Thriller Evaluation

Evaluation of our thriller

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

We thought very carefully about the many conventions of thrillers and we took these into consideration and decided that to get a good idea of what a thriller should really be like, we should try, for the main part, to adhere to the conventional style of thrillers.

For costumes this was especially present because we decided to adopt the conventions of colours indicating characters. So we had our ‘victim’ all in white, and our killer in mostly black.  This is important because it indicates, without dialogue, to our viewers just what role the characters are to play. We needed this because we had decided that dialogue wouldn’t suit our production at all and would distract from the intensity of the chase. 

The location was also very important to our production because we wanted to convey a sense of isolation (which incidentally is what our film is called) and we felt that a forest would be ideal for this, and the location was probably one of the first things decided on in our group discussions. We decided that a conventional chase in a conventional location would work well. Usually chases are conducted in forests and spooky atmospheres so we all discussed possible locations that we knew, and could use for our production. The location was vital to many aspects, particularly the shots and storyboard; we had to decide on the shots with close reference to the location.

The soundtrack was actually rather difficult to implement because we wanted it to be just right, the tone of it, the intensity, the beat. We decided that to make one would be take far too long so we decided that we would search for a pre-made, un-copyrighted soundtrack. This took us a fair amount of time because we found several which were alright, but eventually found one that fitted perfectly. 

The lighting was also used to develop conventions of thrillers because we, as a group, have watched many different thrillers and we noticed that generally thrillers were set in dark lighting scenarios so we decided to adopt this aspect, particularly as dark scenes are especially prevalent in scenes such as chases, like in our opening. 

The plot was the very first decision that we made, and all our other aspects of production were based on the plot. We decided on a plot in a group discussion and we basically brainstormed for a couple of hours and eventually decided on some sort of chase, because we felt this developed and used the usual thriller convention of having a tense chase, usually with much suspense. We were tempted to dip into the sub-genre of horror but we decided that the special effects needed for such a project were beyond our resources if they were to work effectively.

Our title was the last thing to be decided on because we had extreme difficulty in deciding on the title as we all had conflicting ideas on what our production meant to us, and thus we wanted the title to reflect what our production was really about. We looked at concepts of thrillers such as running water and bars and tried to explore these and we collated some ideas but eventually decided that we would, in our feedback session, ask what the film should be called, and pluck some ideas from this. We got the name 'Isolation' from this session and we all decided that this reflected our production better than any other names we had thought of so we decided on that one.

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We only have two characters in our production and they both conform to thriller conventions pretty solidly. Our first character, the victim, is a typical thriller victim. Having watched several thrillers we decided that it would be easier for our audience to stereotype and identify the victim. The first part of this was the fact that the victim was female. It is classic in thrillers for the victim to appear as an innocent female and we played on this concept. Another concept with the victim that we used is that she is wearing white. This is very important to he audience, because they usually associate people in white as being innocent and good. Race wasn't really taken into consideration that much because we didn't want to cause things such as subliminal racism. Social class isn't really shown too much in the victim, as there is little indication given of this. These conventions help the audience to quickly profile the victim as just that. 

We also decided that it would be a good idea to follow up this victim stereotyping with the chasing 'killer'. Our killer was all suited up in black, except for his mask, and we decided that the mask should be whit so it contrasted with his costume. The killer is wearing all black to show the audience immediately that he's a bad guy, although from the first shot of him holding a bloody knife this is quite clear. Gender isn't particularly clear from the shots of the killer, but the general manner hopefully leads the audience to believe it's a male character. Race and social class are also hidden, and it is left to the audience to stereotype the killer and to decide what the killer is like. These usual conventions in thrillers that the audience have previously viewed make their minds up for them with gentle help from our representations.

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

We actually distributed our production on YouTube, and we decided to do this because of the huge potential audience that we could attract from placing it on there. YouTube has the largest potential audience possible and as such it would be widely distributed. Another key feature of YouTube is that it is absolutely free to upload our production to it and as such will not require any kind of budgeting. 

We also decided to upload our production to facebook because we thought that on facebook, our target audience was very similar to the people that would be viewing it so we thought that it would be a good idea to distribute it on there and once again the audience would be relatively large. And another thing was that it would be free once again to upload it to facebook, reducing our costs of distributing our production. However, this will not generate any profit and so distributing it via the medium of mp3 players because if we could get it onto iTunes or a similar website then we could generate plenty of revenue, again it would have a large target audience. Getting the film into cinema as a feature film would be difficult due to the expenses of such distribution and also are film doesn't particularly challenge conventions of thrillers so it isn't particularly unique but we feel that it is effective in what it does so releasing it on DVD would be a better alternative, also we would generate higher revenue from releasing it on DVD format. 

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

We aimed to target people of a similar age and demographics because we felt that we would be able to target them more effectively because we have expert knowledge in that certain area. Our audience research showed that 90% would be 15-17, showing that we needed to aim for that age group to attract the largest audience. We researched their favourite genre of films and found thriller to attract only 15% but also that 20% enjoyed action and 20% enjoyed horror films so if we could create a thriller with sub-genres of horror and action involved we could attract a much larger audience. The audience that we aimed for would enjoy thrillers such as I Am Legend because this involves all three of our genres (thriller, action and horror). Unfortunately 80% of our audience researched preferred to watch films in cinema as opposed to 20% preferred DVD's. However, people generally watch more DVD's as opposed to cinema trips due to convenience and price. 

So we decided to aim for an audience of around our age, with interests in thrillers, action films and horror films because this fitted our criteria and catered for a large proportion of the audience. 

5) How did you attract/ address your audience?

We encouraged audiences to make the assumptions about our film, but we carefully directed them so that they would be shown the particular assumptions that would be correct. We made our opening with the intention that the audience would be enthralled and willing to watch the rest of the film. We gave them subtle clues, such as the flashes of the guy in the bedroom, so that they would be left wondering what was going on, but giving them indications that would tease them and make them wish to watch the rest of the film, because if we failed to capture the audience with the opening scene, we may lose them as audience, because first impressions are the ones that last, as well as the last ones.  

Feedback session - 25th of November .

At 9.45 our media group held a feedback session in the college and we handed out questionnaires for them to fill in, i'll be posting the questionnaire after this post hopefully, and we managed to get 18 recipients. The feedback should be quite useful and Nelson is already fine-tuning our production in response to feedback, in terms of lighting.

Our first question was "What do you think would be an appropriate name for this movie?"

Responses:

Nightmare
The dream
Dream
Nightmare
The mask
Haunted
Scare
Torment
Slash

The other responses were either non-existent or spurious. These ones may well be helpful in us deciding on our name for our production.

Our second question was "Did you think the lighting was too dark?"

Responses:

No - apart from where Catrin looks up at the tree
Yes - in some parts
No
No
No
No
No
No
Nah
No
No
No
No
Nope
Nope
No
Yes - at some points
No
No - looks good

Tally:

2 Yes
16 No / Nope / Nah

From this feedback we can conclude that although our lighting was done reasonably well , certain areas needed lighting changes and Nelson is now adjusting these.

Third question was "Did you think the music was appropriate?"

Responses:

Yes
Yes, it's ace :)
Yes
Yes
Yes it was good
Yes
Yes
Yes was a good choice of music
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yeah
Yup
Yes
No-too lord-of-ring-ey
Yes
Yes, quite

Tally:

1 - No
17 - Yes

From this this feedback, i can concur that the majority of people enjoyed the music selection however one believed it was too similar to The Lord of The Ring theme tune however we've decided this was an anomaly and have kept the music the same.
Fourth question: "Did it make you want to watch the rest of the film?"

Responses:

Yes
Yes :)
Yes
Yes - kind of
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yeah
Yeah
Yes
Yes
Yes - kinda
Yes
Yeah
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes - indeedy

Tally:

ALL YES

We were extremely pleased with the feedback from these questions and were very glad that nobody put no.

Fifth question "Did you like the flashing scenes of the bedroom?"

No - distracted from the chase
No
Yes
No
Yes - i did
No - more flashing needed
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yeah - kinda
Yes - made sense
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes - mainly
Yes - perhaps they could last a bit longer

Tally:

4 - No
14 - Yes

The responses were mainly positive, however a few negatives. We do feel however feel that the flashing is a key part of our production and as such we will be keeping them consistent.

Any other comments section responses:

Nice film blud
The bit where Catrin standing by the tree wasn't very clear at first
Very good
Wow really good, favourite - well done!
Amazing, beast

Overall, Very pleased with the feedback and we are tweaking it in response to the feedback obtained, but the responses were very positive :)

Thriller opening notes

This is basically me typing my notes up from class from a while ago. They are on three different thriller openings. So, here goes...

The book of eli:

Setting of the scene with eerie whistling sound effects and then a bang accompanied by a white light.Then shadows and fog in a murky forest. The camera pans over an empty gun (hope perhaps gone, even blullets couldn't help). Then we see a dead body, bringing a macabre effect to the scene. There is plenty of trees and the camera pans across these, giving the imprssion of perhaps bars and entrapment. There is a hiddden face with a gas mask and eerie breathing and they have a strange weapon trianed on an abnormal creature, mystery is extremely prevailant and the creature too is abnormal adding to this mystery. It ends with a death.

Brick:

Running water , dark tunnel and a close up of the man's face. Strange noises, teasing, tantalising with underlying tension. An alarm bell is going off as well. We're introduced to death imnstantly and the girl too has a hidden face and the guy looks very traumatised and upset, he's focusing on her features. The bracelet is focused on too, could be significant. It cuts to him by the lockers, looking very isolated. Then another scene where he is isolated by the telephone box which is ringing, and it shouldn't ? And thus follows an awkward phone conversation where she sounds upset and he doesn't sound too pleased to hear from her and she is evasive and rambling and it's clear they have a past together. Then the phone goes dead as a car roars up and a cigarrette is chucked out. The driver remains anonymous so we only know 2 characters still.

Gothika:

Starts off blurry but then focuses and there is violiny, dark music. There's drwan out sound with an eeri voice mentioning the devil. There's a good recollection from her. She is clearly crazy and has suffered a brekdown and is crying during the interview. She's also angry and traumatised. They're in a cage, isolated and barred away from the world. The conversation is intense and deep. The detective is very professional and is trying to extract information however the crazy woman is unwelcoming. Us looking at the scene also feels like intruding some big secret.

Competition

I started looking at what sort of competition was being produced, or had been produced, by other AS Media students doing a similar task to ours. I found this opening called "The Hunted" which related to our own production in that it was a chase, in a similar location. We also hoped to gain tips from watching similar videos and i found this to be particularly useful research.

Amendments to the shoot details

Our shoot that was scheduled was relatively unsuccessful and as such has been re-scheduled for Sunday the 7th of November at a time of approximately 2 , and all other details will remain consistent.

Similar themes to our opening

I did some more research and found this amateur film which i imagined to be similar to ours, as many of our ideas were present in this video. This was a fairly good video of a chase scene, and has shown me that our ideas will work.

Similar themes to our opening

I was researching various similar thriller chases in films already made, and i think that this one from the film "Dog Soldiers" really shows a location that we hop to achieve. It is confined, and feels very close and claustrophobic.

Shoot details

We have decided on the details of our shooting of our thriller opening (hopefully completed on the day), and it goes as follows:


Location:


A remote field near Wood Dalling (directions issued) 


Date:


Thursday 28th of October 2010


Time:


Depends on the start of dusk , but should be roughly 5 or 6 


Cast crew:


- Catrin Hamer plays the victim.


- Daniel Jones plays the killer.


- Jamie Fisher (shooting).


- Nelson Burton (shooting).


Accesories:


- Fake blood (NB)


- Torch (DJ)


- Swords (JF)


- Assault Rifle (NB)


- Knives (NB)


Equipment list for the shoot:


- Sony HandyCam HDR-HC9, 6.1 MP, Super Steady Shot.

- Sony Charger Pack and additional battery.

- Manfrotto 190XB Tripod.

Synopsis for our thriller opening

The thriller opens with our victim (Chloe) being hunted down and killed by our killer (Dylan). Dylan however doesn't realize that he is a brutal killer by night and in the day he goes about his daily business as a college student without noticing the clues that go on around him revealing his nasty split personality.

After the killing, Dylan gets up and goes to college but starts seeing ghosts and he can't quite recall what it is he does at night, but he knows it's something, and he begins investigating his grim past as all the time the body count rises, and eventually the police come knocking and thus ensues a desperate race for Dylan to escape, not fully knowing what he's done , and then he has many decisions to make....

AS Media terminology stuff

Okay, first post, here we go ....

Shot composition:


Framing: Professional shot composition requires perfect framing of each shot. This requires the inclusion of elements that give perspective to the main focus of the photograph. By being aware of the various components when composing a shot, the photographer can produce high-quality shots that include all the important elements while excluding extraneous material. Photography is the art of including some things while omitting others; this is the main object of framing. By choosing the elements to include, photographers engage in editing before the shot; by cropping the photograph after processing, the editing process continues afterward as well. Not only can you frame with your lense, you can also use objects in nature to frame.

Rule of thirds: Professional photographers know that each shot is composed of three different spatial elements. The foreground, middle-ground and background are all present in most landscape shots; by noting and incorporating this into shot composition, photographers can create visual appeal by naturally drawing the eye to the middle ground and focusing attention exactly where the photographer intends.

Depth of field: You can manipulate depth of field to help isolate your subject. Softening the focus of elements in the photo allows you to keep background or foreground details in the shot while avoiding a busy look. This can apply to a deep focus where the foreground is blurred and the background clear, and vice versa.

Focus pulls: A camera technique employed by a 'focus puller' in which the focus of a shot is changed from one subject to another, such as from background to foreground.

Editing:

Continuity & Non continuity systems: Continuity editing refers to arranging the sequence of shots to suggest a progression of events. Non continuity is usually down to poor editing but can also be intended to keep the audience alert.


Shot reverse shot: is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Eyeline match: is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. The eyeline match begins with a character looking at something off-screen, there will then be a cut to the object or person at which he is looking. For example, a man is looking off-screen to his left, and then the film cuts to a television that he is watching.

Graphic match: It is a cut in film editing from one scene to another in which the two camera shots' compositional elements match, helping to establish a strong continuity of action - and linking two ideas with a metaphor.

Match on action: occurs when an action that begins in one shot is continued or completed in the next.

Jump cut: is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way. For this reason, jump cuts are considered a violation of classical continuity editing, which aims to give the appearance of continuous time and space in the story-world by de-emphasizing editing. Jump cuts, in contrast, draw attention to the constructed nature of the film. Although the term is sometimes used in a loose way, a cut between two different subjects is not a true jump cut, no matter how jarring. 

Cross-cutting/ parallel editing: is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is not always the case.

Cutaway: is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually, although not always, followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut.

Insert: is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot. Inserts cover action already covered in the master shot, but emphasize a different aspect of that action due to the different framing. An insert differs from a cutaway as cutaways cover action not covered in the master shot.

Dissolve: is a gradual transition from one image to another.

Fade-in: gradual appearance or becoming distinct of a scene or sound.   

Fade-out: gradual dis-appearance or becoming distinct of a scene or sound.

Wipe: is a gradual spatial transition from one image to another. One image is replaced by another with a distinct edge that forms a shape. A simple edge, an expanding circle, or the turning of a page are all examples.

Superimposition: is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something.

Long take: is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes.

Slow motion: is editing that takes place on a shot, and slows it down to emphasise something.

Ellipsis: is a mark or series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word or a phrase from the original text.

Post-production: is part of the filmmaking process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, videos, audio recordings, photography and digital art. It is term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting and/or recording the completed work.

Visual effects: (commonly shortened to Visual F/X or VFX) are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot.

Sound:

Diegetic sound: is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world.

Non-diegetic sound: The distinction between diegetic or non-diegetic sound depends on our understanding of the conventions of film viewing and listening.  We know of that certain sounds are represented as coming from the story world, while others are  represented as coming from outside the space of the story events.  A play with diegetic and non-diegetic conventions can be used to create ambiguity (horror), or to surprise the audience (comedy). 

Asynchronous sound: Sound which is indigenous to the action but not precisely synchronized with the action. 

Synchronous Sound: are those sounds which are synchronized or matched with what is viewed. For example: if the film portrays a character playing the piano, the sounds of the piano are projected. 

Sound effects: are artificially created or enhanced sounds.

Sound motif: A sound effect or combination of sound effects that are associated with a particular character, setting, situation or idea through the film.

Sound bridge: is a remote hardware device from Roku designed to play internet radio or digital audio streamed to it across a home network.

Dialogue: is basically characters talking.  

Voice-over:  is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used.

Modes of address: can be defined as the ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text. 

Sound mixing:  is a process during the post-production stage of a film or a television program by which a multitude of recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics and panoramic position are commonly being manipulated and effects such as reverb might be added.

Sound perspective: refers to the apparent distance of a sound.

Soundtrack, Score:  music composed for dramatic effect.

Soundtrack, Incidental music: is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical.


Soundtrack, Ambient sound : means the background noise present in a scene.


Enjoy, took longer than i expected!