The document discusses technologies used in creating a media product. It describes using Canon cameras, tripods, microphones, and editing software like Final Cut Express and Cubase. Specific techniques learned include adjusting camera settings for lighting changes, using manual focus, syncing audio with video, editing sound levels, speeding up/slowing down clips, and adding visual effects. Transferring files between software and rendering movies for different uses was also an important part of the process. Overall, the document reflects on the various technologies employed and editing skills developed in constructing the media product.

1. 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?
My British media product with chick-flick genre is massively influenced by American films such
as: Easy A- distributed by Screen Gems, Mean Girls- distributed by Paramount Pictures, and the
Breakfast Club- distributed by Universal Pictures. Therefore, a film company such a Nickelodeon
Movies could distribute my media product. This film institution usually distributes film versions of
successful television programmes which are aimed at children. In 2008, Nickelodeon Movies, with
Paramount Pictures, distributed Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging. This British Chick-flick with
a teenage target audience made £929,246 in the opening weekend in the UK in July 2008. This film
is similar to my media product through the plot and stereotypical characters featured in the narrative
and therefore this company may be able to distribute my product with the same success. The
connection to the television channel will also benefit me in the way that it can have a guaranteed
television released with a devoted audience to nickelodeon television channel.
However, due to the fact that many chick-flicks are produced and distributed by American film
companies, however, in order to make my product original and competitive, I feel it is necessary to
have my film distributed by a British Film company. My opening sequence and low budget would
appeal to an independent distributor, such as Warp X who harness new and emergent talent. A more
resourceful idea would be to have Working Title distribute my film because they are an independent
film company with financial backing from Universal Studios and therefore have wider opportunities
for distribution. I would want to promote my product through social media sites such as Facebook
and Youtube, websites that know everything about it's users and can target them directly- through
the use of cookies. Youtube would be beneficial to promote my product , placing my advert before
the videos made by successful Youtubers, directly target my desired age group. Another distribution
method would involve synergy with the successful game app company Gameloft. This would mean
an android app would be available for viewers to play with the characters in mini games such as
helping Sophie out of stressful situations and choosing which character of the film will suit the job.
This would also allow communication between viewers and word of mouth would help to
continuously market the film. Finally, using convergent media I would distribute my product online
to sites such as Netflix.
Choosing Working Title as the distributor, methods of distribution would include: multiplex cinema
such as The Odeon- who have a slight connection to Universal Studios, dvd, blue ray, social
network fan pages and an extended trailer and cast interviews available on the internet through
Youtube. I would distribute my film in July, the middle of the year- just as schools are breaking up
for summer to attract a mass teenage audience and allow enough time to prepare for a television
release in the winter months. Audiences would be able to exhibit my media product on channels
such as Film4. I imagine for it to be shown during one of the channel's chick-flick themed nights
and on other nights it is suitable for pre-watershed screenings.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
My media product has a clear teenage target audience based on the themes, setting and plot.
A character profile of two audience members for our media product:
Name: Katie Farrell
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Education: State
Class: Working/ Middle class
Social grade: C2
Hobbies: Swimming, running, art, watching films, horse riding, singing

2. Interests include: Celebrity gossip, makeup, fashion, hair styles, good looking male celebrities
Favourite music: Pop- J.cole, Sam Smith and Alternative- Ed Sheeran, Bastille
Favourite films: Mean girls, Easy A and Marley and Me
Name: Jordan Parker
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Education: Private
Class: Working/ middle class
Social grade: C2
Hobbies: Singing, Dancing, Acting, art, watching films, playing video games,
social media sites
Interests: celebrity gossip, fashion, film making, food
Favourite music: Alternative- Birdy, Eliza Doolittle and Pop- Rihanna, Lilly
allen and R&B- Drake
Favourite films: Grownups, Ted, The Usual suspects, Bring it on
The certification of my media production is 12A based on the BBFC classification. This
classification states:
Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour such as racism must not be endorsed by the work as a
whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly
condemned.
References to discrimination for entertainment value is conventional in films within this genre but
because of our certification we included no discriminatory language or behaviour throughout our
opening sequence. This sort of language and behaviour includes racism, sexism, and suggestions of
someone being mistreated based on a disability, their age or religion. Our multi-cultural cast and
light-hearted narrative, based around a character who seeks revenge on her teachers in fear of them
plotting to kill her, ensures for no suggestions of discrimination in our product.
Drugs
Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.
My opening sequence and entire media products includes no references to the use and/or misuse of
legal or illegal drugs. One reference of a chemical used to knock a teacher out is used for
entertainment value as the teenage audience will understand that a character of such a young age
wouldn’t realistically have to the knowledge to make a poison like the one referenced in the film.
Horror
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are
not frequent or sustained.
In my film there are subtle references to horror elements, with main character Sophie reading a
book about a “killer teacher”. This book is briefly featured in the opening sequence of my film but
is referenced in a way that the horror element is simply used to provide entertainment to the
audience (uses and gratification theory). At the end of the opening sequence Sophie twists her
teachers words, “in fact this may be the last piece of homework you ever hand in” and “I am the last

3. person you want to cross”, into threats and signs that her teachers are planning to kill her. We
emphasise that this idea is all in her head, however, but putting an echo effect on the voices and a
warp effect on the visuals.
Violence
Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on
injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual
violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual
justification.
One of the characters featured in my opening sequence is a stereotypical school bully and therefore
speaks aggressively and displays very moderate physical violence towards the stereotypical “geek”
character, pushing him off the wall and then shouting at him. This is used to introduce this character
as a bully and enable the audience to understand her role within the narrative. This type of character
is conventional within films of this genre and is also used to create binary opposing characters,
allowing the audience to become active and take sides. The scene that follows this, however, is a
shot of this character getting in trouble with a teacher, displaying to the audience that this behaviour
is unacceptable and should not be copied.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail
which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be
glamorised.
Chick-flicks/ romantic comedies have conventional light-hearted narratives, and even though
characters have issues and problems to overcome, imitable behaviour is not featured. My opening
sequence and entire film does not include this kind of behaviour as it would change the mood and
atmosphere of the film and is not suitable or necessary for the themes or story line of my film.
Language
Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.
Our has very little speech and moderate language is not included and if I was to continue on with
the narrative, I would ensure that any moderate language is only used in necessary situations. I
would only include this language because of the age of the characters featured and to make them
seem realistic and so that the audience can identify with the characters (uses and gratification).
Films within this genre usually include strong language based on the age of the characters that are
featured in the films.
Nudity
Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.
Nudity is not necessary in my film based on the main setting, school. Nudity is not normally a
prominent feature of this genre; however scenes with characters dressed provocatively are usually
included. My opening sequence and entire film does not include scenes with this content as my
narrative doesn’t involve scenes that would provoke nudity and it is important to emphasise
Sophie's innocence throughout the narrative in order for the audience to understand her paranoia
and find entertainment in her drastic behaviour.
Sex
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is
suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.
I will not be including brief or discreet shots of sexual activity, as it does not fit in with the narrative
of my film. Although there is a theme of romance between protagonist Sophie and the jock Joe,

4. conventional in films of this genre, this is never perused to the extent of sex references and remains
innocent throughout.
Theme
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
The underlying theme of revenge is consistent throughout the narrative of my media product,
however this is included to provide entertainment for the audience (uses and gratification) and
would only be seen in small amounts so that our audience are not influenced to copy the actions of
the characters (hypodermic needle theory). Films of this genre normally include mature themes so
that the audience are entertained or educated (uses and gratification).
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
To create our product, the technologies that we used include: Cannon 600d cameras and Libec
tripod and dolly. When using these technologies I learnt a lot about lighting and sound when filming
outside. For example, when shooting the scene between the two boys outside at the school gates, I
found that there was a bleed from the light and so I had to adjust the ISO setting on the camera,
turning it down to make the frame darker.
Using the cannon camera's also developed my skills of using manual focus. When filming the scene
in which the bully pushes the geek onto the floor which knocks his glasses, we decided to have a
shot which was out of focus from his point of view. To do this we used the manual focus on the
camera and we took it in turns to stand in position and test the shot, twisting the lens in and out of
focus. This was successful in showing a blurred point of view shot from the geek who cannot see
clearly without his glasses and was effective in developing his character. We also had a shot which
went from out of focus to in-focus as he adjusts his glasses and so we had to make sure that we
moved the lens to the correct position when filming the bully in-focus.
Filming outside also made me more aware of sound interference. I realised that the microphones on
the cameras are very sensitive to the sound of wind. When filming a short piece of dialogue
between the geek and the bully the wind affected the sound. This meant that we recorded the sound
on a separate external microphone and during the editing process had to lip-sync the sound to the
visuals. This was challenging and fiddly so I had to zoom in on final cut to increase my accuracy nd
eventually the visuals were perfectly matched.
During the editing process, we used technologies such as recording booth microphones, Apple mac
and PC computers, on which there were software’s like final cut express and Cubase. We edited the
visuals on final cut express from which I learnt about rendering film clips, matching the sound and
visuals exactly and cutting and pasting sounds over different visuals, for example when Carla enters
the shot and stamps down on the floor we used a loud sound over the visuals. I also developed my
editing skills by cutting between shots and staying aware of the 180 degree rule. This was used in
bedroom scene, first displaying Sophie in a mid-shot sitting down and then in a wide-shot as she
walks away from camera. When creating the soundtrack we used the software Cubase and this
allowed me to develop skills involving levels and timing of a piece of music. After gaining
permission from the management and owners of the song, we downloaded the acoustic karaoke
version onto the desktop. We then exported it into cubase and were able to use the recording booth
to record our own vocals over the top. This made me aware of staying in time with the audio track
and once then vocals had been recorded we adjusted the levels to ensure that they didn't overpower
the soundtrack. We then put this audio track over the top of our visuals on final cut, fading it out
where necessary. To fade the track in and out I double clicked on the audio, opening a screen with
an image of the sound. I then marked to places on the audio lines and dragged one end of line down
to -20 and then back up to 0 at the correct places that the dialogue came in. This was important in
the scene between the bully and the geek, fading the music to very quiet when Carla says “yeah

5. what exactly do you think you're looking at” and then gradually fading it back in when there is no
more dialogue.
Specific editing techniques that I applied to my media product include modifying the speed of
visuals. I used this technique during the scene set at the school gates. At first the the speed is
increased, with a fast forward effect on the feet of various students walking into school. Later in the
scene, the visuals are sped up when Deren is doing kick ups with the football. This is used to make
his skills look even more impressive and introduce his character to the audience as the sporty boy.
The visuals are then slowed down, creating a slow motion effect on the introduction of the “popular
girls”. This immediately highlights their roles within the film to the audience and allows the
simultaneous hair flick to become even more obvious, which is very conventional to the genre. As
Deren winks the visuals are also decreased to 50% to connote to the audience that his character is
flirty and the one who all the girls fancy. Another editing technique that I used was effects. At the
end of my opening sequence the protagonist becomes paranoid about her teachers and to display
this and continue to tell the narrative I used a warp effect on the visuals, connoting to the something
isn't quite right. Following this, I used an echo effect of the voice overs which play over the top of
the visuals that I cut down and reversed. This tells the audience that the narrator is going back to the
beginning of the narrative to explain exactly what she is thinking.
We created the titles on a software called LiveType. This was a completely new experience for me
and I feel that I successful in sticking with the audience expectations by keeping the titles in the
same font, size and colour throughout and appear in the same place on the screen. On this
programme I had to type in the text, making sure that there were no grammatical or spelling errors. I
then altered the size and position of the titles so that they were easy to read and I also has to edit
time they remained on screen, ensuring that they could be read at least one and half times by the
audience. There was a lot of transferring files from one computer software to the next involved
during the editing process. To export the titles I had to render the movie and save it on the desktop
so that when I drag and dropped it in Final Cut it could be easily navigated, avoiding the chances of
the media becoming offline. I also had to use my USB to transfer some files, like the soundtrack
from cubase on the PC to Final cut express on the Apple Mac. This meant that I had to export it to
quicktime and copy and paste the file to my USB, ensuring that they was always a copy on the PC
for back up incase anything was lost.

6. what exactly do you think you're looking at” and then gradually fading it back in when there is no
more dialogue.
Specific editing techniques that I applied to my media product include modifying the speed of
visuals. I used this technique during the scene set at the school gates. At first the the speed is
increased, with a fast forward effect on the feet of various students walking into school. Later in the
scene, the visuals are sped up when Deren is doing kick ups with the football. This is used to make
his skills look even more impressive and introduce his character to the audience as the sporty boy.
The visuals are then slowed down, creating a slow motion effect on the introduction of the “popular
girls”. This immediately highlights their roles within the film to the audience and allows the
simultaneous hair flick to become even more obvious, which is very conventional to the genre. As
Deren winks the visuals are also decreased to 50% to connote to the audience that his character is
flirty and the one who all the girls fancy. Another editing technique that I used was effects. At the
end of my opening sequence the protagonist becomes paranoid about her teachers and to display
this and continue to tell the narrative I used a warp effect on the visuals, connoting to the something
isn't quite right. Following this, I used an echo effect of the voice overs which play over the top of
the visuals that I cut down and reversed. This tells the audience that the narrator is going back to the
beginning of the narrative to explain exactly what she is thinking.
We created the titles on a software called LiveType. This was a completely new experience for me
and I feel that I successful in sticking with the audience expectations by keeping the titles in the
same font, size and colour throughout and appear in the same place on the screen. On this
programme I had to type in the text, making sure that there were no grammatical or spelling errors. I
then altered the size and position of the titles so that they were easy to read and I also has to edit
time they remained on screen, ensuring that they could be read at least one and half times by the
audience. There was a lot of transferring files from one computer software to the next involved
during the editing process. To export the titles I had to render the movie and save it on the desktop
so that when I drag and dropped it in Final Cut it could be easily navigated, avoiding the chances of
the media becoming offline. I also had to use my USB to transfer some files, like the soundtrack
from cubase on the PC to Final cut express on the Apple Mac. This meant that I had to export it to
quicktime and copy and paste the file to my USB, ensuring that they was always a copy on the PC
for back up incase anything was lost.