My Coursework Evaluation

Marie-Nicole Chouvaeva

At the beginning, I applied a close-up of the door, to have the main focus relating to the character’s leaving the house. This relates to the typical genre of the drama sector, and relates to the disequilibrium included in my opening. When a character sets out to find the person she is, she begins with leaving the house, and this is one of the reasons why I had named the film ‘The Leaving’, as I feel this is one of the main aspects. I set the opening in more of an open, natural space. I felt that I did not want any shops in the film, as the narrative would not have been as effective. The girl comes across as calm and free, and this is what I was aiming for, a contradictory element you usually find in this specific genre, when the girl is usually running, or rushing, while, she is walking. I feel that it brings out a metaphor, that freedom is peaceful. This engages the audience as they would like to know why she is leaving the house, and where she is going, as they are not familiar with plot, therefore I had to leave the reason of her leaving, so the target audience would watch on and find out. In these types of films, directors usually make the character walk amidst crowds of people to express the isolation she would still feel through their facial expressions, but I did not want to do this. The mise-en-scene is nature orientated, and apart from her bag, no materialism used, which reinforces there is more to life than owning something, or belonging to something or someone.

My main character is mixed-race, half British and half Chinese; she is a teenager within the ages of 16-17. She is of a typical middle-class family. The race of the girl would not affect the audience in any way. There may be those who could feel they could relate to her than others. Though, I feel in our modern day, those from any background could relate to her. The film does appeal to those of a similar age, as the target audience reflects her character. This is not for certain as the audience may not like this particular genre, therefore may not be interested. As well as for men and boys, they do not usually interest in this kind of movie, especially if the main character is a heroine. Her casual wear, is that of modern style, which furthermore, develops the relation between girls of her similar age. It may also be an effective sequence for those who was once that age, as they could still relate to the sought for freedom.  The girl’s vulnerability, allows the audience to be sympathetic towards  her. Through this character, I am able to address my audience.

The film certificate would be a 12. The movie itself is about a girl maturing and becoming her own, so I do think it is suitable for those who are round about that stage in their lives. The younger may also not understand why a girl would want to leave home, and not have an emotional attachment to their family, and due to this, I am making the age higher. It is a psychological movie, therefore I do not think the younger would understand, or appreciate it. The main character is telling her life, being in her mid-teenage years, what she has learnt, and what she seeks to know, and I feel that this unbalanced equilibrium of knowledge, will reflect upon the audience, and allow them to identify with it.

The distribution process will be like those of a similar type. There will be an initial showing at film festivals across the country, as it needs an initial film reaction, and since there are limited places where I could show my film, it will go straight to DVD. This movie will also be accessible from the world-wide website YouTube, this way is global audience will be able to come across on the particular movie, and this way the product will be based upon a wide market. It will also have regular showings on Sky Box Office, making it an efficient way for a majority of my target audience to access it.  It does not have high budget, therefore suitable for those productions which are able to release a low budget movie, and that is why I chose Curzon Cinemas as my production company, as they have good quality films on DVD and television, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Black Swan and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, so I feel that this company fits well with my film.

I learnt various new programmes, and ways of filming from the process of constructing this product. Before deciding that I was going to do a voice over, I created various soundtracks on Garage Band, which I found highly entertaining and productive, as it showed me the impact music has in a film, and the way it could represent an emotion, or elevate the climax of a movie, in addition, constructing an original piece using the loops was highly rewarding. I had already used Final Cut Express before, but I did find it more challenging this time around, as I had to add my film titles to my opening sequence, and when filming, at the same time plan where I was going to put them. I did find this product more difficult than I had expected, but then again, I think that that was a good element, as it was able to push me to my limits on how far I can go, to make an effective opening sequence. I was content with using Final Cut Express, introducing me to Title Safe, allowing me to move my titles around. I found the razor tool easy to use. It was just the choice of where to place the filming on the timeline. Filming itself was a challenge. I had to pay particular attention to the mise en scene, such as signs saying ‘warning’ for example. Sound did not disturb me that much as I knew I was not going to use the background sound, then I wanted to use a song I made, but felt it did not seem very effective with my titles, so thought I would do a voice over instead, with faint sound heard. I also feel that I have improved my filming abilities, and feel more confident about making decisions on where best to film. I feel that I have progressed, and I have learnt many new useful devices I could use in my future.

Since the continuity exercise, I have learnt much more. The continuity exercise focused on one location, lasting no more than a minute. From this, I had learnt about the shot reverse shot, and the 180 degree rule, which I found useful, and from the knowledge of that experience, I was able to apply it to my opening, which allowed me to use a range of shots. My movie is not all continuity, as it has a range of jump cuts, which function to condense time, as I had a limit to how much of the filming I could use. This has also affected the way I watch various film titles now, and the similarities, and differences they have in common.

1,222