Evaluation
1. In what way does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products?
Our film incorporates generic conventions by referencing to older films through shots and story structure to identify the product with its genre, for example in the last scene of our product the main character starts to train in a boxing gym which does reference to all other boxing films like “Rocky” and “Ali” which both have scenes which take place in a boxing gym.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The main social groups in our media product are male dominated and in particular males who are in the sport of boxing. The main character, Mike, at first seems like a particularly passive person with the way he act around his boss of whom is stereotypically macho. However later on in the scene it becomes apparent that all the males, including Mike are stereotypical in their anger towards each other in the press conference. Another social group is also shown briefly in our product and that is the journalist and are represented as well presented and somewhat noisy in which to get the best question first. The main social group may appeal to the target audience because when we see a film with a macho male actor, we automatically assume that there is going to be violence and bloodshed.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
This product probably would not be produced by a major Hollywood Studio because our product doesn’t seem to be the type of film that would appeal to a Hollywood studio. I say this because the boxing genre seems a bit out of date at this day also our film is a very local production.
This film would be an art house film because it has a lot of the properties that other art house films, like “Me and Orson Welles” has, whereas it has a element of social drama which a lot of art house films have and also has a main storyline topic, which is boxing
It may not offer opportunities for franchise and merchandising because the topics the film lends itself to that type of advertising, however it can lend itself to product placement because there are opportunities for things like sports labels and drinks companies to place their products in the film and this would not disrupt the mise-en-scene of the film.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for our film would be anyone who is 15 or above mainly due to the bloodiness of the boxing matches. However, the film itself represents more of a social drama set around the boxing ring and would appeal more to people who like social dramas and independent films.
I would say the films our film is similar to are Rocky, Ali and 8 Mile. The first two films are similar because they follow the life of one boxer however 8 mile is the odd one because it isn’t about a boxer but a rapper. Despite the major difference the story is almost the same because it’s about someone trying to get accepted in to a social group.
The classification criteria that would be most suited for our film would be certificate 15 because of strong language and violence. Also there are some themes within this film like crime that would not be suited for anyone under the age of 15.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
The audience for our product is anyone over the age of 15 and most parts of the film suggests this. However, the violent parts of the film, such as the boxing matches, would appeal more to the male audience and may be more suited to the younger end of the audience. Although the social aspect of the film would appeal to older viewers of the film and would appeal to both genders equally. The criminal aspect of this film would not be suitable for anyone under the age of 15 because they may take away the wrong message from this aspect and could even imitate this aspect and this could cause outrage in a community.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of construction your product?
During the making of our product we used a same handheld camera and a standard tripod
and the advantages are that the fact they are small and light, this made them easier to transport. Also because they were small they were easier to used and also easier to film with. Unfortunately we discover that if the light conditions weren’t perfect the camera was prone to go in and out of focus and also the picture quality wasn’t the best you can get. We also had to re-shoot some parts of our product because of mistakes we made and we used a HD camera because the type we used before were not available. The advantages of this camera were the picture quality was very good and a lot better than the smaller camera and it didn’t go in and out of focus automatically. The downside of the larger camera was the size and weight of it which made it very hard to transport and it needed a special tripod as well which also made it hard to transport unless you had a car. Also the layout of the buttons was more complicated than the smaller camera and this made it take longer to figure out how to set the camera up for recording.
We tried to shoot the product’s scenes in order of appearances in the film. There were not too many problems during the first day of filming as we set up the camera filmed the shot and continued in that manner. However all of the day’s problems came at the end as we discovered that the camera had a faulty part and we had failed to notice it and as a result the camera didn’t capture any of the footage we had made. To resolve that problem we replaced the camera and any other parts that were faulty and checked the replacement equipment, we also arranged to re-shoot the scene we had shot that day and we also decided that we would check our equipment before filming and checked if the camera had captured the footage after the filming.
The editing software we used was called “final cut express”, which is a form of editing software which is designed for the Apple Mac. We found it quite simple to use however we did need some help when applying the titles to our film and we found that editing the sound i.e. the dialogue we found that we had made the whole film seem to run smoother.
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full project?
For the planning stage of our film production we had to decide what type film we were going to do. And by a voting of 3 to 1 in our group of 4, we decided to do a boxing film. I was the one who voted against the idea for a boxing film in favor of a horror film because I felt that it would be simpler to portray in the two minute allowance that we had for this project. We did some research in to the film genre as in we look at some other boxing films and then we made treatment of our film. We then spilt the work load up between the group so some of us were scripting and others were organizing the locations for shooting. This detailed planning gave us an outline for the shooting of the film because there were predictable going to be some involuntary changes for example there were some subtle changes to the script and we didn’t do some of the shot we had planned because there were too hard to film.
Our use of shots has improved as we tried during filming to make it as easy as possible keep the match on action and continuity going during editing. We did this by noting down movements the actors did in the shots and we gave instructions to the actors to do their best to repeat their movements which wasn’t easy because some of the movements were involuntary, however these issues were eventually solved in the editing room.
I feel very confident with the equipment and as a result I did the majority of the camera work and I was able to do the shots that we wanted. However we could have used external microphones to make the sound quality that little bit better than it is on the film.
I feel that the end product was somewhat successful with the usage of the camera work and editing. However it didn’t fulfill the task as well as I had hoped because I feel that it didn’t make enough of a reference to the genre of which is a boxing film. Saying that I do feel that we have done very well with the time and resources we had.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Evaluation (Pictures won't show up)
Media Evaluation
Our media product, A 2 minute opening of a sports drama named ‘The Redemption’, themed around the sub-genre of Boxing.
1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products?
The film we made incorporates a number of generic conventions for films of its type, One main reason is that there are no Female main characters conveying that the film is very male oriented, this is normal for films of its type so therefore develops the generic conventions of boxing films. Our film is very similar to other fight films, Such as the classic film ‘Fight Club’, which is very male oriented therefore giving a macho feel, The film also features a lot of Blood/Violence which our full film would contain, Whereas in the first 2 minutes the only Violence is mild, As ‘Mike Dawson’ punches a bag with extreme force and has a tense moment with Vladimir Zhirkov as a fight is about to break out. The film also contains a lot of cliché props and settings that would be seen in many boxing films, the most noticeable being the boxing gym that we used for filming, Which contained punch bags and training mats we also brought boxing gloves which are normally used as the main point of iconography in a boxing film.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our film shows a number of stereotypical views on certain groups, Such as the fact that the 2 minute film contains no Female main characters, with only one female speaking role; this is consistent with the stereotype that most sports do not contain women even in the film industry, thus showing a stereotype that men are dominant and women passive. This coincides with the target audience which is mainly male with a small percentage being female, and the violence and fighting may attract a more teenage audience. Characters in our film are also rather stereotypical, with the main rival of Mark Dawson being a very tall Russian who has a ruthless persona, Which compares well with the villain from Rocky IV ‘Ivan Drago’ (see below), also people who are seen to be working class in our film can be noticed by simple cheap looking clothes which is a stereotype seen with small towns. Coach Barry Howard is also meant to be the oldest character in the film which can be known by the old cardigan and hat that he wears throughout, maybe showing older characters as poorer.
3. What Kind of Media Institution might distribute your media product and why?
The film we made is shown to be very low budget and would have little to no chance of being noticed by a big film company e.g. Hollywood, and therefore would need to either be produced independently or by a very small company, Advertisement would also be a small job with the fact that it is a very small budget, And therefore would have to be advertised through posters made by us, Word Of Mouth or viral campaigns on sites such as ‘YouTube’ where trailers could be released. The chance of this being released in a cinema therefore are very low and would either be released straight onto DVD, or Blu Ray if it got enough copies bought, Or maybe even would be played on late night film showings on websites such as Film 4, Also websites that exist now like Love Film mean that small films can get downloaded online and make money from it.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The film’s main audience would be males from the age of 15 to 30 , with a very small percent being female, people may watch the film under the age of 15, But the film contains a 15 Certificate due to Violence and Crime Themes, the boundaries of film classification were found on the bbfc website,
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/recent/films
.
The male focus of the film is due to stereotypes that most women would avoid sports films which was backed up by the Questionnaires we printed off very early in the film process, but a small female following may happen due to female sport oriented films such as ‘Million Dollar Baby’ or maybe even due to watching female athletes strive for the best in things such as the Olympics.
I Think the film could get a rather large local following due to the main character being from Barnsley and battling his way from the bottom back to his position as Champion, Which a lot of people who don’t live locally would like too because everybody loves an underdog story.
Other films similar to ours that would attract a similar audience include the obvious ‘Rocky’ series, Fighting and 8 Mile, all of which depict a character fighting his way to the top in their own ways.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Our audience was attracted through a number of means; the audiences we expect are 15 to 25 year olds with ages above that starting to lose interest due to actors whom they had never seen or a plot that simply doesn’t appeal to them.
Our female audience is attracted due to the fact that one main character in our film ‘Charlotte Taylor’ has a very strong personality which can even be observed in the 2 minute start we made, Because even though she is surrounded by lots of men and two intimidating boxers she still manages to ask her question without losing a smile, This would appeal to women because of the stereotype breaking strong woman image.
Local people may be drawn into the film by the Main protagonist also being local and rising through the ranks to become champion, showing that even people from a small town like Barnsley can reach up and achieve something big.
Whereas on the other had the main Antagonist being Russian may put off some foreign people due to a big stereotypical look at Russians being big and violent, as well as the fact that the character shows a very stereotypical image of Russians, Wearing a leather/fur coat with wild hair, Foreign people may also be put off by the fact that the character doesn’t have the protagonist role and is instead seen as the bad guy, which seems to be a recurring pattern in films.
Action fans may be drawn in by the very tense scenes , like the slightly cliché scene of ‘Vlad’ and ‘Mike’ staring each other out with point of view shots with a heartbeat in the background , which builds a lot of tension for what may happen next.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?
The equipment we used during filming was capable with only a few minor faults, But one major fault was that the tapes that fit in the handicam that we used was very flimsy and broke during our first corridor scene that we had to reshoot later on, But the handicam was very easy to use requiring little to no help with. Which contrasts completely with the HD Camera that we used for some scenes, this was complicated and we needed quite a bit of help with it, it was also very heavy unlike the handicam so bringing it to film the Gym scene would have been impossible.
But the difference between the cameras used can be seen easily throughout as the quality on the HD Camera was a lot better than the handicam in visual and sound perspectives.
The computer software we used ‘Final Cut Express’ proved a formidable task to use at first but as making the film went along , editing with the program became a simple task. Creating cuts and wipes was effortless and adding sounds and music like the heartbeat effect and the running music on the first scene involved only a click and drag, I would definitely use the program again.
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to your full product?
I think I’ve learnt a great deal in the progression from our preliminary task to our full film, I’ve learnt to use cameras a lot more effectively and finding and naming different shots has become simple, I Feel my editing skills have improved greatly while I’ve been using Final Cut Express.
The only downsides I could find is that due to group disagreements over shooting times we could have had a little more time to reshoot and gather more training shots if we had all agreed earlier.
I was part of the problem with this and I think time management is definitely a skill I need to improve on
But overall I think our film was a big success and I would love to continue onto A2 to further improve my skills in media, and hopeful create a film which is even better
Our media product, A 2 minute opening of a sports drama named ‘The Redemption’, themed around the sub-genre of Boxing.
1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products?
The film we made incorporates a number of generic conventions for films of its type, One main reason is that there are no Female main characters conveying that the film is very male oriented, this is normal for films of its type so therefore develops the generic conventions of boxing films. Our film is very similar to other fight films, Such as the classic film ‘Fight Club’, which is very male oriented therefore giving a macho feel, The film also features a lot of Blood/Violence which our full film would contain, Whereas in the first 2 minutes the only Violence is mild, As ‘Mike Dawson’ punches a bag with extreme force and has a tense moment with Vladimir Zhirkov as a fight is about to break out. The film also contains a lot of cliché props and settings that would be seen in many boxing films, the most noticeable being the boxing gym that we used for filming, Which contained punch bags and training mats we also brought boxing gloves which are normally used as the main point of iconography in a boxing film.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our film shows a number of stereotypical views on certain groups, Such as the fact that the 2 minute film contains no Female main characters, with only one female speaking role; this is consistent with the stereotype that most sports do not contain women even in the film industry, thus showing a stereotype that men are dominant and women passive. This coincides with the target audience which is mainly male with a small percentage being female, and the violence and fighting may attract a more teenage audience. Characters in our film are also rather stereotypical, with the main rival of Mark Dawson being a very tall Russian who has a ruthless persona, Which compares well with the villain from Rocky IV ‘Ivan Drago’ (see below), also people who are seen to be working class in our film can be noticed by simple cheap looking clothes which is a stereotype seen with small towns. Coach Barry Howard is also meant to be the oldest character in the film which can be known by the old cardigan and hat that he wears throughout, maybe showing older characters as poorer.
3. What Kind of Media Institution might distribute your media product and why?
The film we made is shown to be very low budget and would have little to no chance of being noticed by a big film company e.g. Hollywood, and therefore would need to either be produced independently or by a very small company, Advertisement would also be a small job with the fact that it is a very small budget, And therefore would have to be advertised through posters made by us, Word Of Mouth or viral campaigns on sites such as ‘YouTube’ where trailers could be released. The chance of this being released in a cinema therefore are very low and would either be released straight onto DVD, or Blu Ray if it got enough copies bought, Or maybe even would be played on late night film showings on websites such as Film 4, Also websites that exist now like Love Film mean that small films can get downloaded online and make money from it.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The film’s main audience would be males from the age of 15 to 30 , with a very small percent being female, people may watch the film under the age of 15, But the film contains a 15 Certificate due to Violence and Crime Themes, the boundaries of film classification were found on the bbfc website,
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/recent/films
.
The male focus of the film is due to stereotypes that most women would avoid sports films which was backed up by the Questionnaires we printed off very early in the film process, but a small female following may happen due to female sport oriented films such as ‘Million Dollar Baby’ or maybe even due to watching female athletes strive for the best in things such as the Olympics.
I Think the film could get a rather large local following due to the main character being from Barnsley and battling his way from the bottom back to his position as Champion, Which a lot of people who don’t live locally would like too because everybody loves an underdog story.
Other films similar to ours that would attract a similar audience include the obvious ‘Rocky’ series, Fighting and 8 Mile, all of which depict a character fighting his way to the top in their own ways.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Our audience was attracted through a number of means; the audiences we expect are 15 to 25 year olds with ages above that starting to lose interest due to actors whom they had never seen or a plot that simply doesn’t appeal to them.
Our female audience is attracted due to the fact that one main character in our film ‘Charlotte Taylor’ has a very strong personality which can even be observed in the 2 minute start we made, Because even though she is surrounded by lots of men and two intimidating boxers she still manages to ask her question without losing a smile, This would appeal to women because of the stereotype breaking strong woman image.
Local people may be drawn into the film by the Main protagonist also being local and rising through the ranks to become champion, showing that even people from a small town like Barnsley can reach up and achieve something big.
Whereas on the other had the main Antagonist being Russian may put off some foreign people due to a big stereotypical look at Russians being big and violent, as well as the fact that the character shows a very stereotypical image of Russians, Wearing a leather/fur coat with wild hair, Foreign people may also be put off by the fact that the character doesn’t have the protagonist role and is instead seen as the bad guy, which seems to be a recurring pattern in films.
Action fans may be drawn in by the very tense scenes , like the slightly cliché scene of ‘Vlad’ and ‘Mike’ staring each other out with point of view shots with a heartbeat in the background , which builds a lot of tension for what may happen next.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?
The equipment we used during filming was capable with only a few minor faults, But one major fault was that the tapes that fit in the handicam that we used was very flimsy and broke during our first corridor scene that we had to reshoot later on, But the handicam was very easy to use requiring little to no help with. Which contrasts completely with the HD Camera that we used for some scenes, this was complicated and we needed quite a bit of help with it, it was also very heavy unlike the handicam so bringing it to film the Gym scene would have been impossible.
But the difference between the cameras used can be seen easily throughout as the quality on the HD Camera was a lot better than the handicam in visual and sound perspectives.
The computer software we used ‘Final Cut Express’ proved a formidable task to use at first but as making the film went along , editing with the program became a simple task. Creating cuts and wipes was effortless and adding sounds and music like the heartbeat effect and the running music on the first scene involved only a click and drag, I would definitely use the program again.
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to your full product?
I think I’ve learnt a great deal in the progression from our preliminary task to our full film, I’ve learnt to use cameras a lot more effectively and finding and naming different shots has become simple, I Feel my editing skills have improved greatly while I’ve been using Final Cut Express.
The only downsides I could find is that due to group disagreements over shooting times we could have had a little more time to reshoot and gather more training shots if we had all agreed earlier.
I was part of the problem with this and I think time management is definitely a skill I need to improve on
But overall I think our film was a big success and I would love to continue onto A2 to further improve my skills in media, and hopeful create a film which is even better
Evaluation by Alexander Martin
1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and convention of media products?
Boxing films tend to follow strict elements that a common in almost all boxing films.
The use of boxing memorabilia was present by using a functioning boxing gym, emphasising boxing gloves and equipment used in a cliché training scene.
Boxing films always have some form of emotional conflict with the main character, his environment or his opponent, represented through certain actions. Media involvement always makes appearances since boxing is a national sport, done through a small press conference.
The characters usually comes from a humbling background which is done in character clothes and have events appear very low quality compared by international sports leagues. These conferences would always end in conflict either verbally as in Ali or physically as in Rocky, which is achieved through a stand off.
However conventions of boxing films dictate to usually start with a boxing match or training but by using Fighting as influence it was decided to begin with a press conference to set the mood of the characters so they can be expanded on through flashbacks.
The title sequences are usually simple ones that usually appear after 1st 5 minutes of film and consist of the title in a bright colour on a black background that was done at beginning.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our product uses contemporary methods to present the different genders, ages and social groups in a manner they can be indentified easily by our target audience, boxing fans and or Barnsley locals. Like most boxing film men always appear to be the most numerous or dominant gender with age displayed as the voice of reason and experience.
Coach Howard, the aging boxing trainer, identifies with Mike on a personal level while still appearing as his superior through instructions given throughout film. Gender plays a lesser role since few females are featured except the female journalist which indicates a somewhat equal society.
Social classes represented are mostly working class wearing simple, modest clothes with Coach Howard appearing the aged member by wearing old cardigans and hats with worn out shoes.
Barnsley locals who are mostly working class will appreciate a story about a local boy working his way up and achieving something since it’s something that wasn’t given it had to be earned.
3. What kind of media institutes might distribute your media product and why?
Low budget films like this are very rarely taken up by Hollywood studios since their stories are more personal and the quality tends to be lacking in terms of visuals and the actors used, who will mostly consist of up and coming actors.
It would be a straight to DVD release taken up by distributors like : Channel 4, Film 4 or Optimum, and use below the line marketing to cut costs by advertising on the internet, word of mouth and viral marketing. However posters and local radio broadcasts would be used to advertise it around the area it was set i.e. Barnsley.
It would be released in this way to save unnecessary costs since it will mostly only appeal to a British audience and the areas it would be advertised publically would be Barnsley since it’s the films setting location.
While it does advertise franchises such as Everlast and Atari it has little merchandising potentials since it a low budget independent film set in Yorkshire. It’s almost a cliché for most British films to not be involved in merchandising their films aside from the occasional T-shirt logo.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Primarily the target audience would be males from the ages of 15 – 35 years of age since the film has been assigned a 15 rating because of its profanity and crime affiliation.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/recent/films
Females are a possibility with the release of Million Dollar Baby, the story of a female boxer, however that’s audience were mostly males who had an interest in boxing, drama and biographies.
Boxing fans would welcome a break from the traditional genre which strives to emphasis a boxer’s global stardom whereas our product is a lot smaller than that making it a lot more personal since you can identify with the protagonist in his struggles just to rise to a county league, it describes a boxers struggle through another stage in their career which most boxing film do not, usually they show them at the bottom and receive a sudden quick ticket to the top or they are already fairly established before the film starts.
People who love and under dog would also appreciate it since the main character is very identifiable in that he has faults, some serious faults, yet he’s able to rise above them in order to better himself.
Boxing films like Rocky, Fighting and even 8 Mile are similar in that they create an under dog character and also indicate they come from the low end of the social class scale but are still able to progress and better themselves. People who like these films are usually biography fans who like to see the story of a persons life unfold on the screen but they also expect the character to suffer and struggle to get to the top making the victory all the better because of it.
5. How did you attract / address your audience
Ages 15 – 35 years was estimated our target audience due to emerging patterns related to boxing type films. Our film would begin losing audience members after 35 due to the use of young upcoming actors which would be unidentifiable to older generations who are more attracted to film which include a familiar face.
The inclusion of an authoritative female in the conference scene would appeal to a female audience since there is clearly a woman involved who, surrounded by men, still holds a position of authority similar to them.
However the antagonist appearing Russian could antagonise certain foreign element to view this film in less favour, and vice versa for the protagonist who being from the area we intend to market, Barnsley, would rally the local community to support a film set around their area that shows it in a good light.
The cinematography of the film would effect certain audiences, the suspense scene where characters stare menacingly at each other would attract action fans and the point of view shots putting people in the shoes of Mike and Coach would allow them to see through their eyes and how intimidating their position is, trying to redeem themselves for past offenses against a sceptical reception, a majour selling point for biographical fans.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of construction the product?
The equipment used performed well to the task despite the 1st corridor scene being lost due to a faulty camera, which was remedied by re-filming it later that day. Digital video and photography cameras are useful for their compact size for easy transport and the title written on the button makes them easy to use with any instruction manual.
HD cameras, usually reserved for A2 students, proved a lot more difficult and we had to ask our tutor for advice on how to set it up, work it and place it but it proved to be an easy problem to fix and worked better than the compact camera but it wasn’t as small and thus would have been impossible to film the gym scene with it.
Problems faced were small regarding equipment, the cameras both video and photograph work well, despite the 1st scene. The HD camera’s intimidating size proved to hide a wondrous machine that is easy to use and proved to enhance to film in both quality and sound. Its size didn’t make any difference since the scene took place in a wide open hall.
The final cut pro software proved very challenging to operate but with the tutors help we could create what we thought a difficult sounds effect, heart beating, and the title sequence proved a lot very simple to create.
7. Looking back to you preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Planning and researching the film proved difficult due to conflicting schedules and group disagreements but eventually problems got solved and the work was made easier. The detailed planning of where and when to film helped so that it was all filmed on time for editing and the research helped create an easy flow to the filming when including props, dialogue, sound, characters and cinematography.
Shot techniques have improved though creating effects and using the space effectively to create the best shot for editing. Also we were sure to film each scene twice and gather a lot of footage encase of emergencies.
My confidence in working with the equipment has increased thanks to performing actions myself and receiving help from tutor, though working with the group was difficult it did come together in the end.
The end product I feel turned out well despite all the technical and personal problems in the group, if given more time the only thing that would be changed would be including in the training scene more boxing memorabilia i.e. skipping rope or jogging etc.
and convention of media products?
Boxing films tend to follow strict elements that a common in almost all boxing films.
The use of boxing memorabilia was present by using a functioning boxing gym, emphasising boxing gloves and equipment used in a cliché training scene.
Boxing films always have some form of emotional conflict with the main character, his environment or his opponent, represented through certain actions. Media involvement always makes appearances since boxing is a national sport, done through a small press conference.
The characters usually comes from a humbling background which is done in character clothes and have events appear very low quality compared by international sports leagues. These conferences would always end in conflict either verbally as in Ali or physically as in Rocky, which is achieved through a stand off.
However conventions of boxing films dictate to usually start with a boxing match or training but by using Fighting as influence it was decided to begin with a press conference to set the mood of the characters so they can be expanded on through flashbacks.
The title sequences are usually simple ones that usually appear after 1st 5 minutes of film and consist of the title in a bright colour on a black background that was done at beginning.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our product uses contemporary methods to present the different genders, ages and social groups in a manner they can be indentified easily by our target audience, boxing fans and or Barnsley locals. Like most boxing film men always appear to be the most numerous or dominant gender with age displayed as the voice of reason and experience.
Coach Howard, the aging boxing trainer, identifies with Mike on a personal level while still appearing as his superior through instructions given throughout film. Gender plays a lesser role since few females are featured except the female journalist which indicates a somewhat equal society.
Social classes represented are mostly working class wearing simple, modest clothes with Coach Howard appearing the aged member by wearing old cardigans and hats with worn out shoes.
Barnsley locals who are mostly working class will appreciate a story about a local boy working his way up and achieving something since it’s something that wasn’t given it had to be earned.
3. What kind of media institutes might distribute your media product and why?
Low budget films like this are very rarely taken up by Hollywood studios since their stories are more personal and the quality tends to be lacking in terms of visuals and the actors used, who will mostly consist of up and coming actors.
It would be a straight to DVD release taken up by distributors like : Channel 4, Film 4 or Optimum, and use below the line marketing to cut costs by advertising on the internet, word of mouth and viral marketing. However posters and local radio broadcasts would be used to advertise it around the area it was set i.e. Barnsley.
It would be released in this way to save unnecessary costs since it will mostly only appeal to a British audience and the areas it would be advertised publically would be Barnsley since it’s the films setting location.
While it does advertise franchises such as Everlast and Atari it has little merchandising potentials since it a low budget independent film set in Yorkshire. It’s almost a cliché for most British films to not be involved in merchandising their films aside from the occasional T-shirt logo.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Primarily the target audience would be males from the ages of 15 – 35 years of age since the film has been assigned a 15 rating because of its profanity and crime affiliation.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/recent/films
Females are a possibility with the release of Million Dollar Baby, the story of a female boxer, however that’s audience were mostly males who had an interest in boxing, drama and biographies.
Boxing fans would welcome a break from the traditional genre which strives to emphasis a boxer’s global stardom whereas our product is a lot smaller than that making it a lot more personal since you can identify with the protagonist in his struggles just to rise to a county league, it describes a boxers struggle through another stage in their career which most boxing film do not, usually they show them at the bottom and receive a sudden quick ticket to the top or they are already fairly established before the film starts.
People who love and under dog would also appreciate it since the main character is very identifiable in that he has faults, some serious faults, yet he’s able to rise above them in order to better himself.
Boxing films like Rocky, Fighting and even 8 Mile are similar in that they create an under dog character and also indicate they come from the low end of the social class scale but are still able to progress and better themselves. People who like these films are usually biography fans who like to see the story of a persons life unfold on the screen but they also expect the character to suffer and struggle to get to the top making the victory all the better because of it.
5. How did you attract / address your audience
Ages 15 – 35 years was estimated our target audience due to emerging patterns related to boxing type films. Our film would begin losing audience members after 35 due to the use of young upcoming actors which would be unidentifiable to older generations who are more attracted to film which include a familiar face.
The inclusion of an authoritative female in the conference scene would appeal to a female audience since there is clearly a woman involved who, surrounded by men, still holds a position of authority similar to them.
However the antagonist appearing Russian could antagonise certain foreign element to view this film in less favour, and vice versa for the protagonist who being from the area we intend to market, Barnsley, would rally the local community to support a film set around their area that shows it in a good light.
The cinematography of the film would effect certain audiences, the suspense scene where characters stare menacingly at each other would attract action fans and the point of view shots putting people in the shoes of Mike and Coach would allow them to see through their eyes and how intimidating their position is, trying to redeem themselves for past offenses against a sceptical reception, a majour selling point for biographical fans.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of construction the product?
The equipment used performed well to the task despite the 1st corridor scene being lost due to a faulty camera, which was remedied by re-filming it later that day. Digital video and photography cameras are useful for their compact size for easy transport and the title written on the button makes them easy to use with any instruction manual.
HD cameras, usually reserved for A2 students, proved a lot more difficult and we had to ask our tutor for advice on how to set it up, work it and place it but it proved to be an easy problem to fix and worked better than the compact camera but it wasn’t as small and thus would have been impossible to film the gym scene with it.
Problems faced were small regarding equipment, the cameras both video and photograph work well, despite the 1st scene. The HD camera’s intimidating size proved to hide a wondrous machine that is easy to use and proved to enhance to film in both quality and sound. Its size didn’t make any difference since the scene took place in a wide open hall.
The final cut pro software proved very challenging to operate but with the tutors help we could create what we thought a difficult sounds effect, heart beating, and the title sequence proved a lot very simple to create.
7. Looking back to you preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Planning and researching the film proved difficult due to conflicting schedules and group disagreements but eventually problems got solved and the work was made easier. The detailed planning of where and when to film helped so that it was all filmed on time for editing and the research helped create an easy flow to the filming when including props, dialogue, sound, characters and cinematography.
Shot techniques have improved though creating effects and using the space effectively to create the best shot for editing. Also we were sure to film each scene twice and gather a lot of footage encase of emergencies.
My confidence in working with the equipment has increased thanks to performing actions myself and receiving help from tutor, though working with the group was difficult it did come together in the end.
The end product I feel turned out well despite all the technical and personal problems in the group, if given more time the only thing that would be changed would be including in the training scene more boxing memorabilia i.e. skipping rope or jogging etc.
Film Analysis by Alexander Martin
Film Analysis
There were a number of films used to create inspiration for this project however the main ones used were: Fighting and Ali for advice on how to film with Rocky and Million Dollar Baby helping with story development.
Cinematography
Fighting was used as major influence here because the 1st scene is somewhat different from the average boxing film. It starts with the main character walking through a subway with the titles appearing on the screen, it heavily uses medium shots with no close up until he reaches the ground where he sets up shop, there were examples of dolly shots following main characters progress through the subway and eventually the streets which could be imitated. However there are other people in the scene running and the use of lower angle shots where these people run past the camera gave us idea to film a running scene whereby the main character is running either from something or to something. Also the fight scene uses very quick changing shots to emphasise the fast movement but also reaction shots of bystanders as to how they feel about the fight, it also uses establishing shots to display the fight and the area surrounding it.
Boxing has to make an appearance whereby Ali was used as influence, unlike Fighting, Ali makes use of more close ups of both the face and the gloves so as to capture the protagonists exertion and capture images of iconography of boxing gloves, punching bag and a gym background symbolising this as a boxing genre film however the changing jump shot of him going from running to being in the gym also indicate to the audience that this film is a little more than just a boxing film and that there could be something as important than the actual boxing itself. Also the close up shot of the police car could be emphasising the future involvement of the police in acts a racist actions against the black community.
Editing
The editing for fighting is very fluid and continuous without ever leaving the viewer in doubt as to about whom the protagonist is, the only point where continuity could be questioned is a scene where he leaves through a door but it then cuts to him being half way up the stairs which could be evaluated as going to far ahead by establishing his heading to or climbing of the stairs. The jump cut to a man being mugged does help establish this film as one related to violence however it could be misinterpreted as a crime or gangster film since it links over into the muggers escaping through a door held open by protagonist. As it progresses several street-wise characters are established by the camera giving them longer screen time and even though it can’t be understood why these characters are being highlighted its clear that they will makes appearances in the film later. The use of shot reverse shots is established between characters that will most likely become more apparent as film progresses and this is proven when they appear to be taking interest in protagonist by using the shot reverse shot to signal to each other and then indicating in protagonist’s direction. The chase scene which precedes the fight also makes use of quick shots and the protagonist running past or into the camera which signals the important nature of the scene as he has to get away from where he’s just been.
The editing for the 1st part of Ali is completely dominated by jump shots between a music concert and Ali himself jogging, personally I think that if not for the title this could have confused people since both get as much attention as each other therefore this film could have been about music as opposed to one mans struggle. There are also uses of non-direct filming whereby the camera films characters but through another medium i.e. a mirror or reflective surface which is an interesting affect which makes it seem in a sense that everything is centred on Ali. Slow motion is also used to emphasise the boxing motions of how Ali trains and performs physically the way he does. Finally the constant close up effects keep getting closer to Ali’s face as it progresses creating an form of Dolly effect and when its so close the punching bag creates a strobe effect to again emphasise the quickness of what Ali’s training can be like.
Sound
Fighting makes use of a traditional style of music very similar to most gangster films mostly rap music with jazz / soul elements as a background music so as to entertain the audience while the protagonist perform in a relatively boring scene. As the film progresses into scenes with dialogue the music quickly dies out along with any forms of action which seems to be an essential in most films as the music always stands a chance to drown out what the characters are saying. It’s still a very vibrant music which may distract the audience from what’s actually happening on the screen since there isn’t much action happening, even in the scenes where people are running the music still continues at a relatively slow pace.
The sounds used in Ali consist of the one song that lasts for the whole 1st 5 minutes of the film and isn’t changed or altered in anyway. It makes the viewer realise very early on that this film is about a lot more than just boxing however the song never makes it hard to hear any dialogue or sounds which consist mainly of Will Smith hitting a punching bag and a police siren.
Mise En Scene
The clothing in Fighting is mostly casual with the occasional suit and tie, which are usually being victimised; the props consist mainly of the protagonists backpack along with the items inside it, however the man wearing white matching clothes immediately singles himself out at a major character because of his unusual clothing by contrast to everyone else in the scene. Nothing seems to single this film out as a boxing film since there are no conventional memorabilia related to that subject which in the end could confuse the viewer but could make the revelation all the more surprising. The lighting seems mostly natural since the scene occurs outside and even in the subway the electronic lights help clear the scene and make it easily watchable by anyone. If not for the fighting scene this could almost have been taken for a crime or drama film.
As far as the representation of; Age, Gender and Social Class is concerned and based on the way the people dress it’s clearly a working class background not just from the main character but from all the extra featured also sport the same clothes and attitude, gender is conventionally male dominated but with a woman making an appearance who displays as much authority as the male extras she interacts with.
Ali offers a lot more in this department by making it obvious from beginning that this film is related to boxing and or music since Ali is wearing traditional boxers’ urban training clothes. The music side comes in through the performer clearly standing on a stage with the bright light beams shining down, the trimmed suit and use of microphone with everyone crying out. However the next few scenes show Ali in training which displays all the usual boxing memorabilia; hand wraps, punching bag, the gym sign reflected in the mirror and Will Smith’s dress is clearly that of an athlete with it being very casual with damp patches on the upper body. The lighting is good throughout even during the night scene where the lights are slightly dimmer to create that effect but it clear the street lamps are not the only thing eliminating the screen since when he passes them the light doesn’t fade. Also the light on the police cars siren is very prominent when they appear in the scene, which could indicate a possible future appearance of, if not this particular police car then the police in general.
Age, gender and social class are interpreted from a similar background as Fighting whereby most people appear to be working class but with a lot more female appearance that seem to follow a convention of women screaming when a famous performer starts his set. Ethnic groups takes priority since the film is about overcoming social injustice as much as boxing and so the African actors are to be seen as socially lesser people when compared to Caucasians by the way they move and act. However this does conflict when jumping to the concert scene where clearly an African man is seen as the centre of attention and influence but this could be viewed as being acceptable since the audience is composed of people of a similar ethnicity.
Conclusion
In conclusion throughout the course of my analysis I have managed to find inspiration and directions in how to conduct the filming side of the project and how to manage and direct the other crew members in how to use the cinematography, editing, sound and mise en scene effectively in creating a boxing film that transgresses the usual boxing boundaries and becomes more about a man discovering his own potential, not just in the ring but in life at a point when it seemed there was no escape from past mistakes.
There were a number of films used to create inspiration for this project however the main ones used were: Fighting and Ali for advice on how to film with Rocky and Million Dollar Baby helping with story development.
Cinematography
Fighting was used as major influence here because the 1st scene is somewhat different from the average boxing film. It starts with the main character walking through a subway with the titles appearing on the screen, it heavily uses medium shots with no close up until he reaches the ground where he sets up shop, there were examples of dolly shots following main characters progress through the subway and eventually the streets which could be imitated. However there are other people in the scene running and the use of lower angle shots where these people run past the camera gave us idea to film a running scene whereby the main character is running either from something or to something. Also the fight scene uses very quick changing shots to emphasise the fast movement but also reaction shots of bystanders as to how they feel about the fight, it also uses establishing shots to display the fight and the area surrounding it.
Boxing has to make an appearance whereby Ali was used as influence, unlike Fighting, Ali makes use of more close ups of both the face and the gloves so as to capture the protagonists exertion and capture images of iconography of boxing gloves, punching bag and a gym background symbolising this as a boxing genre film however the changing jump shot of him going from running to being in the gym also indicate to the audience that this film is a little more than just a boxing film and that there could be something as important than the actual boxing itself. Also the close up shot of the police car could be emphasising the future involvement of the police in acts a racist actions against the black community.
Editing
The editing for fighting is very fluid and continuous without ever leaving the viewer in doubt as to about whom the protagonist is, the only point where continuity could be questioned is a scene where he leaves through a door but it then cuts to him being half way up the stairs which could be evaluated as going to far ahead by establishing his heading to or climbing of the stairs. The jump cut to a man being mugged does help establish this film as one related to violence however it could be misinterpreted as a crime or gangster film since it links over into the muggers escaping through a door held open by protagonist. As it progresses several street-wise characters are established by the camera giving them longer screen time and even though it can’t be understood why these characters are being highlighted its clear that they will makes appearances in the film later. The use of shot reverse shots is established between characters that will most likely become more apparent as film progresses and this is proven when they appear to be taking interest in protagonist by using the shot reverse shot to signal to each other and then indicating in protagonist’s direction. The chase scene which precedes the fight also makes use of quick shots and the protagonist running past or into the camera which signals the important nature of the scene as he has to get away from where he’s just been.
The editing for the 1st part of Ali is completely dominated by jump shots between a music concert and Ali himself jogging, personally I think that if not for the title this could have confused people since both get as much attention as each other therefore this film could have been about music as opposed to one mans struggle. There are also uses of non-direct filming whereby the camera films characters but through another medium i.e. a mirror or reflective surface which is an interesting affect which makes it seem in a sense that everything is centred on Ali. Slow motion is also used to emphasise the boxing motions of how Ali trains and performs physically the way he does. Finally the constant close up effects keep getting closer to Ali’s face as it progresses creating an form of Dolly effect and when its so close the punching bag creates a strobe effect to again emphasise the quickness of what Ali’s training can be like.
Sound
Fighting makes use of a traditional style of music very similar to most gangster films mostly rap music with jazz / soul elements as a background music so as to entertain the audience while the protagonist perform in a relatively boring scene. As the film progresses into scenes with dialogue the music quickly dies out along with any forms of action which seems to be an essential in most films as the music always stands a chance to drown out what the characters are saying. It’s still a very vibrant music which may distract the audience from what’s actually happening on the screen since there isn’t much action happening, even in the scenes where people are running the music still continues at a relatively slow pace.
The sounds used in Ali consist of the one song that lasts for the whole 1st 5 minutes of the film and isn’t changed or altered in anyway. It makes the viewer realise very early on that this film is about a lot more than just boxing however the song never makes it hard to hear any dialogue or sounds which consist mainly of Will Smith hitting a punching bag and a police siren.
Mise En Scene
The clothing in Fighting is mostly casual with the occasional suit and tie, which are usually being victimised; the props consist mainly of the protagonists backpack along with the items inside it, however the man wearing white matching clothes immediately singles himself out at a major character because of his unusual clothing by contrast to everyone else in the scene. Nothing seems to single this film out as a boxing film since there are no conventional memorabilia related to that subject which in the end could confuse the viewer but could make the revelation all the more surprising. The lighting seems mostly natural since the scene occurs outside and even in the subway the electronic lights help clear the scene and make it easily watchable by anyone. If not for the fighting scene this could almost have been taken for a crime or drama film.
As far as the representation of; Age, Gender and Social Class is concerned and based on the way the people dress it’s clearly a working class background not just from the main character but from all the extra featured also sport the same clothes and attitude, gender is conventionally male dominated but with a woman making an appearance who displays as much authority as the male extras she interacts with.
Ali offers a lot more in this department by making it obvious from beginning that this film is related to boxing and or music since Ali is wearing traditional boxers’ urban training clothes. The music side comes in through the performer clearly standing on a stage with the bright light beams shining down, the trimmed suit and use of microphone with everyone crying out. However the next few scenes show Ali in training which displays all the usual boxing memorabilia; hand wraps, punching bag, the gym sign reflected in the mirror and Will Smith’s dress is clearly that of an athlete with it being very casual with damp patches on the upper body. The lighting is good throughout even during the night scene where the lights are slightly dimmer to create that effect but it clear the street lamps are not the only thing eliminating the screen since when he passes them the light doesn’t fade. Also the light on the police cars siren is very prominent when they appear in the scene, which could indicate a possible future appearance of, if not this particular police car then the police in general.
Age, gender and social class are interpreted from a similar background as Fighting whereby most people appear to be working class but with a lot more female appearance that seem to follow a convention of women screaming when a famous performer starts his set. Ethnic groups takes priority since the film is about overcoming social injustice as much as boxing and so the African actors are to be seen as socially lesser people when compared to Caucasians by the way they move and act. However this does conflict when jumping to the concert scene where clearly an African man is seen as the centre of attention and influence but this could be viewed as being acceptable since the audience is composed of people of a similar ethnicity.
Conclusion
In conclusion throughout the course of my analysis I have managed to find inspiration and directions in how to conduct the filming side of the project and how to manage and direct the other crew members in how to use the cinematography, editing, sound and mise en scene effectively in creating a boxing film that transgresses the usual boxing boundaries and becomes more about a man discovering his own potential, not just in the ring but in life at a point when it seemed there was no escape from past mistakes.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Friday, 30 April 2010
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