Opening Sequence Evaluation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUX9dt_kAT0&feature=channel_video_title

Opening Sequence

Evaluation of our opening sequence

Script for media presentation

1.)

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our opening sequence goes against two stereotypes or conventions. One stereotype that we went against was the idea that a hero has to be brave or impressive. In our opening sequence, the characters are neither, as their failed attempts at parkour show. Another stereotype we go against is the negative impression of teenagers in society. This stereotype is that teenagers are dangerous and to be feared – whereas the teenage characters in our piece are, although hopeless, trying to be helpful.

We challenged these conventions by having both characters unimpressive at attempting to be smooth or fluid with their actions. For example, one clip is where Bradley fails to scale a small fence with any speed or technique, instead clambering over in an unconventional and inefficient way. This would not normally happen in a superhero movie, where the hero is fast and talented; however is a technique used in similar films, such as Kick-Ass. In a clip from Kick-Ass, the hero jumps down from a dumpster to look impressive in front of a friend; however he lands awkwardly and hurts his ankle, even though he falls from a short distance.

2.)

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social group that we portrayed in our opening sequence was of teenagers, but who have good intentions, although they are inadequate and their ambitions of being tough and heroic are misguided. In our opening sequence, gender is not represented in a typical way and does not conform to the superhero films the characters are attempting to imitate. Instead of the two male characters being brave and talented, they are weak and awkward with their actions. This links into our target audience of 15-21 year olds, as they are the most likely to find this type of humour funny, and also may be able to relate to the characters.

3.)

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

I believe that this would be distributed by a major Hollywood studio – although it may seem unconventional compared to the majority of films released by such a studio, this type of movie is becoming increasingly popular, with similar humour in movies such as Superbad, Kick-Ass and Get him to the Greek.

I believe that this could not be a TV movie, as this would go against the stereotypical films that are shown purely on TV, which are generally thought-provoking and controversial, whereas ours is intended to be light and humorous.

For similar reasons this could not be an arthouse movie, as these typically show deep and complex stories with intriguing storylines and metaphors, whereas ours is simple and designed to be enjoyable.

However, I believe that this has the potential to be an internet release, partly because of the main audience that uses the internet. This audience is similar to our target audience, which is of young adults. This would help and make the internet a suitable place for our release, as they would be more likely to be interested in the film and have the desire to watch it.

However, I do not believe that this movie, and indeed movies similar to it, have the potential to spawn a franchise, as I feel that the audience would be too familiar with the characters personality and their actions in certain challenging situations. For example, the audience will presume that whilst the character is weaker, they will overcome the obstacles that they face. However, I do feel that there is potential for merchandising from this film, as films such as Kick-Ass and Superbad have shown. For example, you can buy the costume that the main character wears in Kick-Ass, and also plastic figurines of him. From Superbad, you can buy t-shirts etc. with well-known Superbad quotes on.

4.)

Who would be the audience for your media product?

I believe that this movie could be shown to both genders, but would be primarily targeted at a younger audience, e.g. teenagers or young adults, as they would be able to relate to the characters and their everyday problems, but also find their journeys enjoyable and funny.

The two films that are most similar to ours are Superbad and Kick-Ass. Superbad is similar to ours as it follows three teenagers who, although well-meaning, are hopeless and at times show their immaturity. Kick-Ass is very similar to our movie, as it follows one ordinary teenager who decides to emulate his idols and become a superhero in his city.

5.)

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract attention to our movie we would advertise it on social networking sites, and video-sharing sites, which could include Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as all three are used regularly by our target audience and have massive audiences.

One part of our opening sequence that would entertain our audience is the scene where Bradley fails to slide down a banister effectively, instead sliding too fast and colliding with the door at the bottom of the stairs. I felt that this would entertain the audience as the fast-paced camera work and lively soundtrack would make the reader think that the scene will be impressive, but instead it is embarrassing for the character.

The audience throughout our opening sequence alternates between being in the surrounding area and therefore having an unlimited view, to a point-of-view, which adds to the intensity of certain scenes. This has the effect of entertaining the viewer more so than normal, as they get a more intimate and close-up view of the scene, which makes them feel more involved.

6.)

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

The use of technology was one problem that we encountered during the production and filming of our opening sequence; the limited number of cameras meant that for some scenes we had to use a camera phone, which fortunately was of a very good quality, and as a result the audience does not sense the difference.

A specific problem that we faced during our filming process was a lack of time. We found that between holding down part-time jobs and having large amounts of coursework, the spare time we had was quite sparse, and so we needed to make the most of our time. We overcame this problem by making sure we effectively planned our filming before we had to do it, which saved us time planning when we could have been filming.

We used two different editing programs to edit our opening sequence, iMovie and Final Cut Express.  The main thing that we learnt from our editing process was that it was more difficult and time-consuming than we had first thought! We had presumed that we would just effectively chop and place clips in order, put sound on and our film would be complete. However, we learnt that editing was far more complex and intricate, and the various effects that were at our disposal were very complicated but could be used to good effect.  One effect that we both particularly found to be very effective was when Bradley lands on the carpet after a small but exaggerated jump; as his feet hit the ground the screen flashes dark momentarily and the music changes.

Another program that we used was Garageband, which we used to make our soundtrack. This was particularly effective as we were able to mix fast-paced music with slow, to make our opening sequence more entertaining.

7.)

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

Our planning stage consisted of researching similar movies and storyboarding our scenes. This helped our ability to entertain the audience, as they allowed us to build a clearer picture of the movie that we wanted to produce. We also drew up a list of the shots that we wanted to capture, for example the extreme close-up on the characters eyes in a clichéd way. I also feel that our range of shot types was far better, for example we learnt shots throughout the whole process like point-of-view, which added to the fast-paced scenes in which we used it. I also felt that I have become far more confident with my ability to use the equipment, whether it be recording or editing software.

Overall, I feel that our end product was relatively successful in achieving its purpose of entertaining the audience. To improve it, I felt that we could have added more depth to the characters in the beginning, so the audience becomes immediately affiliated with them, and therefore almost becomes connected with them and hoping that they succeed.

Hotel Rwanda

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.



The shot pictured above shows a good use of lighting - the natural light on one side of his face shows his hope for the future.

This shot shows a good use of composition - the way the main character is stood at the front shows how much responsibility is on his shoulders, and how much the people stood behind him expect from him.

Major labels V Independent labels (in terms of CD's and iPods)

Major record labels

EMI have handled the transition from CD to MP3 very well. Unlike independent record labels, they had the ability to have their artists MP3's put on services such as iTunes and Spotify quickly and easily, generating millions of hits and encouraging sales. They can also advertise their artists on a larger scale than other smaller labels. This is done by a sort of domino effect. For example, one EMI artist releases a new song that is put on YouTube. Underneath the video are details of how to download the track, suggestions of other EMI artists to listen to and so on.

Independent record labels

Finders Keepers have also handled the transition well, but in a very different way to EMI. Instead of moving from CD to MP3 completely, Finders Keepers still sell CD's, but they produce them only when they are ordered. They do this because they realised that, when the popularity of CD's decreased, as would the price of buying and producing the CD's.

'The Digital Decade'

The digital decade covers the transition of music from CD's to online music, such as MP3's.
The digital decade bought problems to the music industry though - people could now p2p file-share their music, costing the music industry billions of dollars of revenue.
This was extremely difficult to contain: if they sued one person it would make them look harsh, but if they closed down p2p sites or programmes such as Limewire then a new one would take its place immediately.
The music industry was also slow to catch on to the potential that online music bought - missing out on creating massive services such as iTunes, YouTube and Spotify.
This is an example of how the gap between major and independent labels is widening - as major labels find it easy to get their music on large services such as iTunes, whereas independent labels find it much harder.

Prison Break

Prison break was an american television serial drama which was televised from 2005-2009, releasing four seasons and 81 episodes in total. The story is based around Michael (pictured right) and Lincoln Schofield (pictured left). Lincoln is wrongly incarcerated for a murder he did not commit, and Michael, a structural engineer devises an elaborate plan for his brother to escape.

Michael commits an armed robbery, which means that he is too incarcerated at Fox River State Penitentiary with Lincoln. Whilst there, he plans and succesfully exectutes the escape plan with his brother, however, also with several other prisoners, who had learnt of Michael's plan and threatened to tell the authorities.

The next three seasons follow their escape from the authorities, and the storyline twists when "The Company", who were responsible for framing Lincoln, also start pursuing them. Until the last few episodes, the story revolves around The Company and the authorities pursuing and sometimes arresting the fugitives, and the opportunities for the fugitivies to negotiate their freedom.

The Long Tail Theory

The Long Tail theory proposed that instead of present day, where 20% of artists are responsible for 80% of sales, the future would see a drastic change, to the other 80% of artists contributing over half of music sales.

An example of the major record labels artists popularity is pictured below:

Superbad

Superbad is one of the films we based our opening sequence around - the idea of people trying to be something they are not, in our case attempting elaborate stunts and parkour moves to little effect.

Superbad is one of the funniest films I have watched, and the two shots shown above are a good representation of the type of humour the film uses. The first picture shows the unpopular character attempting to dance with the girl he likes, and dancing in a strange way. The second picture is part of a clip that is in slow-mo, which in other films would make the characters seem tough and heroic, whereas due to their situation and clothing it makes these two characters seem funny and uncool.