Creative Critical Reflection

Made byAribah Imtiaz

How does your product use or challenge the conventions and how does it represents social

groups or issues?

Horror

Thriller

Romantic

Comedy

Genres I wanted to do a movie as per expectations of a large audience that what they wants to see. I took a survey to understand that.

I selected my Apartment building and a nearby one, totaling 125 apartments. My questions to peoples of different age groups about what type of movie they would like to see provided me with the clue.

I learned that people would like to see Romance and comedy and movie on Social Issues

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Horor Comedy Romance Social Issues Thriller Childrens

Kids

Teens

Middle Age

Old

Romantic Comedy with a Social Issue was my choice.

A few examples of Romantic Comedy that I had in mind and watched for an idea.

A Romantic ComedyRomantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles.

My movie depicts a love story based around an important issue of a boy in a relationship with two girls, with promises to each. The Romantic Comedy allows me to deal with this sensitive issue of love and cheating in a light and humorous way.

‘Never Again’

I have named my movie to describe it in a vague

manner with a mystery in the name; not reflecting

the genre of the movie.

I think this will attract a larger audience as more

people will try to learn a little further about the

movie, before watching.

A Rom-Com usually attracts the teenagers and the young adults.

Kids

Teenage

Young adults

Old age

The age group I would prefer to watch this movie would be school/college going teenagers.

My movie is a light film. Which I would suggest teenagers to watch. But, on the other hand, it is not catering to any particular segment and can be viewed by others as well.

My opinion concludes that it will be more enjoyed by the teenage audience.

Age group I advise for my Movie

Also, in my movie I am indirectly sending positive a message to the teen audience of what reality looks like and not every story can be a ‘happily ever after’.

The movie is basically surrounding around the teens life but will be of interest to their parents who may want to know about the issue presented in the movie.

Conventions of a romantic comedy movies are:

• Conventional Formula - Two people fall in love, they get along fine but breakup after some kind of misunderstanding and finally get back together at the end.

• The two main characters are likely to be of different social classes.

• Often starts with a voice over explaining the characters.

• A typical ‘Boy meets Girl’ scenario.

• Often centered around the female character, the film is seen from her point of view.

• Happy endings.

• Examples; Bridget Jones Dairy, Love Actually.

I have challenged the very common convention of Rom-Com.

- My Characters are from a similar social class instead of different social background.

- There is no misunderstanding between the main characters as cheating by the boy is evident just in the opening of the movie and so the plot is not simple for a happy ending. Whereas in every other Rom-Com a twist is often expected in the middle of the movie.

Similar scenes to the movie which inspired me

A Bollywood movie-Hum Tum My movie-Never Again

A Hollywood movieJohn Tucker Must Die

My movie-Never Again

Social IssueMy movie opening highlights a social issue which is very common all over the world.

In every other society usually teenager are very fond of relationships but as they aren’t mature enough to handle it for a longer period of time they breakup due to several reason, which may include; one cheating the other, family background or class differences etc.

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media

text?

USP

The unique selling point of my movie is its closeness to reality. It shows a normal life of two girls through their routine, without knowing each other and also that they have common boyfriend. But the sudden coincident of the three characters meeting together crates an interesting situation. So the audience will want to watch the whole movie to find out why the boy is cheating, how they met and other details.

Distributor for My Movie

Searching and choosing a film distributor; I found this task as the most difficult one.

I researched on a lot of large and small distributors and in the end I came to the conclusion that I wanted Universal Studios to be my film’s distributor.

I wanted this for many reasons.

Firstly, Universal Studios are interested in film’s all genres; comedy, romantic, action, thriller and as well as horror. Therefore my genre, which is romantic comedy will also be interest to Universal Studios. Since Universal accepts all the main theme genres, it is very helpful for the producers.

Secondly, Universal Studios distribute both, high and low budget films. So as per my planning of a low budget film it will be easy for me.

Furthermore, a big name will help me attract a larger number of audiences as it is a mass market film.

Some Romantic Comedy movies that are distributed by Universal Studios are:

So all of this clearly shows the reason of choosing Universal Studios as distributors of my movie Never Again.

I will also use social networking sites to promote my movie, such as:

•Facebook

•YouTube

•Instagram

•Twitter

•Netflix

•IMDb

I will release my movie’s soundtracks on iTunes.

And will also release my movie on DVD one month after theater release.

How did your production skills develop throughout this

project?

The AssignmentWorking on the project of making a Movie Opening has been really fun and interesting.

- The project played a very important role in expanding my knowledge and preparing me to minimize all the unexpected in any next assignments.

- From deciding the genre and writing the story to directing the actors, choosing their wardrobe and selecting the location, everything was a great experience, But, once I got out of the storyboard, there were ups and down in each of these steps.

Story LineThinking about the story was difficult as so many things were coming up in mind but I had to choose an idea that can be handled alone. When the story was finalized in my mind, I didn’t care about how I will manage the cast as an opening with three characters looked quite manageable.

- For the outdoor location I selected a public park considering daylight shooting without the hassles of extra lighting.

-However I didn’t even think that the Park Management, where I will be shooting will have to be approached beforehand for the permission?

- Add to that, the Park Management insistence for an adult supervision during all the shoots and my pleadings to my father to spare time from his busy schedule!

Still, I am happy that I dropped the other alternative of shooting someone thinking about the past, in an indoor environment. Also, when I discussed this story idea with my Media Studies Sir, it was approved.

Where to Shoot?When the need for permission from the Park Management downed on me it was just like being hit by a lightning bolt, I got panicky.

- The first park I visited made it clear that movie cameras are not allowed as the people using the parks may object. However, the management was kind enough to allow the shooting after the parks morning time, on a date when there was no cricket match. But that was way out of my schedule.

- Then I thought of shooting it in the Maritime Museum. The Navy guys were really helpful and were kind of allowing but fortunately a quick look around the location made it clear that it will not depict a park for jogging.

- The next park in my list proved to be good and I followed the Park Management advice to not to shoot the people jogging in the park, because if someone objects the management will be on their side and will not support the shooting activity.

The CastMy cast, I am so thankful to them for sparing their time for me and my project, from their assignments and preparations for exams. The big day for me was the Saturday for the outdoor, which proved even bigger for one of the cast with an A Level mock on Monday.

Day of the ShootingIt had rained just in the early morning and the Sun was shining fully clearing away the usual blanket of dusty environment or haze. Can anyone believe that this could turn out to be a problem for me!

- I wasted a lot of precious time adjusting the setting for this lighting as the camera was just catching up a lot of light. Some frantic calls to friends and then advice from one of their expert brother solved this once and for all times.

- Afterwards, there were no major problems and I was finished up with the shooting much before the Park’s evening time and was relieved to think that now the whole movie can be edited with just a single remaining indoor shot.

- However, the shooting in the park has its own lighter and harder sides with a great laugh by all in a blooper when the donut bag was dropped by the actor just as he was supposed to show his astonishment.

Editing and Initial Review

I always enjoy the editing works but thepark shots, specially the long shots, Ifound difficult to edit without listeningcarefully to the dialogues that could bebarely made out for my first experienceof outdoor shooting.

- It looked like the editing will never end.

- When I was done with the editing workit looked good, until reviewed by myMedia Studies Sir!

Advise for Additional Shots

Only a few extra scenes were advised by the Media Sir but the shooting for these were like I have not done anything earlier.

-The cast, all three, were found impossible to again manage their availability together, in the short time available before submission of the project.

- Separate shots were planned for each, on different days.

- My request to them for same dress was easy just as the request for same glasses.

- They managed the same dress but forgot the black spectacles, wasting a lot of time on one of the shooting.

I studied the earlier shots, beforehand to take care of which hand holds the donut bag and which hands the coffee but to make sure that the cast follows it was not easy.

- I felt lucky that the donut bag was not opened in any of the shots otherwise the donut flavors could have wasted more time. Still the body language and posture of the cast recorded in the last shoot was quite difficult to replicate, even in the close-ups.

Most Important Lesson for Me

Watching a movie is the easiest thing to do but making one is quite a challenge.

- I have learned that it needs a lot of careful planning at every stage.

How did you integrate technologies (software,

hardware and online) in this project?

SoftwareFor converting the video I have used Total Video Converter.

For the use of editing I have used

Windows Movie Maker.

For learning how to edit, I watched a few tutorials and practiced editing.Earlier, as finding the right convertor took a lot of time so since then, I am using the same convector for every assignment. The more you use the more it is learned, like after wasting a lot of time to control the firing letters to stay a little more after the last text, I ended up by just adding a space at the end.

Hardware

The camera use to shoot is Nikon D5200.

I have learnt how to use a tripod. At first I used to think that it is going to be difficult to handle the camera and tripod side by side. But, when I started doing my media assignments and started to shoot videos I got the hang of it.

Camera Angles

1.Extreme wide shot2. Very wide shot 3. Wide shot 4. Mid shot5. Medium close up 6. Close up7. Extreme close up8. Cut-in9. Two shot10. Over the shoulder11. Point of view12. Dutch tilt13. Pedestal shot14. Jib15. Track shot16. Dolly shot

There are more then 15 camera angles that I have learnt in my Media class, which include:

Also some frames that include:

1. High angle2. Low angle3. Depth of field4. Rule of thirds5. Connotation6. Symmetry7. Silhouette

Close up: I learnt the importance of taking close ups. It breaks the drag in a scene, and also it emphasizes on the characters emotions. Taking a close up was hard as I had to make sure that my actor did not get uncomfortable with the camera being right on her face. It took me 7 to 8 retakes to get a final shot.

These are some of the camera angles that I have used in my movie opening.

Medium Close up: I also learnt the importance of taking medium close ups. A medium close up is half way between a mid shot and close up, it shows a clear face without getting uncomfortably close.In my movie opening this shot helped me to show the calling on phone, taking off sunglasses and even waving hand.

Over the Shoulder: This shot is actually framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame. This is used during conversation between characters to focus on both of them while speaking or listening.

Very Wide and Wide Shot: The most important shot through which you can tell audience the location , setting or the surrounding the character is in which makes it easier for them to understand the scene.In the VWS, the subject is visible but is further away then a wide shot. Also the safety room must be kept intact slightly above head in both the shots.

Online

As I was asked to submit all assignments on blog. Therefore, I had to make one. My blog is on tumblr. It was fun maintaining a blog throughout the year!

Here are a few screenshots of my blog.

Media AssignmentsThe first assignment was a pair work. We had to make a movie opening of aperson driving and all the shots were advised to be taken from inside the carexcept two three from outside.http://aribahimtiaz.tumblr.com/post/100586908135/movie-opening-d-firstmediaproject-driving

In the second assignment I had to make a monologue. I tried low keylighting in this one, It turned out to be good. Also, it was appreciatedby my Sir.http://aribahimtiaz.tumblr.com/post/102454900010/monologue-secondmediaproject

In the third assignment I had to make a pubic service message, in whichI showed child labor.http://aribahimtiaz.tumblr.com/post/109110362705/public-service-message-thirdmediaproject

In the last I would specially like to thank my Media Sir who kept on pushing everyone to complete the project. His advises on every aspect of the movie and his critical review meant we are closer to our goal of achieving high marks.

The way he teaches us with a certain friendship meant that we should take care of his every observations and I did the same after his review.

His thinking that everyone write about his experience of the movie making, much earlier, was a great help in writing this Creative Critical Reflection. Without that preparation I might have been lost in the movie making alone.

Thank you