

I also used how to use many different types of media equipment. Not doing media before, using the cameras and equipment that goes with it was very different. I used media equipment such as a video camera which is what I filmed my media product on, a tripod and a dolly. All in which were vital for my media product throughout. I first used this equipment in my preliminary task of Life on Mars and also the continuity exercise in which I filmed my friends in a short scene which followed all important media rules such as the 180 degree line. This was good practice for my media product as I learnt how to set up quickly and efficiently. In my community exercise I specially focused on filming techniques such as the 180 degree line and shot reverse shot (see blog for video). This was very helpful in my filming as I made sure I included all of the techniques I learnt.

When uploading/editing my product I had to use different programmers such as iMovie and Final Cut Express. The first time I usedFinal Cut Express was when I was sorting out my titles on a story board in which I drew. We took photos of the drawings using a camera and then uploaded them onto the Mac where I then put them onto final cut express. On the programmer I was able to cut and edit the clips and then add my titles where I believe they should go on the real product. I was also then taught how to add my chosen music to the clip. When I was happy with it I then booked the equipment and went to film. When I was uploading my footage I was very confident about my skills of using Final-Cut and found it simple and easy to edit and put together the film. Titling and sound control then became very simple as I have done it before.

Finally, for my music I used audio network (www.audionetwork.co.uk) which is a free website in which allows students like myself to use and download non-copyright tracks. It took me a while to find the right one but the layout of the site made it much easier, especially through its categories of the different genres of music. I then simply downloaded it where it went straight onto the programmer iTunes where I then imported it onto my media product.

Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task) what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

From carrying out the preliminary tasks, I have learnt the many different ways and skills to create an interesting and eye catching media product. I have especially learnt how to do this through my learning of Miser-en-scene, Camera Movement, Editing and Sound. These aspects allowed me to develop an understanding of how to target different audiences and also how to make my product look professional and realistic.

For example, mise-en-scene came in use when I was developing my character Achmed. The use of his clothing is a type of mise-en-scene and from the interview in question 5 seems to of attracted my target audience the way I wanted it to. Furthermore, the continuity exercise taught me about techniques of camera movement and angles such as the 180 degree line, close up’s and mid-shots all in which I used throughout my media product. See examples.

In conclusion, I have learnt that a film opening is probably one of the most important parts of a film as it is what sets an opinion for the audience of the film from start to finish. Before making the film opening, I didn’t think that it was so vital and important to a film and learnt that it was not just about the titles, but also the way it is constructed through the four different aspects. It has been a very important lesson to me that the two minutes of a film opening says more about the film than it does at the end as it is what makes the audience interested to your product.