Evaluation question 1

Evaluation question 2

Evaluation question 3

Evaluation question 4

Evaluation question 5

Evaluation question 6

Evaluation question 7

Audience feedback - results

I have collected and analysed my audience feedback and here are my results:

This graph shows the age and gender of the people I questioned. This shows that when chosing who should complete my audience feedback I chose people in my target audience.The most popular age of people questioned was 17.

u Question 1. Do you feel the shot at the beginning of the opening sequence sets the scene well for the genre of film it is? Why?

Graph:

Analysis:

Out of the seven people asked all of them said that the first shot set the scene well for the genre. This was great feedback considering I decided to add in the shot at last minute to give the film clarity that it was a horror film and not a social realism. This will help me with question one of my evaluation. 

Explain: (question part 2)

This was the second part of the question where people got to explain why they said either yes or no. Here are the comments I got back:

Katy: The first shot really shows its horror! The movement of the trees leading down to the blacked out house really shows its horror.

Gabriel: The establishing shot really goes well with the rainsound effects. It creates tension for the audience and makes them want to watch on.

Alice: The black silhoette of the house really puts you on the edge of your seat. I could tell it was going tobe a horror as a dark house and rain are typical of horror films.

Sam: The first shot clearly shows its horror.

Lara: As a media student myself I really loved the establishing shot right at the beginning of the sequence. It sets the scene nicely and introduces the genre from the start! It creates a lot of tension and gets your ready for what might happen next.

Scott: It's blatantly horror! I hate to say this, but your house looks really creepy! I don't think you have to worry about this shot - it's great, everything from the rain to the creepy sillhouette of the house. 

Analysis: 

From my audience comments I can see that the first shot really did work due to the sound effects and the lighting of the house. I am happy I did add this in and is is creating the right effect by causing tension for the audience.

Question 2.   How do you feel the opening suggests it’s a horror film? 

 Graph

Analysis
From this I can tell that a mixture of lighting, shot types, props, sound effects and actors made my films genre stand out and become clear. The use of shots came up top as what the audience thought was the most effective in showing the genre. The lighting and sound effects were close behind which is good news and the lighting and sound effects were important to me as I wanted them to convey horror the most. 


Comments

Katy: The blood! The fact that when you see it for the first time you and the character doesnt know how or why it happened. It's the unknown which makes me feel like 'yes this is a horror!'
 


Gabriel: I liked the sound effects. They really made it seem like a typical horror film. The lighting was good and gave a nice effect especially rom the candles. The actor was quite typically a horror film character too which was nice.



Alice: I liked the shot of the mirror at the end of the scene. The writing just appeared which made it really effective and quite scary!



Sam: The opening suggests its a horror film as effects are used to generate a more negative mood to the shot, ie. rain, dark lighting, all pointing towards a genre such as horror.

Lara: Except for the opening shot, the use of sound effects (rain and thunder), the lighting from the candle and match and also the use of blood against the purity of a white wedding dress suggests the worst is yet to come.

Scott: Horror films are often set in dark places or at night. Bad weather is also a sign of horrific things to come - thunder is extra effective. The way the camera slowly moves down to show the house is quite eerie too.

Question 3.  Do you think the main character represents a typical horror film character? Please explain your awnser.

Katy: Yes, she seems to be nervous about most of the events in the opening.She also looks like the typical character.

Gabriel: I like how naive she seems to be and how unaware of any bad incidents she really is. The way she calls to Matt makes her seem like she relies on him which shows how she lacks independance. 

Alice: I think how she was dressed shows how innocent she was. Also the way she acts and the fact she gets up to see a wedding dress (which is white) screams innocence and naivety. 

Sam: The main character is representative of horror as many films use young females as characters in their films.

Lara: The actor shows clear naivety and innocence which is very typical of horror film characters. The fact she is scared easily at sudden sounds is also typical.

Scott: Horror films often involve vulnerable, young, female characters - something which you have found exactly here! The fact that she seems quite tense and easily scared makes her typical of horror characters too.

Analysis:

So from this questions I can take that I chose the right actor to play the main character. I wanted her to come across as innocent and pure which she clearly has to the audience. Nearly everyone asked said she seems innocent which is good. I took inspiration from 'Scream' and their choice of main character and I think I did well.

Question 4a. Who do you think the target audience for the film is? Why?

4b. Also, which gender do you feel this is aimed at?

Graph 4a:

 

  Graph 4b.

Analysis: 

Most of the people asked said that they thought the film would be aimed at 16 year olds if it was to be brought into production. My target audience was 16/17 year olds so I am happy with the responce I got frommy audience. Also, Only on eperson thought the film would be aimed at a male audience meaning 6 other people disagreed and said it should be for a female audience. This is good as I was intitially aiming it at females as they can relate with the main character more.

Question 5. Do you feel the sound effects and music choices are conventional of a horror film?

Graph:

Analysis:

Everyone asked said that my chosen sound effects and music choices are typically associated with a horror film. This is really great news as I added sound effects right at last minute. Im very happy I did and I'm also happy that my audience can pick up on how the sound effects and music create the tension. 

Question 6. What aspects of the opening make you want to continue watching the film?

 

Graph:

Analysis:

From this chart I can see that the cliffhanger at the end of my film makes people want to keep watching to find out what is going to happen. The one person who said the writing on the mirror links into the cliffhanger as they want to know whats going to happen next due to the writing. Only one person said the blood on the dress and how suddenly it appeared. I think this in a way is also a small cliffhanger as you want to know why it happened.

Question 7.   Do you feel the titles, camera angles, lighting and sound effects etc. are typical of a horror film?

Comments:

Katy: The sound effects at the beginning were really effective. The close ups of the candle and blood really created tension and linked in well with a horror film.

Gabriel: I think the titles were good as the black and white contrast well. I liked the font used too. The lighting was particuallrly good from the candle and match and gave it a horror feel. 

Alice: The sound effects were really good!

Sam: Yes, all aspects were clear to be appropriate for a horror film. The build up of sound was very good.

Lara: I like the camera angles when we see the candle and match. Also the titles were really good and seem typical of a horror film. The lighting from the candle was beautiful and actually worked well with creating tension. 

Scott: I'd say titles and camera shots are the most typical. The titles are in an appropriate font, with a good transition. Most of the camera shots are wide shots, so we can see action, and close ups on things such as the lighting match and blood ... very creepy...

Analysis:

From this I can see that the good points in my opening were:

• The lighting from the candle and match
• The close ups of the candle, match and blood
• The titles are in an appropriate font and colour
• The sound effects
• The build up of sounds.

This is a good finish to my final edit. The main and important aspects of my filming I seem to have inderstood and used well.

Question 8. Which do you feel are not typical of a horror film?

Comments:

Katy: I think the lighting could have been consistant throughout to make it more dark and scary.

Gabriel: I think you could have kept up with the lighting from the candle to make it more spooky and eerie instead of going to a bright light right after. 

Alice: I think the music can be to intense sometimes and it stops really suddenly.

Sam: The lighting and camera angles needed more depth and perhaps a grey filter to give a more black and white picture.

Lara: Keep up the lighting from the candle shot. It was good and deep which created suspence. Also the mirror shot needs to be longer. It's very hard to read.

Scott: I'd say probably the sound. Whilst it's appropriate, it can get a bit repetitive and ends suddenly a couple of times. Sound is key in horror films for inducing fear.

Analysis:

I can take form this question advice on if I did this again which I should improve and keep in mind. 
What I need to keep in mind:

• Make the sound blend more. Also don't make it to continuous.
• Keep up a dark lighting as it was effective and made it more horror like.
• Make some shots longer so its easier for the audience.

This is very useful feedback and will help me next time and in my next project.

Audience feedback questionnaire

For my audience feedback I decided to construct a proper questionnaire in which people had to watch my video then answer questions about it which I feel will help me with my evaluation. This will be filled out by three girls and three boys (the same people as before) so that my results will be a mixture and still relevant to my target audience.

Request:

Hello all! I have just finished my final edit of my media coursework in which I created a horror film opening sequence. Before I created my sequence I took inspiration from horror films such as 'IT' and 'Scream.' Now I need to acquire audience feedback from my target audience. In the post below this is my final video. I would be very grateful if you would watch it and then proceed to fill out my questionnaire. Afterwards, would you please either email it to me at hollyfarrell93@gmail.com or mail it to me via Facebook. Thank you for taking time to do this.

The questionnaire:
Audience Feedback Media Questionnaire

Final edit of my opening sequence

Here is my final edit of my opening sequence. I am very pleased with the final outcome!
It's quite sad to come to an end of our coursework as I have really enjoyed the whole process.

Please feel free to take a look.


I will be constructing a questionnaire to get audience feedback on my final edit. I aim to ask the same people as before to ensure my target audience has been recognised and so they understand and can see the changes made and compare it to the first edit. I have also chosen the people before as they know and understand my genre choice and will be able to make precise and constructive comments which will help me later in my evaluation. I plan to email the people the link to my blog where they will read the post, watch my video and then email my my questionnaire.

Final improvements

Right at the start of my film I wanted to add in what the location was like to make it more clear that this film is a horror film, so, I added in an establishing shot. I think it adds to the genre well and I am glad I added it in. Also, there is water droplets on the camera to make it noticeable that it's raining, which become very useful for sound effects.

I took out the first song in my final edit. I decided to do this because it was far to social realism and upbeat. I wanted to include sound effects especially as it was raining. I took advantage of the establishing shot and added in rain and thunder sound effects to increase the suspense in the film. I layered two clips, one of heavy rain and one of thunder. I allowed it to carry on through the match box being picked up and the first title. This hopefully created tension for the viewer. 

Again, taking in consideration my audience feedback, I decided to add the match sound effect when it is lit. Seeing as the rest of the shot is silent it makes it more horror-like which is a nice effect.

Following the teachers feedback, I decided to cut out the child laughing as the main focal point and added in a slamming door which I feel creates more tension and seems more realistic. It wasn't fully clear who Matt was when she asked if it was him, but now the door is slammed shut it becomes more clear it is either he husband or boyfriend. 

I have now also added a fade into beginning and the end of my music which makes it more subtle for the viewer and introduces the music to the viewer in a nicer way.

I have added a child laugh when the main film title appears because it fits in better and makes it more chilling and tense. The music also fades out here to allow the viewer to hear the child laughter.

I have added back in all the natural sound from when I filmed so it seems more life-like and realistic. It also breaks up the music which can be a bit to full on and intense. It sounds better and makes you feel part of the film.

Finally at the end, when the actor turns around, I have added the door being closed again and then a direct child laughter which links in again with the title of the film. It makes it more chilling. Also, I have taken out the scream as it made it ore trailer-like and a dip to colour (which is black in this case) to finish off the opening sequence. 

My Improvements

I have now changed the music so that it fades out of the first song and smoothing fades into the other to make it more subtle. This shows that I have faded the first song so it is loud to silent and the second song so it is silent to loud.

I have also edited the music so that the second song which I have used to create the suspense with gradually gets louder and louder until the end where the suspense has built up so much that the scream shocks you more and gives a better effect.

Peer Assessment

In class we decided to do a group Peer Assessment. We all sat around a table whist everyones opening sequence was played one by one. We wrote feedback on targets and on what we thought they did well in their filming and editing. Here is the feedback I got:



What I did well:

• I had a good use of music which showed off the genre well and really helped to set the scene
• The lighting from the candle and the match in the first part of my opening sequence was a lovely source of light.
• The music changes to mimic the mood which helps the audience to understand what was happening.
• The child's laugh is very effective.
• The titles were good and the continuity editing looked smooth. 
• The title effects are really nice.

My comments:

From this feedback I feel I have got the music spot on for the genre (horror) I was aiming for. I'm also glad I went down the route of adding in the child laugh as it seemed to have an effect on the audience. I also feel the editing has gone well as the continuity of it all looked smooth and effective. 

Improvements:

• The music could have more of a subtle change, possibly add a dissolve.
• Make the last shot longer so the audience can see and read what was on the mirror.
• Not sure on title length.
• The volume of the second piece of music could be softened.
• One title appeared twice!
• Titles could be in a better order.

My comments:

I agree that the music could have been more subtle. The change between the two was very dramatic and didn't cause the right effect. Again, I agree with the next comment on how the mirror shot could last longer. It was hard to read what it said in the time given. I was actually happy with the title length. It is not a social realism film and I think the title length adds to the horror genre.



How I will improve:

1. Add a dissolve to the end of one song and the beginning of the other to make sure the fade in and out subtly.
2. I will re-film the last shot as she spoke in it and I don't want want speech. Therefore it will last longer and the audience will be able to read the writing.
3. I will keep the title length the same as when I did research on horror films the titles did last longer which was effective and caused suspense. 
4. I will soften the second piece of music.
5. I will remove the title which appears twice.
6. Lastly I like the order my titles appear in and I think it is a good order so I'm going to keep it the same.

Audience Feedback

After my first edit of my opening sequence I decided to get some audience feedback. I thought this would help me to improve my film and get ideas from my target audience as the film is for them. I got some very useful feedback which helped me to gain ideas for my final edit.

To get feedback I constructed a short questionnaire based on what I specifically wanted feedback on. I also included an open question at the end asking for any other opinions on the film and what tey personally wanted to comment on.


The questions included...

1. What genre do you think the opening sequence is?
2. Do you feel the music fits the genre?
3. Do you feel the music change is to sudden?
4. Do you feel the titles are good at showing the genre?
5. At 1:57 there is a lighting change, do you feel this is a consistency error?
6. Do you feel the film would benefit from sound effects e.g. the striking of the match?
7. Any other general comments?

I asked 6 people what they thought of the video and gave them this short but to the point questionnaire to find out their opinions on it. I asked 3 boys and 3 girls so i could amend my opening sequence to fit in with both genders.

This is Gabriel, he is 17 and also takes AS Media. I thought it would be good to get feedback from a fellow Media student as they would know what areas are good and what need to be improved on. 

1)The genre is defenately Horror. 

2) Yes, the sombre strings in a minor key give it a melancholic atmosphere associated with despair and death 3) The change of music appears unexpectedly, however this was necessary to show the sudden change of atmosphere

4) The titles work well due to the way in which they slowly fade. It has something ghostly about it. 

5)I can't even notice the lighting change! But it could appear to be a flicker of the light within the scene as opposed to an error

6)The sound effects would help to set the audience in that world, therefore connecting them to the story more this would make them easier to scare 

7)And aside from that, I'd just say that the production logos look very professional.

 This is Katy she is 17 and doesnt study media at all. She is the actress in my opening sequence. I thought it would be good to get some feedback from her as she was there when the filimg took place. I think she would be able to give useful feedback watching how I edited my work.

1. it starts off by thinking its like a romantic thing but then by then end you can tell that its horror

2.I think that the music is miss leading which i think is really good because it makes the opening sequence less obvious until the end

3. I thought the music change was at the right time and worked well. it wasnt an obvious change which i think made it more effective

4. I think the titles and the music work well together in making it misleading for the audience at the beginning

5. The lighting change worked well and made you wonder about what was going to happen next

...I dont think it was an error and was used well

6. Maybe the sound of the matches would improve it and help to introduce the opening, however I think it is effective as it is

7. On the whole very impressive!

Next I got another Media student, Scott Lampon who is also 17 to look at my video and give me some feedback on it. I thought it would be useful as Scott has produced a Social Relaism film so it would be nice to get some feedback from someone who takes the same subject but doesnt neseserily know about the horror genre.

Scott gave me some general feedback on my work: "Wow, good job! Firstly, good range of shots. Also, you build tension really well. I love the kind of blurry effect when the candle is lit - it's really effective! My only criticism is the sound. You have a lot of sounds in this and they kind of stop and start a lot. Maybe you could use some fades at the end of and between the different sounds?" 

I also decided I would get feedback from someone who has had a few years of experience in Media. I chose my friend Lara Attfield who is 19 and currently studying Media at University to look at my opening sequence and to give useful feedback.

 1) I think the genre could be anything from a romance due to the candle and the music to a horror which could be shown by the lighting. I think a shot of the location or a change in music would help distinguish what genre it is exactly.

2) I think the second peice of music really builds tension but I dont fully understand what the first peice is going for? I think it is good in fooling you into thinking everything will be okay at the start though.

3)It is quite sudden, maybe add in fades at the end to make it more subtle.

4)I love the black and white titles and I love the effects on them too. Blue Pearl productions does appear twice though? Is this intentional?

5) I didnt really notice! I think its good and makes it look more meaningful. The consistancy seems fine especially with the continuity of the editing. 

6)Yes! The sound effects would build a lot of tension. The match being lit would be nice. Also maybe add in a door slam or something dramatic!

7)I thought it was really good! Maybe make the roduction comany more noticeable? Possibly add an establishing shot right at the begining. Build the tension!

The last boy I decided to get feedback from is Sam O'Doherty. He is a year 13 student who doesnt study Media. He definatly fits in with my target audience. I thought it would be good to get an outside view from someone my opening sequence is actually aimed at.

1) Thriller/Horror. The lighting shows this off well.
2) Yes very well, I like how it gradually builds tension.
3) Yes the music changes suddenly. Is there anyway to mix the music together? Maybe a fade?
4) Not really. Something more dark maybe.
5) Yes it looks very different, but I'm guessing that this is obvious? Maybe lighten the shot or darken the others?
6) Yes, but only if they are classy.
7) No. It's pretty good.  

The last girl I got to look at my opening sequence was Alice Kirkham. I chose her as she is my target audience also. She doesnt have any media influence as it is not a subject she chose to study so I will get a truthful awnser from her.

 1) I think the genre is possibly horror? The lighting from the candle and the room helped.

2) I like the music very much! The first peice kind of thrwos you off track but then when the second music clip starts you begin to feel und recognise its a horror.

3) I like the music change actually, makes you jump more!

4) I think the black and white gives yoiu the sense of a horror genre. I like the transitions the titles make too. It looks classy and effective.

5) I didnt even notice!

6) I think it would be nice to hear some spooky sounds such as the match being lit. Would build the tension more!

7) Very good! I noticed one of the titles appeared twice though? Not sure if you meant for this or not?

My First Edit

Editing -day 4

A lot has happened since I last posted about editing. I have now added my sound it, both pieces of music can now be heard and are linked together. I have added fades to my music so when the music changes its not as harsh and sudden. I changed the volume of my music as well so when the actor is talking we can here her. Also its good as we can now here the child laughing which I have also added. I also got a girl in a younger year to scream for me as a sound effect which worked out really well and enhanced the fact it was a horror film. 

I also decided to make my production company stand out a bit more. I chose a texture which I thought went well with my production company and added it in. I think it makes it look better and more like an opening sequence. 

I also changed the film title. This is because the ending of my filming wouldn't fit into the time I had so I made it more relevant to the child's laugh which can be heard during my filming. 

Editing - day 3

Today I continued further with my editing.

When I opened Final Cut to continue with the editing process a pop-up appeared saying that rendered files were now offline. Because of this, I had to re-render all of my editing so far. This ended up in my first title in the film 'Blue Pearl Productions' being deleted. I was told that the media was offline. This meant it had disappeared in my folder. I had to remake that title which turned out to not be that much of a problem. 

Last lesson I was advised to make my titles longer as they didn't stay on long enough in my filming. When I first made my titles I made them about 2 seconds long. Now they are 3 or 4 seconds long. I had to re-do all of the titles this lesson to ensure they were longer. 

Today:

So today's editing went rather well despite a few hiccups. I re-made all of my titles so that they lasted longer and seemed more film like instead of trailer like. I also cut a small clip in my filming so it looked more effective. I am very happy with the outcome. Although I made my titles considerably longer, they turned out to be to long which wasn't really a problem as I cut them down. 

Next lesson: 

Next lesson I will try hard to finish my editing. I think it will be done by next lesson without a problem. Hopefully I will have added in my music and sound effects. I have a feeling that some of my filming will become irrelevant due to the 2 minute timing we have. I have another point in the film where finishing it and still showing it is horror will not be a problem which is good. 

Editing - day 2

Today I continued with more editing.

First off I decided to add more titles on Live Type to add to my edit of my filming as I wanted it to continue with the opening sequence instead of throwing the editing straight into the actual film. Adding more titles in the way I have makes it seem less trailer like as well. I used a pure black background with a white font as it contrasts well and stands out to the audience. 

When I added in the titles I decided to add in cross dissolves so the transition from film to title is smooth.

This is where I finished my editing for the day. I manage to add titles, add transitions and also continue with continuity techniques such as 180 degree rule and match on action which I used often. 

Editing - day 1

Back to school from the Christmas holidays and straight back into Media and editing our footage.

I have finally got used to Final Cut and am learning quite quickly how it works and how to get a good effects and how to add in simple transitions.

Here I have added in my titles to the film to give it the effect of it being a horror film. I made these using Live Type which allowed me to add effects to the wording, to change the colour and to change the font. I chose black and white as they have a clear contract and are bold and striking. The transition i have used also makes it feel like a horror film and the font type is old fashioned.

Here I have added cross dissolves when my titles appear after a shot. I did this so that its not as blunt from one shot to another but it gently from one shot to another.

Here I have done some continuity editing to make the filming flow easier. I managed this quite easily after being worried about if I could make it look effective. It took some time to get it just right but I am happy with the final outcome. Also here I have kept some sound in the filming which doesn't appear anywhere else so far. This is just general speech. I deleted all other sound as I want to add music and some directions to the actor.

Here is the piece of editing I am most worried about. I wanted it to be smooth and to do so would use continuity editing. I have used continuity but it doesn't look as smooth from one shot to another as I would have liked. This will definitely be something to go back to after my first edit is complete. 

So this is where I left my editing today. I have already edited 1 minute and 17 seconds of my footage. It is not perfect but I am happy with how much I have achieved from two lessons work. 

Next lesson:

Next week I plan to do some more editing but I have decided to focus on putting in sound and music. I have decided to do this as it will show me how far I have come with the editing process and also if the music fits in with the filming. This is important as the music really builds the atmosphere for opening sequence and makes it feel more like a horror film.