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

The titles at the beginning are inspired by other films, such as action-drama movies. The titles turn from red writing to a black and white effect when it says “The Robbery”, this gives the effect of the title fading, which gives the feeling of mystery.


Inspirations by other media products-

Image-

At one point we also got inspired by “The Peep Show”- in the film, when Rachel is sat down discussing the robbery plan, she looks straight at the camera from Philippa´s point of view, this is something used in the dialogs in “The Peep Show”, and we thought this is a good idea to use in our film as it show a sense of superiority from Philippa actually looking directly at Rachel, and it’s also an interesting shot to use as it was always Rachel’s point of view being used in other shots so we can now “see things” from Philippa´s point of view so that the viewers are "in the shoes" of both characters and therefore we can identify better with both characters.


Sound-

I came up with the idea after watching my 14 year old brother play a “Rayman” game on the Play station 2 which whilst the character was running with bomb in his hand, the “Misirlou” song was playing in the background, and as I recognised the song and thought it was very well matched up with the action on the screen, I also thought it would have the same effect when Rachel runs away in “The Robbery”.

The reason why we put the door and the noise of it shutting twice is because parts of this film, were seen twice from a different point of view (for example when the CCTV camera “sees” Rachel looking down the corridor checking that there is no one there when being followed, even though we had already seen her do that from a point of view shot) and we wanted to carry on with the same theme to make the film more interesting. It also gives an effect of continuation how a third character, in this case the audience, would see it fully from both sides of the door.


Using the 180 degree rule-

The 180· rule was mainly used at the beginning of the film and in the “meeting” room: this is because these are the moments where Rachel is the most orientated, and we wanted the audience to feel the same so that they would be more drawn in the film by identifying their feelings with Rachel’s.
And the 180· rule isn’t used as much when she runs away, this is the point where she is confused, so the viewers will also be confused as to what direction she is going to take; so these camera shots were chosen to create an effect of urgency and confusion which we can identify with.


The rule of thirds-
















We mainly aimed to use the rule of thirds in most shots to make them more interesting and more natural for the viewer to see. This also helped add objects we needed to create the scene, and so we can also see these objects in the screen.
A great example to show this was when Rachel first came into the room, and both robbers started discussing Rachel’s delay; here Rachel’s head occupies one third of the screen on the right whilst Philippa is at a mid-close-up so we can see her action of looking at her watch whilst we can see the expression on her face as she speaks.


Match on action-

The match on action was used in total 3 times;






























At the start when Rachel steps over the camera, we wanted to create the effect of the audience being involved in “The Robbery” as part of the school, we are following her footsteps as if someone is overtaking us and we are following her around the school.

Another time we used match on action was when Rachel first runs away, when she realises she is being followed.
This shot was very convenient because we didn’t count on equipment which we could use to see Rachel running towards the camera as the camera tracks her and moves along with her; so we used a match on action which could also show where she was actually running, because it would have become too disorientating for the viewers if they can’t see where she is heading.

Plus the fact that we can also see what the “other character” (the follower) could see for a few seconds, and we have also followed her through CCTV cameras (black and white screen) when she was sneaking around the corridors and stairways.

The door match on action when she arrives at the room has been split into a total of 4 shots to create a bigger impression when door closes.
We thought this would give a good chance for the music to stop at a definite place that shows the “fun is over”/”action is over” when the door slams shut. We recorded the door being open and shut twice (once from each side of the door). We wanted the music to also finish in a more fun way instead of just ending it dryly and with no flow.

Other shots used-

In the first ever shot of the film we had to make sure it was framed in such a way the audience would be impacted by the sudden appearance of the feet, we had to make sure it wasn’t too far away so that it wouldn’t give an impact, but not too near so that we can’t identify the action of the feet falling on the floor suddenly and the legs flexing.

We used a 360 degree turn at a low angle on a close-up of Rachel’s face when she is confused about what direction to move in when she is being followed, this was the only time we didn’t use the 180 degree rule as the character is confused about what direction to move in and so we wanted the audience to feel like that to so that they would feel more integrated in the film.

The close-up of Rachel’s smile (when she is in the corridor about to get found out) is meant to shows confidence that her plan is working before she is being found out. This shot could have been improved having a bit more of a close-up on the mouth and slight low angle shot to show she is now authoritarian and that she isn’t being that careful anymore because she feels more superior than the school and the viewer.

The reason why we didn’t make the shots shorter and snappier at the start of the film is because we wanted to create tension during the scene where no-one knows why Rachel is sneaking around the school but her.

This effect was also intensified with the long note music accompanying the scene; so right from the start the viewer feels involved in the film even though they are not quite sure what’s happeninng.

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

Who are they represented?-

“The Robbery” represents lower school teen-age students around year 10, our characters represent the “rebels” and the robbery plan is to steal Miss. Greenway’s glasses so that she cannot check up on their uniform.

Why?-

This is shown specially in the dialogue when Rachel asks “so what the whole point of this anyway?” which is a question the viewers will want to know the answer to, and it shows that in this “gang” Philippa is the leader as she is the one who the question is being asked, when she answers "so that Miss. Greenway won’t know we are not wearing our ties" it shows their attitude, and by using a high angle shot it shows a different view of dialogue that we haven’t seen before, which emphasises she is the boss and that she is also with a relaxed attitude about the robbery.

We have used these “rebels” as a bad example from the point of view of the CCTV cameras and the "follower", even at times (specially at the start) the viewers themselves would have seen them as people that are up to no good. But on the other hand, when we see it from the robbers’ point of view (Rachel and Philippa) we see them as fun people which need a break from wearing ties, and are staying late at the school for a mission.It shows another side to them which then makes the viewer think that they are there for a very important purpose for them (even though it’s meant to be comical), so that they are not prejudiced against the intelligence of these more rebellious students.It adds a bit of humour onto a subject that people are annoyed about; it shows to what lengths the students will go to not wear their proper uniform.

And it also shows that the school is always watching you which adds a "big brother" effect, that you can’t get away with doing anything against the rules (CCTV cameras, sneaking around etc) and that they want to get out of that (symbolising it as the glasses), it is almost as if the teenagers have grown up to be part of an "007" film.

But at the end of the day we can also sympathise with the characters, making them seem less tough and confident than they were when they thought they where alone and that the plan was going smoothly, but also, it follows some stereotypes as you suspect that they are up to something and that teenagers are always getting into trouble and this is the same here.

But because at the end they get caught, the audience may feel a bit sorry for them as they were doing so well, but this also adds excitement to the film.

She also shows that by giving Rachel authoritarian instructions such as “I want you in and out as quick as possible” as she snaps her fingers, and all that Rachel has to say is “ok...”, creating contrast between these two characters.

How did the mise-on-scene help the identification?-

They are both dressed casually because they are not meant to be in school at those hours, and that is the reason why they have to be so secretive.

So even though that they are both in the same robbery plan we can pick out who is taking it more seriously (Philippa) and who is having more fun out of it (Rachel). This can attract more audience types to liking this film as they can identify themselves with both characters as they are both different but still part of the same plan.
Also when Rachel says “right” and nods casually shows a contrast between her being "the action behind the brains" and Philippa being efficient and the "brains" of the plan, by pointing as she speaks at the plan that she had previously prepared.


Rachel-

As Rachel also wears the black trousers, and we only see this when getting first impressions of her in the film, which when sneaking around the school makes her seem more suspicious as we identify black clothes with robbers in other films.

Also, her bright blue top gives a sense of youth and the fact that it is loose on her it shows she is relaxed and confident about what she is doing; so we had to show this attitude with the clothes as she doesn’t talk to anyone for most of the film, we had to make sure we gave the right body language for the viewers to understand how she was feeling.
Rachel is more like the "action behind the brains" because she didn’t bother asking till the last minute which was the point in doing the robbery.

Also the fact that she says "anyway, show me the plans" and then pushes her towards the table to avoid getting told off by Philippa about being followed, it shows she doesn’t like being told off and just wants to move on with their plan as it is a bit of fun for her.

Philippa-

What Philippa is wearing makes her more “business like” which reflects comically their serious intensions, showing she is the “brain” behind the plan.

Philippa is obviously more serious and business-like from the start, whilst Rachel has dramatic music being played whilst being followed, Philippa wants to get the job done from the start ("where have you been?!") showing that Philippa is the "brains" behind the robbery and that Rachel accepts doing the” dirty work" and following instructions from Philippa.
The first time we see Philippa she is standing behind the door reading the time whilst Rachel is opening the door to go in the room, it shows she wants things to be done on time and she is obviously more worried when she says "be more careful next time, if they find out it will be the end of us!".
Philippa wears darker and more serious clothes than Rachel, showing she is trying to be more secretive too. And she wears silver jewellery (necklace and watch) which makes her seem more “posh” than Rachel is.


Follower-

At one point, in the background we see a smartly dressed man walking into the room opposite where they are, and this is the school keeper which is actually following Rachel, and they walk away from the door just before he can see them, this causes a bit of tension as us (audience) know something they or the keeper knows.
He wears much smarter clothes to show he is meant to be more authoritarian than them and the fact that he can just walk straight into the room without checking first re- assures the viewer he is the school keeper so there are no doubts.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The kind of media institution that might distribute my film is a company which may show short clips like mine, maybe as an example for other media student doing the same course which may be interested in some shots I use in my film.

I do not think there would be a cost to view this film, because it is only used as an example for students in the same course as I am.

These sort of shots used in my film where inspired partly in scenes of these types of series; such as when Rachel was followed by CCTV cameras was similar to. Or where her eyes “peep” round the corner checking no one else is following her.

These scenes are exciting and contain action, which which we think would attract more audience types.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience of this film is both males and females as it is a film that uses drama but also "social life" will appeal both genders, as non of these appeals to one gender in particular.


What age?

I think people who will be interested to see this film would be teenagers because these are the audiences that understand the character’s minds; any age from 12 to late teens are more likely to watch and enjoy the film as they may experience this in their everyday lives and know people who act like this, or even act and think the same as them.

















(What teenager has not shown this attitude before?)


I think an audience that would also like to see the film is middle age teachers and parents who might have an interest to know what these kids think like; specially people that can relate to these characters like parents with children that come across these kind of children everyday.

I don't think that elderly people, such as grandparent and younger children will understand the situation and way of thinking of the characters in the film. So by not understanding, which means this film will not appeal to them.


What would the audience’s interest would be?

Maybe people that like humorous films or/and action films will enjoy this one even more because we tried to make it more appealing for a wider range of people by adding mystery (at the start), action (when Rachel runs away) and humour (in the dialogue).


















(mystery)

















(action)

















(humor)



Maybe People who watch TV programmes such as "doctor who", "Hollyoaks" or "skins", would be the ideal audience for this kind of film; it could be part of a drama series, current affairs (gangs, problems in family life, drugs, rebels).

There is also music in it which young people may like (Misirlou when Rachel is being followed is an example which people in the younger generations may know of better and therefore like the music choice for the film; which is an important aspect to film-making).

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Lots of effects we had to use to draw the audience into the film, such as:

Audio effects-

Right from the start we used long notes for music which already created a mysterious atmosphere whilst showing the credits (first 15 seconds), the effects are all smooth but bold in colour so that the audience will be intrigued from the start to find out what is happening.

We had to make the audience feel involved in the robbery even as a third person who is watching them, and other moments we had to make the audience sympathise with the characters; for example when they get caught at the end.

We also managed to fit the music in such a way that the rhythm and sounds of the song would fit together with the actions done; for example when Rachel appears round the corner, in the escape scene, the music slows down gradually just for that one bit, and starts to speed up when using a point of view shot as she checks down the corridors.

Visual effects-

At first we do not see who has entered the school, so it emphasises the mystery in the film, but once we see Rachel’s identity on the CCTV camera the audience can now identify with her drawing them slowly into the film. The choice of music we selected was one which people can identify with maybe from watching other films or TV programmes; when we decided to use “Misirlou” (used in scene where Rachel is being followed) we knew that lots of people our age would recognise this and would identify the music with the actions. We knew this from the “Rayman” games I explained above.

(first time we see Rachel’s face, we are part of the school keeping a close eye on her)


We loved the point of view shot at that moment because we got so into the character at this point we felt like we almost wanted to turn our heads along with hers to check there is no-one there.

(Rachel’ s point of view during the following)

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt how to use a camera as this was my first time ever using one.
I have learned little techniques along the way and also the importance of every aspect in filming.


It’s all about the music-

The music is a very important aspect to the film making; the audience not only like to see the film, but music also creates the right tension or atmosphere that I tried to express through the film, for example: right from the start when the titles appear the only 2 or 3 notes used which create the right tension I’m looking for so that the audience is drawn into the film, With iMovie this task was made easy to get the music exactly where we wanted and how loud we wanted it to play.

I think I should have used a few more audio effects at the start of the film whilst Rachel sneaked around the school, this would have created more little moments of sudden tension to build up a tenser atmosphere and the long note would become more in the background than taking centre stage.















(more audio effects in these shots would have intensified the drama)



It’s all about the image-

I have learnt the importance of framing all shots correctly so that the audience can see the action, which builds up a character and builds the essential detail to the storyline with the body language where they are not talking.

In the process I learned that framing shots using the rule of thirds gave extra material for the audience to pick up on, which added mise-on-scene, which is very important to create the right mood in the film.

















(this shot shows where she is heading using the rule of thirds)


It’s all about the editing-

The fact that they are very slow also built the tension up very slowly with it, and then the sudden contrast was emphasised in the change of music and volume of the music which I learnt to do using iMovie; this helped express our ideas and story much easier than adding more visuals, which then made the stories easier to follow, and it also meant we weren’t in need of microphones because we could manipulate the sounds ourselves! I have been able to lower down and increase the volumes gradually and introducing a new sound when I needed to with the help of the iMovie´s technology, which then again helped create the right atmosphere we need to express.

We also used one effect at the very end of the film whilst Rachel and Philippa are going over what they need to do for the robbery plan, this one was used as a comical ending for a massive contrast of seriousness when they get found out, this sound was actually found on the iMac itself. The sound we used was called “forest” and the reason for choosing this one was to symbolise that whatever they had to talk about was meant to be “top secret!” and we are not allowed to listen in. But we still let in a bit of muttering from them so that we can’t tell what their plans are exactly, but that they re talking and discussing, we did this by increasing the "forest" sound and lowering the "muttering".















(from whitnessing)
















(to being involved/ caught)


So here the audience is treated as a third person witnessing their robbery plans just before they get found out, which makes the change from comical and not being too involved anymore to sudden seriousness and sense of being very involved and having empathy for the robbers.































(these shots are added to enphathise drama in the scene but also have a purpose of continuity in the film)

Something which I also found very useful is that I could use the same shot separate in different places, so I could have little shots added in the master shot; which meant that when it came to editing the film I could make better effects, which improved the film overall, for example when doing the match on action of the door I only filmed the door twice, being opened and closed twice but to create a “quick” continuity effect in the sequence I split both clips into two parts and connected all four to create a match on action which had different points of view; this blended well with the scene and I could also be very picky about where I wanted to cut the film (thanks to the very specific iMovie), so that they would cause a good continuous effect making this bit of the film more interesting.


There are two shots in the film which were deliberately made to be black and white; this is meant to represent a CCTV camera spying on Rachel.

But unfortunately there wasn’t another visual effect we could use to show this was a CCTV camera, for example it would have been good to have a pretend effect of a camera recording on that shot plus the black and white effect.

I tried using a subtitle effect which said “Gordano school cam 4” in green writing on the bottom left hand side of the screen, but it didn’t look convincing (it looked a bit odd in the situation) and it would have ruined the overall effect by making it look comical when it was meant to represent tension.

So we stuck on just zooming in and out again on the first time we see Rachel’s face in black and white that ended up looking more realistic than adding too many other visual effects.

The editing of the film was easier and more professional thanks to the iMac.
I had used windows movie maker before, but when it came to cutting the individual shots short iMac was very useful to as how specific I wanted the cut to be, as I could zoom right into the clip time bar; this meant I could create very good effects and make continuity from one shot to another with every slim cuts in the film to cover up any imperfections.































(two different shots with good continuity thanks to slim cut editing)

First time blog writing =D

I was forced to create this blog by Mr.Alvarez (my media teacher) and by Maz sitting next to me...... and my MEDIA DUTIES!!!! =D

hope everyone enjoys the media work added on to here and COMMENT!!!!! a