Main Task- Final Page

Main Task- Evaluation & Audience Feedback (add video)

Main Task- Evaluation

Evaluation for Compulsion

Main Task- Final Draft of Compulsion (add video)

Main Task- New Compulsion Poster

I made amendments to my poster as suggested by members of my target audience. It was suggested that I made the definition watermarked and that only the key words stood out. It was also suggested that I made the title easier to see and differentiate it from the rest of the text. It is important that the poster meets the interests of the audience as it is a key way of drawing attention to the film and advertising to your audience. 

Main Task- Compulsion Poster

I chose to create a second poster for Compulsion as most films have more than one, my previous poster worked well as a teaser poster, however I felt it didn't work as a main poster as it was too disengaged. 


I chose this photo for the poster as she is facing more towards the audience, this way it is easy for the audience to identify with her. I added the actress's name to the top of the poster not only to make the poster look more professional but to intrigue the audience as to who the actress is and what character she will play.


Th photo featured in the poster shows the bloodstain on Farah's shirt, this creates interest and makes the audience wonder what is happening- they may try to connect the definition featured on the poster to what they see, it creates a sense of mystery and excitement for the audience. 


I think the poster will be successful with my target audience as it is memorable and dramatic. The contrast between the black background and the white shirt and the white shirt with the bloodstain creates a simple, yet powerful image.

Main Task- Magazine Article

My magazine article is has a basic layout of most other film articles. The eye catching image on the first page will draw the reader in and the text "In Cinemas Soon" will make readers intrigued as to what is going to be released. I added a small review box on the first page so even if some readers do not want to read the whole article there is a summary box that advertises the film- this is useful as not all people who read magazines read all the articles. Half the article is about the film itself and offers an advertisement to the film as well as creating excitement about the film, this section includes pictures from the film itself. The second half of the article is about the making of the film and a directors comment, this creates an interest around the film and many readers may want to find out more about it. 
I believe the article will be successful with my target audience as it is eye catching and easy to read, the layout is basic and you don't need to try hard to find the information you would be interesting in reading. 

Main Task- Magazine Research

I chose to create a magazine article as one of my ancillary tasks for my main production. By creating a magazine article I was able to incorporate aspects of advertising and marketing of my film as well as an insight into how I went about creating the film. I chose to study articles from magazines such as Empire and Total Film as they are renowned and popular film magazines, they also have a rage variety of articles that are written in different ways and based on different things.

Before planning my article I decided to look into existing and professional film articles to see what magazines most often wrote about films. I found that it was often commercial blockbuster films that had articles written about them as they acted as a form of advertisement. Many had interviews with the cast or the directors whereas others focused mainly on what the film was about. Most offered a review to go along with the article, they did this because not all magazine readers read all of the articles, so with a small review box the reader was able to get a small amount of information for the article, this means that it is more likely that every reader of the magazine will become aware of the film, without necessarily reading the article.

After looking into the content of articles I decided to look into how the articles were most often set out. Most of the articles I studied attracted readers with a large image to catch the reader’s attention. The image was often of the main character or an image taken form the film. This works by creating an interest around the film, by seeing what the film is like, an audience can decide if they would like to see the film or not. The article was set out in sections so it was easier to read, I noticed that large chunks of text were likely to put many readers off, so by spacing the text out it seemed as though there was less to read. Text was often broken up by images that were used to back up what was being said in the article itself. 

Main Task- Compulsion Teaser Poster

I started my poster using a photo I had taken whilst filming, the purpose of this is that my actress was in costume and the photo would be more likely to reflect the atmosphere of the film itself.

I removed the background of the picture on Photoshop as to make sure Farah would be the main focus of the poster.

I added a black background to the picture as I felt it added drama to the poster and made Farah look powerful and mysterious.

I add my title and using Steeltongs created a list of credits at the bottom of the poster, this made it look more professional and added the 'attention to detail' aspect to the poster.

I blend the picture to the background more to make it look more professional and played with the colours of the picture itself. I decided to chose a more unusual style of title because I felt the poster gave little away about the plot. I made the title into a definition of 'Compulsion' as the word is unfamiliar to many people, especially among my relatively young target audience. The definition also makes the audience ask questions such as "Who is she?" and "What is the relation between her and the definition?". I also felt that it made the poster more memorable.

I feel my poster will be successful with my target audience as it is ominous- this automatically appeals to fans of thriller. The definition is unique and gives a lot away about the storyline and character, which may encourage people to watch the film. 

Main Task- Compulsion (Draft I) Presentation Feedback

Positive Feedback:

• Well framed and interesting shots
• Good acting
• Interesting storyline
• Good presentation of idea
• Professional feel

Suggested Improvements:

• Change background music
• Colourise shots to make them stand out more
• Speed up the pace of the film 
• Lighten shots as some are quite dark

Teacher comments:

• Adjust title sequence
• Fix John's looking room (framing)
• Add foley of a busy street
• Delete supermarket shot
• Add a shot of her looking towards a weapon

Main Task- Compulsion (Draft I) (add video)

Draft I of 'Compulsion'

Main Task- Target Audience Feedback

I showed 10 members of my target audience the first draft of Compulsion and gave them a short questionnaire to complete. By doing this I aimed to gain valuable feedback directly from my audience and see areas of improvement. Using the feedback I can adapt my film to appeal more to my target audience. 


This is the questionnaire:


Compulsion Questionnaire


Compulsion Questionnaire Answered


I gave 10 members of my target audience the questionnaire and the first draft of Compulsion to watch. The feedback was similar to that I recieved when presenting my first draft. All of those I gave my questionnaire to agreed that the film fit into the thriller genre. Many praised the acting skills and build up of suspense, however, they also thought that the male actor was disappointing and the film needed colourising.

Overall, the improvements suggested can easily be done. I felt that getting feedback from the audience I aimed my film at was useful as they were able to suggest improvements that would benefit their own viewing and therefore the reception the film got. I will try to incorporate the changes to the best of my ability in order for my film to be successful.

Main Task- Similar Products Research

When coming up with the storyline for my film I tried out a few ideas and see how well they translated into script. I watched quite a lot of examples of short films that fit into the thriller genre to see how other people had managed to fit such diverse conventions into such a short space of time. I came across a YouTube channel called 'Futureshorts' which focuses on professionally made short films. I found a film that inspired the plot of 'Compulsion'.

I really liked 'Some Static Started' as the plot was very ominous and mysterious and I liked the twist at the end. I decided to try and fit my original idea of a female assassin into the atmosphere and feel of this short film and found it worked well. I liked the simplicity of what was being shown and how the audience became completely absorbed into what the character was saying. 


After I had got my storyline together I went on to create the main character in more detail. I enjoy creating strong female characters so went on to find existing and similar characters. I found that many characters Angelina Jolie plays in various films set the tone for how I saw the character of 'Farah'. 


When creating my shot list, I felt it was important to use a large variety of different and unique shots to make the film more visually interesting. However, I didn't want to litter the film with a lot of unusual shots as I felt it would distract from what the characters were saying. I chose variations of normal shots (such as wide shots, close ups, mid shots etc) for example; I did many shots from side on angles or altered the framing of the shots to make them look different from the usual shots most commonly used in films. 


When creating my set I wanted the 'hotel room' to look as warm and welcoming as possible as to create a juxtaposition to what was actually happening in the room. My adding small details such as flowers and leaflets it created a more realistic and 'normal' looking hotel. 


When editing my first draft of 'Compulsion' I wanted to keep the pace fairly slow but the atmosphere intense. I did this with the use of reaction shot in the dialogue exchanges as well as using flashbacks and straight cuts. I found it hard to keep the film from dragging on and feeling too slow as the amount of dialogue made it difficult to speed up pace in certain areas. 

Main Task- Pitch Feedback

Overall my pitch went well. It was generally accepted that my idea would work when translated into an actual project. However there were some general improvements suggested:

1. Give the character of 'the man' a name and dialogue
2. Change some lines of Farah's as they didn't go with the rest of the film
3. Give the film more of an ending as it just seemed to stop
4. Use a variety of basic shots rather than focus on a few cinematic shots to make it look visually interesting.
5. Make the male character more intimidating and powerful rather than passive

Based on these suggestions I make changes accordingly:

1. I gave 'the man' the name of John and gave him dialogue
2. I cut down Farah's lines and made the script into more of a conversation rather than Farah just speaking at 'the man'
3. I chose to end the film with John raising a gun to Farah's head and him shooting her out of shot
4. I decided to use differentiations of basic shots when filming the simple speaking parts of the script
5. By giving John dialogue it opened up better characterisation and he was therefore able to become a more of an important character, 

Main Task- Pitch

I chose to set my pitch as a simple, quick paced and sharp presentation because I felt it reflected the atmosphere of the film and it would provoke the same reaction from my audience. 

 I set the slides as they would appear in the film, this was to create the same feelings as they would get when watching for my film. By doing this, the feedback I gained would be useful for the construction and editing of my film.

By mentioning details such as my ideas for lighting and setting the scene I felt the audience would be more interesting in how I would go about making the films and they would be able to comment into more- such as suggestions on how they would light it etc.

Using the image of the bloodstain set up the theme for my film and I would due able to gauge the reaction from the audience as it is a key feature for creating not only suspense but the final twist at the end of the film.

Although the image used on the presentation is not of the actress I intended on using for the film, I thought it would be useful if the audience were able to properly visualise the type of actress, the shot and the atmosphere I had in mind for the film.

 Introducing the man (later given the name of John) was important for establish characters and character relationships in the film and the importance of them.

I start the characterisation process of Farah in the presentation by giving her a back story that is important in the film.

It was key that the flashbacks were mentioned in the presentation as they play an important role in the story-telling aspects of the film.

I chose to revel the emotional change of Farah to the audience as they were able to see the character change and the impact of such a change. 

Showing the reveal to the audience, I felt it would be important in order to gauge reaction and would open up suggestions as it is a key part of the film.

I felt a brief explanation into the plot would generate feedback into the ways of portraying such explanations in the film, it would also allow for changes and improvements in the structure and storytelling. 

Giving the audience an insight into who I was intending to aim my film at would allow them to think from the perspective of my target audience, therefore making the feedback more audience- orientated.

Giving examples of shots I had in mind would generate suggestions into more shots I could use for the film or possible improvements or changes of shots I had planned to use. 

I gave examples of dialogue in order for the audience to understand the style of writing I was using and they would be able to create the character of Farah better for themselves.

The tagline was used in order to create the style of advertising I was planning on using.

Main Task- Costumes

I chose to have Farah wear a long white blouse as he main outfit in Compulsion, the look is inspired by Angelina Jolie in Mr and Mrs Smith. The long white blouse outfit is often used in such films, not only because it creates a sexy, effortless look but because it suggests power and dominance. Giving the actress the appearance of wearing a mans shirt suggests a lot about her character to the audience, why is she wearing it? What was she doing before she was wearing it? Whose shirt is it? The look has a slightly comical edge to it; taking something often symbolising success, work, business and male dominated corporate professionalism and turning it into the opposite- a laid back, sexy outfit worn by a powerful, confidant and domineering woman. 

The purpose of the costume was to suggest that Farah had been in the hotel room some time before John arrived, she had made herself comfortable. It also creates the question- where did she get the shirt from? Setting up for the twist at the end of the film. 
Farah also wears a black dress in the film, I decided to have her wear the dress in the flashback of her killing a businessman as it suggests that she uses her sexuality as a weapon. The dress is dainty but dark- this reflects Farah as a character.


I made the decision for all the men in the film to wear suits. Suits are commonly used in thriller films as they suggest that the men are powerful and take things seriously. 
John is the owner of a large criminal organisation- he wears a suit as a sign of wealth, status and power. Nate wears a suit without a tie- this suggests that although he is powerful, his work is hands on, he is of lesser rank than John. The business man wears a suit to quickly connote his profession, and suggests a reason as to why he is Farah's target.

The blood stained shirts were important for the characterisation in the film, they also posed questions for the audience.
At first the audience assumes that Farah's wounds are from John as he is the only person in the room at he time she is introduced, making the twist at the end more of a shock. Farah ignores her bloody wound, suggesting that she is used to pain or she has accepted she is going to die. This says a lot about her as a character, as well as suggesting her line of work.
The blood shirt is important when revealing Nate- not only does it show that Farah has killed him but that he caused the wound to Farah.


The shirts were both mens shirts bought for the purpose of the film. I cut a a straight line through the sides of both the shirts to show a knife wound, I then used the back of a spoon to apply fake blood to the shirts and let it dry over night to ensure as little mess as possible when it came to filming.

Main Task- Risk Assessment

Main Task- Script Progression

Draft I:
Compulsion Draft 1


Draft II:
Compulsion Draft 2


Draft III:
Compulsion

Draft IV:
Compulsion Script Draft 4

Main Task- Production Schedule

Production Schedule

Main Task- Storyboard

Main Task- Diary Entry 22/02/2012

Today I completed the first draft of my film. I have yet to colourise the film, however I think the first draft seems good.