Final Thriller

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

The purpose of the preliminary task was to get to know the equipment that we would be using in the actual filming of my opening scene this would be the camera, tripod and the editing software (Final Cut Pro X)

Aside from learning how to basically use the equipment given in the preliminary task we learnt what we needed to consider when we are actually filming such as an appropriate setting this can be seen when we tried to film some angles, particularly the angles in the shot reverse shot, they were difficult to film as our characters were placed quite close to the wall so it was hard to actually get the camera to show the whole of both of the characters in the shot reverse. I overcame this by only getting the sections of the characters that we needed in the film so just the head and not a large proportion of the body. In the case that we couldn't fit one character in we decided to film without that characters so it looked like to the audience a Point of View shot. Reflecting back to overcome this we could have moved the characters along to a place where we had a lot of room behind each of them.

This task benefited my group and I for a mixture of many reasons......... 

From this I clearly understood what I needed to achieve before I even considered starting film, like finding particular places for all of the shots I need to be achieved before we started filming so they looked as professional as possible, with lots of space behind so the angles are  not hard to film, also we need to take into consideration zooming in on subjects for impact on the audience as out shots are quite wide and expose a mass amount of the background in the setting, this can be seen in all of the screenshots in the blog. Other skills that I took were how to successfully operate the camera and tripod maintain a steady shot at all given times, in addition I also took a basic understand that I have already mentioned of using the editing software as we were able to successfully import, place in order, crop and export the preliminary task footage. All together this provided a platform at which we could go and film then edit the footage once I had collectively decided on a narrative of my opening scene from the result I would gather from the research and questionnaires. 

       

  

Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constucting the product?

Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 4 - Who would be your audience for your media product?

Question 3 -What kind of media institution might distribute your media and why?

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Question 2 – How does your media product represent particular social groups?

There are only two characters in my opening scene these being a small blonde female girl and a teenager.

My group and I decided to include the small blonde female as she was a conventional character to the thriller genre but also because she is a strongly relatable character for my target audience as they will have mostly a younger brother or sister that can be related to through the use of this character. The target audience will feel the duty of care for that character so  will create a stronger bond, this because at first this character is portrayed as weak and vulnerable due to the particular camera angles used also this will be further portrayed by the costume of this character.

This is why I have included the other character of the teenager. The teenager has a representation of the typical person that would be seen in a thriller film which is around the age of my target audience. They will see this character as a threat to the child at first because he is male, older and more educated than the girl. This is why the audience will have a weaker bond with this character as they will see him as a threat to that girl.

I also included them as they audience can relate to them both in a fashion and can because the audience can easy be manipulated into thinking that the character is a victim then a killer as both roles are easy to achieve through a carefully plot narrative and good use of camera angles which I think we have achieved.

I think gender is presented in a stereotypical way through the opening scene through the characters and the conventions of a thriller genre it is hard to not do this. Blonde Females are always portrayed as victims and weak, while the male teenager is portrayed as dominant as and awfully more powerful than the girl. But by reversing the roles it makes the scene also un-stereotypical as the for when the roles are reversed then the dominants of the female changes dramatically as she been portrayed as weak then see becomes extremely powerful when it is apparent to the audience that the male actually the weakest of the two.

The clothing worn by both of the character is one that is stereotypical of both of the characters gender and both age. The young blonde female killer is wearing clothes that resemble a female, a nightie worn by also that particular age group upwards, while the victim a teenager is wearing causal clothes jeans, trainers and a coat which is the expected attire of all teenage males. The only thing that I would consider as not conventional is the clothes worn by the female in this particular setting as it is considered as indoor night wear not outdoor clothing. I specifically used this because it is meant to resemble the idea of mental illness issues as the clothing is slightly different to the norm expected in the setting. 

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and coventions of a real media product?

Question 1 – In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a real media product?

There are many generic conventions of the thriller genre that I identified seen from my research into the different areas of the thriller genre so therefore we have an understanding of the typical codes and conventions through a thriller or opening scenes. The following conventions are some that I have seen in consistent use throughout the films that I have researched specific to the tasks that I set. 

Blonde Female Victim, This convention is used widely across the genre because a blonde female is stereo-typically weak, so it will engage the audience when they are first introduced to this character as they will automatically start to think that this character will be the first to be killed rather than any other character. This can be seen in such films as Scream, which is one of the films I researched specifically for its conventions. But it can also be used to manipulate the audience this can be seen in The last house on the end of the street, where at the beginning a small blonde child is walking through the corridor being portrayed as weak not only because she is blonde but because of the consistent use of the high angle, but this turns out to be a false portrayal of the character as in fact she is the killer.   

Hidden Identity, is also a common convention of the thriller genre, the killer behind the masks gives the film a sense of mystery. The audience not being able to see the killer engages them more as they are consistently trying to figure out what the killer looks like as personally and facial features are removed making the main element of surprise more intense when the character is first unveiled to the audience. Such films that represent this are again Scream and The Strangers.  

Jump Cut, Is one of the common editing techniques that is used across the thriller genre, it is used to represent when the film suddenly focuses on something else. This editing gives the audience a sudden sense of shock breaking in to the main element of surprise. This is typical for most thriller films but some researched examples are The Uninvited. We decided to use this as it is conventional and could be fitted many times into the scene therefore meaning the audience was constantly feeling the intended state of shock, which they expect to feel when they are watching a film under the thriller genre. Also it would challenge the conventions of a media product recreating this experience.  

Timing of Shots is another conventional editing style as it is used to create tension/emotional impact throughout the audience, but the slow or fast pace of the time between different camera angles or shots it either to create a weak or a strong bond between audience and characters. Again it is typical for most thriller films another example would be The Uninvited. It has a massive effect on the audience particularly in the emotion impact they feel which yet again is expected when the audience watches a film under the genre. They feel such elements as suspense and surprise due to the different lengths of shots, this is why it was taken to so much consideration. 

Credits, there is also a conventional style of font for the thriller genre, credits are on a dark part of the footage or a black screen with the soundtrack playing at the same time, The font will be either a bold or printed like font (Se7en) or a hand written style (Hannibal). And they will either be black or white in colour depending on the background. In some cases they will be jumpy or distorted to engage the audience further. The audience expects a convention style of credits and this is what we gave to the audience my film had a similar font to thriller that I have seen and researched. 

Camera Angles, there are many conventional camera angles used by all films under the thriller genre, close up, high angle, low angle, panning, two shot, point of view etc. These were taken into massive consideration as they would play a vital role in how the audience would react to the opening scene. This is why there are a massive amount of varied angles in the scene so the audience continue to be engaged but at the same time are having an emotional impact that we expect them to feel at specific sections of the scene. 

Sounds, again also there are many sounds used by the thriller genre designed to make the audience feel uneasy or nervous about a particular situation they have been placed in or to engage them as a whole. These include the soundtrack, eerie sounds, high pitched sounds or even silence. Again alike Camera angles there are an array of sounds through the scene to keep the audience engaged as well as create an emotional impact by making them feel unstable through the sound they hear in relation to what they are viewing.  

Through my research and the information that I gathered in that process and with use of our storyboards my group and I were able to follow the generic conventions of the thriller genre.  We all understood the generic conventions of the thriller genre and we knew we had to portray this in the opening scene through camera angles, editing styles, sounds, characters etc.  

One of the things that is apparent to the audience in my thriller genre are the credits in the opening credits they are white on a black background and are of a bold text conventional to the thriller genre. The credits take place in the same order as the one of Se7en making the films credits alike as they follow the same order that roles are introduced in a thriller film. In addition the font of the credits is also a conventional style of the thriller genre that the audience would be able to define the genre easily. 

The characters are conventional to the thriller genre in the way that they are based on our inspirations as mentioned previously The last house on the end of the street. This is where the girl in the film is portrayed to the audience as a victim where in fact she is actually the killer. We took this idea because it is not used widely across the thriller genre but is still conventional, it is commonly increasing to see child killers in thriller films as they tend to be more intense on the audience rather than adults.

I also used both of the conventional editing styles in our opening scene. The jump cut was used mainly twice for two different reasons, to introduce the second character the teenager into the scene and also to show the audience a particular part of the setting which was a light (used to illustrate the convention of low key lighting within the setting).  In addition I also carefully used timing of shots to get my audience to react in a particular way we wanted to build up tension at the start of the scene making the audience bond stronger with the character, then when it was discovered that the girl is the killer we wanted to weaken the bond by increasing the time between different camera angles used.

I also followed the generic convention of using all of the specific camera angles and sounds of a thriller film including them all within the scene. I used a variety of camera angles which include:

Ø  Panning

Ø  Long Shot

Ø  POV

Ø  High Angle

Ø  Mid Shot

Ø  Low Angle

Ø  Two Shot

Ø  Close Up

I also had a clear soundtrack that was used to engage the audience further into the scene, and eerie sound to make the audience feel uneasy and also a high pitched sound when the killer returns for a second time letting the audience known that something is going to happen.

My opening scene defines the thriller genre because I have challenged the main conventions of the thriller genre by taking inspirations from other researched films and have collaborated ones into the narrative that stand out so that it is clear to the audience the genre of our work, because they can relate to the conventions or micro elements with other thriller films that they have seen and possibility even their own life’s through the main character because of younger brothers and sisters or even possible the setting or other sections of our opening scene.

I believe that my thriller opening scene is successful as it can be compared with another thriller opening scene to show the comparison between the conventions of each of them and how I have developed a successful thriller film. Firstly they both in away have very similar narratives so our conventions are very similar. We both have a blonde female firstly seen by the audience as a victim then switched so she becomes the killer. We also both have a conventional setting to the thriller genre, our film using an industrial estate for which many of our target audience will have parents that work in them or will have passed one so will be able to easily relate to the setting. Meanwhile the other film follows more conventional setting of a household which is more commonly used through the thriller genre in films such as Scream and the Strangers.  In addition our setting both contain Low Key Lighting which casts shadows and engages the audience further into the scene as they have to concentrate more.  Again we have both used conventional camera angles and sounds to have further emotional impact on the audience.     

Camera Angles

Sounds

Mid Shot , We both use this camera angle in our scene on all of the characters as a shot to introduce the character into the scene. Close Up, is used to show the victim and the killers emotions to a certain element of the scene, and to reflect the audiences emotions at this time as well. Point of View, Point of View is used on both of the killers in the opening scene to show their movements and there thought, but also so that the audience empathises with the characters. High Angle, is used to show the weakness of all of the characters in the scene as at some point the audience is left wondering who is the antagonist and the protagonist with the scene.  Low angle , is used to show the audience the dominance of one of the characters in the scene particular the killer in our scene or the mother in the other over the small blonde child.

Soundtrack, peaks at certain points  to create emotional impact on the audience but  also to engage them within the scene that they are watched. High Pitched, sound is used to show the audience the reoccurrence of the killer in the scene to make the audience feel uneasy when the situation is suddenly seen by them.

Lastly we both have similar Iconography in the way we both use weapons that will cause fatal injures when they come into contact the person but will not kill them directly like a gun which is unconventional to the thriller genre. We use a knife alike Scream, but instead a hammer is used which is also a conventional weapon as it can cause serious harm to the victim when used. It conventional in the way that this category weapon is widely used across the genre.

Evalution Post Introduction

There were three members in my group, Me, Hannah Mahoney and Luke Durance and . We all took various roles during the filming production.  Each of the main roles that was taken by various members of the group. The main roles were shared out as evenly as possible by the group considering what we all felt that we were all confident with.  The main roles with the group were Producers, Director, Actors, Director of Photography, Music Producers, Screenplay Writer and Editors as these were the roles that placed major roles in the final outcome of the film and without anyone assign to these roles we wouldn’t be able to produce a final production.  

The Producer role was taken by me and Luke as we felt that we could handle managing the financial aspects of the film. We done this by laying out all of the things that we needed for the production and deciding what we needed to purchase. As a group we felt it was best if we split the cost evenly as it would wholly in the end benefit us all. An example would be when we went to purchase a fake knife, as we felt it would be safer and real one would have been illegal and potential dangerous , we brought a fake one off an online website, and spread the cost between the three of us.

I felt confident with the role of the Director as I felt I could take the complex, important role that took charge and control of the group co-ordinating them with the tasks they had to complete, but also I would be helpful in the role of actually helping them if they could not complete any of the instructions that I had previously given them. This was mainly as I knew the screenplay very well as I was the Screenplay Writer. So I could guide them with where to position themselves but also what they had to complete in each of the shots/angles that we took.

I learnt many things from these roles particularly the Director role as I saw that it is very important to be able to clearly communicate with the group, but also manage what shots and the positioning of the characters and what they would do in each one could only be completed by having a clear communication. I also learnt that it is helpful to listen to my peers when directing them to listen for feedback given. This was because we could co-operate as a team more as we would link ideas together to make a more effective opening scene, during the filming process. This was clearly seen when we collaborated together and decided the dialogue part of the scene should be erased and replaced with a scream as it was too long and was unconventional to the thriller genre. By doing this we was on track for the task we had been set as we followed the guidelines given.

This is why I think we work well as a group. We were all listening to each other’s contributions , but also adding on how we could improve them. This did not just happen during the filming process but right through the ideas of the narrative, characters, setting and this is why I believe we have well thought out and considered opening narrative specific to the thriller genre.

By doing this we have been successful in creating a thriller opening scene as we have stuck to the conventions that are typical of this genre from all areas from Lighting to Setting to Camera Angles.

Lighting – We have used Low Key Lighting throughout the whole of the opening scene this is as it casts dark shadows and additional adds the element of mystery to the scene. By doing this it keeps the audience on edge and makes them more engaged in the scene so they will become open to the element of surprise.   

Setting – We have used a conventional setting that would be easy for our target audience to be able to relate to as they have probably have walked through or seen an industrial estate or some form of like setting. We considered this mainly for its Low Key Lighting but also because it is quite dangerous at any time of the day with heavy lorries carrying loads, machinery which is prone to accidents happening and even life being taken.  

Camera Angles – We decided to use a mixture of angles/shots from Long Shots to Panning and so on, we only used angles that were conventional to the genre as they created emotional impact on the audience for the characters in relation.  

Characters – We used conventional characters that would stand out or be relatable from other areas of the thriller genre as we directly based one of our characters on the girl from The last house on the end of the street, The audience would be familiar with this character regarding that they had seen the film and would try to link the two as they both switch roles from appeared victim to killers in the film and our opening scene.

Sounds – We used only sounds that were specific to the thriller genre, such as the eerie/intense sounds that would have a prolonged affect on the audience making them feel uneasy and nervous for the characters in the scene.

Editing- We also only used editing styles that were specific to the genre such as the reaction shot or jump cut as these are used to have an effect on the audience regarding the characters in the scene.  This can be shown by the reaction shot as this is used to show the characters reaction due to a occurrence in the scene, the reaction of the audience should match the one of the characters.

Iconography- We didn’t use much iconography in our opening scene but the two we did use were very applicable for the audience as they will have connection from real life but also other thriller films this is why they are conventional. The knife is commonly used as a killing weapon by many films as it is a slow, painful means of death, they are in everyone home and widely available this is why it feels so realistic for the target audience in mind, again the teddy bear is a common relation to anybodies childhood but is used in thriller films to make the audience feel an eerie feeling such as the film Still of the Night, when one of the characters is holding a bleeding teddy bear.

Thriller Comparision

Do you think you have created a successful thriller sequence and why?

In my opinion I think that we have created a successful thriller sequence as we have challegened the conventions of successful thriller films by portraying the most common one in our opening scene. In addition we had a twist on one convention which is only used rarely in this genre of a female girl killer. By doing this we would appeal to a wider audience as we would have a new fresh idea that would also attract new audiences, as the scene slightly differs from common thrillers that are on ofter recently.

By doing this it will make the film more popular therefore more successful. Than a film that just follows the typical conventions as audiences will not want to view these as they will see them as being just another typical thriller, that will follow a plot similar to one that they have seen before.

Which micro element, best shows your creativity and understanding of thriller conventions the most?

The best mirco element that best shows our creativity and understanding of thriller conventions is having a blonde female killer. This is for a mixture of many reasons. It shows our creativty as a group as this is rarely seen across the genre, this mirco element was really thought through before we considered using it in our opening scene. We didnt want to just follow a typical storyline as we though it would be boring and not excite the audience, which is the main purpose of thriller and why audiences tend to watch them in the seek for aderaline. This uncommonly used convention would still be in the main principles of a thriller scene so the audience would be able see that the character is the killer due to the camera angles used. We wanted this element not to be apparent to the audience at first otherwise it would have had such as greater impact on the audience when the killing takes place, so this is why we decided to portray her as the victim at first through camera angles such as the high angle suggesting to the audience how vunerable/weak the character actually is.

This element shows our understanding of the thriller genre as we have risked our work by not folloing a conventional storyline of the killer being apparent, because we wanted to offer audiences a fresh new view of the thriller genre. Films that follow the conventional plot are such thrillers as Scream and The Purge. While thrillers that are alike ours are Orphan and The House at the End of the Street as they use a small female killer as the main character. (Although the Orphan is a middle age women for the majority of the film she is portrayed to the audience as a younger female.)

Compare your opening sequence to a successful thriller and explain how your thriller is conventional.

Our thriller opening scene can be compare to similar films such as Orphan.

Narrative and Representation of Characters,
Both films follow a similar plot as they both include young females that have been abandoned previously on there path for a new life. Both characters are scared by there past and there mental status changed and as a result murder innocent victims that have no connection with there past.  

Sound, Both of our films use a series of diagetic and non-diagetic sounds to attract into the scene and make them feel submerged/engaged within the content they are viewing. Our film doesn't contain any dialogue and we felt the audience were able to interpret what was happening without a conversation between the different characters. Although our films are not alike when Orphan uses both types of sound to engage its audience further into the scene, whereas we only use the soundtrack and high pitched noises to grab the audiences attention.

Editing, We both use very similar types of editing by the fact we both use Timing of Shots, Shot Reverse Shot, Reaction Shot, Straight Cuts and Jump Cuts.

Mise-en-Scene

Setting and Iconography, we do not use any similar setting but we do use similar killing weapons as we both use knife as the method of killing choice.

Costume Hair and Make Up, Both main killing characters wear similar costumes and make up some point throughout the scene.

Lighting and Colour, Orphan uses a combination of both Low Key Lighting and High Key Lighting due to the amount of scenes that take place in day and night throughout the scene. Whereas we only use Low Key Lighting do to our narrative being set during the night.

Audience Feedback

Explain why audience feedback is important to a production?

Audience feedback is important to a production as it enables the product to be improved before release to the public. It enables feedback to be give that is not bias and truly critics what are the faults that need to be improved. By doing this as a result the final product will be improved and better that the previous version to minimise criticisms by the audience and the media.

How did you receive audience feedback from your target audience?

We received feedback through a presentation of our film. We first displayed the origins of our opening scene through a PowerPoint presentation and then went on to show the audience the scene. During and after the viewing the audience were asked a series of questions about the strengths and weaknesses that they saw. We would focus on the negatives and try to improve our production based on these results.

How would this feedback benefit your production and the industry?

This feedback would provide a constructive path for us to follow when making improvements to the opening scene. We would know immediately the weaknesses that need to made stronger so they would not be picked up in the future viewing of the scene. This would benefit the industry by making the final scene look as professional as possible making it seem like a genuine  competitive product that could challenge other conventional thriller films. By doing this it will make the film bring in more profit as it will not have many negative parts as they have been corrected due to being pointed out by the feedback gained. The increased profit will benefit the industry by being able to put more money into the production of other films in the market.

Constructive Comments made by Groups

Clearer Narrative, A small percentage of the audience were not able to clearly understand the narrative of the whole of the scene. This would mean a whole rethink of the narrative and another shoot. We determined that this was down to the fact that the audience could not see the vital shots that pieced the scene together.

Brighten Shots Up, We used a series of filters on our shots to make them seem darker with colours for effect. The audience through they were too dark and could not see what was clearly going on.

Sounds Louder,  the audience stated that on some of the parts of the scene sounds that were meant to shock the audience weren't that surprising and did not have that effect on them.

Larger Credit Size, The audience though the credits for our production were too small and should be enlarged.

How we overcame this comments

Clearer Narrative, we decided it wasn't necessary for a whole rewrite and shoot of an opening scene as we though it would make more sense when the audience were able to clearly see the shots that they couldn't see before.

Brighten Shots Up, we brighten up shots by changing the filters settings of contrast and transparency to make them brighter and more clearer for the audience.

Sound Louder, we as a group though that the sound was not necessary to be changed as it was mainly negative feedback due to the quality of the speakers the opening scene were being played on. When editing on the Apple Mac's the sound was loud, clear and had a very good bass that would attract and shock he audience unlike the speakers used.

Larger Credit Size,  we didn't think there was a problem with the credits but because a majority of the audience suggested that they were small we increased there size a fraction.