Evaluation of AS Media Production..

Last year, as part of our AS course, me and my group created the beginning of a film which was about a maximum of 3 minutes. The genre of our film was a 'Martial Arts drama' and the name of the film was 'Purple Death'. The story was about a boy called Aaron who's father died and his Master was given the responsibility to look after Aaron but little do they know that it was the master who got his father killed. During a visit to the local park, someone attacks Aaron and then towards the end it was revealed that it was the master who attacked him.

Strengths:

• Characters: We were lucky enough to find two Oriental Asian characters to act in our film because it fits in with the genre. They were always present during filming times so there was no need to go hunting for them.


• Camera work: Most martial art films contain fast pace shots and we had quick and tensed shots in our film. We had an establishing shot which set the scene and it was one of the best shots in the film.


• Music: According to our audience who have watched the film have said how the music used for the scenes suited the moods of the scene which created an impact on them. When the song was emotional, the scene was emotional and when the two were combined together, the audience felt emotional.

Weaknesses:

• Music: Although the music set the scene, the down side of this aspect was that due to the different songs used for every scene, there were skips and this was obvious to the audience.


• Shots: During the last shot, in the background behind the audience can see the actors bags and coats and this made this scene look a bit tacky. We also broke the 180 degree rule; We were on one side filming and then suddenly on the other side.


• Criticism: We received criticism about not having enough obvious martial arts conventions to show off the genre. The only thing that worked was the costume (a karate kit).


• Storyline: The story seems a bit unclear when first watching the film even though we had a voice-over where the master narrated the story.

During the process of the production i learnt how to use a Sony HDTV 108 10i camera. This is a very contemporary camera and its small weight is nothing compared to all the different effects it can do.

By learning how to use the editing software Final Cut Pro i was able to edit both the preliminary task and the final product. I now find it easy to use and this is an advantage i can use for the next task which is to produce a music video for a new standalone artist or a band.

I've learnt how to use the camera and so i can record the next production and edit the production using Final Cut. I didn't know how to do a 'depths of field' shot before but I am going to learn how to do it and apply it to the music video and hopefully this will give us extra marks!