Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Final Production

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cRK936VWM68

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Film Poster

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Radio Trailer

This is our completed radio trailer that we have created to advertise our production of Tea, Coffee and Cancer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeVic4V7ZQ8

Critical Evaluation - Question 1

1) In what ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In the planning stage of our production we had to observe the conventions of continuity and make sure we had a thorough understanding of what exactly it is. Continuity is a key aspect to consider when creating a film as it helps keep the audience on track with the story and doesn’t confuse them. If it is not achieved, it can have a major impact on the film. In order for us to not break continuity in our film, we made sure that we maintained continuity when filming our production. For example, once we had finished filming a scene on a certain day, if the character was in the scene afterwards but in the film it was still the same day, we used the same clothing and props and setting if necessary. We also obeyed the 180 degree rule at all times when filming and used establishing shots of the right setting of where the following scene would take place.

We also made sure that we maintained continuity when editing our film. During the editing process, we placed two shots together to create a shot reverse shot and also an eyeline match. We also used transitional effects such as fade ins and fade outs, in which all of this stuck to the rule of trying to maintain continuity throughout our production.  

Shot reverse shot (see below for other shot)  

Second shot used in our shot reverse shot. Both of the shots also show how we managed to obey the 180 degree rule

We also used the fade in and fade out effects when editing our time passing sequence which appears in the middle of our production and shows the two main characters spending time with each other and slowly falling in love. Although the two characters are seen in different types of clothing, the setting for the time passing sequence takes place in the same location which was at the lake. By using the fade in and fade out effects, this showed that time had passed yet still maintained continuity and the audience were able to follow and understand the narrative easily. We took inspiration from films such as Beastly and A Walk To Remember, where an assortment of different shots are used and edited together to show the male and female character falling in love. For example, in Beastly, several different shots are used of the male and female character spending time with one another and shows them falling in love with each other. This is used to create certain positive, happy emotions amongst the audience and make them feel like they can relate to the story, as romantic drama films often tend to do by creating realistic characters and creating a believeable storyline. When used in our film, the time passing sequence is used to prepare the audience for the final scenes at the end of the film and to create a dramatic impact. This clearly diverts from the happy, romantic scenes at the beginning and in the middle of the film and generates mixed emotions amongst the audience as they previously saw the montage of shots of the couple having fun together and falling in love to them both committing suicide due to not being able to face their problems. You can see here how our production of Tea, Coffee and Cancer is similar to Beastly in terms of the time passing sequence.

Kyle and Lindy are strangers and distant from one another at the beginning in Beastly

Molly and Alfie are strangers and distant from one another at the beginning in Tea, Coffee and Cancer

Kyle and Lindy spending time with one another, relationship growing

Molly and Alfie spending time with one another, relationship growing

Kyle and Lindy are now extremely close with female wrapping arm around male

Molly and Alfie are now extremely close with female wrapping arm around male

Our media product uses specific conventions which are typically used in romantic drama films and we were able to gain the right knowledge and understanding of what certain conventions to use by observing other films which share the same genre as our film. We noticed that throughout romantic drama films, there tends to be several aspects of the film which are all very similar such as the music, where during the romantic scenes between the two characters, soft, feel good music tends to be played and during the more dramatic scenes when a problem occurs, music which has a melancholy tone is played to emphasise the drama of what is happening in the film. Other factors such as the camera angles, title sequences, props, colours used in advertising posters and text of the title of the film also contribute to what makes a successful romantic drama film. 

Whilst researching other romantic drama films, we noticed that a lot of extreme close ups of the two lover's faces is often used throughout. This is to clearly emphasise to the audience both of their happy and sad expressions which sticks to the genre of romantic drama. In our production, we decided to use extreme close ups on the character’s faces portraying both the romance that the two protagonists have and the drama that both of the characters are going through. You can see how the use of extreme close ups are used in the romantic drama film, The Vow, as shown here when compared to our production of Tea, Coffee and Cancer.

Paige and Leo's happy expressions showing they're in love in The Vow

Molly and Alfie's happy expressions showing they're in love in Tea, Coffee and Cancer

Molly's sad expression as she realises she is dying

Leo's sad/confused expression when his wife doesn't recognise him

Our film also reflects the conventions of our chosen genre in regards to the typography used for the title of our film. We decided it would be a plain, white, simple font which we felt would contrast well against our slightly darker background and would catch the audience’s interest immediately when viewing the film. We also felt that it would portray the softer side to the film which is that of the romance the two characters, Molly and Alfie, both share and we felt that the darker background would show the dramatic aspect side to the film and show that both of the main characters in the film have problems, Molly has cancer and Alfie is addicted to drugs and alcohol. This technique of using a simple white font against a darker background is also used in many other romantic drama films such as Romeo and Juliet and Titanic, all of which begin with the romance of two main characters and end in some sort of tragedy with one of the main characters dying or in some cases, both of them dying.

Once we had established a plot for our film, we researched in to other types of romantic drama films in order to gain a thorough understanding of what these types of films include in order to stick to the genre. We observed carefully how romance is portrayed and how the audience can see the main characters meeting, spending time with each other and eventually falling in love as the story progresses and the romance between them begins to grow and get stronger. 

Throughout the research, planning and construction of our production, we realised that our film shares many similar aspects from the films Romeo and Juliet and A Walk To Remember, particularly with the storylines being quite similar. Our storyline revolves around Molly who has cancer and Alfie who is a drug and alcohol addict, two very different people who appear to be the antithesis of each other. However despite all of this, they begin to fall in love with each other. However their romance is not meant to be when Molly discovers that she is dying and decides to end her own life. When Alfie discovers she has terminal cancer, he too cannot come to terms with this and so he also ends his own life. Our film reflects aspects of the storyline from Romeo and Juliet with both characters ending their own life and also with A Walk To Remember, with the main character Jamie also having terminal cancer and does not tell the male character Landon that she has the illness. Due to these two films being similar to our film in terms of the storyline, we decided to incorporate some of the elements used in both Romeo and Juliet and A Walk To Remember. Here are some examples of how we incorporated elements from A Walk To Remember.

Jamie and Landon becoming close in A Walk To Remember

Molly and Alfie becoming close in Tea, Coffee and Cancer

Jamie and Landon holding hands

Molly and Alfie holding hands

Landon's reaction when discovering Jamie has terminal cancer

Alfie's reaction when discovering Molly has terminal cancer

Jamie slowly dying

Molly slowly dying

Throughout our production, we wanted the audience's heartstrings to be 'tugged' at and for them to experience both the positive aspects of Molly and Alfie's relationship; from spending time with one another, having fun and falling in love and the negative aspects at the end of the film; Molly discovering she is losing her hair, Alfie finding the letter explaining Molly has terminal cancer and both of them committing suicide. We wanted the audience to be able to connect with the characters and really feel all of the emotions which appear in our production. Although they appear like they are the complete opposite of one another, when they're together, it almost seems like nothing else matters – Molly forgets about her cancer and Alfie doesn’t depend on using drugs and alcohol, all they need is the company of one another and for them, it feels like life is perfect for them both. With our production being based on both characters falling in love and being in a happy relationship with one another, this relates to Richard Dyer’s Theory of Entertainment and Utopian Theory. He stated that Utopia is perfect and ideal place. The Utopian Theory suggests real people watch/read/listen to fiction for escapism and diversion from their everyday lives. They want to escape to a perfect and ideal world. So by choosing to watch our production they are able to escape what is considered to be their reality and delve in to the fictional world of the two characters in the story and feel the happy, positive emotions of the characters’ relationship as well as the sad, negative emotions which they will feel at the end. With our film’s storyline involving two contrasting emotions, this all creates a sense of audience pleasure and I am very confident that we have achieved this within our production.

Critical Evaluation - Question 2

Critical Evaluation - Question 3

Critical Evaluation - Question 4

Question 4 from Melissa12394

If the presentation above doesn't work, click this link to view here instead http://www.slideshare.net/Melissa12394/question-4-19740482

Critical Evaluation - Question 1

1. In what ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

We have created a short film called ‘Tea, Coffee and Cancer’ which stretches and tests many conventions of real media products. During our research a lot of my time was spent watching and studying films similar to what we hoped ours would be. During the intensive research I found common features in the romantic/drama genre such as the time passing sequences which break continuity by showing small pieces of action and jumping between them at different stages of the characters development.

From the image to the left you see the characters in summer and to the right in winter which shows the developement of the relationship. This is similar to our own where we have a scene by the lake in the cold and then in the sunshine.

Continuity was kept regularly using camera angles in the films I looked at including eye line shots which showed what the character was looking at, this created intensity between characters which fits the romantic part of the genre. I also noticed during dramatic scenes the camera would often cut between two locations to show an audience what is happening in both scenes and to build tension.

Our film firstly reflects the genre of romantic drama as we have used the conventions found during research. The time passing sequence is similar to other films as it shows the development of the characters relationship and how they fall in love over time. This sequence of shots can be related to Laura Mulvey’s theory of Scopophilia as the audience enjoy the viewing of a developing relationship which in real life you would not be a part of this is voyeuristically pleasurable. We also cut between locations during the final scenes to show both character’s activity at that time. This builds tension and works well in our film. ‘Tea, Coffee and Cancer also challenge ‘rom com’ conventions by containing an unexpected ending. My research showed majority of romantic films end happily but we chose to end ours with both characters dying to create more impact on the love story.

We diverge from our genre’s code at the beginning of our film as the female character gives the male her telephone number showing she has authority between them. This challenges the typical stereotype of the man in charge and the damsel in distress. This also challenges Richard Dyers theory of the representation of men as in this scene the female has authority.

 We chose to do this because society is changing and women are becoming equal to men both on screen and in real life so this gives our film a refreshing twist on the characters relationship. However dominance roles continue to change during the scene where Molly needs help down from the platform she is stood on, male scopophilia is satisfied in this scene as the man has re-asserted his authority and lifts Molly down .

Although we don’t contain any intertextual moments where we reference other films the time passing scene and relationship between Molly and Alfie fits universally to the entire genre of films.

By swapping power roles and challenging conventions I am confident our film now appeals to a wider audience than the usual romantic film. The references to modern day real life combined with the script and believable characters provide pleasure to an audience as they become a part of the story because the more an audience can relate will mean the more an audience can feel and enjoy a film.

Critical Evaluation - Question 2

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary texts?

Critical Evaluation - Question 3

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Critical Evaluation - Question 4

During research modern technology aided us largely. Due to our easy access to the internet we were exposed to a vast amount of information. This helped during research in to similar films where websites such as IMDB helped and finding title sequences and time passing sequences were easily accessible on YouTube or art of the title. Although the internet provided us with large quantities of information the negatives of researching this way is finding a reliable source and using key words in our searches in order to find the correct information.

Blogger was a large part of our project and during the planning process helped a lot. We set up a blog for our group and this enabled us to post our research where all team members could see. This advancement from printouts increased our awareness of our research which in effect affected our planning.

When creating our script we used cell text. This computer software enabled us to create a professional looking script containing stage directions, character names and dialogue. Having the script in typed format helped during filming.

During pre-production we used a canon dslr to photograph our characters and locations. This aided our production as we knew the size and limits to our locations and were able to create our recee’s from these images. The character photos also helped create our characters profile which helped us then form a more believable story.

We used new materials during the production of our film as we used the large high definition cameras and the large tripods. This enabled us to film in HD1080i and create better quality film than our AS film. The cameras were initially hard to handle and confusing to set up which may have delayed us whist filming however now we can do this quickly it benefits our final film as the quality is much better.

New advancements in mobile phones played a role in our film when the characters text one and other. The text received by Alfie from Molly confirming their date tells the audience vital information which meant we did not have to film a phone call or conversation discussing these matters. This saved us screen time so we could expand our story in more detail. Again mobile phone advancements played a part in our story when Molly is about to take her own life she places in her earphones playing her music. During post-production we used eliptical editing at the moment she put in her earphones to add impact.

During our research we found many metaphors in love films so we included two in our filming. The first is the two water hens swimming across the lake, this signifies Molly and Alfies relationship as birds love only one person for the rest of their life and using semiotics we can assume the birds being the colour black signify their soon to be death or fate. We then filmed a candle burning out after Molly commits suicide which signifies the fire and the fight in her dying out as the flame subsides.

Using our access to the internet we used the NHS logo and copied it to a word document to create a convincing hospital letter which Alfie finds in the film. This played a large part in the telling of the story as it is the way Alfie becomes aware of her illness.

We used the programme final cut express when editing our film which we had basic knowledge of from our previous year in media. We cut our film together quickly but then used new skills such as changing the opacity of some shots and overlapping them which gave us the effect on the title sequence. We used new transitions like a fade to show the time passing between scenes like Molly at the hospital to the first date.

The amount of copyright free music available on discs to us allowed us to explore different genres of music and find the one suited to our film. This meant the soundtracks we picked fitted well with the on screen action. For the opening credits we used an upbeat folk/rock song which began the mood of the film positively. During the scenes of Molly and Alfie together we used an acoustic guitar song to create a romantic atmosphere and finally during the two characters death scenes we used a powerful song in a minor key to add impact to the situation.

During the production of our ancillary texts we experimented with new equipment and resources to ensure we produced our texts to the highest quality. The first was the zoom recorder in which we recorded audio commentary for our radio trailer. By using this the narrator tells the audience parts of the film without giving away too much. Although we had not used this recorder before it was simple and helped create a professional sounding radio trailer.

When creating the film poster I used Adobe Photoshop CS5 which allowed me to create a professional looking posters and stretch the boundaries further than a word document could. I used techniques such as filters and changing opacity levels so that the image of the tablets is faintly visible to reflect the underlying story of cancer in our film. Accessing the internet again during poster research I looked at fonts of a similar genre and chose ‘Agent Orange’ as it is soft edged and fun to reflect the romantic part of our film. We then finished the poster using steel tongs font for the crediting to give the poster a professional look.

Overall I think new advancements in media have helped us improve not only our final film but also our knowledge in to the film industry and although some techniques and new equipment was time consuming and hard to learn the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives and I am pleased with the final result.

Critical Evaluation - Question 1

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

Whilst filming our production we made a concious effort to maintain continuity, continuity is a key feature when making a production as it is important to set the scene and establish the characters without confusing the audience. To ensure we didn't break continuity throughout our production we obeyed the 180 degree rule and whilst filming our production we aimed to use the same types of mise-en-scene, for example we avoided using different types of props, costumes/clothing, setting/backgrounds and types of weather that had already been filmed in order to not break this continuity. We also used a range of establishing shots to set the scene of the film and used eye-line matches as an additional piece of edit. 

Eye-line match

Eye-line match

However our production featured a time passing sequence and therefore in order to show a substantial amount of time passing as the characters in our film, love develops and grows we had to film a range of shots in different weather conditions and the characters in different outfits, despite filming in the same location, this was used to show a montage of the couple together and to show the couples relationship as it grew from a first date to them being in love. When editing this piece of continuity, we used fade in/fade out to express the passage of time, yet still maintaining a sense of continuity. The time passing sequence featured in our production reflects other montage sequences in films such as Beastly 2011 and Up 2009, both these films show a range of shots of the couple's together and as the love grows. Time passing sequences have been used in these films to generate a false sense of security with the audience, the couples are seen to be together a long time and therefore when something happens that rips the relationship apart it has a more dramatic effect on the audience as it is seen to be unexpected and spontaneous.

                         

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Characters meet 

Beastly -  Characters first meet

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Characters first date together

Beastly - Characters first spending time together

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Characters as their relationship progresses and they become closer

Beastly - Characters as relationship progresses and they become closer

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Characters spending more time together/ relationship progressing 

Beastly - Characters spending more time together/ relationship progressing

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Characters now in love, female character in the males arms shows she is  comfortable sat in his arms and feels safe with him holding her

Beastly - Characters now in love - the female character falling asleep on the male shows she is comfortable in a relationship with him and feels she can do this due to them being in love

                                                                     

Once we'd establishing a narrative for our production we came to the conclusion that our film was that of a dramatic romance. After researching into this genre and real media products that revolved around our idea we noticed that romantic films are based around a male and female character, that in some cases are the complete opposite yet are still attracted to one another despite their differences. For example, the film Romeo and Juliet 1996 revolves around this concept that the two characters are not meant to be, yet still fall in love. We used a range of shots and camera angles in our production to reflect the romantic genre. For example we used a  medium close up of the characters sat in one another's arm to emphasise the couple in love, this type of shot is also used in the romantic drama Dear John 2010

Dear John - Medium close up on both characters 

Tea, Coffee and Cancer re-enactment 

Similar to this dramatic films are based around real life events and situations and as a result have a huge impact on the audience as they can relate to what is happening in the film. In the case of our film, the main character Molly suffered from terminal cancer and the character Alfie was addicted to alcohol and drugs. Drama productions generate a sense of emotion that necessarily isn't as easy to relate to as in such genre of film as fantasy and horror. Therefore using these real life situations that the characters go through made our production more realistic. We also adopted the idea of the characters killing themselves in the end, due to them unable to be together, this idea was based around the film Romeo and Juliet 1996, and we reflected this in the final scenes of our production, Molly's chemotherapy fails to work therefore she takes her own life instead of suffering with her illness and as for Alfie he finds the letter from the hospital in Molly's bag which explains her treatment hasn't worked, he then begins to drink and passes away.

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Molly's suicide - Takes her life with drugs/overdoses - Medium close up

Romeo and Juliet - Juliet's suicide - Takes her life with poison - Medium close up

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Molly's suicide - Long shot 

Romeo and Juliet - Juliet's suicide - Long shot

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Alfie's reaction - Medium shot of his reaction to Molly dying

Romeo and Juliet - Romeo's reaction - Medium shot of his reaction to Juliet dying

Tea, Coffee and Cancer - Alfie's suicide - Takes his life with alcohol/overdoses to be with Molly in death 

Romeo and Juliet - Romeo's suicide - Takes his life to be with Juliet in death

Our production plays on the audiences emotions of happiness and sadness due to the film being the genre of dramatic romance. The film plays on both the highs and lows of emotion and therefore relates to Richard Dyer's theory of entertainment and utopia, for example by showing the couple in love, having fun together and being happy with one another this generates a sense of pleasure and cheerfulness amongst the audience. Whereas the death scenes in our production are very dramatic and realistic therefore generate a sense of grief and sorrow amongst the audience, they can relate to what is happening in the production and therefore be affected by what is happening on screen as a result of the characters taking there life to be together in death, rather than be apart alive. This can be seen to be relating to Dyer's theory of entertainment as the production shows both the intense emotions of love and sadness, according to Dyer these emotions are a  'utopian solution' that audiences will seek if they are lacking something in their lives, for example if they are bored they will seek the intense emotions featured in our production and therefore this will provide pleasure amongst the audience. We are confident that we achieved mixed emotions of audience pleasure throughout are film due to the feedback we have received, for example in general the audiences enjoyed the romantic storyline, felt moved by it and enjoyed following the story of the characters. We also received feedback which proved that the audience felt our film was tragic due to the characters unable to face their problems any more. The audience were sad and upset that characters took there life and therefore felt the film was both upsetting but also sweet due to the characters relationship and them being in love.
Link to audience feedback -
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Atu6KvJhadokdGw3Q2gtVEFBdEdBbmlOYVBhT1RkOEE#gid=0