Question One

O1.

In what ways does you media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?

The Brit-Crime-Comedy genre is what we used to develop our current media product, and with the likes of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, Rock n Rolla, Layer cake and The Bank Job, we had a lot of stimuli to work with. The generic audience expectations for Switch were witty comedy, slick dialogue, sharp suits, scams, heists and large gangster types. Using these elements we created a film within that genre but we also challenged it by adding a slapstick comedy twist as we could not provide the witty and slick dialogue due to our ‘silent film’ brief.

Initially seen as an obstacle, the silent film brief later enabled us to explore many different characters, styles, directors and music. Characters like Laurel and Hardy, Delboy and Rodney and Dumb and Dumber were classic comedy duos that we researched and developed upon to create our comedy duo Frank and Charlie. These three classic duo often had one that was cleverer than the other, yet they were both undoubtedly idiots, and this was something we definitely played on. Frank and Charlie are dim-witted cousins who only have each other for friends, and Frank, much like Delboy comes up with all their money making schemes whilst Charlie just plays along blindly. The challenge for us was trying to capture the comedy that Delboy and Rodney deliver, which comes mainly from their dry and witty humour. However, since our film had to be silent it was important that our characters body language had to be very exaggerated much like previous work of comedians, like Abbott, Laurel and Hardy and Chapin, in 1920s silent films.

The narrative structure of our film was changed to non-linear in the post production stages as we thought it would be interesting to show the end of the film at the beginning to give the audience a shock and to keep them intrigued from start to finish. This structure is often used in films of a similar crime/action genre. Vantage Point (2008) is a prime example as it retells an assassination from 8 different vantage points which is part of the attraction as the audience want to find out the ending. Nevertheless, we developed on the structure by lacing slapstick comedy throughout which is often lost in crime/action genre with films like Vantage Point, Reservoir Dogs and Lucky Number Slevin which all had some influence in Switch .

In addition, the sound effects and soundtracks used for Switch were highly inspired by other films within our genre and for research we often watched film and trailers to listen to the sounds used in similar scenes that feature in our film. One scene in particular was a slow motion strutting scene, seen in Superbad (2007)

The funky soundtrack is cheesy and add comic effect as the two characters clearly think they look cooler than they actually are. This was a direct scene that we tried to replicate for Switch but developed on it by actually dressing Frank and Charlie well in smart suits, which is a common accurance in crime comedies. We also used the fast paced action

Feedback on SWITCH.

Switch:

Good casting, reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, very good expressive acting.

Good camera angles and framing of close ups.

Good cutting on the action sequences.

Very witty.
Good script.
Good ‘pace’ to film.
Effective use of music.
Interestingly done as a ‘silent’ piece.
Well edited.

Final Titles

The research that Halle had done on titles had largely been based around the slapstick sidse of Switch, but during the editing stage we tested the titles on the shots but they just didnt seem right. Since we had used a very gritty effect on the single title shot, we needed a font that would coincide well with it and so we found STENCIL. This font is often associated with militant films or advertisement and although that theme doesnt run throuout our film, it fitted well and we as a group like it. :) (left) You can see I also used the same font on my poster but added a metalic effect to it. I felt it was important to use it for my ancillary task as well too sustain the same housestyle.

Final Poster Design One

When creating this, my final poster it was important to incorporate all the elements from my first poster and billboard and to also take on board the feedback regarding sustaining housestyle and simplicity. So I began with the background which would be black with the colours of white and read featured throughout as it is slick and simple like the others. The uneven metallic title font was also used to reflect our characters’ who throughout the film believe they have come up with strong impenetrable plans that in the end are dodgy and fail. The uneven alignment also give the audience the indication that there will be comedic elements within the film as at first glance the posters appear dark and could belong within the thriller genre.

The light bulb graphic can also be seen at the top left hand corner with the beam of light coming out of it, similar to poster one. Within the beam I chose to show an actual image of Frank and Charlie instead of a silhouette as a recurring comment within my feedback was that in one of the posters I should show my main characters faces as it is comforting to audiences and allows them to familiarise themselves with their faces before they go to see the film.

Although there are many similarities within across the posters, I also wanted to make each one slightly different, and this one features and actual image of the setting of the film. I felt this was an important thing to incorporate as it helps for the audience to again understand what genre and type of film Switch would be. Since the image is of a dingy and dark looking estate audiences can grasp that Switch falls within the east end crime comedy genre. The tagline ‘Scamming for Dummies. By The Dummies’, also helps to give an indication that the film will feature some comedy and idiotic people trying to scam someone and since I added the image of Frank and Charlie they will deduce that they are the idiots. You will also notice that I had to add the colour blue into this poster as the white font was hard to read over the background image. To overcome this problem I tried to add a small black bar at the top so it could be clearly seen, but it looked tacky, amateur and there was too much black space, and so I chose blue as it wasn’t too bright and bold.

Final Poster Design Two

Feedback:

Norianne says “try and make them a little more similar so they look like they belong to the same film”

Sustaining a clear housestyle was the main problem I had to overcome when creating my posters as my previous ones were each too busy and just didn’t look as if they came from the same film. Each poster had a very amateur vide that came across and I wanted to improve them to make them looks slick and professionally made.

This poster unlike the billboard is much darker and makes use of the silhouette look I wanted to use across the posters. I have used the silhouette of Frank and Charlie in two of my three posters to create an air of mystery and secrecy which is often seen in films within the crime-comedy genre. As seen in my first draft I wanted to incorporate a beam of light or light bulb in some way. If you look closely I tried to create a beam coming our of the car headlights, but it wasn’t very attractive, and after my feedback from it as being to busy, I tried to keep it simple by having a black background with a white beam.

After the research of existing posters within my genre I came across Reservoir Dogs’ which also have a dark look as it is a dark and humorous film But it also uses the beam of like effect I wanted to create, but instead of it coming from a light source, it is coming through a doorway which was probably much easier to create. Using Adobe Photoshop I was able to replicate this layout easily using cookie cutter tools, shapes and paint buckets using just black and white. But I developed on the original but positioning the light beams in front of the car headlights and the doorways is made with the silhouette of a briefcase which are both objects that feature within the film. I also positioned the title of the other side of the page to balance out the spacing, however I still had a lot of blank black space in the shadow section so here is added the tagline at the top and two quotes from both mine and Rachel’s film reviews. The tagline at the top has the words ‘dummies’ highlighted as Frank and Charlie’s idiocy is a running theme throughout the film. Much like my billboard poster I feel that adding the review extracts increase the production value of the poster and gives the impression that Switch is a highly credited film that the industry recognises and recommends.

Moreover, I used the same metallic font and colour scheme and graphics across my poster campaign to sustain the same house style so the audience will recognise that each is from the same film, which was the problem I had to overcome from my first draft of Poster One.

Final Billboard Design

Feedback from previous billboard design was "I think you could have made it brighter and more in your face as the film is exciting"

In light of this comment, I changed the background colour to white which automatically brightens the billboard as it was previously black and darker. Although my draft had bright colours and eye catching, it didn’t give the audience a clear idea of the film and didn’t follow a housestyle. Which is the next aspect I wanted to develop upon, my final billboard is simple and bright but I now needed to sustain that across all my poster campaign.

The major influence for this poster was a poster from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. As you can see I replicated the layout of this poster and adapted the colours of black, white, red and silver and the stencil font. Much like the other posters I added the metallic effect to the title name along with the light bulb graphic which also features throughout the campaign as it ties in the with the films ‘bright idea’ theme. In addition to the font, I adjusted the alignment to create an uneven look which I feel reflect our protagonist Frank and Charlie’s characters who try to appear as tough gangsters but underneath they are still dodgy and inevitably fail or have flaws I their plans.

The image is one taken from the photoshoot arranged where I took various photos of each character in different poses both alone and with each other. This image is two different images that have been layered onto one. I did this using Adobe Photoshop Elements and adjusted the brightness and contrast of the images to create the shadow effect that is also seen in our film.

Once I added the generic elements of a billboard such as the title, SWITCH, an image, age certificate and tagline ‘Scamming for Dummies. By The Dummies’ I felt that adding a review extract from my own film review would finish off the poster well whilst also linking both ancillary tasks together nicely. I feel that this billboards looks more professionally made, is simple and would intrigued our target audience of males aged 12-25 who would appreciate the gritty style of our film along with the slapstick comedy.

Question Four

Q4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the various stages of production my group and I had to use many new and old media technologies to complete our research, planning and evaluation work.

Research began in June 2010 where our brief was to make our silent film based on the idea of ‘The Fall’. Interpreting ‘The Fall’ in any way we could, I found myself using the internet and sites such as Google, Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers to find a creative interpretation from which I could stem a story idea. My research from Google led me to the ‘Fall of Man’, the classic biblical story of the fall of Lucifer as God’s highest angel to the Devil himself. I also came across the cliché of ‘falling in love’, ‘falling over’, ‘falling ill’, and ‘falling pregnant’ but these all seemed too generic and I wanted to create something that had not been done before. Wikipedia had on the other hand led me to a novel ‘The Fall’ in which the story follows a very depressed man, but as a group we wanted to stay clear of gloomy and dark storylines.

This year as well as researching story ideas we had to put a great amount of focus into the cinematography of ours and previous films. Once we were given a photography workshop using photographs and Microsoft Power Point we were given our own assignment to capture everyday objects in interesting ways. From the beginning I was interested in shadows and lighting and with the combination of my simple iPod Touch 3G, Blackberry Torch and Samsung 12 megapixel camera I was able to capture and create funny images from the table condiments at Nandos. (as seen on my Blog). I also captured amazing shadow lines underneath classroom huts within my school grounds. Whilst taken pictures I took advantage of the various settings on the camera such as Macro to change the focus and blur of each picture. This enabled me to get a focused shot of a spider on its web with the view of a rose behind it. I thoroughly enjoyed this research but publishing the images statically on my blog just was not interesting enough and so I researched another photo publishing software, Kizoa. Kizoa was brilliant as it was easy to download and allowed me to arrange the images in a way that I wanted whilst looping a soundtrack to the slideshow. This was new software that I had not come across before and was much more interesting than the normal Power Point Presentation as it brought images to life

In addition to media technologies used during research and planning we had to use document publishing software like slide share and Scrib’d which let us publish our scripts and treatments in original document format. I was not as familiar with that new technology as I was with the technologies used during production. As we were using the same filming and sound equipment as previous years I was very comfortable using the Canon XHA1 camera and the Libec Tripod as it is easier to assemble and I had familiarised myself with it. This made setting up and taking down the equipment less time consuming enabling us to move from each location swiftly. The only difference this year as having to get used to using the camera without the tripod, which I adapted to as the master shot of the drug deal is not shaky and blurred. The only major challenge whilst using the camera and sound equipment was shooting outside in the thunder storm. As we as a group had to make sure that the equipment was dry and that the ‘Hairy Harry’ was secured correctly to assure we did not pick up any wind noise and crackling due to the gust of wind and heavy downpour. The weather also created a problem with continuity as the rain would stop and start between different scenes, meaning that we had a change of weather in different shots. Therefore to overcome this problem when it came to editing, we had to find heavy rain sound effects to put over the top of certain shots to sustain the impression of Frank and Charlie being caught in the middle of a thunderstorm and failing at scheme miserably. Ironically, the weather was a positive as it created pathetic fallacy and extra comic effect as the gloomy reflected the twos decreasing success at making money.

Moreover, we continued to use previous technology in editing. Adobe Premier Pro is software that I love using as it is easy and efficient, but last year I only had basic knowledge of it. Whereas this year we broadened our range and shot scenes with the intention of creating split screens and slow motion because we all wanted to increase our technical skill and make further progress from our previous AS production for which Silent Play only used static shots and a few pans. To do this, I inquired into how to do these new effects and with practice I was able to teach and help others with their editing problems. However, I was not a complete expert on the software and there were certain graphics that I could not accomplice with the basic Adobe Premier Pro, so we had to get help using Adobe After Effects. After using this new software, other group members created the graphics, but once incorporated into film, we all felt that they lowered our production value and so they were discarded.

To conclude, we used a wide range of new and old technologies to help us complete the work needed for the construction, research and planning stages for our A2 Media production.

Question Three

Q3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Audience feedback is crucial to the post production stages of a film as it gives us their opinion of the film and indicates the changes we need to make according to their expectations of the British Crime Comedy genre. As a group we collected and noted feedback at different stages of production from story ideas to editing.

Our initial story idea was one based upon domestic abuse and neglect told in silence in an animated comic style. Once pitched to a group, they came back and said that the story was not interesting enough, was very gloomy and did not have a creative USP they felt we were able to achieve as they expected that our group could create a product that was exciting and something that audiences have not seen previously. From this feedback we learned that just because the film had to be silent does not mean that it had to be gloomy and dark. We also realised that we had to make that transition and progress from our AS to A2 production, by increasing in entertainment and technical value. So we developed and explored the silent aspect and previous films from the pre-‘talkies’ period and came across classic 1920s slapstick comedy. As a solution we regrouped and came up with better ideas on being a thriller based on obsession and lust, yet it was still to dark. Then after our research and thinking about my favourite films and genre, I pitched the idea of Heist to the group.

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Subsequently, we expanded on the idea, giving it the slapstick edge and once ready, pitched the idea, treatment and first script draft to classmates and teacher. From their feedback we knew we had landed on a good idea that was both believable and doable with the equipment and locations we had. Others commented on the fact that it was a ‘well liked genre that have not been done for a while’ yet it was felt that we had ‘lost sight of the slapstick edge’, so they suggested a few classic elements like the flick of the eye and more comical sound effects to regain it. The final amendments made to the script was to change a comical prostitution scene to the blind man scheme, swap the punch my a customer at the door during the cookie scene to a flick by Frank, as it would be more effectient to film, and we also decided on the sound effects to be used throughout each scene. The next thing changed was the name. The comments on the name Heist was largely positive saying was as fast paced and slick, yet our film weren’t as slick and it did not have a lot to do with our film. From that feedback Esther came up with the name Switch as it connects with the switching on of the light bulbs, suitcases and Frank and Charlie switching their dingy clothes for slick suits. Once agreed we proceed with the production of SWITCH!

Moreover, from previous experience during the production stages of Silent Play, my year 12 production, I had learned that time management was crucial in maintaining a successful shoot and keeps us on schedule. So we made sure we knew when and where we would be for each shot.

Finally once production was over we made sure we got a lot of feedback from many people. We noted points of feedback from other students to make sure the story was clear after editing. The technical issues were majorly to do with editing cuts, sound bridges and using a variety of shots. Firstly, as our film was too large so we had to cut down time and from the comments on our editing cuts we learned that we had to cut a point where all the information that the audiences needed had been shown. For example, to show that the duo were following the bodyguard we did not have to show the whole clip as after 2-3 seconds, the audience would gather what was going on and so we could cut to next shot, shaving down 3 seconds at a time which did mount up to a lot and we manage to successfully cut down 5 minutes. Second technical feedback I learned from were the sound bridges, we realised from the feedback that the music does not connect the scenes smoothly so we extended their length and faded the soundtracks into next scene. This could be heard on the ‘idea two’ scene where Frank gets his idea for the ‘Blindman’ scheme idea and a reggae soundtrack begins and continues through the Day2 caption and into the outside Blindman scene then fades slowly once the new music comes in.

The final technical feedback was about using extra shots. I learned that having a variation of shots for one scene can make it more interesting for the audience and so we had to digitise more rushes from our tapes to show more angles. An example would be the small scene after Frank and Charlie failed at selling cookies, we originally had one shot of them walking down the road, but on set we decided to shot from two different angles, one static and one panning shot) which gave us more angles.

However when it came to editing the second side angle shot didn’t look right so we cut it, but we later found a section that was usable and so we put it on the timeline and it made the scene more interesting to watch instead of a static shot.

Once the technical side was sorted it came down to getting feedback on the actual story line, as since we produced the film we know the story and the significance of certain objects but we needed fresh eyes. So we had year 9 students watch the film and it turned out that not all was clear as initially thought. They did not understand the ending of the film and why the duo were running with the briefcase. I realised that it was the fact that the money was obscured by the black and white effect on the shot. As the briefcase was only shown open for a few seconds we realised we had to make it obvious that it was money so the effect was taken off showing the colour of the money and the cliché red bank holding each wad of money together. This proved successful as the story became much clearer to our final audience who all laughed at the right parts and understood the storyline whilst simply enjoying the film. Thus proving we learned and improved from feedback making SWITCH a good media production.

Once our film was finished we were able to create our ancillary tasks. The first produced was my film review that I had written to be placed into Total Film magazine because of its entertaining and informative writing style which I tried to replicate. One written, I collected feedback for it and was told that it was very good, witty and that they enjoyed the fact that I had mentioned other films that linked to Switch. The feedback I received for my layout was also positive as audiences mentioned that it belonged within that magazine and I had captured the house style well.
My original poster ideas on the other hand were not as well received as many said that they were too busy and they could work out what the film was about. This feedback then led me to look back on my research and get simpler ideas or designs. That was when I found extra posters for Reservoir Dogs. Their poster campaign was similar to the idea that I had in mind, with the use of minimalist colours of black and white and silhouettes they were able to create a slick and sharp poster, that clear gave the audience an indication of what their film was about. Therefore, I started afresh and began creating simple poster that used minimal colour by only using black white and silver, however I wanted there to be glimpses of red as it is see on the titles of the film.

Question Two

Q2.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

To promote our film successfully once production had finished, we had to create two out of three ancillary tasks. From a radio advertisement, posters or a film review, we chase the latter two as we they were the two most accessible. The first ancillary task produced for Switch was my film review for which I had to research several other file magazines to grasp the style and dialogue. Switch is the final product which audiences get to see, but in order for them to want to watch the film my review has to create hype and market the film in a way that answers questions and gives audiences the first view of the film. From my research of Empire, Radio Time and Total Film, I found a page from Total Film that show cased a newly released film and therefore had a large image and space for a longer review. I chose Total Film as the influence of my film review as I felt that the editors had very relaxed and colloquial language which would comfort the reader, whilst also using filmic terms. It was clear that the writers were avid film fan and knew what they were talking about, and that was the impression that I wanted to give when audiences would read my own review. There were also other elements on the page like the ‘Talking Point’ bubble which allowed me to give behind the scenes information for avid fans of the magazine. The overall layout of the magazine page was easy to replicate so using publisher I was able to make it look as if my review had came straight out of the Total Film magazine. As well as creating an effective housestyle I had to imitate the filmic and witty language used by the editors of such magazines. Puns and tone of voice has a lot to do with sustaining an entertaining vibe of the magazine that not only captures the world of our film but also our target audience’s attention. For example, as my film lies within the British crime comedy genre and is set within the East End of London, it was only fitting for me to use some cockney slang. “appy to join em”.

In addition to the language there were also credits I had to incorporate into the review, so mentioning the directors and actors name whilst mentioning their previous work. This makes them seem more experience and it tells the audience which other films they had made so if the audience had seen them they may like Switch. Similarly, I had a side bar on my magazine page called “See this if you like…” show casing Guy Richie’s classic Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels indicating and successfully promoting our film on the same level of brilliance as the previous blockbuster favourites. The image I chose for the film review is perfect as it is a clear two shot of the two main characters Frank and Charlie who is holding up a small bag of drugs to a dark gangster type, which automatically indicates the genre of the film. Whilst the facial expression of the two gives us an indication of their characters as Frank looks rather serious and straight talking whilst Charlie is standing dazed and scruffy. I also added an effect to the image using simple photo editing software to give it a grittier look and it rounds off the image nicely. The review overall does not give away the whole plot, it advertises its characters and genre successfully.

My second ancillary task was my posters. We decided to produce a poster campaign to effectively market our film, and so I created two posters and one billboard for Switch. The role and advantages of poster campaign give audiences a small insight into the film whilst advertising the institution, directors and actors. In order for my campaign to achieve this I had to tie in the posters with the review and film, starting with the housestyle. The main colours of black, white and red are seen throughout the film; Frank and Charlie’s suits, the drugs, money, special effects and fonts. Also they are the colours taken from my Total Film review page and so I used those colours on the majority of my posters. The background setting for my posters was something I had put a lot of thought into as I wanted to create a silhouette look much like Reservoir Dogs and Lock Stock posters. However, these posters does not reveal anything about the setting and since I mentioned the East End of London in my review it was important to show it, so in one of my posters I have the background image of a view of the estate that the film was shot. Nevertheless, each poster follows a very simple style with large black spaces and a light bulb graphic created with screen grabs as seen across each poster as it ties in with the film. The over simplicity of each poster, review and film is what we hope will interest, attract and intrigue our target audience by giving them a small peak into the world of Switch and from our feedback both our ancillary task does that successfully.