Video elective evaluation.

Setting.
The action takes place in Leeds on a journey from Leeds College of Art to a home that the main character lives in. Due to the fact its outdoors it creates quite a cold, wintery atmosphere and it contains a lot of suspense. It generates an 'alert' mood because the journey keeps you wondering constantly. The setting influences the understanding of the film in the sense that you can see Emily walking through university grounds and because its dark you can certainly hazard a guess to where she's going. The general lack of colour or type creates a sinister feel and a negative atmosphere. 


Costume and make-up.
What people wear effects our understanding because it can define characters or create an impression of the style of story. Stories such as little red riding hood are generally linked to the little red hooded cape, so what people wear can be embedded in our minds too. In our film the red coat is significant because this is how the character is recognised. Costume, hair and make-up tell the audience that the character is well groomed so maybe this is one of the things the stalker likes about her. There are no significant changes to her look throughout the film. 


Performance. 
Throughout most of the film the characters face can't be seen, apart from once when she turns around near the beginning. This tells us that she is almost certainly unaware that anyone is following her, apart from the split second where it looks like the stalker has been caught. She moved at a normal rate, possibly speeding up slightly due to falling darkness. The stalker moves as though creeping. Emily has quite a distant attitude and the stalker is persistent. The only time there is interaction is when she turns around. She acted as though she wasn't being watched at all which is exactly what we wanted. 


Lighting. 
Lighting and shadows create a cold and mysterious atmosphere due to how they fall in the darkness. The lighting in the film is quite hard and this keeps the audience on edge because it creates the idea that the stalker could be easily caught. The light is coming from both a high and low angle through car headlights and also streetlights. The colour of the light has no real significance. The light changes in the sense that theres more or less depending on what part of the journey Emily is on. 


Camera position. 
The camera is both close and further away from the action depending on the type of shot we were looking for. The significance of close ups was to show how close the stalker sometimes was throughout the film. The angle was generally low because it was as though the stalker was hiding. It effects the understanding so the audience can see it from the stalkers perspective. The camera was quite often tilted which just made each frame more interesting and also impacted upon framing positively. 


Camera movement. 
The camera both panned and zoomed during certain frames. Both of these things show the audience that the stalker is keeping a close eye on Emily and just generally makes it more interesting to watch.


Shutter speeds and exposure. 
The footage was slightly underexposed but this had a positive effect on the film because it added to the atmosphere. This was due to certain areas of the locations being quite dark. 


Editing and post production.
The editing has effected the film in quite a positive way overall. It has picked the pace up generally but the storyline still makes sense and isn't too repetitive to watch. We've used a range of both front and back shots to tell the story, this is so that the film has a mixture of elements and keeps the audience interested throughout. These shots also include main sections of the journey so that the story runs smoothly. The pictures relate to the music because it looks as though Emily is walking in time to it and the whole atmosphere links to the quirky tune. We have included end titles just for a little bit of professionalism and also a faded boarder around the whole of the film because it then gives off the impression that the stalker could be watching through some sort of binoculars, adding to the whole idea of being followed. This narrows the image slightly but the main elements can still be seen. 

What if self evaluation.

What problem did you identify?

We identified that graffiti is quite a big problem in Leeds so 'how can we make this more socially acceptable?' 

What evidence did you find to support your decisions?

We questioned members of the public and friends to gather opinions and we also looked at the media to see what has to be said about graffiti. From this we discovered that most opinions on the subject are negative.

What methods did you use to gather your evidence and what forms did it take?

We created a questionnaire as part of primary research which we then put into question and answer form and also pie charts so our results could be looked at in a quantitative way. We used to internet as a form of secondary research and printed out articles that we each found and brought this together for our ideas sheets. A further thing that we did for primary research was actually take photos of the evidence/graffiti around leeds so that it could further prove there is a problem. 

What methods of research did you find useful and why? 

I found actually going out there and collecting primary research was most useful because not only did things like photographs fully back up the problem we were trying to answer but you can guarantee that what you find with primary research has not been made up, where as this is not the case with secondary. 

How did these inform your response to your problem? 

Due to the nature of our problem we needed primary research because we were trying to persuade the public that graffiti isn't so bad and is actually a form of art. It was important we had general views from people to start with so we knew at least someone thought that graffiti was negative, therefor there was a mind to change. 

What methods did you encounter as problematic?

Secondary areas were problematic because sometimes you weren't sure if what you were reading was in fact true and sometimes you didn't know where the information was talking about eg. the united kingdom. Some of the information was also quite dated so wasn't always relevant for now. 

How did you overcome this? 

We searched for articles from genuine trusted sources such as the BBC website and had a greater collection of primary research to fall back on. 

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful? 

We could have gathered more primary research from actual graffiti artists discussing the problems they have faced and stating their own opinions.

Five things I have learnt about the design process:

- A range of quantitative and qualitative research are important so that we are aware that we are answering a problem to its full potential. 

- Its important to have a sufficient amount of research before the design process can begin. 

- Research takes place throughout the whole of a project because theres constantly new things to be learnt that can impact upon the subject.

- Sometimes we create problems that aren't actually there so researching thoroughly pays off.

- The design process creates a successful outcome when followed correctly. 

Five things I would do different next time:

- Take a greater part in the documentation of the evidence through photography. 

- Research into websites more (if appropriate for the project) so I have a greater understanding)

- Be aware if we have a sufficient amount or not of quantitative and qualitative research nearer the beginning of the project. 

- Spend more time gathering information in general as there is no end to the information that can be found. 

- Revisit the research more often throughout the project. 

What if...

Website.

Blog.

Twitter. 

Postcards (designed by myself). 

Design boards. 

Poster.