1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I aimed to include many conventions in my thriller opening and I think I successfully included most of the main generic conventions. In the opening scene of my thriller I set the scene using an establishing shot of the house, this was set in a dark shadowy atmosphere, a convention which added to the creation of fear. It also showed that this was a realistic setting, another convention of the thriller genre, and because it was set in realistic setting the audience would instantly start to relate.
I also used a dark shadowy atmosphere in the scene where we see our first character (Rachel) in the living room. The lights are dimmed, which gives off an eerie feel and makes the audience think something will happen, giving them a feeling of suspense.
Another convention I used was a delay in showing the face of a character. I decided to cover the intruders face because it would make the audience wonder who it was and make the character more mysterious. It would also make the audience want to keep watching so they could find out who it was in the end. Again, I continued to use the dark shadowy atmosphere in the scenes where we first see the intruder, giving it that eerie feel.
I also tried to keep the audience on the edge of their seats throughout my thriller opening, because the audience could see that the intruder was in the house but the girls in the film didn't know at first it made the audience keep wondering when he was going to show himself or when the girls would find him. I incorporated twists and turns into this, for example in the scene where the girls hear the picture smash on the floor and go into the study to investigate the audience would probably expect them to walk in on the intruder. However, when they go into the study he has escaped through the window. Adding to this, the audience then thinks the intruder has got away, but as the girls go out into the dining room he is standing there, another twist in the plot.
Challenges -
I feel that my thriller opening also challenges conventions because other thriller openings I have seen such as Seven, Hostage or Panic Room tended to use random images or establishing shots of the area that the film is set to open the film. However, my thriller opening gives more of a back story and sets up the rest of the film. I also challenged the conventions by using female characters, which are not typically seen in a conventional thriller film and I used quite a lot of dialogue which is also not conventionally used in a thriller opening sequence, which is apparent in my previous examples.
Sub Genre -
The conventions I have used in my thriller also gives an insight into what sort of sub genre I have chosen. The audience will be able to see that it is a psychological thriller because of the mystery and horror elements it has too it. They will also sense there will be mental and emotional conflict, as when the intruder picks up the picture and drops it they will be wondering 'why?' and automatically think there must be something behind that. My thriller opening also takes some inspiration from the psychological thriller Seven, I decided to sample the way they showed their titles (cutting to a black background with the titles moving across the screen between scenes), I feel this creates the suspense and draws the film opening out keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. I also took inspiration from an action/adventure thriller Face Off. Although unlike mine the opening sequence of Face Off is a flashback, it gives us some back story and sets up the rest of the film like I wanted to do with my thriller opening. I also took inspiration from the fact that in the opening sequence of Face Off the victim can't see the villain and is completely oblivious to him being there and carrying on as normal. I wanted to include this in my thriller because I thought it would add suspense and keep the audience watching as they'd want to know when the intruder was going to strike.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In my thriller opening I included teenage girls as a particular social group. I presented the two teenage girls as being passive and vulnerable, although one (Lex) was presented as being slightly more confident than the other, which challenges the stereotypical vulnerable, passive girl that is typically seen in a thriller but in the end they were both as scared as each other.
Because they were both teenagers it made them come across as very naive as they were totally oblivious as to what was happening in the house. They were also stereotyped because of their gender; if they were boys the audience would expect them to not necessarily be as scared or vulnerable in that situation. However, because they're girls the audience immediately sympathises and relates to their vulnerability which really plays on their emotions. This also links with my target audience, as I aimed my thriller at 16-25 year olds they will be able to relate to the girls as they are around the same age.
Clothing -
Also, the way I presented the girls clothing wise represent their social groups. Rachel, the girl who lived in the house was dress in light colours (white and blue) and also had blonde hair and blue eyes, these all have connotations of innocence, vulnerability and purity. Through her personality she also came across and innocent and vulnerable as she seemed scared at the thought of the intruder being there and didn't want to go in the study to see what the noise was, this presents the typical vulnerable female teenager.
However Lex is wearing bold colours (red and black) which have connotations of confidence, strength and bravery. She comes across as being confident and in control of the situation, at first she doesn't seem scared and is trying to convince Rachel that there is nothing going on and it is all in her head. This challenges the typical female teenager stereotype and makes more people in my audience able to relate to the characters as they may feel they would be able to handle that situation better and wouldn't be as vulnerable and passive as Rachel, however in the end Lex seems even more scared than Rachel, making them both end up being the stereotype.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My thriller would probably be better suited to being produced by a smaller independent company. I don't think it would need a huge budget to produce, as the plot of the film does not involve any extravagant high speed chases or explosion that you might find in an action/adventure based thriller. Being a psychological thriller the plot is simple yet clever and the emphasis would be put on trying to figure out who the intruder is or why he's killing all these girls, not on elaborate action scenes.
Choosing an independent company also has some advantages that a major Hollywood studio doesn't, such as with an independent production company I may have more creative freedom as to how I want the film to look, but with a major Hollywood studio they may want to change certain aspects of the film so it could be turned into a franchise.
However, I know there are some drawbacks to using an independent production company, such as the film might not get to reach a wider audience as a smaller company may only be able to distribute it to a small amount of cinemas or only make it a TV movie/internet only release. An internet only release could be a step in the right direction though as with the use of viral marketing a buzz could be created about the film and then it could be chosen to be released in more cinemas or picked up by a major Hollywood studio.
Independent Film Companies -
My thriller may be released by an independent film company such as Fox Searchlight Pictures or Vertigo Films. Both of these companies try to take small budget indie films and turn them into box office successes. Fox Searchlight has released successful box office hits such as Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, Notorious and Bend It Like Beckham. They specialize in Indie and British films which would attract them to my film, and they have also produced successful thrillers such as One Hour Photo, which is also a psychological thriller like my film.
In my target audience questionnaires one person suggested that my film be a BBC production, however this is not the direction I think the film would go in as when looking into it I discovered that the BBC do not really have a large history of producing thriller films. Therefore this would be the wrong road to go down unless my film would be turned into a series, which the BBC could accommodate to as they have made thriller series in the past such as Five Days, Silent Witness and Psychoville.
Merchandising -
A film company may also be interested in my film because of merchandising opportunities. With most successful films comes a degree of media synergy, such as bringing out games to go with the film, soundtracks, posters, toys, costumes, etc. A good example of this is the Spiderman films, which have been successful and bought out Spiderman action figures, costumes, a soundtrack CD, etc. Merchandise that could be brought out based on my thriller could be masks like the intruder's or a whole costume including plastic knife replica, posters, a soundtrack CD or a video game based on the film.
4. Who would be the target audience for your media product?
When planning my thriller I decided it would be best to target both male and female 16-25 year olds. I thought this was a good age range to target because teenagers and young adults would be more likely to go to the cinema to see the film. Although I am aware that most thrillers are targeted at young adult males, I chose to target both males and females because I wanted to make a film that everyone could enjoy and not just one set gender, as that would restrict the audience and alienate people into thinking it was just for one certain gender.
I was interested in making a film for this particular target audience because I thought this audience would be more interested in a psychological thriller. A vast majority of 16-25 year olds are students, making them more interested in watching a psychological thriller because it is intellectually stimulating and not the kind of film you can just sit back and relax to. I was inclined to go for this audience because they would be interested in a film where there is something to figure out and not everything is as it seems, just like a thriller, drama or horror film - elements of which are all included in my psychological thriller. As I quoted earlier in my blog post about target audience, my target audience would be into "mysteries with a twist, they will like to try and work things out for themselves but sometimes never quite get there. Possibly a person who never gives up trying and will always give it a shot on working out what is happening, and loves the element of surprise."
When approaching my target audience and asking them to fill out my audience questionnaires the feedback was positive and I feel that over all I was successfull in targeting them and making my film appear interesting and relatable to that particular age group.
Similar films and how they attracted their audience -
A similar film to my thriller is Seven. This film also follows a story where something needs to be figured out along the way, a puzzle. The plot for my thriller is "A serial killer is on the loose, killing young girls in their own homes. The police race against the clock to find out who he is and what the connection is between the girls. As the murders continue, the police finally discover the connection. The serial killer used to be a patient at a psychiatric hospital because after his daughter died he was driven insane by guilt. Whilst he was in the psychiatric hospital the psychiatrist failed to help him, now after being let out he is taking his revenge on the psychiatrists by killing their daughters." This is similar to Seven because in the film there are two detectives trying to figure out why all these murders are happening, and then they find the connection of the Seven Deadly Sins. Seven uses a similar puzzle solving plot to my thriller to entice the audience and keep them on the edge of their seats. The opening titles to the film also raise similar questions to my film that the audience would be asking themselves making them want to watch more, such as "Who was the person who was writing? What was he writing? Why? Is he planning something?" etc.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
I tried to attract my audience into watching my film by including actors of a similar age as my target audience, the two girls who play Rachel and Lex (Rhiannon White and Saman Aftab) are 18 and 16, so are relatable to both teenagers and young adults. They are both normal girls, and have elements to their personality that are relatable to everyone. I tried to give them both different personalities (Lex is confident and bossy, Rachel is vulnerable and passive) so anyone could relate to them. I also tried to include some twists and turns in my thriller opening to entice my audience into watching more. For example, the girls walk into the study but the intruder is not there anymore - he has escaped through the window, they walk out to call the police and he is standing in the dining room. My audience will also want to know why the intruder is staring at the picture and then drops it, what significance does it have? They will also be very intrigued to find out who the intruder is and why he is killing these girls. As my target audience are puzzle solvers and interested in mysteries they will be interested in watching more.
Audience Questionnaires -
I approached 10 people from my target audience and asked them if they would mind filling out a questionnaire about my film and showed them the opening sequence. The feedback was positive, all but one person said they would want to watch the film after seeing the opening sequence, however this was only because a thriller was not this persons type of film. They all noted wanting to find out more, for example they would like to know "..whether the girls survive and what the intruders issue is.", "..what the intruders problem was", "..does he kill someone? Did the woman in the photo mean something to the intruder?" etc. Most of my target audiences reactions after watching the opening sequence was 'scared' or on 'edge/tension/suspense'. As this is what I was going for with my film I feel this was successful. All the participants thought the setting and characters were appropriate for the genre and all but one thought that the film should get an age rating of 15, and that the target audience should be teenagers - young adults. This shows that I catered for my audience, making my film age appropriate for them.
Most participants did not suggest anything be changed about the opening sequence, however some raised the issue that the actors could have been more serious. I am aware that my actors were not the most convincing and not as serious as I would have liked them to be, but as I had my original actors let me down, making me have to recast many times the actors I used in the end were not well prepared and offered to film at very late notice. This made them unable to learn their lines or practice and therefore not come across as very into the acting. The participants from my target audience also noted what characteristics they would associate with a thriller, most noted scary background music, dark lighting/atmosphere, suspense, etc.
They all noted that all the conventions they associated with a thriller they saw in my film, showing that I successfully included many typical conventions.
The audience are put in the character shoes -
The audience are asked to be put in the position of the girls, this makes them go along the journey with them making them feel the same feelings. It plays on their emotions, making them feel vulnerable and nervous. The audience will be put on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen to the girls, feeling the fear, suspense and eeriness of the situation as if it were really happening to them.
Scenes that may not be appropriate for younger or older people -
I think it was wise to try and appeal to late teens/young adults as there are points in my film that would scare some people. The dark shadowy atmosphere and the intruder walking up to the house and watching the girls outside of the patio door was noted as being particularly scary for some of my audience members after filling out their questionnaires. This is what I wanted to achieve and I think setting my thriller at a certificate of 15 was the right choice.
In one of the scenes in my thriller opening the intruder walks through the patio door using a handheld point of view shot. I think this comes across well and looks more realistic than just a steady shot of him walking in from another angle, however people of an older age may not like this because it could make them feel uneasy or confused (this kind of shot was used throughout a well known thriller film, Cloverfield, and received many complaints about it making people feel sick/confused.) However, again I feel by trying t0 attract an audience of 16-25 year old I would hopefully avoid this problem, and as I have only used it for a very short amount of time in my film it shouldn't be an issue.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
When both filming and editing I have learnt to use completely new pieces of equipment. I had never filmed or edited before, and using the cameras, tripods and Macs was a new and exciting experience. I was able to learn how to film certain shots that I hadn't before, such as panning or tracking shots, high and low angle shots, close ups and long shots. I had some problems when filming with the cameras, seeing as I hadn't got as much space to film as I thought I had to figure out new ways of angling different shots. This was a challenge but I overcame it in the end and came out with some good shots, with help from the tripods that definitely improved my shots making them steadier and helped with the panning shots I used. The cameras we were given to use were good, but they could obviously not give the film that classic cinematic look. However I think this makes the film look more realistic in some ways and can actually be seen as an advantage, as this sort of look has been used in some successful box office films such as Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project. I was also glad to find that we did not need to use separate microphones for the audio in the film, as there was a microphone integrated in the camera. Whilst filming I was slightly worried that the audio might not come out as well as I hoped but that was not the case and it came out perfectly.
Problems with the technologies -
I experienced some problems whilst filming and editing when it came to using the technologies. We had a lack of cameras and tripods available to use to it was difficult to get a camera when I wanted to film, however I overcame this by booking my camera and tripod out in advance and asking if I could keep it over the weekend to film. There were also problems when it came to uploading my film onto the Macs, as the school only have a very small number of Macs that are shared between both year 12 and 13 it was near impossible to be able to go on one without getting to the room extremely early. I overcame this by talking to my teachers and decided to upload my film onto my own Macbook, this was an advantage because I was then able to edit at home and take the Macbook into school and edit during my lessons.
Editing -
When it came to editing I had never edited before and was slightly worried that I wouldn't know what to do. However after experimenting with my preliminary exercise I got used to the different editing techniques and found editing to be quite a fun experience. I was able to use 'fade to black' transitions to draw out some scenes in my thriller opening, 'cross dissolve' transitions in the scene where the intruder is walking up the drive way (this gave the scene a more eerie effect and blending the shots together better than just a cut), I learned how to attach sound effects such as the glass breaking when the intruder drops the picture and the doorbells. I also learnt how to attach music to my film and place different titles in between the scenes. When I got to my last shot of the intruder (the close up of his eyes) I didn't think it looked menacing enough, so I decided to use a 'vignette' effect on that shot to make his eyes stand out more and make the over all shot look darker.
Music -
I also learnt about the importance of using copyright free music. At first trying to find good copyright free music was difficult, and I either had to pay for it or what was free and uncopyrighted wasn't long enough. I eventually found a good website whilst planning called freeplaymusic.com which had good copyright free music for thriller that I didn't have to pay for. I ended up using a track called Rusted Hull, which was too short in for my film but I ended up editing it with "clip trimmer" in iMovie and cutting different parts of track together to make it longer. I also learned how to add some sound effects to my film in iMovie. I added digetic sound such as the sound effect of a doorbell for when Lex came to the door and when the take away was delivered. I then added a sound effect of glass breaking for when the intruder drops the picture.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When I made my preliminary task I wasn't very familiar with different shot types and clever angles and was only asked to do a match on action shot, shot reverse shot and demonstrate the 180 degree rule. However after doing this it made me more eager to experiment with different angles and shot types and the editing stage of making my preliminary made me really want to try new things with the editing equipment. I carefully started planning my main task, researching into the conventions of thrillers and analysing different thriller film openings. I noticed what sort of shot types are generally used to create a sense of eeriness or confusion (high and low angle, handheld point of view, etc) and began setting out my storyboard. When doing my preliminary storyboard it was very simplistic and hadn't got much detail or shot variation, so when planning my main task storyboard I aimed to include as much detail and shot variation as possible. I also had no idea what order to film my scenes in when I was filming my preliminary, so to help myself with my main task I created a detailed shooting schedule which helped me get organised and made the process smoother.
Paying attention to detail -
When filming my main task I also payed more attention to everything that was placed in every scene, making sure I didn't leave anything in shot that wasn't meant to be there. In my preliminary, you can see people sitting in the background of some shots and the mise en scene doesn't fit with the plot. However in my main film I carefully constructed my storyboard to include everything I would need and made sure that the lighting was just right, the actors were wearing the right colours and that there was nothing that could be seen as unrelated to the film in shot.
Becoming more confident with new technologies -
Filming my main task has definitely made me feel more confident with filming and editing and has made me want to continue to film more in the future. I am now comfortable with setting up shots on the tripod and editing different scenes and sounds together.
From A to B -
I feel like the progression I have made from my preliminary task to my final product has made my film successful in fulfilling the task. I researched different conventions and made sure I included them, I tried to depict the style of thrillers that I have researched and analysed and I believe I showed my knowledge of different shot types and mise en scene.
I aimed to include many conventions in my thriller opening and I think I successfully included most of the main generic conventions. In the opening scene of my thriller I set the scene using an establishing shot of the house, this was set in a dark shadowy atmosphere, a convention which added to the creation of fear. It also showed that this was a realistic setting, another convention of the thriller genre, and because it was set in realistic setting the audience would instantly start to relate.
I also used a dark shadowy atmosphere in the scene where we see our first character (Rachel) in the living room. The lights are dimmed, which gives off an eerie feel and makes the audience think something will happen, giving them a feeling of suspense.
Another convention I used was a delay in showing the face of a character. I decided to cover the intruders face because it would make the audience wonder who it was and make the character more mysterious. It would also make the audience want to keep watching so they could find out who it was in the end. Again, I continued to use the dark shadowy atmosphere in the scenes where we first see the intruder, giving it that eerie feel.
I also tried to keep the audience on the edge of their seats throughout my thriller opening, because the audience could see that the intruder was in the house but the girls in the film didn't know at first it made the audience keep wondering when he was going to show himself or when the girls would find him. I incorporated twists and turns into this, for example in the scene where the girls hear the picture smash on the floor and go into the study to investigate the audience would probably expect them to walk in on the intruder. However, when they go into the study he has escaped through the window. Adding to this, the audience then thinks the intruder has got away, but as the girls go out into the dining room he is standing there, another twist in the plot.
Challenges -
I feel that my thriller opening also challenges conventions because other thriller openings I have seen such as Seven, Hostage or Panic Room tended to use random images or establishing shots of the area that the film is set to open the film. However, my thriller opening gives more of a back story and sets up the rest of the film. I also challenged the conventions by using female characters, which are not typically seen in a conventional thriller film and I used quite a lot of dialogue which is also not conventionally used in a thriller opening sequence, which is apparent in my previous examples.
Sub Genre -
The conventions I have used in my thriller also gives an insight into what sort of sub genre I have chosen. The audience will be able to see that it is a psychological thriller because of the mystery and horror elements it has too it. They will also sense there will be mental and emotional conflict, as when the intruder picks up the picture and drops it they will be wondering 'why?' and automatically think there must be something behind that. My thriller opening also takes some inspiration from the psychological thriller Seven, I decided to sample the way they showed their titles (cutting to a black background with the titles moving across the screen between scenes), I feel this creates the suspense and draws the film opening out keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. I also took inspiration from an action/adventure thriller Face Off. Although unlike mine the opening sequence of Face Off is a flashback, it gives us some back story and sets up the rest of the film like I wanted to do with my thriller opening. I also took inspiration from the fact that in the opening sequence of Face Off the victim can't see the villain and is completely oblivious to him being there and carrying on as normal. I wanted to include this in my thriller because I thought it would add suspense and keep the audience watching as they'd want to know when the intruder was going to strike.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In my thriller opening I included teenage girls as a particular social group. I presented the two teenage girls as being passive and vulnerable, although one (Lex) was presented as being slightly more confident than the other, which challenges the stereotypical vulnerable, passive girl that is typically seen in a thriller but in the end they were both as scared as each other.
Because they were both teenagers it made them come across as very naive as they were totally oblivious as to what was happening in the house. They were also stereotyped because of their gender; if they were boys the audience would expect them to not necessarily be as scared or vulnerable in that situation. However, because they're girls the audience immediately sympathises and relates to their vulnerability which really plays on their emotions. This also links with my target audience, as I aimed my thriller at 16-25 year olds they will be able to relate to the girls as they are around the same age.
Clothing -
Also, the way I presented the girls clothing wise represent their social groups. Rachel, the girl who lived in the house was dress in light colours (white and blue) and also had blonde hair and blue eyes, these all have connotations of innocence, vulnerability and purity. Through her personality she also came across and innocent and vulnerable as she seemed scared at the thought of the intruder being there and didn't want to go in the study to see what the noise was, this presents the typical vulnerable female teenager.
However Lex is wearing bold colours (red and black) which have connotations of confidence, strength and bravery. She comes across as being confident and in control of the situation, at first she doesn't seem scared and is trying to convince Rachel that there is nothing going on and it is all in her head. This challenges the typical female teenager stereotype and makes more people in my audience able to relate to the characters as they may feel they would be able to handle that situation better and wouldn't be as vulnerable and passive as Rachel, however in the end Lex seems even more scared than Rachel, making them both end up being the stereotype.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My thriller would probably be better suited to being produced by a smaller independent company. I don't think it would need a huge budget to produce, as the plot of the film does not involve any extravagant high speed chases or explosion that you might find in an action/adventure based thriller. Being a psychological thriller the plot is simple yet clever and the emphasis would be put on trying to figure out who the intruder is or why he's killing all these girls, not on elaborate action scenes.
Choosing an independent company also has some advantages that a major Hollywood studio doesn't, such as with an independent production company I may have more creative freedom as to how I want the film to look, but with a major Hollywood studio they may want to change certain aspects of the film so it could be turned into a franchise.
However, I know there are some drawbacks to using an independent production company, such as the film might not get to reach a wider audience as a smaller company may only be able to distribute it to a small amount of cinemas or only make it a TV movie/internet only release. An internet only release could be a step in the right direction though as with the use of viral marketing a buzz could be created about the film and then it could be chosen to be released in more cinemas or picked up by a major Hollywood studio.
Independent Film Companies -
My thriller may be released by an independent film company such as Fox Searchlight Pictures or Vertigo Films. Both of these companies try to take small budget indie films and turn them into box office successes. Fox Searchlight has released successful box office hits such as Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, Notorious and Bend It Like Beckham. They specialize in Indie and British films which would attract them to my film, and they have also produced successful thrillers such as One Hour Photo, which is also a psychological thriller like my film.
In my target audience questionnaires one person suggested that my film be a BBC production, however this is not the direction I think the film would go in as when looking into it I discovered that the BBC do not really have a large history of producing thriller films. Therefore this would be the wrong road to go down unless my film would be turned into a series, which the BBC could accommodate to as they have made thriller series in the past such as Five Days, Silent Witness and Psychoville.
Merchandising -
A film company may also be interested in my film because of merchandising opportunities. With most successful films comes a degree of media synergy, such as bringing out games to go with the film, soundtracks, posters, toys, costumes, etc. A good example of this is the Spiderman films, which have been successful and bought out Spiderman action figures, costumes, a soundtrack CD, etc. Merchandise that could be brought out based on my thriller could be masks like the intruder's or a whole costume including plastic knife replica, posters, a soundtrack CD or a video game based on the film.
4. Who would be the target audience for your media product?
When planning my thriller I decided it would be best to target both male and female 16-25 year olds. I thought this was a good age range to target because teenagers and young adults would be more likely to go to the cinema to see the film. Although I am aware that most thrillers are targeted at young adult males, I chose to target both males and females because I wanted to make a film that everyone could enjoy and not just one set gender, as that would restrict the audience and alienate people into thinking it was just for one certain gender.
I was interested in making a film for this particular target audience because I thought this audience would be more interested in a psychological thriller. A vast majority of 16-25 year olds are students, making them more interested in watching a psychological thriller because it is intellectually stimulating and not the kind of film you can just sit back and relax to. I was inclined to go for this audience because they would be interested in a film where there is something to figure out and not everything is as it seems, just like a thriller, drama or horror film - elements of which are all included in my psychological thriller. As I quoted earlier in my blog post about target audience, my target audience would be into "mysteries with a twist, they will like to try and work things out for themselves but sometimes never quite get there. Possibly a person who never gives up trying and will always give it a shot on working out what is happening, and loves the element of surprise."
When approaching my target audience and asking them to fill out my audience questionnaires the feedback was positive and I feel that over all I was successfull in targeting them and making my film appear interesting and relatable to that particular age group.
Similar films and how they attracted their audience -
A similar film to my thriller is Seven. This film also follows a story where something needs to be figured out along the way, a puzzle. The plot for my thriller is "A serial killer is on the loose, killing young girls in their own homes. The police race against the clock to find out who he is and what the connection is between the girls. As the murders continue, the police finally discover the connection. The serial killer used to be a patient at a psychiatric hospital because after his daughter died he was driven insane by guilt. Whilst he was in the psychiatric hospital the psychiatrist failed to help him, now after being let out he is taking his revenge on the psychiatrists by killing their daughters." This is similar to Seven because in the film there are two detectives trying to figure out why all these murders are happening, and then they find the connection of the Seven Deadly Sins. Seven uses a similar puzzle solving plot to my thriller to entice the audience and keep them on the edge of their seats. The opening titles to the film also raise similar questions to my film that the audience would be asking themselves making them want to watch more, such as "Who was the person who was writing? What was he writing? Why? Is he planning something?" etc.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
I tried to attract my audience into watching my film by including actors of a similar age as my target audience, the two girls who play Rachel and Lex (Rhiannon White and Saman Aftab) are 18 and 16, so are relatable to both teenagers and young adults. They are both normal girls, and have elements to their personality that are relatable to everyone. I tried to give them both different personalities (Lex is confident and bossy, Rachel is vulnerable and passive) so anyone could relate to them. I also tried to include some twists and turns in my thriller opening to entice my audience into watching more. For example, the girls walk into the study but the intruder is not there anymore - he has escaped through the window, they walk out to call the police and he is standing in the dining room. My audience will also want to know why the intruder is staring at the picture and then drops it, what significance does it have? They will also be very intrigued to find out who the intruder is and why he is killing these girls. As my target audience are puzzle solvers and interested in mysteries they will be interested in watching more.
Audience Questionnaires -
I approached 10 people from my target audience and asked them if they would mind filling out a questionnaire about my film and showed them the opening sequence. The feedback was positive, all but one person said they would want to watch the film after seeing the opening sequence, however this was only because a thriller was not this persons type of film. They all noted wanting to find out more, for example they would like to know "..whether the girls survive and what the intruders issue is.", "..what the intruders problem was", "..does he kill someone? Did the woman in the photo mean something to the intruder?" etc. Most of my target audiences reactions after watching the opening sequence was 'scared' or on 'edge/tension/suspense'. As this is what I was going for with my film I feel this was successful. All the participants thought the setting and characters were appropriate for the genre and all but one thought that the film should get an age rating of 15, and that the target audience should be teenagers - young adults. This shows that I catered for my audience, making my film age appropriate for them.
Most participants did not suggest anything be changed about the opening sequence, however some raised the issue that the actors could have been more serious. I am aware that my actors were not the most convincing and not as serious as I would have liked them to be, but as I had my original actors let me down, making me have to recast many times the actors I used in the end were not well prepared and offered to film at very late notice. This made them unable to learn their lines or practice and therefore not come across as very into the acting. The participants from my target audience also noted what characteristics they would associate with a thriller, most noted scary background music, dark lighting/atmosphere, suspense, etc.
They all noted that all the conventions they associated with a thriller they saw in my film, showing that I successfully included many typical conventions.
The audience are put in the character shoes -
The audience are asked to be put in the position of the girls, this makes them go along the journey with them making them feel the same feelings. It plays on their emotions, making them feel vulnerable and nervous. The audience will be put on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen to the girls, feeling the fear, suspense and eeriness of the situation as if it were really happening to them.
Scenes that may not be appropriate for younger or older people -
I think it was wise to try and appeal to late teens/young adults as there are points in my film that would scare some people. The dark shadowy atmosphere and the intruder walking up to the house and watching the girls outside of the patio door was noted as being particularly scary for some of my audience members after filling out their questionnaires. This is what I wanted to achieve and I think setting my thriller at a certificate of 15 was the right choice.
In one of the scenes in my thriller opening the intruder walks through the patio door using a handheld point of view shot. I think this comes across well and looks more realistic than just a steady shot of him walking in from another angle, however people of an older age may not like this because it could make them feel uneasy or confused (this kind of shot was used throughout a well known thriller film, Cloverfield, and received many complaints about it making people feel sick/confused.) However, again I feel by trying t0 attract an audience of 16-25 year old I would hopefully avoid this problem, and as I have only used it for a very short amount of time in my film it shouldn't be an issue.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
When both filming and editing I have learnt to use completely new pieces of equipment. I had never filmed or edited before, and using the cameras, tripods and Macs was a new and exciting experience. I was able to learn how to film certain shots that I hadn't before, such as panning or tracking shots, high and low angle shots, close ups and long shots. I had some problems when filming with the cameras, seeing as I hadn't got as much space to film as I thought I had to figure out new ways of angling different shots. This was a challenge but I overcame it in the end and came out with some good shots, with help from the tripods that definitely improved my shots making them steadier and helped with the panning shots I used. The cameras we were given to use were good, but they could obviously not give the film that classic cinematic look. However I think this makes the film look more realistic in some ways and can actually be seen as an advantage, as this sort of look has been used in some successful box office films such as Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project. I was also glad to find that we did not need to use separate microphones for the audio in the film, as there was a microphone integrated in the camera. Whilst filming I was slightly worried that the audio might not come out as well as I hoped but that was not the case and it came out perfectly.
Problems with the technologies -
I experienced some problems whilst filming and editing when it came to using the technologies. We had a lack of cameras and tripods available to use to it was difficult to get a camera when I wanted to film, however I overcame this by booking my camera and tripod out in advance and asking if I could keep it over the weekend to film. There were also problems when it came to uploading my film onto the Macs, as the school only have a very small number of Macs that are shared between both year 12 and 13 it was near impossible to be able to go on one without getting to the room extremely early. I overcame this by talking to my teachers and decided to upload my film onto my own Macbook, this was an advantage because I was then able to edit at home and take the Macbook into school and edit during my lessons.
Editing -
When it came to editing I had never edited before and was slightly worried that I wouldn't know what to do. However after experimenting with my preliminary exercise I got used to the different editing techniques and found editing to be quite a fun experience. I was able to use 'fade to black' transitions to draw out some scenes in my thriller opening, 'cross dissolve' transitions in the scene where the intruder is walking up the drive way (this gave the scene a more eerie effect and blending the shots together better than just a cut), I learned how to attach sound effects such as the glass breaking when the intruder drops the picture and the doorbells. I also learnt how to attach music to my film and place different titles in between the scenes. When I got to my last shot of the intruder (the close up of his eyes) I didn't think it looked menacing enough, so I decided to use a 'vignette' effect on that shot to make his eyes stand out more and make the over all shot look darker.
Music -
I also learnt about the importance of using copyright free music. At first trying to find good copyright free music was difficult, and I either had to pay for it or what was free and uncopyrighted wasn't long enough. I eventually found a good website whilst planning called freeplaymusic.com which had good copyright free music for thriller that I didn't have to pay for. I ended up using a track called Rusted Hull, which was too short in for my film but I ended up editing it with "clip trimmer" in iMovie and cutting different parts of track together to make it longer. I also learned how to add some sound effects to my film in iMovie. I added digetic sound such as the sound effect of a doorbell for when Lex came to the door and when the take away was delivered. I then added a sound effect of glass breaking for when the intruder drops the picture.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When I made my preliminary task I wasn't very familiar with different shot types and clever angles and was only asked to do a match on action shot, shot reverse shot and demonstrate the 180 degree rule. However after doing this it made me more eager to experiment with different angles and shot types and the editing stage of making my preliminary made me really want to try new things with the editing equipment. I carefully started planning my main task, researching into the conventions of thrillers and analysing different thriller film openings. I noticed what sort of shot types are generally used to create a sense of eeriness or confusion (high and low angle, handheld point of view, etc) and began setting out my storyboard. When doing my preliminary storyboard it was very simplistic and hadn't got much detail or shot variation, so when planning my main task storyboard I aimed to include as much detail and shot variation as possible. I also had no idea what order to film my scenes in when I was filming my preliminary, so to help myself with my main task I created a detailed shooting schedule which helped me get organised and made the process smoother.
Paying attention to detail -
When filming my main task I also payed more attention to everything that was placed in every scene, making sure I didn't leave anything in shot that wasn't meant to be there. In my preliminary, you can see people sitting in the background of some shots and the mise en scene doesn't fit with the plot. However in my main film I carefully constructed my storyboard to include everything I would need and made sure that the lighting was just right, the actors were wearing the right colours and that there was nothing that could be seen as unrelated to the film in shot.
Becoming more confident with new technologies -
Filming my main task has definitely made me feel more confident with filming and editing and has made me want to continue to film more in the future. I am now comfortable with setting up shots on the tripod and editing different scenes and sounds together.
From A to B -
I feel like the progression I have made from my preliminary task to my final product has made my film successful in fulfilling the task. I researched different conventions and made sure I included them, I tried to depict the style of thrillers that I have researched and analysed and I believe I showed my knowledge of different shot types and mise en scene.
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