Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Friday, 6 April 2012
Research - British Film Showings
Contemporary Films Broadcasting
From the beginning of our research we deconstructed a number of films concerning the use of social networking within the horror genre , especially psychological thrillers. These films included
Hard Candy, Tormented, Trust, Megan is Missing and Chatroom.
It has come to our attention in recent weeks that the films we have deconstructed have been broadcast on numerous British Television Channels. We thought this was significant as it showed the popularity and significance of the topic of social networking, and the dangers that may a rise from it.
This further proves that our choice of film narrative is suitable and would be popular with our demographic.
From the beginning of our research we deconstructed a number of films concerning the use of social networking within the horror genre , especially psychological thrillers. These films included
Hard Candy, Tormented, Trust, Megan is Missing and Chatroom.
This further proves that our choice of film narrative is suitable and would be popular with our demographic.
Friday, 2 March 2012
Research
My Social Network Stalker Documentary
With exclusive access to Ruth and her family, who tell their full story on camera for the first time, this True Stories film unravels Ruth's prolonged ordeal, which came to a shocking conclusion.
In regards to the narrative of our piece, a recent documentary was on "Channel 4" called "My Social Network Stalker". We believed that our narrative related to this true story , however ours takes it to extreme levels to act as a warning message. This is the story of the documentary.
"Ruth Jeffery and her boyfriend Shane Webber seemed a perfectly normal happy couple who talked about a future with marriage and children.
They had known each other for ten years, but after they rekindled their relationship from school days in early adulthood, the man Ruth loved began to secretly rip her life apart.
With exclusive access to Ruth and her family, who tell their full story on camera for the first time, this True Stories film unravels Ruth's prolonged ordeal, which came to a shocking conclusion. For three and a half years Ruth was subjected to emotional and mental abuse at the hands of an unknown stalker.
It appeared she was constantly watched and Ruth was pushed to the brink of suicide after suffering the indignity of seeing naked images of her posted on adult websites and distributed to family and friends, including her parents.
After more than three years, the stalker was finally caught, but the revelation of the man's identity proved as traumatic as what she had already endured. Her tormenter was the person Ruth had confided in the most: her boyfriend.
My Social Network Stalker documents the story from Ruth's perspective, from the first abusive messages she received in 2008 - which she believed were from former school friends, isolating her from almost everyone she had ever known - to the sexually explicit photos and videos Webber circulated on the internet, some of which she is still trying to get taken off, to the extreme distress that caused her depression, symptoms of OCD and eating problems; and to how Webber was finally tracked down as the stalker.
The documentary also examines the possible motivations for Webber's shocking campaign of abuse on his loving girlfriend.
Webber has shown no remorse since his arrest, despite terrorising and humiliating the woman he claimed to love, and in October 2011 he was sentenced to four months in prison: the documentary makers are with Ruth as she and her family prepare for and react to the sentencing.
Ruth is in her final year of her degree and slowly rebuilding her life and her relationships. Webber served two months and has been released with a restraining order in place until 2016."
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Audience Feedback
Final Trailer Audience Feedback
We posted our trailer on numerous social networking sites to gain audience feedback to see if our trailer was successful with our target audience. Here are some of the comments made.
We posted our trailer on numerous social networking sites to gain audience feedback to see if our trailer was successful with our target audience. Here are some of the comments made.
Deconstruction
Website Deconstruction - Megan Is Missing
Looking at another influential film website, we looked closely at the layout of the page. The tabs were placed on the edge in a simple white font. The image is the same that is seen on the films poster. To create a similar effect, we used the same background image on our blog and our website. We also placed our tabs on the side to create a similar layout. The films website also has two opening pages. An introduction page is first seen with the image of the young girl sat at the computer desk. However as you enter the website the girl is shown to have disappeared. We used a similar idea creating an introduction page before entering our main homepage,showing a short clip from our trailer.
Research
Poster Research and Deconstruction
One of the posters for "Megan Is Missing" influenced our initial poster design.
The central focus of the poster is the computer and the young girl who is in the centre looking at the image on the screen. The editor of the poster was able to create this effect by darkening the surrounding edges. We created a similar effect by making the central focus of our poster our hanging scene on the computer screen which relates to the genre of a gothic drama.
The central focus of the poster is the computer and the young girl who is in the centre looking at the image on the screen. The editor of the poster was able to create this effect by darkening the surrounding edges. We created a similar effect by making the central focus of our poster our hanging scene on the computer screen which relates to the genre of a gothic drama.
Research
Mise en Scene and Camera Angle Research
With the majority of our trailer being shot with a webcam we looked at specific shots from the film "Megan is Missing". These shots helped us design the mise en scene of the teenagers bedroom, our 'victim'.
For example the young girl is shown to be putting on make up so we had our character style her hair in front of the webcam, making herself pretty before being seen on webcam.
We also dressed our character in a plain vest top similar to the one shown in the image with natural looking make up.
To show the majority of our typical teenagers bedroom, we placed our tripod so that it was tilted towards our character so that the audience would feel part of the action.
With the majority of our trailer being shot with a webcam we looked at specific shots from the film "Megan is Missing". These shots helped us design the mise en scene of the teenagers bedroom, our 'victim'.
For example the young girl is shown to be putting on make up so we had our character style her hair in front of the webcam, making herself pretty before being seen on webcam.
We also dressed our character in a plain vest top similar to the one shown in the image with natural looking make up.
To show the majority of our typical teenagers bedroom, we placed our tripod so that it was tilted towards our character so that the audience would feel part of the action.
Deconstruction
Megan Is Missing - Trailer Camera Shots Deconstruction
As well as a similar narrative, "Megan is Missing" also acted as an influence in the type of shots we carried out. Due to the significance of the narrative being based on social networking we decided to use a webcam as well as a video camera. The film was influential as it featured an unknown online predator similar to ours. As well as the webcam shots it also contained a montage sequence of news stories towards the end. We wanted to create a similar effect so we used shots of social networking sites instead.
Research
Existing Narratives
Similar to "Trust" being made in 2011, another film was made in the same year called "Megan Is Missing".
Similar to "Trust" being made in 2011, another film was made in the same year called "Megan Is Missing".
Planning
Youtube Publishing
To gain audience feedback for our trailer we uploaded it onto Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and our blog.
To gain audience feedback for our trailer we uploaded it onto Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and our blog.
Research
Final Poster Decision
Due to our creation of multiple poster designs, we decided to allow feedback from our target audience to decide our final choice depending on the number of 'likes'.
Research
Social Media Use for Distribution
To gain interest in our film trailer and gain audience feedback we created both a Twitter Account and a Facebook Account to share information with those interested in our film. By using Twitter we followed Twitter pages associated with Independent Horror Films and also the twitter accounts of the films we were most influenced by including "Chatroom" and "Trust". By doing so we also gained interest in our film as other horror film companies began to follow us as well as peers.
To gain interest in our film trailer and gain audience feedback we created both a Twitter Account and a Facebook Account to share information with those interested in our film. By using Twitter we followed Twitter pages associated with Independent Horror Films and also the twitter accounts of the films we were most influenced by including "Chatroom" and "Trust". By doing so we also gained interest in our film as other horror film companies began to follow us as well as peers.
Research
Questionnaire Results
From our questionnaire results the majority of responses were from the age range 18 - 21 which is within our target audience of 15 - 40. The most popular films people had recently seen were:
From our questionnaire results the majority of responses were from the age range 18 - 21 which is within our target audience of 15 - 40. The most popular films people had recently seen were:
- Shutter Island
- Inception
- The Social Network
This shows that our audience enjoy psychological thrillers and modern style films. We wanted our trailer to be based around modern issues such as social networking and online predators, issues which have only become known in the last 6 years.
We found that our audience mostly use Facebook as their main social networking site and spend over 10 hours a week online. This shows that our audience understand the internet and use it on a daily basis which makes our trailer contemporary and relevant to the target audience.
We also found that all of our audience had used a webcam to communicate with someone but 60% did not always know who they were on webcam to. This highlights our issue of online predators and the dangers of social networking.
When asked if our audience would prefer a blonde or brunette there was a unanimous vote for Blonde. This may be due to the stereotypical view that Blonde's are prettier, more vulnerable and are often the victims in films. We decided to use the shots of our blonde actress as we thought she fit the specification.
Research
Lighting Research
As our location for our trailer is mainly set in a bedroom we wanted the lighting to look natural and have a warm and comforting atmosphere to convey saftey and comfort.
This would then create tension and a sense of uneasyness when the safety of the bedroom is broken later in the trailer.
We also wanted the bedroom to be bright to contrast the running scenes and the eye shot which used minimal lighting to create a darker atmosphere.
As our location for our trailer is mainly set in a bedroom we wanted the lighting to look natural and have a warm and comforting atmosphere to convey saftey and comfort.
This would then create tension and a sense of uneasyness when the safety of the bedroom is broken later in the trailer.
We also wanted the bedroom to be bright to contrast the running scenes and the eye shot which used minimal lighting to create a darker atmosphere.
For the bedroom we used a large LED light and lamps around the room to light the whole room evenly. This can be seen in 'Prom Night' where the house is lit by lamps placed around the room.
Friday, 10 February 2012
Research
Film Classification
For our film we are giving the classification of a 15 therefore it is still suitable for our target audience. Our target audience will be from 15 years - 40 years(parents) due to the relevance of themes for both teenagers and parents.
For certification we research the BBFC to see the guidelines of classification for a film given the certificate of "15"
For our film we are giving the classification of a 15 therefore it is still suitable for our target audience. Our target audience will be from 15 years - 40 years(parents) due to the relevance of themes for both teenagers and parents.
For certification we research the BBFC to see the guidelines of classification for a film given the certificate of "15"
’15′
Suitable only for 15 years and over
No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language . The strongest terms may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Friday, 3 February 2012
Research
Online Campaign
The back of the card shows few images but gives information such as a website, a phone number and the name of the charity (KSCB - safe guarding the children of Kent)
We found a campaign for online safety which tries to emphasise the dangers of online predators and misuse of the Internet and social networking. The front of the handout shows an eye through a webcam with the caption "ONE WEBCAM - Countless peeping Toms" which is used to show the access to individuals using todays technology which directly relates to our theme.
The theme continues on the inside of the handout with the design of a laptop, commonly used by teenagers (our target audience) which allows them to easily recognise the message which is being stressed. The screen shows four main bullet points explaining how you should keep safe on the internet. We have taken these points and used them in reverse in our trailer to show the dangers which can conclude, if they are not followed, in a dangerous situation.
The back of the card shows few images but gives information such as a website, a phone number and the name of the charity (KSCB - safe guarding the children of Kent)
Sunday, 8 January 2012
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