Saturday, 11 May 2013
Red Christmas - Final Cut
The final cut of our slasher film, Red Christmas. As you can see, there have been several changes to the sequence of events, as well as some entirely new footage.
Evaluation Q1 Forms and conventions
Our media product is quite conventional in a number of ways. It follows Todorov's narrative structure, beginning with a form of equilibrium as the characters go carol singing at Christmastime. It is only when the masked killer is added then a state of disequilibrium is reached and the singers begin to be targeted, one by one. This format of teens being stalked and killed by a mysterious, unseen adversary uses Barthes' narrative engima; a common slasher feature and one that appears in what's considered the earliest slasher film, Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960).
However, in other ways our product does try to challenge some of the established conventions. For example, in the opening scenes there is very little explicit sexual or violent content, long considered standard in horrors and slashers in particular. Furthermore, the character that we initially choose to follow does not conform to many of the 'scream queen' stereotypes, and could be said to be a countertype instead. There is also a sense of naivity about the main characters, they have not transgressed some cultural norm, they have simply been over curious and investigated somewhere they shouldn't.
Our killer character is perhaps more of a standard archetype. Dressed in an outfit rather than normal clothing, and carrying a sharp object which he uses as a weapon, he fits in with many established on-screen killers. And as mentioned above, his mysterious nature is another factor of his conventionality, killers from Norman Bates to Leatherface have been enigmatic in either motive or identity (or sometimes both!). Our killer initially seems to follow in this tradition.
In terms of film making, we have stuck to long-established methods. Quick, rapid cutting and shot selection during scenes of violence contrasts with long, drawn-out takes to create a sense of unnaturality and foreboding. Another common technique we have use is one of showing a scene from the killer's point-of-view; again this has been used almost right from the beginning of the genre and is still commonly used today. Overall, our film can be considered to apply methods and techniques that have continued throughout the history of the genre.
However, in other ways our product does try to challenge some of the established conventions. For example, in the opening scenes there is very little explicit sexual or violent content, long considered standard in horrors and slashers in particular. Furthermore, the character that we initially choose to follow does not conform to many of the 'scream queen' stereotypes, and could be said to be a countertype instead. There is also a sense of naivity about the main characters, they have not transgressed some cultural norm, they have simply been over curious and investigated somewhere they shouldn't.
Our killer character is perhaps more of a standard archetype. Dressed in an outfit rather than normal clothing, and carrying a sharp object which he uses as a weapon, he fits in with many established on-screen killers. And as mentioned above, his mysterious nature is another factor of his conventionality, killers from Norman Bates to Leatherface have been enigmatic in either motive or identity (or sometimes both!). Our killer initially seems to follow in this tradition.
In terms of film making, we have stuck to long-established methods. Quick, rapid cutting and shot selection during scenes of violence contrasts with long, drawn-out takes to create a sense of unnaturality and foreboding. Another common technique we have use is one of showing a scene from the killer's point-of-view; again this has been used almost right from the beginning of the genre and is still commonly used today. Overall, our film can be considered to apply methods and techniques that have continued throughout the history of the genre.
Evaluation Q2 Representations
In our film, the entire cast is made up of teenagers/young adults, so it can be seen already the very specific target audience we had in mind. Our characters are portrayed as a normative group, with a common age range (16-17), and manner of dress; notably they are all stereotypically feminine, with long hair, makeup and fashionable clothing. They are all also not specifically portrayed as being part of a particular social clique or other group, and we would expect the average teen audience to be able to relate to them. The girls are carol singers in our film, so there are connotations of naivety and both the characters accents and location would suggest a middle-class setting. However, in a twist from the normal slasher film patterns, it is the character who would normally be expected to survive the film, being fairly conservatively dressed, who is the killer's first victim - an example of a countertype.
We have not gone out of our way to try and represent any form of regional or cultural identity. Although our cast is made up of people from the local Yorkshire area, we consciously didn't make this obvious. Too much emphasis on this could have alienated viewers from different areas, and part of the popularity of the slasher genre is that the main characters could be from anywhere. It's also far more common that the location of slasher films is a small town or leafy suburbia, rather than a well-know city, so again our film reinforces these views.
We have not gone out of our way to try and represent any form of regional or cultural identity. Although our cast is made up of people from the local Yorkshire area, we consciously didn't make this obvious. Too much emphasis on this could have alienated viewers from different areas, and part of the popularity of the slasher genre is that the main characters could be from anywhere. It's also far more common that the location of slasher films is a small town or leafy suburbia, rather than a well-know city, so again our film reinforces these views.
Evaluation Q3 Distributor
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Distributors are companies whose job it is to make sure media products (such as films, music and other commercial items) get a wide release and are available to buy. Their job is in advertising and persuading cinemas that their film should be shown.
Our product is a low-budget indie film, with no stars or expensive effects, so it would have difficulty getting picked up by one of the large conglomerates, such as Warner Bros. or Paramount Pictures. These companies are two of the 'big six', large Hollywood companies, and although they are primarily involved in production and broadcasting rather than distribution, they are so large that they usually have a distribution wing, often a subsidiary rather than a separate partner. To them, indie films are seen as a liability, with no guaranteed box office success, and it would be incredibly difficult to get a distribution deal with no proven track record. Instead, a company used to dealing with indie productions might be more ideal.
Unlike the US, media institutions operate differently in the UK. The UK Film Council, an umbrella group set up in 2000 with twelve regional bodies, (intended to tie together the various parts of the UK film industry) was directly funded by the UK government; privately financed film production companies are unlikely to succeed thanks to domination of the market by American companies. This allows indie companies to gain enough money to finance and distribute their products without having to compete with the 'big six'. Warp Films is funded in this way, specifically by its local regional arms EM Media and Screen Yorkshire. In 2011 the Council was closed down due to budgetary concerns, and most of its role was carried on by the reduced regional arms and the British Film Institute.
StudioCanal UK (formerly Optimum Releasing) is a distribution company that has worked with indie and low-budget filmmakers multiple times in the past; it is the main distributor of films made by Warp Films and several other British film companies. Although it is a subsidiary itself, half owned by NBCUniversal, it's role is primarily one of releasing non-Hollywood films, and it has a specialty in UK indies. It would be an ideal distributor for our film if we could secure a deal.
Distributors are companies whose job it is to make sure media products (such as films, music and other commercial items) get a wide release and are available to buy. Their job is in advertising and persuading cinemas that their film should be shown.
Our product is a low-budget indie film, with no stars or expensive effects, so it would have difficulty getting picked up by one of the large conglomerates, such as Warner Bros. or Paramount Pictures. These companies are two of the 'big six', large Hollywood companies, and although they are primarily involved in production and broadcasting rather than distribution, they are so large that they usually have a distribution wing, often a subsidiary rather than a separate partner. To them, indie films are seen as a liability, with no guaranteed box office success, and it would be incredibly difficult to get a distribution deal with no proven track record. Instead, a company used to dealing with indie productions might be more ideal.
Unlike the US, media institutions operate differently in the UK. The UK Film Council, an umbrella group set up in 2000 with twelve regional bodies, (intended to tie together the various parts of the UK film industry) was directly funded by the UK government; privately financed film production companies are unlikely to succeed thanks to domination of the market by American companies. This allows indie companies to gain enough money to finance and distribute their products without having to compete with the 'big six'. Warp Films is funded in this way, specifically by its local regional arms EM Media and Screen Yorkshire. In 2011 the Council was closed down due to budgetary concerns, and most of its role was carried on by the reduced regional arms and the British Film Institute.StudioCanal UK (formerly Optimum Releasing) is a distribution company that has worked with indie and low-budget filmmakers multiple times in the past; it is the main distributor of films made by Warp Films and several other British film companies. Although it is a subsidiary itself, half owned by NBCUniversal, it's role is primarily one of releasing non-Hollywood films, and it has a specialty in UK indies. It would be an ideal distributor for our film if we could secure a deal.
Evaluation Q4 Audiences
Our primary target audience is expected to be teens, long the main viewer of slasher films. To reflect this, most slasher films feature young characters, with adults relegated to a secondary or peripheral role and often portrayed as ineffective in dealing with the threat presented by the killer. Adults are usually parents of the main teens or else local cops (or sometimes both! eg Halloween). Because of this, it is expected that our film will have less of an appeal among older age groups. Either 15 or 18 is the usual rating for slashers due to the high amount of explicit content that makes these films popular with the teenage audience in the first place.
Our secondary target audience is expected to be younger adults, usually 18-25 years. Although our film is not specifically aimed at this audience, unlike the one above, it still can prove popular in this age range due to the levels of both horror and suspense.
The slasher has consistently done very well at the box office, and this is largely because of the 'shock factor' that these films can offer. Despite the often very low budget of some slashers, these have often gone on to be extremely successful; Halloween for example was made on a budget of around $500k. Another factor that does not usually affect slashers is that of stars; many slasher films have used unknown actors that have only subsequently gone on to achieve fame. So our own cheaply made film is following in these footsteps.
Our secondary target audience is expected to be younger adults, usually 18-25 years. Although our film is not specifically aimed at this audience, unlike the one above, it still can prove popular in this age range due to the levels of both horror and suspense.
The slasher has consistently done very well at the box office, and this is largely because of the 'shock factor' that these films can offer. Despite the often very low budget of some slashers, these have often gone on to be extremely successful; Halloween for example was made on a budget of around $500k. Another factor that does not usually affect slashers is that of stars; many slasher films have used unknown actors that have only subsequently gone on to achieve fame. So our own cheaply made film is following in these footsteps.
Evaluation Q5 Attraction/Addression
On the whole, we tried to attract our audience by sticking to the established conventions and stereotypes of the slasher genre. We used recognisable characters such as the scream queen, final girl (an example of Carole Clover's feminist critique and a common slasher feature), and the concept of a masked killer. Our cast was mostly female; this not only attracts a female audience but also a male one if you apply Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory.
We also tried to address our audience through our characters; they're all examples of teenagers and as such would be fairly easily identifiable to our target audience, who would likely be made up of people who act similarly.
We also tried to address our audience through our characters; they're all examples of teenagers and as such would be fairly easily identifiable to our target audience, who would likely be made up of people who act similarly.
Evaluation Q6 Technologies
Over the course of the past year, I have learnt a great deal about the various technologies that are commonly used in media. These range from production software packages, such as Final Cut Pro and Garageband, to online distribution including Scribd and YouTube.
Initially, I thought the software would be incredibly complicated to use and would require a lot of practice to get used to; in actuality it has been only moderately challenging and a few quick tutorials in the basics meant that I was soon ready to go! Final Cut Pro has been used extensively in our company for editing and modifying our slasher, 'Red Christmas', and also in numerous other editing tasks that have been set. Garageband has been used to compose and independent soundtrack to the film, as well as our individual idents and other practice demo tracks.
Both Scribd and YouTube have been used to promote the product; Scribd allowed our pitch to be embedded online and viewable to a wider audience than otherwise, and YouTube was where our teasers, trailers, and finished film could be viewed. This has also allowed us to get feedback on our product, and if necessary, modify it.
We have also set up a Twitter feed, allowing not only instant feedback and opinions on our film, but also in helping to develop it in the first place. It came in very handy in our planning stages as we used it to get in contact with people who may be potentially interested in taking part in the filming; most of our finished cast were recruited using this method.
This blog has also been extremely useful, as it allows all of our various videos, images and other written pieces to be visible in one location. It means that the other members of our group can view and share work that their colleagues have completed, and again it offers a way of gaining instant feedback.
Initially, I thought the software would be incredibly complicated to use and would require a lot of practice to get used to; in actuality it has been only moderately challenging and a few quick tutorials in the basics meant that I was soon ready to go! Final Cut Pro has been used extensively in our company for editing and modifying our slasher, 'Red Christmas', and also in numerous other editing tasks that have been set. Garageband has been used to compose and independent soundtrack to the film, as well as our individual idents and other practice demo tracks.
Both Scribd and YouTube have been used to promote the product; Scribd allowed our pitch to be embedded online and viewable to a wider audience than otherwise, and YouTube was where our teasers, trailers, and finished film could be viewed. This has also allowed us to get feedback on our product, and if necessary, modify it.
We have also set up a Twitter feed, allowing not only instant feedback and opinions on our film, but also in helping to develop it in the first place. It came in very handy in our planning stages as we used it to get in contact with people who may be potentially interested in taking part in the filming; most of our finished cast were recruited using this method.
This blog has also been extremely useful, as it allows all of our various videos, images and other written pieces to be visible in one location. It means that the other members of our group can view and share work that their colleagues have completed, and again it offers a way of gaining instant feedback.
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