Question Seven-Preliminary Task.

The purpose of the preliminary task was to allow us to become familiar with a camera. This would give us the ability to use many different camera angles, sizes and movements in the process of making the final production. Throughout this process, we also learnt how to become more comfortable with Final Cut, and how to create basic edits for effect. In addition to this, we were able to designate the final group roles, based on everyone’s individual skills. We did this to make sure that everyone was suited to their roles. Where My Technical Ability Has Improved. Throughout the filming process, I feel that from filming a second time, we have improved on the amount and quality of the shots. This is because in the preliminary, we didn’t include that many and we stuck to the easier ones. We tried to expand our range in the final thriller filming. We also learnt how to make sure that the shots weren’t as shaky, by using a tripod at all times, when a handheld shot isn’t necessary. During the editing process, we have improved on making the transitions – use of fade to blacks was used to show new characters and scenes. These improvements in the final thriller, looked much smoother, and it make each clip flow well together. The use of non-diegetic sound to accompany visuals. In prelim, had a lot of background sound and dialogue that couldn’t be heard properly, in the final prod, instead we incorporated sound to highlight action and create tension. This effect would make the audience more scared for the characters, as the soundtrack is very eerie and uncomfortable.

Question Two: How does your media product represtent particular social groups?

Question 6.

Question Five: How did your media product appeal to your target audience?

 

We tried to appeal to our target audience the best we could for the final media product. We did this by looking at our questionnaire results and trying to use the things that the most people preferred. For example question two of our questionnaire was “What age group do you fall into?” and the most people selected the “18-20” box. This made us realise that the majority of people that would be interested in watching a thriller movie would be around this age mark. This is why we decided to make a movie that was of an 18 age certificate.

 

Another example would be question four “What themes do you prefer within a thriller?” As the two most popular answers were rape and obsession, we decided to make those two themes the most apparent within the movie. This is because it would fit the most people’s preferences and would therefore result in a bigger audience.

 

Question seven of the questionnaire  was “Which lighting technique do you think would add more tension to a scene?” and the most popular answer was “under lighting”. This is why we made sure that we used this lighting technique in our thriller.

I believe that we managed to appeal to our target audience quite well because we tried to stick to what the public wanted the most from us, so we would gain more popularity as it would suit more people in general.

Question Three: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

Question three. from KloeBoylan

Question Four:Who would be the audience for your media product?

Question One: How Does your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?

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

During the making of our thriller, we wanted to include as many conventions as possible, in order to achieve the best results.

For example, we decided to set the majority of the thriller at night which is a conventional feature as the audience would feel more afraid for the protagonist/victim.

Also, the torture/rape scene concept was inspired by ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ as the victim gets raped. Also by the way we ended our clip it was unclear on how the narrative would actually end, so the audience don’t know if the victim will live or die, or come back for revenge.

The fact that we decided to include a female victim for our thriller is conventional because the audience will automatically feel more scared for her safety as she will appear much more vulnerable.

Several other movies have include the concept of dramatic irony in the sense that the audience know that somone wants this girl, and something bad will happen at the party, but she isn't aware.
 
Even though the female is subversive in a way that she is wearing dark clothing(which could possibly suggest a darker side) she would be typically conventional because she is walking home alone, at night, through a park. This element
 sort of reflects the plot of 'I Spit on Your Grave' also, as the female is subversive because even though she wears white and is vulnerable at first, she goes to seek revenge on everyone who harmed her.





Out of all the different theories surrounding narrative, I feel that Aristotle's theory has been portrayed through our thriller. This is because he believed narrative was based on deriving emotion from an audience normally through fear or tragedy. As our narrative is about kidnap and torture, the audience are more likely to empathise with the characters and therefore give more of a reaction to the scenes that are being shown.

Final Product-HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE

Post-Production: Audience Feedback.

Audience feedback is the comments that the audience give after seeing a movie. This can be good or bad, and can sometimes include positive criticism on what could have been better. Audience feedback is important because then the movie producers will know what was good about their movie, and what needs to be improved upon if they consider making another movie of the same genre, or even a sequel to the movie that has been viewed.

We screened our thriller to a focus group firstly. This was beneficial, because we found out people’s views on out film, and how things could be improved before screening it to the rest of the public.

 

 

 

 

Ruth aged 18 said “I liked the editing effects of the torture scene. It made it look more realistic and scary.”

This was beneficial because we realised that we had used our editing techniques effectively.

Kinga aged 18 said “The acting was really believable which made it more creepy.”

This was beneficial because it showed us that we had done well in picking actors that are/were drama students, so they would give us the best results.

Brandon aged 18 said “The setting was so scary!”

This was also beneficial because we knew we had got the desired emotion out of the audience, and we had done it through and eerie setting.

 

 

Jake aged 18 said “The soundtrack could have been louder in the build up to the scarier parts.”

This helped us to understand that the soundtrack needed to actually scare the audience by making the soundtrack go from such a high volume to literally nothing when the action kicks in.

Amy aged 18 said “Sometimes the lighting was a bit too dark to see clearly.”

From this, we learnt that when low key lighting is used, it needs to be really low, but not low enough to make the scene hard to see.

 

From receiving the feedback, I feel that overall we have created a successful thriller.  This is because we followed most of the generic conventions of a typical thriller,  and we received good feedback on most of these.

Post-Production: Soundtrack.

Soundtracks are important in a film because they add emotion to a scene. A good, appropriate soundtrack can make an audience feel certain emotions depending on the type of scene. A movie without the sound would be unsuccessful, because the audience would not be able to connect with the narrative as much. For example, a horror or thriller movie without sound is much less scary, because it’s the eerie soundtrack and unnatural silences that strike fear in the audience.

A conventional soundtrack for a thriller movie would be something which has ups and downs in tempo and volume that match the action in the scenes. Moments with high action levels, should   have a soundtrack that increases in volume and tempo, so the audience are left feeling on edge and the adrenaline will kick in.

We used garage band to create our soundtrack, because it is very easy and straight forward to use, and as a Music student, I have had previous experience in using the software, so I knew how it worked already.

 

 

 

We created a very dark, melodic and dissonant soundtrack. The reason for doing this is because it represented the dark intentions of the antagonist. Also it is very uncomfortable to listen to so the audience would feel much more worried for the victim. The inspirations for this came from thriller movies like ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ and ‘Mirrors’. These movies are great examples of really effective soundtracks.

Our thriller soundtrack was effective because along with the action and editing, the sound helped massively to make it seem real and much scarier than what it would have if there was no soundtrack.  The actions scenes make audiences feel quite uncomfortable watching, because the soundtrack has very dissonant notes that don’t sound normal to listen to.

 

From making this soundtrack, I have realised that our thriller seems much more conventional because the audience is more likely to feel afraid from watching as they do not quite know what to expect. I believe that this soundtrack was quite successful because it works well with the scenes and it highlights the dramatic irony of the narrative.

Planning: Storyboard.

A storyboard is a breakdown of all the scenes that happen in a film. It’s basically a plan that everyone can follow, so they will know what they are doing.

The advantages of having one are that everyone will know what they are doing, and when they will be doing it. This will keep everything flowing, and organised as all the cast and crew will know what needs to happen in a scene. For example, people will need to know what actors are needed on set during each scene, when they enter and how long for. The storyboard will tell that information, along with other things such as the editing technique that will be used, the type of sound that will be used, and the actual camerawork that will be used during one scene.

The key conventions that need to be considered when designing a storyboard are the following:

·         Shot number

·         Duration

·         Scene

·         Cinematography

·         Lighting

 

Overall, this process of storyboarding has been beneficial to my group and I because we have been able to stick to a plan throughout the process, and each of us has know what to do, and when it needs to be done. As the sound technician, the storyboard helped me to understand what type of sound needed to be used during each scene, which music that needed to be included, and when it needed to change to something else.

Planning:Preliminary Task.

The purpose of this task was to become familiar with the elements that would be needed in order to create the final thriller. For example, we were not sure how to use a camera effectively in terms of shots, movements, and steadiness. Upon doing this, we then knew the best shots to use to create different effects, and to use a tripod to hold the camera steady unless a shaky effect is desired. Also, we became familiar with Final Cut Pro which is the software used to edit the clips.
This will help us to get the best out of our thriller as we now know how to create tension, fear and suspense within a clip. This is a combination of camera shots, movements and angles, sound, and editing techniques.
We will now know to use fade to blacks, and jump cuts to show that time has passed and a handheld effect to give the impression of being drunk, or unsteadiness.

Planning:Location Recce.

Planning: Production Schedule.

Planning:Risk Assessment.

Planning:Cinematography.

In the opening scene of our thriller, we will have a wide shot of the storyboard with the back of the antagonist looking up at it. This will allow the audience to make sense of the montage that they will have just seen. The audience will then be able to figure out that the person in the shot has bad intentions. They will also feel afraid of him, even though they do not quite know what his intentions are just yet. This is conventional, because from the outset that audience will fear this person and they will know that something bad is about to happen in the narrative of the movie.

Before the wide shot takes place, the camera will zoom out from one focus on the board, to the whole thing


When the female victim is leaving for the party, there will be a deep focus on her phone that has been left on the dresser. The reason that we have decided to use this is to inform the audience that she has left her phone in her room, as we see her leave in the background. Also, the phone will flash, and a message will be able to be read on the screen. It will be from the boyfriend, telling the victim not to go to the party. The reason we have decided to include this, is to inform the audience that something bad will happen at the party, and it may not be safe for the victim to go. The significance of seeing this, and also seeing the female leave without seeing it, will strike fear into the audience.


In the scene in which the victim arrives at the party, a pan will be used to show the scenery of the house that the party will take place. This will give the audience a chance to see the area surrounding her, as the whole street is really quiet, unresponsive and derelict. This will make the audience scared for the female victim as she probably wouldn't be able to get any help if something was to happen to her. This type of setting is conventional to the thriller genre, because the antagonist normally chooses unknown, empty locations to carry out their dark plans so he or she will not get caught.

Planning: Character Representations.

Character representations are basically how a viewer perceives a character upon first impressions. A representation can help the audience relate more to the characters, but also the director knows that they wont have to tell the audience who the characters are right away at the start of the movie, because the audience will be able to tell.
These judgements can be made depending on how much the director relies on the stereotypical conventions that make up these types of movies. For example, he may decide to change certain elements to the characters to keep the audience guessing, but sometimes they will keep some things typical of the genre, so people will know who they are.
Things that can contribute to representations are:-
-Ethnicity
-Gender
-Age
-Social Class
-Colour-Hair and Costume.




The Female Victim.
The typical female victim would traditionally be white, with blonde hair. She would have to be physically attractive, and she would naturally wear white.
The reason that a stereotypical female victim is that this highlights her vulnerability, and purity, to the audience will sympathise with her more.
If a character looks like this in a thriller movie, then the audience can easily identify her as the female victim, without literally having to be told.


The Antagonist.
The traditional antagonist would normally wear dark colours(black mainly) and would usually be a man. They would have to be fairly physically fit, and sometimes quite unattractive.
The reason for this is because the audience will sense the superiority and dark side to them, so they will be afraid of them, and will fear for the victim's life.

Planning: Client Release Form.

RELEASE AND CONSENT AGREEMENT

 

 

 

Name Mos Wanted Productions.

 

Date: Tuesday 3^rd December 2013.

 

Production: He Knows You’re Alone.

 

Location: Darhyl’s house(House Party Scene) Albany Park(Kidnap Scene), Darhyl’s  Garden(Torture Scene/Unknown Location).

 

Thank you for your assistance with the above production. Our agreement is as follows:

 

You hereby grant the producers the exclusive rights to record and edit and distribute your participation in ‘He Knows You’re Alone’ during the 9^th of December until the 22^nd of December.  Also you consent to the use of your name, likeness, voice and biographical material in connection with the publicity and exploitation of such sequences forever.

 

You will be expected to attend each of the dates that apply to you, and put in dedication and work in order to help this production run smoothly. This is strictly for education and will not be used for any commercial. Only the OCR Exam Board and moderators, Media teachers, and the AS Media group will be shown this thriller.  If any injuries that may occur unrelated to our production, we cannot be held responsible.  

 

This agreement shall be freely assignable by the producers and shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and Scotland and especially the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

 

We would like to thank you for your contributions towards the making of this thriller without payment, and for education purposes.

 

 

Yours faithfully

Chloe Boylan.

 

Read, understood and agreed by

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………..  Date……………………………..

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………… Date………………………………

For and on behalf of the producers.

Planning: Location Release Form.

LOCATION RELEASE AGREEMENT

 

 

Date Tuesday 3^rd December 2013

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

I am writing to confirm our agreement as follows:

You herby grant the producers the right to record a few scenes for our production, which will not be used for commercial purposes. We intend to only record a few minor details, such as someone walking through the park, etc. As we need a location which is dark, we feel that this place would be ideal.  

 

The period will be from the 9^th of December until the 16th of December. Other days of half days will be agreed before filming.

 

All rights in the recording made and/or taken by the producers at the property shall be vested with the producers and they shall be entitled to assign, licence and/or exploit the same by all means in all media as they may at their absolute discretion elect. The producers shall be entitled to refer to the property by its true name or by a fictitious name or not to refer to the property by name and shall have no obligation to the owners to include any or all of the recordings in any films of the programmes or to exploit the same or any film or programme in which the same are included.

 

We will be held responsible for the area while shooting, and if anything gets damaged, and will make a full replacement if necessary.

 

If you give us the right to film this production, then we will ensure not to damage anything in the area, and will not post this film anywhere else other than send it to the OCR exam board.

 

This agreement shall be freely assignable by the producers and shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and Scotland.

 

On behalf of all the cast and crew, we would like to thank you for your agreement into contribution of the production of this film, by allowing us to shoot in this location.

 

Yours faithfully

Chloe Boylan.

 

 

………………………………………………………………

 

Read, understood and agreed by

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………   Date …………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………….  Date …………………………

For and on behalf of the owners

 

Planning: Developing ideas

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