My Final Media Text- 'The Haunting of Poppy Walters'

My Final Media Text

 

 



               
                               The Haunting of Poppy Walters from Lucy Trigger on Vimeo.

Evaluation- Question Five

What elements of your text would attract

the target audience?
 

           
Evaluation question five from Lucy Trigger on Vimeo.


 

 

At the start of my media text I show my main character standing at her dressing table and getting ready by putting on makeup, this element will appeal to my target audience specifically because teenagers especially teenage girls are very interested in makeup and getting ready to go somewhere which so far in the opening of my film, the audience aren't aware where she is going. I chose my main character to have quite casual makeup but made sure it was noticeable to attract my target audience as females will be interested in the makeup specifically where as males may be attracted to my character because of what she looks like and find her attractive because of the makeup.

 

 

The costume I chose for my main character attracts my target audience because its very causal but still looks good. I think it makes my character look like a nice person because her clothes are similar to what a stereotypical teenage girl would wear therefore other teenagers could relate to her and maybe want to be like her. The clothes look casual but also look attractive which would attract both teenage girls and boys because girls may want to look like her and a boy may be attracted to her looks and personality.











 

 

 

The representation of my main character would attract my target audience because it shows a positive representation of teenagers. It shows she is respectful because she is dressed appropriately and does not act inappropriately for example she does not swear. Also it shows a positive representation of teens because at the start of my media text she sits on her bed reading a book which shows some of the younger generation are educational. My character shows teens to be fun as well though as she is wearing an Iron Man t-shirt which may show something she likes and teenagers on a whole.  My character also shows teenagers can be independent as she is shown to live on her own without parents and she appears to be doing well for herself as we can see she is well dressed and has a nice bedroom. 

My setting would also attract my target audience because the main characters bedroom shows a normal teenagers bedroom, it shows a good light on what teenagers are really like I think. This is a positive aspect which will appeal to my target audience. Things such as the dressing table show a stereotypical girls bedroom, this will make my audience think the film is quite realistic.

 

 

 





Evaluation- Question Seven

Looking back at your preliminary, what do you

feel you have learnt in the progression

 from it to full product?

 

 

Looking back to when I completed the preliminary task, I can now tell that I have learnt a lot to achieve my final product. This has taken me a while to learn but I feel I have learnt it all successfully.
 

preliminary from Lucy Trigger on Vimeo
  

For my preliminary task I was asked to work in a group with a camcorder and we had to complete a short clip using match on actions and other skills, previously we spent a lesson learning how to use the camcorder properly independently after having it explained to us. During the lesson when my teacher showed us how to use a camcorder, I found it quite difficult to remember how to do everything you needed and the different types of shots however with practise I became better and it became a lot easier.

 

When we started filming the small clip we filmed a person coming through a door and sitting opposite another person then having a conversation.
During this clip we used match on actions, over the shoulder shots, long shots and mid close ups.
 

We found the match on actions difficult to understand because it was difficult to make sure that it was flow properly and not jump. We managed to get it to flow okay but it was still slightly jumpy because we were quite inexperienced.

 

This match on action in my preliminary task did not go as well as I would have hoped, there was a big jump between actions and did not continue smoothly as I would have liked.
 

 
Where as this match on action in my final product is a lot smoother and continues right through, this looks very natural. In comparison to my preliminary task this is a lot better because there is no jump between actions. This shows the progress I have made.

 

When it came to filming my full product, the filming came a lot more naturally to me because I had had a lot more practise since the preliminary task. I also found taking the camcorder off on our own to film was a lot easier because I didn't feel as nervous around my class or teacher so I felt more confident to experiment and I wasn't worried about making mistakes, this helped me improve a lot and gave me the confidence to want to improve. During filming I made a few mistakes in my shots but this is how I learnt from my mistakes and I learnt to re-film and take multiple shots each time. I learnt about settings, costume and props etc as well as how to use the camcorder. This was very interesting because to make the product look successful you have to have a correct setting and I chose costume and props to look realistic and create the right atmosphere.  

I feel since the preliminary task I have come a long way because I now know how to use a camcorder successfully and I completed my product and I am happy with how it has turned out. I also feel I developed more understanding to different shots and smaller details like setting up in the correct lighting and not to have unwanted objects in the background that may distract the audience. I feel very happy with what I have achieved in the time since the preliminary task.

Team work


In the preliminary task, we worked in a group of 3 with my friends Cassie and Emily. We worked quite well together and got the work done but we did have some difficulties if people did not agree with each others ideas. However when making my final product I worked in a pair with just Emily and we worked very well together! I believe we communicated very well and didn't disagree, we listened to each others ideas and took them on board and worked to out greatest potential. We both worked just as hard as each other and put a great amount of effort in as we wanted the best result we could achieve. I am very happy with how we worked together as I think we made a great team and the work definitely benefitted.
In conclusion I am pleased with how the final product ended up and I couldn't have done it without the co-operation between my and my partner as the work we wanted to complete was done well. We stuck to our plans and the codes and conventions to ensure our film is appropriate.



Evaluation- Question Six

What have you learnt about technologies from

 the process of making this product?

 

 





                          

Evaluation- Question Four

What would be your audience for you media product?

 

 



                             


This is a graph I created myself from my survey that I previously completed, this shows what would have to interest or entice my audience. If they're interested in these aspects I think they would be a suitable audience for my film. This shows me the types of things that are most popular amongst my target audience.

 

Evaluation- Question Three

What kind of media institution might

distribute your media product and why?

 

When creating my film, I also decided to research which media institutions may distribute my film. I looked at many different media institutions but some just didn't produce films similar to mine for many reasons such as genre and target audience so I came to the conclusion they wouldn't be interested in my film. However I did find some media institutions from my research that produce films that are very similar to my film. Here is what I found most appropriate:

 

Lionsgate Productions

I think Lionsgate Productions would be the most interested in distributing my film because they distribute a lot of horror films similar to my own. Most of their films they have produced target a similar audience to my target audience around a teenage age/young adult, which made it a lot easier for me to choose them. A large majority of the horror films produced by Lionsgate Productions have been very successful in their genres, they usually make it big and are shown in the cinemas. I aspire my film to be a lot like the films they have produced and I would intend with the help of a media institution it to become very successful.

 

Lionsgate Productions produced many films similar to mine, here are some examples:

 

 

 

 

The films Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Last Exorcism, Hostel and Saw were all distributed by Lionsgate Productions. These films are similar to my film which is why I chose this as the perfect institution for my film, they were successful and became well known which shows the institution is very good and appropriate. All of these films are the same genre as mine, they're all horrors; some are gory horrors or psychological horrors. I wanted to choose this institution because it suits my film best and a lot of there films are similar to mine and target the same audience. Researching into different institutions has shown me just how many different institutions there are and how competitive this film market is especially when dealing with specific genres. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lionsgate pictures have their own social networking site on twitter. Their twitter account has thousands of followers. From researching Lionsgate I came across this blog. Many people interested in their films can look on here and see lots of updates and the type of things they produce. It also shows parts such as the companies interests. Here is a link to their own blog on twitter; 

https://twitter.com/lionsgatemovies  

 

 

 

Evaluation- Question Two

How does your media product represent particular

social groups?

 

 

I have described the type of person in my text through costume, makeup, body language and the shots I have used and sounds. I planned what sort of person I wanted my main character to be and what I wanted the audience to perceive the character as. I chose for my main character to be a teenager as that is who I'm targeting my film at so I want the audience to be able to relate to my character.

 

 

This photo I have taken of my main character, shows her wearing causal clothing like a cropped t-shirt which has a logo and image of iron man on the front which is a popular film amongst teenagers, it is very cool and modern. She is wearing skinny jeans which are attractive but still casual. She has her hair tied up in a pony tail which is a very causal hairstyle but looks very pretty, this is very common amongst teens. I want my main character to look as realistic as possible so my target audience will feel like they can relate to her and understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo I have taken of my main character shows her body language and gives an insight to her personality because we can see from the photo that she appears to be very confident because of her strong facial expression and her body language as she is stood with her hand on her hip. This confidence and her strong personality will hopefully attract my target audience of teenagers. Also the clothing she is wearing in this photo is quite individual and cool. This will hopefully appeal to teenagers who would be interested in my film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo I have taken of my ghost character shows her wearing old fashioned looking clothing, the top she is wearing is velvet and navy blue with buttons going up the front, the lace cuffed sleeve and the lace collar emphasise the old fashioned look because in the old years, children were expected to dress a lot smarter than children are these days. The character is also wearing a long burgundy velvet skirt down to her ankles, similarly to the top she is wearing it looks very old fashioned and smart. I chose this costume because I wanted it to be obvious to the audience that this young girl is a ghost from a long time before and I wanted her to look very creepy but to look realistic and not too far fetched. You can tell from this image the ghost child is not a happy ghost and looks very serious, the way the child is cocking her head makes you infer that she is dead and it looks scary.

 

 

 

This is the bed that my main character who is a teenager sits on at the very start of my film. This shows what kind of person she is as she has a normal double bed and she sits on it whilst reading a book. I think this will attract my target audience because it shows that my main character is very cultured and isn't just a stereotypical teenager, she also likes reading. I use this shot because it shows the whole character and what sort of environment she lives in, as this shows her own personal bedroom. It gives a clear insight to what the character is really like.


I used different shots to show my characters and represent different social groups because they shows her personality and attributes which could show what a social group is like in general. For example:

This Screenshot shows a part in my film where the main character hears mysterious banging coming from a barn outside the yard. My main character appears very brave and goes to investigate and follows the banging to the barn she then enters the barn. This image shows her when she first hears the banging. The use of a close up shows the clear curiosity on her face, this represents teenagers because they are stereotypically known for being very brave and fearless, some people could interpret this as naivety or bravery.  


This screenshot shows a part in my film where my main character is sitting on her bed in her bedroom reading a book, this shows the audience that she has an intellectual side. From showing her reading a book, people could make the assumption that she is well educated. The use of this long shot, shows her sat like a stereotypical teen cross-legged on her bed, this represents teenagers because she is educated, it shows that teenagers do have a calm, intellectual side to them.



This screenshot shows a part in my film where my main character is stood at her dressing table, getting ready to go out. She is looking through makeup and hair accessories. From showing her getting ready it shows people the film is realistic as this is the type of normal day to day activity a teenage girl would complete. The use of the midshot represents teenagers as most teenage girls enjoy getting ready and going out. They're usually interested in makeup and having fun.

However, choosing a female main character could be interpreted as choosing a weak, vulnerable character. Often in horror films women are stereotyped as vulnerable because they're commonly the character who is caught by the bad character, injured or gets lost etc. They're also viewed as weak because of being easily led by characters such as men, this could be because of being attracted to the opposite sex, the male is stronger than them or they take advantage.

In conclusion, my media text presents a particular social group. I chose to focus on teenage girls, this was because I could relate to it and a female teenage fit the role I wanted because they are brave to an extent but vulnerable enough to become scared by ghostly events. I chose her to be a teenager because she is very modern and up to date which would appeal to my target audience.