Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to your full product?

In our preliminary task we learnt how to use the camera and set up the tripod. We were also found out how to use the camera and how to film and edit a short scene and understanding the different types of shot. This was very helpful as it gave us an idea of what was required from us in the preliminary task. We were set this task to create a fluent piece of filming before making our actual film opening to ensure our capability and for general practise. 

Our preliminary task involved filming and shooting three different types of shot; the one 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and a man on action shot. . In this exercise the majority of the shots we used were medium shots and close-up shots. After planning the shots we were going to use we started filming. We experimented with a range of shots and rather than coming up with dialogue we decided to focus on getting the shot right. 

The first shot is the Man of Action; 

This shot is where you have a character doing an action for instance eating an IceCream or driving a car. Then the shot would be either panning out to a wider view of a whole crowd eating ice-cream either and the location can be anywhere from a park to a carnival. Likewise if you had a character who was driving the next shot would be a very wide shot either of a motorway or just somewhere in a many people driving cars. 

The second shot is a Shot Reverse Shot: 

Shot reverse shot is a where one character is shown looking at another character most time they are off-screen, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other. This shot is very effective in my option because it add a great deal of perspective into the frame. 

The last shot is the 180 Degree Rule: 

The 180-degree rule enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immediate subject and is important in the narration of battle scenes. However in our case we didn’t use it for an action shot. It is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. If the camera passes over the axis, it is called jumping the line or crossing the line. 

We decided to film the short task in the media hall way however when we finished and looked back at the footage we realised that we had broken the 180 degree rule so we had to film it all over again. The second time we chose to film in L block, we filmed according to plan but once again when we looked back on the footage we had broken the 180 degree rule. The third time we filmed at the same place but we changed a few things around, and we finally got it right. 

As my role as editor, I learnt how to use the software Final cut pro to edit the footage and after that we uploaded the footage onto our YouTube account and put in onto blogger.

How did you attract/address your audience?

The way in which I attracted my audience is through the music that was used throughout my film. It was that of the urban/rap genre. This is the type of music that my target audience (stereotypically) would listen to. As if I used up beat, happy sounding music then it would not fit the genre. The soundtrack has to reflect the type of mood you are trying to represent and the type of mood you are giving of so the film as a whole will flow smoother and would be easier to follow. In the case of Hollywood and Blockbuster institutes they would have many different people who go out and do the market research. The term 'Market Research' was used loosely, to say that they would have people who go out and do studies to determine who, the target audience is and what sort of things catch their attention. By understanding the interest, habits and lifestyles when it comes down to film viewings of the audiences I am trying to reach, e.g. African- American, Asian-American, Latino-Americans British people and other ethnicities and races. Questions have to be asked: What do they like? When is the best time to present programs? What is the best age to cater to? Where is the film to be shot? Who are the key people to include in this action packed film (or whatever genre you are using)?

The second step is to review, for instance; what sort of budget do you have? How do you integrate what you’ve learned via the market research? This is important to highlighting the essence having institutional support so that you can actually achieve a final out come. I Begun to shape the storyboard after all of the things were thought of to mold the basis of my film. Incorporating a ‘bottom line’ a term used to describe the themes and ideas trying to be portrayed —which in this case was the perception of youth in a deprived London area. To set my aims clearly, I defined them at an early stage. It is the ongoing problem with violence and crime how different genders are perceived and to see whether it evolve over time. Ultimately of course, my goal is to welcome these new audiences to watch my film in order to tackle all the issues and problem raised throughout my film. In short, attracting a diverse audience requires creating a mission within an the storyline. It should then become a part of the fabric of your film. It means building support based on shared interests, so that the audience enjoys productions that reflect their culture and are secure enough to explore others.

The storyline is based around a female protagonist who is obsessed with a caught up doing the wrong things with the wrong people. The storyline is also based around the lives of young adults and their everyday lives. For example, in the opening of our film I the preparation that young adults make when going to study whether it be via Secondary School, Sixth For or College, or even University, a scene which represents problems the intense preparation youths have to endure for getting their education, and even a scene which represents regret, in which will relate to most young people. The props used in the opening of the film are also used to attract audiences. The clothes being worn in the opening are very trendy and casual representing their age. Along with this props such as hoods, beanies, and dark colored clothes that are used to show that they are young people. Props such as knives and violence are used to show young people and how some get involved in crime the issue of the importance constantly being raised at the moment. Yet again all of these things will attract young audiences, as they will be able to relate to these particular props and implied props.

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

Every Hollywood movie, from the blockbuster films to the retro films has a process they go through to reach their final film. The common denominator is the editing process is of cutting down hundreds of hours of video footage into a cohesive, entertaining final product. It used to be done by physically cutting and pasting film together. However it is the 21^st century so it’s all done by nonlinear editing software like Final Cut Pro which basically means that a filmmaker can jump around his project, adding and cutting material as easily as cutting and pasting text in Microsoft word processor. It is amazing how technology has evolved in such a short time.

Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and later Apple Inc. provides non-linear, non-destructive editing of any QuickTime-compatible video format including DV, HDV, P2 MXF (DVCProHD), XDCAM (via plug-in), and 2K film formats. It supports a number of simultaneously composited video tracks which are limited mainly by video format and hardware capability; up to 99 audio tracks can be added; multi-camera editing for combining video from multiple camera sources; as well as standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions. Final Cut was shown in private room demonstrations for the very first time in 1998 after Macromedia pulled out of the main show floor.

During the process of the construction of my film, I have learnt many more things and my knowledge of Final Cut has increased dramatically over the duration of the editing process. At the start of the process importing a clip proved very difficult then I found out how to do it and I wanted to be ahead of the so after the lesson I looked up tutorials to find out the basic skills on Final Cut. I researched how to import clips and also how to load videos that were on iMovie. iMovie played an important part in the process of my editing as that was where the clips were important from then once they had been loaded they had to be exported out iMovie to the media drive. Once it was on the media drive it could finally be loaded onto Final Cut.

Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" re-branding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS6 is the 13th major release of Adobe Photoshop. The CS re-branding also resulted in Adobe offering numerous software packages containing multiple Adobe programs for a reduced price. Adobe Photoshop is released in two editions: Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Photoshop Extended, with the Extended having extra 3D image creation, motion graphics editing, and advanced image analysis features. Adobe Photoshop Extended is included in all of Adobe's Creative Suite offerings except Design Standard, which includes the Adobe Photoshop edition. Photo shop was used to edit the voice-overs on video however the process was a little difficult.

YouTube also played a very important role in the start, as that is where the institutional logo was extracted.  However there was more than one institutional logo. The first was from Cipher films; the next was Stealth films and then Motherland, my film. YouTube was also useful for getting the heart beat and then it was edited on iMovie the pitched was decreased to give it the real bass even though it is a mere heartbeat. It is interesting how in just the 10 years of YouTube’s existence, how it has made such an impact in the world. It has made careers and I’m sure it has broken careers. Over the years the introduction of technologies has made lives of millions of people much simpler to the point now most people don’t know how to live without it.

*Definitions taken from Wikepedia.

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

The institution that would be most likely to distribute my film is British film companies because the product is highly dedicated to suit British situations however, having said that this film is very generic and the themes and ideas are generic. Which means that most institutions would be able to put my show on air. The film is about struggle and hardship, which is not specific to just one specific area or country because, every country has their own version of hardship and struggle and people in similar positions.  So even the major film institutions would be able to produce films to a similar genre to my film.

However having said that when researching films of similar genre I found that there were institutions that filmed the same genre but shipped it to other European countries like Holland.

Cipher Films are the company that was part of the production process for both Kidulthood and Adulthood. The type of films distributed by Cipher films are all about Mobsters/Gangster and the plot always seems to involve either Prostitutes, Gun Crime, Gangs and Violence. All of their productions are based in London (with the exception of one). The target audience would appeal to the target audience because that is the sort of film/ Tv they would be interested in. The gritty, hardcore London in which even if they cannot directly relate to it the will be able to understand the themes and ideas.



For example the film titled "All Things To All Men" is a smart, engaging film, hitting a confident stride right away, in its attitude to London, taking on the big, iconic locations without looking touristy. Rufus Sewell is Parker, a bent copper looking into a cocaine case, but his interest goes beyond making a collar. By nicking a medium-level villain Mark Corso (Pierre Mascolo) on charges that he can withdraw later if he wishes, Parker has a leverage on his father, crime lord Joseph, played with menace and gravitas by Gabriel Byrne. In return for springing his son, Parker wants Corso Sr to do him a favour concerning a thief, Riley, played by Toby Stephens.

So from that brief synopsis we can see the similarities and differences between Motherland and All Things To All Men. but most importantly we can see the link which is the production company and the type of Gangster/Drama films they produce.

Who is my target audience for your media product?

Since my film is of the genre Coming of age, my target audience is the youth of today as they are the only people who can directly relate to the themes and ideas of Motherland. Although youth is term in this case used very loosely as you can range from the ages of 13 right through until 25 years old. When you are that age you see and hear things that parents would fear if they found out, all the things that parents try and protect their child from love, drink, drugs, money, gangs, violence and sex they will have witnessed many of those things if not all. So even though not all of the things mentioned were addressed in motherland the broad ones were, which included drugs, violence, gangs and money.

So my target audience extends right until the age of 25 as I tried to broaden the audience as wide as I could without offending anyone with stereotypes. Here I have a picture of my suggested target audience. My target audience is a typical teenage in the prime of their youth with not much to worry about.

My target audience will have one if not many of these traits (if we are to base it on stereotypes); Flashy, Self-Absorbed, Narcissistic, maturity varies, always out to impress and very opinionated. However those are just stereotypical traits. This is not to say that all teenagers are flashy or self absorbed. 

Bomber jackets, Dark hoods, a lot of black in the frame. Why you ask this may be? The answer is simple, as  time goes by society has a big influence on what the individuals in that society have witnessed. For example if a popular artist is seen wearing flashy brands, hood and expensive clothes then it will be inevitable that those who look up to that celebrity will start copying the brands they are wearing regardless of the circumstances and whether they can afford all those brands.

To conclude it doesn’t not matter what gender or sex, youth will be able to relate in their own way as we all struggle and no one goes through life without hardship, as no one is has the perfect life and I have built on that  throughout my film opening.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Stereotypical Interpretation

My opening is very stereotypical as the idea that Afro-Caribbean population in London are all a menace to society.  The two types of the population have associated with one ethnicity group. On one side the positive side of those people who are good people who just get mixed up with the wrong people in the hope for a better and slightly easier life. However on the other side the select few who choose to permanently live their life in crime. From an early age these members of society have decided to fuel their lives by crime, as it is the “easiest” way to get money, some people in these social groups are so desperate to gain the finer things in life, that they are willing to take the risk despite knowing the consequence.

During my opening these two types of personality have been reflected through my two characters. The first personality (shown through the character of Del) is genuinely innocent but somewhere down the line got mixed up with the wrong people so she is forced to the point where it has got out of hand leaving her defenseless looking for a way out. On the other hand there are those who fully know the consequence of what they are doing but choose to do it anyway. This could be down to different situations, which include;

1. They joined a gang
2. Or it could be a case of revenge. 
3. Due to their financial background
4. It could be down to emotional trauma. 

But rather than following all the different types of stereotype I felt that I would revers the gender stereotype to try change the representation of women in media showing that women as a whole can be just as rough and vicious as men because some people overlook women when it comes down to the issue of violence due to the fact that women are meant to be ‘inferior’ compared to men. If we are to look at the representation of women 100 years ago.....


 .So in my 2-minute opening I have touched onto a controversial topic switching the balance on what is “normal” and what isn’t. The link to my target audience is that I have raised issues they may be able to level with in some way.  I challenged the stereotypical representation of women by making the heroin the main character and only a minor male role. The representation of women in the media has changed over time for example women are seen as more independent now, films are now becoming to the idea of female characters being stronger and more independent.