Draft of teen angst film: Karma

This is our first draft of our teen angst film. We showed it in front of the class and received feedback. We got told we needed to improve the volume on areas such as Sean's speech and to dip the music so it fades in and out. We also needed to improve our titles. Firstly we had plain white and dull titles. We did not have enough time to explore the different fonts and placements. In order to improve, we focused solumely on the titles and volumes because our range of camera shots were told to be excellent!We made our titles more vibrant in colour by using pink, red and purples and placed them in suitable areas such as on walls, and on the dressing table when one of the characters is getting ready. This is all seen in our final film. We decided to cut a few of our scenes as we felt they went on for too long. Our aim was to make it quick and fun! In our final draft, we cut out the end scene as it did not look like a classroom beings as the new boy asked where his English class was.

Who would be the audience for your media project?

Our specific demographic is a female who is aged 15 and lives in a city or town. We chose this as this person may be able to relate to the social issues. By living in a town or city, it is more likely to have access to a cinema to watch our movie. Also, they will be more exposed to our advertising therefore they are more likely to watch our movie. Our specific demographic will have a minimum income as she is still at school. The specific audience would be British and white as our film is made with white British actors. This will make it easier for the viewer to relate to as they would be able to understand the culture and language. Our audience should have a girly personality which will create a relationship between them and one of the main character Caitlin. Our film is aimed more at a female audience because there are many girls who are into boys and makeup which would mean more people would view it whereas there are no conventions involved such as a fight or cars which are stereotypical conventions boys would enjoy watching.

The psychographics of our audience would be a stereotypical girl who is into socialising and interested in on going fashion. Their attitude could be a mixture between sarcastic, happy and funny! This is because not every body is the same but these are all attitudes performed throughout the film. The character Caitlin is more sarcastic whereas her sister Charlotte is more calm and quiet. Being funny is a must. Life without humor is full! Many teenagers have a good laugh by doing things they shouldn't or simply having a joke with their friends... Being a teenager is supposed to be the best years if your life! Values would be looks. The characters are very cautious about what they look like from their hair, to make up to the branded clothing being worn such as a Nike bag Sean is wearing. Family is another value. During the film, the two sisters parents get a divorce. They both loved their parents which could relate to the viewers as there have been many divorces around Britain. Gossip is a third value. Teenagers tend to gossip in their day to day life which creates drama which is usual for girls to fall out over or argue about. This tends to happen most during school. 

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

Screen shot one is showing the title. We decided to name our film Karma as it is a good representation to a teenage life. We thought many teenagers would relate to this. We chose this font on Final Cut pro as it is bold and it stands out on the plain black background. The title is located in the middle of the screen showing it is important. The two main characters are ablove and below the title. The colours used are grey which fades into a warm pink. this instantly shows the viewer it is a film with a female audience as girls are usually associated with the colour pink.

Screen shot two is a long shot of the school sixth form doors with the school name above. This shows one of the main settings where the film is set. We chose to set it in school because it is a stereotypical convention used in teen angst films. You can see this from the films Wild child, mean girls and Angus thongs and perfect snogging! Having our film set in school shows the characters are roughly the same age as our audience which can mean the things which happen during the film can be relatable to anyone watching. For example, different social groups, stress of school work and most importantly, friendship.

Screen shot three is a mid shot of a character picking out an outfit. This is stereotypical for a teenage girl as they care about their appearance. Clothing represents fashion. Many main characters are into fashion such as Poppy Moore from Wild child. During our title sequence, we used many props such as clothing, sleeping mask and school bags.

Screen shot four is a birds eye view. We decided to use this shot to make the opening seem more interesting with a range of different shots. This shot made the viewer see properly that the character is sleeping. This is one of the first scenes during our film. In the film Wild child, it starts with the character Poppy Moore in bed sleeping then her alarm wakes her up. There is a range of shots such as close ups and high angles in the film.

Shot five is a shot showing a title 'starring...' The font used is cartoon like. We got this idea from watching the title sequence of Juno. The title fits well in the setting because it stands out against the red curtain. The cartoon title shows it is also aimed at a young audience. The title is grey which also matches the main title of the film 'Karma'. An ellipsis is used to show more titles will be coming up during the title sequence.

Shot six is used to show the story and how the opening sets it up. You can see this between the two characters bumping into each other. Conversation starts and this is when the title sequence has finished. The scene shows both characters are alone which can show the audience that they could be lonely. The new boy introduces himself by saying "I'm new here" which shows the audience there could be a friendship or a love between the two characters throughout the film.

Shot seven shows the genre and how the opening sets it up. This shot is a mid shot of a main character doing her makeup. This instantly shows it is a teen angst due to the use of makeup. This shot also links into the fact she cares about her appearance. It shows she is getting ready for something but can also show a daily routine many female school girls go through!

Shot eight shows how the characters are introduced. The title used is the same as the 'starring...' title however it has changed to a pink/red colour. This colour blends generously in the room. The font fades in and then fades back out. Each main character which appears on the screen, the title shows their names and character names. This comes after the title 'starring...'

Shot nine is showing special effects. We edited our film on Final cut pro. We wanted to make this scene more interesting and fun by adding a x4 speed on the students walking to school. This shows it is a typical school day which is usual in teen angst such as LOL and Angus thongs and perfect snogging!

Music.

We had many music probabilities such as: Clear, Wake up, I can do it and Loving everything I find. These are all found on www.freeplaymusic.com. However, we found the perfect song for our title sequence which was Love is easy by McFly. However, due to copyrights we had to ask for permission. We researched who we needed to email however we did not get a response. Therefore, we have decided to use clear, as it works better. For example, the beat and pace is good and fits well with the speed of the filming. We then decided to use a second song, Loving everything I find. This song switches from the first one and shows a lighthearted and insinuates a crush brewing. This happens in Wild child when Poppy sees her crush. Its also a feminine song. Which is used in variety of teen angst films, especially in Wild Child when they go shopping 'About you now' by The Sugababes is played.

Group roles.

Each person edited whilst the others finished colouring and finding sound effects such as an alarm clock for the first scene.

we could not find a modern alarm clock sound which fitted the scene. We decided as a group to use the voice recorder to record the sound of an alarm from one of our iPhones then uploaded it on the mac to import in the programme we were using, Final Cut Pro.

Joe

Joe was the director throughout the process. This was because he is good at time keeping which will help the rest of the group on track of deadlines and when to film. Joe also helped pick the music and made sure everyone agreed on it. Joe also helped during editing as he helped create through credits. Each person edited whilst the others finished colouring and finding sound effects such as an alarm clock for the first scene.

Bonny

Myself and Danni decided to be the main actors. This was because we've had practice being on camera before in other tasks. We both felt confident. We are both close friends personally which will show the love side of our relationship really well throughout through film, and we are both comfortable with eachother which made it easier to film. I also helped with the editing by sorting the volume of the audio and non-diegetc music.












 Sean's job was to be in charge of the camera. He filmed most scenes confidently as he understood the risk assessment such as how the camera should be carried to avoid any damage. Sean also played one of the 'cool' boys like most teen boys in ten angst films  such as Kyle and Chad from 'LOL'. Sean and Joe also helped pick the music and made sure everyone agreed on it.

Sean

Danni was the main editor. This was because she is quick at cutting scenes and adding transitions such as a swipe or fade. We wanted to include a split screen during parts of our filming such as when Danni and I were applying mascara to our eyes.
 

Danni