CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION

All work must be produced and presented individually.

The Principal Examiner's Report to Centres 2015 draws attention to the need for creative use of varied digital formats in presenting genuinely reflective critical evaluative responses as well as the success of video voice overs:

You will be marked as follows for your Creative Critical Reflection - 20 marks:

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 1: How does your film opening use or challenge  conventions?

• A film opening will feature a BBFC age-rating. Explain what yours is and why the age-rating is chosen.
• The Production Company ident follows. Comment briefly on yours.
• A film is likely to open with an establishing shot, likely to be a wide shot, setting the scene.
• From the start, the genre will be signalled by the mise-en-scene, lighting, sound and narrative. Is the narrative (characters and action) made up of easily identifiable stereotypes?
• The protagonists appear early on. Their relationship with each other is established. Their clothes and props have meaning. Are they stereotypes that are easily identifiable by the audience?
• Credits identify actors by name.
• Sound codes are important parts of characterisation and plot. The musical soundtrack creates a particular atmosphere.
• The director, director of photography, producer and other credits appear. (Think about the analyses of title sequences that you have done.)
• The film title is in a font or style that creates significance.
• The audience expect a film opening to 'hook' them, to grip them, to present an enigma?

Below is guidance from the CIE handbook

In your opening sequence 

• how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 

• what images are prioritised in the opening sequence? 

• what connotations do the images carry? 

• how is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 

• how does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 

• what strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

• how has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 1: How does your film opening represent social groups or issues?

• First identify the social groups featured and present them visually (eg in Pinterest). Roles and jobs?
• The focus is on how they are represented: stereotypes? anti-stereotypes? What are they like? Gender, status, age? Use any of the audience profile categories if relevant.
• Identify the issues in your film opening: recent 'issues' have included artificial intelligence, people smuggling, bullying, kidnapping, art theft, online fraud. How are they presented in your production?

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 2: How does your film opening engage with your target audience?

• First identify your target audience. 
• Are your characters ones that the audience can identify clearly as protagonist, antagonist in the narrative? Will your audience relate to the depiction of them? How are they made appealing / realistic / credible / convincing by what they say, do? 
• How does your mise-en-scène convince? As well as the set, clothes, props, vehicles, what is the lighting like?
• How does the soundtrack draw in the audience, make the meanings clear? Create suspense, drama, tension, fear, intrigue, enigma? Create a character and mood? Match / reflect the action?

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 2: How would you distribute your film ? 

• Explain the distributor's role. 
• Identify an independent UK distributor who would be a good match for your small-budget independent film, giving reasons for your choice, such as their mission statement and other films that they have handled. Verve :"We specialise in the release of independent film in cinemas and on DVD...We are passionate about film and discovering new talent, and are committed to releasing films that have become increasingly lost in today’s multiplex culture." Their films have won many debut / newcomer awards.
• Many low budget films use similar websites: see the websites for Rocks, I Daniel Blake
• 7 Hours On Earth is a school-made film recently released directly Rent or buy from Amazon, Google Play and iTunes.
• You could draw attention to the other ways in which indie producers such as yourselves market their own films such as through social media, launching their work online via their own personal film websites which host all their oeuvre. You could also include reference to film competitions   and film festivals which are vehicles for young film-makers.
• Sketch out a distribution strategy, being realistic.
• If you have made a film trailer, film poster, film FB, Twitter or Instagram, here is the place to add them. None of these are required but often high-achieving groups have had fun adding them.

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 3: How did your production skills develop throughout the project?

• Approach this in order, starting with your research, then planning, then construction then evaluation.
• Keep screenshots throughout the project. Label them. Know exactly what techniques you used. 
• You are likely to have used a variety of tools: ComicLife, Photoshop, Final Cut, iMovie, After Effects.
• You have collated research in Scoop.it!, Pinterest, Fuzel Collage, mindmaps (SimpleMind+)
• You used Google Forms to create and analyse your audience questionnaire
• Presentation platforms include infographics (Pictochart), PowerPoint, Slideshare, Prezi, Visme, Canva
• Hot-seating character interviews involved video and audio
• You may have created a film trailer, film poster, film FB, Twitter or Instagram
• You started your Preliminary Exercises by developing photography skills (such as...) then undertook editing in your continuity exercise. Your practice film opening developed skills adding titles, sound.
• Your film production involved teamwork, planning, co-ordination, looking after equipment, filming, directing, editing.
• During feedback and self-evaluation, you learned to correct...

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 4: How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware, online - in this project?

• Make a list of all the technologies that you have used, starting with your preliminary exercises, then in your research, then planning, construction and evaluation. I model this with you in class.
• Include the hyperlinks to your posts as you go in order to easily retrieve posts, images and platforms.
• Pick an appropriate Prezi template. Use your own email address.
• Upload in order, ensuring that you include images & links where appropriate. 
• Be 'reflective' and 'critical': what made this / that platform useful?