Evaluation question 7

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

Below is what I learned from the preliminary:


I have learnt a number of things in the progression of my preliminary to my main task, meaning my skills have become increasingly more slick and articulate:

1) The most important thing I learnt was about organisation:
-Asigning various roles in our group:

- Creating timetables to adhere to was important as we were working under such tight time schedules:

-Creating risk assessments for the location change so that there would be no injuries or damage:

-Booking the actors and locations in advance and getting clearance from the land owners:

2) I also learnt how to follow and contrast with the codes and conventions of independent period dramas:
I learnt how to adhere to particular codes and conventions, following them loosely, however I also learnt how to create a unique product of my own which juxtaposed with particular codes and conventions at time.

3) As well as this, I learned invaluable lessons on film technology, having to research a number of things to do with sound and editing. e.t.c:
-I learnt how to use final cut Pro with reguards to editing, sound and adding titles





-When creating foley, we used a sure sm57 microphone along with the recording software 'Cubase'

-We used a canon 70d in 'film mode' along with a tripod to create professional and stable shots

-We used garageband along with a midi keyboard and lots of 'reverb' in order to create a soundtrack

4) My style as a filmmaker developed greatly:
Looking back at my preliminary project, "The Library", it became very clear that the camera work lacked any form of visual flare and distinct style. Therefore, when it came to the main task, we had a shot list on its own apart from the storyboard. This ensured that during the short window in which we had to film, we were not wasting time and we were working efficiently.
As well as this there were no continuity errors in the main task however we learnt from our preliminary task where there were at least five continuity errors.
I felt more confident also with key elements like sound and editing, meaning that I could make a confident, concise and slick approach to create something authentic and professional in contrast with our preliminary.

Below is a soundcloud I created for my answer:
Here is our preliminary task "The Library":

Here is our preliminary evaluation:

Evaluation question 6

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

Below is a prezi with my answer:

Evaluation question 5

How did you attract/ address your audience?

Below is a youtube vlog I created:


Normally, attracting and addressing the audience occurs through the marketing of the product by the distributor. However, when referring to the various elements of our film, it became clear that we needed to have something that would set us apart from the rest. As the director, I knew from the beginning that i didn't just want to conform entirely to codes and conventions and that I wanted

to think outside the box in order to encompass the audience, as any filmmaker would.

One way in which we did this was through allowing our film to fall inbetween two different genres, becoming an independent period drama. As well as this, we had done extensive research into the particular social groups that we were trying to target. by doing this, we were able to gage an idea of how we needed to modulate our film. We knew that we were targeting young Irish females and so really played up on this.

The characters/ actors are a huge part in the attraction and addressing of the audience. To begin with, the audience are attracted to the 'right fit' of actor. Both our protagonist and antagonist convey this very clearly through their acting. They also address their audience through their acting holding them captive in moments of intense emotional depth.

Costume played a huge part in attracting the female audience as generally, they focus on the fashion in period dramas. Whilst we wanted the most minimalistic costume available so as we could merely focus on the drama rather than the PD, we still wanted our costume to be accurate. Everything that our protagonist wore was natural with earthy tones, apart from her striking red skirt which added to her character and also to the visual components as she ran through the woods.

As well as this, location was a very important factor as where we filmed needed to be accurate, stand outish and I also wanted it to have an atmosphere about it that would draw the audience in and address them as though they were almost there.

Another huge aspect in addressing the audience was through our sound design. As sound designer, I wanted everything to sound as natural as possible so that the audience could feel like they were actually there, therefore, I added fade ins to each individual track so as their entry wasn't stark and  also added atmosphere tracks (diegetic sound) in order to create layers upon layers of natural sound. One way in which we created a natural sound was through our use of foley. As well as this, the soundtrack plays a huge part in addressing the audience and therefore, we tried to emulate the sinister tones through the minor keys and the growing intensity through the use of the kick drum.

Evaluation question 4

Who would be the ideal audience for your media product?

Below is a prezi that I created:

Evaluation question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Below is an 'emaze' I made in connection with the distributors and production companies surrounding our film:


Here are the Opening indents to our selected distributors as found on youtube:

Evaluation question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Below is a prezi:


Below is a Youtube Vlog I made explaining the prezi:



Here is the information that was used in the prezi along with some photos:

1) Firstly, our film will be representing the small town Irish culture and race, obviously due to the fact that the film is set in Islandmagee, which is now known as Northern Ireland. The film will relate very much so to 'The Scarlett Letter' which represents small town hysteria in Salem. We want to convey how the Irish lived in the early 1700s, as in their basic way of life, their treatment towards each other and others and their superstitions. I want to convey the minimalistic and simple life style through the mise en scene, therefore having typical Irish costume as shown below, only natural lighting or candles as electricity hadn't been invented yet and authentic props too. The location will also be very important for representation, as obviously we couldn't film a period drama in the middle of Belfast's high street. We are looking for something rural to film in with lots of Irish greenery and possibly ruins.

2)  We are definitely representing young prejudiced females in our film by showing society's view of women and of those tried for witch craft. Much like katniss Everdeen in 'The Hunger Games', our film shows strong female protagonists, who are very much so oppressed and trapped in their own home, being treated like outsiders. This makes the film very applicable to young women, who will relate very easily and who will almost subconsciously consider themselves in the role of the protagonist. Our main method of representation is creating a relatable catalyst with the audience. The contrasting antagonist o play a part in representing our protagonist, by contrasting with her so much.

Below are some statements made about the women from people who have researched the trial:

3) We are also trying to represent the patriarchal and male dominated society of the 1700s. The way in which we represented this is through our protagonist, Andrew Murray. Andrew is a slightly edgy looking boy and his actions in the film are harsh and abrupt. He was rapping cloth around a stick and lighting it on fire, representing that he was about to burn Emer, the witch. These actions alone coupled with the actor portraying the antagonist create an immediate sense of the control that men had over women in the 1700s, hence emphasising the patriarchal society.

4) As we created an independent period drama, we represented the period through the various components making up the film, such as mise en scene. We represented a certain group of people in history. We also want to represent the unjust times through the plot, in that women were unfairly accused of witchcraft and trialled. We wanted to show this unjust quality in that society by provoking sympathy and pathos from the audience, through character connection and emotion. We considered all the micro and macro traits in order to create an authentic film with an edge, which followed and at times, challenged the codes and conventions of the genre and therefore, the audience.

5) We were also representing the lower class in Ireland in the 1700s. We did this through Emer's costume, hair and makeup. She wore a very basic costume in dull colours and her hair and makeup
were extremely minimal therefore. The higher class were never trialled with witch craft as they were too high above the general lower class society.

Evaluation question 1

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

Below is an maze that I created:
(note: please play the audio clips attached to each slide)