Evaluation

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

The movie I have decided to make is a British gangster movie. The main forms and conventions of a British gangster movie are a cockney cast, a casual working class street environment, lots of money making “dodgy” dealings, some violence and drugs.

The conventions I have used include basing my film opening upon a major drug deal then selling the drugs to a dealer in a remote area, the assumption is made that he will sell the drugs on the streets. The choice of location, being a forest challenges the usual convention of an inner city area. I also challenged the convention by not making my actors speak in a cockney dialect, and allowing them to speak in a potteries accent.


2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?


I my media product, the particular social group I have focussed on is the “underclass” of the drug community. I have represented this group my showing in the opening sequence a drug deal between a supplier and a main dealer who in the next sequence sells it on to a street-dealer. The locations used reflect how the drug world is a solitary place how they avoid social interaction with the wider world.


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

The main institutions to distribute my product would be the British Film Council and maybe Film 4. The other possibility would be making it into a TV production eg on Channel 4 or on a specialized satellite channel. The BFC is funded by the lottery and is used to encourage young directors and film-makers by giving them funding for productions. Film 4 may distribute my film on its channel as it specializes in low budget films that are not mainstream films.


4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

My main audience would be young adults as this is usually the age group interested in my type of film, British gangster movies. I came to this conclusion as the four other bgm : Lock, Stock .. , Snatch, Layer Cake and Rock’n’Rolla were all aimed at elder teens to young adults and were certificate 15 or 18. If I had to certificate/classify this film by the bbfc cert rules I would classify it as a 15 so as to attract a wider audience and allow the young teens to watch my film.



5.How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my target audience by making my opening sequence stimulating and exciting so as to draw the audience in and make them want to find out what happens. The film is aimed at my target audience of 15 to 24 year olds by using the language that they use in their lives, ie by using slang and some mild swearing. The actors in my film are of a similar age to my target audience this appeals to them as they can associate with the story-line.


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

I have learnt how to use a digital camera to film scenes. I have also learnt about camera positioning and the 180 rule ie that if you shoot an angle from one side of
a person you must stay on the same side. Whilst filming outside I realised that surrounding noise eg running water in a stream and the wind in the trees can make the dialogue difficult to hear. I also learnt how to edit film, using the Studio 10 programming to help the scenes flow better and shorten scenes.


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

My preliminary task was of a person walking down the stairs and having a conversation with somebody else. I have learnt to make the action more flowing and I have learnt how to zoom a camera shot so it looks realistic and is smoother. I have learnt how to direct people and make them do the action required to make the film more realistic and produce the shots I require. I have learnt how to place the camera to get the better shot.