POST PRODUCTION | AUDIENCE THEORIES | USES + GRATIFICATIONS

LASWELL 1948
With regards to my short film, my short film fits the audience pleasures of surveillance and entertainment/enjoyment. Surveillance suggests that audiences watch for observation and to five out whats going on in the world.My short film can be analysed in terms of this audience pleasure as my film would be watched in order to observe other goings on in other peoples lives. Simiarly, in terms of entertainment, obviously my film is not comedic or light hearted but it would still be watched for enjoyment as it would be watched during spare time. Furthermore, the fact that my short film will be of a specific genre ensures that the people who watch it will be people who know they enjoy horror and watch it for entertainment purposes. Taking this into consideration, the genre 'Horror' is catharsis which describes purging of violent emotions. This explains why people like watching horror as they feel they can have the experience of being scared without the literal cosequences. 

KATZ + BLUMLER 1974
Katz and Blumler suggested that individuals might choose to and use a media text for other reasons such as diversions- an escape from everyday routine; relationships- using it for emotional and other interactions, and personal identity- finding yourself reflected in texts. In terms of my short film, it may be used as a diversion from everyday problems and routines as the plot is unrealistic of every day lives.

PRE PRODUCTION | TARGET AUDIENCE

PRE PRODUCTION | READINGS

When producing my film, i had to consider readings that my audience might consider. 

- The camera angle/type of shot 

- Mise en scene 

- Editing Techniques and their effects 

- Music and Sound 

In terms of Mise en Scene, I chose to use an everyday location with characters in 'standard' clothing. I did this in order to create an accurate representation of reality to juxtapose with the paranormal plot of the film. Also, by including 'normal' aspects in my film within the characters, it ensures that the audience will be able to find someone they identify with allowing a better reaction to my film. 

When exploring the readings that may occur through my film I have had to consider:

- Preferred Reading

- Oppositional Reading

- Negotiated Reading 

- Aberant Reading. 

Personally, I believe that the majority of people will view my film with the preferred readings. As my film is considered a horror, it often sticks to the same structure and my film does not challenge this.I think my film as a simple, easily understood plot which will eliminate the chance of opposition readings. However, in terms of the characters some people may view them in different ways. Some may want to sympathise with the main character whereas as others may dislike her and see her as the villain. I would not call this oppositional readings as i have not intend the audience to react a certain way to the characters as I want them to make their own decisions about them- this again links to the idea that I want to ensure that my audience can identify with characters in their own way. 

PRE PRODUCTION | SHORT FILM WEBSITE RESEARCH

In order to fully understand the audiences of short films, I looked at four short film websites in order to see what attracts certain audiences to films and what types of films different websites may, or may not, specialise in.

http://www.ukscreen.com/

UK Screen shows a variety of different film genres, from comedy, to drama. This website allows people to put up short films that they have made. For this reason the target market is likely to be young film makers who want to get ideas or are genuinely interested in what amateur film makers produce. This could be people from their early twenties to their mid to late thirties. UK Screen doesn’t separate their films in to different categories for genres, so people using the website are likely to be people who enjoy, or don’t mind, watching a variety of different genre films.

http://www.nzshortfilm.com/

NZ Short Film was set up to allow both New Zealand and international audiences to watch short films produced in the country. It also has a part of the website where members can get in touch with the directors of each film. This website has each genre set out in individual categories to make it easier for the user to watch only the films that they are interested in. It also has a feature on the homepage that lets people see the most popular films which could encourage them to look at films that they may otherwise not watch. This website may be targeting a range of people, not just the people who make short films. This is because the website has a specific section for people who want to submit their films and the layout seems slightly more professional than other websites, such as UK Screen.

www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork

This section on the BBC website allows people to submit their own short films. As the BBC is well known for helping individuals achieve their goals, this website is probably more targeted at people who want to get into the film industry as not only does it show short films, it gives advice and information on making films and getting into film for a profession. It is regularly updated by users when they submit their films. The BBC film network has each genre of film sectioned in to different links do that it easy for the navigator to use the site well.

http://www.youtube.com/

This website only allows people to watch short films if they are specifically searched for. This shows a number of short films that may other wise not be able to be seen if people didn’t know about the directors. The use of this website for watching short films is probably for people just getting into watching short films or people who like watching them, but do not necessarily know of any short film directors or titles. These people would probably be younger people, possibly people in their late teens to late twenties. However, this website doesn’t always give results of what a person searches, therefore the audience may not get to watch what they originally wanted.

PRE PRODUCTION | AUDIENCE RESEARCH

The audiences for short films often varies, depending on what type of film it is. Usually, however, the typical audience for a short film will be someone who is interested in all types of film and is looking for new films that make them question things about society. They are usually people who are in their mid twenties up, as they are slightly more mature and willing to try something different when it comes to films; teenagers are more likely to want to watch generic full lengths, starring a top celebrity.

There are, however, some people who are not especially interested in short films, but watch the ones that have won awards. This may be because they don't think the others are interesting enough, or because that is the only time they hear about short films.

Short films can be watched through a number of different ways. Usually they are submitted onto short film websites where people can go and have a look at them whenever they want, whether it be for entertainment purposes or to get ideas for their own films. They are also sometimes shown in cinemas, before the full-length film, in order to get people as interested as possible, and sometimes art house cinemas. However, due to the change in technology, short films can be download from the Internet and put onto MP4 players so that they can be watched wherever the viewer likes.

PRE PRODUCTION | AUTEUR THEORY

Auteur theory's main assumption is that the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture. Arising in France in the late 1940s, the auteur theory- as it was dubbed by the American film critic Andrew Sarris- was an outgrowth of the cinematic theories of André Bazin and Alexandre Astruc.

-Before the theory was introduced, film was considered a work of art and the actors who made the sheets of scripts come to life like the 'Audrey Hepburn Film' 'Marx Brothers Film' or a Genre Specific flim like Sci-Fi, Thriller, and Horror Films etc.

Current opposition to the theory is within in the changes that have taken place in filmmaking since the early filmmaking years of the 1940s and 1950s. The objection says that filmmaking is such an intense effort in current times with so many gifted and exceptional specialists needed to oversee and perform every individual aspect of a film that it is no longer practicable to identify one single person as someone who imprints an identity upon a film and leaves such a strong mark that it amounts to a recognizable voice, signature, style or presence.

PRE PRODUCTION | IMR

In film theory, the institutional mode of representation (IMR) is the mode of film construction which the majority of films use. It was developed in the years after the turn of the century, becoming the 'norm' by about 1914. Primitive Mode of Representation, was dominant before being replaced by the IMR; certain avant-garde films that constitute a “deconstructionist” challenge to the IMR; and various non-western modes, notably pre-war Japanese film, that were possible before the IMR became the worldwide norm. Classical Hollywood cinema is the dominant style within the IMR, but other styles such as art house, independent, and most (current) foreign styles fall no less under the IMR.

The IMR is characterised by the attempt to create an entirely closed fictional world on screen. The audience is completely imaginatively involved in the film, instead of being distant from it and having the ability to interpret it in their own way. Burch argues that the key to the IMR is "spectatorial identification with a ubiquitous camera." Various techniques (often referred to as the “language of cinema”) were developed in order to make this successful identification:

- Films should be constructed out of a sequence of shots that presents the audience with one clear piece of information.

- Three dimensional space is created. 

- Characters are psychologically individuated.

Codes and Coventions PREZI

Ideas for a Short Film

I am currently in the process of thinking of an idea to produce for me short film product. Obviously, there are set 'themes' which the majority of short films follow:

• A conflict, big or small- a flm without out a conflict often has no base to the story.
• A story or anecdote you have heard.
• Something that has happened to you, possible exaggerated/simplified.
• A generic film
• A rite of passage story
• Subvert the audiences expectations
• A desire you have that either comes true or is thwarted
• A historic event
• A sense of closure
• A tale with a twist

From this list I have narrowed down my choices and will probably replicate the idea or either a sense of closure, a right of passage or a conflict.

I have chosen these, simply due to the idea that the others (such as historic event) are not realistic for me to make successfully with the equipment/props/places I have access too.

ARTISTOTLE'S CLASSICAL UNITIES

Classical Unities, also known as the three unities or Aristotelian unities, are considered the rules for drama which have been derived from 'Aristotle's Poetics'.

He proposed that:

1. " The unity of action: a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots.
2. The unity of place: a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place.
3. The unity of time: the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours. "

He dealt with the unity of action the detail under the general subject of 'definition of tragedy'.

- He wrote:

"Now, according to our definition, Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is complete, and whole, and of a certain magnitude… As therefore, in the other imitative arts, the imitation is one when the object imitated is one, so the plot, being an imitation of an action, must imitate one action and that a whole, the structural union of the parts being such that, if any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed. For a thing whose presence or absence makes no visible difference, is not an organic part of the whole"

He only made a small reference to time which was in a distinction between the epic and tragic forms.

- He wrote:

"Epic poetry agrees with Tragedy in so far as it is an imitation in verse of characters of a higher type. They differ, in that Epic poetry admits but one kind of metre, and is narrative in form. They differ, again, in their length: for Tragedy endeavours, as far as possible, to confine itself to a single revolution of the sun, or but slightly to exceed this limit; whereas the Epic action has no limits of time."

SHORT FILM VS FEATURE FILM

Obviously, the biggest difference between short films and feature films is of the length. For a film to be classified as short it must be less than 40 minutes in duration. Where as a featire film can ranges from 70-120+

Another point which differentiates the two is the budget. It's more than likely that a successful feature film will have a considerably larger budget than an short film. This is due to the need to pay the cast and crew, use of equipment and props, setting rent, studio rent, marketing and  much more. 

Feature length films are usually closed ended and tie up any loose ends of the story unless there is a sequel to come. This is because people pay lots of money to watch films and don't want to be robbed of an ending. Short films don't have to do this because of their length and people don't usually have to pay for them.

Feature films are shown in cinemas to generate revenue, whereas Short films are intended for dvd/tv because they are made to convey a message, not make money usually.
Also Short films usually have a lesser known cast and crew, the reason for this is discussed in purposes, there are more purposes, all of which can be seen in the purposes section.


Finally, when seeing a feature film people will expect to see an ending so that the studio releasing it can justify the cost of seeing it. You can't feel cheated out of money if you didn't pay for it and you can understand why there is no ending if there was not enough time to tie up every loose end.

A2 | TASK

WELCOME BACK :-)

For the coursework of my A2 media course, we have been asked to create a five minute short film, along with two ancilary tasks:

• Film Poster
• Film Review

I will be using this blog to keep up to date with work and the progress of my tasks and will aim to post regular updates post and pre production.