Final Cut

Deceit from Jemma Goulds on Vimeo.

Evaluation Question Seven

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

From fulfilling the Preliminary task and the Opening sequence I have learnt to make good quality titles for films. During the preliminary task we just used the premier pro "add titles" function which was a very basic tool, which comes across from the titles we made for it. However for the opening sequence task we chose to use a much more professional technique to create our titles. We did this by using the program After Effects, which enabled us to animations and different colours and patterns etc, and use different methods of fading in and out the text with different motions..

For our opening sequence we used a yellow flash as it resembled that of a lightening and electricity, which we thought was a good way to represent the new technologies that we have used to enable us to create such a high standard of work.

As we used the cameras and tripods in the preliminary task we were brand new to this technology so the quality wasn't very high, however as we continued to us it through to our opening sequence task we became much more understanding of how to use it to get the best results, therefore we became much more confident using the cameras. I believe this is shown through the much better quality of our opening sequence task compared to our preliminary task.

In our preliminary task there were some camera shakes, however they were not purposeful, it was just down to our lack of knowledge of the cameras. This made the footage seem very unprofessional and not what we were trying to achieve. Whereas, in one of our scenes from our final product, we used the camera shake on purpose to show that the character Chloe was in a state of intoxication. With us gaining more and more experience of filming and editing we were able to create many high quality scenes and shots, especially the scene with characters Cleo and Cameron running up the stairs.

In our preliminary task we decided to develop our characters and portray how they were feeling in the footage. We achieved this by editing Lakeisha's hands and feet fidgeting a lot to show that she was feeling anxious and worried about her job interview. We did this again with our opening sequence task, but we ensured we did it with a lot more skill as we wanted it to be of a much higher standard than our preliminary task. So for the character of Chloe we filmed her smoking o cigarette to show that she was stressed and panicked so she used the nicotine to try and calm herself down.



From comparing the two tasks together I can see how much positive progress we have made, both together as a group and individually. As we have become more confident and skilled at using the cameras, tripods and all the different editing software.

Evaluation Question Six

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

Adobe Premier Pro:

This was the first piece of software we used, and it was all our first time using it. So we spent time after classes and watched tutorials on youtube to learn how to use it properly and we all gained skills and confidence to use the programme. At first it all seemed complicated as there are lots of different options, and drop down menus etc. However i soon learnt and understood what everything was and how to use it.

We used Adobe Premier Pro as the foundation for our film; we used it to edit the film together to make a flawless sequence and without it, our film opening would not have been able to be successfully finalised.This programme allowed us the freedom to explore different editing techniques and special effects. I also know that many large budget movies have also used this programme, which proves that a lot can be achieved from using it.

After Affects:

We also used the programme After Affects to produce our company logo, the programme was quite complicated but we watched some more youtube tutorials and learnt the different ways to use the programme. This software was good to use as it gave us a very professional looking production company logo. With our logos we ensure they correlated with the films theme to reinstate it and prevent confusion.

When we first started filming we used a Sony tape camcorder which was good but then later we began using camcorders that recorded onto hard disk. This was much better as it made the whole process quicker and provided us with better picture and sound quality. I found using the cameras quite easy as i have used some before outside of school.

JVC Hard Disk Camcorder:

The Marantz Audio Recorder:

We used this to record our 'Directors Commentary'. This was easy to use, however it was able to pick up the most minute of sounds so we had to ensure we were in a very quiet room so no background noise could be picked up.

We also used lots of internet based programmes such as Facebook, Youtube and Vimeo. These were used to display our film footage and getting it out into the general public's vision and receive feedback from it. The use of these websites were very important as it was the perfect way for us to showcase our project, as it is free and anyone worldwide can log on and watch our video and give us feedback.

Evaluation Question Five

How did you attract/address your audience?

This is an annotated version of our final cut:

Evaluation Question Four

Who would be the the audience for your media project?

This is an image of the type of people I

expect to watch the film, they are all adolescents beginning to become

adults and experiencing adult life. So i think they will like Deceit as its dramatic, and has a good storyline to keep their attention, and it has adult themes which they will just be about to experience as they get older.

The type of people the film is aimed at is those who shop at places like Topshop and River Island, as these shops show tha

t they like to look good but within a reasonable budget. Also they prefer going out having fun with friends then spend all their money on shopping. The audience can relate to the film as all the costumes of the characters are similar to their type of clothing.

The type of music our audience would like include some pop, but mainly something more alternative as it shows more personality. Originally for our soundtrack we were going to use the song 'Islands' by the band The XX, which would h

ave appealed to the audience we aimed at because that band are well loved by that demographic at the moment. However, instead of using this track we made our own, and we mad it haunting and different so that they would like it.

The TV our audience would enjoy are things like Skins, as they can relate to it as the characters will be experiencing the same/similar things that they are.

Our target audience would like a variety of different films such as Kidulthood as they can relate to it. A

lso horror and thriller genre films are enjoyed by our target audience as they are good films to watch with your friends, so our film would appeal to them as they could all enjoy it collectively.

Their habits probably include some drinking, smoking which is portrayed in our film so they can relate to that. Also making mistakes and growing up, such themes are covered in our film i.e the affair.

Their lifestyle is probably just the usual, going to college, preparing for Uni and working part-tim

e jobs to earn a bit of money. So their lives are pretty relaxed, weekends for hanging out with friends etc.

Our target audience like things that are not generic, but instead something thats different. The media our target audience consumes includes magazines such as NME & More as they cover fashion, music and celebrities which interests young adults. Music of all genres as they are young adults they are still experiencing different sounds, artists and bands etc. T.V, film and internet are also media that is largely consumed by our target audience. So they are usually the main targets for ad campaigns and reviews.

I think our film would appeal to them because they can relate to the different characters and possibly the situations as they might of faced s

ome similar situations, also i think they would like the slight chilling nature of the movie.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

This is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, it demonstrates the different aspects he believes that people need to be accomplished in order to move on to the next step. Then when all the steps have been reached you end up with 'Self Actualisation', which is when Maslow says you will be truly and genuinely happy with yourself.

In relation to Maslow's theory I think that our film could make the audience reach 'Self Actualisation'. I say this because in the opening scene it is all very destructive and shows characters lives which are about to fall apart. So from this the audience can compare and see that their lives aren't as bad as they might have thought, and therefore can appreciate they lives a bit more.

Evaluation Question Three

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

Here, we have made a 'Directors Commentary', which we as a group made. It was difficult finding the time when we could all meet up and find a quiet room in which we could record using the Marantz voice recorder. However we managed to do it all together in one of our lessons.

At first we struggled to do it as we had never done anything of this kind before, and getting the timing right and remembering when to come in and what to say. However after a few mistakes we began to become quite fluent with it and after a lot of run throughs we managed to complete it quite well, so not much editing needed to be done.

Media institutions that might distribute our film include British film industry. This is because the film does not require any special effects, that would be typically seen in high budget Hollywood films. Instead it has a good storyline that will appeal to the British audience. Another possible industry that would be interested in our product is the British Film Drama industry.

Evaluation Question Two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The picture on the left is of Cleo from our Opening Sequence, and the image on the right is of Angelina Jolie from Mr & Mrs Smith. Theses two both play similar characters as they conform to the typical thriller convention that the female characters are seen as lustful and seductive. This is shown through their provocative clothing. As both the characters as shown above are wearing tight and revealing clothing. For our media production we decided to conform to these typical ideas as we wanted to reinforce them upon the audience.

In thriller movies the typical "femme fatale" (which is french for "Deadly Woman")character is used to show women's power to hypnotise men with their beauty and sexual charms, and then either murder them or use them to their own advantage in some way, or use blackmail. Classic examples of femme fatales are found in many film noir movies. Cleo's character isn't meant to be an exact representation of the femme fatale icon, however she does take on many of their characteristics such as the seductive dress she wears and her seductive behaviour.

In my opinion i would have preferred if we hadn't conformed to these kind of female stereotypes as i believe it degrades women and turns them into objects of desire rather than strong minded people. If we had more time i think we could have been able to achieve this, which would have been a positive representation of women within film.