Q6 technology: screencast

Q4 Technology: video

Question 7 Technology: Powerpoint

Question 7 Technology

Question 1 Technology: Glogster

question 2 technology: Adobe Photoshop

Media Question 2

Q7

Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I feel like I have developed massively from knowing nothing when we before filmed the preliminary task to being quite proficient at all skills involved in producing the final product. All I knew when I started this course and up until the preliminary task was how to start recording the camera and the basics of movie maker, but when starting the final product, I had learnt how to use all aspects of IMovie 10.0.6, the importance of composition and framing, all shot types and why and how they are used, and the use of Mise-en-scene. I still have areas that I can improve but on the whole I have developed a lot and will continue to develop.

The strengths of my preliminary task were that it was entertaining, met the brief I was given, and I used a variety of shots, editing and sound. I made it a quite over the top satire of traditional spy movies, with antagonist with a terrible German accent, which everyone found quite funny and even though the acting wasn’t amazing, they found it entertaining. I was asked to use shot-reverse-shot, the 180 degree rule and a good level of continuity, which I followed and it worked a lot better than if I had just filmed something. I used a variety of shots, such as close-ups, editing techniques like the flashes to white, and non-diegetic sound effects such as the gun shots. These were effective at making the piece look more professional and entertaining for the audience. The weaknesses of my preliminary task were that the camerawork wasn’t perfect, it could’ve been edited better and there could’ve been more shots. The camera work and editing wasn’t the best as I did not know how to use iMovie or the cameras very well and with the time constraints I had to film and edit it without much practice. The preliminary task would’ve looked better if it was faster paced which meant I should’ve filmed more shots.

One skill that I have definitely developed the most is my camerawork/filming skills. I didn’t know much before the preliminary so when it came to it all I knew was how to point and film. Working up to the final product I learnt many skills including framing, composition, match on action and shot reverse shot, which are all important filming techniques which add to the continuity and make it aesthetically pleasing. These skills were very useful for filming my final product so that it was more professional looking and more entertaining for the audience.

When planning the preliminary I didn’t plan a lot, I had a script, a shot list and a storyboard but not much of the Mise en scene and sound was planned, and I also didn’t go into too much detail with my planning which is why I think it was lacking in terms of overall quality. However when it came to filming the final product, I planned every detail out in detail, from the Mise en scene to the risk assessment, I made sure I had everything so I knew exactly what I was filming when. I think because of this the final product was much better, with a lot more quality and professionalism to it.

I believe my opening is very successful overall, it meets the brief given and I am pleased especially with certain elements of it. One element I am especially pleased with is the editing, a lot of hours went into editing so that it was a faced paced thriller and I think this made it look more professional and entertaining. I am also especially pleased with the camerawork, as we had a variety of different shots but also followed the conventions of having many close-ups and extreme close ups, which is why it was faster paced but also interesting to watch.  Some areas that I would have liked to improve are a few shots and the music, as some shots could’ve been re shot to look better and the music isn’t as synchronous with the visual aspect as I would like.

Q6

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

Digital video camera: for my thriller opening I tried out a few different types of cameras, looking between normal cameras that can take video, video cameras and mobile phone cameras, in order to see which would be the easiest to operate and have the best video quality.  I finally decided on using the IPhone 6 64 Gb phone’s 8 mega pixel camera, for its HD 1080p Quality video, digital stabilisation (automatically stabilises the video as you record), autofocusing with auto-exposure, to allow the right level of light and focus for the scene being captured, and that it was simple to operate with one touch video recording. Using this I learnt how it’s not always easy to use a tripod to keep the camera steady, so using your surroundings such as a branch or walk or even another person to steady yourself works just as well and any messy camera work can be fixed with stabilisation. I also learnt that with this camera even though you could zoom in the quality is a lot better if you just move the camera to the distance required, and it’s a lot steadier. Some shots however were hard to achieve such as the high angle shots, where I would have to position myself up higher in order to be able to film it. As we were only filming one person, the 180 degree rule didn’t apply and so we could film her at any angle and not ruin the continuity of the piece. I chose to film in the woods as I wanted a setting that would feel unnatural to the character and would provide a good level of lighting for shooting. I also wanted to use the weather, since it being autumn, there as a lot of rain and it was usually overcast however on the day it was a lot sunnier so I had to use that to my advantage with it seeming to contrast what was going on. I also used many close ups in order to create a sense of mystery with a lot of the scene being hidden from the audience so I would have to move close to whatever I was filming and sometimes crouch on the ground. I also tried to stick to the rules of thirds when framing so that it was aesthetically pleasing compositionally. I also had to do a lot of tracking and panning when following the character so the stabilisation on the camera was useful in keeping the video from becoming jittery.

Editing software: I chose to use IMovie 10.0.6 to edit as it was easier to use and had many more options than most other editing programmes I researched. I had to edit a lot of the footage so that it worked continuity wise and also with the close ups, keeping them frequent so that it was fast paced but also making sure the meanings I was trying to convey through the use of Mise en scene apparent. It was easy to import the footage as I was using a Mac air laptop, which is compatible with IPhones since they are both Apple products, so using the lead we transferred the videos straight to the hard drive and then to IMovie. I had to edit the footage so that it fit the structure of the narrative. For the most part I had the shots in chronological order on the phone so all I had to do was transfer them straight to the software and almost all the unedited footage was in the right order. Having it edited like this helped build up a tense atmosphere that was released at the climax. We sometimes slowed down areas to create better visual/sound effects, like in the last shot, where having it at normal speed wouldn’t work.  We used a lot of flash to white transitions in order to create the effect of transferring to a flashback shot. We also used a lot of visual effects like filters, like black and white to show that it’s a flashback or editing the filter to make the scene look more eerie and build suspense. We used mainly diegetic sound but we added non-diegetic sound effects at the end for the sound effect of the antagonist hitting the protagonist. Using this recent format of iMovie allowed us to create idents easily, that were individual to us. Exporting the final project was easy as we could upload it straight to YouTube without any problems.

I used other technologies to help with my work. The biggest help was the internet which is where I got most of my research, from a variety of websites which I don’t think I could’ve gotten from any other resources. I also used Facebook and its messenger to communicate with the rest of my group and coordinate what we were filming, editing etc.

q5

How did you attract/address your audience?

In order to make our opening appeal to the audience I used a strong detailed narrative that adds to the suspenseful atmosphere and leads to action in the climax of the opening. I also used camerawork, editing, Mise-en-Scene, and sound alongside this to make it more entertaining.

I fulfilled my audience’s expectations of my thriller through using feedback I received through polls, vox pops, and questionnaires. One thing that I knew I had to include was a lot of action as nearly everyone who gave feedback mention more action, as I don’t think our thriller was fast paced and “thrilling” enough. So to fix this we had a build-up suspense throughout the opening that led to the murder of the protagonist. Another thing that people were expecting from my thriller was an intricate, detailed narrative that they could relate easily to. So I planned out the basic plot of the rest of the film and had the opening relating closely to what would happen then as to the opening.

I received some good feedback comments about my thriller opening when show to a focus group of my target audience. Many gave the generic comments of “it was good” and “I liked it” but some were more specific saying how they liked our use of Mise en scene, such as the props like the pictures, in order to relate the rest of the film to the opening and give meaning to what was going on.   They also liked our use of setting, with the forest adding to the suspenseful atmosphere. Another point given was our good use of camera work, with the large variety of shot types used. One other  point was that our editing was good with the continuity of shots and visual effects used. So overall we received a lot of good, useful feedback.

My opening links to many other recognisable thriller openings with how it appeals to the audience. One example is the opening to the dark humoured, thriller/drama series “Dexter”, where in their opening sequence they used Mise en scene to link subtly to the plot in a gory way, using close ups to create mystery. In my thriller I used props to link to plot as well, however I was more direct with what I wanted to show them. Also I used a lot of close ups and extreme close ups to create mystery and suspense  through showing them specific things, and build up the tension. Another thriller opening that is similar to mine is The House at the End of the Street. Although its no an opening sequence, the narrative of the opening is still similar to mine with a suspenseful atmosphere through the progression of the narrative, which is building up to the climax of a murder, which is intended to shock and entertain the audience so that they will watch the rest of the film.

 

 

Q4

What would be the audience for your media product?

I identified my audience as anyone who enjoys a good thriller but young people/couples in particular; who are aged 16-24 and some areas of the film are specifically targeted to females with the issues discussed. I chose this as my audience as this audience would relate to the issues discussed and the social group portrayed as they are very similar. Many issues are portrayed such as abuse and violence which show how vulnerable the social group are and it’s important to highlight this to my audience as they are close in age and need to be aware of the issues surrounding the lives of people who are just like them.  

Age: 16-24

Gender: any gender however sometimes women are specifically targeted

Class E/D as people of that age group would not have careers yet or still be students

They would watch many thriller, reality shows, action movies, listen to rock music or music with deep and meaningful lyric that are relatable, and they would use a lot of social media to interact with people, they would be very social.
Most of the audience members I asked, said they would be attracted to watch a thriller that has a lot of action that is built up with suspense, along with a detailed narrative and characters. I used this information to make my thriller more appealing to the audience I want to appeal to. 

I researched my audience using many different forms in media such as Vox pops, questionnaires, poll everywhere, focus groups, and the internet. I targeted a wide range of people within my audience in order to get the best idea of what I should put into my thriller. This helped me gain a better insight to what my audience wants and what issues they feel are important to address. Their feedback we received on our initial ideas were:

·         Do you like the name: Out of 5:  4 5 4 4 3 4 3 3 3

·         Would you watch it: yes yes yes yes no yes yes no no

·         What do you like about the story? Unique unique Good storyline unique Cool narrative A lot of suspense On the run/ hunted aspect A lot of thought went into it Good ideas

·         Are the titles clear: 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 5/ yes 4

·         What should be improved? Show typography of the titles Show typography of the titles Show typography of the titles Chase scene too generic Communication to the audience More exciting name Show your audience Too cliché

·         Rate the film out of 5*’s/ 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3

·         I think our film pitch went well because we got a good score for our first pitch and most people liked our ideas. We had an average name rating of 4 which is really good as most people understood our thought behind the name and what it represented within the narrative. Almost everyone wanted to watch it which is obviously good; those who did not said it was because it wasn’t their type of film. We got good feedback on our actual plot idea, saying it’s unique and suspenseful. We also got a 4 for how clear are the titles, which are good as we know that our ideas could work. Overall we had a score of 3 out of 5*’s for the film which means our film is good but we have to work on improving the titles and such. I think the thing we need to improve the most to make it suit the audience would be making sure our typography suits the genre well enough.

Based on this I saw that I need to get more research on what the audience wanted based on their expectations, which were more action, and a fast paced opening with a good narrative.

I think that my film would get a rating of a 15 due to the harsh, mature themes and violence within the film that would not be suitable for children. This wouldn’t be too violent of a film but the issues are mature and can be distressing so our target audience would have to be prepared in case they upset by some things they may see, which I believe is unlikely. Thrillers with similar audiences are The House at the End of the street, You're Next and Shutter Island with the maturity of the films/themes they produce.

 

Q1

Q1: in what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.

A thriller is a film or TV series that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main form of entertainment. They rely heavily on the use of mystery and detailed narrative. Thrillers influence a viewer’s moods, giving them feelings of anticipation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and terror. Thrillers are usually adrenaline-rushing, gritty, and fast-paced. There are many sub-genres to thriller but the most common are: psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers.

The sub-genre I chose was a hybrid-sub-genre; a Horror/psychological thriller which I chose as it enabled us to choose a quite different narrative to current thrillers and stand out more. Psychological thrillers have very detailed narratives in order to peak the audiences interest, create emotional dialogues and build tension at plot twists and other climaxes in the plot, examples of this are Shutter Island and The Ward. My thriller is similar to these as we created a detailed, realistic narrative to base my opening off of, which both of these films have. Horror thrillers build a lot of suspense and tension in order to scare the audience at peaks and climaxes in the narrative as so to create a tense atmosphere and make the audience have feelings of anxiety and terror, examples of this are Insidious and the House at the End of the Street where they are thrillers with horror elements intertwined in the narrative, which mine also has with the stalking, unknown antagonist in the opening.

With this sub-genre I have chosen the audience will be expecting a very detailed narrative, with complex characters and ideas, along with horror elements throughout the plot, where suspense is built until there’s a climax in some scenes which will scare the audience or at least make them feel uneasy. In Shutter Island there are these scenes like in the underground prison and he is suddenly attacked. These types do not detract from the rest of the plot but enhance the suspense. Overall they will want to see this complex plot and horror aspects work well together so the film flows well with continuity so it is enjoyable to watch.

The elements of the psychological genre that I used were the detailed narrative, with complex characters as I thought and planned a lot of what the rest of the film would’ve been like and who my characters were, and the ideas they represented. Thrillers such as Shutter Island and The House at the End of the Street have narratives similar to this, as both are based off of detailed backstories that make the characters more complex and overall further the narrative. I developed the elements where there’s emotional dialogue as I wanted there to be even more than most other psychological thrillers, even though I only created the potential for it in the opening, it meant the audience could expect there to be a lot more than other thrillers. This is done a lot in Shutter Island, with the involvement of him seeing his dead wife and children and how that is explained. I challenged the elements where the actual scenario had to be exaggerated to be entertaining, for example in Shutter Island where there is a huge conspiracy, as I believed just having a realistic scenario would be more effective and entertaining. The elements of the horror genre that I used were the build-up of tension which leads to a climax, as I felt it would be effective for creating a thriller atmosphere that would create more suspense overall. This is done in Horror/thrillers such as Insidious, where there are the horror elements that are the most thrilling parts as they build up suspense but work well with the progression of the narrative. I developed the character types within the genre, as typically the characters presented in horror films aren’t very detailed, like in As Above, So Below where it’s a found footage movie so you do not know very much about the characters, but this works well. This is a contrast to thriller characters so I made sure our characters were more detailed. The elements that I challenged were the excessive use of violence to create horror as I felt this was unnecessary to show a murder, so instead I used a lot of close up shots and sound effects to give the same idea as that.

The conventions of a thriller and which ones you do and don’t use determine whether your thriller will be effective at entertaining the audience. The typical shot types used in thrillers are close ups, extreme close ups, panning and tracking shots.
The close ups and extreme close ups are used in order to show a small section of what is going on and highlight key things in the composition of a scene, for example someone’s facial expression or a piece of the Mise-en-Scene.   This creates suspense and tension in a scene as the audience can’t see exactly what is going and therefore they are feeling anxious and uncertain over what could happen in the next few shots. It also helps build up the narrative with linking specific things to other areas of the story so that the audience sees how the plot is progressing. A good example of a good use of Close-ups and Extreme close-ups is in the Psychological thriller Shutter Island, where the use of them creates a lot of suspense that builds up to action sequences. i used this in my thriller in order to get the same effect where a use of close ups and extreme close ups throughout the opening builds up suspense to the action at the end.

The Panning and tracking shots are used in order to show action, especially chase scenes, where they will a “Dolly” to follow what is going on. The following of the action with these shots means that the audience will feel part of the action and make it more enjoyable to watch compared to a normal, still shot. Many thrillers use these to show action sequences such as You’re Next with most of the chase sequences; panning as the characters are running. I challenged this convention with using panning and tracking shots to build suspense more in the elad up to action rather than furthering the momentum of an action shot.

Typical editing techniques used in thrillers are cross-cutting sequences, flash to white/black, jump cuts and visual effects. Cross-cutting sequences are used to show action in conjunction with panning and tracking shots usually, as they work in the same way. A cross-cutting sequence is when you are following two linked action sequences at the same time where it cuts to and from each sequences, so you have a good idea of what’s going on in both sequences. These are generally used in thrillers in order to show action such as chase sequences and allow the audience to see what’s happening in both parts of the chase, this creates suspense with the audience knowing where the person being chased is in comparison to the chaser. Again in most thrillers this is used such as again the chase sequences of You’re Next where it cross cuts between the victim and the murderer.I also challenged this convention as i wanted to use the cross cutinng between many flashback shots throughout my opening rather than again improving upon the action scene, and I think the way I have used this was effective in building up the narrative and supsense instead of action.

Flash to white/black are used to create suspense through hiding what is happening in the shot for a second, which could hide someone disappearing or appearing or show a flash of an image, for example. They effectively create tension and show narrative in some cases, and also can create “scares” which are especially useful in horror thrillers. This used in the Thriller Shutter Island where it flashes to show a flashback/ something that he is seeing isn't real, which furthers the narrative and builds some dramatic tension. I developed this conevntion with using flash to white to show the images from the past, developing our narrative, and building some tension with the sequence with what was currently going on.

Jump cuts are used in the same way as flashes in thrillers, where they could hide someone disappearing or appearing into a shot. This is especially useful in creating a climax after suspense has been built. This is used in The House at the End of the Street to cause a scare for the audience and release the suspense that has been building in the scene. I used this convention in order to make the climax of action with the murder more dramatic and shocking, making it more thrilling.

Mise-en-scene is used effectively in thrillers to show and develop narrative and characters, and also build more suspense and tension. Costume is used effectively in thrillers to connote who a character is and what kind of character they are or convey different meanings and ideas. For example, a scene may have the protagonist denoting light coloured clothes and the antagonist denoting dark clothes, which would connote that the light clothed person is most likely the protagonist and the dark clothed person is likely an antagonist. Using Costume to connote information about a character or convey ideas and meanings to the audience is effective in developing the narrative and making it a more enjoyable thriller to watch. I used this convention with my antagonist wears similar light clothing to Jennifer Lawrence’s protagonist character in The House at the End of the Street.

Lighting in thrillers is used to create a tense atmosphere. Typical lighting in thrillers is quite dark and filled with shadows, and the lack of light builds tension with the audience not being able to see much of the scene. Lighting is effective in creating a tense atmosphere which builds suspense, making it more thrilling to watch. This use of lighting is used in nearly every scene in The Ward. i challenged this convention in my thriller so that when dark lighting or a lack of lighting is used, it is very obvious what we are trying to connote about what will happen with the murder.

Actors are used in thrillers to connote certain meanings about a character and create drama and tension through that, for example using someone who looked menacing or ugly would connote that they are the antagonist and give the audience a better idea of who they are, for example in Shutter Island the initial antagonist is covered in scars and is always grimacing. I challenged this convention in my thriller as I wanted him to average looking, so I relied on Costume to show him as the antagonist whilst his actor helped represent the social group of an abusive male.  

Props in thrillers are used in many ways, to connote meanings, further the narrative and create suspense. For example a bloody knife on the floor would connote that there is a killer about, further the narrative by the blood signifying someone has been murdered and create suspense by not knowing where the killer is but that he’s about based on his knife being left on the floor. In my thriller we have the knife on the floor and then you see briefly the killer, connoting a connection between them and building suspense, which is similar to You’re Next where she finds a weapon, and its from the killer nearby. I developed this convention with the weapon prop being found to connote that there would be action and a fight between the protagonist and the antagonist as she picks it up.

Setting is used effectively in thrillers to build a suspenseful atmosphere, for example in The Blair Witch Project, its set in the woods and at night which builds tension through the audience and the characters not knowing what’s making sounds or doing things around their tent. My thriller’s also set in the woods to get the same effect as The Blair Witch Project and make it more suspenseful, as this setting is not the natural place for the character to be.

Some thrillers that have inspired my work are Shutter Island, The House at the End of the Street, and The Blair Witch Project. Shutter islands music and overall atmosphere inspired my work as the score for the film was so well made, with perfectly timed crescendos to build and release suspense in scenes, and making the theme well known. The House at the End of the Street inspired my work with its narrative being similar and helping create the relationship between my two characters, so that it seemed real and gave me ideas on how to show that deteriorating. The Blair witch project inspired me the most as the production company had very little in terms of budget and they produced such an iconic film, and also using a few actors to do so. It’s setting of the woods influenced me to use the forest for my opening as it created a very tense suspenseful atmosphere with it being so different from our natural habitat.

 

Q3

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

I chose Home-grown productions as my  company name as I wanted a name that showed my films are “home grown” by normal, imaginative people like my audience, so I am just like them so I know how much care and effort must be put into my films in order to make them enjoyable and entertaining for them. These ideas signify that my company goes to extra mile to make entertaining films for the individual. My Ident/ logo signifies my films are modern and high budget which connotes to the audience how contemporary my films are and that sufficient money is put into them to make them successful. The role of my company is to produce high quality, modern films of multiple genres, but specialising in thrillers, that are targeted towards specific psychographics/demographics and addressing important, relevant issues.

A production company provides the physical means using sourced funding to create different forms of media, for example film, radio, and performing arts. For the thriller genre there is the potential for small production companies and major production companies to produce quality films, from a wide range of narratives/settings, sometimes with little funding needed. Small production companies are companies that have not been involved in major productions, and do not a have a lot of funding, so are usually involved in small projects or upcoming major productions. An example of a small production company is Haxan films, which are a production company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. They are famous after producing the independent horror/thriller film The Blair Witch Project. The name is taken from the 1922 Swedish/Danish silent movie Häxan ("The Witch"). The company was founded by five graduates of the University of Central Florida Film Program. Also known as "the Haxan Five", the company is run by Eduardo Sánchez, Gregg Hale, Daniel Myrick, Robin Cowie and Michael Monello.

Major production companies are companies that have been involved in major projects, such as large, popular franchises, and also have a lot of funding from earnings and investors. An example of this is Lionsgate who are a Canadian-American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, July 3, 1997, and is now headquartered in Santa Monica, California. They are well known for producing popular films such as You’re Next, Now You See Me, and Snitch.

Small production companies are sometimes subsidiary companies of major production organisations. A smaller production company would most likely produce a low budget thriller that would be easy to produce physically, like The Blair Witch Project which only has Three actors and is set in the woods, in order to gain sufficient funding and reputation to produce bigger budget films, so they can build up to becoming a  major production company. A major production company would most likely produce a larger budgeted, action, special effects filled thriller such as Pandorum, which is set in space, and has a lot of CGI effects.

I think for a thriller film, depending on the budget and production company, would either have a theatrical release window of six weeks then be released to all other platforms or be straightaway released onto DVD and other platforms. This is because theatres receive most of their earnings from a film within the first six weeks and most of the earnings would be from the other platforms, so this way it would receive the most earnings in the shortest time.

The distributor I would like to distribute my thriller is “20^th Century Fox”. They are a large corporation that have produced a number of highly successful films, including popular thrillers such as Alien and Unstoppable. The organisation itself is large and complex with many subsidiary companies.  20^th Century Fox was founded on May 31^st 1935 by a merger of 20^th Century Fox Pictures Inc. (founded in 1935) and Fox Film corporation (founded in 1915). It was founded by Joseph M Schenck, Darryl F Zanuck and William Fox. Their headquarters is located in Los Angeles and its parent company is the Fox Entertainment Group. The genres they are usually involved in are Sci-fi and action however they have produced many films of other genres including sub/hybrid genre thrillers such as sci-fi/action thrillers like Predator and Alien. They are an appropriate institution to produce my thriller as they have a large support basis for funding with not only using their own earnings, from many of the large franchises they have helped produce such as the first few instalments of star wars, but also private investors and such. This would mean that they could support them film in making it high quality, professional and entertaining. They are also a well-known film distribution/production company and having the institutions name and logo on our film would reassure our audience of the quality of the film, based on films they have previously seen from that production company.

The order in which my titles are set out are firstly the production company Ident and the directors name, so that these are the names my audience will remember and look for in my other films they may want to watch. Then I have the actors, so that the audience see if any of their favourite actors, who have the star personas of the characters portrayed, may be in film, and want to continue watching it. Then I have the crew such as director of cinematography or set design, so the audience will see who worked on what area and may recognise names from other films. Finally will be the thrillers name so that the audience can relate what they’ve seen to what the films called. This is all so that they will make links with my film to others, in order to get a good judgement on the quality and whether it will be entertaining.

My thriller would most likely be similar institutionally to thrillers such as The Roommate or The House at the End of the End of the Street as they are produced similar in terms of quality to my thriller opening with the setting and the budget. They have also been distributed in different ways: with The House at the End of the Street having a theatrical window before being released onto other platforms, whilst The Roommate being released straight to DVD and other platforms. This is similar to how I would like my film to be distributed as I would like a short theatrical window of six weeks before being distributed onto other platforms.