Evaluation Question 4

 

After looking at all the types of technology that I have used during my project, I think that all the software that I have used has had a greater impact than the hardware that I have used. I think that this is primarily due to the fact that the majority of my project this year was done on a computer (with the exception of any filming that I have done). This amount of work has lead me to come up with new and interesting ways to present information in a digital form, which is why I used a large variety of software. The main piece of software that I have used throughout this project is undoubtedly YouTube. I have used this piece of software to learn about film making and have distributed many of my own findings on this platform. I was familiar with this site prior to my year 13 project, but I was not aware of the sites capabilities like having it's own selection of royalty free music, which I have used many times. This is good, as it shows that for many pieces of software there are elements to them I can expand my knowledge upon and improve future films. For the construction of the film the piece of technology that I used most often was the Nikon D3300. This piece of technology vastly improved my film and was much greater than the camera device that I used for my year 12 project (iPhone 5). I was able to not only film great shots with brilliant picture quality, but this device also allowed me to add on attachments such as a tripod and a hand held stabilizer. This was very useful because I was able to create many steady shots that added to the overall professionalism of the final film. For the evaluation of my film I think the most useful piece of technology that I used was Google Forms. With this software I was able to create many questionnaires that I could easily distribute via the internet and get immediate responses once they had completed the questionnaires. The software also has a built in feature that automatically creates bar charts, pie charts and much more. This is very convenient because rather than sifting through all the raw data, I was able to look at the charts provided for me and conduct a quick analysis of the results. 

Evaluation Question 2

Shooting schedule

During this part of production I logged the progression of  my shoots. I have included a comments section where I talked about went well, what was less successful and what I planned to do next. I believe this is an important part of production, as by recording what happened during each shoot it makes it easier for me to identify what still needs to be shot for my film. It also acts as a notes section because I am able to look back on previous shoots and quickly remember what didn't work and therefore what not do it in a future shoot.  

Now that I have completed my shooting schedule I can conclude that this was a very useful document to have. For example, on the 11/02/17 shoot I had completely forgot that there was an issue with the general public being in the shots, thus destroying the illusion that the character is in the middle of nowhere. However, I looked back on my notes and remembered this problem occurred, which then lead me to organizing a re-shoot on a day when there would be a limited amount of people. This proved to be useful as it was able to obtain a lot more footage for my film. 

Institutional Research

Regulation Research

In my regulation research for my year 12 media project I covered a lot of information about the BBFC and their rating system. However, I primarily focused on how their rules apply to the horror genre because that was the genre I was trying to create in my film. In this document I will talk about who the BBFC are, how their classification system works, the general rules for each of the ratings and how each one applies to comedy. These are all important elements to learn about film making because by knowing the guidelines to getting a particular age rating it will help me ensure that I reach my target audience as best I can. This could include not having any content that would prevent my target audience from viewing my film. As I have established in my target audience post, I will be appealing to 16 - 25 year olds. This means that I shall need to follow the rules and regulations that concur with these ages and also avoid having a lower age rating, as having an age rating like '12' would be unappealing to my target audience.  

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984. In order to preserve its independence, the BBFC's income is derived solely from the fees it charges for its services, calculated by measuring the running time of films, DVDs/videos and other works submitted for classification. The BBFC is not organized for profit, and its fees are adjusted only as required to cover its costs.

Cinema

The British Board of Film Censors was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally. Statutory powers on film remain with the local councils, which may overrule any of the BBFC’s decisions, passing films we reject, banning films we have passed, and even waiving cuts, instituting new ones, or altering categories for films exhibited under their own licensing jurisdiction.

Video

In 1984 Parliament passed the Video Recordings Act. This act stated that, subject to certain exemptions, video recordings offered for sale or hire commercially in the UK must be classified by an authority designated by the Secretary of State. The President and Vice Presidents of the BBFC were so designated, and charged with applying the new test of ‘suitability for viewing in the home’. At this point the Board’s title was changed to the British Board of Film Classification to reflect the fact that classification plays a far larger part in the BBFC’s work than censorship.

Now I have established the beginning of the BBFC and its purpose in the film industry I need to look at the rating system that they have created. There are 5 main ratings for film. These include; 'U' (suitable for all), 'PG' (parental guidance), '12' (video release suitable for 12 years and over), '15' (suitable only for 15 years and over) and '18' (suitable only for adults). 

Since I have already decided that I will be aiming my film at 16 - 25 year old's I shall only be looking at how the '15' and '18' ratings affect the types of comedy that I can include in my film. In the '15' rating I will look at how some of the main aspects such as violence, discrimination, drugs, etc affect the content that I would be allowed to include in my film. In the '18' rating I will look at what is expected to be seen in this rating in regards to sex, criminal activities, etc and see how these elements would change the story plot of my film. 

First lets look into the 15 rating and how it will effect the content that I will be able to use in my film. In the violence section it states that violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. This would mean that if my character(s) sustain any injuries I could show it on screen, but nothing more than that. This would be problematic for me because in order for violence or pain to work in a comedy film the pain would need to be dwelled upon, as the humour tends to derive from the character(s) responses.  Regarding the use or presence of drugs for a 15 rating, drugs are allowed to be shown, but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use i.e. instructional use. This wouldn't cause a problem for me because, much like violence, it is the characters reactions that are funny rather than the act itself. So I would be able to show the crazy effects of drugs in my film, but will have to have a bad outcome for the character such as a broken bone or a bad 'trip' in order to not encourage the use or drugs. My film should also not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, but I am allowed to include some racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes or language. In order to follow this rule I would take inspiration from Anchorman where any discriminatory behaviour is clearly used for comedic effect rather than an insult. The last aspect that I would need to consider for my comedy film is the level of nudity that I could include. According to the BBFC guidelines for a 15 rated film, there are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational manner. There may be nudity in a sexual context, but usually without strong detail. For my film I might consider playing with these guidelines and include a character that would not stereotypically be considered be 'sexy', like a homeless elderly man, and then sexualize him using various camera angles, lighting and sound effects. This could be funny for the audience to witness as it's something they would never expect to see on screen. 

Now lets look into the 18 rating and how it will effect the content that I will be able to use in my film. The general understanding of an 18 rated movie is that it is for adults and adults are free to choose their own entertainment. This means that there are very few restrictions as to what I could include in my film, if it were to be 18 rated. However, there are some exceptions as to what I can include. For example, I am not allowed to use any footage that is in breach of criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offense. I feel that this rule is pretty self explanatory, as it basically means I cannot film or use any footage of illegal activities that are not fake. This is not a problem for my film, as comedy doesn't have a direct link with illegal activities. I am also not allowed to use any material where it appears to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society. This basically means that I cannot include any portrayals of sadistic or sexual violence, which makes this violence look appealing.  This is to prevent anyone who watches the film from attempting to recreate these acts in real life. This doesn't massively effect the amount of plot ideas that I can use because there are few comedy plots that could include these kind of images and still portray humour. So I very unlikely to be effected by this rule.      

Target Audience

A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumers within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message. The production team must identify and understand its target audience if their advertising campaign is to be successful. It allows the production to craft their advertisements to the wants and needs of customers, in order to maximize ticket sales and therefore revenue.

So before I begin to write a story plot and craft an advertisement campaign about my short film I need to establish who my film will be aimed at and what sort of traits they possess, i.e. music interests and more. This will provide vital information for my advertisement campaign and increase the amount of ticket sales for my film.

   

The first stage I took to discovering what target audience I would be aiming at was by coming up with a quick break down of the qualities they would possess. As you can see from the first picture I have provided below I broke my target audience into 5 main categories, which included gender, occupation, age, products they would stereotypically use (types of technology) and general interests (music, etc). At this point in my production I have already established that I will be creating a comedy short film. So when it came to identifying the general interests of both genders I only mentioned interests towards comedy. I felt this was a good decision because it will provide an insight into what story plot I should create that would best reach both genders, thus increasing the amount of people that would be interested in my film and therefore increase the films overall success.   

Once I had created a rough idea of who my target audience should be I then searched for some images online that I could include in my target audience board in order to clearly show who my target audience is. There was no particular reason to include these images other than making it clearer to other people who my target audience is, as I have been told that my format of writing down and processing information can be difficult to understand if viewed by other people. This was important to notify and act upon because if I require help from another person to create a poster or other piece of advertisement for my film and I cannot accurately convey the target audience I am reaching then it means my advertisement will not properly reach my intended audience, thus decreasing the amount of viewers of my film. Below I have included a picture that shows all the pictures used in my target audience board.  

Once I had all the material and information I required to create my target audience board all I had to do was create it. Below I have included a picture of the final product. As you can see there is a lot of useful information that is applicable to my production. For example, the type of comedy shows that my target audience (16 - 25 year olds) watch tend to be highly relatable. As you can see television shows such as 'The Office' (situated in an office of a paper company) and 'The Inbetweeners' (situated in a high school) are very popular amongst this audience. This is primarily due to the fact that the areas these shows take place in are highly familiar because the majority of the target audience will have/still attend a standard high school or have/currently work in a standard 9 - 5 job. This familiarity is key to their success because the target audience could imagine themselves in the hilarious scenarios depicted on screen. This is useful information because when it comes to the writing process and selecting a story plot I shall need to consider how relatable the film would be to my target audience. 

To conclude, I think this was a really useful document to produce because it will help me to make decisions as to what to include in my short film. 

Location Recce and Risk Assessment

I decided to look at a variety of potential locations and conducted risk assessments at each one before I chose my final location(s). Below I have supplied the documents that evaluate the level of risk my crew and I would receive from filming at any of these locations.

The results from my risk assessment of each potential location indicated that filming at Burrator Reservoir would contain the least amount of hazards for my crew and I. The risk assessment at the other locations had a variety of issues such as unstable floors and being highly remote. It is for that reason that I have decided not to use these locations because I do not have the resources to combat these risks and ensure my crews safety. Now I know that I will be filming at Burrator Reservoir I shall look at all the risks that are involved and then come up with control measures. This is to ensure that these risks have the lowest chance of happening and if they do occur I will be ready to treat them accordingly.

Now I have conducted a thorough risk assessment about where I shall be filming in Burrator Reservoir I shall show and describe to you what this location is like and how suitable it is for filming. This means that I will be looking at aspects such as accessibility, sound, lighting and space. In the video below I have provide a selection of photos and videos of my 2 main locations for my film.

Access: 

All the locations are easily accessible via car. This is because every location is within a 1 minute walking distance of a car park. This is good because if a member of crew or cast receives an injury and needs medical attention then it is very easy for us to transport them to the nearest hospital or for an ambulance to arrive on set. Another good quality about these locations is that they are not visited regularly by the public during spring, which is when I will be filming. This is good as it means that I am able to take advantage of the quiet season and make it appear that the character is isolated and in a remote area with no help, which is a vital aspect of my story. Another good aspect about this location is that it is very close to all the crews home. This is good as it cuts down travel time, which means I will have more time to film. In regards to accessibility, this location is perfect and has 0 faults.

Space:

A great aspect about all of the locations that will be used in my film is that they are all outside. This means that there is plenty of room for the cast/contributors, crew and necessary equipment. However, with these outside spaces comes the issue of weather. I will have no way of controlling the weather, which can create continuity issues. The weather can also cause problems with filming, as severe rain or other extreme forms of weather can interfere with the equipment. Another great aspect about these locations that tie into my plot is that they will need zero set dressing requirements in order to help create the scene. This is because the whole premise of the film is that a guy from the city thinks he can survive in the wild. Since my locations are already fairly remote and do not need to be adjusted in order to look more remote from civilization I do not have to purchase any decorations to help create the scene. This means that the money saved from these expenses can be used elsewhere in my production like paying for my props.

The first location (waterfall) has a very limited amount of positions to film from. In the video at 1:14 I am standing where I will most likely shoot the majority of my shots. This is because this is the safest position for my camera operator to shoot at. There are other positions that can be used, but I will need to ensure the camera operators safety because these spaces to shoot have dangerous factors to consider such as slippery surfaces. The second location does not have this issue as it is a small, flat beach with only a few large stones to avoid. This means I can get a large range of shots and camera movements with ease. Both locations have no immovable objects, such as houses and other man made objects, that could make it difficult for me to illustrate that the character is in the middle of nowhere.  

Lighting:

Since all of my locations are outside this makes lighting particularly challenging to control as a filmmaker. The main issue for filming at these locations during the day is that I am filming during spring, which is typically know for cloudy weather. This makes lightening difficult because the clouds constantly move and changing the amount of sunlight that shines through, thus making it very difficult to have good continuity. There is no way of solving this issue apart from choosing to film only on days when the sky is completely in clouds, which means the lightening remains a bit more consistent throughout the day. 

Another issue regarding lightening during the day is that at my first location (the waterfall) I will be covered in trees. Knowing that I shall only be filming on purely cloudy days this can make it fairly dark to film in. The darkness is only worsened by the trees covering the sky. To help prevent this I shall use large reflective panels made of tin foil to refract as much sunlight I can in order to receive good enough lightening to shoot in. Since I'm filming at locations that have no power ports this means that I can only use self sustaining or non-electrical lighting rigs to help create the scene, which, means I will need to craft some new lighting equipment in order to accommodate to this factor. However, this darkness could be useful because I need a few shots that will help transition the film from day to night. This natural lightening would be perfect to create this transition because I will have a lot more time to film the shots that I'll need than trying to film them during the actual transition from day to night, which is very limited for time (roughly 20 minutes of the lightening that I would require). 

In regards to filming at night the main scene that I need to think about is the tent burning scene. I know for a fact that the tent will not remain a blaze for a long enough time for to shoot all my shots. Since I do not have enough money to buy and burn 2 tents I will just create a fireplace that will be the same size of the tent on fire. This means I can do all the shots I will need of just me looking at the burning tent without the tent being in shot.

Sound:

A great aspect about these locations is that they are all outside. This means that a lot of noises that would cause a problem at indoor locations such as air conditioning and computers (they have a low level hum that, if in use, will affect nearby audio recording). The fact that these locations are all remote (not close to civilization) means that I won't have any human interruptions that could affect my sound. For example, traffic is a common issue as it creates a large quantity of noise pollution. Another issue that I am unlikely to encounter is other people on location such as people who live/work on location that could disturb the shoot.

The main issue with filming at these locations is the wind. As you can tell from the location video above the wind can easily be picked up on my microphone despite the fact that I have a windsock attached to it. This can make it difficult to record the shots that require me to talk. However, I already took this problem in consideration when writing my script. So in my film there is not a lot of dialogue and the film will primarily be slapstick comedy, thus making it less difficult to shoot and hopefully still have an equally entertaining film. For the shots that I require the character to speak I shall film them in an area heavily dense with trees, which will limit the amount of noise pollution from the wind.