My Final Film

Destination Death from Mark Packer on Vimeo.

Preliminary Task

This is the preliminary task that we did before we started filming our film. You can see how we have improved our filming as we started as amateurs and then we were taught the best shots and techniques to make a good film. In this you can see the improvement we did on our shots and the position of the actor on camera.


preliminarly film 1 from Mark Packer on Vimeo.

Audience Feedback

We got feedback from a professional film maker because he would be able to tell us how to improve it and tell us what he thinks is good about it. He watched our film through and then he filled out a sheet.

This is the feedback we got from a professional film maker. He gave us some things to work on and also said what was good about our film. We took his advice and tried to use it in our film so that it would be as good as it possibly could. He sad we needed to cut down on our bedroom scene as it was over 1 minute long so we cut that down so that our film wasnt too boring. He said that the font style of the writing didnt suit the genre of film so we changed it to a more suitable font for our genre. Our sound wasnt very good in our film so we tried to edit it so it sounded better and we made it so it wasnt crackling anymore but you could still hear the rugby match in the background.

This is some feedback that Claire Packer gave us on our film after watching it.

Film feedback 1 from Mark Packer on Vimeo.

Evaluation - 6 and 7. What have you learnt about the technologies from making this product? Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt in progression from it to your final product?

Cameras:
 I have learnt about the way you have to film, for example, if you are doing a pan, you have to start filming further out and then record a few seconds before so that you can cut it and it looks more steady.
 I have learnt about camera shot. I have learnt that the camera angle can effect the way the audience interpret  the character. For example, a high angle would make the character seem weak and vulnerable.
 I have also learnt that lighting is very important when filming a shot. We found quite a few times that one shot was darker than the other and that you have to adjust it slightly a few times until it looks right.
 I also learnt that its good to film the same shot several times from different angles so then when you edit it together you can see what shot would look best.

Editing:
 I found when editing that it is very hard and time consuming to do match on actions but when you have cut it in together, it looks amazing.
 I have also learnt to cut shots and then put them together with other shots.
 I have learned that when you are putting shots together, you have to cut every 3/4 seconds or it will become boring for the audience.

Other skills:
 The sound I learnt to use were how to do a voice over for a film and how to put music onto the film a swell.
 Special effects I used were how to darken and brighten the screen if I hadn't got the right lighting when I filmed it.
 When i was adding titles, I found out that you cant choose any title, certain titles go with certain genres and suit your film specifically.

In my final piece, you can see how we have improved with match on actions. In both Sam reaches for the door handle and it looks a lot smoother in the final film.

 

 Also we use the camera height and where the character is meant to be on the screen. For example in my preliminary task Sam's eyes aren't a 3rd of the way down the screen but in out final film we picked up on it and made sure it was good in every shot.

 

We also learnt our lesson about reflections, in our preliminary task you can see us filming in the reflection of the door, but we learnt from it and in the final film we filmed Sam looking in the mirror and we made it so you couldn't see our reflections.

 

I don't think our time management has improved at all. We rushed the preliminary task because we didn't have much time and our filming was late and we couldn't get some shots because we were pushed for time. Our organisation skills were maybe better because in the preliminary task we were just telling each other what to do but in our final piece we wrote out a whole story board and scripts so that everybody knew what they were doing. I don't think that we had great team ability as we each had different pieces of the film but we would never have all the things we needed and we lacked communication. I think independently both my partner and I both did a lot better as we worked a lot harder by ourselves and could concentrate instead of putting each other off. I think our final piece is effective because it has a clear story line and it fits all the regulations in the genre. However its not as effective because we missed out some shots that we couldn't film and also the sound wasnt great as we used a HD camera and then a normal camera so the quality was different and the sounding didn't match and was very crackly. We tried to fix it with a voice over but I believe it would have been a lot more effective if we had put in more effort into the sound instead of just getting the perfect shot.

Evaluation - 4 and 5. Who would be the audience of your product? What elements of your text would attract your target audience?

The target for my audience for my film would be teenagers and young adults. I think around 15-19.

 I think this because i rated it 15 because i think the blood and mild horror will appeal to a young audience this age, so 15 year olds will watch it. And i've made it up to 19 because I think that teenagers/young adults will enjoy this kind of films. Also the characters are 16/17/18 so the target audience can form a connection with them and imagine as if they are in the film themselves like a form of escapism. I think the gender would mainly be male because stereotypically males like horror and blood and gore more than females. The social class I think it will be the working class because our target audience will most likely still be in education meaning that they can get out to the cinema because they aren't always working.

I think that my film would attract my target audience because it has the fast paced opening sequence which keeps the audience guessing what's happening. The characters are also the same age as the target audience so the audience may form some sort of attachment to them and they can picture them being in the film which is a form of escapism. I think the style of the characters may also attract the target audience as the dress typically to the mainstream fashion so we would get a large audience that would be attracted to it because there is such a large amount of people who dress and act like this. The music that is played in it is of a very famous band and that might attract some of the target audience as that type of music is commonly played in the type of age group, which happened with Transformers when Linkin Park played a song for them. I think the blood and gore would attract male audiences because they are stereotypically enetertained by death and lots of blood. I think it will also appeal to a male audience because in my film the female character is very attractive and this would appeal to them. I think it would also appeal to a female audience because they could look up to her as a role model as she is in a film and very beautiful.

Evaluation - 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

In the 'real world' I think that Dimension films would produce and distribute my film. They are a big film making institution which would mean that it would get recognized better by people. Also because they usually make slasher horror films which are very successful.

Some of them are the Scream films (1-4), they are very well known slasher horrors and are the main films associated with the genre.

My film is very similar to these films and some of our ideas were influenced by it so I think that the institution producing this film, Dimension Films, would produce ours.


I think my film has kept within the regulations and this is why:

Evaluation - 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My film shows only teenage characters. It represents them all in different way.

Alex:
It shows Alex in both positive and negative ways. It shows him in a positive light as he is well dressed, he isn't wearing dirty clothes, he has a nice hair cut and is quite handsome. However he is portrayed negatively as he gets involved in an illegal activity, he smokes illegal drugs. We tried to make it so there was a high angle camera shot on him in one shot, so it was looking down on him, but it was difficult due to the location so you cant really tell. He is then killed, quite easily, which doesn't show him as being strong or fighting back which could be seen as a negative representation but it wasn't intended that way. But he is also in charge which then could also be positive representation.

Sam:
Sam is also shown in positive and negative views. For example, he is seen positively as he confidently dressed and seems quite confident and he has friends. However, he also got easily peer pressured into smoking illegal drugs which is a negative representation. Its negative because he seems weak and also it shows that teenagers are rebellious and break the laws. Another negative representation is that he leaves his friend, Alex, to die and runs away when the killer shows up, this is negative because it may be interpreted that teenagers are cowards and run away from situations. Also he has a vision of what happens, which could be seen as him being insane or crazy but it could also be seen as him having a gift in some cultures.

Eleanor:
Eleanor is a female teenager and she is represented in a positive way because she is a very beautiful girl and she has rather expensive clothing on. However, she could also be represented as a sex object as she has a low cut top. Another negative representation is that she doesn't go off with the boys she goes off by herself meaning she may not be a major friend and the males dominate. But this could also be seen as positive because it means that she doesn't go and do illegal drugs.

Mark:
I was the killer and I was shown negatively, he is presented as a murderer with some sort of mental illness that makes him want to murder people. He is shown in a skull mask and wears only black, this is negative because he is seen as scary. Also he is male which shows male dominance.

Evaluation - 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the conventions of real media pruducts?

I have kept mostly to the rules and conventions of a slasher horror. For example, I have kept the usual opening scequence storyline. A teenager in a secluded area, in mine they are in the woods. Usually doing something they shouldnt, like in mine they're smoking weed.

Then they get murdered by a masked murderer, just like in mine. I have a killer who is mysterious and scary, you don't know who he is and he is masked so it makes him even scarier, this is common in a slasher horror.

 I have also got an attractive female character, who is only in the film briefly but it still shows I am sticking to the codes and conventions of a slasher horror as they always have an extremely attractive female.

The main characters are all popular/attractive people who are usually the main characters in these type of films.

I have challenged the conventions because usually they have the first victim as a female which in this century might be seen as sexist so I chose that a male was going to be killer. I also challenged the conventions because I have blended a slasher horror and another horror genre together. The characters have nightmares of how they are going to die and then the killer murders them the way the dreampt it. This is like "Final Destination" and "Scream" mixed together. I didn't want to change it too much as it might effect how well it looks. I decided to keep it roughly the same as typical slashers because I know they are successful and I wanted mine to be as successful as them.

Permission for Music

We used the song Monster by Paramore in the opening sequence in our movie. I researched into the institution that owned the song. I had to research the record label, Fearless Records, and see who owned them. Which was Warner Music Company. Then I sent a message on their contact page, asking for permission to use their piece of music.

Also I phoned the company asking for an email address so that I could contact the company directly, however, I was not given one.

Synopsis of Film

In my film it starts out as a teenage boy called Michael waking up from a nightmare/vision and he then gets a text to meet up with his friend Peter. He leaves to meet his friends and they decide to do some drugs in the woods. However, they are being watched by a disturbed killer. The killer then runs up behind Peter and slits hios throat. Michael tries to run away and is being chased by the killer. He runs into Ashley and jumps and tries to warm her but they are murdered.

It then goes to a school in the morning and there are posters saying that Michael, Peter and Ash are missing. Then the killer, Adam, walks past and rips the poster down but you dont see his face so the audience dont know who it is. It then cuts to the main characters Damian and Sam who are to popular best friends and they both know the missing teenagers and get a bit worried.

It goes through as them at school and introduces you to the main characters. The main characters trying to figure out where the missing teenagers are and one by one they have nightmares on how each other are going to be killed by a murderer. The only way they can stop it is if they figure out who the killer is. The characters slowly start to get killed off. The main female character, Leona, thinks that Sam is the killer so she runs away from him and calls the police on him.

Then to get away from all the stress, and they think they have caught the killer, so they go to one of the weekly house parties that the popular crowd get invited to and they are having a good time. Then Sam arrives at the party and says how he was let go because he couldnt have been the killer. Leona and Sam go upstairs and make up.

The killer is seen at the party and Damian goes off to get some more drinks and doesnt return. When Leona and Sam come downstairs the house is almost empty, everyone has gone home. Leona goes into the kitchen to get a snack and sees the kitchen knife is gone and she freezes. Sam walks in and looks at her weirdly. The killer comes up from behind him and stabs him in the back. Leona runs out the kitchen and hides in a cupboard. She find blood smears on the inside of the door and Damian is dead behind her. She jumps out of the cupboard and the killer attacks her but she runs away. Sam, who is bleeding out badly, tackles the killer to the ground and Leona calls the police. The killer and Sam fight and Leona hides. It all goes quiet. Leona walks out to find Sam dead and the killer gone. The police turn up but cant find the killer.

End of the movie.

Actor Profiles

Sam: He plays Michael

Age: 16

Bio: Michael is a shy teenage boy who lacks selfconfidence. He is easily pressured into doing things, an example in the film is to do drugs. However, he is image conscious and has a certain fashion sense. He wears bright coloured clothes to get the small bit of attention he craves. In the film he is the first person to have a vision in their dream of them dying.

Appearance: He is around 5ft 8in. A regular build. He has long dark blonde hair and he wears bright coloured clothing and is well known for his blue and orange NIKE shoes.

Alex: He plays Peter

Age: 17

Bio: Peter is very much a leader or a trend setter in his little friendship group and is always the first to try something out. He often breaks rules and see's what he can get away with and is a bit of a comedian. However, he is also known for his unfortunate addiction to smoking.

Appearance: He is extremely image conscious. He has to look "Perfect". He also has his hair all perfect and has a good fashion sense. He isnt afraid to wear outragous clothes and set trends. For example he wears green jeans and chequared shirts.

 

Eleanor: Ash

Age: 17

Bio: She is a girl who knows she looks good and she has a massive crush on Michael so she tries to show herself off to him by wearing low tops. She is very funny and good to talk to. She is underestimated for her intelligence but she is also very sensible. For example she wont go and do drugs with Peter or Michael, she walks off by herself.

Appearance: She has dyed red hair and wears makeup. She is very attractive and she tries to show that off. She does this by wearing a unique style of clothing. For example, she wears boots and she also wears such clothing as corsets, which is sexually appealing and I think it would be to our target audience.

Mark: He plays the killer.

Age: 17

Bio: You dont know much or find out much about him until the end of the film. He is a teenager who is troubled by his past and takes it out by killing pupils from the school he was exculded from. He was abused and bullied by everyone and he snapped and took it out on unlucky people.

Appearance: He has medium lengthed dark hair. He has piercing blue eyes. He also has a twitch in his eye which makes him look synster and creepy. However, you dont see much of him because he wears a face mask which is a skeletons skull. The type of clothing he wears is dark and mysterious.

Costumes & Props

COSTUMES

Sam
Sam wore a chequared shirt and slim fit jeans and bright shoes, this is to show the style of youth today and show he is young and fashionable. We did this to make him look like a fashionable person and so he can keep the audiences attention, so they will pretty much look at him first before anyone else because he stands out.

Alex
Alex wore a shirt and green slim fit jeans, again this is to show the style of young people and the fashion in this modern era. We made him have brightish colours because that shows that he is full of life and approachable and friendly.

Eleanor

Eleanor wore a low top to show her cleavage because that would appeal to our type of teenage audience, she is also wearing dark clothes, this is to make her seem mysterious and so that in the film when Sam runs into her, she can be mistaken for the killer because she is also wearing dark clothes.

The Killer

The killer is wearing mainly black. Black shoes, black jeans, black top, black hoodie, black coat and a black skeleton mask. This makes him mysterious and seem dangerous and threatening. He wears black because its dark and hints that the character has a dark mind and the colour black conotates evil and fear. He has a black skeleton mask to hide his identity and also to scare the audience and victims because you dont know who it is and it has a skeleton on it and skeletons are dead people.

PROPS

Ipod - Sam uses his ipod in the opening scene to show him switching off his alarm, we chose this instead of an alarm clock because it means he can put some music on after to be in the background of the film and also because it shows we're in the 21st century and that it is a modern film.

Cigarettes - The cigarettes are meant to represent drugs in the film and show how young people try it out. It is also meant to be seen as a negative representation of young people.

Killers Knife - The killer has a knife, this is his the weapon he uses to kill the other actors. We chose a knife because its silent, easy to hide and it means that he has to get close to the victims and usually it causes a lot of blood and gore which is associated with this genre.

Settings Board

Sams House
We chose Sam's bedroom because we wanted it to seem like just an ordinary place, somewhere familiar and nothing is more familiar than your own bedroom. His house is also quite modern so modern audiences would find it familiar. We also chose it because it had enough room to film in and had a big window so we could use the natural lighting instead of providing our own. It was a lot easier to get to than Alex's or my house aswell so it also meant that we could film it a lot easier without much hassle.

The Woods
We chose the woods because it is a secluded place where no one goes and also because it was very close to where we live so it was easy to get there and easy to film there. We could also use natural lighting again so it made it a lot easier. However, we chose to film at a poor time and its right next to a rugby picth so when we first filmed you could hear rugby players shouting.

Institutional Research

In the 'Real World' I think the film we've made would be owned by Dimension Films. Dimension Films are owned by The Weistein Company and they specialise in making films/ movies. They have made some big movies like the new Halloween, The Fighter and 1408. There main way of making money is through film.

Our film is similar to some of theres because they made the Scream movies, which is the same genre as ours and they both have similar qualities in them. I think that our film would look like a product they would seel because their films and our film are all very similar. They make films for almost every genre and they have got a Slasher/ Horror Genre and I think that our film would easily fit into their genre. I research the Scream movie as that is the same genre as ours and in the Scream movies they had a budget of around $15 million so i would expect us tp have around the same budget in 'real life'.

I think my film would be shown in main cinemas, it is a mainstream film for teenagers who like horror and i would expect large audiences to watch it so i think that it would be shown in cinemas. If it was shown on cinema, I think it would be on Film4 or Channel 4 when they have fright night as usually they have one of the Scream films and ours is the same genre as that.

If my film went on the internet i would make sure it was on top well known websites so more people would see it.