AICE Media Film Final

Prezi Presentation Creative Critical Reflection

Creative Critical Reflection

Quarter 3 Revisions

After showing our film to the class for the second time, we received additional feedback regarding several more improvements we could make. Our main revision towards our final product is going to be our film's audio. First of all, we're going to add incidental music into certain scenes in our film in order to create suspense and excitement. We also believe adding music will keep the audience more enticed and help make our film more interesting to view. We also realized after showing our video to the class the second time that we had an audio mishap during the scene with the police officer. The cops voice overlaid incorrectly with the audio, so we will have to rearrange the sound clips to produce a more professional, realistic effect. Finally, the audio during the phone call is poor quality. Josh plans to re-record the scene to make it more clean and crisp. All of these revisions can be easily achieved using the software program Adobe Premiere Pro.

Important Disclaimer

Toy guns were used as props in our film. My group and I wanted to make it clear to our audience that the guns used in our film were fake and not dangerous whatsoever. The props were operated correctly and used in a safe manner. We also implemented a scene involving a race between two cars. During this scene, the cars appear to be driving recklessly at dangerous speeds, however, the operator of each car was driving at a legal speed limit. Camera angles and editing techniques helped make the cars appear to be going faster than they actually were.

Creative Critical Reflection: Technology/Software Usage

During the filming process, we used many software programs and various types of technology to develop our finished product. To begin with, we used Google Blogger to describe the step-by-step process of creating our film. It helped keep my group members up to date and organized. Our blog posts included descriptions of the planning, filming, and editing process when it came to developing our film. We also included the various research we did on multiple films similar to our own. To shoot our film, we used a Soni Alpha Digital Camera. It was fairly simple to operate, allowing our entire group to take turn filming scenes. We used the computer program Adobe Premiere Pro to edit and make revisions to our film, including inserting sound footage, merging and trimming video clips, and adding in credits and titles.

Creative Critical Reflection: Production Skills Development

Before I participated in this group project, I was not very informed on the filming process or the distribution process of a movie. After carefully viewing multiple films similar to the genre we were hoping to replicate, and doing a lot of research on camera angles, sound techniques, editing, mise-en-scene, and film distribution, I learned a lot more about the process of creating and releasing a movie. Helping to film our movie helped me get a better feel for digital cameras. I am more of a hands-on learner, so being directly involved in the filming process was most beneficial towards strengthening my abilities. I knew exactly what sort of camera shots were appealing to viewers based off the vast amount of research I had done on the subject. In my AICE Media Studies class, throughout the year we have analyzed various scenes from movies and TV shows. We took notes on all of the editing techniques, camera shots, sound, mise-en-scene, and central meaning of each clip we viewed. This helped us understand exactly how to incorporate all of these features into our own film. We did this over and over to help perfect our knowledge. We received feedback from the class after showing our own version of the film and took their criticism into consideration when making our revisions.

Pictured above is the Honda S2000. It was used as one of the vehicles in the background of the car meet in our film.

Quarter 3 Submission

After doing some editing and revisions, this is the final product my group and I came up with.

Creative Critical Reflection: Audience/Distribution

After doing research on many films similar to our own and identifying a target audience, we dove deeper into the various aspects of these films that were used to attract the desired social group. By using various conventions that we had identified in the films we viewed/researched, we were able to pinpoint our audience of adrenaline junkies/car enthusiasts. These social groups consist primarily of young males aged 15-30. This type of social group is heavily influenced by popular culture. We took into consideration various aspects that would be appreciated by millennials and other young individuals when producing our film. These features included our use of certain props and stylistic cues, for example, the bag that was used to hold the money Austin was betting on the race, which was produced by the popular designer, Louis Vuitton. Many young individuals with an appreciation for high fashion would appreciate and notice this type of inclusion. We also included current technology items such as shots of Apple iPhones. After doing research on various types of film distribution methods, our group concluded that our film would partner with Universal Studios for its release. Universal is an extremely famous, world-renowned film distribution company. By using such a popular production company, our film would be able to generate its highest potential revenue and greatest viewing audience numbers. After the partnership took place, Universal would go on to distribute the film to multiple theaters world-wide, such as Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, IMAX, and AMC. After the typical theater window, we would go on to sell our film to streaming companies such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. We used elements of surprise and suspense to keep the audience engaged in our film. We included many scenes of action and high-intensity so that there was never a boring second. We believed these types of scenes would be most appreciated by the audience we are targeting.

 

Pictured above is the 2017 Honda Civic Type-R which was used as the get-away car in our film. 

Creative Critical Reflection: Conventions/Social Groups

After doing extensive research on various films of genres similar to our own, we picked up on the wide uses of conventions in the movie production process. These techniques include the implementation of lighting to set a mood, the budget/expenses of producing a film, costume design, sound usage, and creating the overall tone for the film. Camera angles, sound, mise-en-scene, and editing were all used in the films we researched to develop a plot and to create a smooth flow throughout the film. When creating our film, we took all these aspects into consideration. Regarding mise-en-scene, we included nice, modified vehicles in our film in order to get the end product we desired. We were able to use fast cars in our film which we knew would attract our target audience of car enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies. We also picked up on popular camera angles and shots of cars in the films we viewed. For example, in the Fast and Furious series, camera shots of exhaust pipes revving are featured before a big race quite often. We decided to replicate this type of shot in our own film with a low-angle shot of the Camaro and the Honda Civic's exhausts before the street race took place. We concluded that our film would primarily target those with an interest in cars, and those with an appreciation for danger/excitement. Although our audience can vary in age and gender, after conducting research on social groups, we concluded that our primary audience would be made up of males of the age range 15-30. Because car-enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies are prominent word-wide, our film would be viewed and released on a global scale.

Pictured above is the 2014 RS Camaro that Austin drove during the street race in our short film. 

Digital Distribution Research

Digital distribution is the delivery of media content to the public through various methods including audio clips, videos, computer software and video games. The term is primarily used to describe online distribution methods. Content distributed online can either be streamed or downloaded by viewers. Online content comes in the forms of audio books, films, T.V. shows, music, computer software, and video games. Film distribution is the process of making a film readily available for viewing. The goal of film distribution is to attract a wide audience and simplify the viewing process of a film. It is the professional film distributor's job to ensure these goals are met. Film distributors are responsible for deciding upon  the marketing strategy of film, the various media on which the film may be viewed, and the final release date. The public can view the film using various methods such as in a movie theater, on a television at home, or even stream it online on a computer. Many films come accompanied by a film promotion. Movie producers often make agreements with each theater. Money is made in the form of ticket sales and the theater and studio would both profit. Movies have a limited showtime in order to boost demand and short-time ticket sales. In the typical process, a movie is first released in theaters, then after the typical window time of about 16 weeks the film becomes available on VHS as well as Video on Demand. About two years after a films' release date in theaters, it is made available for free-to-air TV channels on cable. A film becomes available on DVD and the internet after 90 days post-release. A straight to video (or straight-to-DVD/straight-to-Blu-ray) release takes place when a movie is released via home video formats including Blu-Ray, VHS, or DVD, without being released in theaters first. When this occurs the theatrical window period is not being taken into consideration. As a result of strong DVD sales, Direct-to-video releases have achieved higher success and profit in recent years, particularly for independent movie producers/companies.

Digital Distribution Research: Need for Speed

The trailer for the film, Need for Speed, was released on iTunes on September 25, 2013. On March 7, 2014, the film's world premiere took place at the TCL Chinese Theater  The film was released by Walt Disney Studios on March 14, 2014, in selected theaters. It was also released worldwide by Disney, except for certain territories in Europe, Africa and Middle East. On March 7, 2014, the film was released on Blue-ray Disc, DVD and Blu-ray 3D. The production method of the film was stretched out much longer than the typical 3 months time span for most films; DVDs for the film weren't released until about 6 months later. The film earned $43,577,636 in North America and $159,700,000 in other countries for a worldwide total of $203,277,636 by May 19, 2014. The film finished in 3rd place with $17.8 million.

Digital Distribution Research: Baby Driver

Baby Driver premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11, 2017. On August  25, 2017, the film was released in 1,074 theaters.  The film was released for Blu-ray & DVD on October 10, 2017,  by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film debuted at number 2 on both the NPD VideoScan First Alert sales chart and the dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart. The film followed the typical 3 month release dates for theaters. Baby Driver grossed $107.8 million in the United States and Canada and $119.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $226.9 million, against a production budget of $34 million. When the film was re-released into theaters on August 25, it made $1.2 million, which was up 34% from the previous week.

Digital Distribution: Fast Five

The Facebook game Car Town and the theater chain Regal Entertainment Group collaborated with Universal in a marketing promotion. Car Town allowed players to view the trailer for the film in the game. The game also offered its players the ability to purchase tickets in-game for films playing at Regal theaters. Car Town was also used as the exclusive way of pre-ordering the Blu-ray/DVD combo release at Walmart. USA Network purchased the rights to the U.S. network premiere of Fast Five. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.K. and in the U.S. A triple package deal was also released containing a Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy of the film. The Blu-ray versions contains several exclusive additional features. Both the DVD and the Blu-ray contain a theatrical and extended cut of the film, director commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel and features on the main characters. During the first week in the U.S. the film was the  best selling DVD, best selling rental DVD, and the second best selling Blu-ray disc. To promote the release of the DVD and Blu-ray, Universal Studios Home Entertainment sponsored the first race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, at the Chicagoland Speedway. The event was renamed the "Fast Five 225". The deal marked the first time that a film promotion had been allowed to take over a NASCAR race as a title sponsor.

Film Revision 3

In the first version of the film, Austin's note (pictured right) was handwritten and did not look very put-together or professional. Based off of our teacher's and audience members' suggestions, we decided to type the note instead of hand-write it and film Trey (Austin) from a different angle.

Film Revision 2

Pictured on the right was the shot of the iPhone from the original first take of the film; on the left is the revised version of the same shot. The picture on the right is very blurry and of extremely poor quality. It is practically impossible to make out the words "No Caller ID." On the left, the phone screen is in focus and looks much more clear. The words "No Caller ID" are much easier to make out.

Film Revision 1

Trey's character (Austin) had very distorted dialogue throughout the film. Due to background noise, and strong wind interference, it was difficult at times to make out exactly what he was saying, specifically at the car meet and after the race took place (Pictured on the left). Several of Austin's dialogue scenes were reshot to eliminate these issues. (Pictured on the right) The camera was positioned in a way to make Austin's dialogue sound smoother and allowed audience members to have a better understanding of what he was saying.

Target Audience Research: Tokyo Drift

Tokyo Drift is another action movie that features cars similar to the other two films I researched. The  target audience, therefore, is quite similar. The film particularly targets young males with an appreciation for cars and action-packed scenes. The marketing director used several techniques to promote the film. Advertisements were used on popular apps as well as products such as energy drinks and kids toys. This made the film more recognized by all age groups including children who play with toys and older people who use apps. They gave potential viewers an insight into the main character (Sean's life) and provided potential audience members with exciting footage of racing in their trailers to hook people and make them watch the actual film.

Commercial Research

NFL Superbowl Ad: A humorous approach was used as a technique to attract viewers. References were made to the popular, older film,  Dirty Dancing (1987).  Similar music and dance routines to the film were used in the advertisement. This might be an attempt at attracting adults or older people because they would be more likely to understand and appreciate the reference. Upon release, Dirty Dancing was viewed as primarily a chick flick, so featuring the movie might be an attempt at attracting more female viewers. It was funny, enjoyable, and entertaining to watch two large, muscular men dance around with each other. The commercial also used celebrity appeal to attract viewers by featuring two well-known NFL players, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham. Celebrity appeal might attract younger, teenage viewers because they are typically familiar with big names and status. Overall, the target age range would be primarily both men and women aged anywhere from 16-55.

Winter Olympics 2018 Ad: This commercial primarily used emotional appeal to attract an audience. Audience members felt inspired, empowered, and proud of Lindsey Vonn and her accomplishments as an Olympic skier. Alicia Key's "Girl on Fire" was used as background music. Teenage viewers would be most familiar with, and appreciative of this song choice. Lindsey Vonn had a strong appeal to women by demonstrating an impressive amount of female power. The ad also targeted parents and children by showing actual clips of Lindsey's childhood and working her way up to where she is now. Synergy was used to promote the Olympics as well because the ad was aired during the Superbowl, and the same channel that broadcasts the Superbowl (NBC) also broadcasts the Olympics.

Australian Vacation Ad: The first notable technique used to attract an audience for this ad was the use of celebrity appeal. Big Hollywood actors were used in the commercial including Danny McBride, and Chris Hemsworth. References to an older movie, Crocodile Dundee (1986), were made as well. This was an attempt to attract older audience members who would be familiar with the film. Overall, the ad featured a lot of humor to entertain viewers and keep them watching. The ad primarily targeted an older age group who would be more likely to afford an expensive luxury such as a trip to Australia.  The age range of the target audience would be around 35-55. A lot of popular tourist destinations of Australia were shown. Aesthetic, beautiful clips of the continent were used to attract potential buyers of the vacation.

Target Audience Research: Overdrive

Overdrive is another example of a movie filled to the brim with action-packed scenes. The plot of the movie revolves around two brothers who specialize in stealing luxury vehicles. The film features expensive cars, sex appeal, and crime, very similar to the other films my group and I have viewed and researched. This type of movie is geared towards a similar audience as the one discussed in my previous post regarding Fast and Furious 7 (young males aged 15-30). Producers of the film have gone on to produce merchandise pertaining to the film. They have produced customized print pieces and promoted the film by posting the trailer on various social media websites and other digital resources. The trailer was also featured as a commercial on several TV channels and used as a preview on other movies pertaining to the action and crime genres. By promoting the movie in various areas, the film was able to attract a lot of attention and potential viewers. It was quite successful, averaging $7,433,663 in the box office upon release.

Target Audience Research: Fast and Furious 7

                                   

We narrowed the age range of our audience down to people aged around 15-30 years old. Specifically, our film will attract male viewers. The social group our film will target is those with a passion for cars. Since car enthusiasts are prominent world-wide, our film would tackle all areas of the globe. Our film shares the same target audience as one of the films we did research on; Fast and Furious 7. The Fast and Furious franchise had already made a name for itself thanks to the previous films, however, various marketing techniques were still used to publicize the newest film. Billboards and posters were placed worldwide to promote the release of the film. Paul Walker was shown in a very respectful light in these advertisements. He stood alongside the cast members. The audience really appreciated this technique due to the respect they had accumulated for Walker throughout the franchise. Social media sites, such as YouTube were also used for film advertisements. We would definitely use various social media sites to promote our film.