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.