Media Exam ideas

Film idea one:Working title: DestructorismoTarget audience adults kids.In the film Kids aren't kids, they rule planets and solar systems. Adults worship them not the other way round. Destructo is a worshiped, legendary ruler who is as old as time. However, there is a rumour that he plans to take over every planet.... including Arnog a planet ruled by Berlope.  Berlope is the protagonist in this story and must unite the other planets and they're rulers to fight against him.
To become a ruler {and stay young forever } you must first be born into certain family and then you must pass a test when you are ten. if you pass you will continue to grow until the age of twelve which then you will stop growing and stay like that until your rule ends. your rule ends when you are defeated in a fight. Destructor is the oldest ruler alive. Thus is powerful and has never been beaten.
The storyline follows both protagonist and antagonist as Berlope tries to stop Destructo. Berlope has a friend who did not pass the 'test' and is growing old. His name is Fagorn. They were both the same age when they went through the test. But now they are growing apart in age; but not in wisdom.
It is a family film because it is a PG and does not contain anything graphic or violent. It also follows the classic Sci-Fi genre conventions. There is a protagonist that the target audience can relate to the target audience
Characters.
Protagonist- Berlope. - physical appearance- age 12. Mentally-35.- White CaucasianAntagonist- Destructor- Physical apperance- age 12. Mentally- 206741. White CaucassianSide kick/best friend- Physical appearance- age 35. Mentally- 35. African American

The Types of shots

These are the types of shots abbreviated :

• CU - Close- Up 
• MCU - Medium close up 
• ECU- Extreme close up 
• WS- Wide shot
• MS- medium shot 
• 2S - Two shot 
• LS- Long shot 
• OTS- Over the Shoulder 
• POV- point of veiw 

Possible Designs Tasks [exam]

For my exam I must have researched 4 types of design tasks. These include Poster, DVD Cover Website homepage and a storyboard. 

The Star Wars Poster. 

Poster 

When I am designing the poster, I am going to include:

• A Title [ name of the film ] 
• A main image 
• Date of release 
• Main stars for the cast 
• The main conventions for Sci-FI 

The Star Wars DVD cover 

DVD Cover [ front and back ]

When designing my DVD cover i will need to include these:

• A main title [ name of film ]
• Main images of the film
• Cast 
• A brief summery of the film, like a synopsis [ on the back ] 
• An age rating 
• A bar code 
• Legal Requirements 

Website 

A Website for Star wars fans 

When I design the website I am going to try to include all of these:

• Main title [ name of the film ] 
• A welcome to the website
• Images 
• A background suitable for a Sci-Film 
• A brief summery of the film 
• no plot spoilers 
• links to merchandise
• Other links to other parts of the website 
• the correct infomation 

Story board 

A Blank Storyboard 

When I design the story board I will have to include these: 

• How long the shot will last 
• A shot number 
• A flowing sequence 
• Good transitions 
• suitable SFX for the film 
• The main images and cast of the film 
• The name of the film [ in a suitable text font ]
• The right terminology [ what are the types of shots? ] 

The Matrix Poster Analysis

The Matrix Poster Analysis

Setting

This poster is very futuristic so the setting can be different things. To me, the audience, it looks like it would be set in a city because of the concrete looking walls behind the star vehicles. It also looks like the setting changes within the film to a digital universe because of the coding in the background. \

Props

The props in the poster are weapons. All of the characters have a gun in their hands. The main star in the poster, Keanu Reeves, has a bigger gun so it would connote that he is more important and needs the bigger gun because of a huge antagonist. This could show that it is a action genre and there will be fighting.

Costumes

The costumes in the poster are very shiny and tight. This gives the audience a feeling that the film is futuristic. All the characters on the poster are wearing sunglasses, which could connote that they do not want their eyes seen or that in the film the future is bright.

Shot types and camera angles

The shot type is a long shot [or a full body shot] of four of the characters. This could connote that the costumes are very important. The camera angles are all eye level with the characters.

Lighting

The lighting in the poster is dark at the bottom and lighter around the main character, Keanu Reeves, which also connotes that he is the main character and is important within the storyline if the film.

Colour

The colour pallet of the film is black, grey, blue and white. The black in the poster could connote that something bad will happen because the black is the colour of death. Grey connotes that the future is industrial because the colour grey reminds us of smoke.

The placement of the characters

In the poster we have a female character in the back with her shoulder forward. In front of her on the other side of the poster there is a male character with a moustache facing the other way as if toward the female character but head turned toward the camera. Next to him there is another man facing off behind the camera. Finally there is a male that I assume is the protagonist because he is the most forward. He is also taking up the most room on the poster.

Also there is also a clear division of the male and female characters, with the males on the left and the one female character on the right. This could connote that she is important and is the only female character. this could also connote that she has a huge role to play in the film. 

Masthead

The masthead in the poster is on the bottom half of the poster just underneath the main character’s knees. This could mean that he has something to do with the objective of the Matrix [whatever the matrix means].

Target audience.

From analysing the poster, I can now confidently say that the matrix would be for males in the age range 18-25. This is not only because of the male protagonist and the guns but also because of the female character in the tight clothing.

Film Pitch

Shadows – The connotations of shadows could be the dark mysterious side of them but it could also mean something to do with the sun and how we would not have shadows outside without the sun.

Cast –

. Simon Pegg – Jasper

. Nick Frost – Ben

. Jen – Amy Adams

. Larry – Jeremy Irons

Sci-Fi pitch

 This film is a hybrid of a comedy and a Sci-Fi film.

 A man [in his mid 20’s white Caucasian called Jasper] from New York has no job, no money or no place to live, until a friend (Ben) gives him a room in his house. Ben is a friend from the past who went to high school with Jasper and they instantly re-acquainted and friends again.

 After a couple months of living in New York, Jasper is settled in to the city life. One day, during a heat wave, Japer is walking down the street and his shadow stops moving with him and it starts doing other things. This catches Jaspers attention and he goes on to learn about an alternate universe where shadows walk around as people.

 After a series of small events Jasper and Ben find themselves in the alternate universe; Ben is fascinated by a shadow called Jen. Jen cannot talk or hear anything so she has to mime to get things across. Which is a comedy element with in the film. Another way is the double act of Simon Pegg and Nick frost who play the main characters, Jasper and Ben.

 In the alternate universe shadows live side-by-side with aliens and other species within the universe. As the film goes on we learn that ‘our’ universe is actually one of many copies in a series of experiments done by the shadows. The film is about trying to find and stop the experiments and save the universe. The Antagonist of the film would be the head scientist of the experiments on the universe. His name is Larry.

 Although there is a little action in the film, it is a spoof, funny kind of action. E.g. hitting the shadows in a fight with balloon hammers or balloon chair. This film is a film that the whole family can watch because it has loveable characters and a storyline where everything ends up okay in the end. [A happy ending]

Exam...

Hello again, I have just recently undertook a Media exam. This was non-eventful exam and I actually enjoyed it. I loved every part and it was easier than I thought. 

To start with we had to answer a few questions about films and give examples of films that have used certain areas within their film. this part was good and i wrote about a page per question because I wanted to make sure that i get top marks in the beginning questions. 

After the first two questions i had to design a poster for my film. To draw this was difficult because I would normally do this digitally. 

Lastly, I had to write about my ideas for a film. My one included an alternate universe which immediately puts my film into the Sci-Fi genre.

Overall I think it went okay, however i must wait until results day on Monday. 

Audience Theory

The audience is the people that watch the film.

Mainstream or Niche? 

Some Science Fiction films are Mainstream- they appeal to a very wide range of people.
[For example Hollywood films are often mainstream.]
Some Sci-Fi films are more Niche- they appeal to a small specific group of people.
[independent and low budget films are more niche.]

Audience segmentaion 

Producers segment the audience into different groups.

Demographics

Demographics is one way of dividing up the audience into certain groups. each group is assumed to have similar ideas and interests. This is Factual information.

- Gender 

- Age 

- Occupation

- region

- Class

- Ethnicity 

Star Wars 

-Male 

-12 to 40 

- Any 

- English speaking countries

- White Caucasian  

- Middleclass 

- Educated 

Psychographics 

Psychographics is less about facts such as age and more about attitudes and values.

 -Survivors

 - Social Climbers

 - Care Givers 

 - Explorers

Sci-fi Film Fan 

My person would be age 16 and be male. This boy would live somewhere in Britain. He would be in Secondary School and go to see all the new sci-fi releases. Apart from School he may have a Saturday job. He may also be white caucasian and middle class. In terms of Psychographics he will be a Survivor because he always goes to see new releases so it would be a sort of tradition.

Uses and Gratifications
[u&g]

This is a media studies theory that tries to explain why people choose and uses certain media needs.

Entertainment and diversion.- stops you from being bored
surveillance and information- finding out about new things.
Personal identity - Comparing yourself to someone on screen.
Personal Companionship

Science Fiction & Media language

Genre conventions.

What does convention mean?

Convention is a key ingredient in a specific genre of media text. They are the things that we expect to see in particular types of films.

Sci-fi Conventions.

Narrative

-New world

- Different planets

- Space

- Aliens

-Time travel

- Possibilities

- Alien invasions

- Battles

 Storyline

-       End of the world

-       War

-       Rise of a interegalitic space war

-       Man vs alien or robot

-       Save something

-       Fighting alien race

-       Inventions

-       Time travel

-       Discovering new world

-       Aliens

-       Robots

-       wise older character

-       Protagonist tends to be human (male)

-       Audience = male

-       Antagonist = alien

-       Hero team

-         

       Theme

-       Robots

-       Computers

–      Space ships

–       Aliens

–      Humanity

–      Protagonist

–      Antagonist

–      Ideology

–      Good vs evil

–      End of the world

–      Victory over human ideas

–      Saving or creating a potential future

–      Safeguarding human race

–      Loyalty and teamwork

–      Negative impacts of technological invancements

–       

Mise En Scene

-       Computers

-       Futuristic costume

-       Aliens

-       Cars

-       Space ships

-       Future

-       Dystopian city’s

-       Space

-       High tech weapons

-       Amazing inventions

-       High tech cars

-       Future technology

-       Uniform

-        Futuristic make up

-       Human characters maintain normal hair & makeup

-       Silver – black – green – neon – metallic

-       Guns

-       Robots

-       Different foods

Other

- Special effects- cgi

- Graphics/ fonts / metallic

- Sound- intense music

- Futuristic sfx

- Famous actors/ directors e.g. JJ Abram’s