BRIEF : |
WEEK 1 CHECKLIST: |
PROPOSAL
Centre Name: The Henley College 62441
Name/Number: Cormac Wooller - 975126
Production Name: "The Taylor Tapes"
The Pathway: Short Film
Name/Number: Cormac Wooller - 975126
Production Name: "The Taylor Tapes"
The Pathway: Short Film
Rationale:
Throughout my 12 units I have been given the opportunity to edit and film many productions. These productions consisted of Radio Dramas, Documentary’s, Music Videos, and Short Films. I have successfully passed all of these units with passes and merits and I am yet to achieve a Distinction. Having improved my filming ability and editing techniques along the way I am trying my best to achieve the grade which I have been aiming for, throughout my years at Henley College.
During the filming process , I have been able to further my understanding into the right angles needed to deliver a clearer message to my audience , varying from low angle shots to close ups to super close ups to create tension throughout the narrative plots, in my short films and music videos. Also during my editing process on premiere pro I have been able to use parallel editing in a similar way allowing me to show two story’s happening at the same time in two different locations, with the use of different style cuts and transitions.
However I have noticed my time keeping hasn’t been the best throughout my 12 units, it has made me fall behind and rush my editing and filming weeks. From a very early stage I felt that I had enough time to do little work throughout weeks and haven’t been on top of it week in week out. This has illustrated to me the need for me to stay in lessons until 4pm to complete outstanding work, with also having the option to do work at home. This will hopefully give me a better chance of achieving the distinction grade which I plan to get at the end of my final major project.
In one of my past units I completed a ‘Know Better’ music video where my choice of location for a Grime music video was poor. This has been an eye opener for me and has given me a realisation of the need to research and the purpose for doing so, before completing a production. It allows my practical work to be backed up with evidence as to why I have chosen the choices of actors/locations and target audience.
With all of this in mind this leads on to my final choice of choosing to be an editor of a short film production, as it will allow me to deliver my skills in a more technical way. By choosing this I plan to allow my targeted audience of 17-25 year olds to understand a story through the use of sounds to build up tension in the plot and jump scares throughout.
During the filming process , I have been able to further my understanding into the right angles needed to deliver a clearer message to my audience , varying from low angle shots to close ups to super close ups to create tension throughout the narrative plots, in my short films and music videos. Also during my editing process on premiere pro I have been able to use parallel editing in a similar way allowing me to show two story’s happening at the same time in two different locations, with the use of different style cuts and transitions.
However I have noticed my time keeping hasn’t been the best throughout my 12 units, it has made me fall behind and rush my editing and filming weeks. From a very early stage I felt that I had enough time to do little work throughout weeks and haven’t been on top of it week in week out. This has illustrated to me the need for me to stay in lessons until 4pm to complete outstanding work, with also having the option to do work at home. This will hopefully give me a better chance of achieving the distinction grade which I plan to get at the end of my final major project.
In one of my past units I completed a ‘Know Better’ music video where my choice of location for a Grime music video was poor. This has been an eye opener for me and has given me a realisation of the need to research and the purpose for doing so, before completing a production. It allows my practical work to be backed up with evidence as to why I have chosen the choices of actors/locations and target audience.
With all of this in mind this leads on to my final choice of choosing to be an editor of a short film production, as it will allow me to deliver my skills in a more technical way. By choosing this I plan to allow my targeted audience of 17-25 year olds to understand a story through the use of sounds to build up tension in the plot and jump scares throughout.
Project Concept:
I have chosen to produce a Murder Mystery short film production which will hopefully keep my audience on the edge of their seats! The aim of my production is to grab the audience’s attention from the start of the film, and to build up the emotional tension and feelings of trepidation which are normally associated with this traditional and typical thriller genre.
My aims are threefold;
To achieve my aims, I intend to research past professionals work in this genre, people who immediately spring to mind are productions such as: Luther, Silent Witness, Sherlock etc. I am also looking to research the stereotypical aspects of a murder mystery production in order for me to deliver a realistic and authentic piece of work. For example I will look into case studies of psychopaths to gain an understanding of how they feel, look at life, how and why they operate the way they do so that I can portray my main character in a believable light.
I hope that my production will be original and current, something which the audience has never seen before. I want it to have an element of shock and anticipation as to what’s going to happen next. This is often the scenario of my favourite televised show; Silent Witness. To successfully create an atmospheric production such as this, I will need to have access to the right actors, equipment and suitable locations.
My thoughts at the moment are that I will have one main actor with charisma, who is capable of keeping the audience’s attention. I intend to create surveys and to get feedback from peers in my class. I will achieve this by creating focus groups and questionnaires which will be sent out, to market research a number of things - correct locations, correct genre, and the type of actors. In relation to the equipment which I will need, I have gained an understanding that the typical murder scenes are often during night time, nectitating filming in low light. Therefore it will be necessary for me to hire equipment such as LED Lights in order for my narrative to come across to my target audience, in a similar way to these professional episodes.
My aims are threefold;
- Firstly to make sure that my audience enjoys my production and because of this, is left with the desire and an eager anticipation, to watch my next piece of work.
- Secondly, I really want to catch and develop the sinister mood which often occurs in this genre. I am hoping to achieve this manipulating the pace and tone of my filming, editing and sound.
- Finally, I hope to deliver a piece of work which I am proud of and is of a high enough standard to be entered into The Raindance Film Festival. The exposure of my work at this festival would be huge and open up the possibility of future employment in this industry- which is my ultimate aim.
To achieve my aims, I intend to research past professionals work in this genre, people who immediately spring to mind are productions such as: Luther, Silent Witness, Sherlock etc. I am also looking to research the stereotypical aspects of a murder mystery production in order for me to deliver a realistic and authentic piece of work. For example I will look into case studies of psychopaths to gain an understanding of how they feel, look at life, how and why they operate the way they do so that I can portray my main character in a believable light.
I hope that my production will be original and current, something which the audience has never seen before. I want it to have an element of shock and anticipation as to what’s going to happen next. This is often the scenario of my favourite televised show; Silent Witness. To successfully create an atmospheric production such as this, I will need to have access to the right actors, equipment and suitable locations.
My thoughts at the moment are that I will have one main actor with charisma, who is capable of keeping the audience’s attention. I intend to create surveys and to get feedback from peers in my class. I will achieve this by creating focus groups and questionnaires which will be sent out, to market research a number of things - correct locations, correct genre, and the type of actors. In relation to the equipment which I will need, I have gained an understanding that the typical murder scenes are often during night time, nectitating filming in low light. Therefore it will be necessary for me to hire equipment such as LED Lights in order for my narrative to come across to my target audience, in a similar way to these professional episodes.
Evaluation:
I plan to evaluate my work, in a variety of ways. Initially every day I will be forming an opinion from what I see and from also what I hear from others involved in the production. This is my first hand snap shot evaluation.
Secondly I will be keeping a weekly blog, which is a more directly focused written account about how I feel my work has progressed in relation to my initial aims, and will help to reveal the things which I need to include to achieve them. My weekly blogs will also take into account feedback from teachers and peers in my class, as well as the actors and my assistants.
The weekly blogs give me a great opportunity to reflect on what I have and have not done according to my production schedule. It will inform me where I am falling behind and where I need to take action in order for me to stay on track with time. It will also illustrate areas where I have been neglectful and where I will need to pay more attention to in the following week. By having a good discipline with this process of writing a weekly blog will hopefully allow me to excel and to have enough time for specific areas of work (Editing) where in the past I have ran out of time and not perhaps produced the standard of work which I know I am capable of.
At the end of my production process I will be taking everything into account in creating a final evaluation. I intend to ask everyone involved what they hoped the production would have achieved in a focus group, and more importantly whether my production achieved their expectations. In a more analytical way, I will reflect on my initial aims and give an honest appraisal as to whether I met these. I will highlight any short comings and suggest ways going forward that I could avoid this in the future and in fact make my productions even better.
Secondly I will be keeping a weekly blog, which is a more directly focused written account about how I feel my work has progressed in relation to my initial aims, and will help to reveal the things which I need to include to achieve them. My weekly blogs will also take into account feedback from teachers and peers in my class, as well as the actors and my assistants.
The weekly blogs give me a great opportunity to reflect on what I have and have not done according to my production schedule. It will inform me where I am falling behind and where I need to take action in order for me to stay on track with time. It will also illustrate areas where I have been neglectful and where I will need to pay more attention to in the following week. By having a good discipline with this process of writing a weekly blog will hopefully allow me to excel and to have enough time for specific areas of work (Editing) where in the past I have ran out of time and not perhaps produced the standard of work which I know I am capable of.
At the end of my production process I will be taking everything into account in creating a final evaluation. I intend to ask everyone involved what they hoped the production would have achieved in a focus group, and more importantly whether my production achieved their expectations. In a more analytical way, I will reflect on my initial aims and give an honest appraisal as to whether I met these. I will highlight any short comings and suggest ways going forward that I could avoid this in the future and in fact make my productions even better.
GUIDANCE FOR PROPOSAL:
Can you get the actors you need ?
I will hopefully be able to get hold of the actors which I need to film my production as the target audience of my production is of a similar age to mine. By my target audience being near to the same age to mine it will allow me to use my friends in my production, in order to bring the production together.
After coming up with the idea one of the actors which I asked was Charlie Woodward, I asked if he would be available to participate as an actor in my production. He asked for the dates and the timings which he would be needed for and what role he would be undertaking as he would have to be comfortable to meet the requirements. Having been to school and currently working in a college, the role of a school kid was more than reasonable for him and he was more than happy to help.
Another actor which I asked whether they would be okay for the filming stage of my production was Connery Ademoukun. I felt that he would fit the role really well as he seems very mature for his age and would suit the role of a University Student really well. By being able to use Connery in my production I felt would work really well as in past productions he has worked incredibly well filing in.
The final actor which I have been planning on getting hold of is Connor Nunes, the main reason for me choosing him as one of my actors is because he is very reliable and I know this because I have used him in my past productions. Knowing that he is reliable in advance means that he will work around my schedule and will make time for me whenever I may need him.
Are the locations which you plan to use accessible ?
The ideal locations for my particular genre are very local to me and are open to the public. As they are open to the public it will allow me to film my scenes throughout any time in day as they are accessible. The locations which I am planning on using are:
Church Graveyards: (St Michael's,St Josephs,English Maters)
Train Stations: (Tilehurst,Henley,Goring,Panagbourne)
Public Parks: (Prospect park,Arthur Newbury,Blundells Copse,Linear Park)
Alley ways: (Prospect School Alley/Denefield Alley/Norcot Road Alley)
Woodlands : (Sulham Woods/Henley Woods/Louse hill Copse)
Can you complete your production in the set time frame given ?
We have been allocated 4 weeks to film and edit our work. I feel like this is more than enough time for me to produce a piece of work which will be to the best of its ability. In past productions where I haven been on top of my weekly work, I have fallen behind and I haven been able to have as much time filming as I felt I needed. This Unit as it is my Final Major Production I need to make sure that I stay on top of my work in order for me to be in with a greater chance of achieving the best grade possible.
Will the work that you are producing offend anyone ?
Before choosing my idea the one important thing which I had to make sure I met was the rules and regulations. By looking at this before producing my work has allowed me to come up with three production ideas, which have no possible way of offending anyone. This will allow me to have a chance of getting the grade which I am looking to get and produce a piece of work which suits my target audience.
This is the production that will ultimately be shown to universities, potential employers as well as the public and parents during the exhibition......
What sort of props do you need to make the production look professional ?
In order for my production to be a success and look professional I have looked into murder mystery props briefly to gain an idea of the kinds of things which I will need to hire/buy in order for my production to meet the conventions of a thriller genre. These included :Fake body parts/Masks/Weapons (Knifes,Axes,Rope)/Dark Clothing /Blood
Will you be able to re-shoot your production if there is anything wrong ?
If I keep on top of my work and get all of my weekly checklists completed by the end of the week, I will be able re shoot. The reason for me being able to re shoot by keeping on track is due to the fact that I wont have any outstanding work to complete which will allow me more time to do this. However, if I don't keep on track of my work there is a possibility that I wont have time to re shoot meaning that there could be a possibility of me not being able to achieve the distinction grade.
Are you working for a client or competition ?
I have chosen to enter my production into the Raindance Festival. By entering my production into a production company I have understood that it will allow me to have a better chance of getting noticed for what I have done. This really stood out to be as being the best way to present my work as it will allow me to be proud of what I may have achieved and also reflect on what I could have done better on.
I will hopefully be able to get hold of the actors which I need to film my production as the target audience of my production is of a similar age to mine. By my target audience being near to the same age to mine it will allow me to use my friends in my production, in order to bring the production together.
After coming up with the idea one of the actors which I asked was Charlie Woodward, I asked if he would be available to participate as an actor in my production. He asked for the dates and the timings which he would be needed for and what role he would be undertaking as he would have to be comfortable to meet the requirements. Having been to school and currently working in a college, the role of a school kid was more than reasonable for him and he was more than happy to help.
Another actor which I asked whether they would be okay for the filming stage of my production was Connery Ademoukun. I felt that he would fit the role really well as he seems very mature for his age and would suit the role of a University Student really well. By being able to use Connery in my production I felt would work really well as in past productions he has worked incredibly well filing in.
The final actor which I have been planning on getting hold of is Connor Nunes, the main reason for me choosing him as one of my actors is because he is very reliable and I know this because I have used him in my past productions. Knowing that he is reliable in advance means that he will work around my schedule and will make time for me whenever I may need him.
Are the locations which you plan to use accessible ?
The ideal locations for my particular genre are very local to me and are open to the public. As they are open to the public it will allow me to film my scenes throughout any time in day as they are accessible. The locations which I am planning on using are:
Church Graveyards: (St Michael's,St Josephs,English Maters)
Train Stations: (Tilehurst,Henley,Goring,Panagbourne)
Public Parks: (Prospect park,Arthur Newbury,Blundells Copse,Linear Park)
Alley ways: (Prospect School Alley/Denefield Alley/Norcot Road Alley)
Woodlands : (Sulham Woods/Henley Woods/Louse hill Copse)
Can you complete your production in the set time frame given ?
We have been allocated 4 weeks to film and edit our work. I feel like this is more than enough time for me to produce a piece of work which will be to the best of its ability. In past productions where I haven been on top of my weekly work, I have fallen behind and I haven been able to have as much time filming as I felt I needed. This Unit as it is my Final Major Production I need to make sure that I stay on top of my work in order for me to be in with a greater chance of achieving the best grade possible.
Will the work that you are producing offend anyone ?
Before choosing my idea the one important thing which I had to make sure I met was the rules and regulations. By looking at this before producing my work has allowed me to come up with three production ideas, which have no possible way of offending anyone. This will allow me to have a chance of getting the grade which I am looking to get and produce a piece of work which suits my target audience.
This is the production that will ultimately be shown to universities, potential employers as well as the public and parents during the exhibition......
What sort of props do you need to make the production look professional ?
In order for my production to be a success and look professional I have looked into murder mystery props briefly to gain an idea of the kinds of things which I will need to hire/buy in order for my production to meet the conventions of a thriller genre. These included :Fake body parts/Masks/Weapons (Knifes,Axes,Rope)/Dark Clothing /Blood
Will you be able to re-shoot your production if there is anything wrong ?
If I keep on top of my work and get all of my weekly checklists completed by the end of the week, I will be able re shoot. The reason for me being able to re shoot by keeping on track is due to the fact that I wont have any outstanding work to complete which will allow me more time to do this. However, if I don't keep on track of my work there is a possibility that I wont have time to re shoot meaning that there could be a possibility of me not being able to achieve the distinction grade.
Are you working for a client or competition ?
I have chosen to enter my production into the Raindance Festival. By entering my production into a production company I have understood that it will allow me to have a better chance of getting noticed for what I have done. This really stood out to be as being the best way to present my work as it will allow me to be proud of what I may have achieved and also reflect on what I could have done better on.
Proposal (2nd Half)
Raindance Film Festival
I have chosen to deliver my production to The Raindance Film Festival.
'Its the largest independent film festival in the UK. Holding the 27th festival in 2019, Raindance is based in the heart of London’s buzzing West End film district. Raindance Film Festival is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the British Independent Film Awards. Selected shorts will qualify for Oscar® and BAFTA considerations''
The main reason for me choosing this is due to the fact that I was unable to find myself a client. By delivering my work to a festival it will give me a chance of gaining rewards for my work ,and I will also be in with the chance of getting contacts . Through research I have understood that The Raindance Festival attracts 16,000 visitors including 500 industry professionals into London itself.
Dates and deadlines:
Submissions will be accepted from 12 September 2018. The early deadline is Friday 26 April 2019 the regular deadline is Friday 17 May 2019 the late deadline is Friday 31 May 2019. Early entry is encouraged but in no way guarantees acceptance.
Categories:
The categories which are available for me to choose are ....
Submission Rules:
- All submissions must have been completed after 1 January 2018.
- Raindance requires at least a UK premiere for any feature film.
- There is no premiere policy for short films and music videos.
- Work-in-progress and films with distribution are accepted.
Cost to enter :
26th April 2019 - Early Deadline - £25
17th May 2019 - Regular Deadline - £35
31st May 2019 - Late Deadline - £50
'Its the largest independent film festival in the UK. Holding the 27th festival in 2019, Raindance is based in the heart of London’s buzzing West End film district. Raindance Film Festival is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the British Independent Film Awards. Selected shorts will qualify for Oscar® and BAFTA considerations''
The main reason for me choosing this is due to the fact that I was unable to find myself a client. By delivering my work to a festival it will give me a chance of gaining rewards for my work ,and I will also be in with the chance of getting contacts . Through research I have understood that The Raindance Festival attracts 16,000 visitors including 500 industry professionals into London itself.
Dates and deadlines:
Submissions will be accepted from 12 September 2018. The early deadline is Friday 26 April 2019 the regular deadline is Friday 17 May 2019 the late deadline is Friday 31 May 2019. Early entry is encouraged but in no way guarantees acceptance.
Categories:
The categories which are available for me to choose are ....
- Narrative Feature
- Documentary Feature
- Narrative Short
- Documentary Short
- Animation Short
- Music Video
- Queer (Feature)
- Virtual and Augmented Reality Experiences
Submission Rules:
- All submissions must have been completed after 1 January 2018.
- Raindance requires at least a UK premiere for any feature film.
- There is no premiere policy for short films and music videos.
- Work-in-progress and films with distribution are accepted.
Cost to enter :
26th April 2019 - Early Deadline - £25
17th May 2019 - Regular Deadline - £35
31st May 2019 - Late Deadline - £50
Festival Rewards:
Jury prizes for Short Films: Best Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short, Best UK Short.
Winning Prizes:
Jury prizes for Short Films: Best Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short, Best UK Short.
Winning Prizes:
From my understanding if my production was to win the competition then it would lead me on to having bigger and better opportunity in order for me to get my work produced to a wider audience. Not only would I be able to deliver my work to a wider audience but I could be in with the chance to earn a promotion to re create my idea professionally with bigger and better equipment with a proper filming company. As shown above the award winning short film 'Land sharks' was a production which won the best short film production in the United States. They where given the chance to re create their short film into a full featured film which went on to win an Oscar. This is really inspirational as it has allowed me to understand that there is an opportunity to deliver my work to a wider audience which will be in with the chance to succeed in the media industry. Not only that but I will be able to produce a piece of work which I will be proud of creating and have the confidence to forward it on to bigger names and company's.
Harvard Reference :
N/A. (n/a). Film Festival . Available: https://www.raindance.org/. Last accessed 10/05/2019.
N/A. (n/a). Film Festival . Available: https://www.raindance.org/. Last accessed 10/05/2019.
Idea Generation (3 Ideas)
Thinking of Ideas :
Thinking of Ideas :
Idea 1 : Murder Mystery Short Film
This is going to start off with a man living alone in a house and he gets a call on his doorbell and when he opens the door there is nobody at the door, just a box with tapes in....
As this is set in modern time tape recorders are not around as much so he will be shown looking for a tape recorder, he then finally comes across one in his shed.
The tapes which he is playing in the tape recorder have dates on for the current week which he is in. For each of these days there is a killing described vocally of the appearance/location and type of killing it was...Starting with Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday.
However when it comes to Thursday which is the current day which he is living there are 2 timings with 2 tapes however 1 of them isn't in the case and is missing. When he plays the tape it describes a killing which is going to happen in 10 minutes really close to the location which the person is in.
He has to investigate this, he rings the police and runs as fast as he can to get to the location. However when he gets to the location the killer has stabbed the man being killed and he gets away however the person who got killed drops a tape on the floor as he falls down.
This was the missing tape and on the tape it states that this location was a set up for another murder which is to happen in another location including 5 people.
As this is set in modern time tape recorders are not around as much so he will be shown looking for a tape recorder, he then finally comes across one in his shed.
The tapes which he is playing in the tape recorder have dates on for the current week which he is in. For each of these days there is a killing described vocally of the appearance/location and type of killing it was...Starting with Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday.
However when it comes to Thursday which is the current day which he is living there are 2 timings with 2 tapes however 1 of them isn't in the case and is missing. When he plays the tape it describes a killing which is going to happen in 10 minutes really close to the location which the person is in.
He has to investigate this, he rings the police and runs as fast as he can to get to the location. However when he gets to the location the killer has stabbed the man being killed and he gets away however the person who got killed drops a tape on the floor as he falls down.
This was the missing tape and on the tape it states that this location was a set up for another murder which is to happen in another location including 5 people.
Idea 2 : 'Stop Trying To Be God' Short Film/Music Video
The song which I have chosen to follow with this idea is:
Stop Trying To Be God by Travis Scott
The story of this music video is going to portray to the audience a boy which is trying to fit into a certain group which do drugs regularly and smoke. He eventually takes too man drugs with the wrong group of people which leads on to him overdosing. The story then unfolds of him going into a dream world which is where I plan to create a vision like Astroworld which Travis Scott has created for his new album .
He eventually wakes up from this place and he wakes up with his family around him. The Idea of 'Stop Trying To Be God' is to illustrate to the audience through normal day to day events that he should stop trying to be someone who he isn't by hanging around with the wrong crowds and environments.
Stop Trying To Be God by Travis Scott
The story of this music video is going to portray to the audience a boy which is trying to fit into a certain group which do drugs regularly and smoke. He eventually takes too man drugs with the wrong group of people which leads on to him overdosing. The story then unfolds of him going into a dream world which is where I plan to create a vision like Astroworld which Travis Scott has created for his new album .
He eventually wakes up from this place and he wakes up with his family around him. The Idea of 'Stop Trying To Be God' is to illustrate to the audience through normal day to day events that he should stop trying to be someone who he isn't by hanging around with the wrong crowds and environments.
Idea 3 : 'The Impact of Youth'- Documentary
This documentary is going to deliver to the audience how people in the football industry feel about youth development process throughout the top 4 English leagues .
For example I will be able to ask football youth players which have made it and some which haven't. I will be planning on finding out information
Also asking fans outside of football grounds on their opinions on the use of younger players in the teams which they support and whether they feel it is right for them to be played over more experienced footballers.
For example I will be able to ask football youth players which have made it and some which haven't. I will be planning on finding out information
Also asking fans outside of football grounds on their opinions on the use of younger players in the teams which they support and whether they feel it is right for them to be played over more experienced footballers.
Survey Responses On Ideas
Question 1:
I am about to embark on my final project, I have the opportunity to create any type of production. Which idea is your favourite from the three listed below ….?
1: The Short Film, following a murder thriller.
2: The Music Video, showing the impact of drugs on young people.
3: The Documentary, focusing on the opportunity’s for today’s youth in football.
I am about to embark on my final project, I have the opportunity to create any type of production. Which idea is your favourite from the three listed below ….?
1: The Short Film, following a murder thriller.
2: The Music Video, showing the impact of drugs on young people.
3: The Documentary, focusing on the opportunity’s for today’s youth in football.
Survey Analysis:
From this survey which I have sent out I have gained an understanding that 80% of the people which I have asked liked the idea of me producing a Short Film. I am very pleased with the survey which I have put out because, the most favoured idea, was also mine. These results give me the confidence to follow my instincts, and going forward to believe in my judgement skills a lot more. I will try to remember this when I am debating between potential pathways in my work later on.
Also, I was able to get 10 responses to my survey, which was more that I was expecting to get. Although 10 responses may appear to be quite a small sample, the fact that 8 out of the 10 people which took part in answering my survey, all agreed on the short film idea, and only 2 went for the Documentary (nobody opted for the music video) reinforced my original instinct. The results which I have received were almost unanimously in favour of the short film.
Having said all of this, I do appreciate and understand that if I had received more responses, it would have allowed me to have a wider perspective of what people want to see in my productions. However, the fact that 80% wanted me to create the short film – gives me great confidence to move on with this.
From this survey which I have sent out I have gained an understanding that 80% of the people which I have asked liked the idea of me producing a Short Film. I am very pleased with the survey which I have put out because, the most favoured idea, was also mine. These results give me the confidence to follow my instincts, and going forward to believe in my judgement skills a lot more. I will try to remember this when I am debating between potential pathways in my work later on.
Also, I was able to get 10 responses to my survey, which was more that I was expecting to get. Although 10 responses may appear to be quite a small sample, the fact that 8 out of the 10 people which took part in answering my survey, all agreed on the short film idea, and only 2 went for the Documentary (nobody opted for the music video) reinforced my original instinct. The results which I have received were almost unanimously in favour of the short film.
Having said all of this, I do appreciate and understand that if I had received more responses, it would have allowed me to have a wider perspective of what people want to see in my productions. However, the fact that 80% wanted me to create the short film – gives me great confidence to move on with this.
Question 2:
From your most favoured idea of production from the three listed above, what age range would you recommend to be my target audience?
From your most favoured idea of production from the three listed above, what age range would you recommend to be my target audience?
Survey Analysis :
I received 10 responses from this survey, I chose to use a comment box style of survey – to allow my respondents to give me their personal view point and to enable them to explain their thoughts. Initially I thought by doing this it would be really helpful. I thought that it would give me “Food for thought” and give me a bigger depth of understanding about the best age range to use, so that my final production would be really effective. In a nut shell, what I am trying to say is that there is no point making a film that nobody wants to watch, because it didn’t meet the age range.
From the 80% of the respondents which related their answers to the short film, the majority agreed that a wide age range would work best for this production as it is a very popular theme. Only one thought that an older age range would be best and another respondent thought the opposite, and that a younger age range would be more appropriate. This informs me that the age group which I will intend to depict my production towards will be of a wide age range.
In hindsight, if I were to ask this question again for another piece of work in the future, I think that my survey question would have to be more specific in relation to ages so that my respondents have less freedom of choice, but more general.
So, for instance I would ask them to select from under certain categories:
• 25
• 25 – 50
• 50 +.
Hopefully, by doing this, the resultant effect would be to have an easier table of results to analyse, and therefore it would enable me more easily to pin point the exact age group to delineate. Having said this, I would have also provided them with a comment box, as I did find the comments which received to be quite useful.
For example; one respondent thought that, if I was to include teenagers in my production as the actors – then an older audience would not necessarily appreciate the story – they may not understand the jargon/teenage language and culture of that generation. This I thought was a very good point and this type of information is very helpful when one is trying to create a winning piece of work!
I received 10 responses from this survey, I chose to use a comment box style of survey – to allow my respondents to give me their personal view point and to enable them to explain their thoughts. Initially I thought by doing this it would be really helpful. I thought that it would give me “Food for thought” and give me a bigger depth of understanding about the best age range to use, so that my final production would be really effective. In a nut shell, what I am trying to say is that there is no point making a film that nobody wants to watch, because it didn’t meet the age range.
From the 80% of the respondents which related their answers to the short film, the majority agreed that a wide age range would work best for this production as it is a very popular theme. Only one thought that an older age range would be best and another respondent thought the opposite, and that a younger age range would be more appropriate. This informs me that the age group which I will intend to depict my production towards will be of a wide age range.
In hindsight, if I were to ask this question again for another piece of work in the future, I think that my survey question would have to be more specific in relation to ages so that my respondents have less freedom of choice, but more general.
So, for instance I would ask them to select from under certain categories:
• 25
• 25 – 50
• 50 +.
Hopefully, by doing this, the resultant effect would be to have an easier table of results to analyse, and therefore it would enable me more easily to pin point the exact age group to delineate. Having said this, I would have also provided them with a comment box, as I did find the comments which received to be quite useful.
For example; one respondent thought that, if I was to include teenagers in my production as the actors – then an older audience would not necessarily appreciate the story – they may not understand the jargon/teenage language and culture of that generation. This I thought was a very good point and this type of information is very helpful when one is trying to create a winning piece of work!
Question 3:
From the brief outline that I have supplied regarding your favourite choice of production, how can I improve my work …. Should I add anything?
From the brief outline that I have supplied regarding your favourite choice of production, how can I improve my work …. Should I add anything?
Survey Analysis:
The feedback of results which I received from this survey was very encouraging. All the comments where extremely positive, and has helped to give me even more confidence in working on my production. I have received 10 comments two of which thought that the proposal was ‘Already Great’, the others received relating to my short film production – offered constructive criticism, from which I was really grateful to receive. Approximately 40% of the people asked thought that I should include an unexpected twist/ surprise in the production, other useful comments however suggested that I should make it less complex (20%), more realistic (10%) and less obvious (10%).
Perhaps the most useful comment from one of my respondents which I received, in my opinion was that I should remember the importance of creating “tension” through the use of “sound and lighting”. Obviously in this kind of genre the creation of tension and audience anticipation is vital, so that the correct atmosphere is created – “sound and lighting” among other things are of two elements which I need to use wisely to achieve this.
The use of the comment box for this type of survey question I will definitely use again as it gave my respondents the opportunity to voice their opinions without my direction. I found this information to be invaluable and encouraging.
The feedback of results which I received from this survey was very encouraging. All the comments where extremely positive, and has helped to give me even more confidence in working on my production. I have received 10 comments two of which thought that the proposal was ‘Already Great’, the others received relating to my short film production – offered constructive criticism, from which I was really grateful to receive. Approximately 40% of the people asked thought that I should include an unexpected twist/ surprise in the production, other useful comments however suggested that I should make it less complex (20%), more realistic (10%) and less obvious (10%).
Perhaps the most useful comment from one of my respondents which I received, in my opinion was that I should remember the importance of creating “tension” through the use of “sound and lighting”. Obviously in this kind of genre the creation of tension and audience anticipation is vital, so that the correct atmosphere is created – “sound and lighting” among other things are of two elements which I need to use wisely to achieve this.
The use of the comment box for this type of survey question I will definitely use again as it gave my respondents the opportunity to voice their opinions without my direction. I found this information to be invaluable and encouraging.
Question 4:
From the brief outline that I have supplied regarding your favourite choice of production, what locations would you recommend?
From the brief outline that I have supplied regarding your favourite choice of production, what locations would you recommend?
Survey Analysis:
The results from this questionnaire, revealed a wide variety of suggestions for the perfect location or setting – for my short film. The common themes which ran through the responses were as you would expect to find in the typical murder setting. Common suggestions were:
In addition, one of the respondents suggested that I should film in the dark, again this is a typical trait for this type of production. However, because of the responses from my previous survey question (number 3) which suggested that I should surprise my audience or include a twist in my plot, I hope to startle my audience by breaking from this convention – at the moment I plan that the crime will not take place at the dead of night.
The results from this questionnaire, revealed a wide variety of suggestions for the perfect location or setting – for my short film. The common themes which ran through the responses were as you would expect to find in the typical murder setting. Common suggestions were:
- Woodlands
- Scary locations
- Parks
- Train stations
- Graveyards
- Suburban Towns
- Night time
In addition, one of the respondents suggested that I should film in the dark, again this is a typical trait for this type of production. However, because of the responses from my previous survey question (number 3) which suggested that I should surprise my audience or include a twist in my plot, I hope to startle my audience by breaking from this convention – at the moment I plan that the crime will not take place at the dead of night.
Question 5:
From your favourite choice of production listed above, what genre would you choose for this?
From your favourite choice of production listed above, what genre would you choose for this?
Survey Analysis :
Having looked over the results for this question I have noticed that the “Thriller” genre was mentioned in the majority of the respondent’s answers. In fact, 50 % of the respondents favoured the Thriller genre, 20% Horror and 30% were in favour of the action genre. These results overall really pleased me because it confirmed my initial thoughts and ideas for my production. I felt that my story line and plot was best suited to the thriller genre.
I appreciate that the results only represent a small sample pool, however 50% of that pool is quite an overwhelming an encouraging figure to leave me to think that the correct and best suited genre for me to work towards creating would be of a thriller.
With the benefit of hindsight if I was to do this survey again, I would make sure that I received more responses and perhaps from a more diverse pool, so that this would generate a bigger volume of results and therefore be a more comprehensive compilation of data. Analysing these results would mean that my research would be more thorough and perhaps be of more value. That being said I am very happy to have chosen this genre originally when developing my idea, because the results 50% of which endorsed my initial thoughts.
Having looked over the results for this question I have noticed that the “Thriller” genre was mentioned in the majority of the respondent’s answers. In fact, 50 % of the respondents favoured the Thriller genre, 20% Horror and 30% were in favour of the action genre. These results overall really pleased me because it confirmed my initial thoughts and ideas for my production. I felt that my story line and plot was best suited to the thriller genre.
I appreciate that the results only represent a small sample pool, however 50% of that pool is quite an overwhelming an encouraging figure to leave me to think that the correct and best suited genre for me to work towards creating would be of a thriller.
With the benefit of hindsight if I was to do this survey again, I would make sure that I received more responses and perhaps from a more diverse pool, so that this would generate a bigger volume of results and therefore be a more comprehensive compilation of data. Analysing these results would mean that my research would be more thorough and perhaps be of more value. That being said I am very happy to have chosen this genre originally when developing my idea, because the results 50% of which endorsed my initial thoughts.
Question 6 :
Having answered my survey, what is your age range ?
Survey Analysis :
From the results it is clear that the vast majority of the people taking part in my survey were young. 67% of the respondents were under the age of 24, of these 42% were under the age of 18. Interestingly none of the respondents were ages between 35-54, however a small proportion (16%) were ages between 55-64.
These results do give me cause for concern because the main focus of my respondents is that of a young person view point. If my production is to reach a “wide range” audience as suggested as a good idea in a previous survey result, I now wonder If perhaps I need to reflect on whether my respondents are from a wide enough pool. If I am to rely on and use the information from this survey, I need to feel confident that the information is coming from as wide a perspective as possible.
On reflection, I think that despite the lack of input from the 35-54 age bracket – my survey results are reliable. The reason for me thinking this is because none of the results so far have been strikingly conflicting. As my survey results include input from the 55-64 age bracket (16%) if that percentage strongly disagreed with the younger respondents – that would have surely have been evident – this would have stuck out like a sore thumb. As this did not happen, I feel fairly confident that if there was evidence shown from the missing age bracket, it would have not been conflicting with the final results. In summary, I am confident in the reliability of my results, and my interpretation of them.
From the results it is clear that the vast majority of the people taking part in my survey were young. 67% of the respondents were under the age of 24, of these 42% were under the age of 18. Interestingly none of the respondents were ages between 35-54, however a small proportion (16%) were ages between 55-64.
These results do give me cause for concern because the main focus of my respondents is that of a young person view point. If my production is to reach a “wide range” audience as suggested as a good idea in a previous survey result, I now wonder If perhaps I need to reflect on whether my respondents are from a wide enough pool. If I am to rely on and use the information from this survey, I need to feel confident that the information is coming from as wide a perspective as possible.
On reflection, I think that despite the lack of input from the 35-54 age bracket – my survey results are reliable. The reason for me thinking this is because none of the results so far have been strikingly conflicting. As my survey results include input from the 55-64 age bracket (16%) if that percentage strongly disagreed with the younger respondents – that would have surely have been evident – this would have stuck out like a sore thumb. As this did not happen, I feel fairly confident that if there was evidence shown from the missing age bracket, it would have not been conflicting with the final results. In summary, I am confident in the reliability of my results, and my interpretation of them.
Adapting my Idea :
From sending out a survey and getting personal responses from teachers and peers in my class I have been able to adapt and change my original idea in certain respects. Originally my target audience was going to be fairly young and aimed at people with a similar age to myself. The reason I was thinking this was because the actors which I was planning on using was of a similar age, and therefore it seemed to make sense. However, my respondents have allowed me to re think this as a more popular audience for my idea seems to be a wider age group – so I will now aim my production towards an audience of 18-25 as this I felt would be more popular.
My draft proposal for my film was a little bit complicated because I wanted it to be interesting and for my story to make the audience think. However, after looking over the feedback and results from my survey, I am going to have to try and make my idea more realistic and far less complex, in order to please the majority of the respondents needs. In order to achieve this, I have decided to use far less actors which means cutting down from the five killings in the original draft to having just perhaps one. On top of this instead of having just a simple linear structured narrative I have decided to go ahead with my peers thoughts and adapted my idea so that I include a range of twists and turns throughout the plot which are less complicated to the ones in my original idea.
The main prop which was going to be used in my story was going to be the use of tapes. In my original idea I was planning on using five different tapes, each arriving in a bespoke and different ways, for five different days. Taking in the account the survey responses and ideas I have chosen to reduce the amount of tapes which are going to be used, in order to follow on the idea of keeping my idea less complex and more realistic, as I now intend to only use one tape.
Finally, in my survey I was able to identify the genre in which they thought best suited my production, looking over all my results and gaining all the feedback that I possibly could I was able to figure out that the most favoured genre was that of a thriller. Originally, I had planned to create a Murder Mystery, however taking everything into account I am now going to focus my story line more akin to a thriller – therefore the traits which I will now think about using are those of tension, suspense, and trepidation.
“Tension” was also one of the interesting features which one of the respondents highlighted as being important, along with sound and light. Consequently, I have now decided to adapt my original idea to pay particular attention to these particular elements, and cut out the unnecessary scenes such as …. Blood and gore which would have also potentially overwhelmed the audience and taken away from building up the drama.
My draft proposal for my film was a little bit complicated because I wanted it to be interesting and for my story to make the audience think. However, after looking over the feedback and results from my survey, I am going to have to try and make my idea more realistic and far less complex, in order to please the majority of the respondents needs. In order to achieve this, I have decided to use far less actors which means cutting down from the five killings in the original draft to having just perhaps one. On top of this instead of having just a simple linear structured narrative I have decided to go ahead with my peers thoughts and adapted my idea so that I include a range of twists and turns throughout the plot which are less complicated to the ones in my original idea.
The main prop which was going to be used in my story was going to be the use of tapes. In my original idea I was planning on using five different tapes, each arriving in a bespoke and different ways, for five different days. Taking in the account the survey responses and ideas I have chosen to reduce the amount of tapes which are going to be used, in order to follow on the idea of keeping my idea less complex and more realistic, as I now intend to only use one tape.
Finally, in my survey I was able to identify the genre in which they thought best suited my production, looking over all my results and gaining all the feedback that I possibly could I was able to figure out that the most favoured genre was that of a thriller. Originally, I had planned to create a Murder Mystery, however taking everything into account I am now going to focus my story line more akin to a thriller – therefore the traits which I will now think about using are those of tension, suspense, and trepidation.
“Tension” was also one of the interesting features which one of the respondents highlighted as being important, along with sound and light. Consequently, I have now decided to adapt my original idea to pay particular attention to these particular elements, and cut out the unnecessary scenes such as …. Blood and gore which would have also potentially overwhelmed the audience and taken away from building up the drama.
Final Idea
Why Should My Idea Be Made?
My idea should be made because I think in todays society the message which I am trying to convey is very relevant. In a nutshell my message is to respect and trust the police service, and what they do for the community. People should not take the law into their own hands because of the potential devastating consequences this could lead to. In recent surveys and focus groups which I have created I have understood that the genre which best suits my idea is that of a thriller. My understanding of this genre is that It can incorporate an element of violence and suspense, this is something which I touched upon on one of my first pieces of work in my first year. The opportunity now to showcase what I have learnt since then provides me with an opportunity and challenge which I look forward to.
By working solo and having complete autonomy over my production, I will have a great opportunity to focus on the more technical sides of things. With the ability to use cinematography and directions to fulfil the mis en scene which would be present in a typical Thriller genre, I can hopefully create a flavour of the famous and well known Hitchcock atmosphere, but with a more modern twist. In addition to this, I intend to use parallel editing and a wide range of fast cuts to create a really interesting,and creative piece of work.
By working solo and having complete autonomy over my production, I will have a great opportunity to focus on the more technical sides of things. With the ability to use cinematography and directions to fulfil the mis en scene which would be present in a typical Thriller genre, I can hopefully create a flavour of the famous and well known Hitchcock atmosphere, but with a more modern twist. In addition to this, I intend to use parallel editing and a wide range of fast cuts to create a really interesting,and creative piece of work.
As shown in this short clip from the series Luther, the build up of fast interplay of the camera work, editing techniques and action in the shot helps to reinforce the sense of urgency and panic. The opportunity for me to use this in my production, will hopefully bring home to the audience the notion that in every day life, one has to be cautious when dealing with the unexpected occurrence of things, and the likely consequences of taking things into your own hands . I want to be able to deliver a message to my audience, so meaningful that they will remember the actions which have taken place on screen which will hopefully remind them how to act, if a similar situation was to occur in their day to day life.
Working Documents
Production Schedule:
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Bibliography:
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Brief:
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