Thursday 12 May 2011
Monday 2 May 2011
Questionnaire Research
Original Questionnaire
We have created this questionnaire to find out what you as the audience like about films and television products, so that we can create a film product which would be suitable for a teenage audience.
Question 1: What is your favourite genre? (Out of the following)
Horror Mystery Action Romance Fantasy
Strongly Agree Agree Unsure
Disagree Strongly Disagree
Question 3: Are the any other genres you prefer? (Please state if appropriate)
Question 4: What is your favourite television channel? (Out of the following)
BBC1 BBC2 ITV Channel 4 Five
E4 Sky1
Question 5: What is your favourite show that you watch on the channel you stated above?
Question 6: What attracts you to watch the show you have stated above?
The Actors The Storyline Relation to your own life
People of similar age The Genre
Question 7: What attracts you to watch any media product?
Questionnaire Feedback
Questionnaire Results
The Hypodermic Needle Model
The hypodermic needle model is a model of communications which dates back to the 1920’s. This theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media products.
It implied that mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on their audiences. Several factors contributed to the strong effects of communication, including: the fast rise and popularization of radio and television (just when mass media was still fairly new), the emergence of the persuasion industries, such as advertising and propaganda. They produced propaganda to try and sway people to their way of thinking.
Basically, the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that the information from a media product is passed into the mass consciousness of the audience with out them knowing. For example someone else’s views and opinions can be fed to us unknowingly, and we adopt these views and opinions. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by the media. The theory suggests that most things that we see read or hear from media sources, we adopt. This can be dangerous for example someone watching a violent programme unknowingly takes in the violence and then rein acts out the violence which they have seen. The theory can also suggest that everyone who takes in the media product will end up having the same views, opinions, likes and dislikes. This can be both and advantage and disadvantage; it will be easier to make media products as everyone will like similar things, however it can be bad as every media product create will become repetitive and be harder to create original ideas as most of them would have already been created.
Audience Reception Theory
In literary studies, reception theory originated from the work of Hans-Robert Jauss in the late 1960s. In the 1980s and 1990s a lot of work was carried out on the way individuals received and interpreted a text, and how their individual circumstances (gender, class, age, and ethnicity) affected their reading.
The approach to textual analysis focused on the scope for "negotiation" and "opposition" on the part of the audience. This means that a text, (whether it is a book, movie, or another form of creative work) is not only passively accepted by the audience, but that the reader and/or viewer interpret the meanings of the media product based on their own individual cultural background and life experiences. The meaning of a media product is not boldly hidden within the text itself, but is created within the relationship between the text and the reader.
To summaries, the reception theory places the viewer in context, taking into account all of the contributing factors that might have influenced how he or she will interpret the meaning of the media product
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top.
Audience Catogarisation
Audience research is a major part of any media company, using questionnaires, focus groups, and comparisons to existing media texts, they will spend a great deal of time and money ascertaining if there is anyone out there who might be interested in their idea. By doing categorising audiences it helps the media industry know who they are targeting. There are three ways of categorising: Demographic, Geographic, Psychographic profiling.
Demographic Segmentation
Demographic are the characteristics of the population, which are normally used in market research to that you know who you are aiming you media product at. So common ones are:
v genre
v age
v race
v income
v disabilities
Age: at different ages peoples needs and wants change compared to other people of different ages. This is why businesses create things to target different age groups for example nappies for babies, toys for children, clothes for teenagers and so on.
Gender: is normally used when advertising products. When marketing the product the business has to think who the product is more suitable for. For example women are going to prefer cosmetics more than men, and men are going to prefer fast cars more than women. So when applying this to a film by adding in gender pacific things this can appeal to their potential audience, or if wanting to appeal to both men and women the film should include unisex subjects and/or both gender specific products/activities.
Psychographic profiling
Psychographics marketing involves dividing potential customers into groups, according to their psychological characteristics such as personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles. Most marketing involves certain demographics, which refers to factors such as the age, location, marital status, ethnicity and religion of the person in question. Psychographics goes beyond demographics to ask questions on their lifestyles, behaviour and attitude of the person to build up a more detailed picture of who they are. This then gives us an idea of the type of people which will watch certain genres of films.
When a profile of a person or group's psychographic make-up is constructed, this is called a "psychographic profile".
Psychographic profiling can include:
v Life style
v Personality
v Values
v Attitude
v Interests
Geographic Segmentation
Geographic segmentation can include:
v Political views
v Different climates
v Population numbers
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Uses and gratifications theory is a popular media approach to understanding the needs of consumers; it asks what people do with media. The audience take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory suggests that the audience chose media to meet their needs. The most common reason for media usage is:
- To gain information= finding out about relevant events, their surroundings, their society, the world, seeking advice, satisfy curiosity, to learn.
- To gain a personal identity= reinforce personal values, finding models of behaviour, identifying with someone in the media, gaining insight into themselves.
- For integration and social interaction= gain social empathy, identify with others, gain sense of belonging, substitute for real-life companionship, being able to connect with family, friends and society.
- For entertainment= Escaping their problems, relaxing, aesthetic enjoyment, filling time, emotional release.
Strengths of the uses and gratifications theory are that it gives the director and creator something to base their film on; making sure that the film will be able to reflect on all four subject areas. However that can be a weakness as it can stump creative flow by making sure your product matches all of the four areas. Strength of this is that when creating your media product you knows how the audience will consume the product, so when you create the product you can try look at areas more in depth. A bad weakness is that the film will not be able to appeal to everyone’s wants and needs for a media product.
We will be using the uses and gratification theory to help us to target our audience by trying to make sure our film includes the four points above. So the audience will gain total satisfaction from our media product.
Considering micro elements for our film
When creating our own opening sequence we need to take into consideration how we are going to use the micro elements and why they are important to create the film and attract the audience. Through research into opening sequences we have gathered ideas on how to include the micro elements.
Sound: sound is important cause it can help to reflect the action and mood in the scene. Diegetic sounds such as dialogue help to engage the audience cause these are sounds from real life and they can relate to them. Use of music help to again reflect the action and mood of the scene for example the faster and lighter it is the happier the mood in scene is. We are considering using modern day music as the audience will understand and relate to it, also with lyrics so that it can reflect the action on screen again the audience may relate to the words.
We have narrowed down our soundtrack decision list to two songs : Anya Marina- Satellite Heart and Grizzly Bear- Slow Life as these both create a calm but slightly suspicious theme to the film and the lyrics of Satellite Heart in the chorus are very moving and emotional.
Camera Angles, Shots and Movement: camera angles are important to help reflect the genre of the piece, for example using medium shots can show a drama genre and fast tracking shots and hand held shots can reflect the genre of horror. Camera shots are also important cause they allow the audience too see as much or as little as the director wants, depending how much of the narrative they want to give away. We are going to attract the target audience through a wide variety of shots as it keeps the film intresting however keeping it simple as we do not want the shots to be too over the top and take away the action from the film.
Editing: editing we are going to keep simple through the use of cuts and fades becuase these help to relfect the drama genre as the are not too over the top and just show you whats on screen and does not take the audiences attention away from the film. Editing is important cause it helps to keep the narrative following correctly for example the faster the shot transitions the more up paced the film is. Again it also helps to reflect the genre.
Mise en scene: mise en scene is very important becuase everything within the shot is there to show the audience the genre of the film and help to tell the narrative. Without the consideration of things like costume, props and location the film would not make any sense to the audience. To engage target audience we are going to create the characters based on typical young people at the current moment and set it in a place all young people relate to; college and school.
Sound: sound is important cause it can help to reflect the action and mood in the scene. Diegetic sounds such as dialogue help to engage the audience cause these are sounds from real life and they can relate to them. Use of music help to again reflect the action and mood of the scene for example the faster and lighter it is the happier the mood in scene is. We are considering using modern day music as the audience will understand and relate to it, also with lyrics so that it can reflect the action on screen again the audience may relate to the words.
We have narrowed down our soundtrack decision list to two songs : Anya Marina- Satellite Heart and Grizzly Bear- Slow Life as these both create a calm but slightly suspicious theme to the film and the lyrics of Satellite Heart in the chorus are very moving and emotional.
Camera Angles, Shots and Movement: camera angles are important to help reflect the genre of the piece, for example using medium shots can show a drama genre and fast tracking shots and hand held shots can reflect the genre of horror. Camera shots are also important cause they allow the audience too see as much or as little as the director wants, depending how much of the narrative they want to give away. We are going to attract the target audience through a wide variety of shots as it keeps the film intresting however keeping it simple as we do not want the shots to be too over the top and take away the action from the film.
Editing: editing we are going to keep simple through the use of cuts and fades becuase these help to relfect the drama genre as the are not too over the top and just show you whats on screen and does not take the audiences attention away from the film. Editing is important cause it helps to keep the narrative following correctly for example the faster the shot transitions the more up paced the film is. Again it also helps to reflect the genre.
Mise en scene: mise en scene is very important becuase everything within the shot is there to show the audience the genre of the film and help to tell the narrative. Without the consideration of things like costume, props and location the film would not make any sense to the audience. To engage target audience we are going to create the characters based on typical young people at the current moment and set it in a place all young people relate to; college and school.
Emma's script idea
The Object
First shot is a close up of someone’s legs/feet walking in a charity/vintage shop. Then focus on then extreme close up of the hands exchanging a mirror.
Cut to women in the house, rushing around getting herself dressed whilst making and eating her breakfast.
Imogen: I have to go; now! Grabs her coat in one hand and bag in the other hand (pause) what is taking you so long.
A man (Liam) rushes down the stairs grabs his keys and toast.
Liam: (Groans) Common then, your chariot awaits.
She grabs her folder and rushes out the door. Cut to black and only dialogue can be heard.
Imogen: I forgot my lunch, I am popping out for a bit, ill be back in five minuets, cover for me.
Friend: Yeah sure, be quick this time!
We see her walking out of the shops and her putting her purse back into her bag and walking down the street. She passes a shop where she stops and walks back and stares at the vintage shop window. Over the shoulder show, focuses on a mirror and slowly zooms in,
Cut to Imogen inside the door where we see Imogen walking in through the door quickly.
Imogen: (to cashier) Can I please look at the mirror in the window?
Cashier nods and goes and collects the mirror and hands it to Imogen, Her eyes light up and she stands there holding the mirror. Close up of the mirror in her hand and a black line appears on her hand and disappears quickly.
Imogen is seen coming out of a trance and hands it to the cashier.
Imogen: I’ll take this please.
With out hesitance the cashier wraps up the mirror and money is exchanged. Imogen takes the mirror and puts it in her bag. Close up on the bag and Imogen’s hand where the black line appears again, but does not fade.
Treatment of our Film
Research
The theme of the film shall be about kidnap also it will be about decisions. We will follow the story of girl called Siobhan and how she feels alone and isolated, and on her birthday she wins £60,000 which lead to bad consequences where she has decided between money and family. I believe the audience will be young people as the film will be based on people around the same age as them, also they maybe able to relate to the characters as they may have been in similar situations like them before. I have completed a survey and found that the young age range would suite our film. I would hold a viewing of our chosen target audience to see whether they liked it, if it’s a success it can be shown to everyone their age. When watching the short film I would like the audience to react by thinking about the situations the characters were in and what they would do to prevent the situation and also to realise this could happen to them. They should walk away with awareness of the theme. The film therefore is intended as information about the situation and also for entertainment, as young people like to watch something that is more entertaining than educational, so by putting information within the film it will help get an understanding. The film Lovely Bones is about the kidnap and murder of a young girl, which is similar to the theme of our film. This movie was very successful as it entertained its potential audience through the way the story was told and the use of media technology. The film also educated young people without them knowing, it teaches them to be careful who you can trust and be aware of things around you. As this film was very successful I would like to adopt their conventions to make our film successful as well.
Concept
Young people are forced to grow up fast in the world today, so fast that adults tend to forget that some young people are teenagers and not adults. We begin to not recognise what goes on with young people, how they feel, and what they are going through. Some young people and adults are not aware and don’t see what goes on with other young people, they seem to get unnoticed. What if they realised what was actually going on, and how they feel so alone and isolated in the world. Lottery Choice tells the story of a young girl who tragically lost her Dad and now has to take care of her mum and brother, after winning a huge sum of money she has to make the decision. Does she chose her family she has cared for the past few years, or the money to be free from it all. The film tells the struggle of this young girl in a modern day world.
Synopsis of Story
For Siobhan today is just like every normal day for a teenage girl, even though it is her birthday. Like every day Siobhan’s phone alarm wakes her up. She grabs the phone and turns it off and chucks it on to her bed, just missing her cat. She begins to talk to her cat wondering if he would show some compassion and say happy birthday, but no. He would rather lick himself. She decides to crawl out of bed and starts getting ready to go out to college, just like every boring typical day. She does her hair, her make up and gets her coat on ready to go. Siobhan decides to sit there and look at her locket which contains her dad’s picture. She sits there in silence and wishes that her dad was still alive today. The silence is then broken when Emily calls wanting to know where she is, Siobhan tells her not to worry she will be out in a second. Siobhan walks out in to the hall way and bumps into her brother who wishes her a happy birthday. She thanks him and kisses him goodbye and walks out of her door to go and meet her friend Emily. She puts on her shoes and grabs her bag, just she is about to step out the door when she remembers something, she shots at her mum to make sure she remembers to take her brother Harry to school. She opens her door to find Emily who greets her enthusiastically, saying happy birthday and shoving a card excitably at her. In shock Siobhan takes the card and thanks her and calmly says lets go. They begin to walk to college together.
On her way to college Siobhan suddenly stops and says to Emily she has to go somewhere and begins to walk off in the opposite direction. Emily worryingly tries to beg her to come to college; she confusingly gives up and carries on walking to college. Siobhan takes a decoy and walks around her neighbourhood, thinking about everything that has happened. She gets her head together and decides to go to college. As she is late she begins to run up the hill in to college, then realises there is no point in running as the lesson is most likely almost finished. Not caring she sits down on a bench and opens Emily’s birthday card, inside she finds a scratch card. Siobhan takes a coin out of her bag and begins to scratch away, knowing her luck she won’t win anything big or anything at all. She stops. In shock screams out “£60,000, Yes!”. She grabs everything and runs up further into college. She looks around and college seems to be deserted, which is strange. Even though there are lessons going on there are normally people with frees sitting outside talking with friends. Out of the corner of her eye she spots someone. Her friend Michael lying on the grass outside college. She goes and lies next to him. They make pleasantries, and asks him what he would do with £60.000, not letting him know that is what she has won, she makes it seem like a casual answer. After a long winded list o things Michael would do with the money Siobhan gets up and says she has to go to lesson. She slowly walks down the corridor trying not to be noticed by any one that she was meant to be in a lesson with. She walks towards her locker. She stops and pulls out her folders. A letter with her name on the front flies out and lands on the floor. Siobhan without thinking puts her folder back in the locker and picks up the letter. She begins to read it and fear comes across her face. She slides down the locker and sinks to the floor with a blank look on her face.
As it is the opening sequence to our film we decided not to show the new equilibrium as that will give away what happens at the end of the film and will not entice people to watch it as they will already know what happens. By not knowing what will happen will make the audience want to watch it.
Creative Approach
Opening Sequence/titles
Footage starts off a soft playing music to set the morning scene and with a slow pan upwards of the sun rising behind the trees and the title fades in white letters onto the screen and then fades away again. Then a cross fades into Siobhan’s bedroom where it is a lot darker. She is sleeping when her alarm goes off. She grabs the phone and turns it off and chucks it on to her bed, just missing her cat. Diegetic sound of her talking to the cat wondering if he would show some compassion and say happy birthday, but no. He would rather lick himself. A sequence of over the shoulder shots show her doing her hair, make up and putting her earrings on. Then a medium shot of her putting her coat on ready to go. All simple fades to make it flow smoothly.
Inciting Incident
Medium shot shows Siobhan sitting there in silence looking at her locket with only the extremely faint sound of the film music. Her facial expression shows sadness and hope that her dad was still alive today. The silence is then broken when Emily calls wanting to know where she is, Siobhan tells her not to worry she will be out in a second. A quick extreme close up of her locket, and then fades in to a medium shot of Siobhan walking out in to the hall way and bumps into her brother who wishes her a happy birthday. She thanks him and kisses him goodbye and walks out of her door to go and meet her friend Emily. Fade into an extreme close up and low angle shot of her putting her shoes on. Cuts to medium shot of Siobhan stepping out the first door then she remembers something, she shots at her mum to make sure she remembers to take her brother Harry to school. Film cuts to another medium shot of Siobhan opening the door to find Emily who greets her enthusiastically, saying happy birthday and shoving a card excitably at her. In shock Siobhan takes the card and thanks her and calmly says lets go. The camera pans round to show them walking away to college together.Progressive Complications
The scene then fades to a long shot of Siobhan saying goodbye to Emily and walking away from the camera as Emily looks confused and walks towards it. The shot again fades into a panning shot of Siobhan rushing up the hill to try and get to her next lesson. A slightly tilted down medium shot shows Siobhan sitting on a bench and opening Emily’s birthday card, inside she finds a scratch card. Siobhan takes a coin out of her bag and begins to scratch away. A point of view shot shows someone walking over to Siobhan and looking down on her as she screams out “£60,000, Yes!”. The camera follows her up in a medium shot as she grabs everything and runs up further into college. A long shot then used to show her running along the path.
Crisis
A small pan downwards in to a tilted down shot shows Siobhan with her friend Michael lying on the grass outside college asking him what would he do with £60.000. A tracking shot then shows her getting up and walking towards the college building.
Climax
Long shot shows Siobhan walking down the corridor to go to her locker. She opens her locker picks up a folder and letter falls out. She puts the folder back in and shuts the locker. As she begins to open the letter the camera slowly zooms into Siobhan as she opens the letter to see her expression. In shock she leans against the locker and begins to slide down it, the camera pans down tracking her. Then the opening sequence fades to black.
Applying Todorov's Theory to our Film
We combined our ideas and came up with a new story idea; this is our story idea and it being applied to Todorov's Narrative Theory
Equilibrium
Siobhan is a normal teenage girl and this is a normal day, even though it is her birthday. She begins by getting up like every normal day. She is woken by her phone going off; it’s her friend wondering where she is so that they can go to college together. She lays there for a while, talking to her cat and trying to comfort herself. She decides to crawl out of bed and starts getting ready to go out to college. She does her hair, her make up and gets her shoes, coat and bag on ready to go. Siobhan walks out in to the hall way and bumps into her brother and kisses him goodbye and walks out of her door to go and meet her friend. She opens her door to find her friend who greets her enthusiastically, saying happy birthday and handing her a card. In shock Siobhan takes the card and thanks her and calmly says lets go. They begin to walk to college together.
Disequilibrium
On her way to college Siobhan suddenly stops and says something to her friend and walks off in the opposite direction. Her friend looking worried and confused carries on walking to college. Siobhan takes a decoy and walks around her neighbourhood, thinking about everything that has happened. She gets her head together and decides to go to college. As she is late she begins to run up the hill in to college. She looks around and college seems to be deserted, which is strange. Even though there are lessons going on there are normally people with frees sitting outsider talking with friends. She slowly walks down the corridor trying not to be noticed by any one that she was meant to be in a lesson with. She walks towards her locker. She stops and pulls out her folders. A letter with her name on the front flies out and lands on the floor. Siobhan without thinking puts her folder back in the locker and picks up the letter. She begins to read it and fear comes across her face. She slides down the locker and sinks to the floor with a blank look on her face.
New Equilibrium
As it is the opening sequence to our film we decided not to show the new equilibrium as that will give away what happens at the end of the film and will not entice people to watch it as they will already know what happens. By not knowing what will happen will make the audience want to watch it.
Shot List
Shots included in this shot list…
Medium shots, long shots, panning shots, zoom shots, hand held shots, establishing shot, close ups, tilting shots, over the shoulder shots, low angled shots.
Shot 1.1: Establishing shot of the morning sun rising. (Tilted shot)
Shot 2.1: Medium shot of Siobhan waking up on the morning of her birthday.
Shot 2.2: Medium shot of Siobhan putting her earrings on in the mirror.
Shot 2.3: Medium shot of Siobhan sorting out her hair.
Shot 2.4: Over the shoulder shot of Siobhan putting lip gloss on. (Close up)
Shot 2.5: Medium shot of Siobhan with her back to us putting on her jacket.
Shot 2.6: Medium shot of Siobhan looking at her locket and answering phone.
Shot 2.7: Extreme close up of Siobhan’s locket in her hand.
Shot 3.1: Medium shot of Siobhan saying goodbye to her brother,
Shot 3.2: Close up of Siobhan putting on her shoes to leave. (Low angled shot)
Shot 3.3: Medium shot of Siobhan going out her first door and saying goodbye to her mum.
Shot 4.1: Medium shot of Emily and Siobhan greeting each other and leaving in a tracking shot,
Shot 4.2: Long shot of Emily and Siobhan walking and Siobhan leaves Emily.
Shot 5.1: Panning shot of Siobhan running up into college.
Shot 5.2: Medium shot of Siobhan reading her birthday card.
Shot 5.3: Point of view shot of stalker walking to Siobhan and over hearing her good luck.
Shot 5.4: Panning shot of Siobhan running back into college again.
Shot 5.5: Tilt down shot of Siobhan and Michael lying on the grass talking.
Shot 6.1: Long shot to a medium shot of Siobhan walking down the corridor.
Shot 6.2: Final shot is a medium tilt down shot of Siobhan falling to the floor reading the letter.
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