Media Exam Evaluation

Research and Planning

What real media and audiences did you look at?

How did they inform your thinking about your media production?

How did you record all that research?

We recorded all our research using the Blogger to post quality and detailed analyses of the different influences for our own opening scene and the pre-production planning. Since we decided to film a horror-opening scene, we decided to evaluate additional horror opening scenes to get more information to be able to plan concepts that followed all the codes and conventions. YouTube was convenient since we uploaded our planning videos e.g. video diaries, preliminary task etc. allowing us to share the content within the group. During AS we had a basic and simple mind-set of the research and planning without going in-depth into our posts however we realised it had a huge impact in our production of the work since our knowledge and understanding of the concept has expanded and developed through A2. This is shown through the quality of work we have provided this year. I feel that we have improved our organisation skills because we used our free time to discuss about the trailer; this is evident in our blogger page.

What primary research was undertaken?

As a group we explored various film genres by making mind maps to gain an in-depth understanding of the different codes and conventions each genre consists of. We analysed different aspects of horror, romance and action opening scenes, observing the mise en scene, camera shots and sound to get a thorough evaluation of each opening scene. By following each element we were more aware of what each scene was trying to indicate. This gave us an insight on the common conventions each genre normally follows. After researching we chose the horror genre due to the flexibility in terms of the themes and concept available. In A2 it was easier to analyse the common convention of the trailer since we create a presentation for our chosen genre which was action, picking out significant features of each conventions and explaining them in-depth.

In our preliminary tasks we tried out and practiced various shots. The editing was fairly basic due to our lack of knowledge. We didn’t make the genre clear in our preliminary, which did affect our filming in the beginning since we didn’t practice and horror type shots. We experimented with different types of shots to use for our opening scene and practiced the rules of filming however we felt that planning shot types that adhered to the horror genre would have benefitted us. We also had an opportunity to explore with the various camera shots and the rules of filming whilst recording the interviews with the actors which was a beneficial experience since we got an idea about the placements of the camera to gain a suitable shot required. Through A2 we acknowledged the importance of pre-filming and planning some of the scenes by instructing the cast to prepare them instead of putting them in the spot which resulted to high quality performances in the scene.

The interviews allowed the actor to touch upon the influences of our opening scene and a general idea of the plot however the answers were very limited. We discovered in A2 that using open ended question benefitted us as there is more information about the characters and plot.

Questionnaire was very useful because we involved questions about the common concept of horror films and decided to incorporate open-ended questions enabling the participants to expand on the reasoning so we gained respondent validation about their preference. After AS we learnt that the questionnaires would have assisted us a lot if we asked opened ended questions. We ended up altering few questions. The results helped us identify our target audience for an action trailer so we included it into our planning enabling us to adhere to it.

What secondary research was undertaken?

To gain awareness on what types of audience watch certain genres, we looked at Pearl and Dean website that included statistical data. It was informative about the kind of films that appealed to the audience. We used the same method in A2 because of the credibility of the source which identified the general audience our action trailer would target.

We used Google to create a mood board with images of the locations, costume and other conventions, giving us a basic plan so we don’t divert away from the firm idea when we begin filming.

Using YouTube was effective when it came to editing since we all lacked experience so watching the videos about the Adobe Premier Element 10 editing program made improvement to our opening scenes visually since the cuts from the clips were much smoother. Due to the advance knowledge in A2 we found it easy to use sound clips, building up tension and pace for the trailer to grab the audience’s attention. There were issues with downloading copyright music but we overcame this problem by visiting a royalty free music website that had similar sound clips to give the opening scene an impact. We developed our skills and knowledge on the features Adobe included therefore we were able to split the video audio, changing the levels and overlaying the royalty free music on the footage. 

How did it inform the production?

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

The initial location was the city centre; we researched for the setting that followed the convention by picking some images through Google. We thought busy location e.g. New York, London looked suitable visually. This informed our production, as we actually planned before visiting the area. We were able to film in different location, which gave our trailer a high production value.

We found that creating a mood board was helpful when it to finding the appropriate costume was particularly easy since we tried to follow the convention of a spy theme e.g. suits.

Using the questionnaire previously used in AS we copied the same format, the questions involved aspect of the setting and location since it’s key in an action film.

Overall the research in A2 was detailed because we planned before filming so we got broad ideas of our plan. We experimented with different types of shots and scenes then cut or choose ones that fitted the genre well. 

What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed?

How did the results from these inform the production?

In AS we used interview with opens ended questions to gain qualitative data to get in-depth information about our opening scene. We wanted to follow the similar structure in A2. This gave us a in-depth analysis about what our action trailer was going to be about.

We have also written film diary to make it seem like the reader is going through a journey to our final production. It included a detailed record about everything we did during the filming sessions.

Questionnaires gave us a quantitative because we mostly used closed questions so the data provided us percentages. This method was effective in identifying what people look for in action genre.

How did the results from these inform the production?

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

The results from these researches had an impact on the outcome of our production especially the plot of the opening scene as it was changed once we got the response from the audience. We conformed to the participant’s opinions and suggestions to be appealing.  In A2 we were aware of the effectiveness of conducting those researches was the importance of participant’s opinion, as we were more mindful of their interest.

How effectively were storyboards/shot lists/script followed?

We found that a script was very useful and effective because in AS we had to re-film some of our preliminary scene because we were unable to remember our dialogues once the camera started without any hesitation. We wrote an outline of what our script was, it gave us flexibility because whilst the production continues we could choose to add or remove certain dialogues or add more sound effects depending on whether we feel it create enough suspense.

During AS the storyboard was simple drawing without any details with little information. Our story board in A2 developed as it was hand drawn, making it effective since it gave us a visual overview/plan to what our opening scene could potentially look like. We singularly took picture of each drawing and combined it in order to create an animatic video. We also used the paper version whilst filming so we didn’t divert away from our initial idea. The shot list became wider, allowing us to capture the moments from different angles, which let us portray different aspects of our scene.