1. Did you enjoy the main workshop shoot day? What role(s) did you take and what did you learn? What were your best bits and why?

Despite a long day of sweat and hard work, the workshop day was very informative and so much fun. Getting the role of Hayley Williams was exciting and being on set (both performing and helping) with professional staff and equipment was a new experience worth every minute.

Performing onstage

Everyone performed in groups of 4, I was grouped with Thakshana (guitarist), Mario (drummer) and Amy (bass).
Left - Mario drumming                 Centre - Thakshana rocking out         Right - Filming my CUs

Being in front of the lights (which made it quite hot to be singing and dancing under) and also in front of the camera took time for me to get used to. However with the support of our fellow classmates and expert advice from the crew (who often cheered us on loudly). I got quite comfortable on stage after shooting the first few set-ups.

                                 
I learnt that it was better to not care about how I looked on camera and best to sing with passion as well as aim to exaggerate my moves in order to get the best effect on screen. Actions such as dramatic hair whips and evil 'mean girl' glares looked best on camera when I just felt the emotion of the song and sang. Trying to remember exactly how to copy one of Hayley's moves or facial expressions just ended up with me looking more unnatural than when I just went with the flow of the song or put my own twist on a few things. This was part of the advice I'd learnt from Tasha (dance teacher) and Jasmine (co-director).

Of course there were key moves that all the band's members had to learn and some were done greatly but some set-ups took a few shots to perfect.

Helping on set

I learnt quite a lot backstage. Having my make-up done by a pro artist was great and cheering my friends who were then performing felt equally great. I also learnt what cable-bashing was and saw a portable dolly being used by the cameraman (Jack) who sat on a chair being pulled/pushed along by another fellow classmate. For a few set-ups I was in charge of the clapper board.






Here's a time lapse of the shoot day which shows how the Seward Studio was set up, the equipment we used and what roles everyone took on-stage and helped to stand in for onset.

2. What have you learnt from participating in each prelim tasks 1,2,3 and 5?

Task 1 - The Audition Video

The audition video was slightly awkward to shoot at first and took my team a few takes to start feeling comfortable enough to sing along in a large classroom with just the three of us (me, Thakshana and Iggy). However we blasted Misery Business out and just improvised since we didn't want to prepare anything beforehand and felt like an improvised audition was more natural.

Here is the video. None of us minded what role we would be given but all of us had fun rocking out to Paramore, looking forward to the shoot days. Although it was quite hard to lip sync when I hadn't fully learnt the lyrics which showed up clearly on camera.

Task 2: Learn and practice your performance

It was very important for me to learn my lines and practice my moves as not only does Hayley have multiple key moves in the video but her facial expressions are very emotionally and physically dramatic (a common trait in pop punk music). I had to be slightly wild. I learnt that warming up was one of the key activities essential before performing in order to avoid injuries as hair whips can really stiffen your neck the day after.

Task 3: Help to plan and organise your costume

Here is Hayley's outfit.

My outfit included a red (with white) tank top, black miniskirt, yellow & black tights and black converses. This was a mixture of my own skirt, someone else's top, hand-made tights and borrowed shoes. I did not end up needing to buy anything as everyone brought in what they could meaning everyone shared and could pick what suited them the most.

Task 5: Editing
I learnt from this task that editing a music video took more time and effort than I had thought we would need. I learnt that we needed to grade every shot using ProcAmp, edit in various flashes using the Luma Corrector and place effects such as flips on a few shots. We also played with speeding up shots and slow-mo shots. It was hard work but satisfying after we had finished.

3. Are you pleased with the footage and your finished edit? Is it how you expected it to look? What works really well and what would you change?

Our finished remake edit:

I'm really happy with the footage we got as there were multiple shots of the same set-ups which allowed me to have my pick of which shot I wanted to edit and put onto the video track. It also meant we had varied angles and frames to choose from in order to get the best possible match to the actual video by Paramore. I edited in a pair with Thakshana.

The finished edit took me and Thakshana a long time due to both of us being perfectionists (and maybe also procrastinators). However we tried our best to stick to our edit schedule.

I was quite pleased with the footage we got as my group always made an effort while performing and we definitely 'broke out of our shells' by the end of the day with Mario having to wear guy liner and and Thakshana playing her guitar while lying down on the floor.

What worked really well in our remake video

• The flashes
• The CUs
• The bleached out frames
• The flips
• The slow-mos and sped up shots

What didn't work so well were

• The guitar 'hitting my face scene' and hair whips

I felt this scene needed to be re-shot as the timing is off and I wasn't close enough to Thakshana. We only did one take since we were behind schedule which annoyed me as it was an important scene and would not have taken long to re-shoot. However we also had to be careful no one got hurt.

• Thakshana's knee slide

This was not as dramatic but again we were limited physically as knee slides were quite painful however i feel like there could have been more camera movement to help.

• The drum kick at the end which we couldn't actually do

I feel like this was a major scene as it is quite chaotic in the actual music video so I felt our ending lacked impact because of this limitation. Although i felt we replaced it well during editing.

4. How do you think your prelim experience will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?

Behind the scenes on the shoot day showing how what each of us got up to behind the camera and our love for the project as well as our support for our fellow classmates.

I think my prelim experience was awesome and would definitely prepare me for next term's music video coursework in every aspect.

1. I would be prepared to take on any role having had the experience of playing Hayley Williams and remember the advice I got from professional people.

2. I know who I would like to work with and who I work best with which is an important aspect when trying to create a project.

3. I will be prepared for the editing as I am familiar with how long it takes to edit a music video as well as the various functions I have learnt how to use on Premier.

4. Watching Jack film everyone on the shoot day gave me valuable insight into how to work the camera and get cool frames and varied camera movement.

5. Planning for the shoot day and casting is essential as even with an edit schedule we were running late. Also next term's music video might require help from non-media students meaning we need to be organised.

THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My film opening sequence uses the conventions of romantic comedies in style and form and also develops and challenges the conventions of rom coms in narrative and genre. It has taken inspiration from 5 main media : John Tucker Must Die, The Inbetweeners, Superbad, 22 Jump Street, and the Big Bang Theory.

Plot

The Life of Guy is about the life of a student named Guy who is nerdy, socially awkward and has no luck in his love life. We follow his home life and school life as he gets rejected on his first blind date and then befriends a girl at school who guides him on how to interact with people and how to dress. He goes through many experiences such as social events and ends up in a relationship with the girl of his dreams.


1. FORM - Please watch the first 2 minutes of John Tucker Must Die

2. GENRE:
Typical characters/behaviour
In rom com films there is a typical group of characters:

• The main lead - could be a princess or hero
• The side lead - comedic character
• The love interest - girl or boy
• The lead's opponent for love interest or the villain
• Another villain

Mean Girls

The trailer

• Lead - Cadey Heron
• Side lead - Janis Ian
• Love interest - Aaron Samuels
• Opponent for love interest - Regina George
• Another villain - the plastics in general and mean students

Life of Guy

• Main lead - Guy
• Side lead - Lindy
• Love interest - was Bella, becomes Sophie
• Villains - boys at school who make fun of him

Typical events
Rom coms usually contain light-hearted, humourous events centred on the ideal that true love can help people overcome any obstacle.
It would start with an argument/falling out with current love interest or having no luck with love
Then boy meets girl or vice-versa who are meant to be for each other but are kept apart by differences.
They overcome each obstacle, getting closer despite a few fallouts
Finally they can officially be together in either a relationship or marriage.

Pretty woman is considered the most successful film in the romantic comedy genre.

Typical themes

• Love
• Friendship
• Betrayal (light-hearted/for comedy)
• School/Work
• Personal journey

Themes wise the Life of Guy is very conventional - it follows his love life with girls such as Bella and Sophie, his friendship with Lindy and other guys, the rejection/betrayal of Bella and how he changes by the end of the film.

Typical mise-en-scene: 

Setting: usually in the city or a town, an urban place. Set at school or workplace.

Costumes: usually each character is dressed to represent a social group but generally do not try to follow up-to-date trends. Appearances are low-key unless the characters are fashionable. Examples of fahisonable characters are found in Mean Girls, Clueless and GBF.



Lighting: high-key, clear, natural looking, warm












3. NARRATIVE GENRE
Our film's narrative follows the classic conventions of Todorov's Theory. In the middle column is the Mean Girls narrative and on the right column is Life of Guy's narrative in comparison.

Specific narrative techniques we used:

• Flashback - our opening is not edited as a flashback but shows the past events of how Guy met Bella which is also explained through the voiceover. Guy looks back on himself and reflects on what his life used to be like. 
• Narrative Ellipsis - we cut out certain unnecessary scenes such as him walking back to his room from the bathroom to cut out potentially boring scenes and in order to speed up the pace - the audience can fill in the gap themselves.
• Enigma Code - The audience will be left with wondering: What will happen to Guy after? How will he handle the break up? Will his life ever change? Who will he meet next?
• Cross Cutting - We used cross cutting from Guy running down the street to Bella waiting outside the take away for him and then back to him running.

Role of characters and how they move plot along Propp's theory

Biggest breaks in conventions
Guy being a male lead who is a victim at first but becomes the hero.
Guy having a female friend who he does not end up going out with.

4.STYLE
We used the Life of Riley as our soundtrack.Not only did we like it because of it's similar name to our film opening, we liked it as a happy, upbeat song which is often used in comedy films to set a light-hearted mood. It also emphasises Guy's happy-go lucky personality in the opening.
We also employ a voiceover like many comedy films such as 500 days of Summer and Easy A do. Similarly Guy reflects on what he used to be like and tells us his story from his future point of view.
Please watch the first 5 minutes of Easy A.

We've decided to go with bright warm colours and achieved this using spotlights and natural sunlight.  This warm colour palette and high key lighting is a conventional style of comedy films.


We have gone with white funky font for our titles as they are simple and informal as if they could be written by hand. This appeals to our target audience of students and teens as it creates a youthful, informal style to the opening. Simple titles are used in John Tucker Must Die and funky titles are used in She's The Man.

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our media product represents:

1. young male nerdy boys
2. slightly cool boys
3. stylish pretty girls

Our media product mainly represents the first social group through the voice over, gestures, appearance and props.

Our opening starts off in a boy's bedroom which is neat, simple consisting of a PC, Tv, Xbox games and game posters on his walls. These props connote his gamer fanatic lifestyle and slightly geeky personality. He even has a Call of Duty themed calender.

We drew inspiration from The Big Bang Theory in which the set is very dressed up and shows off everyone's nerdy personalities and interests. Everything is tidy and there is a telescope to accentuate their interests in space, numerous books, PCs and other gadgets.

This gif shows guy's weird side and makes the audience laugh at him but also like him as it portrays him in a slightly adorable, childish light.

Who brushes their beard? Only Guy. This scene engages the audience who will crack smiles as he does a strange thing yet again.

This gif shows Guy running in an unusual way for comedic effect and adds to his lift of unusual behaviour which connotes the opposite of cool and reserved.

However it is his voiceover and gestures that really accentuates his nerdy persona and awkwardness. From Guy picking out a bad outfit and styling his hair horribly to looking in the mirror thinking he looks good, shows just how wrong his judgments are of certain situations. This is typical of the social group we want to represent. The looking into the camera scene below was inspired by The Inbetweeners movie scene where everyone gets ready for their first night out abroad. The audience can't help but laugh at their weird actions as they are funny yet very much relatable.

Guy's gestures connote his social awkwardness as he introduces himself in a traditional, business like way to Bella; he shakes her hand rather than giving her a kiss on the cheek or a hug which would be more modern, friendly and date appropriate.
This is inspired by the awkward way Seth tries to talk to Becca in Superbad. Despite having feelings for her, his nervousness and inexperience results in him referring to her as a 'sister' and trying to nicely punch her on the arm.

The voiceover also reveals that the current changed Guy also thinks he used to be uncool and oblivious as to how he should handle social situations.

Bella represents the social group of stylish girls who want relationships but have certain standards.

Guy's voiceover also represents the cool guy who has friends as Guy's personality and lifestyle have changed by the end of the film. This is reflected by what he says. He admits he used to have a lack of friends and probably turned away many girls from talking to him as a result of the way he dressed and behaved.

Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

20th century fox is our distribution institution for our media product. It one of six major film studios. They are widely known for distributing Hollywood, blockbuster films and have distributed many successful rom coms.
We chose 20th Century Fox because as well as having distributed some of the most highest grossing films in history such as the Titanic and Avatar, it distributes films from almost every genre. One rom com that they have distributed is John Tucker Must Die which we based our title sequence on. Another film they've distributed is the Life of Pi which is what inspired our title.

Life of Guy's release plan

• A global saturation release in cinemas which will be staggered
• A UK premiere at London's Leicester Square as it is a British production company
• A US premiere in Los Angeles which will create a buzz and word of mouth just before the release
• When: Initial release will be in the summer at the end of July in the UK and US as many people will be off school and work for their summer holidays so there is a greater chance of them going out and visiting the cinema.

• Other formats: There will also be a DVD and Blu-Ray release once the film has been theatrically streamed in the last country of release.

This release plan is inspired by the release of The Night at The Museum: Secret of the Tomb which is a comedy also distributed by 20th century fox. It had a UK premiere in Leicester Square London on the 15th of December which creates a lot publicity for the film. Because 20th century fox is so vertically and horizontally integrated, it can afford to market a distribute a film like The Life of Guy. Also with 20th century fox's long standing history of successful films, it will give Life of Guy a boost in publicity with people knowing a reputable distribution company is behind it.

Marketing

• Bus posters all over the UK with Guy, his bestfriend, girlfriend and another guy on the front of the poster standing side by side.
• Global billboard posters
• Official YouTube trailer
• Official facebook page and Twitter feed
• TV spots on channels such as ITV, Channel 4 and E4
• Trailer will be played at the cinema before films of the same age rating such as The Duff.

A traditional marketing plan works well for our film just as it did with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid which was also distributed by 20th century fox.

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The Life of Guy appeals to three main audience groups:

Core: Rom com fans
Rom com film fans are a very diverse audience group and so our film being mainly identified with this genre ensured it was very playable as there is a huge market for comedy films.

Secondary: Teens/young people aged 15-24
The characters in The Life of Guy are all in this age group and are students which makes the film very relatable to young people. They also provide role models for young people to aspire to.

Tertiary: British people
Since our film has a British cast and is set in London, it has a national appeal.

This graph show that the 15-24 age group make up the biggest demographic of cinema visitors thus young people are a huge market to target.

Though some films may target fans of other genres for example BH6 which targets superhero film fans as well as animation film fans, we were not targeting fans of action, sci-fi or adventure/fantasy films Our film is exclusively rom com and does not connote aspects of other genres such as life on other planets, magic powers, or crime.

Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

We made specific decisions such as on the mis-en-scene and narrative of The Life of Guy to appeal to specific audiences however our continuity editing and style appeals to the general audience.

Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratification theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media to best fulfill his/her needs.

Personal Identity

Finding reinforcement for personal values

The opening actually portrays Guy as someone people do not want to be like. However the voice-over provides a role model for guys who have either ever been socially awkward or just had no luck in their relationships as it’s the voice of a changed Guy who now has a social life and better judgement.

Relationships

Using the media to identify with others and gain a sense of belonging

Many audiences can relate to Guy’s actions and voice-over such as his bad outfit and cold shower and the fact that he now knows he used to act and look like such a muppet. As well as finding him funny, the audience can empathise with his embarrassing actions, perhaps having done or experienced similar things in the past and find him like-able.

Diversion

The need to escape from everyday life and relax.

Escapism is offered when through Guy’s actions such as brushing his beard and running weirdly. These events entertain the audience and the use of camerawork such as pans and using the camera as a mirror for Guy and style of editing make the opening very realistic as if the audience were watching a tv episode on someone else’s life . This distracts them from their own.

Surveillance

Using the media to find out information (such as about how current school life is like)

In our opening people we get to find out how Guy, a socially awkward person is like. We see his home life and learn about his hobbies, tendencies and his blind date routine which shows us more of his personality.

I gathered some audience feedback to see what my real life target audiences would actually think of the film opening and whether they would watch it if it was a film.

I asked 9 acquaintances the following question and the all replied with a yes.

I asked 3 people on Facebook to tell me in detail what they thought of The Life of Guy.