Evaluation Activity 5 - The Alliance - Opening Scene Analysis

Evaluation activity 4- Target audience

The target audience for our film is males between 15 and 35. This is because the rating for the film would be 15 as it contains violent and graphic content that would be considered inappropriate for younger audiences but is not too graphic so we don't cut off the lower range of our target audience by making it an 18.


This is targeted at the male demographic as is contains many male characters being very 'macho' and no female characters, which would attract a female audience if the female character was in a leading role against men. There is also violent and graphic scenes that the male demographic is attracted to, especially the teenage range of our target audience.

Due to the violent nature of the film and the macho characters, males aged 11 to 14 would also be attracted to the film, even though they cannot watch it in the Cinema . This is because Younger teen males they are attracted to characters that, at their age, think are the perfect man- strong action star. They want to see examples that thy can follow and aspire to be.

Evaluation Activity 3 - Director's Commentary

Evaluation activity 2

 

This the the character Barney Ross from the Action film 'The Expendables'. He is similar to our character in his role in the film. This is because both characters are protagonists in their respective films. Both characters are also male. This is to appeal to the target audience of the action genre, 8-14 year old boys, who like to watch films that have lots of macho action, with guns, explosions and violence. This is because they are young and think that men are big and tough, so they watch these films to give them something to aspire to. 

Both Characters are the main protagonist or have a leading role in the film. This is because action films are normally based around a single person or small group,who are completely invulnerable unless it is scripted for them to die. These characters are often occupy an important role in the world they are in.

There are also differences between the characters. One difference is that the expendables character is wearing black, while our character is in khaki. This is because the makers of the expendables used black attire to show that they are mercenaries, with no affiliation to any country or organisation. We used khaki to show that our protagonists are loyal to a country, as they are the resistance to an oppressive invader, loyal to the country they are trying to liberate.

The characters also differ in their race. The expendables character is white american, conforming to the conventions of the action genre. Our character is Asian. This subverts from the conventions as any Asian characters will normally be a support role and will be a very stereotypical east Asian e.g. Use a Katana in combat.

Evaluation activity 1

This is the production title of the film. When we designed this we decided to use large bold letters as this is what professional production companies use. This makes the opening look like it is industry standard.

This is a shot of the characters running through a puddle. This is the opening shot of the scene and so it sets the pace of the rest of the scene as fast. This is the first indication that genre is action.

This is the first shot that we see the protagonists. We can tell that they are the protagonists they are the protagonists because they are the first characters that we see. This connotes that they are important to the plot.

This is the first shot of one of the antagonists. We can instantly tell that he is a antagonist because he is wearing full black clothing and a balaclava. He is also giving a sinister glare to the protagonists, connoting that he means them harm.

This is the only shots that have dialogue in. This confirms that these are the protagonists as they are the only people who speak, making us sympathize with them and their cause. This is also show to be the main character as he gets prevalence and more screen time than the other character. He is also always in front when they are in the same shot.

Like before we can tell that this is another one of the antagonists due to his appearance. He is also show to be separate to the protagonists and overlooking them with a sniper rifle. This added to the fact that we already know that one of the antagonists is shown to be less important creates a feeling that someone is about to die. 

This is a shot during the main characters last stand. This conforms to the conventions of the Action genre as he is shown to be shot several times, yet he is still alive and able to return fire. He also fires of a lot of rounds without reloading, again conforming the conventions of the action genre.

This shot helps to set up the narrative of the film as it shows that the antagonists are the more powerful faction. This is because they are shown to win the engagement and have the superior manpower.

This shot shows that he is still alive, so in the next shot when he gets hit by the butt of the rifle it creates suspense as we do not know what will happen to this character.

Evaluation Feedback

In your responses to your final production make sure you are clearly referring to choices and outcomes in an evaluative way - make sure you are addressing the areas outlined by me below:

What did you do? Explain a transition or effect you opted for in the editing process.  What effect did you achieve?  Explain how the choice you made was intended to make the target audience think or feel.  How does this show progression in your use of skills? Explain how this is better than your AS production's outcomes by linking to what you did in your portfolio last year.

These choices are really important for you to reflect on to show you fully understand how you have developed your skills - and make sure you evaluate the comments made by the test audience (the class) using specialist terminology.

We do not have long until the deadline, which is Easter Monday, for this final stage of your portfolio - so make sure you are pushing yourself and achieving the marks your efforts this year deserve!

Evaluation - Feedback for 'The Alliance'

Evaluation - Presentation for 'The Alliance'

The Alliance

Own film treatment

Plot

In the near future, a large group of antagonists have been successful in bringing war, crime and drugs into much of UK. They’ve seized control of the government and much of the countries resources. Thousand of military personal and fighters have been sent in order to stop them but everyday, they gain more and more power and become increasing harder to defeat. As the country gone into turmoil, a small, highly skilled, group of individuals have been formed by what’s left of the government. A secret alliance has been created to remove the illegitimate government from power.

Opening

The opening starts off with two protagonists running towards a small base camp in the woods. They are being chased by a group of the antagonists. The Alliance believes that there is a high-value target situated there and capturing him will give them the information they need in their mission. However, on their way there, discovered by guards that are patrolling around the compound. As the protagonists are discovered a small fire fight initiates, which results in the death of one of the two protagonists. After and while, the still alive protagonist gets shot and injured, and then gets captured by the antagonists.

Middle

A bit later, after the protagonist gets captured, he then gets rescued by several other members of the Alliance. After his rescue, they find valuable information in the camp.

During the film, there are a lot of action and fire fights that occur. As the film moves forward, the Alliance find more and more  information and they are able to work out the reason behind why the antagonists are doing this.

End

The end scene set at a funeral, where several Alliance members are carrying the coffin of the protagonist that died in the beginning. We then see several shots of the country rebuilding its self and becoming a better place.

Storyboard-Animatic

Story Board

Costume

The antagonists and the protagonists wear different clothing. The antagonists wear primarily black clothing. This Immediately tells the audience that this is the bad guy as the colour black connotes evil and darkness. They also wear balaclavas. These are often used by terrorists and criminals in films, as they don't want to give their identity away. Because of this they are usually used to represent bad people.
The protagonists are wearing khaki. This is because the army wear khaki. so it is often used to connote that the people are good and normally professionals. This also gives a sharp distinction between the two groups of people in the film. One of the protagonists has a backsack. This makes him look prepared, therefore he looks like a professional.

Location images

These are some photos of the location the we filmed out opening scene. They are of Ashtead common in Surrey. We chose this location because it was a rural wilderness setting, perfect for our film. It fits into the plot of the opening as it is a more overgrown area with fewer people in it, making the idea that there is some conflict more believable.

Script

The Alliance Script

Scene opens with characters running across woodlands. Then the two protagonists come across an antagonist who appears out of the bushes to the left of the screen, which results into shooting in which the antagonist dies. They continue running and start walking out of the woods. Then a sniper is taking aim at two men who have come to a halt, believing they have escaped danger.

Shonam: Are you ready?

Cameron: It’s okay, I’ve got this!

Shonam: WATCH OUT… SNIPER!!

(Cameron gets shot and falls to the floor to his death)

Shonam looks around and starts firing at the other antagonists, then gets shot once in the shoulder which causes him to fall to the floor. He then carries on firing which leads to him getting shot again. The antagonists form a circle which surrounds him, and then he gets knocked unconscious by antagonist. This causes him to be knocked out causing it to lead to the title of the film ‘THE ALLIANCE’

Final title design

We chose this one out of the many different designs because it was the most suitable for the film, genre and it was the best looking of the designs.

Title fonts

We created the title in many different fonts and styles. we did this to see which one would look the best and which one would look the fitting to the film and the genre. Here are some of the designs we came up with:

Moodboard

This is the mood board showing possible props and location settings for our opening scene. The balaclava will be used by the antagonists. This is because it is commonly associated with such characters such as criminals. The scene will take place in some woods (ashtead common) so i have shown a picture of it. All characters will be primarily armed with guns and we may use knives in some scenes.