TARGET AUDIENCE
25-40
For this unit I need to research into a target audience in which is different to a demographic I would normally choose. My options were either 5-12 years old or 25-40 year olds. Due to enjoying making content of a more adult nature I decided on the older demographic of 25-40. In order to produce content for my target audience I need to understand them, what they like, what they don't and the implements that have effected their nature. This means that I need to research into my target audience to really understand them.
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PERSONALITY TRAITS
Characteristics
Described as: lazy, narcissistic and prone to jump from job to job
This generation grew up in the years of individualism, meaning they were more independent and prone to job jumping. On average, an millennial will stay at a job for three years. This is due to them constantly wanting to progress. They want flexible work schedule with time for ‘me time’ The more fast-track lifestyle, which is seen in previous generations, has lost its appeal to generation Y. They are willing to trade high for a few more billable hours. This shows a better work/balance life then previous generations. However, older generations may see this view as being narcissistic and lack of discipline and commitment. Generation Y's family is very important to them. Even if they do not have their own children they will make time for their family. This means they have a healthier balance between work life and home life. More civically and politically engaged This generation is more focused on materialistic values and less concerned about helping the larger community then generation X. There is more emphasis on money, fame and image. Rather then self-acceptance and community, which Generation X demonstrate. Open minded and accepting Generation Y are one of the most supportive generations to gay rights and equal rights for minorities. They are seen as a more liberal generation (left wing) and receptive to new ideas and ways of living. Harvard Reference: Douglas Main. (2017). Who are the Millennials? . Available: https://www.livescience.com/38061-millennials-generation-y.html. Last accessed 12th November 2018. This YouTube video not only explains generation Y, but the generations previous and the new ones. I thought this video was really helpful in showcasing the relationships integrated between each generation and how each generation takes a role in each others lives. The changes in characteristics of these generation have a lot do with the social situation within the country and different given times and how people learnt and developed from these changes. Hence, a new generation forming.
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GENERATION Y
Even though generation 'Y' is not completely the age bracket for my chosen target audience, generation 'Y' is 20-35, it covers 10 years out of the possible 15 within the age range I am targeting. Therefore, I thought it would be useful in looking at research discovered surrounding this generation.
Generation Y, commonly known as Generation Me and the Millennials. This generation refers to those born between the early 1980s and 1990s. The reason it is titled ‘generation Y’ is due to it following generation X. Yet, Millennials is more commonly used. This generation when first asked about has many negative connotations for example selfish, yet there are many positives in which this generation has. Also known as the ‘Peter Pan’ or ‘Boomerang’ generation, due to them moving back into the home of their parents due to economic constraints or starting a career. Harvard Reference: Douglas Main. (2017). Who are the Millennials? . Available: https://www.livescience.com/38061-millennials-generation-y.html. Last accessed 12th November 2018. Tech-savvy
Generation Y are the generation in which grew up surrounded by the development in technology. This means they are a lot more technology focused and developed then other generations. They rely on technology to perform well in their jobs with their smartphones, laptops and other gadgets. They are usually involved within the online world 24 hours a day and communicate with work and friends through email, text messaging or any new media platform. Technology has fuelled their careers and they can't imagine life without it. Achievement-oriented Millennials are confident and ambitious this is due to their parents nurturing pampering them as they didn't want to make the mistake of the previous generation. This all meant that they have high expectations of their employers, seek challenges in the work place and do not mind talking to authority or questioning them. Craves attention The downfall to the point above means that generation Y are always wanting feedback and guidance. They want to be kept in the loop and be reassured by frequent praise and they greatly benefit from mentors who develop their talents and guide them. This could be where the boomer generation comes in (usually retired). Harvard Reference: Sally Kane . (2018). The Common Characteristics of Generation Y Professionals Share Pin Share . Available: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/common-characteristics-of-generation-y-professionals-2164683. Last accessed 12th November 2018 |
Generation Y Statistics
These statistics have been all taken from the guardian, in which the guardian has done research upon. The first statistic is about Generation Y living at home. It shows a comparison to the previous Generation, Generation X, to see what has changed throughout the year. From the research it shows that 25.4% of men in Generation Y are living with home as their parents. Where as, at the same age generation X had 19.7% people living with their parents. This shows how housing has become more expensive and moving out has become increasingly harder.
Harvard Reference: Kate Lyons . (2016). Generation Y: a guide to a much-maligned demographic. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/millennials-generation-y-guide-to-much-maligned-demographic. Last accessed 12th November 2018. Another game changer with this research shows when women are getting married. This shows the differences throughout the generations. As you can see people are getting married at older ages now, this could be due to individualism being very common in millennial culture. From the baby boomer years to generation Y years there has been an increase in 7.1 years. This also may be due to as a generation being very career focused and wanting to always do well. The time in which women get married in Generation Y is around the 30-32 mark within their life.
Harvard Reference: Kate Lyons . (2016). Generation Y: a guide to a much-maligned demographic. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/millennials-generation-y-guide-to-much-maligned-demographic. Last accessed 12th November 2018 |
The second lot of statistics were given were about voting. The statistics were comparing the voting of Generation Y to previous generations, Generation X and the Baby Boomers, on how many votes they got at that age. The results show as time has gone on less people are voting. This shows as a generation that Generation Y isn't voting as merely as much as either X or the Baby Boomers. Y had 48.5% of this generation voting in the 2015 UK general election, where as in 1997 X had 58% and in 1979 Baby Boomers had 66%. This reinforces the point on the characteristics as they are materialistic and fame focus and not so much focusing on the larger community.
Harvard Reference: Kate Lyons . (2016). Generation Y: a guide to a much-maligned demographic. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/millennials-generation-y-guide-to-much-maligned-demographic. Last accessed 12th November 2018 |
CONSUME MEDIA
Statistics on Facebook Users
Harvard Reference: Henry Blodget. (2014). If Newspapers And Magazines Think Life Is Tough Now, They Won't Want To See What Happens Next... Available: https://www.businessinsider.com/media-usage-by-age-2014-5?IR=T. Last accessed 21st November 2018.
HOBBIES AND LIFESTYLE
This age range may struggle with having hobbies as from research I have discovered this area of time for 25-40 year olds is very crazy. This is due to people in this age group careers starting or that they have to look after their children and families takes up a lot of time. Overall, this means that they don't have much free time them hobbies. However, when I did research into millennials previously for example when I was looking up personality traits. I discovered that generation y over any other generation likes a better home versus work life. They would rather pick a significantly less paid job over doing more hours. This means in this age there is more time for this generation to indulge in hobbies and life style activities.
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With millennials men and women show different priorities with their pastimes, this is all down to the results from the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The results are very similar to the previous survey graph I looked at with 58% of mean said they watch TV, with about 4 in 10 saying they would listen to or play to music (43%). Its interesting to see that TV remains popular for free-time activities amongst the Millennials, However, recently there are signs that Millennials are moving their video viewing to other screens, even though now traditional TV remains as their primary viewing source. Other findings: - 1 in 4 Millennials men in their free time would engage in some form of exercise either in the gym or outside. And 17% of women agree with this. - When asked where their favourite places to meet their friends are, two-thirds of respondents said they like to do something at home or at friend’s houses. Whilst 59% indicated a restaurant, 30% a bar, and 28% a shopping centre. - 3 out of 4 Millennials go out to the movies. And 70% of the men that go to the movies will go once a month and for the women 53% would. Harvard Reference: N/A . (2013). What Do Millennials Like To Do With Their Free Time?. Available: https://www.marketingcharts.com/television-29750. Last accessed 22nd November 2018. Harvard Reference: Hannah Skentelbery . (2017). 5 Key Features of Millennials’ Lifestyle . Available: https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2017/08/30/5-key-features-of-millennials-lifestyle/. Last accessed 22nd November 2018.
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This is a survey result from a statistic website. The website investigated what was the most popular activities amongst millennials in the US in September 2013. Due to this research being quite old it might not be as reliable as we hoped, however it does show people's opinions back in 2013. As you can see from the graph 38% of people asked said watching TV was the biggest hobby on leisure activity they did. This was followed closely with 31% saying they read in their spare time. After this 19% of those asked said they would spend the time with family or friends. The results from this point onwards got lower and lower which shows what the minority of people within this group do rather then the majority. What I found the most interesting from looking at this survey was that all the popular leisure activities could be done inside the house and were seen as relaxation rather then getting out and exercising or doing something too strenuous. This is probably due to them working the rest of the time and their leisure time is for them to catch up on energy with.
Harvard Reference: Christof Baron. (2013). Most popular leisure activities among Millennials in the United States as of September 2013. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/382634/most-popular-leisure-activities-among-millennials-us/. Last accessed 22nd November 2018. Life style
Millennials are less likely to prepare their own meals, yet order takeout.
Millennials are reported to spend less time preparing food as for them it takes up too much time and by ordering takeout or going to a restaurant to eat you are saving yourself the effort of making food. This may also be down to how accessible food is on demand nowadays for example apps such as Uber eats and home delivery which can deliver your food to you in a matter of minutes. Instead of beer, Millennials prefer wine and spirits Millennials don’t drink as much alcohol as the older generations. But when they do Millennials tend to steer towards wines and spirits instead of beer. In fact, there was a report stating that beer penetration in the US market fell by 1% from 2016 to 2017 while wine and spirits stayed the same. Instead of attending lecturers, Millennials want to work at home A survey has been reported to cover this topic as 69% of people between the age range of 18-34 said they thought they learned more from technology than from people, this is in comparison to the 50% in the older generation. No secrets with salary Money doesn’t mean as much or is a lot less secretive to millennials then previous generations for example the Baby Boomers. They don’t mind discussing their salary with co-workers, family and friends. In a survey it was discovered that 30% of millennials (defined as 18-36) said they would discuss their salary. Whereas, 8% of the baby boomers (53 to 71) would. Instead of moving together after getting married many Millennials cohabitate before For many young adults you are more likely to see the key before you see the ring. In a survey it was found that 72% of millennials believe cohabitation before marriage is a good idea, this is comparison to the baby boomers 63%. Instead of shopping in department stores, Millennials dress in fast fashion Many department stores are closing down and some of the closures are partly due to Millennials not buying designer brands but instead from private-label lines and fast fashion brands for example H&M. Harvard Reference: Shana Lebowitz . (2018). 11 things millennials do completely differently from their parents. Available: http://uk.businessinsider.com/millennials-habits-different-from-baby-boomers-2018-3?r=US&IR=T/#instead-of-preparing-meals-millennials-are-more-likely-to-order-takeout-1. Last accessed 22nd November 2018. |
BUYING HABITS
Where Millennials outspend their parents
Housing - Millennial expenditure share: 34% ($16,959 annually) - Generation X expenditure share: 33.1% ($22,669 annually) - Baby boomer expenditure share: 30.9% ($18,917) The cost of housing is going up and it appears that millennials are less likely to own a house r have recently bought a house. This affecting millennial more then there parents generation. Harvard Reference: Brittney Burgett . (2018). The most millennial spending habits. Available: https://havenlife.com/blog/millennial-spending-habits/. Last accessed 24th November 2018. |
Transportation
- Millennials expenditure share: 17.3% ($8,426 annually) - Generation X expenditure share: 15.4% ($10,545 annually) - Baby Boomer expenditure share: 15.9% ($9,762) Transportation is the second highest expense category for all three generations. Millennials tend to spend more time then the other generations on vehicles, used cars and trucks. Also, millennials spend less time on public transportation then their parents. Harvard Reference: Brittney Burgett . (2018). The most millennial spending habits. Available: https://havenlife.com/blog/millennial-spending-habits/. Last accessed 24th November 2018. |
Food away from home
- Millennial expenditure share: 6.1% ($2,946 annually) - Generation X expenditure share: 5.9% ($4,040 annually) - Baby boomer expenditure share: 5.1% ($3,100) In 2017, an Australian millionaire blamed millennials’ overspending on culinary luxuries like avocado toast for their inability to our homes. They like to spend more money on food by going out. Harvard Reference: Brittney Burgett . (2018). The most millennial spending habits. Available: https://havenlife.com/blog/millennial-spending-habits/. Last accessed 24th November 2018. |
Education
- Millennial expenditure share: 3.4% ($1,645 annually) - Generation X expenditure share: 2.6% ($1,756 annually) - Baby boomer expenditure share: 2.1% ($1,295 annually) 71 percent of millennials gave a college degree, they are the most highly educated age generation. The combination is increased educational attainment and a rise in tuition costs. Harvard Reference: Brittney Burgett . (2018). The most millennial spending habits. Available: https://havenlife.com/blog/millennial-spending-habits/. Last accessed 24th November 2018. |
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Facts about Millennial consumers
1) They aren’t influenced by advertising Only 1% of millennials said in a survey that compelling advertising would make them trust a brand more. They don’t think advertising is authentic and choose to skip adverts and regularly ban advertising on Facebook and various news websites. 2) Rather buy a car and lease a house 71% of Millennials said they would rather buy a car then rent a car. Yet, 59% of them said that they would rather rent a house then buy a house. On the back of this 61% said that they didn't even have enough money to afford a house. Most millennials still live with their parents and have lots of debt. 3) They review blogs before making a purchase 33% of Millennials rely mostly on blogs before they make a purchase. Compared to other generations in which fewer than 3% would look in TV news, magazine or books before buying something. 4) They are brand loyal 60% of Millennials said that they are brand loyal to the brands that they are currently purchasing from. This means if a brand builds up a relationship and connection with the person they are more likely to purchase from them. 5) They expect brands to give back to society 75% said that it’s important for a brand to give back to society instead of making complete profits. They like when a brand gives money to charity etc. And they like brands that support local communities. Harvard Reference: Dan Schawbel . (2015). 10 New Findings About The Millennial Consumer. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2015/01/20/10-new-findings-about-the-millennial-consumer/#2d62db296c8f. Last accessed 24th November 2018. |
PRIMARY RESEARCH
FOCUS GROUPS FROM 25-40 YEAR OLDS
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Leanne Toms interview which discusses what she likes and what she doesn't like. I found out that Leanne likes comedy and light hearted programs, which is due to wanting something to laugh and relax too. Leanne said she likes characters and films that are similar to her own life. This is because she wants characters she understands and can personally relate too. They don't like watching films in which are so far from her own life that she just doesn't understand it. Leanne uses YouTube to watch videos online for example short films and music videos. However, she uses Facebook to communicate and read articles with other people. This shows to me that I should post my short film out to my target audience on both platforms of Facebook and YouTube.
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This the focus group with Sarah Sivyer who is 4o years old. I discussed the same list of questions to Sarah as I did to everyone in order to get an idea on how everyone felt about these topics within this age range. Sarah said she enjoyed watching sci-fi and horror films as they transported her from her everyday life. Because, of this Sarah said she liked films completely different from her own life as it was a form of an escapism. However, she also likes relatable characters that she can get behind of and root for. For media platforms she uses she spoke about Facebook and YouTube as well as Instagram. She said Instagram was really good at finding your interests and different hobbies on as there are so many pages for different taste and interests. |
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This is Madalena Martin, who is 37, interview discussing what she likes and dislikes about media and the ways in which you can consume it. Madalena spoke very strongly about what she watches on TV, she said she didn't have much time to watch TV but if she did it would be something educational like a documentary. She said because she has a job and a child it is so difficult to have any time to watch stuff. Thus meaning the programs needs to be worth her time. Another point she brought across was that the media had to be relatable to her life in order for her to fully engage with it and enjoy it. As she wouldn't be able to relate to a murder so wouldn't want to watch a program about it as she wouldn't be behind the idea 100%. |
This is the focus group for Kate Walters. Kate was very clear that she personally enjoyed 'easy watching', thus meaning a plot line in which isn't too complex and not something that is too heavy or dark. Overall, she likes comedy, romance and reality TV. Especially when you have children you need a show in which you can pickup at any point and understand. Kate said she liked the show 'Made in Chelsea', which is similar to what Leanne likes to watch. However, Kate said she liked something completely different to her normal life as this makes the show exciting. However, she did say she like relatable characters but just in an exciting scenario. When talking about consuming media Kate spoke about she watch's her shows/films on catch up most of the time as she can watch what she want to watch around her busy schedule of kids and everyday life.
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This is the final focus group I did with Ester Newman-Smith. Ester is 25 years old which is on the lower scale of my target range. Ester also likes shows to be relatable to her own life so she can fully enjoy them and get behind them when she watches them. As well as this she likes the films to be exciting. Due to Ester working a lot of her time, she hasn't got that much spare time on her to do what she wants to do or watch TV programs that she wants to watch. I am going to keep this in mind when creating my productions as I need to make them quick and easy for this age demographic to watch. |
ORGANISING TARGET AUDIENCE FOCUS GROUPS
The second person in which I arranged to be in my focus group was Sarah Sivyer. I chose her as she just turned 40, meaning she fits within my target range. As well as this Sarah is a working mum with three children. Therefore, this means she would really understand many issues surrounding people within this age range. Due to her being 40 she is the highest possible age within my target range, this means it would to here her opinion in comparison to someone who was on the lower scale at 25. In order to get an interview with Sarah I asked my mum again to message her personally on Facebook asking is she would be up for it. This is because my mum knows Sarah quite well so Sarah would more likely agree to it from my mum when asked. We arranged to film at the primary school as there is always time before the children come out to talk, so I thought this was the perfect window to interview her which worked around her schedule.
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I asked my mum to message her friend Leanne Toms to see if she was interested in being in my focus group. I thought Leanne would be perfect for the interview/focus group as she is in this age category and exceeds much of the research I have discovered about this age demographic. For example, she has a son and a full time job. These are two very typical and important things we see stereotypically within this age range. All of this information suggest she would be the perfect candidate for the task. Leanne and my mum both drop their children of at Beavers and go to a café to chat whilst the club is running. I thought this would be the perfect window to interview as she is free in this time and just waiting for pick up. Leanne agreed which meant I got my first candidate.
The second candidate I receive was Kate Walters, Kate was also at the café at the same time Leanne and my mum were as her kids to beavers as well. I asked her personally, because she was there, if she could take part in my focus group in which she agreed to. I haven't got a written confirmation or anything saying she agreed to do it as I asked in my person. Yet, I just wanted to explain this process. |
The third person I asked was Madalena Martin. I asked Madalena due to her having a full time job as a primary school teacher and being within the target range. This meant she was suitable to answer the questions. I emailed Madalena asking her if she was okay to me in my survey focus group, in which she agreed to. The part in which I found difficult was arranging all of this around her busy schedule as I couldn't even meet her when her child comes out of school as he is in after school club. This meant that I had to travel to her house, which wasn't far from my house, in order to come interview her. It was very difficult but I think it was worth it as her answers were great to the questions.
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I really struggled in finding the fifth person to interview for this focus group/interview thing. I had previously asked a women at my brothers primary school who a child minded and was 25 to do my survey. Yet, when I came to meet her at the primary school she wasn't there because she was ill. My friend Jemimah had three siblings within this age range so as a backup I asked her if she could film one of her siblings answering my questions. We had this conversation with each other at college. But later that night I sent her the questions for the focus group and she replied back that she was doing it. Getting this final response was super handy as I wouldn't know who else to ask for my survey, apart from my teachers. Jemimah's sister Ester fitted perfectly for my focus group as she was 25. But because she was on the lower end of my target age range this meant her opinion would be interesting in comparison to Sarah Sivyer who is 40, the opposite end of my target range.
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SURVEY
SOCIAL MEDIA UPLOADS
All of these images are from my social media on Facebook and Snapchat. This is me asking other people to fill in my surveys. I got 3 shares from my original post on my Facebook page and when my mum shared it she got eight shares. I encouraged other people to share the survey about in hopes people would see it and fill it out. It did take a while to get the whole 25 answers on both of my surveys for the music video and short film. So I personally messaged people within the target audience and asked them to fill out my survey. This managed to get the numbers within the survey up to what they need to be, at least 25 responses on both surveys.
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MUSIC VIDEO SURVEY
QUESTIONS
25 responses
For the first question within my survey I gave the person filling out the survey three options of different music videos they could watch. They only had to watch one out of three, and from there I asked them questions on the music videos and there opinions on them. I picked the three music videos due to them have a similar narrative structure to my idea or having elements within the music video similar to my own idea. This all means when I asked questions on these music videos I will be able to change my own ideas around them. For the first question I asked 'Which music video did you watch?' 40% of those asked said they watched the music video 'Addicted to you' where as 32% said 'I could be the one' and finally the remaining 28% said 'Same Love'. These music videos were pretty spread out pretty equally with who watched them.
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For the second question within the survey I asked my target audience 'What did you like about the music video?'. I asked this question as I wanted to gain an understanding on what my target audience look for within an music video and what they think is the most important element for the music video to be successful. For this question I got a bit of a variation with the responses for this question. The most popular response was storyline in which 48% of those asked said it was the best element. This suggests to me that majority of those asked agreed that the storyline was the most important aspect. The second most popular response was 'characters' in which 24%, followed by the song in which 16% of those voted for. The other two response had very low results for example editing had 8% and camera work had 4%. All this research is important to be in realising what people look for when watching music video. I will know to ensure I have a good storyline and characters to push the narrative along and make the whole music video more interesting and engaging to watch.
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For the third question within the survey I asked my target audience of 25-40 year olds 'Did you find the music video engaging?'. I asked this question as the music videos I picked would be similar to what my music video would look like. Therefore, if they found this music video engaging they would find my music video engaging. The response for this question was very positive and 96% of those asked said 'yes' they found it engaging. Where as, 4% of those asked said they didn't find it engaging. I am really happy with this result as it reassures me that my concept and project will work.
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For the fourth question I asked 'What was your favourite aspect of the music video? why?' I asked this question as I wanted to directly pinpoint all the positive parts of the music video as when I discover what these elements are I can use them in my own productions. I got a lot of responses varying on their favourite parts which shows to me that there are many positives on these music videos. One response said 'I really liked how the music video was educational to parents who children might be gay', people like when a good message is shown throughout the music video and teaches a lesson of some kind. Another person said 'I like how it told a story' and another said they thought it was 'constructed' well. All these positive elements help when I produce my music video as I will know what to add into the video in order for it to be good and successful.
For the fifth question within the survey I asked 'What could of been done to make the music video better?' I asked this as it is very important to know as well as the good points about the music video is more important to know the not so good parts as this will help in knowing where to improve in the future. I had a lot of responses for this question talking about a range of issues. One person said 'Make the music video shorter in length' this means when choosing a song I will have to pick a song in which is short and too the point as this age range don't have time to watch long winded videos. Another point in which I saw was 'I think there could of been less action parts within it and more parts about the characters and their backstories' I really like this idea. As from my research I have realised that the target audience what character development and relatable characters in which they can get behind. They can't relate if there is a lot of action as it is completely different to their own lives. Another point in which I thought was useful knowing was people found some of the videos too sexual and thought it was unnecessary for the storyline someone wrote 'too sexual'. Basically, instead of all the sexual scenes just have more scenes where the audience can get to know the characters etc.
For question six within the survey I asked my target audience 'What platform would you watch the music video on?' I asked this as I wanted to know how this age range consume media. By consume media I mean what they watch videos/TV/film on and where do they find out about information from. As when I come to promoting my music video or even uploading it I need to know where should I do this on and which site is the most popular. The results for this question were very one sides as 72% of those asked said they would watch the music video on YouTube, where as 24% of those asked said they watched on Facebook and finally 4% voted MTV. Overall, these results show to me that I should post the music video on YouTube. But as well as this I could upload it to Facebook or put the link onto Facebook, this will ensure that the maximum amount of people watch my video.
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For the seventh question within the survey I asked my target audience 'Do you like my idea? Would you watch it?'. I asked this question after I gave a brief description of my music video. I explained that my music video would be about Bonnie and Clyde and a day in a life of a pair of rule breakers. When asking this question I didn't know what to expect for the response, but 100% of those asked said 'yes' they liked my idea and would watch it. However, one person skipped this question so I don't know if this counts as a full 100% yes. Even if the result was a bit lower it doesn't matter as the majority voted that it would be a good idea and this is all that matters. This makes me realise that I can go forward with my idea and I hope my target audience will appreciate it.
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For the eighth question I asked 'Do you think the music video is suitable for the age range of 25-40?' and again the results of this question were very positive as 96% of those asked said 'yes' it would be suitable for my target audience and 4% said it wouldn't. Overall, the majority of people asked said it would work for this age range and because it is coming from this age range it means this data is reliable and truthful of what the people are thinking. Thus meaning my project should work for my age range. In order to get the yes percentage all the way up to 100% I could ask what to improve the idea with to make it more suitable.
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For the eighth and final question within the survey I asked my target audience 'How do you think I could change my idea in order for it to fit my target audience better?' the responses for this question were really helpful which is positive as this feedback is vital for me changing and adapting my idea. One person said 'Make it thought provoking' which suggests to me that they want a lesson learnt behind the video. This could bring in that educational element which will engage the audience further. Another person said 'Make it relatable- maybe they are forced to be criminals because of some injustice' I could involve themes from within my target audience of money and mortgages. Perhaps, my characters have bills to pay or have a boring life in which they trade for an exciting and adventurous one. Overall, this feedback is useful as it gives me some indication on what to change about my concept in order for it to be more suitable for my target audience.
SHORT FILM SURVEY
QUESTIONS
26 responses
This survey was directed for the short film I have to make for this unit. I asked my target audience of 25-40 year olds questions surrounding short films: what they like, what they don't like and how do I adapt my films for this age range. At the beginning of the survey I had links to three short film and I asked my target audience to watch one of the three videos and answer questions on the following. The first question was 'Which short film did you watch?' The results were pretty much spread out quite equally. The highest response came from the short film titled 'One day' in which 44% of those asked looked at. Next, was 'What's on your mind?' which had 32% responses and finally it was 'The Call' which 24% of people looked at.
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For question two within the short film survey I asked my target audience 'What did you like about the short film?'. This question is asking about those three short films that I asked my target audience to watch. I did this so I know what are the things my target audience look for within an short film, therefore I could use this in my own short film to make them more suited to them. The highest response came from 'storyline' in which 56% of those asked voted for. The second highest score was 'characters' in which 20% of my target audience voted for. Next was 'camera work' which 16% said was what they liked about the short film. And finally both the 'actors' and 'other' category got 4% each. From all this information I can defer that the storyline is the most important aspect to my target audience within their short films. Shortly followed by characters. When adapting my short film I will keep these ideas in mind to make my production the most suited for my target audience.
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For the third question within this survey I asked 'Did you find the short film engaging?'. I asked this question as I wanted to know how my target audience felt about the short film examples and if they found it worth their time. I did this because the examples I had chosen were similar is styles of narrative and sometimes character development to what I want in my short film. Thus meaning if my target audience found these short films engaging they should find mine engaging to an extent. The results from this question showed that 84% said the short films were engaging, where as 16% of those asked said no they weren't. The majority of those asked did think that the short films were engaging which I see as a positive. I know that my short films should work. But I could still question why the other 16% disagreed in order to adapt and change my idea to be more suited for this demographic.
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For the fourth question within the survey I asked my target audience 'What was your favourite aspect of the video? why?' I asked this as I wanted to know directly what worked within the short films so that I could copy this through into my own work. This will mean my short film will be better for my target audience. I received a range of answers for this question, one person said 'I like how the film was a statement on how fake social media is and how people can lie about their lives. The overall message was very enticing and enjoyable to watch', this person spoke about the film having a meaning or statement behind it. I think this is very vital for my target audience as they like production which make them think and change their perceptions. Another person wrote 'I likes the character development as the storyline went along', I heard this comment a lot in the feedback. This suggests to me that a lot of people want to go on a journey with the characters and see their progressions, it really allows the audience to root for them. Overall, this means there will be the correct amount of emotion within the short film.
For the fifth question within the survey I asked my target audience 'What could of been done to make the video better?', I asked this question as I wanted to understand the things that could of been improved in these videos to keep in mind for my own. This will help in developing my ideas and making them overall better. I got some very useful feedback from these responses, one person said 'the acting was way too fake and unrealistic to me' and another said 'I think the acting was very fake and not genuine', these two response indicate to me this target audience want well established acting within the short film. As how are the audience suppose to relate and get behind these characters if they know they are just actors playing a part. The audience need to believe the characters are real people living real situations and they are just looking through the window at them. Some people commented on the narrative structure of the short films as one person said 'The video could of shown flashbacks of the dad ad daughter when they were younger to heighten the emotion of loss. And to allow the audience to understand the love they have for one and another'. The audience thought to make the films more engaging you could of think of unique ways of storytelling, for example have the end of the film as the beginning. This will entice the audience more. All these points are very helpful for me as it helps to me to develop my ideas for my short film and make them better suited for my target audience.
For question six from my survey I asked the question 'Do you like my idea?, this was after I gave a brief summary of the idea I was going to go forward with for my production. My idea is about a five pound note's travel for the course of a few days. As the money is owned by different people we get to experience their lives before the money is moved onto the next owner and we learn about them. I am really happy with the feedback in which I received for this unit as 100% of those asked said that they liked my idea and 0% said that they didn't. However, one person skipped the question so that person may of or may not voted 'no'.
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For question seven within the survey I asked 'Do you think the short film is suitable for the age range of 25-40 year olds?' I asked this as I wanted to get an idea on how my short film idea fit amongst the target audience. The response for this question was very much positive response, as 96% of those asked said they 'yes' the idea is suitable for the target range of 25-40 year olds and only 4% of those asked said 'no'. This is really good as I know majority of people think my idea will work, thus meaning it should suit the age range I am targeting the short film too.
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For the eighth question I asked my target audience 'How do you think I could change my idea in order for it to fit my target audience better?'. I asked this question as I wanted to fully understand what I should change within my production in order to adapt it for my target audience, this is very crucial for me as I really want my target audience to engage with my productions. I received a range of responses for this question, one person said 'ensure characters are realistic and types of people will be able to relate and understand easily' the audience really want characters in which they can root for and understand on an emotional level. This is completely different to what teenagers like to see on screen. Another person said 'Not sure, sorry. I'd be a bit worried about the practicalities though- much of the time money goes into a till in the shop, so you lose that personal connection' and another spoke about now a days my age range use credit cards not cash. I thought these points were really valid, I need to think about how I solve the issue of money being stuck in a till within my production. Maybe the money will never go in the till and will just be passed from person to person (Literally). For example, one person borrowing money from another. All these points I need to think about to ensure my production is seamless and has no mistakes within it.
For question nine, the last and final question, within my survey I asked my target audience 'Would you watch my short film?'. I asked this question as the people doing the survey are in the age demographic I am targeting my short film too so if they said yes it meant that my short film suited their tastes. For this question 100% of those asked said 'yes' they would watch my short film and 0% of people said no. However, saying this one person did skip this question within the survey which means they could of voted for no and the result could of changed. Anyway, majority of people said they would watch it which makes me happy as they are all the target range. This survey has really benefitted me in understanding where I am in terms of if my projects fit my demographic and what I should change.
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PERSONAL ANALYSIS
I am analysing three video from each medium, so either Music video, short film or stop motion. But, because I am doing a short film and music video I am only finding three videos on each medium. When looking into these videos I am looking for how the examples target the age groups and look into what factors do I believe fit the target audience.
Music Videos
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Same Love
The first example is 'Same Love' by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. I chose this music video as its narrative led and tells the story of a man discovering who he is from birth to death. The music video is about a gay relationship and the love between two people. I think this would be appropriate for this age demographic as my research told me as a generation this age range are very open minded and have very modern views on same sex relationships. As well as this because the stories is about a relationship the age range will be able to relate as majority of people in this group have a boyfriend or husband or want a relationship. So when seeing a couple get married they look fondly on it and they relate to the emotions displayed on screen. Another reason why this music video is good for this age range is because it has a lot of character development within it. It shows an emotional journey fitted to the lyrics of the song. The emotion and the characters within the music video make the whole thing appear real and raw. This demographic love established character which are development and they like to see emotion as it really allows them to get behind these characters and let them feel what they are feeling. |
Addicted to you
This is Avicii's music video to 'Addicted to you' I thought this music video was perfect to use as it is a similar concept to what I want to use for my music video. It is about Bonnie and Clyde (in girl forms) robbing places. I thought this music video related to the target audience very well. From mu focus groups a lot of people told me they like to be transported into another life which is completely different to theirs, and being a law breaker is just that. However, the characters show emotion with the music video and we can see relationships growing. This allows the audience to understand the characters better and really get behind them. At the beginning of the music video one of the girl is working in a bar in a crappy job she doesn't like and then she runs away. This idea of leaving all your responsibilities behind is highly thought of within this generation as they tend to have children, mortgages and jobs to attend too. The fact these characters runs away allows the audience to live out this dream of freedom they wish they had, without even doing it. Another aspect in which the audience will find interesting is due to the ideas of Bonnie and Clyde being in the air it gives the music video that educational element to it. People in this age range love to have information and understand it within the media they watch. It makes the programs that much more sophisticated. |
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I could be the one
This is the Avicii vs Nicky Romero music video to 'I could be the one'. Out of all the music videos in which I have picked I think this video fits the target audience of 25-40 year olds the best. The beginning of the video shows a women in a relentless crappy job that she doesn't enjoy and then one day she wakes up and her life is completely changed and she is living the life of luxury. Due to the majority of this age range working and starting up their careers they would all agree on the fact that sometimes work is horrible and rubbish and there are so many things they would rather be doing. Yet, they have to do it to stay a float. They can relate to the female lead character within the music video as her job is the same old all the time and she is sick of her life being like this. As an audience they would fully understand how horrible it is being in that position and root for this women when is living her life of luxury. Because the character within the music video is in the same age bracket as my target audience it makes the music video more meaningful. As the audience watching it, this could be them in this situation. The more mature themes within the music video would relate to this age range and the crude light hearted humour is easy to watch and just a break from everything serious in their life. My focus groups have shown me that this age range do appreciate a bit of humour and comedy and this is exactly what this music video is serving. |
Short films
The Call
This is a short film titled 'The Call', this short film I thought was appropriate for my chosen target audience of 25-40 as many of the people within this age range have children. I thought they would emotional be able to relate to the distraught the character of the dad is feeling. The dad finds out his daughter is dying out in war via a phone call from her. The emotional impact is very intense, as an audience we see all the emotions felt by these characters. This age range are said to really like developed characters and raw emotions within a short film. They also enjoying, according to my survey results, interesting narrative structures which don't tell you everything until you need to know. When watching this video you don't realise his daughter is at war until it shows it at the end. I think the target audience would appreciate the narrative structure as it something different and unique and worth their time. |
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What's on your mind?
This is the short film titled 'What's on your mind?' I chose this short film due to its representation of people and social issues within my target audience. The short film is about social media and how people make out that their lives are amazing on it just to look as good or better then anyone else. I thought my age range would really relate to his short film as the majority of them do have social media for example Facebook. And the culture within Facebook is to compare your lives to others. This short film in a dark way highlights the truth about social media and how its just all fake. The target audience would appreciate this short film as they understand that everyone lies on social media and will be able to relate to the comparing |
One day
This is the short film titled 'One Day' the short film is a journey of kind acts throughout the day as the story progresses it shows different people and their lives. I chose this short film as it is similar in what I want to achieve for my own short film. I will have different characters the item is passed onto. This short film is relatable for this age range as most of the characters used for it are within the target range in which I am using. This means that the audience will relate more to these characters as they are in the same point in their lives as the characters. My target audience will appreciate a narrative in which is different as this will engage them further and encourage them to continue watching. The idea on the story following different people at a time is really effective and different. |
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INFOGRAPHICS
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
WHAT IS A CODE?
A media code is very important for the structure of the production you are making. Media codes generally have an agreed meaning, or connotation, to their audiences. This is very important as the audiences will understand the codes straight away therefore their understanding of what it is in store for the production will come faster. Thus, meaning they will get and enjoy the production better.
Harvard Reference: Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018.Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018.
Harvard Reference: Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018.Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF CODES
SYMBOLIC CODES
Symbolic codes are social in nature. This means that they live outside the media production and common things in the ‘real world’ and would be understood by the audience due to the familiarity. For example, if someone received a red rose in a film, the audience would assume this is showing their feelings in terms of love or that the character has romantic relationship. Similarly, if you gave somebody in the real world a red rose you might be hoping for the same outcome as in the media production. Symbolic codes in media include setting, mise en scene, acting and colour. Setting Setting is where the production sets place. The time and place of the narrative. When you talk about the setting of your production you can talk about the whole story as the setting or just one specific scene. It doesn’t matter how complexed the location of the setting is for example space or it could be very simplistic for example a bedroom. Also, setting can be created due to atmosphere within the production. A good example of this could be in the Netflix TV show ‘Stranger Things’ the production is set in Hawkins and it has a very retro yet creepy atmosphere to the place. Mise en Scene Mise en Scene is French for ‘Everything within the scene’. It comes into different sections for example set design, costume, props and staging and composition of actors and objects. Mise en Scene is what makes the production believable and make sense to the audience. For example if you are having a space film yet there are no sci-fi props for example spaceships etc, then the production doesn’t seem as realistic. Acting Acting is key for the success of the production as it’s what used to create characters. They actor contributes to the character development, creating characters as well as advancing the narrative along. They create these characters and performances through facial expression, body language, vocal qualities, movement and body contact. Harvard Reference: Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018. |
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TECHNICAL CODES
Technical Codes are specific to media forms and do not live outside or in the ‘real world’. This is an understanding of different camera shots and the connotations that these shots will create when we look at films and photographs, but mean nothing to us outside of those forms. Technical codes in media include camerawork, editing, audio and lighting. Camerawork Camerawork is due to how the camera is operated and how its positions and moved for effect. Aspects of camerawork include positioning, movement, framing, exposure and lens choices. All this comes to play in the look and feel of the film. You could state the genre of the film or if something is going to happen within the narrative due to the camerawork. Editing Editing is the process of choosing and manipulating the arrangements of shots. This is done for effect and meaning and to make the production make sense and have the meaning come across. Editing is generally done for four reasons graphic edits, rhythmic edits, special edits and temporal edits. Audio Audio is the sound within your productions. This could be in both diegetic and non-diegetic. The three main aspects are dialogue, sound effects and music. Harvard Reference: Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018. |
WRITTEN CODES
Written codes are the formal language used in a media product. Like technical and symbolic codes, written codes are used to advance the narrative and tell information about the characters or the issues/themes within the media product. Written codes include printed language which is text you can see within the framer and how it is presented and as well as this its spoken language which is the dialogue or song lyrics. Harvard Reference: Robert Young . (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Available: https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8. Last accessed 17th January 2018. |
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WHAT IS A CONVENTION?
A convention is the generally accepted way of doing something. For example there are conventions in any medium like the use of interviewee quotes in a print article. Conventions are genre specific, therefore depending on the genre of your production the conventions will change. For example a convention of the horror genre would be blood and gore.
Codes and conventions are used together in any production to create meaning. It is not enough to discuss a technical code without talking about how it conventionally used in the genre. For example, a technical code of lighting in horror is the side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense in any horror film. Harvard Reference: N/A. (N/A ). Codes and Conventions . Available: https://media-studies.tki.org.nz/Teaching-media-studies/Media-concepts/Codes-and-conventions. Last accessed 17th January 2019 . |
CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
The purpose of a music video
- Promotes a single and, normally, an album - Promotes the artist or band - Creates into a ‘star image’ - Entertains the audience - Sets the ‘meanings’ of a song by the use of images |
Basic Structure
- In 3-4 minutes a typical music video combines a mix of live performance, narrative, and other visual imagery. - It does this to advertise the band/artist and song Different styles of Music Video - Performance - Narrative - Thematic - Symbolic |
Performance Style of music video - Many music videos include performance of the artists as part of the video - It was from clips of performances that music Videos developed - Often contain shots of the artists performing - Can be a live stage performance, with shots of artists and audience - Can be the artists in ‘real life’ situations for example warming up, talking, fooling around - Often includes lots of close ups of the artist and there can be a particular visual style that goes with the artist for example particular clothing, actions, props, type of images. - Often the artist can appear to perform in an unusual place for example a field, a rooftop |
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Narrative Style of music video - Often the video tells a story either that features in the lyrics or is suggested in the lyrics for example girl dumps boy - This narrative can be like a Mini film, with a beginning, middle and end - Or it can suggest some links to a story - It can promote a film with clips from the film included telling a story - Because it is only 3-4 minutes it can be - very fast paced, lots of shots and cuts - mimic other film and tv genre for example horror or sci-fi |
Thematic Style of music video - There are lots of common themes in music videos - Depends on the genre of music for example heavy metal bands go for performance dominated clips - Rap has lots of “street” images - Dance routines are common for many female artist performances |
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Harvard Reference: N/A. (N/A ). Codes and Conventions . Available: https://media-studies.tki.org.nz/Teaching-media-studies/Media-concepts/Codes-and-conventions. Last accessed 17th January 2019 .
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Symbolic Style of music video
- Use of lots of symbols to build up meaning eg graveyard…death - Lots of use of montage -lots of images to create meaning sometimes often contradictory - Lighting often used to suggest mood - Fast paced - often only a few seconds per shot to build up meanings - Pictures can support or contradict the lyrics Additional Codes and Conventions - Visually stylish – ‘artistic’ - Cutting related to the rhythm of the music - Intercutting between performance and images or story - Experimental use of camera/editing (hand held camera, distortion of colours) - Often break the rules of continuity editing. Can use lots of jump cuts - Lots of use of digital effects |
CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMAS
Psychological Thrillers
This is a popular sub-genre of thrillers which is focused mainly on the characters and their development. It often has traits of the mystery and drama genre alongside of the typical traits of the thriller genre. Characters and no longer reliant on physical strength within the genre, now they have to rely on their mental resources to overcome their enemies. Themes within this genre · Death · Reality · Identity · Existence · Purpose From these themes I can defer that they will allow the audience to really understand the characters portrayed within the film. All the themes illustrate the mental inner conflicts between individuals, these themes are very dark in comparison to other films. Yet, the rawness of these films makes them a lot more engaging and interesting to watch. With Psychological thrillers the conflict is through the mind, skills and wit of the main character rather then fighting physically in thrillers. The characters are now slightly more important to the film then the plot itself. Elements of drama, mystery and horror are usually in Psychological thrillers due to the film empathies on motivation and the mind. In the films there are life and death situations which the characters are placed within, certainly nearer to the end of the film (climax), but this could involve death or danger to the mind. In the end of the film the motives and intentions with in are more important then the technical aspects of how a crime is done.
Harvard Reference:n/a. (2012). Elements of the psychological thriller. Available: https://hunterswritings.com/2012/10/12/elements-of-the-psychological-thriller-mystery-suspense-andor-crime-fiction-genres/. Last accessed 17th Jan 2019 |
Codes and Conventions
These are the typical features found within a psychological thriller film. For example low level lighting will be expected, this is when there is minimal lights used within the shots to enable shadows to be created. This also can create element of fear amongst the audience because the atmosphere has negative connotations. Another typical element found within the films are quick edits and change in camera angles, this increases the feeling of shock and fear within the film. This is often used within significant scenes in order to draw attention to the important moments within the narrative. You are also expected to hear eerie music playing in the background of the film which creates high tension, in contrast to this the use of silence may be explored by the film maker to create more tension and allow the audience to anticipate the scare which will occur. A narrative structure element could be the use of flashbacks, this is scene regularly in psychological thrillers in order to show past moment which inflict the narrative. This gives the audience an insight into why the character are the way the are. The film may be colour corrected to black and white to make the shots appear more dramatic and intense, this also increases the effectiveness of shadows. Harvard Reference: Lynette. (2012). Codes and Conventions of a Psycological Thriller.Available:http://thrillerstudies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/conventions-of-psychological-thriller.html. Last accessed 17th January. 1. You need to have a good story. Thrillers want to be thrilled. A common element in thrillers is that the protagonist will fall victim to someone else’s scheme and get stuck in a moment of dread. There is a common theme of death and rebirth, these themes are commonly used as it helps the storyline to develop
2. There is always an underdog as the main protagonist , you need to do this as we need our characters to have something to lose. The protagonist gives the story character. Give him baggage and emotional complexity. 3. Multiple points of view can give you great range in a thriller. They allow you inside the heads of many characters, which can build more dramatic tension and irony. 4. Begin the film with an action sequence to illustrate straight away that this is a thriller film 5. Fast pace, short duration clips to keep the film upbeat and fast moving which entices the audience more Harvard Reference Admin. (2008). 10 Basic Ingredients of a Successful Thriller. Available: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller. Last accessed 17th January 2019. |
NOTES ON CODES AND CONVENTIONS
Here I have analysed a series of videos which explain the codes and conventions surrounding different films. The videos show the sound design, camer work and editing techniques chosen in order to achieve an specific effect. Basically, I had to write up the key points surrounding these videos and premise of what made these renown scenes successful.
My analyses on 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'American Beauty'. Following these two videos I wrote up the key notes on what the videos were telling me. Here are my findings:
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The silence of the lambs- Who won the scene?
In drama or films when we have two characters discussing things, we have to decide who has the power within that given moment and who is winning the scene. We can see this using camera work, editing and positioning. Thus, meaning you can develop your characters and narrative by just the look and feel of the production. A great example of this is from the cult classic ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. The scene I am going to analyse for this Clarice Starling visits the Hannibal Lecter in prison for the firs time for questioning. You would think because Clarice is questioning the Hannibal Lecter that she has the power. But actually the way the sequence is better suggests she may not be. |
At 0:20 seconds into the video, we see a shot of both Clarice and the Hannibal Lecter looking straight into the lens of the camera. The shots mirror each other perfectly as the aspect ratio of where the characters are places is identical and how the shot is framed. Overall, this makes the shots look very similar to one another. This done has been for meaning, this is to show that both characters are equal in status and power within the scene at this moment. However, this is weird as the character of the Hannibal Lecter is behind bars and in any normal world would be having less power. Due to him being equal to Clarice this reinforces his psychotic power and how he is not fazed by being in prison, it makes him stronger. We learn a lot about his character due to how the shots are taken.
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At 0:34 when the Hannibal Lecter says, ‘You’re not a real FBI, are you?’ to Clarice the camera angles changes from two close up shots to looking at Clarice over the Hannibal Lecter’s shoulder. This suggests to the audience that the power has switched within the scene. Both characters put up a defence as there is shot reverse shot over each of there shoulders. However, the Hannibal Lecter ends up on top as at 0:40 he tells her to sit. The shot changes so that the Hannibal Lecter looks down on Clarice and Clarice looks up at him. This is to show the power has shifted and the Hannibal Lecter has the power against her, he is in charge of the conversation and where it is leading too.
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American Beauty Analysis
In ‘American Beauty’ Lester is not enjoying his life his wife hates him, he doesn’t get on with his daughter an he hates his job. This is a screengrab from a scene where Lester gets pulled into the office by the new manager Brad. Brad tells Lester that he could lose his job. We can see the characters authority and their relationship through the camerawork and mise en scene within the shot. The shot of Lester is a wide shot however the camera is tilted so it looks down on Lester. This overall makes Lester appear smaller and inferior in the shot. Which is in comparison to his boss Brad, who is filmed looking up at him which indicates power. Also, the fact Brad stand up in the shot indicates power and control where as Lester is in a little chair. Other thing can indicate Lester’s mood for example the dying plants in the background. This could represent him or the type of office he is working for.
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Where as Brad is showcased as powerful and dominant as he is shot from a low angle, this makes him appear more powerful against Lester. He also is good looking and dresses fashionably and is younger then Lester, which makes his character more annoying as he is seen as the better of the two and the person to be calling all of the shots. Continuation of 'American beauty' analysis and notes from a section of the film 'Inception'. In which I discuss the sound design for this section. Here are my findings:
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VIDEO ANALYSIS
Music Video- Analysis One
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This is the Avicii music video to the song 'Addicted to you' I chose this production as the storyline is similar to what I want in my own production. This is due to their being characters of Bonnie and Clyde and this is what I want to go for in my production. At the beginning of the music video at 0:02 the opening shot is of an old fashioned car driving down a snowy road. The shot has been colour corrected to a blue tone with majority of the colour stripped out, this illustrates the area is cold and lifeless. For an audience member this is a strong opening images. The shot ratio, as the shot has bars on the top and bottom, reflects what we seen within established films suggests this music video is going to be cinematic. It also shows the company who make these music videos take themselves seriously and want to be show of they are a professional company. The car travelling is an old retro car which suggest that the production is set in a different era to the modern one we are used to and the symbolism of the road represents the journey the characters are going to go on. Overall, this sets the production up perfectly.
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At 0:16, there is a wide close up shot of a girl wiping down tables. Her eyeline looks slightly below the camera lens. However, the close proximity indicates to the audience that we are watching this scene from her eyes and perspective. Everything in which happens within the scene will come from her point of view. Automatically, to the audience this suggests she is our main character within the production in which we should align with her. She is wearing a pinafore and wiping down the table with a rag. This indicates she is working and perhaps has less power then the other people in the room.
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At 0:29 there is a shot of a man looking creepily at the girl. This is an editing cut back from one shot to the other to shows the correlation between the two characters. The fact the man is behind the till shows that he has more power then the other characters within the scene. This shot is a pull focus it shows the man full of focus, showing he has power, the girl isn't focused which shows she is littler and smaller in power and status. The music is slow and gripping which gives the music video a sly and smooth style to it. This helps in building tension as an audience we believe something bad is going to happen.
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At 0:31, the doors of the pub/restaurant open. There is a shift to the music as the edit is cut to the action, as the music changes the action movement follows with it. The doors are dark colours yet where the feet are located their is light. This is symbolism of 'the light at the end of the tunnel' shows that this person who is walking in the room is a saviour and is going to rescue our main character from before. The fact that the shot is positioned in this way, with the only the feet being shown within the shot. Indicates that the makers of this have done this to build suspense on this persons identity, thus indicating that they are important.
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0:38 within the music video. The other main character walks in, we can tell this as its the same wide close up shot which is shown before with the other girl. The background of the shot isn't in focus to show everyone else is insignificant in comparison to her as a character. She has a smug smile plastered on her face to shows she has power. Therefore, she has more status then anyone and she is going to start something.
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At 0:47 seconds into the production the girls pull there guns out. This segment is completely edited to the beat of the production so its very punchy, almost like a gun shot. In terms of how it has been shot, the backdrop of the shot is not focuses yet, the women is. This is comparison to the shot previously in the music video where the women wasn't in focus and the man in the background was. This shows her character development and how she has decided to change everything around. Also, the fact she has a gun is a shock for the audience, however we have seen how she has been treated at her job so kind of condole her actions for doing this.
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At 0:50 seconds into the production, you see the low angle shot of the girl holding the gun up to the owner of the bar. The angle of the shot is a low angle shot as the girl looks down onto the camera. This shows how powerful the girl is and how she is in control of the situation. The man before this was shown as powerful but now we can see how the roles have reversed. Then there is a shot of the man from a high angle shot to show him as small and insignificant. We see the terror in his face which is pleasing to the audience as we have seen how disgusting he was acting beforehand. The shots are very short and snappy in the way they have been edited together, this may represent gun shots or give the production more pace thus making it more action packed.
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At 1:06 we see some character development, as an audience we are told more about our character. The kiss on the cheek illustrating that these characters are in a relationship. It's in important for this target audience to see this as they prefer emotional engagement with characters over action and fight. The retro car could also illustrate to the audience that we are in a different era to modern day. There are quick short duration shots all edited to the beat when the singer says 'I am addicted to you' this could represent how crazy and manic these characters lives are like. And the fact they are in a car driving away from their rubbish jobs symbolises the journey they are going on.
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At 2:08 there is a birds eye view shot of the girl throwing money into the air. The fact she is throwing about the money without a thought illustrate how insignificant that lot of money is to her. They must of done a lot of heist, so wasting a bit of money isn't a problem to her. Due to the proximities and positioning of those in the shot we can defer who has the status, everyone else is cowered over hiding on the floor. The woman's clothes are well fitted and a warm colour illustrating her wealth and happiness. Her life is great she is powerful and rich. Where as the people cowered over are wearing dark dull suits, which indicates they aren't important and frightened to death.
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At 2:25, there is a mid shot of a man looking at the girls robbing the store. The man is looking above the eye level of the lens, similar shot when introducing both of the female lead characters. This suggests this character is of importance. The low level of light shows darkness around him. This suggests he isn't a good character and as is going to cause trouble for the girls. This is edited as a shot reverse shot from the girls to him and back to him. This editing is done to illustrate the relationship between him and the girls. And that he's going to cause something.
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At 2:39 the strong blond character is gunned down and shot. The harsh blood stain on her back stands out on her cream coloured jumper. The happy colour of her outfit has turned gory. The fact she is in the foreground and her girlfriend is out of focus in the background, the positioning of the shot, illustrating that there relationship is too the death. Even though this sequence is very action packed we see a lot of moments building on the characters emotions and their relationships between each other. The edit cuts to black, indicating the end of her life.
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Music Video- Analysis Two
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The second music in which I will be analysing is 'I Could Be The One' by Avicii vs Nicky Romero. I thought this music video was perfect for me to analyse as the genre of the video is comedy and the entirety of the music video is light hearted and funny. I want my music video to be a comedy. Also, it shows similar themes in which my target audience will be able to relate to, for example stressful job. Therefore, I wanted to analyse how this music video showed these themes in a funny and interesting way. The opening shot of the music video is at 0:02 seconds into the production. Shot fades in from black and it shows a dark room with an alarm clock going off. The dark room is boring and bland as it has ben poorly decorated with hardly any accessories within it. Also, the fact we see an alarm clock with the time stating 6:00am shows that someone's life is boring and not exciting and that they have commitments to get to. This introduces the entire premises on the music video and what it is going to entail.
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At 0:10 into the music video there is a quick montage of the same events going by repetitively: alarm, brush teeth, work and sleep. It shows the same sequence a few times. To reinforce how this women is stuck in this loop of doing the same boring thing and just going with the motions. The shots have been colour graded with a yellow/green tone which makes the shots look bland and boring. This is to illustrate to the audience how little excitement and vibrancy is in her life. The facts she is wearing a black suit with her hair in a high bun shows she is very conformed and held back with her life. As the colour black has negative connotations and suggests she has to be serious all the time. The fun in her life does not exist.
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At 0:31 we see the women cross dates of the calendar. This is part of the montage. As the montage events repeat themselves we see the women become angrier and frustrated as her action are a lot more aggressive. Also, the music is building up with the shots within the edit, this build tensions and reinforces the fact that this women is sick of her job. The symbolism of crossing out the dates, which should be used for counting down for something, illustrating how she is waiting for something. Perhaps, a change in her routine. The shot is very dark and has a very low level of light. This is dull and illustrates emotions of unhappiness.
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At 0:42 we see a shot reverse shots of the main woman and her work coclique. From this section of the video you can see that both women are copies of each other. They are both wearing bland black suite's and there hair tied neatly back. They are stuck in a world filled with no originality and are conforming to a mundane lifestyle. Even the plant in the back of shot is drooping, indicating the lifeless place they work in. We are seeing the same green and brown colours within the shot as the vibrancy of the image has been striped away to reinforce how boring everything is.
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At 1:00 the music video cuts to black and then at 1.07 you see our main character lying in bed next to a naked man. The shot is no longer green/yellow in the way it has been coloured graded, this suggests to the audience that there is a change to our narrative. The shot is now light and airy, as the walls, sheets and curtains are all white. This has connotation of freshness and maybe suggests new beginnings. The women also has makeup applied to her face and her hair is down, unlike before at work. This shows she is free and relaxed.
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At 1:22 there is a wide shot of the main character opening the doors of the room revealing a beach. There is a lot of colour within the shot as you can see th blue sea and the green grass. This is a change from the previous shots which are blue and grey in tone. The saturation of the shot illustrates her character is within he happy place and living the life she wants too. This reinforces the overall message of the production of leaving your crappy life behind and living the life you want to live. |
At 1:27 there is a high angle shot, almost from the main characters perspective. There is a list which the main character picks up, this prop is a white piece of paper. Indicating her life as a clean slate that she is going to start. This illustrates to the audience step by step what is accepted of them. This note reinforces what we are already seeing, the women is wearing bright colours and has her hair down. This indicates how happy and free she is. |
At 1:39 we see a wide shot of the women standing over a little child's sandcastle. The music is edited with this shot as it slowed down to make every movement of the main character more powerful. This contrasts with what we have seen previously of her character, her being timid and shy within the work place. This reinforce how strong and powerful she is as a person. The action of smashing over the sand castle relates to what the note intended for her to do. This would relate to an older working generation who are sick and tired of their lifestyle and jobs. They want a change in the game and this music video gives them hope for it.
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Music Video- Analysis Three
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The Sam Smith music video to the song ‘I’m not the only one’ is about a women who puts on a persona that her life is amazing. Everything looks perfect, hair, makeup and house. Yet, under all that ‘happiness’ there is a women who is being cheated on by her husband. Her ‘perfect life’ is not so perfect anymore and Sam Smith takes us on a journey with this women to see a life behind closed doors. |
At 0:03 we see a white house with a nicely gardened lawn. This suggests to the audience that this house is well kept after and that the person within the house shows the place a great deal of love. There is a lot of nature in the shot for example the blossom tree sat in the garden as well as the trimmed bushes which suggests there is life living around as well as in. The shot has warming colours through its colour correction which makes the house appear that more inviting. This establishing shot zooms into the house which suggests to the audience we are going to get an eye behind closed doors.
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At 0:38 the women walks outside of the house. The women is very smiley which suggests to the audience she is a very a happy lady. She is wearing a white dress which suggest innocence and being naïve and carefree. Her hair is neatly placed up in a bun which suggest she has her life together as she cares about her appearance. However, this perfect image is ruined when her husband drives away and her smiles she has been holding drops. Now that everything we have been shown as an audience is a lie. We have been fooled just like she fools other people into buying her perfect life.
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At 1:02 we see the girl sat by an empty swimming pool. The blue colour tone of the swimming pool illustrates the woman’s sadness and her loneliness. This is reinforced by the champagne glass in the women hand as she is drinking in the middle of the day on her own. The woman is positioned to be facing away from the camera this could be to show her shame on the situation and how she feels so negatively about it all. |
At 1:20 into the production we see a parallel edit shot of the character of the husband. The shot is very dimly lit which suggest to us that the husband may be a bad character. However, we don’t know why at this point. This also reinforced by the fact that the man is wearing a dark suit which has dark/evil connotation. This is in opposition to the woman’s outfit which is a white cute dress. The opposition of these character allows the audience to understand the dynamic between the two and we get a further insight into their personalities.
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At 1:23 we see a shot of the woman crying. The shot highly exposed with lots of light coming into the shot. This makes the shot appear happy. However, this is conflicted by the fact that the woman is crying. Her black mascara stands is dripping down her face, the fact that everything else around her is white and then there is black. This shows in this happy woman there is darkness. |
At 1:33 we see the man kissing another woman. The shot is
dark which suggest evil and dark themes. This is shown as a parallel edit
cutting back and forth from the girl crying over her husband and then him
cheating. Automatically, we feel empathy for this girl and feel really bad for
her. From this point we have decided our opinions on each character and we are
on the woman’s side.
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2:55 we see the woman in her car. She has tears streaming down her face. The black streaks over her face make her look messy, this is in contrast what she looked like previously in the beginning of the music video when she was really put together and gave the perfect image. We see that she is far from perfect. This is edited alongside the shots of her husband kissing another girl. This reinforces how bad is actions are affecting her emotionally. |
At 4:16 we see the man walking back to the house. As an audience we have anticipate this moment as the whole music video she has been suffering for her husband’s actions. The dark shot makes the production appear more sinister and eerie. However, when he gets the door you see the women back in her white clothes and makeup back to its perfect self. It’s as if nothing has happened and we have not developed at all, this illustrates the relentless of this relationship and really shows what they hide behind closed doors.
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Short film- Analysis One
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This is the short film ‘Hallucination’ and it’s about someone with the mental health disorder schizophrenia. Its about a girl who hallucinates that someone is following her every move. I have decided to analyse this video as its of the genre psychological drama and this is the genre in which I am doing for my short film. |
At 0:05 we see a pull focus of a bottle pills, automatically we understand that the genre is a psychological drama as there is medication involved. This is to do with mental health and the issues people are struggling with. From the very beginning the filmmaker want us to know about the medication as it will play a strong role in the entire of the production. |
At 0:17 we see a mid-shot of the girl walking down an empty street. The desertedness of the area makes the scene appear eerie and intense to those watching it. The warm colour within the shot suggest to the audience that this place should be a happy place. However, the positioning of another behind out main character gives the film a sinister vibe. To begin with the girl in the background isn’t in focus and is just a silhouette. This suggest to the audience negative connotations on this character and how they are up to something. This is reinforced by our main character shouting at her in distress. As an audience we know that the siohette girl shouldn’t be trusted.
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At 0:34 it cuts to the girl in psychiatrist room, she is discussing her problems as she narrates the events of her shouting at the girl. The fact that she is a psychiatrist room suggest to us that she isn’t stable and that something mentally is right with this girl and she need some form of help. The shots previous of the pills play back as we realise those pills were in fact her. The warm friendliness of the room suggests that this is a safe space, which contrasts with the emotion of her character. |
Short film- Analysis Two
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‘Images’ is a short film about a boy dealing with the death of his older brother. The film has a series of flashbacks showcasing previous moments within his life with his brother. It is highlighting the impact of his brother in his life and how he is dealing with it. However, the film suggests that the boy believes his brother to still be alive in some psychotic grief. |
The opening shot of the short film ‘Images’ at 0:01 shows a clean empty kitchen. The colours within kitchen are mainly grey which suggests to the audience that this place is boring and dull. It also has a lifeless feel, which is weird as the kitchen is an area families come together to have food and chat. Therefore from the beginning of the production we know this home isn’t a happy home and that something sad or bad has happened here in the past. The main character walks around the kitchen moping which also reinforces the lifeless idea. |
At 1:06 within the video we see the main character boy sat there eating his cereal. The act slowly zooms into his face as he grabs the able in panic. This sign of distress on the boy’s face makes the audience feel for him, we don’t know exactly what he is going through but we feel bad for him. The camera is pointed slightly above him which makes the boy appear smaller and vulnerable. The grey on the walls, on his t-shirt and the cereal balls suggest that this is a common theme. The place isn’t grey is mood is grey and lifeless.
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At 3:48 the boy sees a card and then it transitions into a flashback. Automatically, the flashback is lighter in colour and more saturated and there is more colour within the shot. Both characters are wearing brighter colours. This all shows to the audience that in the past was a happier time where things were good and nothing went wrong. From this the audience can identify because the past was happy something must of happened to lead to the misery which is the main character life and demur now. |
At 7:14 we see a long shot of our main character like his bed taking his medication. The room is very minimalistic with hardly any decoration added to it, this gives the room and impersonal touch and has a cold tense atmosphere. Due to the boy taking his pills within this location it puts a negative perception of the boy’s medication. Perhaps, the boy doesn’t want to take his medication and is views towards the situation are shown via the grey colour palette. The medication is taking away his personality and that everything that keeps him keep, they are taking away the memory of his brother.
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At 8:33 we see the sister of our main character discovering the box filled with the pills. These are the pills in which his sister has given to him for his medication. As she opens the box there is a voice over saying, ‘Maybe I want to hear and see things that aren’t really there’. This reinforces the point from before when the pills take away his personalities, the pills take away the things the main character wants to see and here. The blue tones within the shot reinforces the sadness in the shot.
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At 9:21 we see a shot of our main character playing in the garden on his own. The shot is coloured grey and it looks dark and miserable. This gives the shot a lonely and sad vibe as the boy is playing on his own. This is an outsider’s perspective on what is being shown. However, it cuts back and it shows the boy playing around with his brother in the garden. This is the boys perspective on the scene after not taking mediation. The lighting is brighter and the overall colour of the shot is brighter and happier as when as the characters acting seems more at rest. This shows to the audience that the boy is in his happy place thinking that his brother is still alive, however he only sees his brother due to not taking his medication. |
Short film-analysis three
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This is the short film titled ‘The Quiet Zone’ it is a psychological thriller about a women falling asleep on the train and having hallucinate dreams. These dreams include a fellow person on the train getting murder by creature with a claw. |
At 0:42 we see a short of our main character looking out of the train window. There is yellow earthy tone with the lighting which gives the production and eerie feel. This automatically tells the audience that something is up. We look at the main characters appearance, make up smudge around her eyes and her is a dishevelled form. This indicates to the audience that our main character has had a long hard day, also reinforced by her sleeping on a train. We learn a bit more information about our character and can get to know her better |
At 2:04 within the production we see the shot of the woman running under a train underpass. The lighting has a blue tone to it which makes the shots appear cold and threatening to the audience. The shot is a close up of her face which allows the audience to really see the fear on her face. We feel for her character as the audience we are being shown her perspective so feel everything that she does. The location of the cold empty tunnel has an eerie feel as a train station underpass would usually be filled with people. Yet, now its empty. All this helps to create suspense and tension within the scene.
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At 3:15 we see a shot of the ticket barrier saying ‘seek assistance’ the low level lighting gives the sign a sinister feel. We no longer read this as an innocent ticket barrier message, we start to question who is the assistance that will help the woman out. This could be a warning sign for the woman to get out and leave as the area is not safe. |
TELLING A STORY WITH NO DIALOGUE
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Key tips taken from this tutorial:
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THE BLACK HOLE
Discuss what you know about the situation from the colour tone
The colour is monotoned as there isn't much colour to the shot and the main colour being blue. This gives a coldness to the shot and makes it feel negative and saddened. This could reflect the characters mood and how he feels towards this working environment. It also makes the shot look bland and boring, thus reinforcing the point of his job being not happy environment and not a good place to work at. What do we know about the character from the setting? Discuss everything you see on screen. In the beginning shot we see the man stood at a photo copier and in the background their are computers lined up in rows and columns. This suggests to the audience that the environment we have entered is some form of office. The office in which the production is set in is poorly decorated with similar monotoned colours everywhere. The colour blue is seen within the object within the room. What does the way he is dressed tell us about him? The main character is wearing a white shirt and black trousers, this outfit is formal and business entire. This suggest to the audience that this is a man who has a serious job due to him wearing a formal outfits. The fact that his shirt sleeves are rolled up and his top button of his shirt is undone suggests that he has been at work for a while and was getting hot and uncomfortable so un did the shirt a bit. This could reflect this mood of him being done with work and not really caring about himself or the place anymore. We here the sound of the hole for the first time, what does it make you think of? The sound of the hole altogether appears to be very futuristic, there is a buzzing noise added to it which makes it sound like something from different world or nothing we are not used to. You can almost compare it to the sound of a light saber from Star Wars. You don't know at this point if the hole is a good or bad thing, it just exist momentarily. What does the sound represent? The sound is signal signposting. This means that the sound could represent something bad that is happening or will be coming or is a warning in a sense. This is foreshadowing what will later happen within the production. |
2.18 in - What do we feel about this situation
At this moment we start to see the man can use this new discovery to his advantage. It starts of with something simple, stealing a chocolate bar from a vending machine. Yet, it soon progresses to stealing money out of a safe and not even a little amount. Like grands of money at a time. I feel as if the man is getting too greedy for my liking. I think he will be hung by his greed and he deserves everything that his coming his way. Are we glad The man gets locked in the safe at the end of the production. I am glad to an extent as he shouldn’t have used this amazing power for his own greed and us usage. I think taking the chocolate bar was fine, but the money wasn’t called for. As an audience in a way we are glad he will get caught and get the repercussions of his actions. However, at the same time we feel guilty him being trapped within the safe as it isn’t very humane to be trapped within there. As an audience we are torn. What are your feelings towards the character? Why? He hasn't said anything I feel anger towards the character as he has just been greedy and selfish with this hole. Instead of using it for good he has used it for his own self. This choice made by the character is very key in showing what type of person he is. I do not like this characters behave and his greed. |
ALMA
What do you feel about the characters
The main character Alma, I feel bad for her and as audience we empathise for her. At the beginning of the production there is happy music playing as the girl is skipping through the snow. This suggests to the audience as a character Alma is happy, so for all her happiness to be taken away and for her to be made into a doll is heart wrenching. Also, we see her child like qualities through her skipping etc which as an audience makes us feel even worse about the situation. When she enters the shop and there are dolls trying to escape and the music crescendo’s louder, I feel panicked and due to the tension rising I know something is coming. Thus, meaning as an audience member I want Alma’s character to escape before something bad happens to her. What is your understanding of the narrative- discuss how you understand this (Music/foley/location) This production follows the Todorov’s equilibrium theory. Basically, there is an equilibrium and then something happens to cause a break within the equilibrium for example Alma find the doll that looks like her in the window. Then there is her actions after that, she goes into the store touches the doll and becomes the doll. And then a new equilibrium will have to start, a new doll which represents a new person will be created. Suggesting that this event of a child being stuck in a body of doll is a common theme. Also, all the name on the wall in which Alma wrote her name on represent all the people that are stuck in the dolls bodies as they must have come along and written their name on the wall. The location of the doll shop is haunting as all these creepy dolls are piled up on shelves, as an audience they give off a sinister vibe. Until, we discover that the dolls aren’t going out to hurt people they are just children stuck within dolls. This makes the story scaring and haunting afterwards. |
What season are we in?
At the beginning of the production of water or snow falling from the sky. You can tell this as there is a heavy pattering noise, mirroring snow falling onto the ground. Then you hear someone walking through the snow, the noise of them walking is padded and crunchy. This is exact noise snow makes as you stand on fresh snow in which hasn’t been touched. All these sound layers suggest to me that the season the production is set in is winter. What country are we in? Automatically in the beginning I can tell that this production is not set in England. The music overlaying the snow is of an accordion playing light happy tunes. This style of music could be titled folk music and typically heard in European countries such as France. This suggests to me that production is set in someplace like France. Is the character happy or sad? I can only analyse from the music I am hearing on screen rather than the visuals. Yet, the music appears happy, the instrument the accordion places lightly getting louder and quieter in patterns. This states to me that the film is having a happy opening and that everything is good in the world. Thus, meaning this music we hear is reflecting the emotion the character is feeling, happy. What is she doing? The girl is skipping down an empty alley way. The motion of her skipping illustrates to the audience that this girl is content with her life and ready to go about with anything. Also, the fact she is skipping highlights her childish mannerism and reinforces to the audience that this is a happy child. What do the foley sound tell us At 1:00 into the production the music cuts out as the girl notices the doll, which looks identical to her, in the window. There are slow padded foley sounds of the girl walking up to the window. This suggests to the audience that the girl is curious to see what the dolls is like. But it also builds tension by doing soon, we can only here the noise of the feet on the ground. As an audience at this point, we realise this short film might not be a children’s animation and it may be more sinister. Does the music change and how does it change the mood? At 1:00 into the production when the girl sees the doll that looks identical to her in the shop window. The folk music we heard at the beginning of the production stops all together, this is to show to the audience that the happy segment of the production is over, and the production turns sinister. There is no happy music playing and the use of silence is effective in building tension and making the production feel chilling. At 1:17 as the girl wipes the shop window there is noise matching the action of her movement, it follows the original folk music playing. But then cuts out. This makes the production appear jarring and awkward, which furthers the feeling of uncertainty and make the production the more sinister |
SAME LOVE
*WATCH WITHOUT SOUND*
HOW THE STORY IS TOLD THROUGH COLOUR
Contrast between pink and blue on the nurses’ uniform
The shots at the beginning and very desaturated meaning they haven’t got much colour within them. They are very blue toned to the audience because this is all going over the birth scene in the hospital which suggests the realness and hardship of giving birth. The filmmaker isn’t trying to romanticise giving birth and wants to show the stress it does to a woman’s your body. This blue tone gives the film a raw feel to it and shows that the filmmakers aren’t hiding anything from their audience. However, this is contrasted with the Nurse’s uniform which is a bright pink shade. This showcases that the nurse if loving and is the calm in the situation. The nurse is bringing life into the world which is bright and loving, this could be reflected in the clothing she is wearing. This illustrates to the audience that from the very beginning this child is loved. Colour at 1:05 The colour within the shots have a yellow faded look to them. This gives the production a retro and vintage vibe to it, which suggests to the audience that these shots are set in the past and not in the present. This could be showing to the audience what happened to this guy as a child to illustrate who he is a person. As an audience we get to go on a journey with his character. However, they are a lot brighter then the previous shots. This could link to what is being shown in the shots: children playing. This could suggest how everything was happy and friendly at this time. 1:32 At 1:32 within the production the bottle is spinning around the circle and it lands on our main character/protagonist. There is a slight shift in the colour and tone in these shots. From a further way shot you see the bottle moving however when it gets to the next shot it has been colour graded to be yellow in tone. This yellow warm tone could be a signposting of the emotions this character displays, like we have seen in prior shots. Or it could relate to this being a memory in the past, as the footage is faded. The last colour to fade with old footage is the colour yellow, so you can tell how old something is when you look at the colours and tones within the shot. 2:00 At 2:00 into the production we see the main character meeting another guy in the dark. The darkness is different from what we have seen previously, for example at 1:05 with the bright happy colours. This could suggest the character is going through a rough patch in their life and they are living their life in the shadows and secretively. They can’t fully tell the world who they are yet and must cover it in mystery. The darkness in the shot could also show that the main character isn’t happy with who they are yet and haven’t come to terms with it. |
2:57 (setting)
At 2:57 we see the main character introducing his boyfriend to his parents. The family all hold hands and say prays, followed by the mum doing a crucifix symbol on her chest. This is done to suggest that the main characters come from a religious family. Stereotypically, being religious they wouldn’t be for homosexuality with their family as they seen this as sin. This makes the scene awkward and have tension. The character cuts to each family member sat around the table, the characters have a far proximity from one another which suggests to the audience that they aren’t close or don’t want to be near each other. This adds to the tension. Each character in the close-up shots looks uncomfortable and like they don’t want to be there. All of this suggests to me that the parents aren’t for this couple’s relationship. Clothes Within the family meeting scene, where the main characters introduce his boyfriend to his parents. The dad’s clothes are very serious, he is wearing a dark sweater and shirt. The dark colours suggest that the dad is very serious guy and that due to wearing formal entire cares about how he looks in comparison to others. The mother is wearing similar clothes, with a shirt with a black blazer over the top and pearl necklace. Due to how formal there outfits are it suggests to me that they are a well of respected family and have old fashioned views. |
BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WORK
The camera work was very still and stationary. This meant that the camera was probably attached to a tripod and left there for the shot. Even though, this means you would get a still shot it doesn’t make the production look professional. They could have experimented with the camera moving on a dolly or some tracking shots. This could have made the production more visually pleasing for the audience watching it. Therefore, it would work as a better tool in telling a story.
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What could of been done to make the production better?- Discuss colour/setting/camera work?
Personally, for a production made by second years at university I don’t believe that this work is that amazing. It shows very little skills and follows a very basic narrative structure. However, saying that this production did match the brief the students were set. Brief: production three minutes (no more or less) and no dialogue. I think to improve the production and make it less predictable and more interesting for the audience to watch they could have gone with a non-linear narrative. The beginning, middle and end (linear) narrative structure this film has gone with makes it appear basic and not very engaging for the audience. They could start the production with the guy towel falling and show to the audience can everything in this guys day led to this moment. This would encourage the audience to want to watch the production more. Another thing they could change about the production is the colour the shots were graded with. As shots are very blue in toned and are quite dark, considering this short film is supposed to be mirroring a comedy the grading doesn’t work. Blue and black makes the film appear cold and sad, as if the film is supposed to be about serious issues rather then somebody been locked out half naked and late for a date. Instead of this the editors could have made the shots brighter and warmer in tone, they could of added brighter object within the scene, for example bright flowers. These little nuances would tell the audience that this film is light hearted and fun. |
TODOROV'S THEORY AND NARRATIVE
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This is Todorov's narrative theory. This is based on the different stages which happen in any film linear or non-linear. You have an equilibrium where there is balanced restored in the world, everything is good, and then something disrupts this equilibrium. This could be some form of problem which changes the main characters life. Then the main character will have to recognise the issue and that their life has changed for the worse due to this disruption within the narrative. Then the character will have to repair and fix the situation. This will then create a new equilibrium, it doesn't need to be a positive outcome of the situation more something needs to change or the main character comes to terms with the situation. This narrative theory can apply to any film as there are challenges in the films in which the characters have to overcome and balance needs to be restored. I will definitely use this structure in my own films as a framework to how I should base my films. |
SHORT FILM- EXAMPLE ONE
My example of a short film which relates to the genre of my short film. Action, psychological thriller.
Non-linear Narrative Structure
The 1992 Quentin Tarantino film ‘Reservoir Dogs’ is very famous for its use of non-linear narrative. The film plot line is about a group of men who have organised a diamond heist. The heist fails and the film shows the before and after the heist as well as showing what is happening during the heist. It never actually shows the heist of stealing the diamonds. The nonlinear narrative shows how individual characters ended up working for this project and how it all went wrong. In the beginning of the film all the characters are having a conversation around a table in a café. The next scene is of a man screaming in the car from being shot. From this point onwards this film goes to the past to the future. We then go back to the present where the other thieves are deciding what to do about the injured man. When this whole dilemma is going on, we see flashbacks about how the heist began and how each individual person got involved and how everything went wrong. As the film develops, we discover that the injured man is a police officer and that’s why the heist went wrong. The audience have many questions and only find information out when the filmmaker wants them too. This technique worked well with the radical beginning which kept the audience attention, it also allows the story to develop in a creative way. |
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1) Equilibrium
A bunch of criminals/men in a gang decide to plan a diamond robbery. The person in charge of this plan has done many missions beforehand and they are very experience, meaning this is a very normal thing for this group to do. They have a meeting discussing the logistics of the robbery and how they will go about doing it. At this point there is balance in the world and everything is right.
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2) Disruption to the equilibrium
The disruption with the narrative occurs when the heist goes wrong. We see this from a series of flashbacks from different viewpoints of the characters. The fact they have successes in the mission means that everything set afterwards falls out of place. For example, they don't know who is dead or alive and they all have to go into hiding to stop themselves being caught by the police.
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3) Recognition of the disruption
In this section in the film the characters realise the drama in which has un folded, they know that the police are looking for them and the characters vaguely know who's dead or who isn't. This is through the different perspectives the film shows and we see what happened to each person as the heist was going on. The characters recognise the bad that is happening in the situation and start pointing the figure to who is the rat in the group. They understand the heist wouldn't go wrong if there wasn't a rat in the group so they make it their mission to discover who this person is.
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5) New equilibrium
At the end of 'Reservoir Dogs' a new equilibrium is formed. This is due to all the main characters shooting each other and then one of them escaping and the police turning up. Even though we are left on a cliff hanger and we don't know who has died or not. Balance is restored in the world and our characters will be experiencing something new. Mr Pink escaped which is also key as he managed to get way o his new equilibrium will be starting his life up again.
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SHORT FILM- EXAMPLE TWO
A short film which relates to the genre within my music video. The genre is love and comedy. I thought by analysing 'Mean Girls' it would allow me to understand the narrative structure and if it follows Todorov's theory of equilibrium I could see how its done this successfully. The film is light hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. I want to follow this through into my own film.
Linear Narrative Structure
The film 'Mean Girls' has a linear narrative structure. This is because the film follows in an chronological order and doesn't tell the story in a more complex narrative way for example 'Fight Club'. This is probably due to it being a comedy and being light hearted as the filmmakers don't want to refrain from telling the audience information. As this would probably take away from the comedy aspect of the movie. Due to the narrative structure being quite simple this means that 'Mean Girls' can be watched for any given age range, even though there are some age ranges that prefer watching it more then other. The use of narrative for example Todorov's narrative theory really helps in making the film a success as there is a clear beginning, middle and end. |
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The equilibrium
The equilibrium is about how everything is good within the world at this given moment. The main characters life is normal and there is balance within it. For this example, Cady has just joined a new high school after living in South Africa, the new friends she has made are great and they have really taken her under their wings to show Cady the roots of the school. At this moment in the film everything is going fine, this is the equilibrium.
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Disruption of the equilibrium
Within ‘Mean Girls’ there are few areas in which you could say where the disruption occurs. However, the root of the problem is when Cady’s character first meets/introduced to ‘The Plastics’ which is the most popular group in the school. Before this point Cady was fine hanging out with Janice and Damon. Yet, when a better offer comes around Cady takes it. This disruption will in fact be her down fall. By messing around in the wrong crowd of people it will change her as a person are, she is left astray from what she is actually like and turns into somebody. This disruption is key for the narrative.
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Another disruption to the equilibrium
Another disruption happens within the film as Cady’s entire behaviour changes into a jealous, in love with herself and self-centred girl. We see this at it becomes her life mission to take down Regina George and, in a way, over throne her. This isn’t the Cady we saw at the beginning of the film who was all sweet and innocent. As an audience we cannot relate to her character anymore as nothing about Cady is what she was like before she met ‘The Plastics’.
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Recognition of disruption
The recognition of the disruption is a crucial element within the film where the character realises or comes to their senses on what they have become or done. This doesn’t necessarily mean they do anything about it yet. They just know that as a person they have messed up or need to change something. In this scene within ‘Mean Girls’ Janice has an argument with Cady essentially telling Cady that she has become what she hated and use to make fun of. When Cady is left after the argument she is left with a picture of her Janice and Damon. Indicating she is looking back on what she used to have and the life she has left/sacrificed from her popularity. This is a changing point for her character.
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An attempt to repair the damage
In this section of Todorov’s narrative theory the main character will try and resolve or come to terms with the issues created within the film. This could be by being the bigger person and resolving relationships and friendships. This scene from ‘Mean Girls’ captures this idea perfectly. Cady wins the crown for their formal and her speech she gives out his her resolving all the issues that she created within the film. She tells everyone she is sorry for what she has done and want everything to be left in the past. To prove this she breaks her plastic crown and shares it out to everyone in hopes that will be putting everything behind them.
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New equilibrium
The new equilibrium is after everything has been solved within the films or the characters have come to terms with the situation and have moved on from it. The new equilibrium will form to show a continuation of these characters lives. For example, in ‘Mean Girls’ the ‘Plastics’ break up and then group all do their own things for example Regina starts to play sport. However, we see at the end junior plastics, who are younger versions of the original characters. This shows to the audience that this whole situation will repeat itself as there is an identical group to them. The film goes full circle, however this ending works at a new equilibrium.
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Do you feel that Todorov's structure works with your production? If not, why? Is your proposed idea structured enough?
I think Todorov’s narrative theory work well with my music video. I think this because my music video has an equilibrium of two people who don’t like their jobs or enjoy where their lives are going to. They have too many bills to pay as they owe a lot of money to some very rich important people. The disruption is my character deciding to live a life of crime and break into stores and steal cars for money. This disruption is different to the characters normal life and disrupts the pattern they live in. Then they will come to terms with the bad things they have done as they are sent to prison, in which they will start their own new equilibrium. This music video uses the bases of Todorov’s theory to give the music video structure and make it realistic/enjoyable for the audience watching it. |
CHARACTER STUDIES
PROPP'S THEORY
Vladimir Propp's created Propp's theory after discovering recurring ideas that the same characters were shown in all forms of media. Vladimir Propp’s was folklorist researcher and he was interested about relationships with character and narrative. Propp’s believed that the narrative was driven, and decisions were made from different characters. He said that different characters would be classified into different roles in helping the progression of the storyline. Here are the characters:
-The villain
- The donor
- The helper
- The princess
- The false hero
- The dispatcher
- The hero
- Princess Father
Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 .
-The villain
- The donor
- The helper
- The princess
- The false hero
- The dispatcher
- The hero
- Princess Father
Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 .
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR MY PRODUCTION?
By understanding Propp’s theory I was able to acknowledge with films without dialogue it is very important for the audience to understand the narrative and characters as this will make the production more engaging for the audience. If I have these typical characters that everyone can recognise then it will make my film more understandable when watching. Due to there being eight types of characters I have plenty of room to experiment with the characters I want but just keep them in this character bracket. Also, my looking into this it will give me an idea on who to cast for my production when I am making. I need to find people who fit the roles perfectly in the sense of the looks and how they would act on screen. As this would make the message more realistic and people will be able to understand the storyline much easier. |
CHARACTER PROFILE
The Villain
- They are the antagonist of the story - They contrast the hero and are usually oppose them - They are typically morally bad - They highlight the good of the protagonist - They may get in the way of hero achieving what they want to - Morally bad and scary Examples may include: The Joker, Norman Bate, Hannibal Lecter, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Michael Myers. Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
The Donor
- The Donor is a character who gives the main character an object to empower them - Or that object could be used to complete the quest that the hero is on - The role can be combined with the helped - They can guide the hero to complete the mission and empower them to keep going Examples of this role: Severus Snape, Bilbo Baggins, Obi-wan and Mr Ollivander Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
The Helper
- The Helper supports the hero throughout their quest - They may be present throughout the entire story - However, might be present only at key moment when character desperately needs them Examples: Donkey from Shrek, Robin for Batman and Bilbo Baggins Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
The Princess
- The Princess is the ‘reward’ for the hero - The Princess may also me wooed by the false hero - They may be shown very little within the story, at the end - Integral character who accompanies the hero on their mission and the heroes action allow them to fall in love - The Princess may be the thing that hero is trying to rescue from the Villain - Petite and needs rescuing Examples of this: Fiona in Shrek, Princess Leia and Princess Jasmine Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
The False Hero
- Appears to act heroic - May even initially be mistaken as the hero - May first appear good but they are evil - Steal the Heroes thunder and grab all the credit - They may try and steal the Princess away from the Hero Example of this: Hans from Frozen, John Connor in the Terminator and Draco Malfoy Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
The Dispatcher
- The Dispatcher sends the hero on their quest - They could be like some form of mentor or just want the hero to complete something - Sometimes the Dispatcher is the Princess’ father - The quest could be to gain the Princess’ hand Examples: Yoda, Lord Farquaad and Gandalf the Wise Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
The Hero
- They are often the protagonist - They are the main character the audience associate most with - The story is told from their perspective - As well as their ‘Hero’ status they might take on the role of the victim or seeker - They are leader and want to fight for goof - Have a love interest ‘The Princess’ Examples: Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, James Bond and Robin Hood Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
Princess’ Father
- Princess’ Father is a key character for the hero to persuade - Princess’ Father is always protective of their daughter - He may dispatch the Hero on the mission - Father may be competitive with the Hero for the Princess’ affection causing a triangle - He may be villainous and lock his daughter away and the hero has to go and save her Example of this: Harry Stamper (Armageddon), King Triton (Little Mermaid), James Houseman (Dirty Dancing), Jack Byrnes (Meet the Parents) Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Narrative Techniques . Available: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1. Last accessed 28th November 2018 . |
CASTING CHARACTERS
For this week’s lesson on Wednesday as a class we had to research into different character stereotypes to understand who we should cast when making out short films and music video. To do this task there were plot lines of films written out with character descriptions of each part. We had to allocate an individual role from the class and see it fitted. For example, we would need a popular girl and then as a class we would decide who fit the role. This exercise was to show to us how to cast well for our films not just our friends who are easy and accessible.
For the first 'film' we had to cast, the film was a horror. The film followed the basic story of any horror film for example the villain has taken the princess away and the hero and helper will work together in order to save the princess. We casted it on looks and personality traits that these members of the class possess.
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CAST TWO- CHIC FLICK
For the second 'film' as a class we were voted on who would fit the ideal characters within a chic flick movie. Stereotypically, this would be a love story about a girl who loves a guy. Yet that jock guy (the love interest) isn't a nice person so she ends up with the boy who isn't noticed by the girls. There are extra characters for example the best friend of the main character (Popular Girl) and a character that is bullied but in the end turn out to be popular.
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HOW MUSIC IS USED
HOW TO BUILD TENSION ANALYSE
EXAMPLE ONE
How has music been used in this scene?
The music is no existent in this sequence within the film. This silence helps to build the tension as the audience we listen to everything noise that the Villain makes. The fact that the man takes of his shoes and is creeping around reinforces this point of trying to be quiet, so it would make sense to have no music. As an audience we are taken on this journey as well. What kind of atmosphere does it create? This creates an intense atmosphere as the audience every noise that is created is heightened. This gives a sinister feel to the sequence as we are waiting for this man to get caught before even shooting them. It also makes the atmosphere more real, we realise that this could be a real life situation as the film is showing what the scene would be like without added music. Because of the realness we feel the tension is palpable when watching. What does this tell you about the character? The music tells us that this character is sneaky as he is desperately going out of his way to be quiet, reinforced through the non-existent sound track. This could suggest that as a character he is a professional and knows what he is doing and he stays calm with the element of surprise on this hands. |
How does the lack of music help put the audience into the scene? What happens visually that is mimicked through the lack of music?
The lack of music allows the audience to get an insight into the main characters mind. We can see what the character is doing step by step in the process of killing these men. The fact that there isn’t any music heightens our senses, so we can hear everything else in the scene. For example, when he creeps down the corridor without any shoes on, we hear every sound. This reflects to what this character will be thinking as every noise count when you want the element of surprise on your side. Visually, we see the men being shot graphically and the man filling up his gun. The fact there isn’t music makes the scene more realistic and rawer. Thus, meaning it has a greater and more horrifying impact on the audience. |
How has the music been used differently between the two clips?
In comparison to the previous clip I analysed from ‘No Country, for Old Men’ this James Bond ‘Spectre’ scene was very dramatic and intense. This was because the James Bond film used a dramatic sound track to dramatize the scene. Whereas, ‘No Country, for Old Men’ stylistically used no music to make the sequence more real and for it to build more tension. Both were effective in the way the final product turned out as they achieved what they needed to do. I like how in ‘No Country, for Old Men’ we got to get into the head of the villain using music. Where as in ‘Spectre’ we rooted for James survival in the fight scene. |
EXAMPLE TWO
How does the music develop in the scene?
In the beginning the music isn’t very intense, its quiet in the background. This is to show that the fight between James Bond and the villain is a fair game. Anyone can win the fight. Then at 1:40 the sound track intensifies making the fight more dramatic and fuller of power, this is to show that James has no longer got the upper hand in the fight and is actually losing. Then at 2:02 when the love interest comes in and shoots the villain the pace of the music builds up to very fast. The violins in the soundtrack are playing quickly and full of drama. This makes the end section of the fight the most dramatic of this entire section. Why do you feel the music change at 1:36? The music at 1:36 intensifies as it because louder and more prominent within the scene. The music changes to highlight the change that is happening on screen as this will help to reinforce the point. The change is that James Bond begins to lose the upper hand against the Villain thus meaning he is losing the battle. As an audience we are rooting for James Bond to win, so in order to give this moment more meaning and intensity the music is made louder. Why does the music cut out at 2:46? The music cuts out at 2:46 as the Villain is thrown of the train tied to barrels. The cut of the music could indicate that the fight and drama is over, and that James Bond won the battle. However, it could also represent the end of the life of the Villain, as the cut of the music could mean the cut of their life. Either way, it shows the fight is finished and that James Bond is safe for the meantime. |
OPPOSITE EMOTIONS
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What feeling is created through the choice of music in this clip?
The music used within this scene is very upbeat and cheery. Which completely opposes what we are seeing on screen. The murder conflicts with the music within the scene. However, it makes us as an audience have a chance to experience the life within the killer’s head. We understand that he is psychopath as a normal humane person would not kill another that calmly or that thought out. You just don’t see this normally within TV and film. This makes this character appear more sinister and frightening to the audience, not the actual murder aspect but the actual thought process behind it all. Why do you think they opted for this song? I think they chose this song as it was so different from what’s happening within the scene. The juxtaposition between the murder and the cheery song makes this scene more worrying and scarier for the audience watching it. We get to experience what life is like behind the eyes of the murderer and what he is thinking of. This song choice allows the audience to understand the murderer’s character further and really get to grips with who they are as a person. This moment really helped in developing the characters and narrative within the film ‘American Psycho’. |
EXAMPLE OF MUSIC USED IN MY GENRE
For this task I had to analyse the music used within short films for my specific genre. However, due to me doing a short film and a music video I can only analyse the music used within my short film’s genre as for my music video the artists music will be covering up any added sound track. I must analyse what’s typically expected in a stereotypical psychological thriller, music wise, in building tension and meaning.
Psychological Drama
‘Insomnia’ music used within a scene
The film ‘Insomnia’ is a psychological thriller film, which is exactly the genre of film I want to produce for my production. I thought by analyse the scene and breaking the music down into sections I could get an idea on the way the music and sound is used within a production to make it effective and create meaning. In the beginning of the sequence at 0:05 we hear a tense sound score crescendo louder as the man looks through pictures, this suggests to the importance of the man shown within the picture and illustrates the personal vendetta our main character has against him. This tense building of music is cut short at 0:26 when we hear a dog bark and then the music cuts out. This breaks the tension momentarily; however, we start to think of the significance of the cut of the music and how our main character is on high alert. The anticipation of waiting for something to happen is palpable. At 0:45 within the sequence our main character and the person he is trying to find see each other, at this moment we hear a minor key playing very quietly. This gives the scene tension as a minor key suggests to the audience that something bad is going to happen or happen as it doesn’t have a very happy sound or feel to it. When our main character begins to chase the villain, we hear the light sound of cymbal being hit, this sound matches the action of the character as his running is fitted perfectly to the music. This illustrates the pace and passion this character is going to find the villain. At 1:37 the music intensifies when we see the wooden logs in the river and the villain jump over to them to escape, the music sounds like a warrior ship or the music used before a battle. This is to indicate that our character is going to battle emotionally and physically and that they aren’t going to stop at nothing to get to the guy he is chasing.
However, this is all cut short at 2:16 where the music is drowned out when the main character falls into the water. The drowned-out noise of the music indicates his character is under water and is slowing dying. At 2:33 you begin to hear a high pitch noise, like a siren under water, this minor key noise is used to illustrate that our main character is running out of air. Thus, building more tension within the scene. Finally, at 2:58 the high pitch sound effect stops as the main character pulls himself out the water, this reinforces he is dying anymore or drowning and is back to the world of living.
This whole sequence used sound to reinforce important points with the film which allowed the audience to really understand the journey this character is going through. The music doesn’t stay constant throughout, it changes and gets quieter and louder. This makes the sequence more interesting and make it really feel like an emotional rollercoaster.
The film ‘Insomnia’ is a psychological thriller film, which is exactly the genre of film I want to produce for my production. I thought by analyse the scene and breaking the music down into sections I could get an idea on the way the music and sound is used within a production to make it effective and create meaning. In the beginning of the sequence at 0:05 we hear a tense sound score crescendo louder as the man looks through pictures, this suggests to the importance of the man shown within the picture and illustrates the personal vendetta our main character has against him. This tense building of music is cut short at 0:26 when we hear a dog bark and then the music cuts out. This breaks the tension momentarily; however, we start to think of the significance of the cut of the music and how our main character is on high alert. The anticipation of waiting for something to happen is palpable. At 0:45 within the sequence our main character and the person he is trying to find see each other, at this moment we hear a minor key playing very quietly. This gives the scene tension as a minor key suggests to the audience that something bad is going to happen or happen as it doesn’t have a very happy sound or feel to it. When our main character begins to chase the villain, we hear the light sound of cymbal being hit, this sound matches the action of the character as his running is fitted perfectly to the music. This illustrates the pace and passion this character is going to find the villain. At 1:37 the music intensifies when we see the wooden logs in the river and the villain jump over to them to escape, the music sounds like a warrior ship or the music used before a battle. This is to indicate that our character is going to battle emotionally and physically and that they aren’t going to stop at nothing to get to the guy he is chasing.
However, this is all cut short at 2:16 where the music is drowned out when the main character falls into the water. The drowned-out noise of the music indicates his character is under water and is slowing dying. At 2:33 you begin to hear a high pitch noise, like a siren under water, this minor key noise is used to illustrate that our main character is running out of air. Thus, building more tension within the scene. Finally, at 2:58 the high pitch sound effect stops as the main character pulls himself out the water, this reinforces he is dying anymore or drowning and is back to the world of living.
This whole sequence used sound to reinforce important points with the film which allowed the audience to really understand the journey this character is going through. The music doesn’t stay constant throughout, it changes and gets quieter and louder. This makes the sequence more interesting and make it really feel like an emotional rollercoaster.
Christmas Market Sound Score
Editing Process
LOCATIONS
Typical Locations for Comedy Films
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This is a map I created on google maps which indicates in detail where all my filming location could potentially be for both my short film and music video in which I am making this unit. I created this map to indicate that I don’t need to go far in order to get good locations, for example I don’t need to go to London to get the ‘city’ vibe in my work. As Reading could work just as well and it closer, less busy and more accessible for me to travel around. I created this map so that you can follow the link and directly find the routes to take from where you are to get to these locations. Overall, I think this was a good idea to make and will really help when deciding where to film when doing my pre-production in the following weeks.
As you can see from the map most of my filming locations will be in Reading, Pangbourne and Basildon. I picked these locations as they are easy for me and my actors to get to but there are places within these areas which really work well with my production and my idea
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COLOUR
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The specialism in which is responsible for the look of this film is editing. This is because ‘I’ll fly away’ was supposed to be set in South America during the Great Depression. However, when they went to shoot in the south there had been months of rain. This resulted in the grass being very green and vibrant. Which wasn’t the look they were wanted for the film as it looked like where they were filming wasn’t in the south. To get around this problem when they edited the film, they colour graded the footage to be warmer in tone and have a vintage look to it. This made everything seem less saturated. Thus, meaning the location worked perfectly after post-production. I could colour grade my footage once I have it for it to tell the audience something about the characters or the location. I think by doing this I will get the exact look I want to achieve from my productio
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The specialism in which I think was the most important for this scene in ‘Titanic’ was the lighting. The light in the shots is very blue in tone, and it casted on the characters faces from the direction of the iceberg. This is done to set the mood and tone of the production, for example it makes the area appear cold and sad/calming. It could be used to suggest something bad is going to happen, the iceberg hitting the ship. To achieve this look, they directed a light source with a blue gel over the top at the actors, hitting on the right side of the face their face. I think this gives a very tense look to the production. I could use the light in my own production to set a mood, for example I could be red gels over the light to indicate rage. Or I could position the light to hit certain angles of the characters faces to indicate something about them. For example, the light could be located behind the character to create a silhouette or indicate sinister ideas about this said character.
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For the film ‘The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and His Lover’ the specialism responsible for the success of this scene is the mise en scene. More importantly using props and costumes. The colour red is reinforced in the props and clothes, which suggest themes of greed, passion and anger. From this we know what the filmmaker is trying to tell us about the characters within the room and how they feel towards one and other. They have created this look by the costume team giving the characters specific clothes to wear of this colour and adding props which are red in colour. I could use this technique within my productions, I could use colour in location, costumes and props to set a mood and tone for the scene
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EXPERIMENTING WITH WHITE BALANCE
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I had to experiment with the different white balance features on my Canon 750D. By changing the white balance on the camera, you can adjust how the shot turns out. For example, by having the white balance setting on ‘Auto’ the shot will use all the colours that are within the shot. Whereas, if you are using the setting ‘Tungsten Light’ the shot will have a blue tone to it. This is an important tip to know about when you are making films as if you shoot the shot correctly with the right colour to begin with you won’t need to colour grade it later. Also, it will make the exported video to a higher quality as every time you colour correct the shot it is stripping data from the shot, thus lowering the quality of it. Basically, by using the white balance when shooting it will make the project easier to edit and overall better quality.
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UNMODIFIED AND MODIFIED CLIPS
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Auto before and after
The before and after of the auto setting once I colour corrected the shot. To begin with, the unmodified shot, was very yellow in tone. This was because the camera was taking in the basic colours that were presented with the shot. However, for me this gave the shot a very vintage and warm look in which I didn’t really like. To make this better I used the white balance tool on premier pro. This is where you select an area you know for defiant is white, black or grey. And by selecting it you are telling premier pro that it is that said colour. Then the software corrects it for you, by changing the colouring to what it should look like. This made the shot less yellow in tone and colder. I then turned the temperature down on the shot a bit to give it a less saturated colder shot. I think this subtle change really will affect the mood and feel of the shot.
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Daylight before and after
For the white balance on this shot it was set to daylight. This is generally used when shooting outside when its very bright. This meant by shooting on ‘daylight’ it made the shot very bright and vivid. In order to colour correct this I used the white balance tool on premier pro. This is used to show to the software what in the shot is white, therefore it can match the colour in the shot with it. I did this to modify the shot and then turned the temperature of the shot up to make it looks a tad warmer. As before it appears quite too cold to look natural within the shot. I then wanted to reinforce this a bit more, so I turned up the saturation a tiny bit to allow more colour into the shot. The change in the shots are very subtle, however they work well.
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Shade before and after
For the white balance on this shot it was set to shade. This setting is generally used when you are filming outside in a bright area, but you are under the shade, it basically readjusts everything for you. The shot in the beginning is very warm toned, this is because you can see the colours yellow, brown and orange within it. However, this gave the shot a very vintage and faded look which I didn’t really like. To modify the shot, I turned the temperature of the shot down, this would help in getting rid of the intensity of warm tones with the shot and make it appear more natural and realistic. Then I went into the creative tab within the colour correcting section of premier pro. I turned the vibrancy of the shot up a bit, just to make it stand out a bit and look more bold on screen.
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Cloudy before and after
The white balance setting cloudy is the setting in which the camera should be already set on when it comes straight from the box. It’s also the setting most of the time you will film on as it works for majority of locations. The shot originally has a slight tint to it, warmer yellow colour added to it. This does look nice, but for me personally I prefer a more neutral shot of showing what everything would look like in real life. To change this, I turned the temperature of the shot down to make it cooler in tone rather then warmer. Then because the shot was very bright, I turned down the brightness and intensified the image. I used both the basic colour correct tab as well as the creative, which is more advanced version, in order to achieve the overall look
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Tungsten light before and after
Tungsten light is the camera setting in which makes the videos/pictures very blue in tone, this is because it is used when the area you are filming is very yellow. By having this it will hopefully balance out the yellow tone and the blue tone in creating a neutral one. However, when I filmed using this setting it made my shot extremely blue in tone. I liked the blue within the shot, however not to this intensity. In order to sort this out I colour corrected it. I used the basic colour correcting settings and used the white balance tool on an area I knew in which was white. This made the shot neutral and a tad warmer/yellower in tone. Then I decided to turn the temperature of the shot down a bit more just to add that tint of blue within the shot.
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White fluorescent light before and after
White fluorescent light is the camera setting in which makes the videos/pictures blue in tone, this is because it is used when the area you are filming is very yellow. By having this it will hopefully balance out the yellow tone and the blue tone in creating a neutral one. However, when I filmed using this setting it made my shot extremely blue in tone. I liked the blue within the shot, however not to this intensity. In order to sort this out I colour corrected it. I used the basic colour correcting settings and used the white balance tool on an area I knew in which was white. This made the shot neutral and a tad warmer/yellower in tone. Then I decided to turn the temperature of the shot down a bit more just to add that tint of blue within the shot.
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