Audience Feedback

I have gathered some feedback off a few people in order to find out what they thought of the film, and also to see if I have produced a film which reflects the aims of the film and my use of the genre conventions.

Naomi’s Choice feedback

Did you like the film?

Yes

Yes

Yes
 

Did you understand the narrative of the film?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Does the film create a sympathetic feeling towards Naomi?

In some parts, yes.

Only slightly-it shows that the outcome is more positive so I feel happier for her.

Yes

Are there any other emotions created in this film?

When she is holding her baby, it makes me feel happy for her, and also the drinking part is quite funny.

Yes, the quotes help to create feelings

Not really-it mainly focuses on her struggles and that makes me feel sorry for her.

What did you like about the film?

I think the use of quotes works really well-they help to tell the story.

The quotes are great, they relate to the whole story. I also liked the music at the end, it fits in really well with the narrative.

The music is really good, as are the quotes. I also like that her friend is always there to help her as well, I think it portrays a strong friendship as well as making your own choices.

What did you dislike about the film?

Sometimes the sound wasn’t very good, like the outdoor scene-I think the wind is quite loud.

I think there are a couple of confusing bits where you have to think about what you’ve seen to then understand what has happened.

Sometimes you can tell that the baby is a fake one, which isn’t really bad, but it is noticible.

How do you think this film could be improved?

By making sure the sound was better, and maybe using a couple of different angles.

Focusing on the sound, making sure it is all done correctly, and also making sure that the mise-en-scene is done correctly.

By making the sound a bit more clear, and possibly using less dissolves, I think would make it better. 

Mistake

I have watched my film back and I have just realised a mistake which I have made. I have put '2 months later' in the wrong place, and as there is a Christmas tree in my room, you can tell that this isn't two months later. I am going to have to edit this part out as it will not make sense to people watching the film. I hadn't realised this mistake before, but hopefully I can make a quick change to it.

Recent editing

I have recently finished editing my film; adding music towards the end of it and making some slight changes to the overall film. I have tried to solve the problem of the sound for the scenes outdoors, however, I cannot seem to prevent the sound of the wind, but I am not too bothered about this, as it is realistic that it would sound like that.  

There are some parts within my film which could be a bit better, however, I often had trouble getting on to the editing suite I was using as other people were using it, which prevented me from being able to get along with my editing. I have been doing editing in my study periods, as it's hard for me to stay back after college to edit due to things which I do after college. 

My film-Naomi's Choice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lGj32sOfFcQ

Camera angles

I have used a variety of camera angles within my film, and I have had to change certain angles in order to make my film look better and to prevent any mistakes; such as the fact that my room has mirrored furniture, so I have to make sure my reflection is not in the mirror.

This is my creation of the angles I have filmed from in my bedroom. As you can see, I have filmed from a variety of different angles.
N.B-Where the draws are in this image, there is a christmas tree as I filmed at christmas, although this makes no chnages to the angles and the filming.

This is the angle I used for my scenes in the kitchen. I could keep all of the characters in focus using this angle, and it allowed me to zoom in and out for added effect.

This the the angle I used for the outdoor filming down the drive. It was useful as it allowed both character's to be seen clearly, as the focus was on both of the characters. 

These are the angles which I used for the scenes in the bathroom. These both contain zooms, so it was essential that I had a good angle in which the zoom would focus only on one thing. I spent much time focusing on finding the right angle, and I eventually chose these ones. 

Sound and music used in my film

I am going to be adding some music and sounds to my film over the next couple of days. I will be getting some help with this as I am not too sure on how I actually do this.
The music/sounds Ihave chosen are as follows:
Taylor Swift-Never grow up-End scene with Naomi on the bed. This will carry on playing through the credits and will fade out with a black screen which will be held for around 6-7 seconds. (This will be around 30-40 seconds in total)

Never grow up

Editing

I have been editing the final pieces which I filmed the other day, and everything seems to be going well. I have put all of my film together, and the total running time is 03:55. I am considering making the end credits a bit longer in order to push my film up to 4 minutes.
I will be uploading my film without any sound over the next week; and then I will add the sound to it and upload it with sound.

Filming-Thursday 7th March

I completed the rest of my filming on Thursday. I had about 7 shots left to film, which included outdoor sequences. Where it was easy to film, there were a few minor complications; such as the weather-it was very cold and was beginning to rain, so I had to use the shots I had (I had a few to choose from, although I would have liked a couple more). Another problem I have discovered is the sound of the out-door scenes-it's quite loud, and although I;ve made changes to the volume, the wind and passing cars can be heard loudly. I wanted the traffic to be heard, maybe not quite as loud, but in order to keep the film feeling realistic; my house is on a main road, so the noise couldn't be prevented at any time really, as there's always a busy flow of traffic around the area.
I completed the indoor shots, and overall I am quite pleased with how these went, although I did make a few changes to the parts I was filming, because I tried the original shots I had planned to film, but it didn't seem to work very well.
I am going to be editing the parts I have filmed over the next two days.

Editing

I have done some editing on my film. Currently, I have the first four shots pieced together using dissolves. I have to further edit these parts making them black and white, and adjusting volumes etc. I have cut pieces out and this has made the film look better. I will be uploading some pieces of my film within the next few days, and I will refer back to these in order to see what further editing is needed to make my film better.

Chosen quotes

I have finally decided on which quotes I am going to use in my film 'Naomi's Choice'. I have decided that I am going to use two quotes, one at the beginning of the film, and another one roughly half way through the film. These quotes will be effective, and I am using them to help the audience feel sympathetic towards Naomi, and to furhter engage the character with the audience, so that my aims and context will be met and delivered to the audience in a way that makes them question why people make choices and why people judge others on the choices which they have made.

My choices are:

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are."
Roy Disney

This quote will be used at the beginning of the film. This will drive the narrative, and engage with the audience. I will also use this quote at the end of the film as well, in order to show that Naomi has changed and that she knows what her values are, therefore her 'choice' was one based on knowing that Bethany would be valuable. The scene where she talks to the bump saying she loves the baby already highlights this, and shows that she has already realised how valuable her child is.
When I use this quote ate the end of the film, I am going to pick out certain words in bold, and then take them out and make  a new sentence.
This is what I am planning to do:

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are."
"Make decisions......Know your values"

The word 'decisions' is highlighted as it shows that it was Naomi's decision, her choice to keep the baby, and that she has accepted the consequences of that, showing how strong she is for her age.
The word 'your' is highlighted to show the audience that Naomi knew what her own personal values were-those being her baby and having her loved ones around her. This is also used to reach out to the audience to speak directly to them telling them to know their own values and to make choices based on what they value most, and not based around what others may think of you.


The second quote that I am going to use is:

“One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside.”

John Lennon

This quote is going to be used roughly around the middle of the film, in a scene where Naomi has just seen her old friend, Ryan, and he shouts abusive things at her regarding how she got pregnant, and her choice to keep the baby. Naomi is seen crying, breaking down because she is fed up of people juding her based on her choice, and this quote fits in nicely, as it shows that she is struggling to hide how upset she is that she has lost most of her friends, and how she is struggling to deal with the beginning months of being a mother-she is 'crippled inside' because on the outside, she shows no one how she really feels, but on the inside, she's emotional and upset and mentally exhausted.
This quote will engage with the audience as they will further understand what a huge choice Naomi has made, and how it isn't as easy as she makes it look-she's trying so hard to keep everything together, bit inside, she's 'crippled' with hurt.
This also helps to drive the narrative as it shows that Naomi's life has changed dramatically. Before she was pregnant, she was hiding nothing, everyone knew everything about her, but now she is a changed person-a mother and a somewhat lost teenager. I hope that this quote helps the audience to feel sorry for Naomi and be sympathetic towards her after seeing that only one friend has stuck by her and that she is quote lonely, as the father of the baby has obviously neglected her.

Health and Safety

Whilst I have been filming my film, I have had to ensure that I have been safe and careful with the camera equiptment , and I have ensured that everybody involved in my film have been careful.

There are no parts in my film which have been a problem to film as of yet. However, with the filming I am due to do next week, I will need to film outside. This could be quite hard and take a whil due to the weather we have recently been having. If the paths are still covered in snow, then this will make it harder for the actors in my film to do what is required. It will also make it harder to push the pram for the scene as well. In order to make sure everything is safe, I think I'm going to change this scene from being down the street, to being down the drive instead, as I can then clear the drive, making it safer to walk on, and less slippery so that the camera wont fall, and so that I can hold it steady more easily.

Over Christmas

Over christmas I made some considerations on what quote I could use in my film. I also focused on making some minor changes to my story board, such as some different props to use for the shots I have left to film.
I also planned when I will be doing some more filming. The dates are as follows:
20th January 2013-for the shots that need to be done in day light
22nd January for any additional shots, and for any that may need changing

I am going to be editing in my free's next week and the week after, and once all of my filming is together, I will continue with the editing process.

Ideas for quotes

I have found a variety of quotes which relate to the themes and the story line of my film 'Naomi's Choice'. I have searched for wuite a few, and I am currently in the process of deciding which one I am going to be using. I will put my chosen quotes at the beginning of the film, and then at the end of the film. This will make the audience think about what they have just watched, and will also allow them to sympathise with Naomi and recognise how lonely she has become, and just how powerful a persons love for their child can be.

Quote ideas:

"Choose your love, Love your choice." Thomas S. Monson       "You can do what you want to do. You can be what you want to be." David Thomas "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt  "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. " Roy Disney “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”  Mae West  “One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside.”  John Lennon “When you make a choice, you change the future.”  Deepak Chopra “Our choices in life are made according to our sense of our own worth.”     Kaylan Pickford “The choice is not in what you do. The choice is in the why.”     Ema Raveling, Billow  “What's meant to be will always find a way”  Trisha Yearwood “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”     Mother Teresa “Your lucky enough to be different, never change”  Taylor Swift “Just be yourself, there is no one better.”      Taylor Swift “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”  Coco Chanel

Quote

I have decided that I would like to use a quote at the beginning of my film, which mentions life choices. I am currently researching some, as I want to find a few to pick from. I am using a quote to show that it is Naomi's Choice, and to also reach out to audiences and help them see how lonely Naomi is once everyone except her best friend has abandoned her.

Filming in the New Year

Once we have started college again, I am going to be booking a camera out so that I can do some filming as soon as the exams are over, that way filming will not get in the way of the actors in my films schedules and their revision. In  the mean time, I will be editing what I have of my film, adding any possible effects which will make it look better, and adding music to the scenes which have music in them.

Filming: 17th December 2012

On Monday 17th December 2012, I did some more filming.  I filmed the last 6/7 shots of the film, so there are about 9 shots left to film after christmas. The filming went quite well. Although I had to film the shot quite a few times to get it right, it gave me a chance to change the camera angles, as I found that some of the angles I had chosen wouldn't work, or they didn't allow the characters to fit into the shot.
Overall, the filming went well, and I think it should look better after all the aditing has been done.
The script has been kept fairly similar, though there has been some small changes which had to be made as the script seemed more comical at some points, when it should have been a bit more serious.
After I had made these changes, I re-shot them, and it was easy to see how much better the changed script made one single shot.

Mise-en-scene/props within the film

I have used a variety of props in my film which relate to the storyline. Here are some examples:

Blue and white Silvercross pram: IMAGE

This has been used for scenes where Naomi is taking her baby, Bethany out for a day. I already had this, so I didn't have to borrow it from anyone or buy it. I chose to use this because I think that it shows how much Naomi has grown as a person-the fact that she has bought an elegant, luxurius pram, rather than a cheap one. This shows that she has thought about what is best for her child, instead of just picking any.

Fake Baby:

Obviously this was used so that it looked as though Naomi was holding a real baby. The baby does have breathing sound effects, which I used so that it sounded as though the baby was breathing, again, making it seem as though it is realistic.  I thought that I could use a fake baby, instead of having Naomi hold something like a pillow, as the shape of a pillow wouldn't look at all like a baby, and besisdes, it is much more easier for Jaz to act with a fake baby than it would have been with anything else.

Bottle:

This was used as a minimal prop, just to show that Naomi is looking after her baby properly, and to show that she is taking full responsibility of her.


Dolls clothing:

The clothing for the doll is used earlier in the film and later on in the film. Earlier in the film, it is used to show what Naomi has bought her baby, and later on the baby is seen wearing it. Obviously, the baby had to wear clothing, and the patterns on the clothing shows that the baby is a girl.

Blanket:

The blanket was used as one of the items which Naomi shows Chloe that she has got for her baby. I thought that it would be an appropriate item to use as it would show how protective she is of her baby, before the baby was even born.

Teddy bear:


The teddy bear was another item which Naomi has bought for her baby. It is appropriate and realistic as many people often buy things such as teddy bears for their babies before they are even born.

Alcohol bottles: IMAGE

These were used in the first few shots, which are flashbacks showifn what Naomi was like before she became pregnant. They show that they used to drink alot, and that she wasn't as sensible as she is becomes pregnant. I used a variety of alcoholic bottles, because it didn't look right having just a couple of bottles-I felt that it didn't show how reckless and careless Naomi was before having her baby.

Filming today

Today I am going to be filming some more shots from my film 'Naomi's Choice'. I will get through quite a lot, however there are some scenes that need to be done outside which I can't film until after christmas  because I need the daylight, so I will film these straight after the christmas holidays, so that I can edit them straight away and add them to my film.

Script and Screenplay

SHOT 1:

Location: Kitchen
Medium shot
Naomi is with her friends, Chloe and Ryan sat at the kitchen table, playing cards.



Chloe: ‘Your go’
Naomi: ‘Okay’

Shot 2:Location: Kitchen
MEDIUM SHOT
Naomi, Ryan and Chloe continue playing cards.

Naomi (to Ryan): ‘What are you doing' (laughs)
Ryan (to Naomi): 'Reading this'

Shot 3:Location: Kitchen
MEDIUM SHOT
Ryan and Naomi encourage Naomi to down her drink.

 

Chloe: ‘ Drink, drink drink!’
Ryan: 'Down it!'
Chloe: 'Go on, drink it!'

Shot 4:Location: Bathroom
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi is sat on the toilet, looking sad.

 

No dialogue

Shot 5:Location: Bathroom
Zoom in
The camera zooms in on Naomi sat on the toilet.

 

No dialogue (faint sobbing)

Shot 6:Location: Bathroom
CLOSE UP
Zoom in to the bin, where part of the preganancy test can be seen.





Shot 7:Location: Outside at college
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi's walking into college when her friends nOtice and start been mean to her.



Old friends: ‘Ew, wouldn’t dare’ ( laughing)
Ryan (shouting): 'Getting yourself pregnant, you should be ashamed of yourself.'

Shot 8:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi and Chloe are sorting through the things she has bought for her baby.



Naomi: ‘So I picked some creams up, and this blanket’
Chloe: ‘A few months ago you’d be showing me alcohol you’d bought!’
Naomi: ‘Haha, I know-well, have to be ‘mature now’

Shot 9:Location: bedroom
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
The camera zooms in to a dress that Naomi is holding up-showing the audience that she is having a baby girl.



 

Naomi: ‘And look, I bought her a dress!’
Chloe: ‘Aaw, that’s nice’




Shot 10:Location: Field
ESATBLISHING SHOT
The camera pans accross the field. Naomi can be seen sat there in the distance.
CLOSE UP




 


Shot 11:Location: Field
CLOSE UP
The camera slowly zooms into Naomi sat in the field, talking to the 'bump'.





Shot 12:Location: Field
CLOSE UP
Naomi is talking to the 'bump'.

 

Naomi: ‘Everything will be okay when you’re here-I love you already’


Shot 13:Location: Driveway
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Chloe is walking to Naomi's house.




Shot 14:Location: Driveway
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi answers the door, and begins stepping out of the house.

 



Shot 15:Location: Driveway
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
They greet each other. Whilst Naomi steps out of the door. She is cut off when her waters break.



Chloe: ‘Hey’

 


Shot 16:Location:Driveway
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi begins answering Chloe back when She is cut off when her waters break.

Chloe: ‘You okay?’

Naomi: ‘Yeah, fine thanks, y-‘ (her waters break)



Shot 17:Location: Driveway
CLOSE UP-OVERHEAD SHOT
Naomi is stood in shock as her water's have just broke.

Naomi: ‘Oh my god-It’s happening Chlo!’

Shot 17:Location: Street
LONG SHOT
Naomi is walking back home after been out with Bethany.


Naomi: ‘Let’s get you inside where it’s warm’

Shot 18:Location: Drieveway/street
MEDIUM SHOT
She see's an 'old friend' and rushes in.




Ryan: ‘YOU'RE DISGUSTING!'


Shot 19 location: Hallway
MEDIUM SHOT, LOW ANGLE
Naomi begins to cry as she is sick of been judged by people.

 


Naomi: 'I'm so sick of being judged' (begins to cry)
Shot 20:Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi is holding Bethany whilst she is laid on her bed.

 

Naomi: ‘Boo!’

Shot 21:Location:Bedroom
MEDIUM SHOT
Chloe gets off the bed.

 

No dialogue




Shot 22:Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM SHOT
Chloe picks her things up.

Chloe: ‘Right, I best be going-see you tomorrow’
Naomi: ‘Okay, c’yah later’

Shot 23:Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Chloe says bye



Chloe: ‘Bye’



Shot 24:Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM-CLOSE UP
Naomi sits up.



No dialogue



 

Shot 25 Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi looks at Bethany.

 

 

Shot 26:Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Naomi begins rocking Bethany, talking to her.


Naomi: ‘You’re my life now Bethany-I’ll always be there for you’

Shot 27:
Location:Bedroom
MEDIUM SHOT
Camera zooms out showing Naomi holding Bethany.


Shot 28:
Location: Bedroom
MEDIUM SHOT
Naomi is holding Bethany

Shot 29:CAMERA FADES TO BLACK

Camera

I'm hoping to book a camera out for sunday if I can get one. If there are none available for this date, then I hope to get one for Monday, and I should get quite a lot of my filming done on this day.