A2 Media Evaluation

A2 Media
Evaluation
Georgia McCormick

In what ways did your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products.
This graph I created to show myself the differences in the two
genres, which this way helps me understand and develop an idea
about what each of them will allow me to do within the film. I
looked at mainly the difference in the shots and the Mise-En-Scene
which helped me get a better understanding initially of what will
be best to present the audience with my themes and ideas. The
ideas that I had initially would help me filter what I think would be
best into a genre which would help me see the clear differences in
the genres and help me see which genre would to some extent
limit my ideas before I started to drift out of the genre. The main
ideas that I found appealing about Fantasy was that there isn’t any
borders because traditionally this is in a fictional universe which I
liked because I didn’t think that it created limits that I had to
follow. I was also put off ‘Drama’, because of the costume and the
locations, where in Drama the location can be quite limited to one
place for example a character's house or an industrial state but I
wanted to use a range of locations to help present my message
best. I also looked at the costume the Drama genre they mainly
wear clothes relating to the subgenre of the drama, which is
another reason why I choose fantasy because there wasn’t a
subgenre that fitted with my ideas.

In what ways did your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products.
The key concepts of the Fantasy genre is mostly the split in the two sub genres which from that each have different key concepts. Fantasy is split
into:
● High Fantasy- where the world isn’t considered to be ‘real’, the rules in it are different and it goes against what the audience would
consider to be reality. The plot usually has a battle between good and evil at the heart of the plot, were both the groups can be easily
distinguished apart from each other; for example the good might be wearing white and the evil is traditionally dressed in very dark colours
such as black or darker toned greys. However the main factor that draws this type of fantasy away from the other type is that the narrator
is the hero in the film, telling the story from ther hero or the main character's perspective, which the story line also intends to follow the
hero on their journey throughout the story.
General codes and conventions of this usually follow the main conventions of a fantasy but this subgenre does include a few other codes and
conventions. Such as:
1. Set in an alternative fictional world- which means that there is a lack of links to the real world and the characters won’t be wearing
traditional clothes that would be familiar to the audience.
2. Much of the plot is usually revolved around the character’s heritage, or a mysterious nature. Usually the plot is around the character
finding out that they have a special talent either in magic or in combat.
3. The character usually begins at a young age where they do mature rapidly which causes them to solve challenges along the way.
4. A mentor or a teacher is usually involved that the character seeks help from, these characters are usually formidable wizard or warrior.
5. There is also a dark character which usually has an obsession with killing the hero in the film.
6. The progress of the story also shows that the hero will find out the nature of the forces that are going to try and go up against them.

The second form of fantasy that I found is the sword and sorcery aspect, this consists of:
● This subgenre is much more plot driven than High Fantasy. This is split into sword- which connotes the action in the plot that will
be included. The sorcery- suggests that the fighting and the action parts of this film will include a range of magic which will tie it
down to the fantasy genre rather than making it just a subgenre of the action films. Similar to ‘High Fantasy’, this film is based
around the battle between good and evil but this film focuses less on the fighting and more about the protection of someone or
something. The characters used in these films are closer to humans which makes them more familiar to the audience that they
watch.
Again like ‘High Fantasy’ this subgenre does have some of its own codes and conventions along with some of the basic fantasy ones:
1. An element of romance is also presented in the supernatural and magical elements.
2. Because the characters are closer to humans, the clothes that they were aren’t as extravagant they still are very close to the
fantasy genre basic mise-en-scene ideas, but the clothes and the props used are ever so different to elements of ‘reality’.
3. Unlike the ‘High Fantasy’ films, this subgenre focuses on more personal battles and how the characters will overcome the personal
battles they face.
4. Has action based elements but these also make clear links with links to that magic, which makes the film both about the traditional
battle but also about the magic within this linking to the fantasy genre.
5. Traditional battle about good and evil, but this is more to do with the protection elements rather than the good trying to outdo the
bad.

The generic codes and conventions of the Fantasy genre are simplistic and are generally well known to a mass audience, the main codes
and conventions are as followed:
● At the end of the film there is usually a happy ending, all the characters usually end up living in harmony again after the good
prevails throughout the story and will eventually at some point in the film defeat the evil.
● The linear is typically basic and linear, which means that the audience see that the events as they unravel, they don’t see anything
that won’t help move the story along and from start to finish they see the plot unravel and develop until the end.
● Many fantasy films are also ideologically correct, they follow the traditional ideas that are presented to people; for example
Disney who have a young target audience, set out gender roles for example generally the women are princesses who get
themselves in the trouble of somesort and need a man to save them.
● Often have elements that are supernatural, follow myths and legends and also can have elements of magic in there.
● The films are usually set in a place that isn’t in the normal world, or the film can incorporate them both by using elements of the
hyperreal world and then the world that the audience know to be true and the reality they live in.
● Many also have the traditional fairy tale background which can include a castle, or forests. Which is also reflected in the
characters used for example fairies or princesses and princes.
● Most of the fantasy films are set in the Medieval time period.
● In many films there is usually a hero/ heroine who has a quest which along the way they go against a villian who will try to stop the
quest.
● Propps tend to be of magical nature, which some can link the character to a place that will be shown in the film.
● They are mainly saturated in primary colours which gives a friendly approach, which contrasts to the evil sides that is shown in
darker colours which makes the side look dark and create a different dangerous atmosphere.
● The costumes are usually light colours, but the evil side usually dress in red or black colours which connotes the dark natures.

From the key concepts of this genre I have used a few of the typical codes and conventions, but at the same time I have also broken a range of the key
concepts to make sure that my media product is as original as it can be, but also I only followed the codes and conventions that I thought would help my
short film present the message I wanted to present in the best possible way. So here are the key concepts that I followed when making my short film:
1. At the end of the film their is usually a happy ending- For my short film in order to present the message I wanted to, in the nest possible way at the
end the outcome would need to be positive. So I followed this when I wanted to look at the key concepts because my message, about the
character finding themselves when they are lost is really key to see that happiness will come from finding yourself as an individual.
2. Offers elements that are supernatural or that follow myths and legends- My most obvious myth that I used was the unicorn, which I used to help show
the girl finding herself, I did this because I think that there is always something that makes an individual go and find themselves, which could just
be a personal reason, but I wanted to focus on the girl having to be strong and find her way in order for the good she wants to return to her. I
also used the fairy aspect of her which shows that there is more supernatural because my character starts off as a normal girl who looks like she
is living a hard life, to a beautiful fairy who is complete with the unicorn at her side.
3. Many films use a traditional fairytale background- For this is did conform to the key concept in this element of media, I did this because I wanted to
show the more natural aspect of the film, which although using the forest is because I wanted to show the typical background, I also wanted to
make sure that there was a natural element which links more to me as a person and I did want to show elements of myself rather than just
following concepts to construct a message.
4. Props tend to be of a magical nature, which sometimes link the characters to a certain place- For my props I used mainly the unicorn but I kept the
other props limited and only used a fairy wand to reinforce the idea that she is a magical element of the film rather than just a girl who has
dresses up.
5. Costumes are usually in light colours and the evil are dressed in darker colours or reds- I went along with this convention because I wanted to make
sure that the audience knew the difference between the girl at the two different stages of her life, which I thought is important so that my
message can be presented easily and clear to the audience rather than trying to make the difference shown through the colours of the costumes
rather than having to over complicate the plot and the editing techniques to try and show the audience the transition.

Here are some examples where these key concepts are used in my production: For the setting I used the key concept that they
are mainly traditional but at the same time, I
wanted to include parts that are key to the
audience understanding what they are
watching and how the message behind my
media production is constructed.
I wanted to focus on the forest setting equally
as much as any other setting I used because it
fits with the traditional idea of the fantasy
genre, but I also included concepts that aren’t
necessarily viewed as being key concepts but
are still included in a lot of fantasy films.
I after looking at the codes and conventions
and watching some films, I noticed that fields
were also often used because it brings the film
back down to nature, which I like.
I also noticed that during the war scenes of the
films there were places that have been
damages it in. Which makes the war parts look
truthful and accurate, so as I am looking at the
post war elements, I decided to include this
house, which would make the elements more
realistic and give the impression the war really
happened.

These images show that I followed the conventions of the letting the film
end with a happy ending. I did this because this was the best way that I
could present my message and leave the film on a good ending leaving the
end of my message how I want it.
I used the ending to show the fairy and the unicorn being reunited and
then walking off into the sun together. I decided to do it like this because I
liked what the snow represents and I like how when they are walking
together at some points the sun makes them look like silhouettes which
reiterated that hope the character had to get their life with the unicorn
back.

The Mise-en-scene and costumes I used also followed the codes and conventions of a fantasy film.
For the Fairy’s costume I used a light
colours which follow the generic codes
and conventions of a fantasy film, as it
shows the kind nature of the characters
that are wearing the light colours. I also
used the light blue because that
connotes calmness which I wanted to
include because I want to show how the
unicorn has a calming effect on the girl
by allowing her to be who she wants to
be. I also used flowers in her hair for the
same reason to connote the calming
nature and after some research I found
that there was a lot of people who
thought that flowers are also inviting
and show that the character is
connected to nature.
However to still show the hardship that
she had to go through, I left a black
under top on the fairy under the dress
just to show that she has memories still
of the past were she had hard times she
had to get over in order to find herself.
For the unicorn, I used a bridle-
although this was more for her
safety. It shows that she was
once tamed.
I used tinsel in her mane, which
was an iridescent colour,
although predominantly clear
the tinsel had a touch of colour
to it which did reflect blue and
purple. Which I liked because
this does give an element of
magic.
I also used a blue unicorn horn,
which I used because this
matches the dress of the fairy
and shows that they are
compatible, which I thought
might be harder for the audience
to see if there was a different
colour used.

However I also broke some key concepts in the production of my media product. I did this because I didn’t think they would fit with the
message that I wanted to present or I went against them because I wanted my media product to be different and not follow the main
codes and conventions. I mainly done this because after learning about Kirby Furgeson’s view that ‘Everything is a remix nothing is
orignal’ I wanted to try and make sure that mine media product was as original as possible. The conventions I broke are:
● The linear is usually basic and linear- I broke this convention because I used a more fragmented linear which showed the flashbacks to moments
that the girl and the unicorn had together before the war occured. I coloured this in black and white because I wanted to make it clear that these
were flashbacks of what the girl remembered before the war.
● Most fantasy films are ideologically correct and set out gender roles- I went against this by not using any other characters then the girl. My message
that I want to present is about the girl finding herself, without the support of others, which is were I broke Propps characters types and function
theory (where he argues that there are set characters with roles that are set out to move the plot along). I also didn’t want to use stereotypes
and represent that women are always in trouble and need men to rescue them.
● Films are set in places that are meant to be a hyperreal world- I set my film in places that will look familiar to the audience and that they will be
comfortable watching, I did this so there was a clear focus on the journey on the character personally rather than the audience getting lost in try
to absorb the setting the film is taking place in.
● There is usually a hero/heroine who goes on a quest and goes up against a villain- I again challenged this by only using one character and showing their
personal development rather than creating a quest which is going to be countered by the villain.

To find out about these being the key concepts along with me doing personal research, I also created a target audience
research survey which will help me gather my information about what the audience want to see and then this will let me figure
out how I wanted to present what the audience wanted. I made sure that I used questions relating to what I found in my
research to make sure I knew what the audience would like to see, although I did go against what the audience wanted in some
areas. So below are questions relevant to the key concepts.
For this question I wanted
to know whether the
audience would prefer to
watch a high fantasy or a
sword and sorcery. My
target audience decided
that they would want to see
sword and sorcery.
However I want to go
against this because I
thought that there are a
limited amount of High
fantasy films, so I wanted to
create one that would be
very typical of High fantasy.
For another one of my
questions I asked the
target audience what
Narrative they would
prefer to see in my film.
My target audience
marginally voted to have
a closed ending, which
went against what the
initial key concept of a
fantasy film is. I then
went with this as this is
what I wanted to do in
my short film anyway.

Target audience feedback continued.
I then wanted to find out
what the audience wanted
to see in a High Fantasy
film, because this is the
subgenre that I decided to
ask the audience what they
would most like to see the
film focus on. Which they
voted they wanted to see a
unique storyline, which I
decided I wanted to focus
on something that many
fantasy films don’t include. I
wanted to include some
codes and conventions but I
set my film after the ‘war’
that happened in the
section before my film.
I also wanted to ask
what the target
audience wanted to see
in the film as the main
location. I only went
with locations that
were traditional to
fantasy films, rather
than went with
locations that fitted
into the abnormal
places, which fits into
the sword and sorcery
codes and conventions.
I wanted to do this
because I wanted to
make sure that the
audience were aware of
the typical traditional
fantasy locations,
which they did by
selecting the forest
location.

When I began to look at fantasy films to both look for inspiration and to understand how most reach the climax and if they
follow generic theories, such as Todorov’s theory of Equilibrium.
The Harry Potter Series was one of my biggest inspirations when I began to research the fantasy
genre. I liked this film because I was liked how the man characters all looked real, and had some
tendencies to change into abnormal characters. I also like how there was also mentions and
flashbacks of events that affected the wizards before the film series started, which made was
explained and fulfilled at the end of the series, which links to Cameron’s four narrative theory-
Anachronic narrative, a theory that I wanted to link into my short film.
I was also inspired by The Princess Bride and the location that was set in terrain that wasn’t typical of
the fantasy films at that time. I liked how for when this was filmed it was different to anything that
was seen before in the fantasy genre, and the majority of the film is set in the film location which I like
how natural this made the film feel.
My other inspiration was the latest Cinderella, I liked this mainly for the dress
in the film. I liked the blue and how subtle but effective it was when she wore
it, as it added status to er and made the audience really see and understand
the change in her character. I also liked how she went from wearing clothes
that would be associated with a peasant girl, to a beautiful fairy girl, which is
were I got my inspiration for this change in my film from.

It was also important for me to look at stereotypes and think about how I was going to use representation within my short film.
I did this in many factors within my short film, starting with the unicorn.
I wanted to stray away from the main stereotype that the best way to present a unicorn is through using a white horse that can
have a range of different colours put onto their fur and make them look magical and like what a ‘real unicorn’ should look like.
With this in mind I decided that I was going to use a darker horse, which I thought would work better with my short film and
make the idea more original to my film, which was one of my targets at the start of the film. I also thought that this would fit
best with my storyline, as typically there is an element of difference within a fantasy film, which separates the main characters
from others and although I won’t be including more characters to shoe the difference my voice over will highlight the
separation for the character from others that may have been included. I however left this to the audience’s opinion weather
the unicorn has changed colour after the trauma of the war or if the unicorn was always this colour. I did this because I was
interested in the post modern aspect so I wanted to leave it fairly ambiguous and up the the audience’s interpretations.

I also looked at the gender stereotyping and the representation of women in Fantasy films. When I researched the fantasy genre, one of
the codes and conventions (as previously mentioned) was ‘Many fantasy films are also ideologically correct, they follow the traditional ideas
that are presented to people; for example Disney who have a young target audience, set out gender roles for example generally the women are
princesses who get themselves in the trouble of somesort and need a man to save them.’ After I found this it made me research further into
gender roles within fantasy were I read a range of articles and decided that this was definitely something that I wanted to go against in my
short film.
As part of my research read in an article that there women in fantasy films, don’t usually have a favourable role within a fantasy film. The
article said that this is because the more intense fantasy films have a male dominated audience so due to the selective exposure theory
most of these would like to see their own gender prevail and take the leading roles which have to most significant impact on the plot.
Which is taken as far as to accept women as nothing more than sex slaves in fantasy films, were it has also been commented on that there
is no boundaries of sexism in the fantasy genre.
This is something that I want to address within my short film. I want to go against the representation which I don’t think is a fair
representation of women in 2018. So to change this perspective I want to go against this and show the audience that women shouldn’t be
presented in this way. So I made this one of my top priorities to change this in my short film. To do this I only cast females, my main
character is a girl and so is the horse that I use as the unicorn. Which I make clear in my voice over aswell by using the words ‘her’ and ‘she’
frequently. Prior to this I was going to use a male character as a knight, however after reading the articles I wanted to create a different
impression and go against these expectations and create a different impression of girls within the fantasy genre.

The key message that I wanted to present in my short film is:
After something bad happens and has a dramatic effect on your life, there is always a way that you will find yourself and your
happiness will come back- I want to focus on personal development where the character goes on an independent journey to find
themselves.
I wanted to do this as my message because I thought that now there is so much social media influence in everyone’s everyday
life, which has an impact on people and can make people stride towards changing themselves to fit in with the stereotype or to
try and change themselves rather than find out who they really are and accept it. So this inspired me to create this message
within the short film. This was the main thing I wanted to present, I used the dark clothes on the girl to present this at the start,
which represents when she lost who she really was (in the film as a result of the war), and then I used the unicorn as the
catalyst when the girl realised that a change needed to be made, and the unicorn helped her overcome this. I then used the
costume change to make it obvious that this is the point the girl has made the change in her life and accepted herself now, with
the help of the unicorn who helps her embrace this.

I think to some extent I have achieved my message, although I don’t fully believe I have and if I were to get the chance to redo
my short film, then I would focus more on presenting the message.
When presenting my message I think fantasy was hard to fully present my message and it allowed me more to do a spin on my
message rather than fully make it and present it. I think the main reason I failed to fully make my message clear to the
audience was because I focused on trying to make the unicorn look realistic and make sure that the costumes and everything
had a meaning behind it that I lost focus on developing the meaning behind the film as much as I should have. Meaning if I was
to do it again I would make sure everything is more balanced and the meaning prevails more.
I also think another reason the meaning was lost is because of the genre, I think that the reasoning behind why I wanted to use
this meaning would have perhaps fitted better with another genre however I wanted to go against these barriers and present
this message in another way, I also wanted to use the fantasy genre to do this because I thought that the main audience for this
type of fantasy film is young girls, so I think this is an important message to try and present to them and try to teach them
these lessons before they get ravelled in social media.
Although I do think that there is a clear element of my message in my film especially in some parts, such as the overall
transformation from the girl in dark clothes to the fairy in a blue dress, I think that this is important to the plot because this is
the watershed in the play when they are able to see the change in the girl now she has found her unicorn (which gives her
confidence so overall represents finding confidence) where she transforms into a beautiful fairy who has found herself.

When I also made the film poster to most of the generic codes and conventions for a poster in the fantasy genre.
To create my movie poster I used photoshop. I followed the codes and conventions of a
movie poster, which are:
● They tend to focus on the main character- I followed this code and convention by
putting my main character into the centre of the poster which shows them to the
audience making it clear that they are the main characters in the film.
● Colours in the palette link to the colours in the film- I put this in the in the poster by
using images on natural light, and also by using the sunset in the left side of the
poster.
● Serif font is also common in the film posters, which make the poster look mystical- I
used this in my poster because after my drafts, part of my feedback was to make
font clearly link to fantasy rather than making it look like a poster which was
different to the genre, but it just had a link to fantasy.
● The title is large- The title I made sure this was the second biggest thing in the
poster, which draws the audience’s attention to it so that they know the name of
the film.
● The release date on the poster, usually at the top or the bottom of the poster- I used
the release date at the bottom of my poster, I did this because I liked when I was
doing my research that the release date was included in the credits rather than
out of the way, and I wanted my title at the top of the poster, so putting it at the
bottom fitted my lay out better.

My final ancillary text I created a film review, which would be published in a magazine as a means to encourage or deter the
readers off going to watch my short film, I decided to do this because I found this an interesting field to branch into because I
enjoyed reading these and I thought that they gave a good objective view on the film which made it clear about the genre, the
age rating, the actors and directors and overall a good impression of what the film is like whether it lives up to what it claims to
be. For my 2nd ancillary text I decided to make a film review that would be
published in a film magazine in order to promote the film. I did break
some codes and conventions. I did this by:
● Usually there are images of both characters which will try and make
the audience aware of what the character thoughts and feelings
about the plot will be. However to break this, I included two
images where the unicorn was the main focus, I did this because I
wanted the focus to be on the unicorn as this is out of the
ordinary and something that isn’t common in films, which I
thought would be more eye catching in the magazine.
● Using two different fonts. I choose to do this because I liked how
the different fonts catch the audience's attention at different
points of the poster. I did this because without using the
different fonts then the poster would fit with every other film
review, which I think because the plot of the film and the
message aren’t what are usually expected I thought that I should
try and represent this is my ancillary texts.

In what ways did your media product use, develop, or
challange codes and conventions of real media products.
Codes and conventions of my film review continued:
● The colour scheme I also used branches out from the ‘traditional’ colours. I went for bolder colours which oppose each
other, and therefore branch out to grab the audience’s attention. I also decided on these colours because they have
connotations to my film throughout, I used the blue because I wanted to show the calming nature of the film but also to
make a link to the fairy dress. I then used the purple because I wanted to add an element of the colours that match and
contrast the blues at the same time, but this colour also makes links to the unicorn in the film because outside the film
this is the colours that are used on the horse.
However I did also follow some codes and conventions that I found in my research into the film reviews that I completed. These
were:
● I used an opening information box, which gives the audience the generic information about the film such as: actors,
directors, a summary of the plot and the certificate that was given to the film, I did this because I think that this opening
information is a good indication to the audience whether the film is suitable for them to watch.
● I included a star rating which is common in the film reviews as it gives a short and sweet way for the reader to see if the
film has got a good rating before wasting there time and watching it or reading on if the rating isn’t a solid one.
● Finally I also included a final verdict, which I put in bold font therefore allowing the audience to see the overall opinion of
the reviewer plain and clear, without having to read the whole review trying to decipher the message with the possibility
of them misinterpreting it.
● I used social media and a web link because this gives this audience the chance to go and look at the review at a later date
or if they like the style then they can look at other reviews.
● Everything is slightly to the left which is common in a film review, and everything is in columns which are positioned
slightly to the left, giving room for this to be put into a magazine.

How effective is the combination of your main and
ancillary texts?
My first ancillary text is my film poster.
I think when looking at my poster all that is really given away about the film are the characters
and one of the locations. I think that this is a big part of a good film poster because if the plot or
the ending was given away in the poster, so I limited what I used image wise in my poster to
keep the audience guessing what the plot will bring.
Although I do think that there could be a common misconception about the film from the
poster. After analysing the poster in detail it could look like this film is just about the unicorn
and the fairy and the hardship of the war is forgotten. Which although I wanted to keep the plot
really ambiguous it could be perceived that there isn’t any form of darkness in the film, which to
the audience could be misleading.
I used the characters and the location in my poster which created synergy through the
links to the film through the poster. Although if I was to redo the poster I would
include more elements of synergy, for example go against more conventions and
include social media links or reference to previous films that the director has created.

ancillary texts?
To further the improvements that I would change the saturation of the image and
try to make sure that there is more of an equal colour correction in the location
image as the background, I would do this because there is only one element of the
font in white, which could after having feedback look like this is out of place.
I would also look into how to blend in an image better to the background, by trying
new effects therefore if I were tore do this poster, I would do this because I want
the image to look like it is part of the poster rather than just putting it on top. I
would also look to perhaps tone down the dress colour to make it look more
ambiguous and draw the audience to watch the film more.
I was challenged to try and find a background image that works with the poster,
although I still don’t think that I fully grasped this, I think that this image is the best
one that fits with my image.
Another challenge that I had was the creation of the credits, I had this problem
because I found it hard to make them a suitable size for the film poster and still be
central to the image, but I did manage to do this and an reasonably happy with how
it looks now.

ancillary texts?
For my second ancillary text, I created a film review that would go into
a magazine such as a Empire with the purpose to both review and
promote the film.
For my strengths, I think that I managed to follow a set structure of
what I wanted to include in my review, for example having an
information box, a star rating and a final verdict at the end of the
review. I also liked the colour scheme that I used I liked the links to
both the film itself and the characters that acted in the film outside of
it. I think that this aspect was effective because it doesn’t fit with all the
generic codes and conventions it makes sure that it catches the
audience’s eye and therefore draws them into reading the review.
However I think that there are some drawbacks to my film poster, I
think this because it goes against the codes and conventions so this
could pose as a weakness a perhaps deter the readers from reading
this as it could be viewed as unprofessional although there is still all the
elements there is a significant different from what is usually published
as a film review. I think another weakness is that I haven’t included a
clear image of the fairy or the girl to give the audience an idea about
what this character's thoughts or feelings are.

ancillary texts?
Some challenges that I faced in the production of this review was finding
images that I thought would fit, also the cutting out one of the images, I
also struggled to make sure that they were a good size. This challenge
mainly was the reason why I went against the codes and conventions
because this challenged me I wasn’t able to correct it with my deadlines. I
was also challenged by the star rating, this is because I couldn't find the
stamp that make these in photoshop, so therefore I created these by
using an image that I got off the internet and making them black and
white, by adapting the colour balance.
If I was to redo my film review I would focus mostly on the colour
correction of the two images but I would make the colours match by
changing the saturation. As when I look over my review as a whole I can
see that there are significant differences, and I would also like to change
one of the images allowing it to show the fairy character and perhaps the
point of change. I would also like to add my own star rating rather then
have to make a copy. I would also experiment with the colours more and
see if I could add anything more symbolic to the film than just colours that
had a small link to the film and a link to outside the film.

ancillary texts?
When looking at the strength of the short film, the main strengths I think that I had were the locations that I used and the mise-en-scene. I
think that these aspects were my strongest strengths, because the mise-en-scene I made sure that everything fitted together, for
example I think that using the blue shows the calming nature which I wanted to use in the film to show how the character calmed when
she met the unicorn. I also liked how I used two different costumes to show the change which made it more clear to the audience the
change in the character is occuring. I also think that the location I used was good and one of my strengths because it fitted both with the
codes and conventions as well as fitting in with my storyline as it enabled me to show the characters life before she finds the unicorn and
then it also lets me show the unicorn and how she makes the character transform.
However I did also have weaknesses, this was through the editing the sound and not fully making my message clear, which now looking
back I think that I could have improved on all these things. The editing of my short film I think was poor, because of my lack of experience, I
think that my editing was very basic and this was one of the factors that stopped me progressing which I think if I was to redo my short
film then I would make sure I was more aware of what I was doing with the software and I would have been able to make sure that I was
able to produce more of a professional film, therefore I also view my lack of software knowledge a weakness that I had in the construction
of my short film. I also think that the sound that I used was quite weak in thinking about how the sound and the voice over would effect the
audience and what kind of an impact it would give my audience. I was challenged by this aspect because I struggled to find audio wich
fitted with both elements that I wanted to include, to backup the story and to keep my audience understanding the story. Which if I was
to redo the short film then I would look more into how I could adapt the voice over to improve the overall effect that the sound adds to the
film. I also think that there are some shots which aren’t proficient enough which I would improve if I had the chance to redo my short film. I
think that using the camera also challenged me because I wasn’t able to shot shots effectively and which led to the downfall of my short
film in some areas although I did do reshots.

ancillary texts?
The main conventions that I challenged were that of the film review although I did break some codes and conventions which
lead to me making my texts more original. Although I still broke coeds and conventions in my my video.
I mainly looked at how I could break narrative theories within my short film and make it show my message fully, and in the way
I want the audience to understand it, although I did follow some basic aspects of narrative theory. The main element I went
with was making my film in a linear narrative, I wanted to keep this in my short film because it keeps the message strong and I
think that this is the best way for me to present my message to the audience. I also went with Cameron’s anacronic theory,
which breaks up the narrative to some extent by including flashbacks of events that will aid the plot
I did go against the codes and conventions of the theorist Propp, who argues that that there are a fixed amount of characters,
which each play a part in developing the plot and moving the film along; for example the hero and the villian. However I broke
this by only using one character, which I decided to do because I wanted to make sure that the message was about personal
progression of the character finding themselves rather then look at how other people influence you.
I also went against Todorov’s theory of Equilibrium, by not looking at the full sequence and just looked at the new Equilibrium
and the Equilibrium before the war which I mentioned in the voice over that I used to give the audience more information
about the film and what it is about.

ancillary texts?
The main aim for my film poster was mainly to promote my short film, but I also wanted it to act as a way that the audience
could get information about my film. I only wanted to keep the information limited and but still be informative enough for the
audience to understand the characters and the location. I think that when I made my film poster I did achieve this target, I did
this by making the background a shot of my location including as my main image a picture of my character and the unicorn,
which I think gave the audience enough information about the film itself. And then I gave traditional backing information
about the release date and the roles that different people played in the production of the film. I do think that I did achieve
what I aimed to in this ancillary text and I think that I would only change some elements of this text.
In my film review I think that my main target was that I wanted to make sure that I had the basic information about the film,
and I also wanted to make sure that there was some images on the poster. I do think that I achieved this but I do not think that
I achieved anymore than this. If I was to do my film poster review again then I would look into what message that I can present
through this more. I would like to do this because I want to make sure that my message is presented through this ancillary
texts too. I think that if I wanted to present my message further I would have included images of the girl before she became a
fairy, and perhaps include the transition to show the message about finding herself. Overall I think that I achieved the basic
elements of a film review but I did break a lot of codes and conventions which is something I would avoid if I was to do it again.

ancillary texts?
My main aim for my short film was to present a message about how someone can lose themselves, and the only real way of
finding themselves again is to do it independently, without the need for an outside influence to try and shape you into a new
person. I came up with this after being so emerged in social media when I was thinking of a message to present so I thought
that I would try and introduce this in this theme and meaning into the fantasy genre, which is uncommon in the fantasy genre.
Although I don’t think I was successful at achieving this. I think that the fantasy genre isn’t the correct genre to make the
message clear and develop this idea further. I think that the story line of my film only makes the message clear because the
storyline can have many different connotations.
I think that if I was to do this again that I would keep the same message but use a different perception, or genre on how to
make this work, I think that there is a limit on the fantasy genre and one of the reasons that I wasn’t able to achieve my
message is because I tried to over step these boundaries and the message that I wanted to present a message which too far
away from traditional fantasy genre. Therefore I think that I wasn’t able to achieve the aim that I wanted to.

ancillary texts?
To create synergy across my media texts, I used basic techniques to show the synergy. To show this I used the image of the
unicorn in both of my ancillary texts, I did this to show that there was a clear link to all of the texts and the short film that I
made. I also used this as a way for me to show the audience some information about the film.
I created synergy by making a film review and my film poster by linking it to my short film, I did this by using images of the
unicorn in all three, as well as including the name of the film. I also created synergy in the film poster and my short film by
including the images of the location and the characters, I did think to show the clear link to the characters and the location,
which is what I aimed to do.

What Have You Learnt From Your Target Audience
Feedback?
The startings of the target audience feedback came when I was beginning to plan the basic elements of my short film. This is
where I just asked basic questions which would help me understand what the audience would want to see in a fantasy film.
For my first question I just kept it very open, I mainly
asked this question because I wanted to find out my
main audience base, which was just to make sure that I
why my target audience wanted to see what they
voted for. I also asked this question because I wanted
to find out the best ways to interact with the audience.
I asked this question so that I could decide which
subgenre to go with when planning my film. This
was a good question to ask because it helped me
realise that I wanted to break the conventions
that are associated with the fantasy genre and I
thought that this would be the best way for me to
present my message.
This question is about what narrative that I should
follow, which is a significant question because I
wanted to see what the audience would best want
to see and this will help me interact with them
better if I am able to see what way they would like
the film to play out.

Feedback?
I asked this question because I wanted to
make sure that I knew what the audience
wanted to see within the film, so I asked what
they thought would be better in the genre. I
then used this as the main way to distinguish
what I need to focus on in my short film. This
was an important question because I wanted
to make sure the audience saw what they
thought was most important.
I asked this question to find out what
lighting the target audience would suit
the fantasy genre. Which I think is an
important question because it allows
the audience to see what they think
would best create the traditional
atmosphere in a fantasy film. This is
where I was going to decide whether
to go against the expectations.
I asked the location again to see if the ideas
that I had would fit in with the views that the
audience had about where a fantasy should
take place and what they are going to want
to see in this. I decided that I was going to
follow this and use the two most voted for
locations and use these as my locations.

Feedback?
I was able to receive some feedback on both my anicallary texts where this was supposed to help me improve although I
decided to try and make sure that I could improve these texts to the best of they can be.
This was the feedback that I received for my film poster, I
did go through this and make changes to my poster, which
did improve the quality of my film poster. To get this
feedback I sent my film poster to some members of my class
and this is the collective feedback that I received.
I benefited from this type of feedback because I liked how I
got some visual feedback of what they meant about the
credits and making the picture dominant in the poster.
I did adapt my film poster based on this feedback, I
changed:
1. The background image
2. Size of the credits on my poster
3. Changed the title text to fit with the codes and
conventions
4. Made the poster more central and looked at how to
make certain parts of the poster more dominant so it
catches the audience’s attention.

Feedback?
I also sent off my Film Review to get feedback for this anciallery text too, I used the same method for this by sending them off
and then condensing this into the most common improvements.
This was the feedback that I received for my film review. For this I decided that after following most of the conventions in the film
poster and only breaking some in my short film, that I wanted to break codes and conventions in this anicallry text. Which is how I
got to understand what the audience thought about my film review. After being given these I made little changes to my review,
such as including a star rating and changing the release date to match the date on the poster, I also made sure that everything was
more central to the page.
This feedback did shock me which is why I made sure that there wasn’t a lot of change because the feedback that I received mainly
wanted to focus back onto the codes and conventions which is why I made limited changes based on this feedback.

Feedback?
The effectiveness of this feedback on my media texts was quite significant. I found it was helpful to help me make decisions
based on the planning and even the editing of the texts. I think that this was helpful as an aid to allow me to improve but it was
also helpful because I was able to see what the audience thought about the production, whether it be how the audience
understood codes and conventions or if they gave feedback that was making me change to go against what I wanted to achieve
to start with. The feedback I received helped my understand if the audience had got what I was trying to present in my film or
whether they had just watched the film and got nothing back from it.
Overall I think that I got good feedback from my target audience and I think that I was all valuable. I was happy with how all
the feedback did help me understand what a member of my audience would take from the texts, which I thought would help
me as a whole understand what they see and how I could change this to make it more beneficial to achieving my aims. Overall I
think that the feedback I got did help me improve and achieve new things in my texts.
If I was to do this again I think that I would make sure I got more target audience feedback to make sure that I got my
audience’s views more throughout the process which would help me improve further. I would also have more of a
consideration around what I was doing with my texts rather than doing it and looking back on the codes and conventions
which I did and I think this did contribut greatly to me breaking many codes and conventions. I would also do more of the
improvements from my feedback to make my texts more about what the audience wanted to see.

Feedback?
For my final lot of feedback I held a focus group which consisted of 4 people which half had seen the production of my texts
develop and 2 hadn’t seen my productions before. I found that this was really interesting because I was able to see that there
was clear that there was development or if it fitted with the genre and what they thought that it meant.
The two that gave me feedback after seeing the production of the film which they gave me feedback suggesting the following:
● Use more editing techniques and make sure that there were more elements of the fantasy genre, such as including glistening
effects which will reinforce the idea that the audience is watching a fantasy film.
● Look into more sound effects and the voice over to make sure that it properly represents what you want to show in the film as in
some places it just looks like it is filling space.
● But the music does match and there is a clear idea about how they fit with the scenes of the film.
● The dress and the unicorn horn match which shows that they link. The locations all match the conventions and they suit the film
well.

Feedback?
When I got feedback from the two who didn’t see the production of the film throughout the process gave me this feedback:
● The start didn’t look like fantasy it was quite ambiguous, so was slightly confused about what type of film they were watching.
● The start is a bit long which makes it a bit boring, so needs to develop something into this and make sure that everything is done
and maybe making it shorter and then focusing on the unicron section more which would be more interesting.
● The sound fits to the location and when the the music comes on quicker it makes the audience aware that something is going to
happen.
● The flash backs provide a solid idea about what happened with the girl before the unicorn came back.
● Sometimes the colours of the shots don’t match which makes it clear that they weren’t filmed on the same day which effects the
continuity.

How did you use new media technologies in the
construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
Research Section
1. To begin with the researching element I used many different ranges of new Media Technology. I began by using the
most commonly used one, Google. I used this to start with, mainly to grasp an idea of the genre and how the subgenres
can branch off of the main genre, but how they still have strong links to the main genre that I am going to make my film
around.
2. I also was able to utilize survey Monkey and create a target audience survey which would help me understand what the
audience wanted to see in the film. I used this to create an idea around what I wanted to make my short film about.
Although I had an idea of what I wanted to make I think that this was effective because it gave me more of an idea
around what my audience thought was needed in a fantasy film.
3. I also used social media as a means to share the survey and get my feedback. This was quick and easy to share and get
feedback from my target audience. This was also a good way for me to develop the base of my target audience more
because the people I shared my media survey which will expand my base and make my survey more reliable for the
answer.
4. I also used sharing sites created by Web 2.0, such as Youtube. To share my media product this I could also make sure
that I can share my media product and make sure that I could log all of the progression but also that I could make sure
that it was available to a wide audience.

Planning
1. One of the first forms of technology that I used in the production process was creating my animatic. When making this I
had to use a range of media technologies, such as using programmes such as Google photos and Imovie. I also used A
Macbook Pro and a my phone. I had to take photos of my story board, then I uploaded the photos to google photos,
downloaded them to the Macbook Pro and then inserted them onto IMovie, where I put them together and created the
animatic.
2. I also then started to create mind maps on prezi, about what I wanted to include at what point in the script. Which was a
good way for me to see all of my ideas on the web of what I wanted to see in the script. I also liked this because there
was a clear sense of how the ideas are going to link together and how they are adapted to develop ideas that i had
earlier in the process.

Construction
1. After moving from AS to A2 I had basic skills in what I could and couldn’t do with new media technology. I had basic
producing skills after that was the role that I played in the production of that Media Text. I also had little editing
knowledge which was the main focus that I had on developing throughout A2. I also was able to do basic imports but I
did lack overall knowledge. I was forced to learn new skills throughout the whole of A2 which would make me develop
my skills and then apply them to my production as I went along.
2. I used Photoshop to create my ancillary texts which I was going to use alongside my coursework, I used this because it
is a professional format which will allow me to create a professional document which will in turn help me fit the brief
that I have been set. I had previous experience with this programme after doing it in Digital Art over the rest of the
school years. To gather the images for the film review and the film poster a well as the footage for the media product I
used a Cannon EOS 200D.
3. To edit the short film I used IMovie. I did this because I didn’t want to buy Premier Pro and I thought that I could get the
same result with IMovie and after I had already gained some experience with this programme during the creation of my
animatic I thought that this would be better to use. This also gave me a use of sound effects and I was able to
understand how this set out each clip editing and the sound editing that this programme offered. I was able to do my
voice overs straight into the timeline and then I was able to edit the sound of both the voice over and the music to
create the perfect balance of the sound.

Evaluation
1. I held a focus group for my final form of target audience feedback, where I was able to send the participants a link to my
final film and get an email back with their thoughts on the film or I got a response through some mode of social media.
This branched out my knowledge of what the target audience thought about the film, such as whether it fitted the
genre or did they get the message I was trying to present.
2. I used google slides to write up my evalution, I did this because there is auto save to drive which I liked because then I
didn’t have to worry about making sure my work was safe because I knew that it was. I also like this because I could use
google slides and google docs to make sure that I could edit the evaluation wherever I went. I liked how it was laid out
as well because it creates a professional effect but it also makes sure that there is an element of simplicity which makes
this software more appealing.
3. I then used slideshare which allowed me to upload my presentation into this programme, which meant that I can make
my presentation into this making it really easy to go through and read. This was also a good programme to use because
I was able to embed a link on to my blog and then I could make sure that it was both professional and easily accessible.

Did I Use These New Media Texts Effectively?
1. I think that I used the new media texts that I incorporated into the planning, research, construction and evaluation
stages of my media product. I think that texts that I learnt about over the process of the creation of the media product
was beneficial to both my skills and to how overall successful the final products were. The camera I used I already had
so I had an idea about how this worked which I think helped me create my media product to a higher standard then it
would have been if I had to also experiment with the camera before filming.
2. I am pleased with the progress that I have made over the past year, and I think that this is somewhat reflected in the
product that I was able to create. I have managed to create synergy effectively throughout my three media texts, which
a year ago I wouldn’t have been able to do effectively without a lot more help that I received this year. I am glad about
how the new media technologies that I discovered over the course of this production all aided me in different ways
which allowed me to be more independent, learn more and create a production that I am proud of.

A2 Media Evaluation

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