4 Evaluation: Who would be the Audience?

As established with analyzing the most fitting distributors the budget of a product to some extent defines your audience. Considering my film has a low budget, a domestic audience should consequently be the target market for my media product.

Primarily the audience will be domestic supernatural-thriller fans. To create a more specific marketing idea, the rating of the film should be considered. Referring back to my initial research into classification under the consideration of the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) "Family Omens" fit into the 15 category. 15 films include;

•  Strong violence.
• Frequent strong language.
• Portrayals of Sexual activity 
• Strong verbal references to sex
• Sexual nudity
• Discriminatory language or behavior
• Drug taking.

The 15 rating still stands for this media product despite the completed opening two minutes not fitting to this rating on its own. Other potential classifications for this media product include:

12 and 12A

• Moderate violence is allowed but not in detail.
• Action sequences and weapons may be represented.
• Sex and sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated.

18 

• Very strong violence
• Frequent strong language
• Strong portrayals of sexual activity
• Scenes of sexual violence
• Strong horror, blood and gore
• Discriminatory language and behavior.

Neither of the ratings above or bellow the 15 rating are fitting for the media product in question and so the 15 classification would be brought into consideration of appealing to the domestic audience. For instance when it comes to casting local actors resonating with a particular age group as well as how the film is marketed.

3 Evaluation: Potential Media Institutions to Distribute our final Product.

Film Distribution is the process of launching a film in the market place and sustaining public interest in the film. Distributors may; invest in the film's production, buy rights to the film once it is made,market the film to the target audience. If the distributor is part of a larger organisation that had made the film, then it will automatically distribute films by the parent company. Different distributors will distribute film into different markets. Bigger US "Big 6" distributors will distribute to a tent-pole audience through international distribution whereas local distribution is usual granted through a company that focuses on distributing independent films. Given my films budget, the latter is the sort of distributor I would be looking for. Some of these options include:

Film 4: Film 4 is particularly supportive of the UK film industry and is driven to support independent film-makers.

• Prior to 1998 the company was identified as Channel Four Films (FilmFour International), later re-branded as FilmFour. 
• Staff and budget was cut considerably in 2002 due to losses but has recent successes from "This is England" to "The Inbetweeners" franchise.
• FIlm4 productions receives an annual budget of 10m.

Microwave (Film London): Supports and funds UK independent films.Currently developing 36 films over 3 years.

• Film London subsumed the roles of two previously existing organisations: the London Film Commision (LFC) and the London Film Video and Development Agency (LFDVDA). Film London was formed on 17 March 2003 under the aegis of the UK Film Council and the London Development Agency. Microwave is it's feature film arm.
• Offers budgets of £150,000.
• Has distributed films such as "Lilting", "iLL Manors" and BAFTA nominated "Shifty"

Fox Searchlights:  Established in 1994, is an American film distributions company within the Fox Entertainment Group as a sister company of the larger Fox studio (20th Century Fox) specializing in US distribution of independent British films. 

• Recent releases include "Belle","Birdman" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" franchise. As well as "Slumdog Millionaire"
• Around $15mill in budgets.

BBC Films: Feature Film making arm of the BBC to distribute British films, succeeding with some of the most successful British Films over the years.

• Recent titles include: "Philomena", "Saving Mr. Banks" "What We Did on Our Holiday" and "Pride" all of which have been nominated for a number of prestigious awards.
• Annual budget of £11m.

2 Evaluation: How our Media Product Represents Social Groups.

The main task to deal with in terms of representation within our film was angels against demons. Although we did not want the typical stereotypes of fluffy wings and redskin and pitchforks due to believing this could not be created without looking tacky we did believe that clear connotations of stereotypically good and bad representations of our characters. Through bright and pale colors for the angel and dark leather costumes and make-up for the demons. Editing the high-speed run over the angel and a demon also helped the representation of a powerful supernatural entity.

The same approach was taken with that of the location, obviously without a substantial budget the stereotypical heaven could not be presented and initial target market/audience/ genre research showed more ordinary every day locations within supernatural-thrillers as it is so in the end we worked with a garden of Eden like location to support the conventions of our sub-genre in order to represent our narrative added too with a high key filter through the audience tested Cinematic 1 to add to this purpose.

Specifically to our narrative, in which the demons are the more powerful in the opening scene, we also included a number of shots to represent this situation including the hand held running shots from both directions to represent the peril of the angel as well as low angel shots on the demons as shown bellow to set up the representation of the demons with more power.

1 Evaluation: Using and Developing Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products.

The finished media product of my film opening mainly followed the expected forms and conventions of real media products in the systematic layout of the titles and credits. The typical order was attained after the initial idents  before the footage of the film began, all the actors names had already been presented; the rest of the titles consequently being shown over the film opening as is common within this media product. The animation of the titles was a development on the conventional use of titles in a film opening as it was more specified to our genre– the static flicker that has connotations of demonic energy as was gathered through my earlier research. This was the same approach for our main title opening with “Family Omens”

The setting was chosen with the conventions of our sub-genre in mind. With supernatural conventions being commonly less urban than other settings such as action might be, our mese en scene was consequently considered with this in mind. The forest setting for our entire two minute film opening goes further to be connotated with the details of our genre as an Angels vs. Demons film in representing the Garden of Eden.

Editing was a big part of the process of our film and was used to set up the film as is required from a film opening using everything from the sped up running of the angel and the demon to establish them as beings of power to the footage being pieced together the way it has to establish the impending demonic pursuers with the narrative. We also edited filters (Cinematic 1) over the footage to establish a lighter tone to the clips for heavenly connotations thus supporting our sub genres conventions as well as helping to establish the narrative of the film to achieve this media products purpose.

Editing: Sound Problems Update.

We have adjusted the sound of our film to the initial levels that were too quiet but despite efforts to keep a smooth sound on the video once it is uploaded whilst having a sufficient volume we have decided to settle for the audible but quiet sound we have now in order to maintain a higher quality.

Editing: Second Rough Cut: Sound Problems

In order to fix the uneven sound within our first rough cut we changed the gain of the level on those clips. After uploading the video these scenes have come out tinny and muffled, a solution is being worked on. 

The Editing Process: Rough Cut.