When I first decided to create a romance film, I researched the genre, its typical characteristics and existing products. From this I found out what most romance films consist of and how different films have used this manipulated it in their own way to make their film original and memorable, yet with the same criteria as many other films. In all the films I researched, and a couple that I went into greater detail about in my research, I decided on the elements of romance that I would use in my film, such as young attractive actors, and obstacles in the plot that the characters must overcome in order for them to be together.
I soon had the idea to make my task a little more challenging but interesting at the same time by adding the film noir element, and setting my story in the past, ideally around the 1940s as this is a period of time I know a lot about after having studied it previously. I researched the main events of the 1940s, and the war lifestyle. I then realised that an appropriate obstacle for my couple to overcome would be the war, with the husband away fighting, as this was a huge issue for most couples throughout this period of time and was a huge tragedy for many families.
After a lot of careful consideration of many different ideas I decided that the first minute of my opening was to be my main character receiving a letter from her beloved, telling her that he will be returning shortly. I then explained this idea to several of my friends and family and asked them what they thought would happen in the rest of the film. A popular response was that he would return, but only to find that she did not love him anymore. I did not feel that this idea alone would fit the romance genre and it did not give enough insight into the story to encourage people to watch the rest of the film. I chose not to use any of the ideas my friends had, as this would make my film predictable, so through lots of diagrams and writing down all the ideas that came into my head, I chose the one that I felt could be created with relative ease, yet to good effect. I decided on a plotline that nobody had guessed; where my character went to meet him; however, for whatever reason, he does not show. This was then developed into a film based around a woman’s search for her missing husband, and her undying devotion and dedication to him. I was happy with this idea, as I felt you could not predict the ending from the opening and decided to stick to it as it suited the romance genre, would have a simple yet interesting opening to film and I was confident that I would be able to achieve it with my available equipment and surroundings.
2. Representing my particular social group.
After choosing my storyline, I then had to develop this idea in more detail, such as my characters social class, location and personality. I had decided that I would not have any speech in the opening 2 minutes of film, apart from a voice over reading the received letter, having music instead. I chose to record original piano music, resembling that music of the 1940s period, and the artists I had researched in my planning. I felt that this would be effective in creating interest in the opening, and would save and extra complications when filming of getting speech correct and acting it appropriately. This decision meant that I would have to portray facts about my character in my opening via her actions, costume and location. By these methods I would also have to show that the film is set around the time of 1945. Luckily, having previously studied textiles and modern world history, I was fortunate enough to have a bit of background information on the clothing of the 1940s and the reasons behind it, such as the rations on material, therefore my research could be done relatively easily, and I had a good idea in my mind of the costume I would like my character to be wearing. I decided that my character was going to be well-off through inheritance, living in a grand house, yet with a down-to-earth personality and putting love and happiness over material items.
I was fortunate to find an ideal dress in a charity shop that represented this well. It was simple with minimal material and no embellishments, yet a rich red in colour that signified romance and wealth. However, I had made the decision to edit my piece into black and white, so although the colour appropriate, this would not be recognisable in my finished piece.
Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the dress and am unable to gain any as I no longer have it in my possession. However, the dress show to the left, despite the different patterns and colours, has the exact same design and shape as the dress that I used. I also chose a coat that I already owned that I felt could be believed to be 40s style, as I did not have a large enough budget purchase a new one.
For my location of filming, I was luckily given permission from my boss to be able to film on the premises of the hotel where I work, a large, old fashioned building that has been around for centuries. The hotel lawns also run out onto a sandy beach, a location that I was able to use in my filming.
The Best Western, Le Strange Arms Hotel, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk.I chose the most old-fashioned room in the building (bottom right), so that the furniture looked relatively appropriate for my time period. I planned to film one of my over the shoulder shots in a large mirrored dressing table, shown in the picture above. However, on arriving at the room I realised that some of the furniture had been changed since I last saw it, and the dressing table was no longer there. This caused a few minor problems, but after some very careful arranging, we managed to take a mirror off the wall and balance it on a desk, to try and create a dressing table effect. We also had to be careful not to accidentally get the television next to us in the shot, as the television was too modern and would ruin the 1945 effect we were trying to create.
My actress willing allowed me to style her hair and make up before filming, and as she already had the features that I was looking for this was made easier. I decided for her to wear a lighter foundation than her natural skin colour, in order to make her appear paler and fairer. To this we added a light amount of blusher, and a bright red lipstick that is typical of 1940s women. Her hair was lightly curled and her fringe was styled so that it did not cover her face
This is a picture of the typical 1940s, well presented woman that we were trying to achieve. She has a pale, even complexion, with light face make up and a bright coloured lipstick.and get in the way of the shot.
3. Media Institutions that might distribute my media product.
Ideally, if I was to develop my opening into a complete feature film and was looking to get it distributed, I would be aiming to get it shown in cinemas and then released on DVD so that it was easily accessible for the majority of the population, of all ages and all backgrounds. A company such as DreamWorks probably wouldn't be the ideal production company to use as it is mainly associated with animation films, and therefore would not have such specialist realistic sets as some other companies. A company such as Universal or Warner would be a good company to use as they have good reputations and are very well known in the industry. However, living in England this would cause difficulties in travelling to America, and would cause great expense. I would therefore choose a more local company such as Cambridge Film & Television Productions Ltd who are an independent production company whose website states that they 'offer a complete service from conception and creation through scripting and shooting to duplication and distribution'. I would like it to be filmed on the sets and with the facilities of somewhere like Universal Studios, where it would have all the right equipment to reach it’s full potential.
4. Recognising and appealing to my audience.
Romance films can appeal to people all ages, and from many different backgrounds. I intended my film to be appealing and easy to understand for all ages, even for the older generations as they may have memories and an understanding of the war period that they experienced themselves. However, I also intended my film to be aimed principally at females, as it is them who tend to watch more romantic films and find emotional plot lines appealing. Despite these tendencies I did hope that my film would appeal to some males as well, with the war and fighting element and I hoped that with the addition of the male voice over in the opening, this might attract male attention.
With my main focus being attracting female viewers’ attention, I made slight subtle changes in my editing to try and appeal to them, for instance, I used an elegant font for my title and credits, giving it a feminine and attractive appearance that although noticeable, may appeal to females subconsciously and subtly. I had to maintain this elegant and romantic feel throughout my film, so that I did not create any harsh contrast that may confuse or put viewers off watching. The black and white effect already helped me in doing this, as it is often used to signify and create romance, and many romantic films were created in the time that black and white were the only colours
available in the film industry.
To develop on this I used slow motion in many of my shots, to create smooth actions with no harsh movements that contrasted the feel of the film or the timing of the music. I also added cross dissolve transitions between different shots so that there were no sudden or unexpected changes, and each shot flowed nicely into another. For the scenes where Lauren was going down the two flights of stairs, I filmed them both from the top and bottom, so I had to be very careful and precise in my editing in order to keep continuity and make it look natural. This was also used when Lauren exited the bedroom and closed the door, as this was filmed from two different angles also.
5. Audience feedback
When my final piece was complete, I was able to start showing it to different people, and begin collecting some audience feedback. I did this by uploading my video onto YouTube, and gaining responses by seeing how many views it gained, and by any comments that were left on it by viewers. Viewers also have the ability to rate the video on how good they think it was. I successfully uploaded my video and after a week of being online, it had received over 90 views, which I was very pleased with, and had also gained 9 comments, all of which were positive and supportive. The comments included opinions that it looked very professional, and a particular favourite bit of the video was the fading images at the end, showing the passing of time in which Helen waits for James. I was extremely pleased with these results as a lot of them were from people I did not know, therefore they had a completely un-biased view of the film, and there were positive comments from males also, which I was not expecting. So this was a very good sign that my film had been successful in getting audience attention.
Some questions included in my questionnaireThe next way I went about collecting audience feedback was by creating a questionnaire that was to be given to classes throughout the school, and after watching the film in their lesson they completed the questionnaire that I designed and gave any personal comments, so I could get a clear idea of just how successful my film was in gaining interest from people my own age. I designed the questions specifically on certain parts of my film that I wanted to know the effectiveness of, and how they were interpreted by the audience, because if they were not understood or misinterpreted I would know that I had not been successful in creating my desired effect, and with the help of any additional comments in the feedback I would be able to consider where I went wrong and how I could have improved this.
The first set of results I received was from a year 10 English class, consisting of 12 girls and 14 boys. The first thing I noticed was that on the multiple choice question that asked their opinion of what the genre was, every single member in the class had correctly ticked romance, so this meant that my genre was very clear and recognisable which I felt was a good start. I also noticed that every single girl in the class had ticked that she would continue to watch the rest of the film after watching the opening, and every one of them gave the reason that they would like to know what happens next. I was extremely pleased with this as I had very successfully appealed to my target audience, and created interest in the rest of the film from the first two minutes, something that was my overall aim. I was also pleased to see that nearly 50% of the boys that watched my film also said that they would continue to watch the film, a response that was a pleasant surprise as although I had wanted to, I did not expect to create any interest from males in my plot line, as I felt my genre would not appeal to them. I was also pleased that the majority of the boys that had said they would not continue to watch the film had given the reason that they did not like the romance genre, therefore I was pleased that it was not generally my editing or any technical work that had put them off watching.
I gave a multiple choice option on how believable the setting of 1945 was, with options ranging from very believable, to not at all. I found that every answer ranged between a bit, and very and no body had ticked not very much or not at all. The comments as to what their opinions were based on mostly all predictable, or in some cases unavoidable, such as the fact that the quality of the camera I was filming with was too good, and although I was aware of this, and had tried to reduce the quality when editing, it was still unavoidable. I also had to consider when reviewing my results just how much understanding the audience had on the 1945 lifestyle, as some of the reviews stated that electricity was not invented then, and this made my film less believable. So overall I was happy with this result.
For what they felt was most effective in the film, I gave them a multiple choice with options of the music, the voice over, the setting, the editing (i.e. the black and white, fading and slow motion…) and an additional option of other with room to explain. I also gave them the option to tick as many boxes as they felt necessary. I was pleased to see an equal range of results, with no particular option gaining a bad response.
The general response was that the audience felt that my film was aimed at age range 20+, which I think may possibly be because of the war element, and the time period it was set in.
My film was then shown to another class of year 11, and I was pleased to see that their responses were very similar to the other class, with no major difference in opinions.
I was also delighted to find that on watching my film, my grandmother was very shocked and pleased that the music I had chosen of my own accord was featured in the very first film my granddad took her to see at the cinema when they were courting. This was very pleasing as this appealed to her, and with her as a representative of the older generation, she could confirm that it was a good representation of the war period and the lifestyle that she had first hand experience of.
6. Use of Technology
Throughout the entire process of creating my piece, from the initial planning to the final editing and burning of my piece, I was working with technology in order to create the best possible effects that I could to make my piece well presented and easily accessible and understandable. I learned a great deal throughout this process. Although we had worked with the technology in our first artefact, I had not worked behind the camera, only using technology to get to grips with the editing tools. Working behind the camera on my second artefact was a new experience and in some cases I had to film scenes several times to get it correct, for example when attempting to pan smoothly. I was lucky enough to be able to pick up the techniques quickly and could easily work the camera and could most of the time get it to do what I want effectively. When viewing my footage, I began to realise that my setting would have been more believable with an older camera, like those used in the 1940s. However I also felt that my film would have benefited with a professional camera, rather than a hand held one, as although the quality of the footage was too good for a 1940s camera, it was also rather sharp and harsh, whereas professional cameras have a softer effect and the footage has a more airbrushed appearance.
Having used PCs all my life, and having quite a good knowledge of how to use them to my advantage, it was difficult adapting to the Macs, as they have a very different way of operating, and although both computers work well, the Macs were harder to work for a regular PC user. Fortunately some members in my class own Macs at home, therefore they were able to help me when needed, and explain to me how to use the Macs how I wanted, and how to create my desired effect. I now appreciate how well designed for editing and media work that Macs are, and how fortunate we are to be able to use them for our work.
Ideally, if I was to develop my opening into a complete feature film and was looking to get it distributed, I would ideally be aiming to get it shown in cinemas and the released on DVD so that it was easily accessible for the majority of the population, of all ages and all backgrounds. I would like it to be filmed on the sets and with the facilities of somewhere like Universal Studios, where it would have all the right equipment to reach it’s full potential.
7. What I Have Learnt.
Over the weeks of planning, developing, filming, and editing my product I have learnt an awful lot in the way of working efficiently, manipulating cameras, computers and other technology in order to gain what I want, and how to create a successful artefact that portrays what I want it to and has the right effect on the audience. I have learned how to work quickly and efficiently when given a set amount of time, for instance when I only had access to my location for a few hours, creating a shooting script helped a lot, as I always knew exactly what I was doing, and had to do next. I have also learned a lot of camera skills, as this was the first time I have ever properly operated the Media Studies cameras, and therefore had to learn very quickly.
Looking back at our original task, I feel that I have been successful in maintaining the criteria, and creating a product that still fits the original specifications that were set. I am content that my film is a two minute long opening to a feature film, and I can tell from my audience feedback that it successfully gained the attention of my target audience, and fortunately some of other audiences that I was not expecting also. I feel happy that it is still obviously a romance genre, and although not entirely, given the facilities and equipment that I had access to, I still managed to create a relatively convincing setting of 1945.
When comparing my final finished product to my original storyboard, I am quite pleased to see that there are only slight variations in things that were originally on my storyboard, but as I progressed in my filming and editing, I found that these were not possible, therefore alterations had to be made. For instance, things like the over the shoulder shot featuring Lauren looking into a mirror, had to be slightly altered, due to a lack of a large dressing table, and the opening few seconds of the song had to be edited out, as the music did not completely fit in time with my footage, as my footage did not last as long as I wanted it to. However I do not feel that any of these changes caused any great setbacks to my piece, and they were all effectively solved.
If I had the opportunity to redo my film and make changes, I do not think I would make huge alterations as I was able to work quite well with the facilities I was given. However, in an ideal world I would like to be able to have access to better facilities, such as professional cameras, to produce a better quality image, and a large set rather than an actual building, as these are not built for filming and can be rather constricting and uncomfortable at times.
Overall, I am pleased with my finished product in the sense that it has done everything that I wanted it to; meeting both the exam boards criteria, and the criteria that I set myself.
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