Final Cut of 'The Persistence of Memory'

Final edit of 'The Persistence of Memory'.

Evaluation - Part 4

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Evaluation - Part 3

How did you use media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?

Audience Feedback and Evaluation - Part 2

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK COMMENTS:

"It was pretty tense. You managed well in making me feel uneasy while watching. the actors were both very mask faced and this adds to the tense feeling. I didn't understand what you want to say at the end though. I would suggest that the candle is shown with a flame then goes off. It adds to the excitement. Good luck sweet heart."

"I think you did a good job.I agree that it made me feel anxious about the events ,the music added more suspense to the movie.The clocks also created a good effect."

"Really tense and unsettling viewing. I think the use of symbols to do with time was really clever and I liked the way it was filmed from a variety of angles for different effects. Thought it was great and if it was a film trailer I'd want to go see it."

"Really, really good. I loved the way the character wakes up in the dream, thought the clocks were sort of trippy. You balanced the silence out well with the sound effects to tell the story without dialogue."

"I was confused by the plot, but it doesn't mean that it wasn't effective. Surrealism works great in a short film because it doesn't have to make sense. Loved it."

Evaluation - Part 1

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary task?

My main product, 'The Persistence of Memory' is a Surrealist, Salvador Dalí inspired short feature is based on the symbolic denotations of his most famous surrealist painting. The watches in the painting suggest the irrelevance of time; especially in the state in which a human is asleep, I was able to present this concept through the representation of 'Unknown Male' and his frustration as his obsession with time is disrupted when he is unconscious. Being an art house, Surrealist feature, one can imagine that the Surrealist genre is broad yet under developed with Surrealist cinema erupting in the middle of the 20th century, such a strange genre is not always found and used. With surrealism, I found that my ability to exploit art house conventions allow the audience to engage with the strange feel of the film, was also helped by the creation of the ancillary tasks. The ancillary tasks are crucial in the distribution process of the feature, such as the making of a distributive film poster using relevant images and font to suggest elements of the film to entice the audience and foreshadow the plot. A magazine review is also useful in giving a reader insight on what to expect from the product, in my case a BFI Sight and Sound inspired review, using simple layout and fonts and truthful, evaluation of the film as a part of Independent releases.

The film poster was created using Adobe Photoshop which enabled me to experiment with a variety of fonts, layouts and tools to create a desired and final outcome.  I used a simple photograph of the variety of clocks used as props in my product; this photo is very symbolic and relevant in suggesting the film's plot directly.  The photo implies the importance of time as a concept and element in the feature, which the character strongly vows to organise - multiple watches suggest a form of OCD.  I edited the photo to allow a white, blank background which portrays the watches as the central focus and attention, as they attract attention instantly.  The poster therefore suggests a hint as to what the feature is about, using a simple font to imply the cast, production company and title in itself.  Photoshop allowed me to experiment with a variety of styles, I felt that to portray my independent art house feature; a simple poster is more effective opposed to mainstream poster styles that show main actors/ actresses without implying what the film may be about.  I find that the combination of my film poster and product effective in reflecting each other - the group of clocks in a variety of shapes, types and sizes cause intrigue as the use of props is strange - successfully reflecting the bizarre, surrealist genre.  The adding of my production and release company logos and 'Sundance' award logos added at the bottom of the poster allowed a professional feel and enhancing of it's independent genre;.  For it to be nominated for a well known film festival that is known for exhibiting art house an independent releases, my film can attract a large audience and gain recognition. The monochromatic style of the poster also suggests an older and unclear time scale; which I imply in my media product through the portrayal of imagery and a contrasting sound-scape yet absence of dialogue.  Silent films are often associated when films were first introduced due to the lack of technology, therefore the colour palette of my poster implies an older time era.  My characters transportation to the dream state, shows an interaction between a mysterious female, 'Unknown Female', I felt that my poster did not need to suggest the characters to create suspense and intrigue to the viewers before watching the product.  It also successfully portrays similar aspects of minimalism through Independent film poster conventions and the use of props or locations to reflect the story-lines of the film.    

My second ancillary task of creating a magazine review has a purpose of being read by viewers, or those of interest in films, to gain insight from reading a review or rating on a new release forming expectations and ideas.  Different magazines provide an array of film reviews, such as Independent magazines like the BFI's Sight and Sound magazine; a variety of films such as foreign or art house style films will often be reviewed.  They will differ from other magazines that review mainstream movies such as Empire Magazine; a large organisation that reviews films, very few are independent releases and is expected to be read by a large audience.  I felt that my surreal, independent release would require a positive and honest review in order to create a larger profile to be recognised; due to the lack of surrealist features and intrigue caused by art house, indie films.  Being a silent feature solely relying on visual concepts and a surreal sound-scape consisting of heartbeats, insect sounds and clock ticks - I used editing and varied pace to create a very surreal moving image to create tension for the viewer.  I yet again used Adobe Photoshop for the development of my magazine review; using the conventions of a simple layout such as that of the Sight and Sound magazine, using a still image of the film to imply the storyline.  The image I used from my media product was very relevant in my ancillary task, using a still of 'Unknown Male' in his dream state, glancing at a wrist watch with the symbolic, clear empty crystal glasses also in the image.  They emphasise the concern and awareness of time as a concept, and the empty glass as mention in the planning stages suggests the past, an event that has already occurred.  I used neat columns and highlighted the important details of the film at the top of the review, such as the director, title and casts using bold, capital letters and large fonts.  This simple layout of the magazine review allows the reader to gain honest knowledge of the film and what originally inspired me as a director; such as Salvador Dali's influence as a central focus.

I find that the creation of my ancillary tasks enabled me to successfully promote my film using relevant products that depict the film genre; creating simple poster and magazine layouts to create intrigue and imply the art-house, independent feel of my Surrealist feature.  Audience and viewers may not all be familiar with the bizarre concepts of Surrealism therefore it is relevant to create distributive ancillary tasks to aid in the exhibiting of my feature, such as through the creation of poster and magazine review.  My media product and tasks reflect each other well in terms of depicting genre and conventions, through the simple layout of the poster to cause intrigue; it uses those conventions of real life Independent film posters that I studied such as 'The Machinist'.  A film poster of mainstream romantic comedy's  would focus on the portrayal of main casts and characters opposed to symbolic prop use.  I am therefore overall pleased with the combination of the products in how they represent the plot of the feature, such as through the use of the still shots portraying the most important shot of my character's frustration regarding time in a dream state.    

Ancillary Task - Magazine Review

A BFI Sight and Sound Magazine inspired film review for the Persistence of memory is simple yet effective; I chose a classic image of my main character as he glances at his watch in his 'dream' setting.  This image is strong in it's meanings; the most effective in suggesting his frustration in losing his time keeping.  The soil can be seen in the image; it's symbolic denotations refer to the brevity of life and the empty crystal glasses a fond, lost memory.  This still image from the film is most effective in implying the main concept of my surrealist feature.  I chose a simple font, remaining neural which contrasts effectively to the white, crisp background.  The review is in essay style, columns keep it simple and tidy without too much clutter.  The 'FILMS' banner at the top is similar to what would usually be seen in a magazine, to identify the type of article being read, with information below such as the heading in large title size.  The large size allows the viewer to identify the name, below are details about the film such as cast, film length and director.  I inserted the dark lines to create a border and allows separation between the magazine sections, and important information regarding the film is highlighted with the use of italics to allow the audience to identify them easily.  I feel that this image works well with my film; being a snapshot of the highest tension point where the character feels all frustration - this captivates readers and audiences in wondering why this character is concerned, and why these props are there.  We want to understand what he is thinking, and what will happen.

Film Reviews - Magazine Format

Film reviews critique releases and features suggesting an opinion in which may sway a reader or audience member to believe the review of the film with certain expectations. Famous magazines especially for movie reviews such as Empire Magazine for film features such as breaking film news and releases and reviews for films or DVD releases. This type of film criticism evaluates a film either individually or collectively, formerly known as "Film Criticism", it is mostly seen in Magazines or newspapers. Journalistic criticism is defined through the evaluation of newly released films by film critics working for large broadcast media. Film reviews will suggest the overall plot and if done so negatively, a financial loss can be caused for a film. It has come however to many people's attention whether box office reviews actually do have an impact on the reception or DVD sales of a film.

Film reviews can also be found on websites on the internet such as Rotten Tomatoes, which make reviews and ratings more convenient by compiling them together to create an overall score for a film.  Many websites, simply such as the IMDB allow users to submit comments and reviews to allow a broad consensus review, and allow the spread of a films word.  Independent films for example have a higher opportunity to be recognized that way, therefore relying on social spread.

EMPIRE MAGAZINE

British Film magazine is the biggest selling in Britain and is also published in America, Australia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal, reviewing both mainstream art house features with a more populist approach.  Well known reviews include Jurassic Park, Jaws and many other so called masterpieces.  After a poll of 10k readers; Steven Spielberg was awarded the honor of being Greatest director.


SIGHT AND SOUND

Published by the British Film Institute, Sight and Sound focuses on art house, limited releases and can often be accused of snobbery in it's approaches.  Famous reviews include Roshomon and the God Father.

TOTAL FILM 

A monthly magazine posting 13 times a year, Total Film is UK based and offers cinema, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features. Total Film is available both in print and interactive iPad editions.  Each issue always includes the Total Film Interview, which is a six-page in-depth chat with an actor or director, along with a critique of their body of work.

ZOO

A film review from zoo however would differ using large screenshots of photos with less review writing found on the website; the layout is also in paragraphs aside to collumns.

CONVENTIONS OF FILM REVIEWS

HEADLINE: Gives the reader the insight into the film's title and a suggestion as to what it us about; a first impression and introduction to the feature.  A release date certification may also be found as these are crucial information for a viewer as they may wish to view the film.

REVIEW:  A film review can range from a sentence to a two page essay; this is all depends on the type of magazine and film being reviewed; genre and type included.

SCREENSHOTS:  Screenshots of film footage will be a main feature of a magazine review to suggest the film and it's content, allowing the reader to enter further the world of the film and what it is about.

My Surrealist feature is an independent, art house feature which will need to be reviewed in depth in styles of  magazine's such as the Sight and Sound magazine; it is not a large, Hollywood Blockbuster requiring too much large promotion.  Therefore the review must be honest and capture the short film in it's best light, simple in it's style and font use, colours etc.