Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 3 by thomm020

Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

When creating my short film, magazine article and film poster I ensured to have a consistent style so that the theme of the film will be easily identified by its target audience, resulting in better promotion of my short film and ideally drawing in a wider audience at the festivals it is shown at. The extended metaphor that runs through all my products is that money isn’t everything and that happiness can’t be brought. By demonstrating this more rough around the edges lifestyle it emphasises that it’s oneself which makes them happy not of what they poses.

My short film has been created with the purpose of not just entertaining its audience but demonstrate an art form that can inspire and lovers of film will enjoy. By leaving the ending at the close of the day it is also intended to give something that each individual can perceive differently as you would expect in a more conventional art form.  The way it is filmed in a realistic manor focusing on the sounds and little everyday actions is not only intended to tell a story but give something that is different to every individual that watches it.

The purpose of the film poster is purely to promote the film and give off the image I expect my short film to portray. By creating a simplistic yet powerful image I intend for its target audience to want to find out more and put in their own research into the film rather than having it all given away, something I have discovered through research that film lovers enjoy. The fainted skull in the characters face is intended to portray the darker side to my film that is given with the director’s cut. By having this non fairy tale ending it gives me the power to comment on the real world and not just that of a story. The graffiti stylised text gives off the impression to an audience that my film isn’t all about being neatly cut and happy but rather something realistic and harsh that an audience can divulge their personal opinions upon.

My magazine article however is used to promote my film not from the fictional side but through reality. This form of promotion see’s the film from a more analytical view that is generally further persuaded by cinematic enthusiasts. By actually getting behind the camera and learning of the real actor it portrays the film it portrays the film as more of an artistic piece than the entertainment side demonstrated in the film. Opposed to my poster this form of promotion will be seen by a much more specific audience in that of the magazine readers rather than the general public on billboards and adverts. For this reason I am able to tailor the article exactly to their interests and capture the interests of my priority target audience. The ways in which the two forms of print media are designed to complement the short film is ideal as I can bring in multiple audiences whilst still focusing on my primary audience, and ideally creating an experience that will be enjoyed and respected by different people with different values.

Evaluation Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In order to understand the conventions of short films I set out to analyse several films of different genre. I took ones from a narrative aspect a, a documentary aspect and ones that have been created for pure visual affect and no real story. One convention that is predominant in a lot of short films spanning all genres is that lack of spoken word. Therefor in my short film I have removed all verbal dialogue and instead focused on telling a story purely by the picture and sounds focused on and created in the day to day life of that main character. This is a key feature in short films as it allows a director to demonstrate their ability in creating something that is interesting to an audience purely using artistic and cinematography skills, something I believe I have been able to accomplish.

Another yet seemingly obvious convention of the short film is that of characters. Short films tend to stick to one or two main characters as they are considered too short to develop any further characters deeply. I have obeyed this convention but reformed it slightly. Although I only have one main actor with a supporting female character, I used them to create two seemingly identical main characters living in different worlds. This presented me with the task of having to create two different backstories for the same person. However as typical with short films due to the lack of screen time the need to develop their backstory is insignificant and the characters present life and actions are predominantly focused on.

When creating a short film one thing that is by far near crucial is the inclusion of a twist. This can be anything bizarre or out of the ordinary that captures a viewer’s full attention as with being so short it is important they do it quick and make it memorable. I decided to do this in mine by creating the parallel universes which interchange almost unnoticeably, I then was able to build on this by attempting to build a poetic twist in which wealth equated to loneliness and happiness equates to a care free non materialistic lifestyle.

Like the majority of short films mine was independently created and therefor had little to no budget. For this reason most short films have very few locations and minimal special effects. For this purpose the majority of it is filmed in the same household with mise en scene altered between the two worlds allowing me to create a budget able yet clear difference between the two worlds. I also constructed a storyline which used few unobtainable props and focused on a realistic yet hyper reality which did not need any form of big budget special effects or stunts.

A key convention to the short film in itself is the short part. Maximum length for a short film is 35 minutes and typically they span between 5 and 10, any longer and they would be considered feature length. This time constraint can be challenging as you are required to build a setting, tell a story and give a conclusion all in this short space of time. I conformed to the typical time creating mine in the 6 minute mark. I felt this was an appropriate amount of time for me to tell my story to its best yet also keep an audience interested and entertained.

Another way in which short films capture an audience is through the situation they create, they will tend to tell of a realistic and relatable situation which is then flipped on its head allowing the audience to connect with the characters yet still be intrigued about what is going to happen next. By depicting a typical daily routine I have created a setting in which an audience can share their understanding of, yet by adding the factor of parallel worlds I have created a supernatural reality which can be used to keep my audience entertained and curious as to find out how it will result.

When creating my magazine article there are much clearer conventions than that of my short film. This is down to the fact that it is still image rather than moving and does not require the medium of sound as well as picture. One way in which a magazine can be used is for escapism therefor it was important to create an article and world in which the reader can get lost in.

I introduced a fact file into my article as conventionally magazines are intended to inform a reader of a certain topic, in this instance about the short film ‘Parallel’ and it’s leading actor Max Dowling. Whilst the article itself is full of information about both readers tend to skim through a magazine sometimes looking for a shorter piece of text to interpret. Therefor this small fact box is a great tool for getting a reader into the article and ideally getting them to pursue it more. It also tells of more intimate facts than the main article creating a bond between Max and the reader making them feel involved and significant.

The use of pull quotes and large close up images is also intended to draw a reader into the article and get them interested in the story at hand. This is the predominant purpose of a magazine after all and ideally will get readers interested in seeing ‘Parallel’ as the main purpose of the article is to promote this new short film and its release.

Opposed to feature length film posters I became aware that with short film ones they tend to be a lot more simplistic, for this reason I have focused on one single powerful image paired with the title and main actor’s name. A release date is made unnecessary as the film be shown at film festivals rather than at the local cinema and has a more specified audience.

I have also included all the typical information you would see at the bottom of a film poster using the same stylised font and format in order to create a realistic and professional poster. The lack of information given is deliberate in order to peak an audiences interest getting them to research and find out more about the film, as the audience I intend to target will be interested in doing such things. This is down to the idea that they view cinema as more an artistic form than just purely entertainment. 

Parallel: Short Film

Parallel from Matthew Thomas on Vimeo.

Film Poster Final

This is the re done version of my film poster. A lot has changed mainly the fact that I have improved the text and made it appear as a more credible poster.

Magazine Article Final

This is the final copy of my magazine article. I took feedback I was given from the last copy and have constructed it into a way that I see is professional and realistic.