Written Evaluation - Part 3 - Questions 5 and 6

5. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I think in terms of the technology used in the process of constructing this product that I’ve learned that at times they can be really reliable but at other times can be a bit of a let down. For example, there were numerous problems while editing the piece, we had numerous problems with the computer software we used to edit it in terms of that it would not recognise out digital files and that it would just not run the Adobe software at all, meaning we lost out on a lot of valuable time needed to edit it altogether given that we had a lot to smooth out and edit in. But once this problem was over come, the editing wasn’t as hard and the software was quite easy to use, as it allowed us to edit out the majority of the errors in the piece with only a few small errors that were impossible to get rid of. It also allowed us to slow some scenes down, change the lighting and was quite easy to let us add bits in, such as the opening credits and easily let us apply them over the top of certain areas on the piece, so overall the software was very useful and easy to use, if not with the odd technical problem which was eventually conquered and a way could be found round some of these problems eventually. In terms of the software we used to create our “Beyond The Grave” studio logo, that was relatively simple to use and that logo was created within a couple of days, complete with the running blood and the scream. Although I did want the blood to look like it was dripping off the logo rather than flood out and fill the whole screen, it was the best we could manage, given that all efforts had to be focused heavily on the editing at the time the studio logo was created. One final thing to mention was that in terms of the credit effects we used, we were trying to aim for the blood splatters on the corners of some of them to actually splatter on to the screen along with the credit information, so it was like it was just splattered across the screen and written in the blood, but this would prove to be an impossible thing to pull off as the software was not that advanced in terms of pulling off effects like that, and even if we could have it would have be very time effective as it would take hours upon hours of animating each bit of blood splatter and the words appearing in it. So we had to just settle for the already written titles and the blood splatter already on the screen.

6. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Overall I believe I have learned a great deal from this task. I’ve learned that when constructing a film like this that it’s not something that can be easily done and finished within a couple of days, that you can’t just go out, shoot some quick footage and quickly piece it together. I’ve seen from, this task that things need to be planned and thought over before acting upon, like when writing the script I had to think in great detail about all the things I could and couldn’t do with this, like what my limitations would be. So that’s why when writing it I wrote something that would be simple to shoot and about locations I already had in mind and in terms of what could be done in terms of the effects of the piece, given that there was a very low budget. So when planning the budget I knew iwas going to have to go with simple make up and try come up with shots hat would show zombies attacking people but not showing flesh ripped from bones or anything along those lines, it needed to be simple but affective. I also learned how to over come obstacles and think on my feet , for example when we did the whole day of shooting, we decided to change an awful lot of the script to make the shooting easier, so we had to think of how to change scenarios but while also sticking to the basic story that I had already come up with. Something else is that I’ve learned  is how you have be reliable to the people in your team and that you have to take responsibility for your actions and stick to the schedule, cause if you mess up, your letting your partner down, so I’ve learned a lot of responsibility. I have also learned how much of along process it is making a film,  it is a very time affective process, that you need to be patient and not waste time in the editing process as it is a big part of the whole task and needs to be done to the best you can.        

Written Evaluation - Part 2 - Questions 2, 3 and 4

2. What kind of media institution might distrubute your media product and why?

The media institution we chose to distribute our product was Lionsgate. Lionsgate are very closely linked to modern day horror movies and franchises such as the SAW franchise and Hostel so people will immediately recognise that it is a horror film we are showing through this production, as well as the fact that Lionsgate have never made a horror film like this so it allows for a more wide range in it’s distribution credentials. Also it is still quite an independent distribution company and our film is on an independent level so it wouldn’t cost much to distribute it through Lionsgate and it fit into the whole independent level of the project.

3. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for the media product fills out over a wide range of people. First would be teenagers given that they are the portrayed as the heroes and protagonists in the piece, so naturally there is that appeal for there for teenagers to what and go see the movie given that they are being portrayed in such a positive light in this film by being made the heroes rather than being stereotyped as thugs and criminals like they have been in recent times throughout the media. A big audience that would be drawn to this piece would be that of the zombies enthusiasts, who like a good zombie apocalypse film and be attracted to what is in this film, given that there is a big following of zombie enthusiasts, I think this piece would really draw them in terms of what we were going for with this. Another audience who would be attracted to this film would be just horror fans in general, given that it has zombies, which are a big staple in terms of horror and horror monsters, and the film as blood, violence and shocks in it, intended to scare the audience, also how it follows typical zombie horror elements in terms of the story, that of toxic chemicals that have caused the dead to rise from the grave, something that horror fans and zombie enthusiasts will be common to. 

4. How did you attract/address your audience?

The whole point of the project was to make a film that appealed and payed homage to zombie horror films and the zombie enthusiasts. So in order to make the film attract that kind of audience, it was a simple process of making a zombie horror that followed the codes and conventions of the zombie movie as well as drawing, referencing and using elements of other zombie movies to appeal to those enthusiasts and also horror fans. So in order to draw in that kind of audience, we used various parts from films we researched and added them to our film and incorporated them in, so these enthusiasts would be easily drawn in to the story, through the simple set up at the beginning and make it so they saw a film that was comfortable and in familiar territory but while also adding the different elements to make it something that was original and a bit a different. So essentially by using the typical elements of how the zombies looked and moved and acted, with the elements of other zombie films such as the chase scene inspired by “28 Days Later” and the news reports inspired by “Shaun of the Dead” and the 2004 “Dawn of the Dead”  and adding in our own elements by making the protagonists teenagers and think in terms of if this was a real life situation  and make the zombies move quick while still maintaining the classic look of a shuffling zombie, we made something that would attract enthusiasts who would see what we were trying to achieve and be attracted that we were doing something classical and original at he same time. Also the teenage proportion of the audience we wanted to attract would be attracted by how we made teenagers the protagonists and how they would be portrayed as heroes rather than stereotypical views of good for nothing thugs, and show them in a more positive light. Addressing them by saying we know if the situation called for it you would rise to the occasion and become heroes, something that I think comes across in the film, in terms that they are working together and that strangers are helping each other out, like at he end, when the character being chased is saved by three random strangers.

Written Evaluation - Part 1 - Questions 1a and 1b

1a. How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real media products?
My media project follows the forms and conventions of a typical zombie apocalypse movie, in terms of how it is presented. In many ways I have used and copied some of the forms and conventions of films I researched for my project. One example of how I used them can be seen at the very start of the film with the TV that flicks between different news channels and that each time it changes channel it carries on the same report as before, this was used in the 2004 re-make of “Dawn of The Dead” throughout different points of the first half hour of the film and is also used in the 2004 film “Shaun of the Dead” which features the news adds and uses what we did of the channels changing over, carrying on the story but is used in this film for comedic effect given that it is considered to be a “Romantic, Zombie, Comedy”. Something else that my project uses from forms and conventions in the scene with one of the survivors being chased by zombies, this is a form and convention that is used throughout many zombie movies but the one that bares the most significance here is from the film “28 Days Later” from 2002, another film I did as part of my evidence mainly because I used a few of it’s forms and conventions such as the speed of the zombies in the film, but mainly cause it has a chase scene of zombies pursuing the main character, Jim. I used this chase scene as an influence to put one in my film and also because I wanted this film to be one long chase scene showing the fight for survival of man in a world slowly becoming a wasteland filled with creatures of the un-dead. In this piece I also developed and challenged certain ideas from my research, one prime example can be seen in the look of the zombies. Given that trying to achieve features such as flaky skin and facial injuries would have been time consuming for each shoot and expensive, I decided to opt for the look used in the original “Dawn of the Dead” from 1978, where the majority of the zombies just have pale faces used with either grey or white. I used this form and convention but developed it by using both grey and white on the zombies faces and give them black around their eyes and added certain spots of blood. Something that I challenged in this film was how people defended themselves in this film, in most zombie movies the form and convention of defence is that the humans fend off the un-dead hordes with either fire arms or melee weapons, here I did use melee weapons but also included the use of hand to hand in one scene, something that is rarely or never, seen or used in a zombie film. Another thing I challenged was the speed of the zombies, like I referred to before, I used the idea of the speed of the zombies from “28 Days Later” and their motion, how they can maintain the speed and the perfect physical movements of an average human, but here I combined this speed with the physical movements of typical zombie, slightly rigid arms and not much in the terms of physical movement.

1b. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main protagonists in our film were teenagers, which was a deliberate move, as it was a different element to a zombie film. Most zombie films stick to the protagonists being of adults age from between 20-50 on average, with teenagers hardly ever being shown in these films, usually when they are they are either already zombies or are just used to be killed off and then turned into zombies. Another reason for using teenagers was because they aren’t featured very widely in film, usually they are seen in just typical teenage movies or in terms of British film, as criminals and thugs. So using teenagers as the main characters allows to show them in a more positive light and gives the audience a look at what teenagers would be like if they had to rise to the occasion and be hero’s. Choosing teenagers also allows the audience a look at what different age groups would do and how they would cope in a zombie apocalypse, rather than just showing the adult side, the audience gets to see teenagers thinking fast and acting to this apocalypse. This also works with the real world element we were trying to achieve with this film. The point of the film was trying to give it a realistic approach to a zombie apocalypse, to try and show what people real would do when having to face a terror like this, rather than just have a bunch of gun crazed protagonists, we wanted to show what people would do in terms of defending themselves and how they would fend off the zombie hordes. Teenagers adds to the real world element we were trying to achieve with this piece, giving that teenagers are a big part of society and play a big role in the world, they fit in with it perfectly as we are able to see what they would do.

The Lowest Majority

James Burton and Greg Wilson - The Lowest Majority from Chris Earl on Vimeo.

Here it is the finished product.

The Lowest Majority - Presentation

James and Greg - The Lowest Majorty presentation from Chris Earl on Vimeo.

Evaluation Video

James and Greg's Evaluation from Chris Earl on Vimeo.