To being my coursework, I had to decide what I wanted my outcome to be i.e. Film opening, trailer etc. I began by analysing two film openings and trailers to see which of the two products I prefered, aswell as getting a chance to get some basic conventions noted for my chosen genre; 'Psychological'. Firstly, I had to expand my knowledge of the genre and it's conventions, in order to truly understand how to create a production which falls cleanly into the genre. I would do this by conducting primary research (Researching direct from sources i.e. Films) and secondary research (asking peers and forums their personal opinions). This would give me the parameters in which to work in order to create a high standard production piece.
I started breaking down multiple openings from films such as 'V for Vendetta' and 'Shutter Island' which gave me a clear view of what a viewer would expect to see from my chosen genre, this would give me my first insight into what I could expect my audience to be looking for on a theoretical and analytical basis, this also allowed me to begin thinking of some ideas as to what how I might go about planning and making my prodtuction.
This then led me to begin my secondary research; in which I used devices such as Focus Grouping, to gain an understanding of what the public at large would expect to find in a Psychological film. I was surprised with some of the results, as they conflicted my earlier research, however after more questioning, my Focus Group showed signs of correlating with my research. Conventions such as introduction of the main character with no dialogue, and country or sad music being used to amplify tension. This ensured me that some of the criteria and conventions that I had analysed were seen by others, and gave me the confidence to begin noting a brief guideline for my production. I also conducted some research into the type of people who would watch my production, this meant going outside my Focus Group and analysing certain figures, as well as interacting with my peers in order to gain an understanding of the people who I need to direct my production towards; this also meant that I could define my specific route of marketing, the most popularly chosen method of which was social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Audience Profile:
I was then at the planning stage of my coursework, in which I had to complete my pre-production module. This would be my script, and it went without say that this was an extremely important part of my coursework. I constructed my script with my research in mind, as well as trying to include elements bought up by those in my Focus Group. I found it quite difficult to conform to the conventions and combine my ideas into one piece, this meant that scripting took longer than expected, and was redrafted two times.
After recruiting my actor and obtaining the props i needed, we scheduled the first shoot and had a final brainstorm to see whether anything should be changed or altered. Having that discussion led to multiple small changes which I feel bettered my production. The filming took place on a saturday morning, and went smoothly meaning that I had more time to edit the footage. The editing process was time consuming, and it was a steep learning curve as editing is not my strong point, and this shows somewhat in my final outcome, however the production itself is done to the script and I feel i have conveyed the ideas which both I and my peers conjured.
I posted my production to Youtube in an attempt to get feedback. I posted both the raw draft edit, found below:
As well as the HD enabled, full edit - in order to get progressive feedback from my peers:
...and after some minor alterations, my production was complete. I feel that my project went well, and I throughly enjoyed the research and planning stages of my coursework. However, I feel the final product itself leaves a bit to be desired, If I could have my time again, I would have captured more raw footage, meaning that my options in the editing stage would have been broader, and my outcome may have been slightly improved. Nevertheless, i feel my use of diegetic sound, and rough capturing style (which conforms to the conventions of the genre) are the key points of my production, and add to the sense that the main character is being studied by an entity which is outlined in my script. I am extremely please with the setting of my production, and after getting lucky with the weather, I found myself in the perfect setting which I had envisioned during the planning stage of my production. To conclude, my project had a sturdy foundation, and my research and work has culminated into a well structured, if slightly short, production. I feel I have captured multiple conventions of my chosen genre, whilst managing to include my own perspectives and ideas.
My full research, notes and planning can be found here, along with the questionnaires which were handed to my Focus Group and peers. -
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