The document provides a reflection by the student on three media products they created: a short film, website, and postcard. The student discusses how they incorporated conventions and addressed social issues in their work. They aimed to represent an average family and teen girl. Elements like similar imagery, colors, fonts, and an original production company name were used across products to create branding. Feedback from test audiences was positive overall praising elements like camerawork, characters, and the issue of cyberbullying addressed. The student considers distribution methods for the short film like YouTube, festivals, or giving to schools.

1. A2 MEDIA STUDIES
EVALUATION
Advanced Production Creative Critical Reflection

2. INTRODUCTION
In this PowerPoint I will be reflecting on my completed work.
Postcards, websites and films are media products that follow guidelines and conventions inspired and influenced existing texts. In order
to create my three products I have done extensive research into existing work, audience preferences and genre conventions. Whilst
concentrating on complying with conventions so that audiences can recognise and identify my film as a fantasy drama. I have
represented the ‘average middle class Caucasian family’ through casting, use of wardrobe and props and storyline. I have tackled the
growing social issue of online bullying by having the main character struggle and overcome being a victim of cyber bullying.
My products incorporate elements that are unique and identifiable to the film. I have adapted my website colour scheme to appeal to the
majority of website visitors, other then that all my products use similar images, colours, typeface and subject matter. Through creating an
original and memorable production company I have incorporated it into all three products thus creating a sense of banding.
To engage with audiences I have used an emotional and relatable plot. My products incorporate bright colours against black
backgrounds as well as visually pleasing fonts. My website is easy to navigate and is filled with information and images making my film
attractive and inviting.
And finally through the use of hardware, software and online amities I have combined technologies to create well informed and well
executed short film, postcard and website. I was able to do this through my capable internet sourcing skills and well established
knowledge on Adobe Photoshop and iMovie. I struggled with new technology software such as Wix. However I was able to produce a
colourful and engaging web page that audiences like, with in the given deadline.

3. QUESTION 1
How do your products use or challenge conventions and how
do they represent social groups or issues?

4. FILM CONVENTIONS
Film Idea conventions
My film product Bardo tackles the social issue of cyber bullying through following an ordinary girls journey to
the intermediate state- Bardo. On one hand, my film follows the typical cyber bully entertainment film/
information video as it follows the mainstream narrative structure(order, disorder, order restored) and it has the
stereotypical characters (a vulnerable main character, a concerned family and a group of bullies). Yet again, I
have also gone against conventions in the way I have combined this serious topic with the concept of a
spiritual state.
There has been a significant increase in the amount of internet awareness movies, such as Cyber bully and
Trust. Cyber bullying is a growing issue in today’s society due to ease and availability of the internet, this is
why I wanted to capture a firsthand perspective of what cyber bullying can cause. Whilst also portraying the
unique concept of Bardo, this is an unconventional aspect to include in an information film yet it is what will
make my film stand out from conventional cyber bully videos.

5. FILM CONVENTIONS
Production conventions
The pre production stage is conventionally a time of drafting and planning. This is why
I developed my idea through the conventional methods of creating scripts and
storyboards as well as interviewing and exhibiting my work to test markets in order to
get feedback. In the production stage I made time tables, scene break downs and
filled out paperwork concerning the cast, call sheets and location contracts, just like a
big production movie would. However when it came to filming I shot the scenes out of
sequence due to location, this is a conventional and practical method of filming. I used
fade to black transitions and somber music, aspects that are know to be in dramatic
productions. In the post production stages I conventionally edited my film through
chronologically editing the footage, this is because I wanted to edit my footage in sync
so to moderate time and mentally follow the plot.
Genre conventions
As my film is a fantasy drama I have complied with the codes and conventions of both genres. To
fulfill drama conventions I incorporated- a dramatic story line, the portrayal of a characters journey,
climaxes and anti-climaxes and realistic emotional struggles. Furthermore due to Bardo being a
spiritual concept it is not reality, making my idea conform to the fantasy genre I represented this by
using dreamlike filters and high intensity music. Nevertheless it exhibits a real life situation with
realistic characters, settings and story.

6. FILM REPRESENTATION
Families
In my film, I have represented the average middle class Caucasian family and the struggles that this social group may face. I
achieved this through casting an actual family and choosing a suitable wardrobe as to make the characters seem legitimate and
relatable. The simplicity of having only a few characters means viewers are not alienated by a complex story line. I wanted to
involve the family in the film as I want my target audience to empathies and understand the effect their actions can have on the
ones closest to them.
Teen Girl
For the main character, I have created the classic teen girl through casting a ‘girl next door’ female lead and using stereotypical
teenage props such as an iPhone. I wanted the character to be relatable so audiences can sympathise with the issues she is
dealing with. In order for audiences to connect with my product I need to focus on making the main character as likeable and
applicable as possible, this is why I incorporated the loving family and why she is sensitive, quiet and dressed in neutral tones.

7. POST CARD CONVENTIONS
Designing
I firstly did research on existing work to understand the codes and conventions used
in a successful postcard. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to use the face of
the character on the front cover as it has been psychologists have proven that
audiences respond and are more intrigued by posters with faces on them, due to it
being in human nature the need to read expressions and emotions. I incorporated
the heart monitor green grid as the background to my postcard as to resemble the
working title used in my film. I also knew I wanted the title to lead on from the image
of the girl to make a connection between the two. And to comply with conventions I
positioned the awards, critics quotes, certificate, website address and production
company name around the edges of the postcard as not to distract from the visual
aspects.
Production conventions
I initially did a hand drawn design of how I wanted my postcard to look, this helped me
to visualise my ideas and record my creative progress. I then set out to create a digital
rough draft using Microsoft Word, this was a good step up however it did not look
professional due to Word’s limited photo editing tools. After analysing and taking notes
on my drafts I then used Adobe Photoshop to create my final post card, this is more
technically advanced and allowed me to manipulate images more accurately, giving
my work a professional finish.

8. WEBSITE CONVENTIONS
Designing
Again, I carried out research on existing film web pages to understand the aspects
used to create a successful website. I really wanted to make a bisque and simple
web page for my film using a cube of images and having each image leading to
information about the; concept, music, filming, film festival and even a help line.
However I was unable to achieve this design due to it being to ambitious compared to
my website making ability. This was my first time ever making a website and, where
as I benefited from my Photoshop skills I established in AS level , I had no previous
knowledge or practice designing web pages. I had to settle with using my design as a
background and having the production company name and a manual tool bar along
the top, which in fairness does comply to the conventions of a typical film website
page.
Production conventions
When big budget films create websites the start from scratch. Due to limited time
and website creating software I wasn’t able to create the webpage I initial
designed. Yet through creating a webpage through Wix I was able to produce a
more conventional layout. The tool bar and navigation system is a lot more
straight forward and the use of my production name makes my website more
synergy with the other two products. In hindsight I would have designed it
differently if given more time.

9. QUESTION 2
How do the elements of your production work together together
to create a sense of ‘branding’?

10. FILM, WEBSITE AND POST CARD
I have created symmetry between my film product, website and postcard through the extensive use of
repetition concerning: fonts and the colour schemes, thus creating a sense of branding.
It was through the creation of my film that I came up with the name for my production company-
PassTime Productions. As my last name is Malpass I was playing on the word ‘pastime’ in order to make
a realistic and ‘brand-able’ production company. I used the font ‘Brecksville old France’ as it is
compatible with iMovie, Word and Photoshop meaning I could replicate my production company name in
the same font on both my post card and website. This would familiarise audiences with the font and
logo, thus building a brand.
I knew I wanted to make a production company clip to show at the beginning of my film as to comply
with the conventions of a short film. I experimented with filming clock work to make a viable link between
the clip and the company name. When I came across the sand timer, I knew it would be a more suitable,
original and recognisable emblem for my company. This symbol can be seen on my postcard and
website again reaffirming the trademark of my work in viewers minds and branding my products.

11. FILM, WEBSITE AND POST CARD
As it is in keeping with the heart monitor theme the colour scheme is black and green. In my
postcard I used the same dark colour scheme to emphasise the suspense and drama, the
repetitive use of colours will appeal to my target market and make my products colour coordinate.
For my website I wanted to go for a more softer colour scheme as the percentage of people who
visit film websites are 70% females, this is why I chose pink and grey tones. In hindsight I would
have gone for a green and black colour scheme just so all my products are in unison.
In my film the camera continuously cuts back to a birds eye shot of the girl lay in a hospital bed to
signify the audience that their about to see what she is experiencing in her coma. This is why I
did a photo-shoot for my post card of the girl lay down but with her eyes open, this is so it was
more engaging and eye-catching. By using the same make up and wardrobe in the film, postcard
and on the website audiences will be able to easily identify the character. I used the same image
on my website which creates symmetry between my products. I took screen shots from the film to
use in my website, this will allow audiences who see the website first to have a good perception
of what is to come and for audiences who have seen the movie to recognise the images and to
make graphic matches.
And finally I used the sans serif font ‘Didot’ for my film title. I chose this font for is simplicity and
boldness and due to the fact that it was compatible on iMovie and Word. The test market found
this font the most impactful and it is an unusual font meaning it is perfect for branding as
audiences are more likely to remember unique textual deisgns.

12. QUESTION 3
How do you’re your products engage with the audience and how would
they be distributed as real media products?

13. AUDIENCES
Test Markets
To begin with I did extensive research on my target audience. I used ‘Survey Monkey’ to interview and collect data on the preferences and
opinions of 21st century audiences. This gave me a comprehensive idea of what viewers are looking for in films and what I would need to
create in order to appeal to them.
This is why through the process of my film I have shown my work to a small test market in order to get their thoughts and feelings. I find that
working so closely on a project means that you become oblivious to the smaller details and you need someone with an outside view to pick
up on them, this is why I found the test markets so effective. I also did not want to fall into the criticised ‘Directors tunnel vision’ whereby
directors only produce what they think is correct. Taking constructive criticism is an aspect I struggle with, however this project has been a
learning curb and I feel I have produced a much more rounded and well thought out media text due to my market research panel.
My products engage with viewers as they follow the traditional product conventions. In my film engages with viewers through its relatable
storyline as well as emotional music and realistic characters. My website engrosses audiences as it is easy to operate and covers
interesting information about my film. Due to the extensive use of images and eye-catching colours test markets have responded well to my
website. My postcard absorbs audiences through its use of bright test against a dark background and intriguing images. And the awards
and critics quotes advertised in small text encourages audiences to take a closer look and engages with their need for reassurance.
I arranged screenings of my film on the 12th and 14th of April. This allowed my to showcase my finished product to teen audiences and gage
their responses so that I could make any last changes. Here's what I found.

14. AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
After I showcased my movie to my school, I handed out questionnaires to teens, teachers and parents asking them the rate my
film out of 10, based on- the mise-en-scene, camerawork, editing, characters and sounds. I also asked them to comment on
what they liked and disliked about Bardo, my results are below. As you can see from the bar chart, teens responded the best to
my film. This is a result I was delighted to see.
Audiences commented that my film weaknesses are-
• “The cyber bully characters were unneeded as it would have been more scary if the viewers could imagine the cyber bullies
themselves”
• “The scene where the sister discovers the girl taking an overdoes is too morbid”
• “The concept of Bardo is too out there for me and made the film less believable”
• “The music could have been tuned better”
0
2
4
6
8
10
Teens
Parents
Schools

15. AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
On a whole audiences have responded positively to my film. I was surprised with how well teens picked up on aspects such as
camerawork as I feel it is a skill that young people take for granted. Parents were complementary on the fact that I have
produced a film that not only tackles an important issue like cyber bullying but also demonstrates how it can effect a whole family
and not just the victim. And the school commended Bardo on its informational and educational use. As you can see from the pie
chart below audiences rated my films originality the highest. The audience wrote that my film’s strengths are-
• “Excellent use of camera angles and techniques”
• “Realistic acting, a good performance from the little sister”
• “The authenticity and variety of locations is impressive”
• “The production title and working title look professional and legit”
• “The rewind scene leaves the audience speculating”
• “The statistics at the end of the film, hits the audience with the truth making them stop and think”
Successful aspects of Bardo
Originality
Camerawork
Musical pieces
Storyline

16. DISTRIBUTION
My target market is predominantly teens however through speaking to my teacher, I have come to realise that my target market is also parents
and schools. This means I would have to modify my distribution channels to accommodate other markets who could be interested in my film.
Distribution
Methods
Lastly, I could upload my film to YouTube, due to it being well know and easily accessed world
wide by all audiences. It is also free meaning this is the most economical route of distribution.
As well YouTube is good for posting short films and as mine is 5 minutes it would be sure to get
views. On the other hand, YouTube would generate a low income for my film, yet as my film is
low budget my objective isn't to make money but to raise awareness about a growing social
concern. Also, if my film was not sufficiently marketed the amount of views it could get is low as
my film is called ‘Bardo’ it is an inconspicuous film name meaning the amount of viewers who
could stubble upon it is limited.
I could circulate Bardo on Facebook for
distribution, as my the vast majority of my
target market is on Facebook meaning the
potential for likes and shares is endless.
Yet teens say they are put off watching
videos longer than a minute on Facebook
due to so much going on their newsfeeds.
And by using this social media sight it may
not reach potential audiences such as
parents or schools.
To conclude I think my safest distribution method would be to use YouTube, due to the popularity and ease
of not only publishing but also reaching large audiences. I could even make a small trailer to be advertised
before YouTube clips of dramas so I would be targeting viewers who pacifically have an interest in
fantasies/dramas.
Another distribution method that I conventional with big budget productions
is to burn my film to DVD and giving them to schools. This would reach
both teens and teachers and potentially parents. However a disadvantage
of this would be CD burning costs and plus people forget about DVDs and
only watch them once.
By submitting my film to an amateur short film
compotation I would be targeting an audience who would
be able to appreciate the technical elements of my work.
Though it is difficult to register and apply, if Bardo won
an award it would be advertised further on the festival
webpage. Which means I would have another award to
add to the postcard which in turn could encourage more
people to see the film. Yet if I wanted to reach a mass
teen market I would not be able to through this method of
distribution.

17. QUESTION 4
How did you integrate technologies- software, hardware and online- in
this project?

18. IMOVIE
For my short film Bardo I used iMovie in order to create a high quality and
professionally edited film. As this was my first timing using iMovie I had to
watch tutorials and play around with this software in order to learn how to
use it. I edited the length of the footage by selecting it and dragging left or
right to cut or lengthen the piece. To achieve the split screen of the girls
eyes closed and the heart monitor I had to watch a tutorial in order to
understand how to create this effect, I have now learnt that in order to do
so you lust place a piece of footage over another and decide whether it
should be spilt vertically or horizontally. I also was able to change the
speed of footage through selecting the speed monitor icon on the tool bar
and choosing either slow or fast, this helped me to emphasise the
emotion and suspense in some scenes. In order to over lay text I went on
'titles’ and selected a suitable text effect before dragging it over the
footage, I used this technique to implement the time and locations in the
opening scenes. I incorporated the musical elements through
downloading appropriate pieces from bensound.com and placing them
under the footage I want a backtrack to. iMovie has a sufficient library of
transitions to chose from, to comply with the conventions of a drama I
mainly used ‘fade to black’ and ‘fade to white’ which I implemented by
placing the transition in-between the two pieces of film I want to merge
into one another. I also found the audio library well stocked and was
impressed to find it had the sound of a ‘heartbeat’, a sound I use through
out my film in order to build tension.

19. WORD & POWERPOINT
I used Microsoft Word to design my initial digital draft. As I have been using Word
since I was in Year 3, I am capable and comfortable in using it to create rough
designs. Although it has limited image editing tools I know how to use them and
enjoyed playing around with the effects until I got the postcard look I set out to
achieve. After cropping the image is half I used the ‘background removal’ option to
edit out the background of the main image so the girl looks like she is floating in an
intermediate state. I then added a small glow to the edge of the image to cover up the
uneven edges of the background removal. I also removed the background of Bardo
so the grid lines could be seen behind the text, this made it look more professional
and relevant. I found a film awards emblem and a critics quote from the internet, after
cropping and formatting the image style to blur out the edges so that they blend in
well with the background. For the Production company name I used the Word Art
style gradiency as well as reflection as to make my production company look more
visually intriguing and memorable. I incorporated my ‘then’ production campy logo
recoloured it to black and white to match the other text on the postcard and as not to
detract from the green of the girds and Bardo title. Over all, despite Word not being
the conventional way of creating drafts I found it an effective and easy way to produce
rough designs.
Through using Microsoft PowerPoint I have been able to create and present my work
in a visual and interesting way. I have made 14 PowerPoint's documenting my short
film journey, for pre production, production and post production. I have chosen the
design layout ‘Apothecary’ for my A2 level and AS level work as it is has a neutral
colour pallet and has an elegant look about it. PowerPoint is also great for visualising
data and it is very easy to insert data analysis charts. This software also allows my
work to be sectioned in categories based on relevance and compresses into bite-size
slides of information.

20. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
I used Adobe Photoshop to create my final postcard (A6). I first began with a 10
cm by 14.5 cm template, as this is the conventional size of a professional
postcard. I then imported my main image and cropped and removed the
background with accuracy and proficiency. I copied the image onto the template
and selected the transform tool to resize the image. By using the eraser tool to
remove the undesired areas. I adjusted the opacity and flow to physically blend
the image into the background to get a ghostly/faded effect. I used the image
adjustment invert colour option to make the film festival award turn to white text
instead of black. Instead of a glowing door I decided to include a glowing light, to
create this I used the filter render lens flare option. For the critics quote I
adjusted the colour mixture tool with the maximum black option to blend the
image with the existing black background, then I used the eraser to smooth the
edges. The title, using the font ‘Didot’, was created using the magic wand to
select the black background area. Using the select option on tool bar, I inverted
the selection so that it only selects text and graphical areas. For the film slogan, I
used the font ‘courier’ to emulate the text used in my movie for the time and
location. I also added a layer style option called outer glow to make it look
heavenly and bold. Following postcard conventions I copied a film certificate (12)
from the internet and incorporated it in the bottom left corner. The Production
company name is in ‘Berksville Old France’ like I used in my website and film as
to continue the sense of branding. I also added ‘Bebel and Embose’ as to make
it stand out and look presentable.
To edit on the text bubbles and to create the working title animation I used
Abobe After Effects to give a high quality finish to my film.

21. WIX
For my website I used the programme Wix to create my own
personalised website using a plain web page template.
I placed the navigator way in the top right corner following typical
website conventions, to create an easily accessible page.
Opposite to this, I have positioned my production company
name with a yellow background so it is noticeable and stands
out. The over all home slide is an imported image of what I
wanted my over all page to look like. I have included a synopsis
page, home page, an about page and filming page filled with
information about my film. I have encountered problems adding
pages with links but eventually with aid from my teacher I over
came this problem by duplicating an existing page and changing
textual and graphical elements.
Over all I was disappointed how my website turned out as it is
not as bisque and professional as my other two products. I did
extensive preparation and research on the technology involved
in making my short film. I also benefited from my past
experience of Adobe Photoshop through the creating of my
fashion magazine from AS Level. I feel that I didn’t factor
enough time in for my website as I underestimated the
complexity of Wix and the time it would take to achieve a high
quality webpage. However, it is a successfully functional website
that has basic information concerning my film hat was
complemented within course of the final deadline.
http://kilenc.wix.com/bardoshortfilm

22. ONLINE
I integrated technologies such as the internet in this project through using online sites
like- Google, Slide share, YouTube, Blogger and Survey Monkey.
At the very beginning of my pre production I used Google in order to search for
examples of others work, this helped me to analyses and take note on existing pieces
which in turn helped me to develop my own idea.
Slide share is an online website that compresses PowerPoint's into slides that can be
published and viewed online. I have used this site to convert my PowerPoint's so that
they can be compatible with internet users and therefore uploaded to my blog for
examination. I did this by coping the embedded code into the HTML section on my
blog.
I used YouTube as another conversion site. My film, being made in iMovie means it
was not compatible with my Blogger account. This is why I uploaded it to YouTube in
order to integrate technologies in an effective way.
Survey Monkey is a website that allows you to create online questionnaire. I used this
website in the preproduction stage of my film as to gather information on the
preferences of my target audience. It was a great way to syndicate technical elements
in a collaborative way.
Through the internet I was also able to source my music for Bardo. I found a copyright
free music website called Bensound.com and it was there that I downloaded and
implemented suitable musical pieces into my film.
In conclusion without combing technologies I wouldn’t have been able to complete this
task. By utilising a number of online sites, hardware and various software I have been
able to produce a website, postcard and short film to a high and professional standard.