Audience Reception Theory

A slideshow that gives background on Stuart Hall and his studies. Audience Reception Theory  plays an important role in the media industry; particularly film, as it allows you to breakdown and understand different ways your product can be perceived and interpreted by your audience. This allows you to make informed decisions considering the different ways it may effect different types of audience so it was a relevant theory to be aware of when producing my short film.

Casting and Actor Organisation

I had to arrange a suitable date to film with my actor, I proposed a date via email. Fortunately, he was available to shoot on the selected date at our location. Here is the conversation that occurred between email.

Production: Finding a Setting

To began my production I first need to find a suitable setting for my film and any other possible secondary shooting places I would need.
Due to the nature of my film, my location needs were rather minimal...
my location must be...

• An indoor location, preferably a bedroom
• Ideally to have no natural light coming in from windows (or for it to be possible to be filmed without seeing windows)
• For the location to be of a rather small scale

My idea instantly was too shoot in my own bedroom, as it was reasonably small and fit all the rest of the criteria of my location checklist. As it happened, one of my bedroom walls happened to be painted the colour of orange. This made it even more so appealing as the orange wall would become a main feature of the film and the setting, enhancing the mood of the film dramatically.

Secondary Settings
Other possible settings that could be featured in my film is the bathroom in my house, when Tim uses the toilet after he wakes and also the stairway in my house and lobby, if I decide to show Tim collecting his card from the lobby.

Props and Semantic Implications

After researching semantics and connotations I decided to show how they have been applied and how the selection of my props was influenced by them.

Tim's desk

Here is my self designed tablet and medication bottles alongside collected medication and a small portrait of a man, on Tim's desk.I believe this setup if a rather fulfilling representation of what the film is about, as it inhabits the theme and mood of the movie in one image.

Vintage Brylcreem advert on bedroom wall.

The image is an advert for 'brylcreem'. The words 'for the man of the family tree' seemed to appear ironic to Tim and his persona, due to the lack of stereotypical masculinity that was existent in his character. The colours were also suitable with my theme.

                                                       "I'm Lost' By Adam Wilson Holmes
This is a drawing by Adam Wilson Holmes. This drawing is current on the theme of my film, in regards to 'loneliness' and emotional struggling; The words 'I'm Lost' also could be used to summarize Tim's state of being, making for an effective prop.

Bird Illustration by Audubon
I decided to use this illustration as a prop in my film because of the two birds and their possible connotations. For me personally, in the context of my film, I believed the two birds could be seen as a metaphor to what Tim aspires to have. This image is powerful to me and is a complete contrast to what Tim's lonely existence is.

A found painting

I found this painting in my house, I decided to use it almost purely to express my characters interest in art.

                                                     Winston Churchill by Adam McDade
This is a portrait of Winston Churchill by Adam McDade. This portrait was used to show contrast between characters and their greatness, possibly showing Tim in an even more unheroic light in comparison to Winston Churchill. Once again the illustrated nature also reflects Tim's interest in art.

                                              Small portrait of a man by Adam Wilson Holmes
This is a small framed portrait of a male character. I decided to use different portraits of males to perhaps represent Tim's longing to be someone else... anyone else but himself. This was in hope to heighten the lack of confidence in himself, further enhancing the mood of the film.

Deconstruction; Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson

I decided to analyse a scene from Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson as this film has influenced me both creatively and technically when producing my short film. By deconstructing Anderson's work I will be able to identify the features that make his work so unique and use this as influence in my own product.

Most notable in the work of Anderson is the camera work which often sees the use of still shots and tracking shots to create almost photograph like image. Close up shots of characters faces are often shown in the centre of the screen (0:22) developing a symmetrical aesthetic, which seems to be a key feature in his work. Moonrise Kingdom also uses a very identifiable colour scheme, which can be seen in this clip. The main colour is Yellow and features in almost every shot of this film. These subtle and uniqueuse of still shots, symmetrical mis-en-scene and strong use of colour seems to be what identifies a Wes Anderson production.

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