Focus Group Video

Questionnaire Results and Evaluation

The questionnaire had a range of questions that were both multiple choice and text answers, with the answers of the demographic and multiple choice questions below. The text answers were a little harder to show in a results post, and so will be discussed in a separate post.

Evaluation

The results of the questionnaire show a majority of people want the topic to be an addiction to technology with the subject of which being a socially awkward student. Due to popularity, we are taking the results into heavy consideration, but this strays from our want to show the positive effects of videogames/technology. The character within the short film may vary but not to any great degree, however will not stem too far from what is suggested.

The demographic was mostly females between the ages of 12-18, which was not what we expect our audience to be, as technology/video games are usually geared towards males, but the gender should not greatly effect our short film as it should be enjoyed equally by both genders.

Documentary Analysis (Video Game Invasion: The History of a Global Obsession)

This documentary is an expository documentary, interlaced occasionally with the participatory interview. This is another style in which our group is thinking about pursuing due to it's more direct nature and lack of need for subjects to film and instead pursuing our message directly.

This is Video Game Invasion: The History of a Global Obsession. Produced in 2004, the documentary is a little dated, but the subject matter is somewhat similar to our own and the way information is given is different to that of Free-to-Play.

The documentary begins with a rapid fire of information being given to the viewer through footage of both games, footage of events surrounding games, informative narration and interview snippets.

This opening jam-packed with high tempo music, flashes of archival video game footage and pieces of information from the narrator and interviewees. The subject matter is generalized and only given a brief overview to build intrigue and curiosity in the viewer. This differs entirely from Free-to-Play's approach in which slow pacing and a build up carefully explaining the DOTA 2 championship is used. The two are used for the same effect, however since Video Game Invasion is a TV documentary, it isn't unreasonable to assume the method used is more effective in grabbing the attention of someone just flicking through channels.

The editing of Video Game Invasion is tailored with pans, wipes, rotation and generally constant movement in an attempt to keep the viewer's attention through motion if the content will not suffice. This and the rate at which narration and images are given succeeds in getting more information across to the audience, but gives the impression of a more immature production, not trust the audience to think about what is being said and fully digest the information.

The documentary is also directly presented by a host: Tony Hawk. The celebrity host does two things for the documentary. Firstly, it creates a face to make the feeling of the documentary be more personal to the viewer. This gives the documentary a friendlier tone and feels like part of story being told the the audience, which they are in turn more likely to retain. Secondly, a celebrity being this host also includes star power, which may open up the documentary to an audience who may have not watched it otherwise.

Postcard Analysis (The Offering)

The colours in the postcard for the offering are mainly dark, which are mainly purple, with the exception of the bright yellow headlights. The bright lights serve to obscure the actual subject. The dark colours connote the idea of fear, isolation and abandonment. The lights of the car are not warm or inviting, but rather intrusive and foreboding. The main figure is a man in distress on his knees in front of a tree stump. The images are all represented photographically, with all the images being very real. The images are not the main form of communication in the postcard is not the image, but rather the text which serves as a mini-blurb to summarise without giving too many details away what the short film is about.

The conventions of mystery as well as the dark tone of the postcard point towards a horror or thriller genre for this short film. The short film boasts nomination at Palm Springs Shortfest, NY Shorts Fest and even winning at Roho Film Festival. The awards are a major part of the marketing, as they take up a one fifth of the screen. Attention is mainly gained through the mystery of who the man is and what is causing him distress. The text on the side also gives very little information other than that there is an element of the supernatural. The tagline is extended and is not there for the sake of remembrance but purely information and building of intrigue.

The postcard implies the production budget was not the equivalent of a hollywood production, but the quality and professionalism is high and suggests a high quality short film. The postcard is effective in conveying the genre and builds enough interest without giving much of the plot away.  The post card is very effective at what communicating what it is with no misconceptions while at the same time also failing to offend anyone in almost anyway.

Documentary Soundtrack Analysis (Indie Game: The Movie)

The soundtrack of Indie Game: The Movie is iconic to the documentary film, and is one of the driving forces in creating empathy with the subjects of the documentary. The soundtrack starts with an ambient sound over shots of the exterior of one of the developer's houses. This simple note eases the viewer into the documentary, letting them slowly establish an understanding of what this documentary is about and what viewpoint it is trying to make them see.

This is the (extended) opening score

Simple ambiance is heard over the opening shots

A chime is heard when this information is presented on screen to convey significance, and make sure the viewer is paying attention

The music grows in intensity when we realise something is wrong, amplified by the distress of the subject who hasn't been given a formal introduction yet

As the intensity of the scene increases, the volume and tempo of the music stays the same. Instead of increasing tempo, the soundtrack instead increases the number of varying instruments being introduced. This along with the dialogue of the subject helps us feel like we are slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together and building a better understanding of what is happening. 

The soundtrack is an integral part of the emotion conveyed in the opening scene. Without it, it would simply be an unknown man complaining for some unknown reason. Instead empathy is created straight away, despite the total lack of knowledge of what is devastating the subject.

The genre of music is very specific in that it is a mixture of classical instruments with an electronic sound over it. The idea of this is to create a simple sound to connote with the seemingly simple development and product of independent games, with a modern sound to it that conveys the idea that these are the first few developers of a style of development that is growing with a new sense of popularity.

This track plays after the title screen, and is the theme of the documentary as different but similar variations are played throughout the documentary.

A new tune is adopted during the opening credits, with a voice over of an experienced (and more calm and collected) developer explaining what exactly an indie game is, and what separates it from regular titles. This simple piano melody shows the charming side of the development process, and helps us understand what drives these developers. This alternation between a more dramatic tune and a simpler one is used to emphasise both the enjoyment of pursuing a dream while contrasting it with the difficulties following this dream presents.

Analysis of a Film Postcard (Mulberry Child)

The colours used are desaturated, connoting a sad or serious tone to the film. The tagline of the film poses a question relevant to the film, building on the mystery of the plot. The symbolism of the old woman with the young girl mixed with the tagline connotes the idea that one is guilty of something, most likely the old woman, which effects the other. Aside from the characters, there is very little in the fore and back ground.. This makes clear that they are the only focus of the film, possibly making the genre of this film a character drama. The postcard is primarily visual, with minimal text. The focus is supposed to be on the the two characters, and they are the ones who give the most information, which ironically is very little to build up the mystery. 

The genre conventions seem to be geared more towards a serious drama, as the sense of mystery is not part of a crime thriller or horror film, but purely the personal and emotional mystery of the two characters. The postcard also has an award on it to show it was nominated in the Heartland Film Festival. The only real star appeal is the narration by Jacqueline Bisset, who is big enough to have a very prominent credit in bold red font.

The postcard gives the impression that the short film it has a low production value but is still high quality in all other regards.Overall the postcard sells the film well, communicating exactly what genre and style it is without misleading anyone. The postcard is not particularly provocative or offensive, and so does not detract anyone from it. Interest is build completely positively while not conveying a completely positive tone.