Media evaluation =)

Our media product is based on the romantic drama genre. Originally the plan was to create a romantic comedy product but once filmed and edited we felt that our film fitted more in the romantic drama genre.
When researching romantic comedies we firstly looked into the differences between the romantic genre and its sub-genre; Romantic comedy genre. We established that Romantic drama’s main focus is typically on the male character and how he meets the girl. The plot line is often serious and contains various conflicts; with a life changing situation which has an impact on the ending. Conversely, romantic comedies characteristically central around the female character; who then goes onto meet the boy. The plot is more light hearted and humorous with less serious conflicts.
They are also more routinely drawn towards the ‘happily ever after’ ending as “rom-coms” direct the feel good factor to the audience for example films such as ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Along came Polly’ where the two main characters always resolve their differences and end up together in the end. Whereas some-though not all- romantic dramas chose to part the characters and leave the film without a happy ending; therefore showing that sometimes couples aren’t meant to be or are parted for example ‘P.S I love you’ and ‘Ghost’. However the traditional happy ending is still widely used such as ‘An officer and a gentleman’ and ‘The Notebook’. Our media product did follow the happy ending convention and in the treatment that we devised for the entire film we established that the ending should show that there is hope of finding new love after heartbreak and/or overcoming the sadness.
Our media product deals with the social group of “20-something” adults. Our film portrays them as free-willed, with more sexual awareness. Our product also shows this group with looser morals and more promiscuity as Courtney (one of the female characters) does not see the damage in having a sexual relationship with Carl so soon after his break-up from Caitlin (the main female character and Courtney’s best friend).
Many institutions distribute romantic comedies as they are relatively cheap to make and earn a large profit. Therefore are relatively certain to gain the company a large profit. For example the institution Vestra spent $6 million producing ‘Dirty Dancing’ yet worldwide it has made just under $215 million- generating a large profit. Whereas Sex and the City (produced by Warner Bros.) was $65 million to produce, but has made over $415 million.
The audience for our media product would primarily be females. The target age bracket for the film would be typically between 14-30, however women of all ages enjoy them- showing that romantic drama films have to be versatile in order to appeal to the wide target audience.
From creating this product I have learnt that it is necessary to take as many shots as possible because what you think will work during filming may not be as good as expected in the editing process- therefore it is best to many shots during filming so that when editing- you have ensured there are many options available to you. Also I have learnt that to ensure that a lot of planning and research enables you to create the best product available.
Since we did the preliminary task I have learnt more about different shot types and angles. I have learnt to use these fully in order to create a certain effect. Additionally it is important to achieve a very high level of continuity so that it not only believable but easily understandable to the audience.

Filming and edititng!

We filmed our 2 minute introduction on the 20th February 2009. We spent two hours filming in both locations until we had all the footage that we needed.
We began the editing process on the 24th February 2009 during our media lessons. We have to date finished a lot of the editing and have took enough shots to establish that we have managed to obtain a high level of continuity.
However in one case, involving seeing the door being open, first from behind Courtney's shoulder then straight cutting to the other side of the door to watch it open. This was then followed by another straight cut to Caitlin asking Courtney if she had a nice night. However the shot that followed the door being opened from inside the room and once the shots followed on from each other, the door appeared half open then suddenly full open in a split second. Therefore we edited the footage to show the door being half open then a quick shot of Courtney's reaction to Caitlin's entrance, then cutting back to Caitlin speaking with the door fully open. This gives the impression to the audience that whilst the camera was watching Courtney the door opened the rest of the way.

Status Update

Today is the 11th of February 2009.

So far we have:

• Completed the screen shot list
• The treatment for the entire film
• Shooting schedule
• The Sets for both scenes in the bedroom and Hardwick park
• Camera Maps for both sets

Now we just need to start filming!!!

Hardwick Hall Camera Map

Bedroom Camera Map

Hardwick Hall Set

Bedroom Set

Shooting schedule

Filming and stuff

We are going to start filming on Friday the 6th of January 2009.On this date we are going to do the bedroom scene in Jess' house. We still need to sort out a date to fill the scenes at Hardwick Park. Here is the cast and crew list:

Cast:

Caitlin: Carissa
Courtney: Jess
Carl: Craig

Crew:

Director: Charlotte
Camera Woman: Charlotte
Hair and Make up: Charlotte
All round common sense of operations ;) : Charlotte

Screen Shot List

Shot #: 1
Duration: 38 seconds
Notes: Focus pull as Voice over being read
Cast: N/A
Camera Angle: Establishing/wide shot of Hardwick Hall being brought into focus.
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 2
Duration: 5 seconds
Notes: Caitlin walking towards the camera along with her dog.
Cast: Caitlin, dog
Camera Angle: Long shot, she is walking beside the lake shot stops when she is near the camera but her full body can still be seen.
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 3
Duration: 6 seconds
Notes: Carl proposing to Courtney over by a gate ahead of Caitlin
Cast: Courtney and Carl
Camera Angle: Long shot and eye line view of Carl and Courtney
Camera Moves: Pans across to Carl and Courtney


Shot #: 4
Duration: 5 seconds
Notes: Total shock on Caitlin’s face because of what she has seen
Cast: Caitlin
Camera Angle: Close up, then fades out
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 5
Duration: 10 seconds
Notes: Door is heard slamming downstairs (Non-diagetic sound)
Cast: Courtney and Carl
Camera Angle: Fade into a close up of underwear on the floor
Camera Moves: Pans upwards to reveal Courtney and Carl in bed together




Shot #: 6
Duration: 4 seconds
Notes: Caitlin shouts up to tell Courtney she is home
Cast: Caitlin
Camera Angle: Mid shot
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 7
Duration: 6 seconds
Notes: Courtney and Carl jump out of bed and look for somewhere to hide.
Cast: Courtney and Carl
Camera Angle: Long shot
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 8
Duration: 5 seconds
Notes: Courtney pushes Carl into her wardrobe.
Cast: Courtney and Carl
Camera Angle: Over the shoulder (Courtney’s)
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 9
Duration: 12 seconds
Notes: Door being opened, Caitlin comes into room
Cast: Caitlin and Courtney
Camera Angle: Mid shot
Camera Moves: tilts down and up to follow Caitlin bending down to pick up boxers and then gets back up


Shot #: 10
Duration: 4 seconds
Notes: Carl falling out the wardrobe
Cast: Carl
Camera Angle: Mid shot
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 11
Duration: 5 seconds
Notes: Shock on Caitlin’s face
Cast: Caitlin
Camera Angle: Close up, fades out
Camera Moves: Zoom in,

Shot #: 12
Duration: 4 seconds
Notes: Goes back to the original scene
Cast: Caitlin
Camera Angle: Close up zooms outs to
Camera Moves: Zoom out to reveal Hardwick Park


Shot #: 13
Duration: 2 seconds
Notes: Caitlin turns around, back to camera.
Cast: Caitlin
Camera Angle: Mid shot
Camera Moves: N/A


Shot #: 14
Duration: 5 seconds
Notes: Caitlin running away upset, front of her
Cast: Caitlin
Camera Angle: Mid shot
Camera Moves: N/A

Treatment for Romantic Comedy film

The film begins with an establishing shot of Hardwick Hall, it is then cut to a woman called Caitlin walking her dog. She then sees her ex-best friend (Courtney) being proposed to her by her ex-boyfriend (Carl).
The film then cuts to a flashback of the previous year and this will be evident in a caption on the bottom of the screen. There is Courtney and Carl in bed together and unknown to them, Caitlin is walking up the stairs. When the couple realise they are about to be caught, they try to find somewhere for Carl to hide. Eventually he tries to hide in the wardrobe but the audience see that it is quite a small and enclosed space and that this plan won't work for long. Once Courtney believes it is safe, Caitlin enters the room, on noticing the boxers on the floor Courtney does have to admit she had someone over for the night. As Caitlin jokingly says they look quite familiar Carl loses his balance in the wardrobe and falls out to Both women's dismay.
A flash forward then returns back to Hardwick Hall in the same position that it was left in, we see Caitlin looking really upset about what she has seen and runs off home. Over the title sequence and singing along with a sad song on the radio in tears. We see various images of her eating ice cream, watching films and lazing around in her pajamas to show the passing in time.
The next scene opens a few weeks later, to see Caitlin lounging around her house looking really upset. There is a knock on the door and when she finally decides to go and answer it, thinking it might be the pizza delivery man. When she opens the door we see her friend Matt. When he sses the state of the house and all the mess that she has made he orders her into the shower and to get dressed whilst he cleans up. Once Caitlin has washed and dressed Matt persuades her to go out. They both go to the local pub and whilst they are there they have one too many drinks ending up very drunk.
The film cuts to the next morning, Caitlin wakes up in bed and feels a bit worse for wear. She smells something good coming from the kitchen and when she walks downstaris finds Matt in the kitchen cooking pancakes. She gives him a hug for everything he has done and they both laugh when she reealsies how drunk she got and how she went up to sing on the karaoke (something she would never usually do). She then gets a call from her boss, Carol. Caitlin is a florist who works for an events organiser. Carol tells her that she misbooked and needs some flowers urgently for a wedding in two days and that it does not really matter what type they are but she just has to be at the wedding for ten thirty in the morning. When she comes off the phone she starts to dash about to get reasy she leaves Matt a spare key and tells him what Carol said. She spends all day preparing the flowers and when she gets home she sees a note on the kitchen table from Matt saying to meet him at the pub at 9.
Once she arrives Matt tells her they're going to the cinema, once they get there they realsie they're the only two people there to watch the film so they run up and down the aisles and laugh about how much space they have. On the way home Matt buys her an ice cream, he walks her to her front door and then they stay silent and they don't know whether to kiss or not. They both laugh it off and they both go their seperate ways. As Matt drives home and Caitlin goes in the house they both realsie their feelings for each other.
Caitlin wakes up in the morning and has one more day to finish the flowers. As she decides that they are done there is a knock on the door. Matt is heard singing and she laughs as she opens the door to find him stood there with a bunch of flowers. They kiss and she brings him into the house...you know the rest...
It then cuts to the next morning. Caitlin gets out of bed as Matt is still laid there sleeping. She leaves him anot saying that she has gone to work and she leaves for the wedding. When she arrives she is unsure where to put the flowers. She sees Carol talking to a man who must be the groom. As she goes over to talk to her she realises that the groom is Carl and she has been planning his flowers. She hides behind the bouquet she is holding and tries toback away but trips over a cable and starts to fall to the floor, just in time for Carl to catch her. He laughs when he realises who she is. He picks her up and starts to talk to her as if everything is normal. He then tries to kiss and we see images of their previous life together and she realises this is a mistake and pushes him away. She tries to run and bumps into Courtney in her wedding dress. Courtney is confused why she is there. Caitlin tries to tell her not to marry Carl and tells her what has just happened. Courtney refuses to believe her but Caitlin challenges her to let her prove herself before she makes a decision. Courtney reluctantly agrees and as Caitlin pulls her into the back room of the church they hear Carl on the phone telling another girl that just because he would be married it wouldn't change their arrangements and not to worry because this fiance was clueless. Courtney looks shocked and bursts into Carl to tell him its all over.
Courtney then tells all the guests the wedding is off, just as Matt arrives. He runs up to Caitlin to tell her he loves her and he wants them to get married. Courtney overhears this and is very happy for them and tells them not to waste a good wedding and to get married now, Caitlin tells her she couldn't steal her day but Courtney tells her that she should because it was all paid for by Carl anyway and it would be his punishment for being an idiot.
The film then cuts to a few years later with happily married Matt and Caitlin in an old country house. There is a knock on the door and Coutney comes in with her new boyfriend Arron and whilst they are all having dinner together they announce their engagement. The End.

Sweet Home Alabama

This text starts immediately panning across the sky to show the dark clouds. Non diagetic sound has been used to enhance the sound of the thunder, this contrasts with the soft, quiet music underneath the harsh loud sound emphasising the bad weather. The camera carries on panning across the sky and tilts down to see the foresty grassy area which sets the scene and we see this as the opening next to the beach. The viewer then sees a young boy and a girl of about 10 running out of the forest and the pans across following them running onto the beach. The audience see that the weather is really bad outside and we wonder why the two children are outside when the lightning could be dangerous.

There is then a straight cut to their feet running through the grass. You can then here the girl counting and this shows the resemblance to child like games and their curiosity of the lightning and not seeing the seriuosness of the extreme weather. There is then a long shot of them running towards the camera across the beach. A lightning bolt then strikes infront of them and the camera then straight cuts to the back of them to see their reaction. All straight cuts are used throughout this scene to show the continuous action in the film.

The camera then cuts back to a front shot of them and then a wide shot to show them running away and then running back. A mid shot is then used to show them running towards the camera and a worms eye view shot shows their legs, the two children then bend down into full view of the camera. The camera then zooms into where the lightning has struck and shows the liquid that it has left behind in the sand. A mid shot of Jake pulling Melanie's hand away from touching it shows the protectiveness he feels for her because he doesn't want to get hurt.

A birds eye view shot then shows them getting up and there is another pan across the thunderous sky. Then the converstion between Melanie and Jake uses the 180 degree rule and uses a close up, over the shoulder shot on whoever is talking. There is then a mid shot of both characters before they kiss and then a mid shot of Melanie's face as she sees the lightning bolt and then a long shot shows the two characters being hit by the bolt.

Romantic comedy Genre Research

For our two minute film introduction we will be using the genre romantic comedy. Before I analyse two films from this genre I have done some background research into the genre as a whole.
The audience is usually women of all ages-especially teenagers and up. The men who go to see a rom-com are usually unwillingly dragged their by their girlfriends, because their main appeal is to females.
Some well known Rom-com films are; Sweet Home Alabama, Love Actually, Notting Hill, 4 weddings and a funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, Hitch, Bruce Almighty, Along came Polly and The Wedding singer.
The typical naarative of a rom-com film is; girl meets guy, girl loses guy, circumstantial happenings, girl and guy get together, they come to realise what is important in life, happy ending and the settings are usually in big cities, showing home life and often the characters are seen at a wedding.
The Stock characters are typically the 'good looking dream guy' who usually turns out to be a prat, the not so cool but loveable 'friend' who is a boy, the cute (but not too cute) female which every woman can relate to in someway and supporting friends who provide familiar characters that the audience can see resemblances to their friends in.
Producers are eager to make rom-coms because they are relatively cheap to make (for they do not require any special effects) and ultimately make a large profit for example Love Actually cost $40 million in production but has made $246,942,017 making over $200,000,000 in profit.
The editing techniques used are mainly match on action and uses a lot of straight cuts to display the sense of real time in the film.

Media Coursework

This blog will be used to show the research for my media coursework! Let's have some fun!