My Media Evaluation“Schizo”-The film

My Opening Title Sequence

It is conventional for all films to have titles. In psychological Dramas the title are usually white on black. I have used this convention.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real media products?

In some films it is conventional to have titles appear over the images. This is more common in genres like Rom-Com. To create a serious tone for my film I chose to have white titles on black, except for casting names as it is conventional in films like Momento, below to do this.

In some films it is conventional to have titles appear over the images. This is more common in genres like Rom-Com. To create a serious tone for my film I chose to have white titles on black, except for casting names as it is conventional in films like Momento, below to do this.

Another Convention my film features is a quote at the beginning of the film. Just like the film 'The Heart is Deceitful above all things.', my film has the definition of Schizophrenia at the start of it.

Creating EnigmaMOST REAL FILM PRODUCTS TRY TO ESTABLISH ENIGMA AT THE START OF THE FILM. RAISING QUESTIONS THAT THE UDIENCE WANTS ANSWERED. MY FILM RAISES SEVERAL QUESTIONS:

WHO IS HE?

WHERE IS HE?

WHY IS HE THERE?

WHY IS THE GIRL DEAD?

HOW IS HE CONNECTED TO THE GIRL?

WHERE HAS HE GONE NOW?

There is a big element of suspense created at the start of my film, giving a mystery-type edge to the genre created.

SoundIn Schizo, I used very conventional sound for a film of that genre. I used a blues/folk song. The music I chose from www.freemusicarchive.com was similar to music used In brick, and helps to set a similar serious, haunting sort of tone to the film.

Good Night Heart, my chosen music

Brick's soundtrack

SoundIn Schizo, I used very conventional sound for a film of that genre. I used a blues/folk song. The music I chose from www.freemusicarchive.com was similar to music used In brick, and helps to set a similar serious, haunting sort of tone to the film.

Good Night Heart, my chosen music

Brick's soundtrack

Dark figures walking under a bridge in a long dark tunnel.

These shots are very similar, on the left being a shot from Brick and on the right, a shot from Schizo. This is more proof of my film being conventional as there are similar and conventional types of shots.

How does your media product represent particular social

groups?My film represents the social group of teenagers in London.

-Age: Teenagers-social class: Middle Class-ethnicity :white Caucasian-gender : both male and female

My character Gabriel is represents a emotionally sensitive, deep thinking and soulful young male. Young males with these characteristics are rarely represented in the media, meaning Gabriel's character could only conventionally be portrayed in an independent film.

Deep thinking young male adult, from the independent film, 'Brick'.

Gabriel appearing deep in thought.

Doesn't have an extreme street look. Wear's a designer baseball cap, he has a middle class appearance. This is a convention of Independent psychological dramas because the middle class sensitive young male is rarely represented in mainstream films. However I decided to dress him in a baseball hat and hoodie because the genre is urban and this is what teenagers in urban westernised areas tent to dress in.

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

An independent film distributor would be likely to distribute my film. This is because of two main reasons. One is because of my low budget for the film. The other is the genre being hybrid urban, crime, psychological drama. Having a low budget for a film is a convention of independent film making. Like Schizo. Also, the genre is not very popular in the mainstream film distribution industry this is why Schizo would be distributed by an independent distributor.

My media product uses art house ways of making films. A way it does this is interpreting types of characters lives that wouldn't conventionally be focused on in mainstream films which are distributed by big multimedia conglomerates

Lionsgate are a independent film distribution company. Because of this I have included an 'ident' for “Lionsgate” at the beginning of my film.

It would also be likely for film 4 to screen my film on their channel, It is a free digital television channel which screens films and it is owned by channel 4 and they are likely to screen an independent film like Schizo due to the themes included and the low budget set for the film. An example of one of their films are 'This is England'88', which was produced by them and was made on a very low budget.

Another reason why my media product would be a distributed by an independent film distributor is because of

the representation of the themes in my film, which are:-● Death & murder

● Mental illness● Teen life

These main themes are conventionally portrayed in the indie industry, instead of mainstream because they are not very uplifting. The focus on death in a mainstream film is

conventionally minimal and in my film it is all centred around it. Another theme that is conventionally indie is mental illness as it is rare to find a mainstream film about it.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

A film noir type audience is the audience I have aimed my media product to. This is because there are many film noir type conventions to my film. Such as:-

● Femme Fatal

● Alienated protagonist

● Low key lighting

● Shadow over graffitied wall of main character

● Low angle shots

● ICONOGRAHPY: deserted place of the city, trees and wildlife give natural feel effect.

● SETTING: urban yet deserted. (This is not a norm of mainstream film)

● From a first person narrative (Classic Noir)

Femme Fatale

Alienated protagonist

Alienated protagonist

Low Key lighting

Character's shadow appears over graffitied wall.

Low angle shots

● Another audience I have aimed my media product to is 15+. This is because it features scenes of graphic images such as a corpse. This is also because the storyline is about two teenagers, therefore a teenage audience would find it easy to relate with my film, Schizo.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I have attracted my audience through using enigma. The enigma I created surrounding who each character is and why the girl is dead are the main bits of enigma. The other being the hidden meaning behind the name of the film.

I used shots of the dead body to make them ask who she is, her hair is covering her face. I used a slow paced build up to gabriel finding the body- the audience doesn't get to see the corpse until he has stood right next to her corpse. The opening ends with Gabriel running away from the body. This makes the audience wonder where he is going and so again attracts their attention.

Without having enigma right from the start of a film, and the right type, the audience begins to get confused and bored and the film is unsuccessful. Keeping the audience guessing is key to keeping their attention and when their attention is kept throughout the film then they are successfully attracted.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of

constructing this product?

I have learnt to screen shot.I have used a HD DSLR camera to film, with a memory card.I have now become confident with using a tripod to film.

● I have used open source software such as celtx.

I have used tumblr to keep an online blog to record each step of making my film and what I've learnt in media.

I have also become confident with using sound track pro. I used it to edit my soundtrack for Schizo, adding a loop to the song and an echo. I also added sound effects of a cave, and birds tweeting as I muted the video and felt it needed background noises to improve the realism of it.

I have also become confident with using sound track pro. I used it to edit my soundtrack for Schizo, adding a loop to the song and an echo. I also added sound effects of a cave, and birds tweeting as I muted the video and felt it needed background noises to improve the realism of it.

Screen shot of the sound I added to final cut pro

I am now also more confident with using final cut pro, after spending hours of editing my film on it. I learnt how to create scene transitions and add text and sound to my film using Final Cut Pro.

Continuity editing

I have successfully learnt how to edit using continuity.I have learnt to do...Matching shots- match on action- continuity- invisible editing (editing is unnoticeable and

natural). Cutting out irrelevant bits- shrink or expand time (slow motion?) Putting in sounds.Putting in filtersTitles.

Continuity + non continuityCuttingShot reverse shotEye-line match Graphic match Jump cutCross cutting Parallel editing Cut-away InsertFade in/out Pull focus Wipe Superimposition

And I firstly edited my film on iMovie which is a program I had never used before. I found it to be an easier program to use than Final Cut Pro but that it was however offered only basic editing compared to Final Cut, for example there wasn't much range to fonts for titles.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from

it to the full product? ● I am now much more confident

with being behind the camera filming, my filming skills have definitely progressed since filming my preliminary task.

I can now add titles, sound and keep continuity!

I know now how to create more intense enigma, this is not only because of the filming and sound but also due to a much more developed storyline.

I have learnt to be much more concise with story

boarding, and have learnt the importance of it. During preliminary task it was basic

for easier filming, this film product required more detail

as it is a much more advanced piece of film.

I am much more confident with using different softwares such as final cut pro and sound track pro and also iMovie. I started off editing on iMovie, and then gradually got used to using Final Cut Pro instead. Where as in the preliminary task I was very unsure about using both programmes and only just about managed to grasp the concept of using it.

This is my first edit of Schizo which I did on iMovie. I had to reshoot the entire film due to lighting conditions and camera shake and also, lack of footage.

From my evaluation of all of my progression, I think I have greatly improved my skills in film making.