EVALUATION POINT 4

EVALUATION POINT 3

EVALUATION POINT 2

How Effective Is The Combination of Your Main Product and Ancillary Texts?

Primary and Secondary Research

When faced with challenges such as producing a 5 minute long film, along with a poster and a review, the first thing I reach for is my laptop. From this I can use search engines like Google to find existing real media texts and analyse them in order to help me decide a few things.

Firstly, I opted more for secondary research when it came to short film ideas. When exploring websites such as Vimeo and YouTube, I discovered that there was a huge section of films portraying mental illnesses. This inspired me greatly as I thought it was something very unique that not many people would have thought of doing.

I used primary research more for my ancillary tasks. This included looking at real life film posters and analysing their content, colours and styles. The use of research and development from qualitative secondary and primary research has helped increase the effectiveness of my coursework pieces

When comparing the coursework criteria to last year, I realised that it gave me of a platform to explore. It enabled me to explore different codes and conventions and possibly to challenge them to create something unique and special.

When making a music magazine I found it difficult to adopt a unique way of presenting my images, style and font as I wanted it to look like a professional realistic music magazine. However when producing a film there is a vast range of theories regarding narrative, representation, and gender that helps me explain how I challenged conventions.

 My Film

I believe that the beginning of my film holds both, unrestricted narrative and a restricted narrative. The title of the film ‘In Your Mind’ hints at the idea someone may be experiencing something unworldly, therefore the audience are in expectation of something relating to in the mind. None the less the narrative is also restricted because it isn't until half way through the short film that Schizophrenia is clearly addressed. My short film consists of a linear closed structure with a beginning, middle and an ending with a definite clear conclusion. Most short films that I have analysed have been ones that carry this structure. I wanted to portray the binary opposites of being unwell with health and in order to convey this I needed a concise ending that brings happiness to the protagonist.

Literary theorists Todorov argued that most narratives start with an equilibrium in which life is ‘normal’ then this state is disrupted by an outside force then recovers the disruption and ends with a new equilibrium. I believe that this theory fits my film as the main protagonist is disrupted my his mental illness, in which he goes to get help and confronts the problem face on which leaves us with a new satisfactory ending. This is a useful theory as it reflects my idea of schizophrenia that I wanted to portray in the film as something that can cause a big disruption within somebodies life; however they can end up with a new normality and overcome what they are experiencing through help and self-belief.

A similar way my film was effective and challenged short film conventions was the involvement of anachronism. I discovered that by distorting the time through flashbacks, and flash forwards it represents the confusion of the protagonists and made the film portray the unstructured experiences the protagonists was experiencing. Cameron’s Narrative explains this further by stating that no clear dominance between the narrative threads means that the narrative often repeats scenes directly or via a different perspective. I think this is useful theory because it films such as pulp fiction and memento also capture anachronism and when tackling a subject such as mental illness it reflects how they might have flash backs and hallucinations.

In conclusion, as a media producer (of a short film) my texts are intentionally composed by myself. My film is an artificial version of the reality that we perceive around u but without media our perception of reality would be very limited.  My film is a clear example of how needing and using media helps us makes sense of an reality. Although signs and codes such as stereotypes are one huge element of how people are represented, my short film doesn’t particularly involve common stereotypes but it has, however constructed a reality of its own. Although the preferred reading of my film is that Mental Illnesses are trivial in society and that it can sometimes be underplayed by the media, the theorist Stuart Hall, says that not always people adopt your preferred reading but a negotiated reading is where those who inflect the preferred reading to take account of their social position. Therefore I think that my film does this as it opens the viewer’s up to a world that they may not have known and reflect upon their own. 

Ancillary Tasks

The most important thing that I needed to ensure about both my ancillary tasks is that they reflect the film in every way possible. For my poster I thought that if I used a montage of the images overlapping each other it would represent his mind being everywhere and lost. I thought this was a good way of representing the film and also making the poster look very effective. Most of the lighting is edited on to create an ambient effect therefore I didn’t want to juxtapose this with a vibrant poster. However I do believe that even though the house colours are black white and red, the mid shot image in the middle of the poster is still very eye catching and really draws the eye into the middle of the poster. I feel like the the unusual image in the middle will makes the audience anticipate what the film could be about.

The film review is very much in correlation with the film poster. I kept the house colours the same as well as the fonts. I added a quote from the producer of the film (me) I think this is a typical convention of a film review. If the producer is someone well known then it may draw people into reading it to see their view and opinions on the film. I also thought that adding the image from the film would be appropriate because it may not be as recognisable as a feature length film therefore people may recognize the article and want to read it if they see the poster image. I added a rating onto the review because I think it fits the conventions of a typical Film review.

AUDIANCE FEEDBACK VIDEOS

EVALUATION PART 1.

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


lets start with establishing what a convention actually is...
A convention is a specific rule that governs how an individual writes or shoots different media texts. 

Similarly codes are systems or signs that are split into technical or symbolic categories.
By researching the conventions of different media I was able to understand how real media texts target specific audiences and stick to one genre and narrative. My Short Film is called 'In Your Mind' which focuses around the importance of the mental illness, Schizophrenia.
It shows the protagonists experiencing hallucinations and hearing voices inside his head to which he becomes aware that he is suffering with a mental disorder. He seeks help from a psychologist in which he progresses to defeat the voices and lead a normal life.
When deciding to tackle a deep subject such as Schizophrenia, I thought it was vital to keep within the typical conventions of a short film. Firstly, i knew that i wanted to include a limited amount of characters in order to create the sense of intimacy and feeling trapped. 


Often you may find that individuals hold specific expectations of different real media texts. This year, however opened me up to perhaps challenging the typical conventions of real media texts. During the first stages of producing a short film, I shortly recognised all the many conventions that a conventional short film held.

• ·         limited characters
• ·         limited time scale
• ·         limited locations
• ·         easy plot
• ·         shorter script
• ·         limited context to the character
• ·         limited dialogue
• ·         escapism

Unlike last year where I revolved my production of  a music magazine to fit all the possible conventions of my desired genre ‘indie pop’ to make it look as professional as ever, this year I knew that it was time to develop and challenge the forms and conventions. Similar to last year I undertook extensive research into ‘what makes a successful short film’ this also meant finding a preferred genre and style. Personally I found that the most gripping films were ones that the audience could relate too. The idea of my film fitting the reception theory where the audience is active and interpreting my film based on their own personal circumstances meant that I could really target it at a specific group.

When stepping further into my ideas I was faced with some limitations that could only mean conforming to the typical conventions of a short film. Challenging the conventions appeared to become much more difficult than I expected.

What conventions does my short film consist of?

It is extremely obvious that I have used many of the conventions listed above such as limited characters (3) and limited locations (3). This was due to the complexity of the storyline, I needed to portray a teenage boy experiencing mental health problem (Schizophrenia) therefore I felt in order to achieve this, keeping the settings restricted would not over complicate the plot.

I also wanted the audience to experience the emotions that the main protagonist was feeling therefore if I had introduced any other characters to the film I believe it would take the focus of the main protagonist. Overall I wanted to portray schizophrenia among someone young who couldn’t grasp his surroundings adequately therefore keeping the settings simple, and characters limited I felt enhanced this to the audience.

 I feel like in some ways my film creates a sense of escapism for example if audiences were watching with no idea of schizophrenia and what it entails, it takes them away from their own life into something more complex and interesting. My film also uses an array of simple camerawork such as an ‘over the shoulder shot’ between the two characters, a simple ‘cut’ sot, close up and mid shots.

What conventions does your film challenge?

When thinking about representing a mental illness such as Schizophrenia, or any for that case I thought that one way to parallel this in a film is a complex and unstructured narrative. I have used many flashbacks in time and jump cuts to ‘hallucinations’ and contrasting different ambient lighting with highlighted edited lighting. I believed the more abstract this came across the more representational it is of someone experiencing a mental illness.

It opposes the ‘wish fulfilment’ idea that the audience aspire to be like the characters in the film because my film is more of an informative piece on a certain subject. In the process of this, the character is expressing his feelings of imprisonment, aloneness, and confusion therefore the audience are more likely to strike a chord of pity on the character more than a motivational aspiration towards him.

It also challenges the limited context to a character because the whole of the film is based on the context and the background and feelings of one character therefore when producing the film I had to make sure that I followed a clear conception of his emotions and be careful not to contradict anything in the film.

If I were to compare my short film to films that come under a similar line of thought/genre as my own I would say I have used similar codes and conventions to a substantial level. Many ways in which they can be compared is the linear structure of a beginning, middle and end. Also including equilibrium of events for example:

• ·         Setting the scene
• ·         A disruption
• ·         A climax,
• ·         Resolution
• ·         A new equilibrium of a satisfactory ending 

ANCILLARY TASK 2- FILM REVIEW

This is my final film review for my short film IN YOUR MIND. I thought it was very important to firstly include the release date, certificate and the running times at the beginning so that the readers are already aware of the most important details.

I've given a short overview of the plot without giving too much away so that consumers can read the review with their own informed opinion.

I worte the review from the perspective of someone interviewing me (The director)I felt that this was the most effect way to produce a review. When analysing other real life texts they were all written in the same way with similar content.The first image I have used is the main photo that on the film poster. I felt like using this image will draw the readers into reading the page as it is a very eye catching image. I also thought that if someone has seen my film, or even the film poster they will recognize this image which will almost act like a brand to the film.

By using Pixlr I was able to merge the images of my character through the post production stages. When taking the photos I made sure that I had a left, right, and centre shot in order to carry out this editing process. For the content of the review I separated it into columns as I thought this would look the most professional and fit the conventions of a film review. I think that the structure looks very organised and neat which will reflect the readers opinion of the review being well written therefore having a worthy opinion to listen too. I kept the font for this very simple. I used the Arial font from a Word document. I did not want to use something very fancy that would turn readers away. I thought if the text is simple, clear and set out neatley then this is what will draw consumers into reading this review.

I kept the colour scheme very neutral and basic however I do feel that it has a outlandish effect. I used the colours black, white and red because when looking back through my short film these were the colours that were most seen, for example the protagonist is mainly in black, untill the end of the film to which he is bright clothes because he is happy. The counselors room is red that connotes a love, care and empathy towards the character.

I also thought that adding an image from the film would possibly increase the chances of the readers wanting to go and watch the film. I also added a rating for this effect too.

ANCILLARY TASK- FINAL POSTER IDEA

This is my final film poster. As you can see I edited on a title, and the credits at the bottom. I realised that I still need to add my name and the trademark sign of the producing/ directing company. 

Many names that I have used have been repeated. When producing my short film I conformed to the typical conventions of using a limited amount of  3 characters and 3 settings. 

When researching other film posters, I found that depending on the genre there would be an evident house style. When searching for the niche genre of psychedelic/mental illness the colours where very block, consisting of heavy blacks, blues and reds. Many films that portray schizophrenia take a comedic spin on it, meaning the colours on the poster are bright and fun. The serious tone in mine meant that using bright colours would not be fitting. 

ANCILLARY TASK ONE- ORIGINAL IMAGES

From these Images i knew that i wanted to create a montage of images overlapping one another to give the effect of hallucinations. I took examples from interesting pieces of art that were also inspired by Mental Illnesses.  Examples include, Burkozturk, Rachel Young, and Paziente.

In order to achieve this i used Pixlr to changed the white background to black. I thought that using a black  background would help achieve a successful look. From experimenting from last year at AS level, i knew that on pixlr there was an option to 'layer' images. After a couple of hours of testing my memory, I established how to make one montage to depict a 'mental illness' feel.

I grouped all the images together in order to edit the overall image as one. As you can tell, the final montage is very dark which distracts the attention away from the protagonist and the message its trying to portray. I brightened the faces aswell as maintaining the darkness of the background. I then added a 'cracking' effect because it
symbolises the abnormal feelings and voices in which a schizophrenic would experience.

ANCILLARY THE DRAFT

This is the original image that I print screened, then went on to edit further. Below is the first draft of my film poster.

For one of our preliminary tasks, we were asked to produce a film poster for our 5 minute short film. My first draft was constructed very simply by using a print screen of a moving image and cropping it down into a still image. I then saved the original image and went over to Pixlr- this enabled me to add layers onto the first image. Then (with a steady hand) I erased around the boy in the black and then duplicated it three times and placed them side by side to give the effect that the boy is trapping Alex. By doing this, I felt that the portrayal of Schizophrenia and hallucination became evident. 

However, being my first attempt I still feel like I could add more to this still image, for example instead of duplicating the boy in black, just have one close up image to reinforce the significance of his character in the film. Similarly I am not happy about the image of Alex (the boy in the middle) this is because, one he is not looking directly at the camera therefore as an audience, they do not engage with the character because there is a lack of emotion shown. 

I realised when brainstorming ideas for my short film poster, that in order to improve the draft i would need to take separate images that aren't print screened from the filming footage. 

I thought it was vital to have the protagonist on the front cover to convey the characters importance and dominance in the short film. I also knew that in order for it to fit the conventions of a typical film poster it would need to fit the rule of thirds and be a typical Mid Shot. 

ANALYSING A FILM REVIEW

When analysing film magazines I need to analyse both, the content, and the layout/structure. I chose I few magazines that will help me determine what I preferred in terms of style and content. This first magazine helped me decide that I would add a few images because my target audience is between the ages of 14-30 therefore in order to interest them I needed to add more than just simple text.

Firstly, when studying the layout of images on this page, they vary in size. My eyes are immediately drawn to the top image because it is the largest. I think that when I am creating my own magazine article I need to think about how the size of my images will attract my audience. I need to ensure that this page in the magazine will stick out to my audience and make them stop to read it. In order to do this I think having a range of image sizes will help. I also need to think about with photos will best represent my short film. They will need to reflect the genre to the audience before they read the synopsis of the film. Some good images I could use would be screen shots of footage that is in the short film.






The second thing I notice when looking at this article is the amount of white space. I want to have a house style to my magazine because it brings everything together nicely and is very appealing on the eye. Having a simple house style such as white, black and red will ensure that all the attention is drawn to a catchy bold title and the vibrant images. I find this article dull to look at and so therefore would not catch my attention when looking through a magazine. When styling my magazine I could possibly create a border of colour or something just to give it a little edge over this article. The white space in between the columns of writing is even and consistent through out the article, I need to take this into account when creating my own magazine article

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

GENRE THEORIES

AUDIENCES

Uses of gratification theory

Itis an active audience theory that focuses on 'what people do with the media' rather than what the media does to people.
Surveillance =what’s going on in the world
Correlation =two things that match e.g relationship
Entertainment =making the audience laugh and entertained
Cultural transmission =messages and values going from different cultures
Diversion =escape from everyday problems
Personal relationships =for emotion and other interaction
Personal identity =finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts
Surveillance=information which found be useful for living
My Short Film IN YOUR MIND
Personal Identity – to start with my target audience is anyone between the ages of 17-30 or even older for that matter. It is a film portraying a teenager boy with schizophrenia however it a circular narrative as it has a beginning middle and and end with and new equilibrium. This mat inspire people to get help or help somebody else.
This does portray survailence as it is representing things that are going on in the world. Many people are suffering silently with mental illnesses.
Correlation also links to my film and how my target audience and they main character may match and link together as the audience may feel the exact same way.
Surveillance – the subject matter of mental health problems that a lot more people may be suffering than what we know of as individuals. Alot of people in the world are in demand of knowing what is happening around them and my film is a clear example of this. However some people may object this idea and perhaps misinterpret the meaning of the film and end up confused.
Diversion – if my target audience may link to the subject matter, then when they watch it they may feel as though it’s an escape from everyday problems or situations they may face in their everyday lives. Also if they don’t have anyone to turn to and talk to at home or friends, then they may find it easier to watch the short film to help bring an understanding that they are not alone within these trapped feelings.

Two Step Flow audience theory




This theory may be used in my short film as people that may relate to what they are watching may pass on their opinions on mental illnesses or the situation being face by Alex to other people, friends, or family. This then becomes their opinion whether it is well and truly theirs or not. This could possibly be a really good thing as if a valid and strong opinion is shared about the idea of mental health is passed on to people that may not be aware of what is happening then it is opening other peoples minds eventually creating a society that no longer run way from this problem. However, you could also argue that if one who shares similar experiences with Schizophrenia, then they may feel secluded and that they do not have anyone to talk to hence why they are watching the film and expressing feelings and emotions through that, preventing the word from spreading around.

ANSILARY PLANNING

Kevin Breel- Inspiration Quote

'Unfortunately, we live in a world where, if you break your arm, everyone runs over to sign your cast, however if you tell people you have depression, everyone runs the other way.

That's the stigma, and we are so so so accepting of any body part breaking down than our brains.

Thats the ignorance 

Pure ignorance 

And that ignorance is what has created a world who doesnt understand Mental Health.' 

-Kevin Breel

Mental Health- Uses and Gratifications

Uses and gratifications theory (also known as UGT) explains why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. UGT is an audience-centered approach to understanding mass communication. Diverging from other media effect theories that ask "what does media do to people?", UGT center their importance around what do people do with media. 

Films are used by audiences to achieve specific needs that an audience may require. John Fiske once said 'a genre defines a moral and social world', which means that by looking to movies now and the past we can look into the needs of the audience of that time. Successful films answer a dominant theme in society, for example in the 60's most films wanted to depict the image of fun, rock n roll and rebelling. In Today's society young teens are pressured into conforming to what the media portray as 'cool' or 'normal'. However, it underplays the fact that many young teens experience feelings or emotions that they may feel ashamed to express. I wanted my film to portray someone who fits the stereotype of 'normal' but actually, he is experience something far from normal. Although I have taken it from a view point that could be seen as unrealistic, I wanted to share the importance of talking about mental health and destroy the social stigma associated with it. 

Films tend to have physical and emotional effects on the viewer, which leads to people liking certain genres more than others. For example, people when watching action films, as an audience we tend to relate with the hero of the story and aspire to be like them. When creating my short film I wanted to create something similar. I wanted to create a character that an audience could somehow relate too and aspire to be like. The protagonist is a 17 year old boy called Alex who eventually seeks help and explores his mental illness further. 

Contradictory, Rom-com's give an emotional effect of escapism, either through a romantic love story or a fatal tragedy. The sense of escapism is what draws the audience into watching the films. With short films this whole process is intensified because you have less time to create this impact. 

Also, Rom-coms have a 'wish-fulfillment' idea to them, that people wish something/someone was like something/someone in the short film. Although my film does not come under the Rom-com genre, there is a sense of wanting to defeat inner securities. The physical side to a movie would be the crying or laughter that comes from a tragedy or comedy. My film does not use comedy as such however the physical element would be empathy for the protagonist and possibly an insight of someone struggling. 

My film challenges certain conventions of a short film. I didn't want too create a super-hero esc character, but someone that an audience could relate too, therefore my film does not make the audience want to be like the protagonist and aspire to have similar qualities. Nonetheless I think this is what makes my film a niche genre and what people would be interested to watch. 

Applying 'Uses and Gratifications' to the internet will play a large part with my short film and my audience. The internet allows anyone to research different ideas and creativity whenever we want too. The internet is an on-going thing, it never sleeps, meaning creativity is uploaded every second. With the help of search engines, we come closer to finding what inspires us. Short films have benefitted from websites like Vimeo and YouTube as there is a global archive of short films at your fingertips with a diverse range of genres. I hope to upload my short film to YouTube to get the best coverage and to remain global for as long as it can be.

Organising My Actors

Conforming to the typical conventions of a music magazine, I decided to use minimal amount of characters (3). In order to create a successful short film I believe that using a small number of talent is crucial. One reason for this is that the audience have a shorter time to establish each character, therefore if you were to over complicate the plot it would be confusing and uneasy to follow. 

My Talent

RECCE

RECCE

 

When producing a short film I believe it is vital to conform to the codes and conventions of a short film. One crucial convention is limited locations. This is so that the film is not portrayed as too complex and gives the audience time to establish the settings where the characters are based.

Here are a few RECCE images of where I shot some of the footage included in my film.

this is a forest behind the back of my house, I felt that it portrayed the mysterious and eary feel, similar to what my film portrays.



DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Under digital technology comes three things,

• hardware
• software
• online technology

hardware is the equipment that I would have used throughout A2 media in order to create my 5 miute short film. These include:

•iMac OSX
•Iphone
•Canon EOS 1100D
•iPod
•Laptop

Software
is the technology that is already on the computer, or device that I am working on. For example these included:

• iTunes
• Pages
• Word
• Serif applications
• PPT
• Garageband

 Online technology, is similar to software however it is devices that you can find online, these include:

• pixlr
• facebook
• youtube
• blogger
• slideshare
• prezzi

 

influence- The Mind

Short Films About Mental Health and Illness Emerging on YouTube: ‘The Mind’ – Joint Winner of 2012 Frame of Mind Award

‘The Mind’ is the 2012 joint winner of the ‘Frame of Mind' award. The Tamil film tells the story of a young man with Paranoid Schizophrenia who tries to manage his illness alone and the experiences he has. Film is an excellent way to easily communicate issues about mental health and illness which otherwise might be hard for the audience to understand.

'Animated minds' Influencial theories

'Animated Minds'

this is a series of animated documentaries using real testimony from survivors of mental illness, combined with engaging and sometimes humorous visuals, to climb inside the minds of the mentally distressed. Windows into experiences rarely seen, each piece draws us in to these people's inner worlds, journeying around the landscape of their minds, and leaving us with a greater understanding of what it is to suffer from mental distress.

This learning object contains four documentaries, examining panic attacks and agoraphobia; psychosis; obsessive compulsive disorder; and manic depression. 
This learning resource is based substantially on material from the series of animated documentaries "Animated Minds" which is reproduced and adapted here with permission from The Documentary Filmmakers Group and APT Films. Copyright © 2004 Documentary Filmmakers Group/APT Films

Link: 

http://content.iriss.org.uk/animatedminds/

Darren S Cook

Guest Speaker

Darren is an independent British film maker, he is well known in the industry for editing, directing and producing all things short film. Coincidently, he is also step dad to one of the students in our class, therefore we were advantaged to have him come in to speak to us and share his knowledge mainly surrounding British short films.

In the two hours Darren spent with our class, we spent watching several short films that he had either produces, directed or editing, and in some cases done all three. Every short film he showed us, he would explain in detail what challenges he faced, what inspired him, and also how proud he was. It became very clear after a short while that working in the film industry is very exhausting and competitive, however Darren's passion shone through when he responded to a question 'this job is a passion, what I do day to day enables me to challenge my creativity and that anything is achievable, the only thing stopping something coming to life is you'.

Although all the films he showed us were on low budgets, or even zero budgeted it wasn't obvious at all. He explained that in order to be successful on a low budget, you have to be a person that people want to work with for free. A lot of the time Darren had to rely on friends, co-workers or family to help out. Similarly he would use old props and paint them to make them look new, or raid charity shops to find low cost clothing.

As a class, I felt that everyone could really relate to what Darren was telling us. In some way or other, we have all made our short films on a zero budget and used what we can to make it as successful as we can.

One aspect he spoke about was the editing and he told us about the story where he was editing part of a advert I believe for a company and the producers and directors shot the footage they wanted and gave Darren a short amount of time to edit it all together. This at first I thought was understandable as everyone is working on a countdown to get films and adverts out and published however it wasn't until he started to speak about editing until I understood why it was impossible to get it done in time. He said ''it takes 1 hour for every 1 minute of filming to edit'' therefore say if she was editing a movie, it would take him over 100 hours to edit the film together  therefore the editing is the most time consuming process of the whole cycle. 

Here blow is a link of Darren S Cook talking about the short British film ''Three''. When we was looking and watching some of his short films, it was apparent to me straight away after watching them that ''Three'' is my favourite out of all of them, just because of the comical elements. The plot is so simple, however so funny and the simple storyline just makes the audience interact with that's going on and make them enjoy and appreciate short films.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw3StNd67dI