Evaluation Task 4

Explicitly describe how your skills have develeoped from your initial abilities in the foundation portolfio to the level you have attained in the advanced portfolio?

When I first started my media a level in year 12 I had some previous knowledge of media studies as I had taken it at GSCE level, but compared to the content of the A level it seemed minor knowledge. In year 12 for my AS, I made an opening of a thriller and had to use various new technologies such as tripods, cameras, Pinnacle studio and Photoshop. To gain knowledge in media I had to learn the terminology and media language. We learnt editing techniques, the importance of mise-en-scene, shot types, composition and sound to establish narrative and meaning. Now in year 13 my media knowledge has widely grown and making an A2 production was straight forward as I knew what to expect and what skills and techniques to apply.

For my A2 coursework I worked in a group to produce a film trailer for a thriller/horror hybrid film called ‘The Return’. We followed conventions of the genre such as chiaroscuro lighting, extreme close ups, fast paced music, jump cuts, violent and eerie content and effective sound effects. We spent time looking at previous trailers of films in our genre such as ‘Captivity’ and looked at these key conventions such as their use of fast paced music, effective sound effects and chiaroscuro, and how they all  help establish the genre and explain the narrative.

To plan our production we created a story board so we could visual see the shots and what shot types to use. The story board helped us plan what to film, certain shot types and order the trailer in a way which will help establish the genre. As a group we planned out music, lighting, synopsis, props and costumes. To keep track and plan and record all of our coursework we have used a technology called Blogger which is a blog website, we have posts where we can plan our ideas and edit them as we go along. Blogger allows us to post blogs in a creative and fun way and add pictures and various fonts and colours. It made group work more easy and accessible as we could share posts and send them each other; also making us being able to see our progress more easily as its shows all our individual posts. Blogger enabled us to structure and keep track of our coursework and each labelled post is easy to view but also find.
This year compared to last year was easier to plan as I knew how to create an effective story board, blog, know how the use the digital cameras, which shots look effective and how to order them. As I had previously used this technology in year 12 my skills and techniques have dramatically improved and it was a lot easier to get planning and making the production. To film our trailer we used a digital camera and a tripod, the camera enabled us to capture our idea and look at composition, framing and getting a variety of steady shots. We did this by using the tripod to keep the camera balanced and steady. To edit our footage we uploaded it to Pinnacle studio, we used the automatic light settings on the camera and edited the light afterwards on pinnacle by using chroma key. Pinnacle studio allows us to order the footage, cut down clips and add effects to make out trailer cohere with typical conventions of the genre.

We edited the lighting and gave it a chiaroscuro feel, we did this by increasing the contrast and lowering the brightness, but also by colour correcting the scenes by adding a filter which made the shots darker, to suit the trailers mood and atmosphere. This kind of lighting can be seen in other thrillers such as ‘Se7en’ they used this to highlight the sinister content of the film and create a dark and eerie atmosphere.

A common convention of thriller/horrors is fast paced, tension building music, in the horror film ‘Sinister’ they use eerie music to create tension and fear with the audience we adapted this and added it to ours on Pinnacle. This year I am aware of things that help establish narrative and make it look more realistic, as my skills have progressed and ability to use Pinnacle as increased, I now know how to use pan and zoom effectively and making the speed and the  intensity of the zoom correct. 

As my A2 production is a trailer, I thought motion titles would also be effective in establishing narrative exposition. The titles signify thriller/horror as they are in Serif which is considered to be formal which reflects the content of the film, as the film has a serious subject matter and is dark and gruesome. The titles are also in red which is a very typical colour to use in thriller/horrors as it connotes blood, violence, danger and death.  I was more comfortable using the title effect on Pinnacle this year as I knew how to pick my font, colours and add motion effects such as the ‘city lights’ effect which makes the titles flicker in a line, this is also a key convention of thriller/horrors as it makes them unnerving and signifies ‘disappearing’ linking to the idea of the victims being killed therefore they are disappearing. We found an example of this in the trailer of ‘Captivity’ which also used a similar flickering effect. Our Titles help break up shots, establish narrative exposition and create enigmas that make the audience want to come and see the film for example our titles flickered and ask the rhetorical question of ‘will any survive?’ which grabs the audiences attention and makes them question what will happen.As I was far more comfortable with the technology and post production this time, it enabled me to add new effects and see what I need to make it look realistic.  

 Whilst making our trailer and creating scenes to establish genre, I learnt that genre is a key feature in attracting an audience so we had to convey expected conventions without being simply being boring and repetitive. If the audience are familiar with the genre they will enjoy it. Steve Neale emphasises that ‘pleasure is derived from the repetition and difference’ of a film. The ‘repetition’ is the key conventions used in the same genre in various films which the audience are familiar with. For example, in our production ‘The Return’ my character is dragged down the stairs by the killer which can be seen in other films of the same genre such as ‘The Messengers’ and ‘Paranormal activity’ this is more a horror convention and creates fear and showcases the violence of the killer, though we didn’t see the denouement.

If you want to know what happens you have to go and see it, which is a big enigma to the audience. However the ‘difference’ is the films unique selling point and in our case is the fact that these three female victims all bullied the killer and ruined his life, he ended up getting sectioned and his life broke down but now he’s back to torture and kill each one. We get this across by showing each of the individual victims, alone and isolated and then show the killer has escaped from a high secure mental facility which the audience infer is due to the females bullying him when he was younger, which we show he is seeking revenge. Our plot has depth and many enigmas it had a different angle on the common revenge story and we have created scenes such as a flickering title saying ‘they ruined his life’ then fade to shot of Rizwana tied up and gagged suggesting to the audience he is doing this because of what they did to him.

This year with reference to films, I know the important role the internet and social media sites have with the success of a new film. By having the technology to discuss films and see online reviews it is a key element in enabling the audience to feel involved with the film. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can help widen the audience as it can be seen by people all around the world. It also enables friends to tell friends about their experience of the film and talk about it.  A media theorist, Feur states that ‘other pleasures can be derived from sharing our experiences of a genre with others’ supporting the fact that people like to discuss and share their opinions with others. By having this knowledge we decided to put a Facebook and Twitter site after our film title at the end of our trailer showing the audience that they can go online and read about the film and discuss it with others. Also to augment with the popular sites and create interest but also accessibility to our film. We have made our own website that tells the audience more information on the film and enables them to view pictures and the trailer itself. We created this website using Wix. I struggled when I first attempting to use Wix last year briefly for AS production, however this year I now am comfortable with the technology and know how to use effects such as ‘broken TV’ which distorts the picture when click on a tab which creates an eerie effect and shows the audience it’s a thriller/horror website. We used the same fonts and colours as poster and trailer to create a ‘brand image’ and make the film more recognisable to the audience. Using red, black and white all help establish the hybrid genre.

Overall I think my media skills and media knowledge have dramatically improved from last year when it comes to technology, knowledge of semiotics and media language, various software’s and effective edits and skills. I felt more comfortable and relaxed making my A2 production as I knew what to expect and how to dramatically improve from last year. My work standard this year is a lot higher than last year as I was considerably better at using the camera, Blogger, Wix and Pinnacle. I can say that I have greatly improved from last year and feel more confident in the subject.