Evaluation; Question 6

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 

Throughout this project I have learnt different technologies of the process of production. For example I have learnt how to use a Camera, tripod, microphone, Imac and Final cut software.In the beginning I did not know how to use a camera as I have never used a digital camera such as this, as I filmed constantly I finally learnt how to use the camera. It was quite easy when I learnt the functions of the buttons, on the dial there was a white button that was the record and stop recording button. There was a dial on the camera I used it to forward and rewind the tape, and I learnt how to put in/take away the clips. I used a  HD digital camera so my video quality would be  very good. I have learnt how you should set up a camera on a tripod, you must make sure the legs are placed on the floor and clipped down, if you want a tilt, pan and steady camera shot you must move the lever. I used a tripod because it would help me achieve steady camera shots and other camera shots for example panning. I used YouTube so I could easily upload videos onto blogger, I also used blogger for my coursework because it was set my the exam board meaning I can easily upload films and photos showing what I have done.

I also learnt how important lighting may be within thriller films in order to create atmosphere, all the shots used contain one key light in various different positions in order to create different shadows and low key lighting effect. On many occasions within filming the key light is placed below what is being filmed in order to increase atmosphere and make content look scary.  In addition I learnt the rule of the thirds and how to balance a shot, and this technique was used in all shots during my production.I also used an effect called overlay, where you can layer shots on top of each other , this used quite a lot in thrillers to create movement in a shot which is quite still without it, this is visible in my opening in many places, more prominently in the shot of a sign that reads "notice keep out" I saw this effect used in the opening of seven and really liked it. Below is the shot before and after overlay.

Evaluation: Question 5

5. Who would be the audience for your media product?

     We were hoping to Unisex working class/middle class adolescence within from age 15 to 18 as a primary target audience, then a secondary audience of working/middle class pre teenage children age (12-14), lastly for a tertiary audience we were hoping to attract Unisex working class/middle class adults, working/unemployed (age 19-55).

 My primary audience is psychographically going to have an interest in films in general, especially thrillers, more specifically modern thrillers as they will be a similar age to the people in them, so they can easily relate to the character, the main character will represent them the family will represent, the reason I decided on working class more so then middle class is because they may find the representation of themselves offensive, however working class people will not

  Our thriller film should be aimed at and audience of 15-18. This age group is perfect for my movie. I specifically choose the age 15. All of them like thriller films, a large majority even say it is their favorite genre from recent surveys. I knew if I aimed my film at this age group, they would watch it, there would be a higher chance of my film succeeding in exhibitions. It would be popular amongst this age and young people will spread the word of how good my film is to friends and family. From the focus group I learnt young women would also watch my film, as the main film is revolved around a family rivalry. There are many other reasons why my target audience would watch my film, it involves fast pace action and dramatic music that matches the scene. Their costume is realistic.

 

My secondary audience will have a have the same interests as our primary most likely, most pre teenage people try to act older then they are, this will mean they will attempt to relate to the character, they will also be scared as it is set in a house, a place that they will associate with safety, and enjoy the adrenaline rush they will feel because of it, I feel that they will watch my film. 

I am really glad the age group was set between 15-18, as it has given me the freedom to use violence and inappropriate language - (However I did not use inappropriate language in the opening as it was not a violent confrontation). If my film was aimed at a 12 year old audience, I would not be able to use as much violence or harsh language as a film that is targeted for the certificate of 15. Teenagers can relate to the storyline more.

My tertiary audience, will be interested in Horror films, and will most likely be parents therefore, will relate the family on screen to there own, the men will enjoy watching the film as it will portray him as powerful, the women will enjoy watching my film because it shows her as very nurturing. They may even relate it to their own childhood.

Evaluation; Question 7

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 

The preliminary exercise gave me an opportunity to become familiar with the equipment if I did not familiarise myself with the equipment, I would not be able to complete my media product to the best of my ability. I have learnt to use the 180° rule, match-on-action and shot-reverse-shot much better than I originally could, and actually understanding what I'm doing, why I'm doing it and also I can now do it without having to spend a lot of time trying to work out where I should be filming from to follow these rules. 

In this task we filmed basic camera shots such as medium and over the shoulder shots. When we edited the task we imported the scenes and cut the parts that we did not need-(the camera shots that were wobbly or in a bad angle). We mostly added dissolve transitions and fade in. At this point I did not know how to add music, so when it is played the dialogue is jumbled up because of the scenes that were cut. Looking back on the preliminary task and my final product I can see how far I have progressed in both editing and filming. I have learnt how to achieve different angle and camera shots. For a point of view shot I would put the camera in my hands, and movie it when I was running. I never thought of doing this type of shot until after the preliminary exercise, I was discussing the different angle shots we could use; and a point of view shot came up while my group and I were talking. We decided to use this shot as it makes the audience feel involved in the action. I learnt how to cut scenes, add transitions, reduce the volume of certain sounds and add music. I constantly cut scenes in the preliminary exercise this helped me realize what to cut and keep in my final product. Transitions were very easy to add in specific scenes. Not only that, I learnt that you reduce the volume of sound by moving the sound line down, to add music I had to download it then add it to my film. If I wanted to increase/decrease the music I would put the music line up or down.

In depth I have researched the costume, props, location, costume and health and safety. From the preliminary task I have learnt if you do not plan things then you have no control in production, you need to be in control to ensure you have created a good thriller opening.

Evaluation; Question 4

4. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? 

Thrillers are watched for entertainment, information, social interaction, and personal values, making them a popular genre.

People watch thrillers most importantly to be entertained and thrilled -  almost as a emotional release or escapism, you get so indulged into the film that you forget about your own problems in life and feel the emotions within the story. Teenagers enjoy watching thrillers because of the adrenaline rush, because they may even learn something, about a psychological problem, about the past, or even themselves. They watch them because it then becomes a basis for conversation, especially psychological thrillers, for example they can boast that they worked out the killer before their friends, or that their friends were more scared then they were. They may even watch them and learn something about themselves, they may see a little bit of themselves in a character.

Thrillers are not relaxing films, they create a lot of suspense, people wouldn't watch then to relax. Like all films, thrillers are sometimes watched to fill time also.

I decided on the media institution being Film 4 because most of the thrillers I discovered were funded by Film 4. They choose films to fund on what they believe will widen audiences and distribute a product that is likely to bring profit to the company. Basing what they predict to profit around the popularity of the film taking into account the range of their target audience and how well they predict the product to do.

If we consider that teenagers are more likely to go watch a thriller, even as a social activity, this suggests it could bring a big profit to the company. depending n whether the target audience are intrigued by our title sequence and are then interested to see the film. 

I also Film4 would be a very good choice as it invests in low budget films, like the one I've created. Also after reading online Film4 does not have a bad record for advertising or distributing films despite having a limited release pattern because of the low budget. 

An easy way to see if people are express interested is to make use of new media technology, for example putting the video online to see if it generates any interest, we can see what people think by if the comment on the video, giving it a thumbs up or a thumbs down also. which then shows us an overall rating. An advantage of this is that its free, and anyone world wide with a connection to the internet can access to it. Its a brilliant free way to advertise and promote in ways that posters and flyers can't, mainly because it is interactive.

However I do feel it would be beneficial to have a co production company. As Film4 are not great at advertising DVD releases an example of this the film Four Lions, which didn't sell very well. Also a Co production company would mean we could have a wider scale of promotion especially if it was from America or France for  examples. Having Film4 could result in TV trailers and advertisements there channel also to maximize profit. We could also make use of YouTube for trailers.

Evaluation; Question 3

3. How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

My thriller opening only uses one character therefore doesn't really hold much information on representation of many different people, however the storyline does. In the opening sequence, there is a white male made to look about 17, physically there is nothing wrong with him however mentally there is, you cannot see this from the title sequence though,he just looks a bit strange and aggressive, already there is use of representation of a male adolescent as the aggressor and out of control.

We made use of many low angles within the title sequence making him look powerful and dominant within the frames, we also made of proxemics with most of our shots being at the intimate range, this was to give the feeling as though he was looking directly at audience members, giving them the perspective of being right in front of him. Also I made use of Point of view shots, seeing what the character sees an example of this is the shots of feet whilst the character is walking.

The main character within the video is wearing a pair of navy blue shorts, that is all, he is also extremely dirty covered in mud and blood for example, showing that appearance isn't important to him. To a certain extent this is almost showing him to be quite normal physically, it also portrays him as very low class as the story line isn't  told yet, so they will have to make assumptions. The navy shorts that are worn however symbolize importance and intelligence, but since they are worn, faded and have many rips in them I feel it almost conveys the opposite. or signifies his middle class routes.

In the story however there is a white middle class family with a very dominant powerful male and a very dependant women. The storyline portrays middle class older men as being overpowering, egotistical and very dominant over their female counterpart who is shown as being very weak willed yet loving and nurturing, until at the end whereby she comes out as being quite powerful also.

Evaluation; Question 2

2. How did you attract/address your audience?

Thrillers are a genre are as popular as they are excite people, keep them on edge, raise their heart rate and make them feel as though they are in the film, however they feel this rush of adrenaline and this mystery in the safety of their own home.

               My media film presents to a variety of teenagers of both gender, it appeals directly to them, (the thriller genre is popular amongst them). However it depends on their personality, the personality of a person determines how your media product represents to them. A person who is adventurous and loves excitement will be eager to watch a thriller, a person who is reserved and quiet would not like a thriller as it may not meet their specification of a good movie.My media film is particularly representing a teenage social group who are outgoing and like a mystery packed with violence. It raises awareness of the problematic adolescence. This representation tries to show the reality of these situations, it is realistic as the main character is a teenager. Young people are shown in a negative way, it shows the stereotype of teenagers is true. Most teenagers are involved in violence or criminal activity, this is the reason why society labels them as criminals. Middle aged people are shown to be problematic as well, (his parents). It shows most age groups are corrupt. I represented working class people because it has been proven in Sociology that they commit the most crime. Middle class and High class people have everything they want/need so they do not need to commit crime. From the location and costume (house, garden and condition) you can obviously see the main character is not wealthy. Make up is where most of the characters appearance comes from, from head to toe almost covered in mud, with tomato sauce used to look like blood, which is then made to look like handprints, almost as if someone tries strangling him, pepper was also used, to add a lighter texture to the face and secondly make the eyes very red, as if he hasn't slept, or crying. However there is no props, with only one character I felt no need for props, or any more characters, especially for the title sequence, making people familiar with only one face, focusing all their attention on this character and how he looks, especially with the amount of extreme close ups.

Evaluation: Question 1

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

My media product has developed from ideas on paper into an engaging thriller opening sequence. It has gone through 1 out of 3 stages of the film industry process, of film finance and production. There are many conventions of a thriller genre for example, they tend to have an obvious antagonist and protagonist, the film is revolved around a psychological plot which can be based on real life situations/story. It is face paced and contains enigmas and cliff hangers, also it has elements of mystery. The colour of the opening sequences symbolically represents the themes in the film and the use of a musical crescendo adds to the tension and mystery of the opening. My film has many of my researched conventions: the plot has a criminal narrative and psychology thriller theme-

My film also has many aspects from my researched thrillers: Bone collector, this film opening was very simplistic yet very effect, the main focus was on the sound track and the whole visual part was on this sensory deprivation idea which is present in my media production.

Most thriller movies use real life situations in their storyline, e.g child abuse - drug abuse and drug dealing. I used this convention as it would relate to my target audience as teenagers with siblings often at some point in their lives feel their parents don’t have equal affection which relates to my main antagonists emotions when finding out his parents abandoned him due to his psychological issue but remained custody of his twin brother. There is slow suspenseful non - diegetic music throughout opening credits in thriller films which is used to build up tension: The Stepfather(has slow music), the credits all appear in simple black capital letters and fade away. Black indicates danger and something bad has happened.

Throughout the opening the music is swelling, although when it arrives to the main characters face the music intensifies and begins to get faster increasing the mystery and excitement of the makeover, which my media product adapts as the music intensifies when his eye comes into focus.

Draft Video;

 After just putting all our ideas into one video, there is no real order and it doesn't really make much sense, which we quite like, but there is still a lot that needs to be refined or changed. For example, we think at the moment it looks a bit too much like a trailer, the "You Are The Victim" section really gives it that feel, which it shouldn't have. e will most likely change this to credits of some sort.
Also, the huge spaces in the video where there is no visual need to be changed, this shows that it isn't completely finished yet. 
Moreover, the reflection effect put on to one of the shots, doesn't work with the rest of the title sequence therefore should be changed, we were going to try some layering on the shots instead as we feel this will work much better with the sequence and fit better.
Furthermore, the sound needs to be synchronised much more exact to the visual then it is, for example the eye part of video is synced very well and gives a lot of significance to this part, we need to put more of the shocking shots on this sort of sound.
In addition to this,  the quote needs to be moved to the start of the movie or just completely taken off as it is in the middle of the title sequence when it shouldn't be, the title also appears quite slowly, we think too slowly so we will speed this up a little.
There needs to be more casting credits or who the film is starring also, as there is only one.
These need to be in the correct order what they usually come in, so we will have to search for this order.
Yet we do like how the title comes up with a hand beside it and feel like we should replicate this type of shot and effect with most of our credits.

I will re-upload the video when these issues have been resolved.

Final Moodboard;

Choosing fonts;

 have noticed in many title sequences the font is quite small but not too small and is usually aligned the right or left hand corners if not in the centre. Choosing the right font is crucial as it has to link or represent something related in your movie. Especially in thrillers as it has to come across some sort of mood.
We have chosen the font to be Unfortunate Events.

Titles in the title sequence

From watch the titles sequence of: The Departer, Narc, Shutter Island and Mirrors the titles come on as follows:

The distributers(main company's)
then Presents...
In Association with..
Directors name
The title of the film

The last movie: Mirrors also included the name of the casting directors, music, costume special effects, co-producer and editor. But I don't feel as these are relevant for a 'low budget' movie, which this would be.

Risk Assessment;

As you can see we didn't encounter many risks or hazards due to most of the filming taking place in a safe environment: Bedroom, although as some footage was filmed in the back garden we encountered minor cuts.

Annotation of our video screenshot;

Productions Schedule:

Bone Collector.

I just watched the film Bone Collector and saw the opening, this film opening is very simplistic yet very effect, the main focus is on the sound track and the whole visual part is on this sensory deprivation idea. they have used ( I assume), the strobe effect on Final Cut Pro, to give this jumpy blurry look, then the titles appear in a slow fade,also photos fade in with the blurry strobed part, of bones and "crime scene" which makes you focus on these parts heavily. I really like this idea and may use it, but I feel it only works because of the sound track, so I feel if I do use it I will have to use it wisely.

It also comes up with news paper clippings "Cop convicted of six killings" giving part of the story away at the start of the film.

Annotations of screenshots during editing:

These are screenshots of a shot we are going to feature in our opening, as you can we during we used low key lighting and added affect by making the overall appearance dirty.



This is a screenshot of a clip of our opening,

Mise En Scene; pepper, tomato sauce, mud.