MAIN Post 12.7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking over my previous work I think I've make an obvious improvement, there were three key points that stuck out for me that I've developed and improved. 

The preliminary task wasn't as good as the main task therefore there is an obvious improvement. The beginning of Behind Blue Eyes has the background music instantly with panning shots of the equipment which is an improvement from the beginning of The One Mistake which begins with a simple black screen showing the title then a long shot of the character in the corridor. The preliminary task didn't require an opening sequence like the main task did, the beginnings have still improved.

The location of our tasks have improved as you can see from the preliminary task to the main task. There was one location used in the preliminary task and it was not used to its full potential and was not correct for the storyline. We also had troubles with noise levels whilst filming and the lack of actors to make the scene look some what believable though the location was incorrect. The various locations of the main task however worked a lot better as they were more conventional and appropriate for the storyline as well as the correct actors to make the situation believable. 

The camera's positions when filming has definitely improved, during our preliminary task we used incorrect camera angles that didn't work, missing out on eye line level shots and preforming an incorrect shot reverse shot. During Behind Blue Eyes however we have used a variety of camera shots that have worked in our favour and have remembered the position of the characters whilst filming a shot reverse shot.  

MAIN Post 12.6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Since the preliminary task I've been using many different types of technology and learning how to use or become more confident with various computer programmes or handheld devices. 

One of the major things I used was obviously a camera, it is an essential piece of technology as whilst filming as you need it to capture the footage. I learnt a lot using the camera as it although was a small handheld it made me start to notice if I had the correct frames, lighting and sound. 

The most obvious new piece of technology I've been working with in the past months would be blogger. I've completed many tasks and posts on here making sure to include all of the work I've done in class or in preparation for filming. I've learnt how to create a blogger, upload photographs, insert links and change or edit posts.

I have also used Adobe Premier a programme which was crucial when it came to editing our opening sequence and our preliminary task. I've grown more confident with this programme and can now cut and adjust clips, edit sound as well as place background music into a clip.

YouTube was another important social media site that I used. I learnt how to upload video clips such as our audience feedback and the completed version of 'Behind Blue Eyes'. I also discovered how to embed into blogger, you simply copy the embed code and paste it into blogger, this would not work for me however no matter how many times I attempted.

I've learnt how to use a flip camera, a piece of equipment used for recording our audience feedback. I've learnt that you can also record voice clips instead of with a video. 

Powerpoint has helped me when creating collages of photographs. I've learnt how to save images or transfer them to JPEG files which is done by changing their format. I've definitely grown more confident in this area. 

I've used a variety of technology and I believe I can say they have all helped a great deal when it came to producing 'Behind Blue Eyes.'

MAIN Post 12.5: How did you attract/address your audience?

I believe our film in quite unique in many ways and that's probably why our audience is attracted to 'Behind Blue Eyes'. There is the ultimate friendship between Paige and Sophie which is very relate-able to our target audience, everyone has that one best friend they've known forever that they have the best memories with. This makes the audience have an emotional link to Sophie and Paige because they can understand what it was like to be young - or at their age, and have the best friend that's like a sibling to you, you fight and argue and go through many problems together but are still together. Our target audience is between the ages 15 to later 20's and we were sure to get audience feedback from them as well as from a slightly higher age demographic who could see it from a mother's point of view more then the child's. By listening to our audience feedback we were able to grasp a good understanding of what our whole target audience might think of it, we had the slightly older individuals tell us what they thought on their own so that we could have a contrast between them and our target audience.

Whilst I was researching The British Board of Film Classification (bbfc) when looking into other films in our genre and how the plot line effected the rating, I started to become curious as to what classification 'Behind Blue Eyes would receive.' Looking between 'Behind Blue Eyes' and other films in the genre of drama I would say that it would more then likely receive the rating of 12 or a 12A. I wouldn't give it a higher rating due to 15 film's usually including sexual arousal and activity which 'Behind Blue Eyes' does not include, it only hints at the relationship between Alan and Sophie. The reasoning behind it not being lower then a 12 is because it bring's up a controversial issue of sexual grooming which could be offensive to younger viewers and although there is no sexual activity between the victim and abuser it is still suggested, making 'Behind Blue Eyes' unfit for a U or PG rating. The rating of our film could work in our favour as our target audience would appreciate a higher rating then a U or PG as it would stop small children from watching and would give it a more mature theme. It's also attractive to not put it as a 15 because some people might not be able to get in because they don't look old enough even if they are from our target audience. Therefore I believe putting our film as a 12A would attract our target audience because that is the more likely classification they would watch as well as the emotional links and the ability to put yourself in the characters shoes.

bbfc website link

MAIN Post 12.4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for 'Behind Blue Eyes' is from age 15 to late 20's. The reason for my group and I selecting this demographic was because we produced questionnaire's that featured the question "When do you go to the cinema and who with?" From ages 15 to late 20's said they went often with their friends and because of this we selected this target group because they would be more willing to go instead of someone much older. 

If we could describe a character from our target audience they would be; interested in the latest trends and celebrity gossip, possibly be a student or in a new job and enjoy hanging out with their friends on a regular basis. The photographs describe the interest of a possible member of our target audience. 

MAIN Post 12.3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The Production Company  is the company that creates and produces a film. They would produce a film and then take it to a distributor. A Distributor is a company who is responsible for the marketing of a film. A small distributor may only be able to put the films on to DVD'S or might have connections in another market or country. A large distributor would be able to make the film available to the public through theatres, networks, downloads, television programmes or DVD's.

If a production company needed funding and they were in Britain then they could obtain the funding they needed from the British Film Institute. The British Film Institute is there to "Encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and the moving image generally, and their impact on society, to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and world cinema and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the moving image history and heritage of the United Kingdom."

They would provide producers in Britain with the appropriate funds needed to create their film. All of the money that The British Film Institute uses is from the national lottery and would be used to fund films that reflect the history and heritage of the UK, films that have been funded include This is England and The King's Speech. 

This is in comparison to a production company somewhere such as Hollywood which would often receive's all of its funding from the studios. The reason the studios would fund such large films is because they know they will make money back once it has hit cinemas, downloads and DVD's. Another possible way that someone could receive funding is from the government or depending on the size and the plot line of the stories some films can be self funded or funded by small businesses. 

If I could chose I would want a large company to be able to distribute our film because of possible subsidiary arms in other media markets or countries meaning the film would be more accessible. I believe a perfect company would be someone like Sony as they have the experience and would be able to market our film in more ways then say a small distributor. Possible marketing could be through print advertisements, trailers during prime time television, through out the internet or at the cinema. However I believe a distributor through the British Film Institute would be more then likely to distribute a film such as ours due to it being a short film which are not often popular and with a risky and controversial storyline it is not a clear hit in contrast to clique and unoriginal romantic comedies where the storyline is always the same and usually makes a large amount of money.

Here's a link to the bfi: BFI website link