Media studies feedback on video.

For our video we asked the public and friends to watch and comment on our video to leave constructive feedback on how to improve our video. Here are some of the coments that we have recieved back from those people.

Poking Angle said: I really like your movie. I think the effects are good, the editing is very smooth and the music adds a nice feel to the whole film. A few critiques though include, I think the font is a little off putting. It reminds of something from like a 60's film yet there are no indications of it being such. Or being a comedy (cause its not that funny).Other than that, I really liked it and I would stay and watch just to see what the plot would turn out to be.

RhythmDeamon said: I liked the fast forwarded sections and the chavs - really funny.good use of non diagetic music, i was very impressed by the way you told the story entirely through mise en scene.could have done with more screen time of the main charracter (george), but overall great! :)

chris said: I really like the music as i think that it goes well with the film. also the speeding up of the scene is different but i think it works well for your film. the ending is a bit strange as it quite random but overall pretty decent. well done boys ;)

Adamson said: I’d agree that the ending is a little abrupt but otherwise, nicely done and it certainly ends up looking quite professional.

Alan said: I watched your media studies film thought it was very good! I think that sums up therfield very well actually! espically like the special effects of walking through the school. I rate very highly.

Rachel said: Great video! I really liked the sped up shots of the school, It had a 'day in the life' feel to it and got the audience invloved with the production. The way the music changed slightly with each different stereotype was amazing! You guys must be very talented if you made that soundtrack your self. The way the soundtrack changes completly when the 'chavs' appear tells the audience that they are going to have a main role in the film. The acoustic piano playing at the end adds realism to the opening.
Great, opening! I'd watch the rest of the film :) x

media studies rohan and jack final video

also in HD XD

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

Activity 7

Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
For our preliminary task we had many things that my partner and I wished to improve on for our main task and to do this we had to learn how to use the equipment and software that we were given more resourcefully and this allowed us to improve upon the different aspects of our full product.

For our preliminary task we were filming the scene where Raff the angry brother is talking to Jack Raff’s sister’s boyfriend. The camera has always been on the right side of jack and when we went over this 180˚degree rule by doing a over the shoulder shot then moving to the left side of Jack, this then changed the area that we could film in. The problem that we had with this was that there was a lot of noise when we moved the camera into its new position and this ruined the sound for that part of the scene as there was a lot of rustling. In the end we had to get rid of that sections sound completely with premier elements.

For our main task (two minute introduction) we used a 180 degree rule again to go from one side of the skateboarder to the other side, opening up a new area to film in. But this time we made the transition from one side of the character to the other smoother due to having less background noise and rustling interference. Also in 2 minute film we made the footage was less bumpy due to practicing smooth filming and it almost being like using a steady cam.


For our first video we were tasked with trying to keeps the continuity flowing and that there should be only small amounts of continuity errors. For our first video we filmed Jack entering the room in which the conversation occurs and this required that we film him entering the room from both sides of the door which then could be edited together to give a sense of continuity editing.

For our two minute film we had a struggle to do continuity editing throughout our video due to it being a mix of different scenes from different locations. To make the continuity smoother we introduced the transition scenes where you went at high speed through the corridors to the next scene so that the footage would not randomly change location which would make it very confusing for the audience and would make the continuity very bad. Also we have put flashes just before and after scenes to cover any disjointed footage that was taken giving it a cleaner look.

For our preliminary task we did not consider the proper angles that we should have used for the different characters. For example in the picture above Jacks camera angle is the same as that of Raff’s this could indicate that they are both equal in power and are struggling for dominance, but we had the intentions of making Jack feel powerless and a victim of Raff. This meant that the audience could have got confused over who was the dominate person in the room.

For our two minute film we tried to sort this problem out by considering the dominance of each individual and then making the appropriate height and angle of the camera to make the footage not confusing for the audience. For example in the lower photo above there is the stereotypical group called Chavs who have been captured in a low angle shot to show that they have a lot of power and are people that should not be trifled with. Then compare this to the end couple of seconds of my video where George is sitting on a bench playing the piano there is a high angle shot which could show that he is not threatening or hostile.


When we were doing our first conversation video we used the zoom of the camera we were given to get the emotion on Raff’s face when Jack tells Raff about him going out with his sister. When we zoomed in it distorted the picture and lowered the quality of the footage.

For our main task we did not use the zoom as much as it was not necessary for our stereotypical groups but where we did need to use a zoom function we simply placed the camera nearer to the persons face to minimise the loss of quality.

For our first video we did not alter the sound of the video massively. Which lead to many different bumps in the sound quality where you could hear rustling or sounds that weren’t meant to be in the footage.

For our main film we massively altered the sound through out to make it sound more uniform and smooth.

Evaluation Activity 6 :What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

For my media coursework I have been using many different types of technology to help me make my finished video as good as it can be. This has ranged from a computer to a camcorder and blue screen. This has meant that we have had to learn how to use many different types of equipment and different technologies and programs. This was very time consuming as some of these programs were meant to be used by professionals.

This piece of equipment that I am using is called a tri-pod. It has extendable legs which adjust the height of the camera. Also there is a screw to attach the camera to. There is a handle on the back of the Tri-pod to control the movement of the camera and can be altered to make it harder to move it or more fluid.
This is one of the digital cameras that we used for our production. It has a optical zoom which can be used to do close up shots of characters or objects. It also has a flash to take pictures in the darker areas which makes the light balance more easy to control which meant that continuity and mise en scene were all in correct proportions.

This is the digital camcorder that we used to film the final video that is on my blog. It has a optical zoom and lens cover to stop scratching. It has a LCD screen on the side of the camera, this was very useful because this means that when we were filming we didn't have to look down the eyelense to film the video which meant that we could get a better fell for the scene that was taking place and did get a better quality footage due to it being smoother when moving around.

This is mine and my partners home made steady cam which was made out of our teachers wheely chair and a digital camcorderk, which was celli taped onto it to to keep it level and steady. This piece of equipment was of great use as I filmed the transition parts of the video souly with this piece of equipment, which meant that the video was smoother and kept at the same level throughout.

Other equipment used

The other programs that we used were Adobe Premier Eliments which was used to edit and put together our preliminary task and also our main video. At first it was hard to use this program as it had many differant things that you could do on this program and it was hard to find the different functions that you wanted to use at that particular time. But towards the end of the course we learned how to fully use this program and has made our video as good as we could have made it.

We have have also used the webpage Youtube to upload our video onto it and then via youtube onto our blogs. This has also allowed us to get feedback on our video and how we could have made it better. Also using youtube is much more easy and faster to upload our videos than using Blogspots own version of video uploader.

Blogspot has been the base for which we have posted our blogs on and could not have completed this course without it.

We have used Photoshop to edit our photos for our stereotypical groups which was hard to use at first but we found ways in which to get round these probelems and have made great backgrounds for our groups.

Evaluation Activity 5:How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Activity 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target market for our film is teenagers aged from 10 to the age of 20, but the film also can have a larger appeal to other audiences that can like my film. The target market would probably be a type of person that listens to soft rock or a form of D and B. They would also be very particular about the way that they look for example they would always try to pick plain clothes like shirts or t-shirts rather than very complex ones. They would normally lead a very laid back sort of lifestyle. They would be stereotypically skateboarders or musicians of some form.

Depending on the type of genre that the film maker has chosen to make can vary the response and size of the target audience. For example the film hairspray had a massive audience due to the fact that it both appealed to the younger female population in which they wanted to aspire to the main actress’s level and also it would appeal to an older generation due to the film being based in the 1950’s and having a sense of nostalgia. I hope to achieve this as well for my film by choosing a musical, as the target audience can vary from film to film but generally they have a large target market.

In my view I think that this type of person would watch my film due to them already being into the musical genre because of playing a musical instrument or listening to rock music. Also due to musicals not just having a defined niche market the film could be considered for a range of different audiences.

Evaluation Activity 3 : What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The volume for the directors cut is very low so you will have to turn the volume up.

Evaluation Activity 2 : How does your media product represent particular social groups?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For this activity I will be comparing the differences and similarities between these two characters from my Chav character from my film on the left, and Sam from Kid Adult.

Similarities in Camera shots and Mise en scene:

My chav on the left has a black hoody like the one on the right from kid adulthood this could show that the character has a darker side and can be a dangerous person.

They both have their hoods pulled up over their faces to hide themselves this could show that they are secretive and do not like to be seen in public places. They both also have some part of their faces covered to show the connotation of the darker and lighter side to that person.

Both of the shots that show my chav with that of Sam from Kid Adulthood are low angle shots which connote power and authority which makes them look menacing.

Differences in camera shots and Mise en Scene.

My chav wears an American baseball cap under his hoodies hood, but Sam doesn’t wear a cap this could show that my chav is a more stereotypical chav than that of Sam and he does not conform to some of the ideals of the stereotype.

The ages of the two characters are very different due to Sam being in his early 20’s and my chav being still at school in lower sixth form. This could show that Sam is more mature due to his older age.

The one other minor difference is that of race my chav is white and Sam is a mixed race.

The setting where they live, Sam lives in a council estate and goes round London, but my chav is still at school and is mostly there.

There role in the film

My chav in my film is meant to be a show off that has no real intention of hurting anyone but Sam out of Kid adulthood is a murderer and is a very violent person in general. But what they both share in common is that of wanting to cause trouble and make everyone else’s life a little bit worse.

eval activity 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

Activity 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products (i.e. Of film openings)?

Title of the film picture. This is the Title of the film Picture which tells the audience what the name of the film is.

This picture of our title of our video it is done in a bubble styled font which is similar to that of a lot of other musicals films for example in the right picture above there’s the title picture of another musical film called Hairspray. This musical was seen as a very feminine and romantic film; also the music accompanied by this part of the film is almost a form of old pop music of that era. Another example of this would be High school musical which is a romantic pop music based musical. In this way we differ from other musical films due to our music at the title of our film being a form of soft rock. Also our title for our film at the beginning is and is on a horizontal line like writing on a word document. In the picture on the right the writing is still legible but it also is not totally on the line and different letters are at different angles. This interests the audience’s eyes as it seems slightly unorganised. For our video this could have made it more interesting by maybe having a effect on our title for example we could have had light bulbs inside the writing like in the film High School Musical, or to have neon lights effect on the title to attract the audience’s attention.

The setting/ location Picture.

This picture shows the setting of our video which was in our school grounds.

The setting for our film was based in my school where I do my A-levels. The setting of a school has been used before in many films of different genres, for example the film “High School musical” is based inside a high school in America. Or there is the film “School of Rock” which is again based in a school but it also is about rock which makes it more similar to our type of film that we have made compared to a film that is about pop music. Another difference that our setting has to a lot of films that are based in schools is that most are based in America due to the funding usually coming from American companies and are more stereotypical in films.

Costumes and Props picture.
This picture shows one of our scenes with a group of our actors playing a stereotypical character called a “chav” this group have clothes that they are typically seen in which reinforces the image of the stereotype. For our video we used many different costumes and props due to our movie being based on the stereotypical groups inside a school in the UK. This means that we put a lot of research time and effort to get the look of the characters right. This means that we try to get the Mise-En-Scene for our characters to conform to these specific stereotypical views. Also due to getting the characters costumes to fit their characters gives a sense of verisimilitude which allows them to be immersed into the clip more easily. Our costumes compared to that of other films that are in the same genre in my view are generally different due to the fact that we made our costumes and props over the top and almost too stereotypical. For example in our picture we have 3 guys all in hoodies and American style baseball caps, and all of them are looking ominous which you would not normally get in other films due to it being controversial and too stereotypical. The only exception I can think of is that of the “Chavs” in the film “Hot Fuzz” where they are depicted in the same light.

Camera work and Editing.
This picture shows group of the stereotypical group “Chavs”. This picture gives the impression that the “Chavs” are powerful and are a group not to be messed with. This is due to the fact that is filmed in a low angle shot which makes the audience feel subordinate and less powerful. At our school we have to work with the equipment that we are given to film and edit our videos. We had to improvise on some of the equipment that we used. For example we stuck a handheld camera to a wheelie chair and used it as a form of steady cam. This meant that we could get reasonably smooth shots of a scene at the same height. This allowed us to film our transition scenes with ease, as all we had to do was wheel this chair round the school and film as we went. For our transition scenes we speeded up footage from different locations, this gave the effect of going to different places at high speed. The effect that we used is called ellipsis which means the speeding up or slowing down of time. Using these transitions also gave the effect of continuity editing which made the video smoother to watch, as you would not jump from location to location.

Title font and style. Here we have a picture of the font and style of the writing that we used throughout our video. The font that we used is a form of bubble writing, this is commonly used in musicals as it is usually has a romantic theme or childish appeal, for our video we are trying to attract these sorts of people so we used this form of writing. The style of font is similar to that of “Hairspray” and “Highschool Musical”, which we based our film on. I have used the colour yellow for our font colour due to it being a bright attractive colour that will attract the audience’s eye.

Story and how the opening sets it up.
Our video is about a rock band in a school that may be about to be sabotaged by a group of Chavs. The old singer of the rock band (harry) is replaced by our main character (George) and now harry has made new friends with a group known as Chavs and plans to get his revenge on his old colleagues for kicking him out of the band. He will try to sabotage the bands performance at the battle of the bands competition. This sets the story up to be about a ride of old friends becoming enemies. You do not see this in many musical genre films but I thought it would make the story line seem more packed and exiting.

Genre and how the opening suggests that.
Our film is a musical based film. This is shown in the 2 minute opening by there being non-diagetic sound track that overlaps the footage, this music being a form of soft rock which can be associated with musicals. Also in the ending part of the video there is a scene of a rock band rehearsing for the battle of the bands concert and also that George is mixing on the turntables. In the scene after George is playing on the piano the last cord of the song in acoustic version, which shows the main focus of the film is to do with music and his band. Our video has also used some of the common stereotypes of musicals for instance the common one on having a handsome man playing the main male character which is stereotypical of most American musicals, with the exception of in Hairspray where they cast a more moderately sized main actress rather than that of a stick thin one. In our film we have the more hansom approach with our main character to attract a young audience that will like to have a person to idolise.

How the Characters are introduced.
In our video we introduce the characters by having a subtitle of the name of the stereotypical group name at the bottom of the screen. This allows the audience to quickly identify the type of person that character will be like. The only exception of this subtitling is George our main character due to him not being in a stereotypical group. Because we have not labelled each and every character that has appeared in our film it will make it easier for the audience to read just the stereotypical group and not be overwhelmed by a massive wave of subtitles. The reason why I have not subtitled George as a stereotypical group is due to him being in more than one scene so the audience should get the idea that he is the main character of the film.

Special effects and how they were used. For my film we had no shortage of special effects that I used to enhance the experience of the audience for example the use of the fading characters at the beginning of the film makes it appear that the film is slowly coming and will start any second. Also the use of the transition scenes was done with special effects by speeding up the scenes to give the effect of travelling really fast through the corridors. Also I have used an effect where there is a flash after the transition scenes to help cover any editing problems of then going into the next scene this then allows for continuity editing. I was going to include 4 pictures of the different stereotypes with different backgrounds, but I ran out of available time to use to put these pictures in, otherwise I would have gone over the available 2mins 5seconds max time limit.