Question 7

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

What was the purpose of the preliminary task?

The purpose of completing a preliminary task was to get some practice on the software and equipment. It was set so that I could gain confidence on the technology which I would have to use further on in the production process in order to create the opening sequence. In the preliminary task i was given some small guidelines to follow which were to include; A shot reverse shot, close up, long shot and panning movement. These assets I had to include meant I got to practice what to do for when the real filming took place. To fulfil the guidelines I chose to have a short narrative with two boys in conversation, the narrative meant I could fit it in all the asked micro elements. The preliminary task helped us practice using all the different equipment and we learnt the key things that are needed to film a longer production.


What did you learn from the preliminary task?

Through doing the preliminary task I learnt how to adjust the tripod heights and angles. I also learnt how to adjust the cameras distances and zooms. I learnt how to use final cut proX and its main features that are essential when editing a film. For example I learnt how to crop down filming clips and also I learn how to add text onto the video including how to change its edit, font, colours etc. The preliminary task was very helpful when it came to the real filming because my group and I knew the basics of what to do.

What skills did you learn from the preliminary task that helped you with your thriller film?

This all helped me by preparing me for the creation of the full product. I was ready for filming and editing. This meant that when it came to doing it, the process was quicker and easier, it also meant i was faced with less issues and problems whilst working. The task helped my group prepare ourselves and gain confidence on the technology needed to create our opening sequence. It gave a deeper understanding of what was involved in the production, showing how to use the equipment in ways to highlight different macro-meanings or portray elements in certain ways.


When it came to the real production my group and I had to changed a few things that didn't go well in the preliminary task. For example some of the shots we had to do we didn't get very good angles, but since we learnt to use the equipment we knew how to set it up and get the best out of what we had. We took more time adjusting the tripod and the ways that the camera could be held so that we could make the shots the best they could be. This the ment that less had to be redone or changed in the main production of out opening sequence.

Question 6

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

 

Question 5

How did you attract?address your audience?

Video;


To attract/address the audience, research had to take place in order for the opening sequence to be appropriate. My group and I had to do some primary and secondary research which informed us of the audiences preferences. An example of some primary research I did was vox pops and questionnaires. My group and I wrote out a questionnaire which questions we thought we needed to know in order to plan our film. Some of the questions were;

• How old are you?
• Whats you favourite sub genre? 
• Do you prefer a male or female antagonist?

The group then went and asked 40 people and filmed their answers. This research is essential to the film planning as it helped my group and I understand what the audience wanted. In the feedback we recognised that the audience mostly wanted a stereotypical conventional thriller. The information my group gained helped us decide on the key assets of producing our film. It told us what the audience wanted to see or what the film world was lacking. From this we decided on things such as the thrillers subgenre and the target audience because of what the audience would want to watch or want they want to be created. More research carried out this time secondary, this also benefitted the product, some of the research was to watch other thrillers and look into the micro elements. For example I analysed the sound elements in 'Mama'. I focused on which sound effected me most when watching and how I would like audience of my work to feel. I took some inspiration from this research. Both types of research helped when planning our production because we gained information of what the audience wanted and we found inspirations from research into microelements. The inspirations were very helpful when planning within the opening sequence it helped us understand what was conventional, stereotypical and effective in thriller films. It helped with planning because we understood how to structure the microelements and narrative to make them, compliment each other and make the product most effective.

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Video;


Having a target audience for a film is important because the film needs to be built around the age certificate and will need to be looked at carefully, the product will have to abide by the age rules and guidelines. Having a target audience restricts films to the boundaries which allow certain ages to watch. My groups film is aged 15+this means the BBFC certificate will be a 15. My group and I chose this audience age because of the genre being a thriller, children under the age of 15 may be scared of the content or may not be allowed to view it. The gender chosen for our target audience is both men and women because the audience are then a wider range and more will watch. The narrative is also a reason for the chosen target audience as some people may find it romantic to watch a scary film with a partner or funny to watch with a friend group. My thriller film appeals to the target audience because it based around them. For example it is has been made relatable by having plots that may be included in their lives. All the work have been focused on what will effect them. For example on content  involve iconography of a knife being used as a weapon which will show the audience the danger of the character as they are able to injure or kill someone. This shot is not overly scary as it still needs to be appropriate for audience age. They will be able to understand the purpose of it but will also it will also alarm them of the victims vulnerability. My groups opening sequence will appeal to the target audience because they have been carefully chosen and the content has also been chosen to what will have a effect on them and restricted any scenes which my be to alarming. The target audience can build a relationship with the characters through micro element and the narrative. This because they portray and allow certain meanings and effects to take place which the audience can understand.

Final Group Thriller

Final cut of The Pathway  

 

Question 3

What kind if media institution might distribute your media product and why?

 

Question 2

How does you r media product represent particular social groups?

Explain the main characters in you film. Describe the representations of the characters and explain why you included them in your thriller film.

 

In my opening sequence there are two main characters. Cathryn who is the victim and the antagonist who is unnamed to make him mysterious. There are also two girls within the film who play the part of Cathryns friends at the beginning. By having two main characters which are in conflict it shows the that they need to be focused on. These two characters are the stereotypical victim and antagonist that thrillers almost always have. The audience can relate to this and even choose who they want to support. Most people are against the antagonist and therefore support the victim. Cathryn, the victim in my film, is vulnerable and therefore makes the  audience want to help her, forcing them against the antagonist. This furthermore engages then into the film. The relationship between Cathryn and her friends shows the audience their normal life and how innocent they are, also shown by their costumes which consist of pale clothing. This friendship is self explanatory and lets the audience relate to the girls as they may have had friendships like this in their life and understand it. The audience can see that the girls are close by the way they are talking to each other and their body language as they say goodbye.

Is gender represented in a stereotypical way?

The gender representation in our film is stereotypical. The antagonist is male which is conventional because they are the dominant gender in society, it is widely believed that men are stronger than women. This demonstrates that he is at an advantage over the female victim character who is Cathryn. In our product Cathryn is seen as the weaker character as she runs away in panic from our antagonist, showing her as scared  and resulting in her being the stereotypical female. In our film the victim is a young female aged 16, this is also a stereotypical convention because women are often seen as the weaker gender who are controlled by men. This representation shows Cathryn's innocence and vulnerability due to her age. We can see this in my groups work through her costume, her clothes are pale and light which connotes purity and weakness.  Both the main characters have stereotypical representations which means the audience expect to see characters like them in the narrative. The antagonist in our product is represented as strong, evil and mentally unstable this is all shown through micro elements which show his personality and image. The victim is represented as innocent, weak and vulnerable which is also shown through the use of micro elements. The image she is given makes the audience able to relate to her and build a relationship with her for the rest of the sequence and maybe the rest of the film. Having stereotypical characters appeals to the audience because they can relate and immediately understand the contrast between them. Also they can see who is dominant and who is subordinate.

Explain how the characters would appeal to you audience.

 The target audience my group and I have chosen is 15+. We believe that this is the appropriate age at which the audience can start viewing. This audience are able to relate to the characters within our opening sequence as one of the them could be around their age whether it is Cathryn or the antagonist. Also they will be able to understand the narrative and have an idea of the future of the film, their foreshadowing skills will allow them to become hooked when watching and they will want to find out the outcome.

Question 1

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

I have been creating a thriller opening sequence within my group. The group consists of myself, Ryan Samuels and Charlie Stewart. We have produced a short sequence about a girl who gets kidnapped whilst on her way home through a forest. We shared production roles between us this is what was set:

 

• Producers - Jess, Charlie and Ryan
• Director - Charlie
• Actors - Harry Osborne, Ella Sawtell, Morgan Boughey and Molly Van-Wijngaarden
• Music producer - Ryan
• Screenplay writer - Jess
• MES co-ordinates - Jess
• Editors - Charlie and Jess
• Director of photography - Ryan and Charlie

Explain what the generic conventions are of a thriller films are, relate to other successful thriller and examples.

 

Conventions are essential within a film, which relates to the genre. They can be any of the 4 micro elements which are cinematography, sound,  editing and mise en scene. An example of a convention I used was mise en scene, specifically lighting, low key lighting is use frequently in thriller films because of the suspense it builds. The suspense is created because the shadows and darkness making the film mysterious. Theses conventions help when making a film effective, they make the narrative clear, and add to the emotions being created. A successful thriller film containing conventions for the genre which I have analysed is 'Mama'. I watched the opening sequence for this to do my research of mise en scene in thrillers. It uses lots of conventions for example the setting, the scene I watched is set in a run down house in the middle of an isolated forest. This is conventional because the audience can understand that any character in this location is in danger and could be a possible easy target for an antagonist. Due to this being clear the audience then begin to feel worried for any characters who are in this shot because they know the dangers of it.

Discuss how you followed the generic conventions. Must refer to your film in detail. Use specific examples and elements.

 In my product the stereotypical codes and conventions of a thriller are followed by using the micro elements to emphasise shock, suspense and surprise. An example of a convention used in my work is mise en scene, specifically lighting. Low key lighting is used throughout my opening sequence, it is conventional because it creates mystery and darkness, this effect is stereotypical as it makes the audience feel tension and worry. These emotions are very common when creating a thriller film, they are used a lot because it engages the audience to continue watching to find out the outcome.

Another convention used in my thriller sequence was a sound element, which was non diegetic. Specifically music, which was slow, eerie and strange. The slow music is conventional because of its power throughout the sequence, it is used to add interest and emotions to scenes which might not be as interesting without some sort of sound. The music stops any boring moments by constantly giving the audience the worried and suspicious emotions which make the opening effective. These emotions are conventional as the aim of a thriller film is to scare because the tension that sound builds up adds to the rest of the film and the shock or surprise elements.

A convention used within the narrative and micro elements of my thrillers opening sequence was the shock, suspense and surprise guidelines. This means that in the production all assets needs to try and meet at least one of the three guidelines and create shock suspense or surprise for the audience. Creating these three emotions for the audience throughout the film means the audience will constantly be reminded of the thriller genre and constantly scared. This is conventional because these three effects or commonly created in a thriller film to make it effective, they are strong emotions which react well the narrative.

My characters are also conventional, for example I have a stereotypical female victim as one of my main characters. This is conventional as women are often viewed as the weaker sex in society who are dominated by men. So having a female victim means the audience automatically view her as submissive and fragile, when the male antagonist is brought into the scene the audience foreshadow who could be in danger or who might be in control. Also knowing that she could be vulnerable shows the audience the danger she is in when a threat is shown, it creates the worried emotions stereotypical for a thriller.

Another mise en scene element, the location of my film is another convention used that represents a thriller. My opening sequence is set in a isolated forest which not many people go to. This location is conventional because of the way is portrays the characters situation. It makes it clear to the audience that any characters in the setting are in danger and far from any help or hope of escape. It also shows the audience how the antagonist has a better chance of getting their target without being caught or without them getting away. The location is conventional because it adds depth to narrative and the danger of the victim. This danger means this audience begin to feel concerned and frightened for the characters, these are conventional feelings for the audience to be experiencing as it creates suspense for the rest of the film.

Some of the cinematography elements I used were also conventional. For example a low angle looking up to the antagonist to show power. This shot was used in order for the antagonist to look strong and scary it is conventional because it makes the audience feel worried for the victim and what they are up against. The antagonist needs to be seen as dangerous for the other characters because if the audience can see this they become on edge and afraid of the victims outcome. It builds suspense for the rest of the thriller.

Explain how your opening sequence defines the thriller genre. Consider the codes and conventions of a thriller film, micro elements.

 The conventions define thrillers because they build the right effects in order for the audience to figure out what genre it is. Without thriller conventions the film would be hard to identify, it would be boring and not create many emotions or relationships between the audience and characters. Conventions define my thriller by emphasising on the narrative and making the product more relatable. An example of a convention used in my work which defines the genre, is a cinematography element of a high angle shot used looking down on the victim, Cathryn. This shot makes it clear to the audience what position the character is in and allows them to see that she is the stereotypical victim who is vulnerable. The angle used emphasises  on a stereotypical thriller victim and defines her situation more. Some assets can also challenge the definition of a thriller. Micro elements can be used which do not match with the genre. An example I had within my product was the sound track. Some upbeat non-diegetic music was used which was really relatable to a thriller. The sound made the work strange and exaggerated on the twisted plot of the antagonist, which created a good effect. This shows that some parts do not have to be conventional to a thriller to be effective.

Compare your thriller film to another film to show your understanding of generic conventions and developing a real thriller film. Include examples that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding.

A film that I think uses similar conventions to mine is ' Cabin In The Woods'. This film and mine both have many thing in common for example both uses look key lighting throughout to make the product mysterious and they both have a victims and antagonist who are very conventional to the genre. Using similar convention as 'Cabin In The Woods' means that the product my group and I have made is relatable to the stereotypically conventions of a thriller, this means that because we have used these elements our work is more likely to be successful with the audience.


 

Rough cut

Audience feedback is key when producing a film, it gives opinions including advantages and disadvantages. These opinions mean the production team an understand what they are doing well and what needs to be improved, the more feedback collected the better the film will be. Getting feedback means suitable changes can be made on the work to improve it so it is more enjoyable for they audience. Audience feedback shows the different roles what they have worked well on and why it is liked, it also tells them what's not so good and maybe even ways which could improve it. The advantages and disadvantages that are given are important to see when creating a film because it shows how the film can be made better before it get officially released, it gives a chance to make corrections and changes so that it is a good a possible.






I collected my audience feedback on YouTube. I uploaded my rough cut onto my page and asked people to watch and comment what they thought. I chose this way because the audience couldn't be effected by my presence which they might be if I used a questionnaire or a focus group. This way meant that the audience could express their real opinions and wouldn't be influenced by anything.







The feedback will benefit my production because my group and I will be able to make changes in order to make our opening sequence better. The feedback will let us know what needs to be worked on or changed meaning we can work on certain assets that have been mentioned on YouTube. Having improved on our work means it will be more effective and enjoyable when the final cut is finished, there will be less mistakes and any weak points will have been worked on. These means our opening sequence will be more successful than out rough cut and be more popular with the audience.






Even though to improve our production we need criticisms we also asked audience to leave positive comments of what they thought we did well. One of the more positive comments was about our narrative it said "The narrative is very well thought out and it is clear that the man is a threat to the girl". This shows my group and I that the audience can clearly understand the storyline in our opening sequence, they understand what is happening and who the antagonist and the victim are. Knowing this helped us to know that we don't need to change much on our narrative and that it is something stronger within out work that we can follow.




Another positive comment was that the suspense built up well. Throughout most of out sequence we tried to build up suspense so that the ending was more effective and the audience would want to carry on watching the rest of the film. This comment said that the suspense was used well so make the victim seem vulnerable. This feedback meant that we knew we have built the right feeling for the film and that we achieved what we needed to, in order to add to the effectiveness of the production.




There was also a comment on our opening credits saying that they were conventional and fitted in well with our work. They spoke about how the font looked hand written and strange which is another convention of the thriller genre. Having dysfunctional writing added to the antagonist assets in our opening sequence. They also mentioned the way the writing faded away which made the film look mysterious. This comment was useful because it informed us that our credits were effective for the audience and had the effect that we wanted to give off.


The most useful comment were the constructive ones. Having constructive comments meant we could work on our weak spots in the opening sequence and make changes so that it improved. One of the more negative criticisms was that the sound track wasn't edited well. It mentioned that our non-diegetic music wasn't edited well, it didn't suit some areas where it could have been the pace could have been quicker and the wasn't enough sound effects. My group and I agreed with this comment because we didn't have many sound effects within out sequence and the music sound strange in some places, because of this the audience were left sometimes left bored and emotionless. To change this we are going to change the editing of our music so that is fits in with our shots and adds to their effect.


The next constructive comments was that we didn't have a wide range of camera shots. The comment said that there wasn't many exciting shots leaving the audience abit bored at some stages. This meant that our opening sequence seemed a bit to long and strung  out. To change this my group and I are going to take some more shots and which are a bit more creative and difficult which we will then add into out film. This should help us to create a more exciting opening sequence which stops the audience from being bored and losing interest.


Another constructive comment was about our lighting. I talked about the inconsistency between our shots colours and how some were brighter than other. We already knew our lighting was an problem, because of the times we were filming it meant our perfect lighting didn't stay for long lots of our shots had different lighting which made it look unrealistic. To improve this we are going to add edits onto the shots which look to light or to dark. We want all of our shots to look low key and consistent so we have taken this comment on board.
Based on our comment my group and I are going to make change to out lighting sound editing and out shots. To do this we need to do some more filming and work on our editing more. For out lighting we are going to need to add a filter or tweak the contrast of the badly lighted shots in order for the n to look consistent. For the little range of shots we are going to think of some more exciting shots which could be more conventional to a thriller and go out for a bit more filming. Adding these shots will make out opening sequence more exciting for audience and they wont lose interest. The sound for our opening sequence need to be re done in some areas so that it adds to the effects of the shot and matches with the actions and situations taking place. To do this we will editing some more so that it start builds and finished in the right places. Having audience feedback means we are able to see what the audience are enjoying and what they think we could work on more, this helps our production because we can improve on areas to make our opening sequence better. It has helped us understand where our weakness are and where we need to look over. We can go back and improve our work so that our final cut will be much more effective and the audience will enjoy it more that the rough cut.