In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In our thriller we have followed many conventions that are stereotypical in thriller openings. A crime usually takes place at the core of the narrative, we have followed this convention as at the end of title sequence the antagonist takes the vulnerable child and leaves the audience in suspense of the upcoming. This helps create suspense for our audience, it also makes our thriller seem believable and leaves them on a Cliff hanger as soon as the boy has been grabbed, a
straight cut, and cuts to the title of the thriller. This too creates suspicion for the audience as they do not know where the child is and what the man wants from him.
We have also followed the convention that we have both an antagonist and a protagonist in our opening tile sequence. This helps differ our two characters and helps portray their differences. It also indicates to the audience that we have an evil character in our plot and a victimised character who plays the innocent role.
Our thriller also follows a simple narrative structure, with false clues to add edge to our thriller, as it gives a twist and makes the thriller seem more exciting. A narrative pattern of establishing enigma's is used in our opening, this makes the audience question what is going on and adds tension as they are unsure what to expect. Our title sequence reflects an aspect of Alex (the antagonist) characters physiological state. He plays a lonely, isolated role, leading him to live a life of anger; this creates a sinister character and creates tension for our audience. Our thriller is very similar to other films such as:
Taxi Driver (1976)
Cape Fear (1991)
One Hour Photo (2002)
Single White Female(1992)
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
All these other films link to ours as they stalk an innocent character. Sleeping with the Enemy, is when Julia Roberts goes into hiding as her husband turns into a violent maniac, and of course he tracks her down. This can be related to ours as Alex (protagonist) is a dangerous character who is after revenge on the young child, it is not revealed why he takes him. This links to Sleeping with the Enemy as both thrillers have similarities, as they have similar topics and both films do not reveal what is going on.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
There are two main characters in my thriller who both manipulate the audience in different ways. The protagonist, (young child) is an innocent boy who is playing on the park after a hard day at school. He lives a free life with no worries and the shot of the mis en scene of the park reflects that this is where he goes to have fun and break free from school. A park should be a safe place to play howeve
r, our group twisted the idea and got our antagonist to interfere making the zone no longer safe. The school is our other location and again this should reflect a safe area, however again the zone is made to be an unsafe zone as this is near where the young boy gets taken. This helps manipulate the audience as they would assume that near a school would be a safe place. Our thriller almost educates them and a wares them that anything could be possible.
The camera angles used often changed the peaceful park into a danger zone for the young boy. The long shot that is used to show the boy being watched is used to create suspense for the audience as they are unaware who the man in the background is and therefore this makes them nervous. The close ups zooming in to the stalker helps resolve the enigma of not knowing who the man is as his face is then revealed and it then becomes obvious that the man is watching the boy. The frequent use of high angled shots is often used to portray the young boy’s innocence. In contrast to this, low camera angle shots are used to reflect the dominance of the antagonists’ character. In the title sequence the antagonist plays the sinister role and he is the one who has an effect on the audience as it is the costume that creates tension for our audience.
The costume used also adds to the effect on the audience. The dark clothing creates a sinister character for the antagonist and makes the audience feel nervous. This does not only apply in our thriller, but also in the street. It is commonly known that if an older man is walking beside a child dressed in a black coat including a hood could suggest that danger could be about to occur. The costume is very important as it creates a mysterious feel to the man. It also could aware the audience what to beware of outside the film. The man is made to look dangerous and manipulate the young boy.
The editing also contributes to the social groups. The pace of the editing is reduced right down again to add to that tense atmosphere that we aimed to create. The slow transitions make it more on edge for the audience as it takes longer to find out what is about to happen. The dissolve transition again adds to the effect as it adds an eerie feel to the thriller. It works better than straight cuts as these become boring and make it look home made.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Dimension Films is a great distribution company and this is why I would like them to distrubute my thriller.
They have worked with many thrillers, one being... Sin City.
Sin City Research... quoted by, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_City_(film)
The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; The Big Fat Kill focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer.
I chose this institution as I felt my film was similar to Sin City. I was visually inspired by the film, and my film and Sin City are sleek, professional yet sinister. They both include a twist to the plot of the topic and therefore this adds extra effect for our audience as it leaves them feeling tense.
The kind of Distribution Company that would have interest in my film is those who like to focus distributing films to a specific audience. My audience are watching our film to not only be entertained but also to be educated and aware that kidnapping is a common problem in today's society. The film is trying to aware the audience to keep your guard at all times with your children. The distribution company would have to focus my film at an older audience as it may not be appropriate for a family orientated film as the film is quite spooky and could scare young children.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our thriller is aimed at an
older audience because of the seriousness of the topic. It would not be appropriate for young children to watch the thriller as at times it can be very jumpy and disturbing for them. Younger adults however, may enjoy this film, as their interest may be about action packed films and our film includes adventure and violence. We primarily aim to entertain however, secondary like to educate the audience in hope to teach our audience to be aware of those strange men and women who possibly could be out their.
My questionnaire also influenced my final decision on our chosen target audience. It was clear to see that those who watched thriller films were aged 15+, younger children focus on watching comedy and romantic stories. My questionnaire also proved that stereotypically men are more interested in thrillers than women. This could be due to the amount of tension brought up, many women like to watch a film that creates comfort and is easy to watch whereas men, like the twist and action.
Ways To Attract The Audience:
*Posters- persuading the audience into watching the film
*TV Adverts- aware the audience that a new film is out
*Trailers- give the audience abit of enigma of what is to come.
Today's movies in Hollywood and Broadway are not brand new; they are often reworked or revived material. Meanwhile, thousands of writers are creating original materials every week, but they're not getting produced. Although many of the major production companies seem to put out tired and predictable shows, there is still interest in new materials, new scripts, and new approaches. The aim is to create scripts that will attract the attention of the various levels of audiences that the scriptwriter will encounter.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The camera and equipment was relatively easy to use and I learnt many new techniques. Our group took it in turns to work the camera so we all got an equal chance. Our group tried to include effective shots to not create a boring thriller. We used reflection shots off car windows and used a variety of angles to create an atmospheric atmosphere.
The editing process was quicker than I expected, I think that my preliminary task helped me alot with my final product. In our editing process we had to work on the saturation, speed, music, transitions and ensure that everything fitted in and linked well.
The saturation was changed to create a darker atmosphere making the opening credits eerie. Therefore, this would create tension for our chosen audience. The darker it looked the better but we had to make sure it was still clear to see the faces of our actors. The saturation had to be changed on each bit of film. This could have been a long process but once we started doing this we got into the hang of it and it became a quick and easy process.
The speed was adjusted to create a slow, tense thriller. This way would work the best as the audience are left on edge what to expect. It also creates tension and fits in well with our thriller as the man following the young boy is slow and painful for the audience.
The chosen music again worked well with our thriller. It was slow pace and again created a tense atmosphere for our chosen audience. The music fitted in with the cuts and this added extra effect as it didn't just look like the music and the shots were separate. This took a while and began to be quite difficult at times however, our group worked very hard to make it work and therefore, the music and the cuts together were a success. When the music turned loud and aggressive our grabbing the boy scene took place and this worked well and fitted in to again build a climax in our atmosphere.
The transitions used also add extra effect. We often used the dissolve transition as this made it look sinister whilst creating a believable opening. At times we used various transitions to create excitement for our audience. It usually meant that something bad was going to happen when a different transition was used; it also represented the characters behaviour at the time.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that my skills and techniques have improved intensely over the last few months. The preliminary task definitely helped me further my understanding in both the editing and filming stage. I learnt many different ways to create effective shots. Some that I thought that would work well and some that worked better than what I perhaps thought.
Instead of just simply filming the shots I worked with my storyboard as this was very successful. It was also useful to film more than what was needed. This way if any gaps appeared they could be filled with the extra film that was recorded. Also another filming technique I learnt from my preliminary task is that filming some of the scenery around you is a good way to fill a gap and at the same time it creates a mystery feel to the thriller as it just shows the surrounding of the characters.
Our preliminary task also gave us an understanding of the colour and saturation. Our first set of filming was very dark, until we changed our lighting colour. After we did this the filming lightened up and therefore it became easy to see what was going on. This widened my understanding as in my main task we filmed outside and therefore, the lighting did not have to be adjusted due to the sun wasn't out and we wasn't inside with artificial lighting. However, if we were filming inside I would have had the understanding to change the lighting.
The dialogue in our preliminary task didn't seem completely believable. This perhaps could have been as we rehearsed it many of times or it could have been that we are use to the actor’s voice so it becomes hard to believe them. This helped us in our final piece, as we decided to have no conversation. This meant that the filming and editing had to create the storyline though otherwise the audience
would not understand what was going on.
The editing process definitely became easier in our Final piece as we had plenty of practice earlier on in our preliminary task. The transitions were easier to use and we had already played around with them, so therefore we knew which ones worked well and which ones were unsuccessful.
I also learnt that the costumes and props are a huge success when it comes to filming a film. It creates enigmas for the audience as they are unsure who plays the role of the victimised character and who the antagonist is. The costume does have a great effect on the audience and this is why we were specific when it came to our final piece. Our chosen costumes created a believable opening for our thriller.
In our thriller we have followed many conventions that are stereotypical in thriller openings. A crime usually takes place at the core of the narrative, we have followed this convention as at the end of title sequence the antagonist takes the vulnerable child and leaves the audience in suspense of the upcoming. This helps create suspense for our audience, it also makes our thriller seem believable and leaves them on a Cliff hanger as soon as the boy has been grabbed, a
straight cut, and cuts to the title of the thriller. This too creates suspicion for the audience as they do not know where the child is and what the man wants from him.We have also followed the convention that we have both an antagonist and a protagonist in our opening tile sequence. This helps differ our two characters and helps portray their differences. It also indicates to the audience that we have an evil character in our plot and a victimised character who plays the innocent role.
Our thriller also follows a simple narrative structure, with false clues to add edge to our thriller, as it gives a twist and makes the thriller seem more exciting. A narrative pattern of establishing enigma's is used in our opening, this makes the audience question what is going on and adds tension as they are unsure what to expect. Our title sequence reflects an aspect of Alex (the antagonist) characters physiological state. He plays a lonely, isolated role, leading him to live a life of anger; this creates a sinister character and creates tension for our audience. Our thriller is very similar to other films such as:
Taxi Driver (1976)
Cape Fear (1991)
One Hour Photo (2002)
Single White Female(1992)
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
All these other films link to ours as they stalk an innocent character. Sleeping with the Enemy, is when Julia Roberts goes into hiding as her husband turns into a violent maniac, and of course he tracks her down. This can be related to ours as Alex (protagonist) is a dangerous character who is after revenge on the young child, it is not revealed why he takes him. This links to Sleeping with the Enemy as both thrillers have similarities, as they have similar topics and both films do not reveal what is going on.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
There are two main characters in my thriller who both manipulate the audience in different ways. The protagonist, (young child) is an innocent boy who is playing on the park after a hard day at school. He lives a free life with no worries and the shot of the mis en scene of the park reflects that this is where he goes to have fun and break free from school. A park should be a safe place to play howeve
r, our group twisted the idea and got our antagonist to interfere making the zone no longer safe. The school is our other location and again this should reflect a safe area, however again the zone is made to be an unsafe zone as this is near where the young boy gets taken. This helps manipulate the audience as they would assume that near a school would be a safe place. Our thriller almost educates them and a wares them that anything could be possible.The camera angles used often changed the peaceful park into a danger zone for the young boy. The long shot that is used to show the boy being watched is used to create suspense for the audience as they are unaware who the man in the background is and therefore this makes them nervous. The close ups zooming in to the stalker helps resolve the enigma of not knowing who the man is as his face is then revealed and it then becomes obvious that the man is watching the boy. The frequent use of high angled shots is often used to portray the young boy’s innocence. In contrast to this, low camera angle shots are used to reflect the dominance of the antagonists’ character. In the title sequence the antagonist plays the sinister role and he is the one who has an effect on the audience as it is the costume that creates tension for our audience.
The costume used also adds to the effect on the audience. The dark clothing creates a sinister character for the antagonist and makes the audience feel nervous. This does not only apply in our thriller, but also in the street. It is commonly known that if an older man is walking beside a child dressed in a black coat including a hood could suggest that danger could be about to occur. The costume is very important as it creates a mysterious feel to the man. It also could aware the audience what to beware of outside the film. The man is made to look dangerous and manipulate the young boy.
The editing also contributes to the social groups. The pace of the editing is reduced right down again to add to that tense atmosphere that we aimed to create. The slow transitions make it more on edge for the audience as it takes longer to find out what is about to happen. The dissolve transition again adds to the effect as it adds an eerie feel to the thriller. It works better than straight cuts as these become boring and make it look home made.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Dimension Films is a great distribution company and this is why I would like them to distrubute my thriller.
They have worked with many thrillers, one being... Sin City.
Sin City Research... quoted by, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_City_(film)
The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; The Big Fat Kill focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer.
I chose this institution as I felt my film was similar to Sin City. I was visually inspired by the film, and my film and Sin City are sleek, professional yet sinister. They both include a twist to the plot of the topic and therefore this adds extra effect for our audience as it leaves them feeling tense.
The kind of Distribution Company that would have interest in my film is those who like to focus distributing films to a specific audience. My audience are watching our film to not only be entertained but also to be educated and aware that kidnapping is a common problem in today's society. The film is trying to aware the audience to keep your guard at all times with your children. The distribution company would have to focus my film at an older audience as it may not be appropriate for a family orientated film as the film is quite spooky and could scare young children.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our thriller is aimed at an
older audience because of the seriousness of the topic. It would not be appropriate for young children to watch the thriller as at times it can be very jumpy and disturbing for them. Younger adults however, may enjoy this film, as their interest may be about action packed films and our film includes adventure and violence. We primarily aim to entertain however, secondary like to educate the audience in hope to teach our audience to be aware of those strange men and women who possibly could be out their.My questionnaire also influenced my final decision on our chosen target audience. It was clear to see that those who watched thriller films were aged 15+, younger children focus on watching comedy and romantic stories. My questionnaire also proved that stereotypically men are more interested in thrillers than women. This could be due to the amount of tension brought up, many women like to watch a film that creates comfort and is easy to watch whereas men, like the twist and action.
Ways To Attract The Audience:
*Posters- persuading the audience into watching the film
*TV Adverts- aware the audience that a new film is out
*Trailers- give the audience abit of enigma of what is to come.
Today's movies in Hollywood and Broadway are not brand new; they are often reworked or revived material. Meanwhile, thousands of writers are creating original materials every week, but they're not getting produced. Although many of the major production companies seem to put out tired and predictable shows, there is still interest in new materials, new scripts, and new approaches. The aim is to create scripts that will attract the attention of the various levels of audiences that the scriptwriter will encounter.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The camera and equipment was relatively easy to use and I learnt many new techniques. Our group took it in turns to work the camera so we all got an equal chance. Our group tried to include effective shots to not create a boring thriller. We used reflection shots off car windows and used a variety of angles to create an atmospheric atmosphere.
The editing process was quicker than I expected, I think that my preliminary task helped me alot with my final product. In our editing process we had to work on the saturation, speed, music, transitions and ensure that everything fitted in and linked well.
The saturation was changed to create a darker atmosphere making the opening credits eerie. Therefore, this would create tension for our chosen audience. The darker it looked the better but we had to make sure it was still clear to see the faces of our actors. The saturation had to be changed on each bit of film. This could have been a long process but once we started doing this we got into the hang of it and it became a quick and easy process.
The speed was adjusted to create a slow, tense thriller. This way would work the best as the audience are left on edge what to expect. It also creates tension and fits in well with our thriller as the man following the young boy is slow and painful for the audience.
The chosen music again worked well with our thriller. It was slow pace and again created a tense atmosphere for our chosen audience. The music fitted in with the cuts and this added extra effect as it didn't just look like the music and the shots were separate. This took a while and began to be quite difficult at times however, our group worked very hard to make it work and therefore, the music and the cuts together were a success. When the music turned loud and aggressive our grabbing the boy scene took place and this worked well and fitted in to again build a climax in our atmosphere.
The transitions used also add extra effect. We often used the dissolve transition as this made it look sinister whilst creating a believable opening. At times we used various transitions to create excitement for our audience. It usually meant that something bad was going to happen when a different transition was used; it also represented the characters behaviour at the time.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that my skills and techniques have improved intensely over the last few months. The preliminary task definitely helped me further my understanding in both the editing and filming stage. I learnt many different ways to create effective shots. Some that I thought that would work well and some that worked better than what I perhaps thought.
Instead of just simply filming the shots I worked with my storyboard as this was very successful. It was also useful to film more than what was needed. This way if any gaps appeared they could be filled with the extra film that was recorded. Also another filming technique I learnt from my preliminary task is that filming some of the scenery around you is a good way to fill a gap and at the same time it creates a mystery feel to the thriller as it just shows the surrounding of the characters.
Our preliminary task also gave us an understanding of the colour and saturation. Our first set of filming was very dark, until we changed our lighting colour. After we did this the filming lightened up and therefore it became easy to see what was going on. This widened my understanding as in my main task we filmed outside and therefore, the lighting did not have to be adjusted due to the sun wasn't out and we wasn't inside with artificial lighting. However, if we were filming inside I would have had the understanding to change the lighting.
The dialogue in our preliminary task didn't seem completely believable. This perhaps could have been as we rehearsed it many of times or it could have been that we are use to the actor’s voice so it becomes hard to believe them. This helped us in our final piece, as we decided to have no conversation. This meant that the filming and editing had to create the storyline though otherwise the audience
would not understand what was going on.The editing process definitely became easier in our Final piece as we had plenty of practice earlier on in our preliminary task. The transitions were easier to use and we had already played around with them, so therefore we knew which ones worked well and which ones were unsuccessful.
I also learnt that the costumes and props are a huge success when it comes to filming a film. It creates enigmas for the audience as they are unsure who plays the role of the victimised character and who the antagonist is. The costume does have a great effect on the audience and this is why we were specific when it came to our final piece. Our chosen costumes created a believable opening for our thriller.
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