AS/A2 coursework essay

Evaluating my AS work

Research & Planning

Over the year 12 AS course we were set many different challenges and tasks and were asked to upload them to our blog. For our main task we were put into groups of three and we were asked to create a film opening of our choice of genre. In order to do this our group had to carry out lots of research on film openings, as we didn’t have any idea on what and how to create one. One of the first things we did was to brain storm some ideas that we had. This included the genre, actors, story line and possible locations. After a few lessons of deciding what to do we finally came up with our film opening idea. We were going to create a horror opening based on an abandoned hospital.  However this location was the next problem that we ran into, finding an abandoned warehouse that was local and that we could get access to was going to be a hard task. After some phone calls and browsing the Internet we finally found a local place that we could use. It was called Warley Hospital and we were able to get access to the old hospital wards were the patients stayed. After we had sorted the genre and got the location we next had to think about the target audience. We decided to target our film opening at 15-late 20 year olds. We thought that this would give us a good range and would allow us to incorporate more things that wouldn’t be as suitable for younger teenagers. From this we were also able to adapt and put together a narrative for what was going to happen in our film opening. We would not have been able to do this if we didn’t sort out our target audience, because what we included may have been inappropriate.  Another very vital piece of information that we had to create was a risk assessment sheet. A risk assessment sheet allows us to look at the possible dangers and what we are going to do to overcome these. It would allow tell us whether the location we were going to film was too much of a risk.

We did also carry out many other different pieces of research and planning and from doing this it really helped us with our film. We were able to create production logos by researching existing ones, make sure we chose camera shots that were typical of our genre and followed the conventions of a film opening. Without doing this research we would never have been able to create our film opening. The reason for this is because we would have been stuck to think about every shot we were going to do, the actors, location and many other things. If I were to evaluate my own performance of the research and planning section, I feel I did do very well. The reason for this is because I carried out a lot of research by myself. For instance I created the risk assessment sheet by myself. This involved me looking for the potential hazards and finding ways of overcoming these in order for it to be a safe environment for my group to film in. I also researched many different production logos from existing films, and from this I created a range of logos for my group to choose the best one. I felt very strongly about creating a well-designed logo as this is the first thing viewers will see when they watch our film opening. However along with the strengths I did have a few weaknesses with this section. For instance I did struggle to get the research done in a specific time frame, this is because I would start one thing not finish it and then start another piece of research. This did lead me to having unfinished work, but I stopped doing this, went back to finish what I started, and then I carried on with my newer work. In order to develop my skills further for my A2 course there would be many things that I would in fact change. One of these things would be to make sure that I keep up to date on the research and planning. This is so I don’t fall behind on work and don’t have to make up for being behind at a later date. Another thing would be to actually do a much wider range of research. The reason for this is because the main research that I and my group done was revolved around only a few certain things. Therefore by widening this research would allow us to create a better and more detailed video, which would be able to reflect our skills we have attained through the research. Another very big factor that I will make sure I create for my A2 course is a storyboard. A storyboard allows us to look at what is going to happen throughout our video. It will help us plan each shot out properly so we have a good basis to follow.

Following the conventions of real media text

When it came to the film conventions our group had to make sure we followed the conventions of a horror film. As we didn't know what the conventions were, we had to research this and then put it in to context. From research we found that the first shot of film openings should be an establishing shot. The reason for this shot is to allow the audience to get an idea of where the film is taking place. This also sets the scene and gives the audience a good idea about the genre. Another important convention for a film opening is having a soundtrack. Typically the music should start off slow paced and as the opening unfolds get faster paced. As our genre was horror we chose a soundtrack that would give the audience suspension, but also following the convention. Introducing the main character is another very important convention. By doing this so soon allows the audience to get a feel for who is going to be the most important character and then see other characters of a similar importance. Every film opening has a production logo at the beginning and without one the opening would be seen as just a film clip. Production logos are also specific for the genre, this is why our group created a logo that was related to out genre of horror. These are just a few conventions of a film opening and by following these it would allow us to create a successful and enjoyable film opening for the audience. If we didn’t follow these conventions it would lead to our opening being very dull and boring, and would not make people want to watch it. In order to improve on my A2 course I would make sure that we followed more conventions. This is because for our film opening we started of following the conventions and then started to make our own shots and conventions up. This did mean we would of lost marks from the examiner. So we will make sure when we create our music video we follow the specific conventions to get the best grade possible.

Mise en scene was also very important when creating our film opening. The reason for this is because if we didn’t follow this convention it could make our opening seem different to what it actually was. For instance we made a horror opening, so if we chose a setting that had children playing, were sunny and looked like a nice place it would make people think our opening is of the horror genre. Lighting another form of mise en scene is also a vital aspect that could make our film opening a different genre. As our genre was horror we had to choose a setting that had low-key lighting. Low-key lighting helps to give a mysterious and rather scary feeling, and this is exactly what we wanted in our opening. The beginning of our film opening we wanted to make it appear old, mysterious and decrepit. Towards the end of our film opening we used a natural lighting and didn’t use any effects when it came to editing. This allowed us to show how the clip was up to date and based in a different environment.

For my A2 course one of the main things I would make sure I done was used more camera shots that were specific for the genre I choose. The reason for this is because in my film opening I didn’t use enough close ups to show the facial expressions of the characters. This was a very important aspect, as it would have massively improved our video, by portraying the genre more clearly. Overall I would make sure I planned the mise en scene better to allow me to incorporate this into our music video with ease.

creativity & originality

When looking back at our film opening I feel our group did do quite well at following the conventions of a horror film opening. But I feel we added our own touch to the video very well. We wanted to do this so our video would stand out from others, and show that you do not always have to follow a strict set of rules. The beginning of our film opening was all in black and white. We wanted to do this to give the audience something to think about, and to be curious to why it is in black and white. This also made our shots fit in with the genre better. We also incorporated verbal speech into our opening in one of the clips. As the opening consisted of background music, which is also typical of film openings, by adding a few seconds of speech, we thought this would give it our own feel, and also make the audience more curious as to what is going to happen. We also wanted to use more handheld shots, the reason for doing this is because we felt it would make it more edgy for the audience and show that the film is based around everyday people, and this created an enigma for the audience to think about. We were also original with our opening by creating good suspense of what was going on. We done this by not giving the setting away instantly and because of this it would make the audience want to watch on.

For our A2 course we also want to keep a good sense of originality as it really shows off our own interest and personalities to the exam board. This would help them understand why we chose to do what we did. But bearing in mind we will also be following the conventions of a music video, as we have never created one before.