storyboard final...

Audience feedback graphs

Audience feedback questions and answers

Audience Feedback

Thank you for watching our ‘Speak’ J

Please tick the appropriate box for each answer

1)      The film you have just watched is part of the ‘Urban Realist’ genre. Does it remind you of any other ‘Urban Realist’ films that you have watched?

Yes, (if so, which?)                                                                           No

2)      Did you enjoy watching ‘Speak’? (Please provide a reason for your answer)

Yes                                                                                       No

3)      Did you find the film easy to understand?

Yes                                                                                No

4)      Did you find the statistics at the end helpful?

Yes                                                                                No

5)      Did you think 5 minutes was an appropriate length for ‘Speak’? (Please provide a reason for your answer)

Yes                                                                                No

6)      How did you feel about watching a film on the subject matter of child abuse?

7)      Did watching ‘Speak’ help to further your understanding of the torment of child abuse?

Yes                                                                                No

8)      What was your opinion on the lighting?

It ruined the film                   

I would have preferred it to be lighter    

It fitted the film and wasn’t too noticeable   

It made the film even better

9)      Throughout the film there was very little dialogue. How did this effect you viewing of ‘Speak’?

10)  Would you recommend ‘Speak’ to someone else?

Yes                                                                                No

1)    Yes – 18, No- 2

-kidulthood –adulthood – precious –

2)   

Yes – 18, No-2

Y-enjoyable

Y- taught about CA

Y- Acting

Y-was unique

Y- different perspective

Y-it was creative

N- CA

N-it was hard to underatnd                                                                                             n  3) Y-16, N-4

4)    20-Y

5)    N- I is imposr SM so needs more time

Y-diff to watch so not too long was right

Y-in 5 mins everything was shown well and didn’t seem rushed

Y-yeah fitted in ith normal movies onthis subject matter

6)    –hard to watch

-         Important to see

-         Disturbing

-         Upsetting

-         Taught me

-         Interesting

7)    17 –Y 3 – N

8)      It ruined the film                   -1

I would have preferred it to be lighter     -1

It fitted the film and wasn’t too noticeable    - 11

It made the film even better -7

9)    Emphasised her torment

Made the atmosphere solemn

Showed the mums domination

Was very sad

Made it have less imoact

Was unusal

Grabbed attention

10)Y- 17 N-3

Final review

Draft of my review

This was a draft layout of how i wanted my review to look like. I wanted it to be eye catching and not boring to look at of to over bearing with a lot of text. I used columns since that is how most film reviews are written in. I looked at empire magazine and their layout and took various inspiration from that and from Film which i think are successful review magazines.

I knew that there was a variety of issues with the layout that needed to be changed when it came to my final review. For my final review i continued to use columns and 3 pictures 1 behind the scenes and two screen shots of the film. I used size 12  arial font sticking to the normal conventions of reviews.

Focus group questions and answers

1.      How do you feel about viewing film, are cinema visits a regular activity or an irregular pastime?

Cinema visits are an irregular pastime because of cost. I rarely go to see films at the cinema but I do for special occasions such as ‘Harry Potter’ etc. Otherwise, I would usually wait for a DVD to come out.

2.      What type/s of film interests you most, why do you think this is?

I like to see comedy films and action films in particular, I like them most because I think its important to come out smiling after a comedy or talking about action scenes.

3.      Have you ever watched an urban realist film before, if so what was your opinion of it?

No.

4.      We plan to produce a short film which will deal with the causes and effects of child abuse. How would you feel about watching a film based on this subject matter?

I think it would be hard to watch as its a subject people do not like to think about. However, it may help those who suffer abuse to feel less alone and hopefully find a way for it to end.

5.      We believe that an important part of film production is making sure the product is tailored to the target audience. Do you find that in your own viewing habits you mostly watch films that are targeted at your demographic?

No, I would watch a cartoon, action film, chick flick or any film that I felt an affinity for.

6.      5 minute films aren’t usually aimed at a mass audience. If ever, where do you view short films?

I very rarely watch short films unless there on the BBC during advert breaks or between programmes etc.

7.      In previous productions, an issue of gender representation has been raised whereby females always seem to be the victims of abuse. What is your opinion on this matter?

Abuse is suffered by all, but society likes to portray women as victims usually with a man as her saviour. Publicity for male abuse is probably more necessary to promote awareness.

8.      It is important that, throughout the course of a film a relationship is formed between the audience and the characters. A way of forging this relationship is through viewpoint cameras. Do you ever watch TV or film that is filmed through viewpoint cameras and if so, do you like this effect?

I have seen ‘Peep Show’, where this is used. It was disconcerting at first but soon become an accepted part of the show.

1.         How do you feel about viewing film, are cinema visits a regular activity or an irregular pastime?

Visits to the cinema are irregular. They have mainly centred on films that my children have wanted to go and see.

2.         What type/s of film interest you most, why do you think this is?

There is no specific type of film that I enjoy the most. I have a wide ranging list of specific favourite films that I really enjoy that come under all sorts of different genres. I think that I like a wide range of genres of films because film is not particularly important to me and so I only have a few particular favourites. My favourite films are linked only by their lack of subtly most of them are extreme comedies, horrors, actions and so on.

3.         Have you ever watched an urban realist film before, if so what was your opinion of it?

Yes, I have watched several urban realists on subjects like gangs and crime. In my opinion, with urban realists you get a sense that they are true to life. I enjoy the fact that it was realistic and edgy and they are not formulaic so I couldn’t presume what was going to happen at the end.

4.         We plan to produce a short film which will deal with the causes and effects of child abuse. How would you feel about watching a film based on this subject matter?

I do not like the idea of watching a film based on child abuse as I would find it uncomfortable. I also don’t think it is an appropriate subject matter for a film which should be entertaining. I want to get entertainment from a film and I wouldn’t find it entertaining at all.

5.         We believe that an important part of film production is making sure the product is tailored to the target audience. Do you find that in your own viewing habits you mostly watch films that are targeted at your demographic?

Yes, I do not regularly visit the cinema or purchase DVD’s but on the occasions that I am influenced by advertising or word of mouth it will be to see films that are aimed at my demographic. The last film I saw at the cinema was Harry Potter which is aimed at families. On the other hand, as I don’t regularly go to the cinema I am more likely to go as my partner or family wants to see a certain film.

6.         5 minute films aren’t usually aimed at a mass audience. If ever, where do you view short films?

I only ever view short films on TV, I do not seek them out but any that I do watch I have stumbled upon. However, I find it really interesting because the plot, acting, scene setting has to be done in a short space of time and it is interesting to see how filmmakers accomplish this.

7.         In previous productions, an issue of gender representation has been raised whereby females always seem to be the victims of abuse. What is your opinion on this matter?

I think that it is ok to have a female being the victim of the abuse so long as it is representative of the real world; otherwise it is presenting a skewed vision of society.

8.         It is important that, throughout the course of a film a relationship is formed between the audience and the characters. A way of forging this relationship is through viewpoint cameras. Do you ever watch TV or film that is filmed through viewpoint cameras and if so, do you like this effect?

Yes I have seen examples of viewpoint cameras being used, for example in ‘Peep show’ and ‘The Blair witch project’. I do not like the effect it has because I don’t like to see things through the eyes of a character because I want to see the characters and there emotions and reactions.

Filiming Pictures...

Urban film poster research

A review from newspapers encourages people to go and see it.  Also rates it in stars and have given it 5/5 very good review.

Cinema release date written in capital letters to capture the eyes of the people

The image is very dark which can represent the urban genre of the film. Also the way they are positioned is very manipulative almost as if they are in a gang. The character with the bat in his hand comes across as the most intimidating character because of the prop and the hood up. They look like stereotypical teenagers which is what will attract their target audience because they can relate to the characters.Masthead in capital letters capturing the eyes of the audience.

Certificate rated 15

Institutional information is placed across the bottom like most institutional information. 

The main picture, which we can see, is the side of Ashley Walters head, which is half of his face and shows the images in his head. This shows that is thinking about his family. The gun that the boy is holding could connote to masculinity as he strikes a pose whilst holding the gun. The red background could connote danger, which may happen in the film, as he is holding a gun that connotes violence and maybe death. The lighting used shows how half his face is black which his past and the lighter half could connote that he is moving into a better future. There’s a quote just above the title that says “You Only Get One Shot at Life”. This could mean many things by, you only get one shot to shoot a gun, or you may only get one shot to live your life. The background uses neutral colour’s, which shows that he doesn’t know what state of mind he is in. The background looks smoky, which may connote that there may be drugs involved in the film. The font of “Bullet Boy” is written in a bold white font to make it stand out and is very eye-catching. The words on the front, “Mesmerising”, “Striking” and “Stunning” are used from newspapers and magazine reviews to emphasize how good this film really is. This makes the viewer want to watch the film after just looking at the poster.

My poster final



I wanted my poster to be all about the main image of Katherine Lee. I edited the image on a programme called picnik the effect that i used was sapphire it gives it a dark portrayal of the girl. The colours red and black symbolises danger which is what the film is about, and the use of the bold font is eye catching so if people drive past or walk past the poster the first thing they see is the bold font. I used two ratings from the times and the guardian and put the 5 stars up, because normally when people see a good rating from a popular magazine, people are influenced by that and will go and see it most of the time.

The tag line 'Speak before it is to late' is a play on words with the title and is the main message of the film. That is also in bold for the eyes of the public to notice directly underneath the title. I have looked into some urban film posters and most of them along with other genres have the same codes and conventions which i also tried to incorporate into mine.

Day 3 of filming...

Our main goals for filming for our final day was to film;

• The protagonist looking into the mirror
• The second bedroom scene (girl drawing on the bed)
• Final continuity shots

Props needed for the day;

• School uniform, pyjamas
• Make up wipes
• headphones and music player
• Notebook and pencil

The scene we filmed first was the mirror scene when the girl is wiping the make up off her face after crying and just stares at her reflection. Our camera skills had increased by then so we felt comfortable shooting that scene steadily.
The next scene we filmed was the second bedroom scene when the girl is drawing and listening to music on her bed, we again choose to use a variety of shots for this scene which was; medium, over the shoulder, point of view, and low angle. We shoot this in this way to show the girls anger and distress of her mother, so when edited we can show this by showing all these shots.

Our final scene we shot was the final bedroom scene when the girl is on the floor in the corner of the bedroom with pills and alcohol in her hand looking down at the pills then up at the camera saying "help". we used a close up of this and followed her eyes with the camera up then down to make a much more touching end to the film which hopefully the audience will feel.

Day 2 of filming...

After the first day of experimenting with the camera and what we can do with it the second day of filming would be much easier. So like day 1 we made a plan for what scenes we were going to film which were;

• 2 bedroom scenes
• suicide letter

The props needed were;

• Pen paper
• pyjamas (torn up and stained)
• desk with a bottle of pills

The first scene we shot was the suicide letter it was the easiest and less time consuming scene to shoot. We choose a variety of different shots to film it in because that scene would be at the beginning and at the end so the most significant scene for the audience. We used a close up, point of view, over the shoulder , a mid shot and a high angle shot. The main aim of that shot was to have a close up of the word " speak" since it is the title of the film.
The Next scene we filmed was the last tension scene where both mother and daughter were which was when the mother was sitting outside the flat drinking a bottle of wine, the daughter comes outside to take out the rubbish, as the daughter approaches the bin the mother calls her over and as she gets closer dashes the glass bottle at her. when that happens the daughter in shock and fear runs away back to the house . For this we scene we wanted again to experiment with the angles and shots so one person in the group had an idea for a high angle shot, he stood on a high wall and filmed the protagonist walking down an alleyway to the bins which gave it a nice effect. we also used mid shot, close up wide shot and low angle with all these different shots when editing we can mix them up at a fast pace to create the tension for the audience.
That leads us to the  last scene of the day which was the girl running from outside to her bedroom in anger she throws the clothes and mobile phone on the floor and sits on the bed crying. She then finds a picture of her brother on the floor and just stares at it. For this scene we choose to use just one shot which was a mid shot the reason for this was to capture the whole scene from a viewers perspective as if they were in the room with her when this was happening.
We ran out of time for filming that day so for the third and final day we planned to film;

• The protagonist running through the main door and running up the stairs to her flat
• the last close up of the protagonist
• finally take some pictures for the poster

Filming day 1....

Filming takes a lot of planning before you can begin anything to do with filming, so our group came together and made a list of all the scenes that we wanted to film on the day from our film schedule which were:

• Establishing shot
• Protagonist walking down the alleyway, down the street and approaching the door
• Protagonist finding her mum
• View point shots
• Suicide letter
• Other kitchen scene

So we did plan to accomplish a lot in one afternoon. But in order to film those scenes we had to think of any props that maybe needed which were:

• Pills
• Alcohol bottles
• extra food and drink to set the scene of a messy kitchen

We planned to shot the film at a particular location but realised that it was impossible to film there because it was unavailable. So we came to a mutual decision of another location.
Shooting the scenes:
The first scene which we filmed was the protagonist walking through hall way to find her drunk mum on the kitchen floor she goes to help her but her mum  pushes her away. She then walks out the room with a look of disappointment and sadness on her face. We shot this scene with a number of different shots such as ; over the shoulder, point of view, low angle, high angle and close up.
The second scene was the other kitchen scene when the protagonist sits at the dinning table staring at her mum and then notices the broken glass so walks towards her picks up a cloth and starts to clean it up and notices the blood from her mums writs goes to touch her mum and the mum quickly slaps her off. The scene then ends with the gild chucking the cloth on the kitchen top and hastily walking out the kitchen. Again with this scene we used a variety of shots we used; low angle, placed the camera on a level shelf, view point and close up. The use of all these different shots will hopefully when edited add more drama and tension to the film.

Filming schedule...

Thursday 18th Oct: Start our filming establishing shot and a variety of shots of the protagonist, and the two kitchen scenes.

Wednesday 19th Oct: Day 2 of filming, filming the kitchen and bedroom scene and writing the suicide letter.

Thursday 20th Oct: Day 3 film the kitchen  and bedroom scenes and the outside scene.

Friday 21st Oct: Go through everything filmed and film anymore that we think needs to be re filmed or for continuity. When done start editing immediately.

Treatment for film: Suicide letter

"I know i was never what you wanted me to be and i know that and its ok. I dont know you well enough to blame you for anything. I dont know if you love me or if you ever wanted me or even if you think about me when im at school.

Im doing this because at least then you'll know how i feel,,,felt

There used to be many questions that i thought you had to answer but now i realise i was never meant to know. And i will never know. And now you wont have to live with me anymore and maybe that will make you better.
I hope i can make you better, im sorry i never found the words to speak".

That was going to be the original letter but becasue of only having a 5 minute film we had to cut it down to just 3 lines.

"This is the only way i know how to end our pain

I hope i can make you better, im sorry i never found the words to speak".

Camera Shots and Angles

Before being able to start to film or film we had to make sure we understood all the different camera shots and angles so that our film can be much more appealing to the eyes of our audience.
There are a variety of camera shots and angles that you can use in your film to make interesting for your audience. For example if a character is crying you may choose to use a close up to bring out that emotion and make your audience feel that characters emotion. Or if you are trying to  create tension in a scene then you can have a variety of shots and make them fast past.
The camera angles that we can use are:

• Eye-Level:This is the most common view, being the real-world angle that we are all used to

• High Angle:A high angle shows the subject from above

• Low Angle:This shows the subject from below

• Bird's Eye: The scene is shown from directly above. This is a completely different and somewhat unnatural point of view which can be used for dramatic effect or for showing a different spatial perspective.

• Slanted: Also known as a dutch tilt, this is where the camera is purposely tilted to one side so the horizon is on an angle. This creates an interesting and dramatic effect

Here are the different types of camera shots that can be used:
we have the: Mid shot, two shot, close up, wide shot and extreme close up.

Market research....

These are the questions and results before being put onto the graphs above....

Are you male or female?

Male                      □   12

Female                 □ 8

What age range do you fit in?

12 and under     □ 0

13-15                     □3

16-18                     □11

19-21                     □ 4

22 and over        □2

Do you watch short films?

Yes                         □4

No                          □16

What two genres of film do you prefer to watch?

Comedy□9

Adventure□2

Action□3

Sci-Fi□1

Drama□4

Romance□4

Western□0

Horror□6

Urban□2

Documentary□2

Musical□5

Historical□2

On average, how often do you watch Urban Realist films?

All the time□1

Often□3

Every now and again□7

Rarely□6

Never□3

Where do you prefer to watch your films?

Cinema□5

TV□6

Online□7

Portable Device□2

Would a movie poster influence you to watch a film?

Yes□12

No□8

If a film got a bad review would that influence whether you watch it or not?

Yes □5

No□15

Are you more likely to watch a film because of..?

The poster□2

The trailer□5

Review□1

Word of mouth□2

The message of the film□2

The Plot□8

Focus Group questions and answers....