Personal Response To Project

Personally, if I were to be watching this film in the cinema, I would enjoy the ideas behind the piece (mixing the angel and devil into the mix). However, I would improve upon the lighting and the lighting consistency (lighting for depth).

I like the different camera angels, especially in the close ups of Dave. And love the wardrobe for the poker players.

Audience Feedback

Nice framing, great music choice.

Like the feel of the thing, would love to see more

well done y'all

you should feel 'flushed' with success

Dodgycam

[Film Maker, Poker Player, Upper Target Age Boundary]

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It was fabulous. I really liked the soundtrack and the like different camera angles and everything. It all looked really good. I liked all of the close ups of like you guys and the table and everything. It was all great.

[Film Lover, Lower Target Age Boundary]

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It's really good Jem, it looks so professional!!!!

the lighting is awesome and the acting is great. I think the way you've put in all the opening production credits works really well. :D

[Film Lover, Lower Target Age Boundry]

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This was amazing!

Karl thought it was amazing I really liked it

The color and b/w contrasts are super, your script proves that you can really tell a story in 2 minutes

camera cool, set cool, clothes and make up coolio!

Here' the one comment from both of us

This refers to "Michael Caine on acting" - try find his video or look it up...

if you want to be great DON'T BLINK - especially in the close up

if you watch Meryl and the rest of them they hold still even 'till the tears come

it's far more powerful and commanding

again just a comment and observation!

["I" - Amateur Film Maker, Film Lover, Middle Target Age Boundary]

["Karl" - Camera Man, Film Lover, Upper Target Age Boundary]

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I love it! I wish my media was as good as this. The music fits really well. And I like the idea of a high stakes poker game that is literally life or death. It took me a while to understand the title though! I don't like the guy in the aviators, is that deliberate?

[Media Student, Upper Lower Target Age Boundary]

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I really liked it. I think there are too many production companies at the beginning though. Otherwise, all good! :)

[Media Student, Lower Target Audience Age Boundary]

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It's pretty good. I like it, especially the stylistic use of the camera going all 'light dancy' when they all walk in. It's really cool. I like the angel and devil thing near the end; i was asking loads of questions. So I'd definitely wanna watch the rest of it. I didn't really get the name, and I didn't like the guy's cowboy hat. I don't play poker, but I'm almost sure you don't wear a cowboy hat when doing so.

[Film Lover, Lower Target Age Boundary]

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I really liked the video. I wish it could be created as a full length movie because the small clip was great. It did have a brilliant look and feel to it but I think that the blurry bit at the beginning when they all go to the table could have been improved. However I think without the effect the scene wouldn't have looked right. Also, I think the order of the angel and devil bit is wrong - the angel should have come on first so the guy could then see the devil and go with the devil. But overall the video was awesome.

[Film Lover, (Indirect) Under the Target Age Boundary]

Evaluation Overview

Copy of Music Permission Application Letter

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to ask for your permission to use your song “Warriors Dance” from your album “Invaders must die” for educational purposes. The song will, with your permission, be used as a soundtrack for our AS level Media studies film opening. Due to obvious copyright laws we will not distribute or sell your material in any way.

Matthew Laverack

We ask you to sign the below slip if you would like to give your permission:
Confirmed by:

LICENSOR (theprodigy)
_________________________
[Theprodigy]

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to the full product?

Our prelim task contained one major problem; we failed to adhere to ‘The Line’ or the ‘180 degree Rule’. In this project we made sure to understand fully and adhere to this rule. I have also learnt the importance of a schedule and how difficult it is to make a schedule work properly with only short windows to shoot in. This time we made a special effort to frame and light shots, and therefore we learnt how to do it. I wish to develop the skills in lighting and lighting continuity as these would possibly our weakest area. We also developed our use of titles as we had them over the picture instead of simply over black. Overall I feel I have honed all the skills I learnt in the Preliminary Task, from framing shots, to telling a story coherently.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot about technologies over the process of making ‘Poker’s Advocate’ as we had access to equipment this time round that we did not have whilst making our Preliminary project. Firstly I learnt the importance of planning, music and the length of the filming process.

Practically, I learnt how to light a shot to give it depth, and that using shadows can be highly effective to create an interesting picture. I learn not to touch the redhead bulbs as the oils on your hand would cause the lights to burst. Never touch the barn doors when the light is on or directly after it has been switched off. And finally don’t turn the lights on if anyone is looking at them.

I also learnt about the shutter speed on a camera as well as gain and white balance. And how ‘shooting for edit’ makes for easy editing.

Sound wise, point the tip of the boom microphone at the speaker for better sound quality. And there are hand held recording devices available. I learnt how to work and download off of one of the hand held recording devices.

Editorially, I learnt how to manipulate and loop music, as well as how to use various editing techniques such as the ghosting effects. I also learnt how to use Final Cut Pro (even though we did not get to use it).

I also found the music website ‘grooveshark’ which allows you to listen to music for free (a great tool to preview potential songs to use in a film).

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

In the opening sequence we attracted our target audience through their interests. We used poker terminology and real probability statistics (found in the ‘Dangerous Book for Boys’) which instils that the film is a serious poker film. The setting also indicated that the film is about poker.

The music is also a way we attracted our audience. By using legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and The Prodigy, most men of the target audience would know of them either through popular music, their parents, or through personal experience. The tracks used are also famous tracks with effective beats that would draw anyone with a musical interest in. The choice to use popular music instead of composed music could also attract the fans of these bands and the type of music.

The topics and themes of the whole piece would attract the audience with an interest in drama and medical drama.

To attract the film students and film amateurs, the range of shots, angles (such as the angles in the close ups of Dave showing his decreasing mental state), effects (such as the grading, peephole effect, and ghost trail) and storyline would attract them.

If the film were to be made and advertised, we could advertise it as a debut piece to attract the film amateurs, whereas the story should attract the target audience. Using the popular music within the adverts would attract the music lovers.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

At the beginning of the media project we set out to make a poker film aimed at young people in their twenties who had an interest in poker and drama. At the end of the project, with a more elaborate plot, we have found that that target audience of our media project are young Caucasian males between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five with an interest in poker, drama and medical drama. The lower age boundry also indirectly appeals to sixteen year olds and up as films aimed at a certain age range are normally also watched by the age group just below the stated age. Although it is unlikely that there is a gambling medical student who aspires to be a dramatist , any of these genres may appeal to the other as it is a spin on each genre that hasn’t been done widely before.

Another audience would be media students and amateur film makers as the film was produced by these sorts of people. This project would appeal to amateurs and students as those with an interest in film making would probably take interest in the behind the scenes work and thus us, the students who made the film and thus the film.

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

I think The Sundance Film Festival would distribute our product as we are independent film makers and the Festival is in celebration of our kind of people. If we found funding, Columbia Pictures might distribute our product as they distributed the film ‘21’ which had a heavy influence on our piece. Miramax Pictures might distribute our product as they distributed ‘Rounders’ which is of roughly the same genre as it deals with Poker. Finally, Universal Pictures may distribute our product as they distributed ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ which follows the same kind of themes as our product as it is about abstract happenings. As the last three production houses in this list are a part of Sony Entertainment, we should approach this company for our best chance of mass production of our piece.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Within the opening of ‘Poker’s Advocate’, various different social groups are represented. Holly, the only female represents both her gender and her upper class society through her gender, wardrobe (being of a classy dress, high heels, a shawl, and pearl jewellery). Through her leaving the game when it became stupid to stay in, it shows that she has the intelligence to save her overwhelming abundance of money. It also shows that she is more mature in gambling. Her leaving also shows that the higher class aren’t particularly the main social group that are to be portrayed in the film.

Gary represented the more wealthy Caucasian male, possibly single with a lot of girls following him around. We based his character around the stereotypical high stakes poker player at a Vegas casino through his cowboy hat and black leather jacket. His language throughout the piece is provoking and against the underdog which should make the audience not like him very much. He should be in his late twenties to mid thirties.

Dave represents the most average of players who don’t have much money and are playing to earn, not for fun. This is shown through his fleece jacket and nonspecific t-shirt. He would be about the same age as Gary. His continuation in playing the game says that he is stupid and doesn’t have much logic. Or possibly he is desperate for the money. Dave also has a brain tumour which represents these people as desperate as well as having action controlling hallucinations in the form of an angel and devil.

The angel and devil themselves represent the good and bad through their hair colour, skin tone, colour scheme and facial expressions. The good being innocent and paler. The bad being evil and dark.

This piece does not represent other ethnicities other than Caucasian except in the case of the devil. This could be seen as a view that Asians are evil (which was not the intention so casting could have been better thought out; maybe played by the same person, or even by the same actor as Dave and using split screens).

We chose to have a range of people from different social backgrounds within the game to show the variety of people playing these games. We also noticed how, in the real poker games in ‘High Stakes Poker’ there was a variety of people within one game. The majority of people playing are males, which was chosen as stereotypically, poker is a man’s sport/hobby. Dave was chosen to be the main character (being a male) as a woman would be less likely to turn to gambling to sort her money problems.

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

The first convention used in real films are the production logos. Originally we wanted these in order to have a sound bridge from something other than blackness. Then, whilst making the logos, we decided to use them to represent the kinds of production companies that might produce our product. ‘B Productions’ is stylish, ‘Bullseye Productions’ could be linked to the poker side of the story and ‘Spark Studios’ could be a studio that made explosive films.

We also placed producer credits at the very beginning of the piece, followed by the actor credits (following the presentation style of ‘Trainspotting’), and then production team credits over the title sequence.

In most films made for the big screen title sequences aren’t used in the way we used them for this is a more TV style of presentation. However, we chose to do this as it mimicked the opening sequences of real life poker shows such as ‘High Stakes Poker’ which I see having a high influence on the style of the piece if it were to go on to a full length film.

The pre-title sequence is a rarity in most films, however was used in films such as ‘Lucky You’. We felt we needed this to set the atmosphere and to use dramatic irony (as used in the film ‘21’).

The abstract sense of the piece is never really used in poker films. Our abstract sense was created through the completely black background and the angel and devil element of the piece. However, conventions surrounding the abnormal were followed such as having a ghost trail around the angel and devil, and allowing the white of the angel’s shirt bleed (which would normally be stopped with different lighting or an off-white shirt instead of the stark white shirt).

Regarding representation of players, a lot of our players followed the slick ideal of poker players that is often used in films surrounding the game. There is often a cocky player (here being Gary) and the main character is often downtrodden and the underdog. These stereotypes are used possibly to gain the viewers sympathy as people tend to support the underdog, and are used widely in films such as ‘21’ and ‘rounders’. However, we did challenge the conventions slightly by adding the character Holly, a rich ‘daddy’s girl’ to the table to add variety, something you don’t normally see.

Editorially, we desaturated the picture which is a commonly used technique to take away the ‘peachy-ness’ of the skin colour. We also used the music to various effects. As in most film media projects, music and background noise levels decrease when important dialogue is being said. We followed these conventions as it was the most logical thing to do.

We also used a convention found in ‘21’ whereby we used a lot of Extreme Tight Close Ups of the players which contained small gestures that flawed the players’ ‘poker face’.

Final Planning Video