2. Introduction
The ultimate task was to produce a short film with a length of 5 minutes, a
film poster related to the short film, and a double page-spread. We were to
chose a genre, story line, settings and everything included in the film to
make it our own. The film which we made (In a group) is entitled ‘The
Unchanged Variable’.
Film title: The Unknown Variable
Gender: All
Certificate: 15+
Genre: Action - Thriller
3.
4. 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In our film, we incorporated Barthes Enigma theory of narratives. This is where tension is built up and the
audience is left guessing what happens next. It is therefore the hermeneutic code which refers to any element
of the story that that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. In our film, our
narrative share structural features that are brought together in different ways.
Our group realised that certain aspects of our short film would need to be similar to existing films in order
for us to target the audience we intended it for. In order to do this, we had a look at many short films, as
well as normal length films. We wanted to follow these conventions to make our film appear to be as
professional as possible. At the same time, we were also willing to challenge forms of real media products in
order to convey a strong behind the video. This would allow the film to be unique, and stand out in a way that
is different from existing films.
When making the film as a group, we had to follow certain codes and conventions to help make our film look as
professional as possible, and challenge forms of real media products. I have done a lot of research on
cinematography, genre and narrative and this has provided me with a lot of knowledge in the film industry
before starting to produce one of our own. I have also done a lot of research on the features which contribute
the most in drawing attention to the audience in terms of narrative, storyline, texts such as title, taglines
and stickers and much more features. As a group, we looked at numerous short films to give us an insight of
how professional films look like. Personally, I was particularly inspired by the following short films: Black
Button and Desire of a House Wife (Indian film). These short films inspired me in terms of cinematography and
the story lines. I was also inspired by the setting. The film is set in a plain white room with two characters
acting. This inspired me because it made me realise that a short film does not particularly have to be in
different settings throughout. The idea of filming in a white room throughout the film would appear to be very
5. As a group, the first thing we considered was the genre of the film. We had numerous ideas within several films
genres but our main chosen genres which we chose included both drama and thriller. It is therefore a sub genre
of drama-thriller. A film with the sub genre drama – thriller paced segments and tense sections and this can be
achieved by the use of quick cuts between shots and other camera shots. Whilst making out film, we tried out
different shots and angles whilst trying to maintain a professional look on the film. Some of these shots and
angles where for the purpose of creating anticipation amongst the audience. We used a lot of camera shots and
angles in order to create different experiences for the audience as well as to create different point of views
for different effects.
After deciding on genre, we went on to decide a story line and possible locations as well as the characters and
the number of them to be included within the film. In terms of characters, we also realised that in order for a
short film to be captivating, it does not necessarily have to include many characters. Just as the film ‘Black
Button’ shows . The film has only two characters since the story line simply needs only two characters. Our
film also contains two characters but we made sure that it still entices the audience.
Another convention which I have met is the use of close up, long shots and mid shots. For example in terms of
the long shot, usually, the opening establishing shot of a movie is a long shot. It may build where the story
actually begins for example a church, forest, city etc. which ever the location, a long shot is likely to be the
best way of establishing it. So as a group, we experimented on using long shots at different angles for the
purpose of appealing well to the audience. We did this with wide angle lens. The main thing is what the shot
encompasses. If it encompasses a general setting that gives the opening shot of the film as much information as
can be clearly presented with one angle, then it's an establishing shot and can be shot with any lens. An
example of this is shown by the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esj4DVEr7Sc
It is called a long shot because the camera is placed far away to capture a large area of view, and this is what
6. In terms of Medium shots, I've learnt that The medium shot should generally contain all the action of the scene and
it should be well matched with the flow of the long shot. If the medium shot is a continuation or a further
development of the story contents captured by the long shot, then the medium shot should be matched to some
characteristic of the long shot with which it is supposed to be intercut. John Ford is famous for relying heavily
on medium shots in shooting his movies.
In many media products, it is the title, main image, and in film, taglines, are all usually used as a source of
providing an insight of a film. I have learnt this by looking at many media products not only in film, but also
magazines and books. This has definitely allowed me to be a lot more aware of how to create product which engages
the attention of the audience at first sight, before seeing or reading about the actual product. The most common
conventions of a film poster include the main image (mainly of the main character) which is usually the main source
of attention along side the title which is usually bigger in comparison to other text, main actors, a tagline and a
billing block. Also the certificate (of age entitled to view). My film poster challenges the conventions of a film
poster mainly because instead of containing an image of the main character/s, I have provided an insight of the
story by including an image of a scene including drug use which is cocaine. Usually, films don't always provide an
insight of its story just by the main image. Main images usually include images of the main characters but in this
case have used part of the story of what actually happens in the film visually. This situation potentially leaves
the audience to wonder who is involved in the film and what they do.
Film covers usually contain images of the main characters at the front, with the names representing them. I was
seeking to differentiate my own film poster a little bit, therefore I decided to add an image which reflects the
main events within the film, instead of the main characters. In this case, an image of drug use. This is portrayed
by the image on my film poster. I did this mainly because I was seeking to let the audience wonder what the events
are within the film. The title is also another feature which contributes in allowing the audience to wonder what
happens within the film. Other factors which emphasise this effect is the colour black. There is a sense of
loneliness created by the emptiness of the surroundings of the image (the drugs). This is emphasized by the colour
black and the main image being of a white colour contrasted against black background. The contrasted image against
7. 2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The film is aimed at the young audience between the ages of 16 – 25 mainly because of the drug use. I felt
it would be necessary to include a theme which would be appealing to this particular age group. Common
themes such as the colour scheme of my film poster. I used the colours red, black and white as my main
colour scheme and also similar texts throughout. This was for the purpose of making it look as realistic
as possible without making it look too dramatic. This feature also appeals to the audience and complements
the story line of the film. The red and black depicts the genre of the film which is a drama-thriller in
this case. What appeals to this age group the most is the events which happen within the film. Also the
characters who are also young. The characters are late teens of eighteen and nineteen years. Having such
an age group as characters also contributes to appealing to the young audience of 16 – 25.
I looked at different examples of film posters and reviews whilst focusing on the codes and conventions.
After researching and analysing different film posters and film review, the purpose of a poster and review
became clearer to me. That purpose is to advertise. Film posters contain features which are aimed to grab
as much attention from the audience as possible. They usually include a title which stands out from the
rest of the text, a main image which is usually the main source of attention, also sometimes include
taglines . I have learnt that a main image and a tagline is there to provide an insight of a film, but not
to give away the story too much as this would diminish the interest of the audience. Within my film poster
and review, I made sure that I included a main image which I made to the main source of attention
alongside the title. This is depicted by their sizes in comparison to other features. The tagline which I
added as well as he main image provide an insight of the story of the film, without giving away too much.
In terms of the film review, the large image and fonts contribute to emphasizing the genre of the film as
well as appealing to the audience. Typical films with a young target audience such as ‘Harry Potter
'usually contain many images to intrigue the target audience. This is shown in the next page. I feel as
though my film review could have appeared a lot more appealing to the audience if I had included several
8.
9. As well as creating our film, we also had to create ancillary texts which are individual film posters and a
double page-spread of the film review. They needed to be an effective combination of the main product, which is
the film . I decided to make a modern film poster (and review) as opposed to old style film poster such as Psycho
or The Blue Dahlia. This is because we decided to create a modern film which would only make sense to also create
a modern film poster. It may be argued that these films are not an effective
combination of the films they represent. I decided that my
ancillary texts would be more modern than these authentic
posters.
My film poster and review take the form of modern style of
film posters with actors’ names, title, billing block
etc. my ancillaries interlink with my main product in the
sense that they show the two main actors. An audience who
sees the short film would realise this.
10. The title of the film is
‘THE UNKNOWN VARIABLE’.
This is what we decided as a
group to call our film. For
the title, I chose a Trajan
font mainly because I was
looking for a serif font
which is quite thin. I chose
to add a metallic texture on
the title for a dramatic
appearance as it would
appear to be dull if it was
a flat text with no texture.
The title appears to be a
shiny texture and this
contributes to allowing it
to stand out from the rest
of the text. The title is
written in capital letters
were the first letter of
each word is slightly bigger
in comparison to the rest of
the text in the title. This
enables the title to stand
out. Being a bigger size
than the rest of the text
allows the title stand out
The cast names are shown
here at the top in such a
way that does not distract
the title. In comparison to
the title, it is in a
smaller and different font.
The cast names are in a
serif font. This is so that
it allows the title to
stand out.
The tag line is entitled
‘A MATTER OF LIFE AND
DEATH’. It is in a red
sans serif font. This tag
line provides an insight of
the story of the short film
as it is suggesting that
there is a scene of
something risky happening
within the film. Being in a
red font, it is
differentiated from the
rest of the text and also
the picture. The image is
emphasized by the tagline
suggesting that the risk
here is that someone’s
11. This media product
challenges the norms of
the codes and conventions
of existing media blogs as
I have used an image which
depicts the main subject
of the film, instead of
the actual characters.
This image suggests to the
audience that there are
scenes of drug use within
the film. This is
reinforced by the tagline
again, gives the
impression that someone
has put their life at
risk. Drug addiction is
the main thought which is
drawn after looking at the
tagline and the image.
I have also edited the
picture on Photoshop to
make it black and
white, not only to follow
the main colour
scheme, but enable to
The billing block contains the
names of the director, producer
, writer, actors and the
distribution company. It is the
smallest text on the cover and does
not distract any important features
such as the title, image and the
tagline which are the main
features. It also shows the running
time to allow the audience to know
the length of the film.
The distributor company is ‘MCS
Productions.’ The aim was to keep
it as professional as possible. The
names included in the billing block
and the distributor are in a bigger
to the rest of the text. It allows
the names to stand out showing the
importance.
We decided that our film is
aimed at an audience of 15 years
and above mainly because of the
contents of the film which is
quite explicit for the younger
audience below the age of
15, although the explicitness is
controlled, there is some drug
use involved. This is emphasized
12. 3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
The benefits of audience research are that they allow one to make decisions based on different
opinions. This is why it is essential to get as much as possible. Feedback helps the receiver to
understand themselves better through others, and can help them to further develop, especially if it is
critical. The limitations however are that; results may not always be accurate, and also if there very
little feedback, there are no opinions from a variety of audiences. I conducted questionnaires for 40
people asking them questions shown on the next page. I did this questionnaire as one of the first steps
before making the film. The aim for this was to get opinions from 40 random people to get a view of
their opinion, and also to find out the most preferred film genre for the young audience especially
between the ages of 16 – 25 as this where the target audience for the film is.
13. The results show that the most popular film genre
appeared to be Drama followed by comedy and horror.
14. After making the film, I constructed another questionnaire asking the audience for feedback on the film.
For this questionnaire I asked a wider
range of audience which was 50 people
different age groups. From their
responses, I have learnt that overall, the
audience were mostly attracted by the
main image. This especially from the ages
of 16 – 30. Most people were also
enticed by title of the film. Many people
believed it to be a crime film with
elements of horror mainly because of the
colours of red and black. I have learnt
that as a way to improve, I should include
a billing block.
15. How did you use media technologies in the construction of and
research, planning and evaluation stages?
Most of my research was from secondary data such as internet research as well as primary research such as
questionnaires. My secondary research included search engines on google and YouTube. This included research on
genre, how to create short films including the angles and shots which makes a film look professional and in terms of
editing; how create effective texts for film titles etc. I used YouTube to watch several short films of which many of them
inspired me in terms of creativity. The internet provided facts on media conventions from existing media products. I
have published my planning, research, publishing, work in progress and many more things related to the task on
Tumblr. this is because it makes it easy to present everything on the blog for easy access.
I used Photoshop and InDesign for the film poster and double page spread of the film review. Photoshop was for
editing images and text. I have learnt a lot from the internet how to edit text and photos on Photoshop from tutorials
online and from my experience, I have definitely benefited greatly. I have tried my best to create a film poster which
looks as professional as can be by creating my own text, especially the texture instead of just using a standard font.
InDesign helped made it easier for me to create my double page-spread the way I intended to look.
16. Critically, I have faced quite a lot of difficulties whilst producing my film poster and the double page-spread. Whilst I
was learning how to create certain texts on Photoshop, I did not particularly comprehend everything. As a result of
that, I had to work out how to achieve certain outcomes of which some of them I managed to tackle, whilst others I
struggled. An example of this when I was creating the fire text. I did not understand every step. On the positive
side, I did benefit from certain parts of the editing such as creating a glowing effect on the text.
I also found that InDesign does not has auto correct which made it a lot more
difficult when having to change the wrongly spelled words. The same goes for
Photoshop.
We captured out film using a cannon 600 D camera.
With this camera, we tried out using a lot of different shots and angles to get the
best view of the actions and events in the short film.
We Adobe Premiere Pro for the editing of the film in
order to create special effects to make the film look
professional. This application also allowed us to remove
unwanted scenes by cutting, and also to order the film in
the way which we preferred.
17. I used Microsoft word and PowerPoint as templates for my texts. I used
PowerPoint for the work which I converted to slideshare for ease of access. I
also used Word for my other texts such as film poster analyses then converted
to Tumblr for ease of access.
I Converted everything (including the work on slideshare) onto Tumblr
which includes all my task work which I have produced. I found that it was
much easier to write everything on word first before converting the work
onto Tumblr and also from Microsoft, to Slideshare then onto Tumblr for
ease of access. I used slideshare for the work which included more than
one page such as the text progressions, evaluation and editing processes.
