Evaluation: Final Media Opening Sequence

This is the final edited version of my final media product. It is called "Lost Footsteps".

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

Evaluation question 7

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Preliminary Task and Final Product Comparison


From the preliminary task to the full media product, I feel that I have made a lot of progression and gained a lot of new skills and knowledge in media. When creating my preliminary task, I was not very aware of different camera shots and editing effects and so it was a very basic piece of filming. However with my final product I had become m0re comfortable with exploring new ways of editing footage and so I was able to include many different effects as well as incorporating credits into my final piece of filming.

Looking back I have learn't that different camera angles/techniques will give the audience a different point of view than what was filmed. I also have learn't that as well as music, the way you edit a piece of footage will have an affect on the pace and the feeling which the film gives (e.g. fast pace will create anxiety and help give the audience a feel of adrenaline, however a slow pace will create suspension and tension).

I have also learn't how to use different software’s in order to help make my footage look better such a after effect, final cut express and fireworks.

Evaluation: Preliminary Task

Here is the video of my group and i preliminary task.

Evaluation: 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Technologies on Prezi

Equipment

• Video camera - to record my group and I's final product.
• Tripod - when using the bigger camera this helped us as it meant we did not have to hold the camera ourselves.
• Apple Mac computer - allowed me to use the internet and software's to help aid my final product.
• Laptop - allowed me to update my Blogger whilst working from home.
• Blackberry Bold camera - allowed me to take pictures whilst filming and edit pictures.

Computer Software's 

• Fireworks - allowed me to create my production company logo.
• Final cut express - edit my filming, credits and logo. Allowed me to put it all together to make one final piece.
• After effects - create credits for my opening sequence.

Online

• Facebook - allowed me to get pictures and interact with my target audience.
• Youtube - uploaded videos and annotated them via youtube and found my music from here.
• Blogger -   a blog space area for me put any pre-production, production and post production work.
• Google - I was able to research anything I did not understand on Google and use Google images. 
• Zamzar - this site allowed me to convert my files in mp3 format.
• Scribd - this site let me upload word documents and put it onto my blog via scribd.
• Prezzi - created power points online which i could then add to my blog.
• Vimeo - allowed me to upload video's which i could then put on my blog.

Screen shot of Blogger

Screen shot of After effects

Screen shot of Fireworks

Screen shot of Final cut express

Evaluation: 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Here is a video of my final piece from youtube, which includes annotations referring to generic conventions and how my film attracts to the target audience.

 

• I think I have reached my target audience as many elements included reflect them.
• I have also reached thriller genre film lovers by using generic conventions.
• When planning my production I thought by having characters that was similar (age) to my target audience would appeal to my audience as it would be people they could relate too.
• According to audience feedback i think the logo has been successful to my production as many of the target audience has commented and said it has been very recognizable and a good link to our production company name.
• The work could have been improved by having more filming footage, however since the organizational side of production was less successful and did not go to plan this meant that my group and I had to work with what we had.

Evaluation: 4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my media product would be teenagers, meaning anyone from the age 13 and upwards. As the film goes on the intensity and realism of the story line will help entice an older audience also. Similar films to mine is the film Taken in terms of a character being kidnapped however films like Kidulthood/Adulthood would also be similar to my media production as they all are set and filmed in London which is where my film will be set also. Kidulthood/Adulthood appeals to young people as it is a very relate able for someone growing up in London city. Since my film is based on two young females being kidnapped, i suppose the film would appeal to the female gender however i think is is versatile enough to appeal to males also. During the pre-production stages of my media project i conducted primary research with different ages of my target audience through questionnaires. I then used this is in order to help choose the sub-genres of my thriller opening sequence.

My target audience would be in between safety/security and love/belonging in Maslows hierarchy as they would want a sense of security by the end of the that justice has been served, however the reason they would watch the film is because of their love of films and the thriller genre specifically.

Evaluation: 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media project and why?

Here is a directors commentary style voice over of me talking about the role of a production company, distributors and who will distribute my film.

 

Script:
A production company creates ideas, motion pictures, TV programme's and many other visuals. Some production company's may also fund for the products which hey have produced. My group and i decided to call our production company "Sho Star Ent" as it is common for one of our group members to say "sho" when something is good and the star is because we felt that our production company will produce 5 star quality films and motion pictures. Following deciding our company name, we then decided on a production logo by brainstorming ideas of colors, shapes and formats which we would like to incorporate in our logo. After doing some rough designs we then chose our final design which was mainly of a star in order to help make a link between our production company name and logo. I then decided to design the final logo using fireworks on behalf of our group. Once a film is produced someone reliable needs to get the film out there and support it, this is the role of the distributor. I would like to work with Working Title Films to distribute my film as well as 20th Century Fox as i feel that Working Title Films did a successful job with distributing Paul which is another British based film however 20th Century Fox also did a successful job with distributing Taken which is another thriller film based on kidnapping similar to ours. Since my film will be a British based film, the money could come from the National Lottery UK Film council as they have funded other British films. There are various people named within the opening credits of the title sequence such as the directors, writers, producers and editor. The title sequence credits also include starring roles of some of the main characters we will see through out the film. This is shown so the people who participated in helping the film become what it is get the recognition they deserve In terms of similarities my film would be institutionally similar to a film like Johnny English as they would have been distributed by the same company which my film would have used. The process of distribution will be through advertisements so the public is aware and at leading cinemas in London like the Odeon and View cinema.

Evaluation: 2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My opening sequence presents many different groups in society. It is obvious that the main social group, which my media opening sequence conforms to, is teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16. As the two main characters which the audience can see are females and are also colored females, the social group which my opening sequence presents would then be specifically teenage females from a Caribbean or African background. In terms of class, the uniform which the characters are wearing is quite a standard, basic, British secondary school uniform (shirt, skirt, tie, blazer) and so from this the audience can assume that the girls may come from either a middle class background but most likely working class. In society there are many stereotypes, especially when it comes to men and women. Men are usually perceived as very hard, dominant and within a relationship usually the one to take charge and make the money. Women however are seen as weaker, more sensitive and emotional than men. In my opening sequence I believe that this stereotypical view is present as the protagonist characters are both females. However on the other hand we do not know if the antagonist is male or female and so can not say if this character is stereotyped or not. My representation of a social group links into the target audience because all teenagers can relate to having to walk to school in the morning and especially teenage girls can relate to feeling vulnerable and quite suspicious whilst walking to school alone in the morning. It also makes things very relate-able for the target audience. Character Comparison

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

Evaluation question 1

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Production diary

Here are pictures of when we went out and filmed.

Logo Design

For my production logo design, my group and I brainstormed a range of different ideas which we wanted to include.

Once brainstorming ideas, we then came up with rough outline drawings/designs of what we would like our production logo to look like and from the 3 rough designs we choose the one which we wanted to use. We choose this design because we liked having the star in the background as it was a reminder and a link to our production company’s name “Sho Star Ent”. We also liked the colour scheme of red and black for this design as we thought it incorporated an important convention which many thriller films may have. This is a dark background with a contrasting, bright colour on top.

Using fireworks, I decided to create the logo on behalf of my group. Firstly I changed the background colour from white to black and then using the auto shapes tool to create a star in the middle of the page. By clicking on the star, I went into the properties and changed the edge of the shape from a solid edge to a feathered edge with a textured grain. The filling of the star was also changed from red to a solid burgundy color. The next step I did was adding text into logo so that my group’s production company name was present in our logo. To do this I used the text tool and changed the font to “engravers mt bold regular”. The color was changed, so that the filling of the text faded from a dark red to a bright red. Once I had positioned the text correctly on the star, using auto shapes again I insered a spiral shape which was positioned one the end of the “star” text. Since the spiral is not a completed shape I was able to add a linear fill in the area which was completed before it curved off which gave the shape a blurred shadow effect. I then made the edge feathered and the textured grain like the star shaped I used. Originally this shape was placed on to the right of the logo only, however I copied and pasted it and then flipped it so I could also put the shape on the other side of text also. Here is the final design of my logo.

Treatment

The plot of my film is based on two missing young teenage girls. The main outline of the film will focus on a mystery that must be solved which is finding these girls and also who are the kidnapped them. In terms of a thriller film, my movie will be mainly a crime thriller but have some aspects of a psychological thriller to it. My opening sequence plans on enticing the audience because it is where we see the girls disappear and so start the story but does not give away which leaves the audience in suspense and wanting to know more.

The first shot we be a full long shot and we will see in my opening sequence is of the two schools walking through the park to school; all of my opening sequence will be filtered in black and white. An over the shoulder shot will then follow with the focus on the back of male/female head. From this angle we can see the person is watching the females though a bush. We then see the two schools looking at each other in a mid shot position, which is then followed by bushes starting to shake in a medium long shot. Going back to a mid shot position we see the girls talking again and the camera will zoom out to medium long shot where the bush that was shaking will be in the foreground. The next shot is of feet in shoes which are a close up and then after that a mobile phone ringing in also a close up. At the point of the mobile phone calling the black and white filter is removed and we see things in a natural, real life tone.

After a lot of discussion my group and I decided to use this storyline because it is something which is very realistic and something that everyone can relate to both parent and teenager, having to make the journey to school and that worry of leaving your child to travel by themselves. However to decide on this final idea, we brain stormed many different locations and characters and choose the best from each different section. We researched into different schools and parks in the area which were near to each other and which we could use for our location as we wanted to feel as though our opening scene is as realistic as possible.

For the introduction of my group and I plot we decided to locate in South Norwood, London. This is because we all live near the area and so would be easy access for my entire cast to attend. The setting of our introduction would be in South Norwood lakes, a park located in South Norwood. This setting was chosen because the park is quiet and so therefore it is unlikely there will be distractions. Also it is right across the road from a secondary school and so this would make our plot more realistic as it is based on the kidnapping of two school girls. This creates meaning because by locating at a park which is adjacent to a school not only does it make it more realistic but it also gives information on the character as even if we did not say she was a school girl it would be obvious. This gives the audience more background knowledge for when the story continues.

The way in which we have planned to execute our thriller opening sequence sets the standard for the rest of our film and the way in which it will conform to the conventions of a thriller. By using a range of different shots this will conform to the conventions because there will be fast transitions between them and so t5his will set the pace and keep the audience engaged. Our filming will be in which and black which is dark lighting and is another convention of a thriller because it is dark and dim and so shows mystery, uncertainly and an element of terror. The non-digetic background music which we will use will be a classical instrumental that gradually grows in pace, this will set the atmosphere and create anxiety for the audience.

In conclusion my group and I think that our idea is a good one because people are able to relate to it as it something that could happen and has happened to many different people around the world before. Also it conforms to the thriller codes and conventions because it is shot in dim light as many thriller films often are and will have fast transitions to set a fast pace. This not only creates anxiety for the audience but also tension.

Pre Production

Storyboard


Production Schedule


Proplist


Location Recce


Risk Assessment


Video Shoot Shot List

Thriller Films Opening Analysis

Inception is a film about new technology which allows people to enter the mind through dreams. As the film is being introduced, a black background is used with a white font to show the opening titles. This is very typical in a thriller film as it shows a dramatic contrast in colours which also help contribute to the storyline of the film. Very strong based music is also played whilst the credits I being show which not only helps increase the dramatic effect coming from the introduction of the film but also helps build tension for the audience as they do not know what to expect or what is coming next.
The opening titles then quickly cuts into establishing shots of a sea and we hear the digetic sound of a rough sea and a child’s voice (slights screams of joy as though he or she is playing). Compared to the opening titles, the lighting is very bright and natural which creates a calming effect and helps decrease the tension built by the opening titles. The next shot which is seen is a close up of a male characters face, while he’s lying on the beach. However the man face is in the sand and it almost looks as though he is unaware of his surroundings which may confuse the audience even more, as we also then get to see children playing in the sand and running off. In terms of mise-en-scene, the male character who we assume to be the protagonist is wearing very dull and basic clothes, compared to the children who are in bright colours. This could reflect his situation as he seems to look very confused about where he is and almost quite negative, where as the child we see is very happy and cheerful and happy of her location. The Protagonist is found by an unknown man in shoulder uniform, who uses a gun to poke at the protagonist as though he is checking to see if he is still conscious. A low angle shot is used when this happens, to show to the viewers that the soldier has a higher status than the protagonist.
All of this creates mystery for the viewers as from the opening they still don’t actually know who or what the protagonist is and what the potential storyline may be.


Black Swan is a psychological thriller film about a ballerina who lands the lead role in the ballet Swan Lake and is made to play both the White Swan and the darker Black Swan. The film follows and explores her mental and emotional struggles. Like Inception, the opening credits and opening titles are shown in a white font with a black background showing the dramatic contrast. The non-digetic sound of music is playing whilst the opening title and credits are shown. The music seems to be orchestra music which creates a quite calm atmosphere, however gradually different instruments are introduced such as the violins which builds up the tension.

The sound of quite an evil laugh cuts the credits and the audience is introduced to a female character that is standing alone, in darkness with a spotlight on her. The use of spotlights in the dark emphasises the feeling that there is no one else to help the girl in the scene. Unlike Inception, the opening of Black Swan still continues with the black and white colour theme in order to show mystery and emphasise the feeling of suspense. A zoom in of her feet is shown which tells the audience that she is a dancer, specifically a ballet dance. The camera then zooms out and we get a medium shot of the female. The female character is wearing a white ballet dress and we see this through a long shot.
A male character also wearing ballet attire is then introduced, however when he comes along and changes into a feathered creature the orchestra music which had been playing from the beginning starts to form a base and gradually picks up pace. We hear the digetic sound of the females breathing increasing and fast editing and different camera shots such as close ups, panning, medium shots, zoom in and zoom out are used to show this increase in pace. The effect which this has on the audience is it helps builds up tension and leaves them on edge because they don’t know what this dance means and what the intensity is meant to portray.
The scene then ends with the female dancing alone, whilst the camera is panning around her. From this type of camera movement we see different tones of dark and bright and at some points only the edges of the female dancer are visible through a white lighting. This helps create mystery for the viewer and gets them to think what’s happening next, however whilst they may be thinking, the camera then zooms out and the female dancer is gradually shadowed out of the shot until there is just complete darkness.
From the opening it is evident that the storyline is going to be an intense one about ballet dancing.

Seven is a horror thriller about two homicide detectives' on the hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. Unlike the other 2 film openings which I have analysed, Seven does not have one main background and features many different props such as pen, scissors, book, photographs, razors and other crafts things as a background. However quick cuts are made in order to show all these items as the background as well as a plain black background from time to time. In many of the different background used a constant hand is always present. This already engages the audience because it gets them wondering what all these things are for and why are they needed. The lighting used is also very dim and shadowy which helps emphasise the shape of a particular object. The opening credits and opening titles like Inception and Dark Swan uses a white font.
The non-digetic music played is not a specific genre of music and is made up of various sounds; however there is a constant beat present. The sounds are very computerised which creates a very mysterious feeling for the audience as they are not sure what the sounds could be and so almost could be confused by this. When the music is first played it is very steady and gradually gets quicker in pace, which is also what, happens with the visuals (the background objects) and so creates tension.
This film opening uses special effects such as the credits appearing as though they are trembling. From this trembling the audience could take it that there may be a sense of fear that may come from this film as trembling is usually what happens when someone is scared. Lots of close up shots and mid shots are used of the objects so the audience get to see what it is.
From the opening of the film the audience can not really get much from the storyline other than this ‘scrapbook’ which is being created may become very useful as we see words being highlighted. No location or character identities are revealed which helps increase the mystery because as a viewer we do not know what to expect or who to expect.

Director Case Study: Quentin Tarantino

 

Quentin Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. He has become famous for many of his films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Death Proof and Inglorious Bastards. As well as directing his films, he also likes to act in them and has acted and directed Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. His directed film Inglorious Bastards was nominated for 3 academy awards, 2 BAFTA’s, 1 Chicago film award, a Director’s guild of America award, a Golden Globe, a Palme d’Or and a Grammy. Quentin Tarantino is a very talented man and his films are made to a very high standard.

Quentin was born on March 27th 1963, in Knoxville Tennessee. At the age of 15 he dropped out school and went to acting school at the James Best Theatre Company, in Toluca Lake. By 22 years old, Quentin was working at the Video Archives, a video rental store in Manhattan Beach, where he spent all day discussing cinema and recommending videos to customers. From this it was obvious that from a young g age he was interested in the world of films whether it was acting or reviewing films. At a party in Hollywood Quentin Tarantino met Lawrence Bender which was not only the start of a friendship but the start of his career. Lawrence encouraged Quentin to write a screenplay. In 1987 he was co-writer for a film called My Best Friends Holiday. Although this film was destroyed it was the basis for his next film True Romance. True Romance was fully written by Quentin in1993 and in 1992 Quentin Tarantino had screened his first film Reservoir Dogs, at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

His film “Pulp Fiction” focuses on a different series of incidents that connect and intersect in various ways. There are three distinct storylines in these films that all connect in some way; each storyline has a leading character. Mob hit man Vincent Vega is the lead of the first story, prize fighter Butch Coolidge is the lead of the second, and Vincent's fellow contract killer, Jules Winnfield, is the lead of the third. Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are two hit men who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, the mob boss Marsellus Wallace. However Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia out a few days later when as Wallace will be out of town. Butch Coolidge is an ageing boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his next fight.

Reservoir Dogs was the film that portrayed Quentin’s writing talents and was a big hit. From this his career developed and he directed more awards winning films as well as acting in some. He also worked on Broadway, starred as a guest judge on the program American Idol and on television shows Alias and Golden Girls and was also the host of an episode of Saturday Night Live. Many of Quentin Tarantino’s films have used some nonlinear storylines and violence and majority of his films would come under the Thriller Genre.

One to One Interview

As part of my primary research I also conducted one to one interviews. From my questionnaires I realised that the Thriller genre is an appealing film genre for many different ages. So I knew from this that I could not just interview one age range but at least interview two. All of the interviewees were aware that I was using the interview as part of my media assignment.

(The questions i used in the interviews)

The questions which I asked for both interviews were:

1. Why do you like Thriller genre films?
2. What is your favourite Thriller film?
3. How did the film make you feel?
4. What will you remember from the film?
5. When watching a Thriller what do you expect from the storyline?
6. Do you think certain actors with a certain film background (e.g. horror) can only do Thriller films?
7. Do you prefer viewing Thrillers at home or in the cinema? Why?
8. What’s one thing you don’t like about Thriller films?
9. Does a certain director encourage you to watch a Thriller film?
10. Is there anything else you’d like to say about Thrillers?

The first person whom I interviewed was a 17 year old female called Yazmine. These are the answers which I got to the questions asked:

1. Yeah there all right, there not my favourite though
2. Erm kill bill ? If that’s a thriller (laughs)
3. It just made me feel quite on edge cause sometimes I knew what was coming next but I weren’t sure if it was actually going to happen if you get what I mean.
4. I will always remember the scene where the Chinese lady cut the head off the man at the table and all blood started squirting out. It looked really fake.
5. I expect it to like have some sort of violence to be honest or like some sort of background that the viewers don’t know unless little like memory clips are shown in the film.
6. Erm no I think any actor can o a thriller because with a thriller you sort of have to exaggerate things and as a actor you should be able to do that.
7. I like watching it in the cinema because its nicer to view.
8. Sometimes some thrillers have such a complicated story line that it becomes boring.
9. I don’t really know about film directors to be honest.
10. Not really

The second person whom I interview was a 42 year female called Jeanette. . These are the answers which I got to the questions asked:

1. Yes I like the Thriller genre
2. My favourite Thriller film is currently “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. It’s a good film.
3. Well I haven’t watched it in a while but I remember it got me thinking.
4. I will remember all of it Chloe. Its my favourite film.
5. I expect the storyline to keep my constantly thinking and interested and not reveal the ending.
6. I think it helps if you come from an acing background where you may have done drama or horror because these genre are quite similar to thrillers. It would much more difficult for someone coming from a comedy genre background to do a thriller than someone from a horror.
7. I prefer viewing it at home because it means I can pause and rewind when I don’t get something and get proper into it without being distracted.
8. They can get quite confusing but then again I suppose that’s to get you thinking.
9. A director won’t encourage me to watch a film but I love Quentin Tarantino. He can do everything!
10. Yeah thriller films are a really good genre to watch, especially if you want something that’s going to challenge your thinking.

 Both my one to one interviews helped me to find out about thrillers from a different age groups perspective, however i would later like to conduct a one to one interview with a male as both people who i interviewed were female and i would like to see if a males view is different on the genre.

Specific Questionnaire

This is my specific questionaire based only on the Thriller Genre. I handed this out to appromixately 25 people randomly.

The questions asked in the specific questionnaire were:

1. How old are you?
2. Do you watch Thriller Genre films?
3. How often do you watch thrillers?
4. What types of thrillers do you like?
5. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the thriller genre in terms of entertainment (5 being highest)?
6. What do you think builds up suspense in a Thriller?
7. Please feel free to leave any other comments

(The format of the questionnaire)

(A filled out specific questionnaire)

The Results

Using pie chars and in the form of percentages i analysed the results from the questionnaires i got back.

The last question in the questionnaire was "please feel free to leave any comments", the results which i got from this was people believed that for a film to be considered a good thriller genre it needed to have a interesting story line and leave you always guessing about whats going to happen next. Some people also commented and said that many thriller genre has quite a predictable story line and "the bad guy" always gets caught in a thriller genre.

The results from this questionnaire will help me when writing the story line for my thriller sequence.

General Questionnaire

This is a general questionaire, that was given to approximately 25 people to see what they liked and disliked about films.

The questions asked in the general questionnaire were:

1. How old are you?
2. Are you male or female?
3. What is your ethnicity?
4. What genre of films do you like?
5. What genre of films do you dislike?
6. How do you watch films?
7. How many times a week would you watch a film?
8. How do you find out about new films?
9. What makes you want to watch a film?

(The questionnaire format)

(A filled out general questionnaire)

The Results
Using pie charts and in the form of percentages i analysed the results from the questionnaires i got back.

These results will help me in my production as i will be able to know what age like what films genres and also how it would be best to advertise my trailer.

Conventions of Thriller Films

A thriller genre film will always follow specific rules or “traditions” in order to build a certain effect on the audience. A thriller film will give the audience a high level of anticipation expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and terror. As well as this thrillers tend to be adrenaline-rushing and quite fast paced films.

A thriller genre film will usually have many different characters as it takes you to many different storylines. By taking up more than one storyline, the film gets the audience to think and come up with many different endings and outcomes which usually results in the audience ether being confused, lost or uncertain of what’s going to happen. However the confusion also helps the audience to pay attention to the film and follow the plot so you can still try and work out what is happening.  A thriller film will usually always have the audience wondering. There are may twists in the plot of a thriller films which will result in ironic endings but intelligent storylines.

Editing in a thriller genre tends to be fast paced in order to create the tension and suspense needed for the film. The colours black and white are also conventions of a thriller genre as they will bring a more dark and sinister feel to the movie. However not all films use just the colours black and white but sometimes just the colour black with a another bright, contrasting colour to give the same effect. Different camera angles are used in a thriller and are changed quickly in order to create that suspense and uncertainty necessary in a thriller.

Since thriller films like to use the main colours of black and white, lighting in a thriller genre film is usually quite dark, dull and dim. Shadows are a convention of the thriller genre as they create mystery in the film as a shadow may reflect one thing but be something else. Shadows also exaggerate the use of the colour black and white or the lighter tones against darker tones.

Music (mostly non-digetic) tends to be used in a thriller film. Sound and music is essential in a thriller genre as without it the right atmosphere will not be created. In the beginning of a thriller, slow paced music will be used to build up suspense or get you into the film however during a thriller film silence is also another technique used in a thriller. Silence is used because it means the audience can put all there main focus on the character instead of allowing the music to create the atmosphere for them.