'Beneath the Cracks' Evaluation

A2 Evaluation- 'Beneath the Cracks' from LilyBridget

FINAL EDITS

FILM:

The final version of the 'Beneath the Cracks' short film has massively improved from my first draft. Not only have I added a backing track, but I also found the use of subtitles to be highly effective. I wanted my soundtrack to create a happy and upbeat tone that was partially fast in pace so that the homeless clips would be strongly juxtaposed and therefore emphasised in order to get my point across. As mentioned previously, the scripted audio was at times hardly legible; no matter how much I adjusted the volume levels, I found that viewers had to strain their ears in order to hear what was being said, however by adding subtitles this issue was removed. I also found that the insertion of text allowed the audience to be more active in their engagement as they had to read it for themselves, rather than have the information handed to them passively. 

As well as this, I found that through the insertion of multiple title stills, my facts were presented on top of the on-screen action. This allowed the audience to truly visualise the contrast that I was trying to portray (the stereotypical view of London life vs. the perspective of a rough sleeper). I found all of my facts online (many of which are present on my 'Script' post) and found them rather shocking myself; I selected these ones in particular as I felt that they would strongly impact the audience's sense of empathy, therefore arousing their inner emotions. 

I have developed this version from my initial draft not only through content, but also through effect. I added multiple cross fades in order to ensure continuity between shots; I found that through doing so, my sequence appeared more fluent as the shots flowed into one another rather than appearing separate. 

REVIEW:

I chose to use a slight grey-white gradient on the background of my initial layout in order to create a sense of synergy between the products as my poster also features in greyscale. I also experimented with the font/typography as both my first and second draft received a negative peer review in this department; many commented on how the font on the first draft did not appear professional nor did it follow the conventions/tradition of a typical magazine article. The second draft was criticised for it's bold and rounded sans-serif font as it was said to be "chunky", "unpleasant to the eye" and "clumsy looking". 

Through the insertion of a synopsis box (right hand corner), I was able to portray all of the key information in one place; this is effective/beneficial in relation to the reader as this information is quick and easy to access without reading the entirety of the whole review. I was strongly inspired by 'Empire Magazine' as this is a common feature within both their online and hard copy print articles.

I also decided to include a small one-liner beneath the title in order to summarise the nature of the review. I felt that this would be beneficial to the audience as this would be one of the first bits of information that they read and could potentially decipher whether or not they choose to continue reading. 

I chose to do a two page spread as I felt that this would be more realistic and professional; although many of the reviews I looked at were online, I felt that through applying similar codes and conventions to a magazine layout, I would be able to develop and somewhat challenge my own research. Also, I feel that online reviews are not as critically appreciated as those features on a hard-copy print, as websites such as Rotten Tomatoes often allow the public to write their own reviews, whereas hard copies are guaranteed to be from someone of an official critic status.

POSTER:

This is my final version of my 'Beneath the Cracks' film poster- one of my ancillary tasks for my chosen project (short film brief). The editing process between my first draft and now allowed me to experiment with my poster through trial and error and receive feedback on what was effective and what wasn't. 

Due to the poster following the greyscale colour scheme as featured in traditional film noir, I found that if it were to be featured on a billboard or advertised locally, it would not draw in the attention of passersby or bystanders due to its lack of colour. In order to improve upon this I decided that I would add a title of a larger font and make the text red in colour in order to maintain an eye-catching quality.  I choose the colour red because it is bold, bright, but also associated with genres of a darker nature (e.g. thrillers) so does not defer from my storyline and the desired shock factor. I decided to use a Sarif font for my title as its sharper and somewhat harsher due to the point in shape, therefore reflecting the realities that my documentary style short film will be attempting to present.

I also readjusted the opacity levels on the background layer of my image as I found that the two images merged together as block images and to some extent it was difficult to separate them from one another and decipher what both images were trying to portray.

I felt that the images were somewhat too plain and did not relate to the title, this influenced me to research how to add in the effect of cracks onto the base of the poster; I saved a royalty free image of a cracking effect as a jpeg. file and imported it into my photoshop document- from there I simply added it as a different layer and fitted the image to scale. In order to prevent the image from pixelating upon expansion, I made two copies of the layer and used on for each half of the poster. I then adjured the opacity levels in order to make the effect appear more subtle.

Film Review: Second Draft

Film Review: First Draft

Textual Analysis: Film Review Conclusion

Through my research and my textual analysis of film reviews, I have learnt many things about the expected codes and conventions present, both through the layout of the review and the choice of language used.

1. There is often a small box to the side of the review that presents the essential key information about the media product, e.g. the name of the director, cast (if applicable), duration of film, genre, rating etc. This is used to inform the reader about the product without having to read the whole review; for example, if the reader was looking to read a review about a product that was classified as a 'romance', they could turn to the 'genre' section to see if the current review applies. I plan to apply this convention to my own work as I feel that readers would be more inclined to read on after having read the key information, e.g. synopsis.  
2. When looking at the image:text ratio, I found that in total, the image occupation of the page never took up more than a third of the layout. This often appeared through the insertion of two large images, or one large image (often the headline image) and two smaller ones. Images are used in order to grab the attention of the reader and assist their knowledge and understanding of the text; as well as this, it may appear too formal and unappealing if the whole spread was simply text based as a block of text is often classed as too long or uninteresting. I plan to use a large image of London as my headline image on the top of my layout, much like that shown in Empire magazine. This will be the only image present on the first page of the spread, with the second image appearing at the bottom right of the second page. I feel that if I aligned the two images, it would not be as eye-catching nor aesthetically pleasing, as two vertically placed image appears more abstract and interesting to the eye. 
3. After reading many film reviews online and in print, I found that one strictly followed aspect of the typography is the use of a serif font throughout the article. I found this to appear more professional however I was unaware as to the technical aspects behind this choice; I looked it up online and found that serif typefaces are credited for enhancing readability and reading speed of long passages due to the serif helping the eye travel across the lines (www.fonts.com). I had previously felt that serif fonts were simply more decorative and prettier to look at, but now understand that the font choice and typography can also affect the legibility of the text. I will follow this convention as after having researched it, I feel that this is an important factor that contributes to the effectiveness of the text as an entirety. 

Textual Analysis: Film Review 7

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/19/titanic_1997_review.shtml

The film review for the hit film 'Titanic' featured on the BBC website really took me by surprise; being a lover of the film myself, reading about it through what appeared to be a more critical viewpoint seemed uncanny and almost implausable. However, after analysing the use of laguage and the structural placement/build-up of the argument itself, I found this review very effective and clever in its technique.

The review begins highly censorious of the romantic tradgedy, making comments on the film's budget and the choice of cast. "The critical knives were out long before James Cameron's "Titanic" was complete. Spiralling costs that led to it becoming the most expensive motion picture of the 20th Century, and a cast without any big stars seemed to doom the film before release." The metaphor 'critical knives' is in reference to negative speculation; this is reinforced by the term 'doom' as it appears very dramatic and condemning of the text. However, the term 'seemed' contradicts such a viewpoint and foreshadows an opposing argument/turning point in the opinion of the author (also known as a 'build it up, knock it down' structure).

The author also chooses to refer to both box office and audience appreciation which may appeal more to the reader as they will feel as it is addressing them more directly; as well as this, it is somewhat more relatable to the everyday reader as critic opinion is often based on technical features rather than entertainment value. "But box office and audience appreciation proved Cameron right and many critics wrong." The use of bold font emphasises the critical moment in which both the tone and direction of opinion appear to change.

A common technique used throughout the entirety of the review is the presence of a negative comment followed by an oppositional sentence opened with the conjunction 'but'; "It's reckoned that the rivets were a key structural element that failed the doomed liner. But you could hardly condemn the whole ship as shoddy, or question its magnificence. The script for the movie is rather like those rivets. It's weak and riddled with poor dialogue. But despite its failings it's hard not to become swept up in the sheer grandeur of "Titanic". The repetition of 'doomed' is reinforced by the term 'failed' which misleads the reader into believing that there is an undertone of dissatisfaction; however, this is heavily contrasted as the author states you cannot question its 'magnificence'. When reflecting upon the dialogue it is described as 'poor'; through this the reader is offered a genuine criticism from the authors perspective. By stating that 'it's hard not to become swept up in the sheer grandeur of 'Titanic' the language is both majestic and somewhat illusionary; much like the concept of the ship itself.

The author also refers to other epidemic films in comparison; "Previous disaster epics like "The Poseidon Adventure" or "The Towering Inferno", used a layered structure of introducing many characters with separate stories that would interact towards the inevitable calamity". Through doing so, the choice of narrative placement/structure is acknowledged and compared.

When the text refers to the characters/casting, the character of  'Cal' played by Billy Zane is described to appear 'wonderfully demonic'; this is an interesting choice of language as the oxymoron intrigues  the reader and provokes a sense of curiosity- "'Titanic' offers up only two central characters, with DiCaprio playing an impoverished artist, and Winslet the wealthy bride to be of the wonderfully demonic Billy Zane."

The conclusive viewpoint/opinion of the film is formatted in bold text as it is described as "a truly impressive feat of entertainment", therefore summarising both the pros and the cons into an overall positive response.

Textual Analysis: Film Review 6

The last 5 film reviews that I have looked at were heavily focused on the layout and design of the page rather than the language choice and use of techniques within the review; I now feel that I have a strong understanding of the visual conventions and think that it would be beneficial to start looking at the text itself.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/blog/2015/jun/10/my-beautiful-broken-brain-review-documentary-moving-study-of-life-after-stroke

The first piece of text that the reader is exposed to is the title of the review itself - "My Beautiful Broken Brain review - moving study of life after stroke". This is very straightforward and simplistic in approach as the author does not over embellish the product nor give an upfront opinion/bias straight away- all that is exposed to the reader is the title of the documentary, the form (a review) and a very short one liner on the narrative itself. This is very common in reviews featured on 'The Guardian' website and is seen as a standard writing style of theirs; if I were to follow this convention I would include something along the lines of 'Beneath the Cracks review- the shocking truth of homelessness within London'. I found this technique to be very effective as it is dramatic yet has no depth; from this the reader can develop an understanding of the context behind the documentary yet they remain unaware of the events and narrative development throughout.

Just beneath this we see a short elaboration of the previous one-liner; "This study of a young stroke patient’s struggle to regain language and memory manages to be at once visually arresting, deeply moving and uplifting". This gives the reader a more descriptive knowledge of the plot as it goes into more detail and gives away information such as the cognitive difficulties addressed throughout; it also uses more emotive language such as 'deeply moving and uplifting' in order to arouse the audiences sympathy/curiosity, therefore encouraging them to watch it themselves.

The review begins by offering the reader an insight into the background knowledge/build-up of the documentary itself- "My Beautiful Broken Brain is the story of stroke patient Lotje Sodderland. Sodderland suffered a catastrophic brain haemorrhage in 2011 at the age of 34; eight days later she contacted filmmaker Sophie Robinson to ask her to help document the aftermath. The pair initially filmed 150 hours of footage, most of it self-shot by Sodderland on her iPhone, which was edited to create this documentary piecing together Sodderland’s recovery." From this I can infer that -

• The stroke patient's name is Lotje Sodderland
• She suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2011 at age 34
• She contacted filmmaker Sophie Robinson 8 days after to help her document the aftermath
• They filmed 150 hours of footage
• Most footage was shot via iPhone by Lotje herself
• The documentary follows Lotje's recovery

The next paragraph begins by referring to the narrative documentation of the film; this helps to set both the scene and the tone of the film as the reader is made aware as to who opens the first scene (Lotje's friends & family) and the feelings expressed following this account ('confusion', 'frustration', 'relief' etc.) The author has also chosen to include some facts/statistics such as "stroke is the UK’s third biggest killer, and affects around 150,000 people each year"; this further develops the dramatic atmosphere created as the reader is then offered scientific evidence into the severity of the documented events.

Within the following paragraphs, the reader is then given more information via a chronological account of the events, e.g. -

• Lotje then spent 3 months in Homertons neurological rehabilitation unit
• The stroke left her with aphasia
• Her neurologist helps her to recalibrate her brain hemispheres
• She joined a research study into transcranial stimulation at University College London
• She started attending daily sessions and practised at home

About half way through the review the author changes the focus; diverting attention away from the story and into the way that it was portrayed onscreen, e.g. editorial techniques and effects. "One of the most arresting features of the film is its visual style. The stroke caused an impairment in Sodderland’s right eye, something her ophthalmologist says probably cannot be repaired. Robinson says that when Sodderland first started speaking to her about the “trippy” other-dimensional views she had from her right side “it became very important to use that and make the film feel a bit different so we can feel what it’s like in Lotje’s head”. As a reader, I found this part of the review the most engrossing; I was very shocked to discover that the filmmakers had used certain effects in order to portray Lotje's visual impairment and found myself more susceptible to watching it myself. Terms such as 'trippy', 'dreamlike' and 'euphoric' appealed to me as a reader as I felt that the representation of such traits would be interesting as a viewer- not only as an outsider, but also as somebody who wishes to broaden their knowledge/outlook. Such impairments are later described to have become "an exquisite painful nightmare". This strongly contrasts the earlier description of euphoria and somewhat suggests that there is a shift in equilibrium; the reader is then provoked into wanting clarification due to the juxtaposing terms 'exquisite' and 'painful'. 

The author of the review then goes on to seek a more personal connection with the readers, allowing them to relate the moral of the documentary to their own individual experiences. This is done through the generalisation of the issues presented, "an absorbing study about how our sense of self is defined... it is also a reminder of the nature of our personal independence." This is reinforced within the second to last paragraph as the author defines what a MBBB film is: "a moving film which deals with the philosophy of who we are and what makes us a person, alongside showing us just how fragile our understanding of the brain is". Although this is not specific to Lotje's case, it is an area of great curiosity and intellect in which many people find interesting/engaging.

This review differed from my expectations as I was expecting elements of high praise or severe criticism; instead I found a more descriptive and engrossing piece of work which kept me guessing throughout and was effective in making me want to watch the documentary for myself.