Exploring iMovie and what it can do
Music plays a very important role in our production and I think we did well in choosing the the appropriate music. We used the song "Wake" by Linkin Park in the beginning, it matched the eerie vibe of the dream and it built up tension. We also used the song "Something in the Way" by Nirvana, it matched the moodines of the character perfectly.
To show what a difference the music can make to a scene, We experimented with different music for our opening sequence, instead of our original track "Something in the Way" we chose "Gold" by Spandau Ballet. This gave off a completely different mood to the sequence and made the clip seem quite comedic instead of a serious thriller. Our experimentation shows the importance of music in the production.
We made sure that every bit of editing we did enhanced the mood of the production. We made the dream black and white to add to the dark and creepy vibe of the clips in the dream, it also separated the dream from reality to make it clear to the audience. We used other effects such and ghost trails in the dream to make aspects more chilling. During the process and making of our production I learnt that all of these edits including music are very important, they make a huge overall difference to the final product.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Saturday, 17 April 2010
How did you attract/address your audience?
As well as getting feedback from our audience through a questionnaire, we also uploaded both our opening sequence and trailer onto YouTube and got feedback from our audience via YouTube comments.
This was one persons comment on YouTube, it was pretty similar to the answers we got back from the questionnaire after we had analysed everything.
1. Did you understand the narrative?
This response was kind of what we were expecting because you can’t fully understand the narrative by watching just the first 2 minutes, the narrative is supposed to build up as the movie unravels; this is why many people answered “A little”. However, we were glad to see that none of our audience didn’t understand the narrative.
2. Overall how much did you enjoy the OS? (1= not at all 5= A lot)
Our second question shows us that all of our audience thought it was satisfactory or good. However no one liked it a lot, so we do have things to improve on.
3. Would you watch the whole film?
A pretty good outcome, we were pleased to see no one said no to watching the whole film. The majority said maybe, but I don’t think you can judge on the first 2 minutes, however if the audience how seen the trailer, it might’ve given them more of an understanding about what’s to come further on in the film.
4. What do you think of the effects?
'The effects were relatively good'
'Lovely'
'I think they set for something good to happen'
'Good'
'They're good'
'Very effective at the beginning'
We were pleased to see all good replies to this question about the effects, especially since we had put a lot of effort and thought into it.
5. Did you know it begins with a dream?
The majority of people either didn’t know it began with a dream or knew a little, this response tells us that we need to make it more clear so that it is obvious that the scenes at the beginning are part of her dream.
6. Was the soundtrack effective?
We were very pleased to see that practically everyone thought the soundtrack was effective, especially since we thought long and hard about what music would suit the mood.
7. Did it build suspense?
This is also a pretty good response with almost everyone saying the music built suspense, we were pleased with the tracks we had chosen as they weren’t distracting from the film but they created the right amount of suspense needed to hook the audience.
8. Was there any confusion whilst watching it?
This response was kind of expected because our opening sequence requires close attention to small details, I understand why there was a little confusion, but if we had the time we would definitely try to make things clearer.
9. Does the title grab your attention?
This was a pretty good reply, the majority of our audience said the title grabbed their attention with only one saying it didn’t. We thought quite a lot about the title making sure it wasn’t cliché for a thriller movie.
10. What could be improved?
'Clearer narrative'
'The narrative'
'Narrative clearer'
'The talking interacting scene between characters a little confusing'
'Make narrative clearer'
'The shot of the two people talking talk louder'
This last question gives us a clear response as to what we need to improve on, and that is the narrative and the dialogue. I think that the main fault in our opening sequence was the way the dialogue was executed, it is a very important part of the narrative and if you found it hard to understand or difficult to hear, then it may throw you off. If had more time we would definitely make that scene more clear, because I think that once that scene is cleared up and understood then so will the narrative. I think our opening sequence did well in satisfying the majority of our audience, but of course we didn’t expect it to appeal to absolutely everyone.
This was one persons comment on YouTube, it was pretty similar to the answers we got back from the questionnaire after we had analysed everything.
1. Did you understand the narrative?
This response was kind of what we were expecting because you can’t fully understand the narrative by watching just the first 2 minutes, the narrative is supposed to build up as the movie unravels; this is why many people answered “A little”. However, we were glad to see that none of our audience didn’t understand the narrative.
2. Overall how much did you enjoy the OS? (1= not at all 5= A lot)
Our second question shows us that all of our audience thought it was satisfactory or good. However no one liked it a lot, so we do have things to improve on.
3. Would you watch the whole film?
A pretty good outcome, we were pleased to see no one said no to watching the whole film. The majority said maybe, but I don’t think you can judge on the first 2 minutes, however if the audience how seen the trailer, it might’ve given them more of an understanding about what’s to come further on in the film.
4. What do you think of the effects?
'The effects were relatively good'
'Lovely'
'I think they set for something good to happen'
'Good'
'They're good'
'Very effective at the beginning'
We were pleased to see all good replies to this question about the effects, especially since we had put a lot of effort and thought into it.
5. Did you know it begins with a dream?
The majority of people either didn’t know it began with a dream or knew a little, this response tells us that we need to make it more clear so that it is obvious that the scenes at the beginning are part of her dream.
6. Was the soundtrack effective?
We were very pleased to see that practically everyone thought the soundtrack was effective, especially since we thought long and hard about what music would suit the mood.
7. Did it build suspense?
This is also a pretty good response with almost everyone saying the music built suspense, we were pleased with the tracks we had chosen as they weren’t distracting from the film but they created the right amount of suspense needed to hook the audience.
8. Was there any confusion whilst watching it?
This response was kind of expected because our opening sequence requires close attention to small details, I understand why there was a little confusion, but if we had the time we would definitely try to make things clearer.
9. Does the title grab your attention?
This was a pretty good reply, the majority of our audience said the title grabbed their attention with only one saying it didn’t. We thought quite a lot about the title making sure it wasn’t cliché for a thriller movie.
10. What could be improved?
'Clearer narrative'
'The narrative'
'Narrative clearer'
'The talking interacting scene between characters a little confusing'
'Make narrative clearer'
'The shot of the two people talking talk louder'
This last question gives us a clear response as to what we need to improve on, and that is the narrative and the dialogue. I think that the main fault in our opening sequence was the way the dialogue was executed, it is a very important part of the narrative and if you found it hard to understand or difficult to hear, then it may throw you off. If had more time we would definitely make that scene more clear, because I think that once that scene is cleared up and understood then so will the narrative. I think our opening sequence did well in satisfying the majority of our audience, but of course we didn’t expect it to appeal to absolutely everyone.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Age Classifications (source: Wikipedia and the BBFC website)
Universal : All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children.
Parental Guidance : General viewing, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8.
12A : May be unsuitable for under 12s. Those aged under 12 are only admitted if accompanied by an adult at all times during the performance (cinema only).
12 : Suitable only for those aged 12 and over. No-one younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.
15 : Suitable only for those aged 15 and over. Nobody younger than 15 can see a 15 film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.
18 : Suitable only for adults. Nobody younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.
Restricted 18 : For adults only.
May only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at sex shops, and only to people aged 18 or over.
What age certificate would we give our media product?
Since Reinventing Your Exit has no sexually explicit scenes or violent scenes, it could not be classified as an 18, however it may bit too threatening or graphic, visually and verbally for a 12 year old to watch, therefore we have come to the conclusion that Reinventing Your Exit would be rate a 15.
What audiences would most enjoy our ideas?
As a group we did a survey asking 30 people from different ages (but mainly teenagers and young adults because they are our target audience) a variety of different questions relating to thriller movies, and what people would like to see in a thriller movie. From the answers we received, we learnt a lot about the types of things people would like to see in a thriller.
For example one of our questions asked “What type of thriller is more appealing?” as you can see in the chart, the largest amount of people enjoy psychological thrillers the most, this result made us even more confident about our film being a psychological thriller because we knew it is what our audience wanted.
Another one of our ideas was to keep the opening sequence not so action packed and focus on trying to get the audience’s attention by building some suspense. Two of our questions “What emotions would you like to receive from a thriller?” and “How much action in the thriller opening sequence do you want revealed?” backed up our idea, as the majority of our audience wanted only a little action to be revealed but wanted it to be full of suspense and tension. Overall we were pleased to see the outcome of our survey, many of our target audience liked our ideas and felt the same way we did about thriller movies. The rest of the pie charts for our survey is on the group blog.
Universal : All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children.
Parental Guidance : General viewing, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8.
12A : May be unsuitable for under 12s. Those aged under 12 are only admitted if accompanied by an adult at all times during the performance (cinema only).
12 : Suitable only for those aged 12 and over. No-one younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.
15 : Suitable only for those aged 15 and over. Nobody younger than 15 can see a 15 film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.
18 : Suitable only for adults. Nobody younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.
Restricted 18 : For adults only.
May only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at sex shops, and only to people aged 18 or over.
What age certificate would we give our media product?
Since Reinventing Your Exit has no sexually explicit scenes or violent scenes, it could not be classified as an 18, however it may bit too threatening or graphic, visually and verbally for a 12 year old to watch, therefore we have come to the conclusion that Reinventing Your Exit would be rate a 15.
What audiences would most enjoy our ideas?
As a group we did a survey asking 30 people from different ages (but mainly teenagers and young adults because they are our target audience) a variety of different questions relating to thriller movies, and what people would like to see in a thriller movie. From the answers we received, we learnt a lot about the types of things people would like to see in a thriller.
For example one of our questions asked “What type of thriller is more appealing?” as you can see in the chart, the largest amount of people enjoy psychological thrillers the most, this result made us even more confident about our film being a psychological thriller because we knew it is what our audience wanted.
Another one of our ideas was to keep the opening sequence not so action packed and focus on trying to get the audience’s attention by building some suspense. Two of our questions “What emotions would you like to receive from a thriller?” and “How much action in the thriller opening sequence do you want revealed?” backed up our idea, as the majority of our audience wanted only a little action to be revealed but wanted it to be full of suspense and tension. Overall we were pleased to see the outcome of our survey, many of our target audience liked our ideas and felt the same way we did about thriller movies. The rest of the pie charts for our survey is on the group blog.
Thrillers that would attract our target audience
Donnie Darko (2001)
Plot Summary: “Donnie Darko doesn't get along too well with his family, his teachers and his classmates; but he does manage to find a sympathetic friend in Gretchen, who agrees to date him. He has a compassionate psychiatrist, who discovers hypnosis is the means to unlock hidden secrets. His other companion may not be a true ally. Donnie has a friend named Frank - a large bunny which only Donnie can see. When an engine falls off a plane and destroys his bedroom, Donnie is not there. Both the event, and Donnie's escape, seem to have been caused by supernatural events. Donnie's mental illness, if such it is, may never allow him to find out for sure.”
I think the target audience for Donnie Darko is the same as our target audience, 16-24 year olds. The film is based about a teenage boy still in high school, he doesn’t get along with his family, teachers or classmates and he feels alone most of the time, this could relate to the target audience of teenagers because they are the same age as the main character. The movie is very psychological and can be quite confusing to the younger audience, therefore it can also attract an older audience. Donnie Darko being a cult classic has a loyal fan base, this is what we would like for Reinventing Your Exit, because our film would be low budget, it doesn’t have to do exceptionally well at the box office, instead we would eventually like it to be recognised as a successful cult movie with several fans.
Let The Right One In (2008)
Plot Summary: “A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy's wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn't seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli's arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders and for an introverted boy like Oskar it doesn't take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Frozen forever in a twelve-year-old’s body, with all the burgeoning feelings and confused emotions of a young adolescent, Eli knows that she can only continue to live if she keeps on moving. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can ...”
Let The Right One In is a Swedish supernatural/horror thriller. Although most of the time, the age of the characters on-screen relate to the target audience, this movie is an exception. The main characters are 12 years old and I can safely say that 12 years are not the target audience, first of all the movie is a rated 15. The movie focuses on young love and the sacrifices people have to make, I think this is the key thing that would attract the target audience of teenagers and young adults as they can relate in some way. This movie is still very new, but I think it is on its way to cult status because it was a very beautifully made film, with an interesting story, and many cult movie fans enjoyed it very much. Reinventing Your Exit would rely on its target audience of cult and “art house” movie fans to make it a success.
Our target audience
Our target audience would be from the ages 16-24, although I think it would be targeted more to a teenage audience because of the references of college life and the fact that the main characters are teenagers. I doubt our film would attract every teenager, it might only appeal to a certain type, aspects of the movie such as music attract a certain type of audience, the fact that Reinventing Your Exit’s soundtrack includes the likes of Linkin Park and Nirvana might attract the type of audience interested in the rock genre. Also the characters in the movie usually mirror the type of audience we would expect to see take an interest in our film because they can relate. Michelle being the main character is a bit of a introvert and doesn’t have very many friends, she just likes to keep to herself and focus on the things she finds important, like her art work and her views on life. She doesn’t care about superficial things like popularity or fashion sense; she usually just wears whatever suits her mood at the time, but other than that she is just like any other teenager who enjoys listening to music, having a good chat etc. I think this type of person would be the likely person to watch Reinventing Your Exit because they can associate with the character in the film. Obviously this isn’t the only type of person that would watch our film, anyone from any age group or clique could be interested in it, most people usually watch films they like the look of, and that can’t be determined by a certain audience.
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