What features of your work would you say are original to you? - Think about the use of lighting, mise-en-scene, the poster, the use of certain tones, the use of a digital camera to shoot footage etc
Over the past year our group has been working on producing a film and during production we have all had roles doing particular things. The work of mine, which has been original, could be considered to be the layout of the poster and all the text that has gone into it, including the choice of colors and font. This has been particularly interesting and has improved by ability to use Publisher and indirectly my views on film posters and the overall image they try to indicate. Furthermore, I have worked on the other ancillary tasks, which meant we had to produce a magazine, highlighting our film. Throughout this I chose a suitable layout, which I thought, would match our film and also the coloring. This also led to me needing to choose a suitable font to match the tone we intend to create. Additionally, the images we chose had to be carefully deliberated because we needed to make sure we chose the right images to portray out film in the correct light. However, in regards to these images we did all go through them together. For production we all had a say on what the shots were going to be and on occasions got help from our actors, therefore it would be difficult to not specific parts which I would say were totally original to me. However for editing, Sam and I both worked together on the opening and for this I can say I had a specific role in editing, highlighted in the beginning of the film.
• which media texts and producers have influenced your creative decisions? - Clearly consider those musicians that you have examined / or film short. Be very specific here. Also think about other media texts apart from just music videos, as this will demonstrate that you have embraced all forms of media, perhaps think about online technologies.
Over the course of our production various producers and films have influenced us. Firstly we were influenced by the films we did last year - "Silent Revenge" and "Hidden Crime". After we did this we looked into other films of a similar genre. The main film we looked at was "Shaun of the Dead" because this film is England's most renowned zombie comedy and we thought this would be a good base to work around. Furthermore, this film enhances many characteristics we want to portray - with Mickey portraying the laid back friend in the film, with the main character being similar to the main character who is played by Simon Pegg. In addition to this film we were also influenced by the funny program "Men Behaving Badly" because this show has 2 guys living together, of which one of them is very lazy and does little around the house. Therefore, we thought that this would be good to incorporate into our film and would add to the comedic value.
In terms of the music we had to be very careful to show certain emotions at particular times. One of our most important decisions was to choose the music we intend to have in the car. At first we were thinking about having 'cheesy' pop to add to the comedy, however on reflection we felt that it would be more suitable to start very seriously and show a twist after the hit of the car. This led to us deciding we would use more common radio music, influenced by "Tinie Tempah - Pass out" and "Eminem - Love the way you lie".
• How successfully does your work engage its audience and provoke its interest? - be clear here about the creative process. You don't need to get into audience theory, just the ways in which your creativity engages - think about a wide range of technical aspects that you have used
Throughout the production of the film we have always thought about how we would engage the audience? To begin with we knew from the start we would need to start with an enigma in order to keep the viewer watching to see what happens. Furthermore the change in location, from the car to Luke (Samuel White) walking engages the audience because they are yet to know of the connection between to two. Furthermore, the realism of the situation helps to engage the audience because they can see themselves in this situation and this helps them too engage them into the short film.
During the house scene we tried to use a wide range of shots to keep the viewer engaged. This can be seen straight from start where the story shows both Mickey and Dave in the toilet at the same time. Yet this situation does engage the audience because it is showing two activities, which are considered to be private. Yet we challenge this and place both in together, of which they act very comfortably, challenging the usual norms. Another comical aspect that engages the audience is when Mickey throws all the rubbish out, but literally throws it out. Yet this 'gag' is more suited to the teenage generation because it does run in the minds of every teen, but because it is widely frowned upon, morally incorrect and rude no one does it. This means that no one will do it, challenging the usual saying of 'throw it out'.
In addition to this we tried to place the comedy into the background or slightly place it in to the short film so that comedy isn’t placed as the main part of the film. This is highlighted in the work scene where Ryan is reading a piece of paper, yet in the background Luke is beating up his colleague, therefore it leaves the viewer wondering what’s going to happen and this keeps them engaged throughout.
• Consider some of the creative choices you had to make during the course of your production – how to use cameras, lighting, dialogue, color etc. How did you make these decisions, and how did these contribute to the final production? - Ensure that you talk about your choices and decisions. Don't just explain, but evaluate and comment on.
Over the course of production we have had to make many creative choices, all in turn aiming to enhance our film. In regards to lighting we were fortunate enough to have a film light. Therefore we could focus it on certain aspects of the film. In some cases I did contribute with the lighting saying that it should be focused on certain aspects and this was relatively important because the viewer could then engage with that part which is highlighted because it would be seen to be very important. In terms of camera work I did try to contribute. For the particular camera shots we all had say and debated which we thought was the best as a group, therefore it can be seen that not one of us had sole camera control. Over the course of production we were also using a more sophisticated camera and we all had to learn how to use it. When we were filming I successfully learnt the panning shot and its effectiveness in particular circumstances, and also the zoom in from blur, which was tricky as lots had to be done at once. Yet this was successful and is used in the film when Sam enters into the house and also right at the start with the opening shot. In terms of angles there were all relatively straightforward because we were simply producing a film, therefore there was very little variance over the angles of our shots. In terms of the mise - en - scene there was very little to discuss because it was all stereotypical clothing - Luke with his suit; Mickey wearing 'slobbish' clothing, similar to his friend. 'The wife' wearing typical women’s clothing and lastly the driver wearing simple clothing, typical of an everyday man. Therefore it all builds into the realism of the situation and potentially engages the audience because of this.
