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

Preparation -
The process of preparing our preliminary task was easier that the preparation of the thriller prosecution. We started to prepare the basics of the prelim task about a week before the actual shoot, whereas with the thriller we had about 2 months to prepare so it was harder as we had lots of ideas and it was hard to choose which one to do.
We then had a storyboard that we were given, to plan out the layout of the thriller, which gave us an easier guide to plan our thriller.

In the preliminary task we were given a role play script that we had to give two actors of our choice, we choose Dan Ash and Laura Blyfield. We sat down and read through the script, whilst planning out what we wanted to do when we got into the studio, after we went into the studio and started filming basic shots and put them together in the studio to make a sequence.

In the thriller shoot we started to plan about 6 weeks before the actual shooting. Before all of this we each had to present a PowerPoint of our idea that we believed should be put forward for shooting. Each person had to then vote for which one they wanted to do and the 3 that won in the class were then made and grouped. Once the groups and tasks were chosen we had to get together as a team and discuss ideas that we wanted to put forward. Also to discuss how we could make the original idea better. Before the storyboard was drawn up we had to discuss our idea with our teachers, and get there feedback on the progress that we had done so far. We then started to produce the first part of the storyboard.

This was a hard process as none of us had done it before, therefore we had to really work hard in order for us to understand what was happening. Also because we had to do how long each shot would be and do a sketch of that shot. Our first draft was changed around alot and our final sheet was only produced 2-3 days before the actual shoot.

There was a whole file that had to be produced for the thriller, this included a shooting schedule, cast list, props list, sound list etc... This was an important process in our thriller production as it kept the group organised. This also helped us as it showed us what we had done so far and what we had to do. We had to make sure that we had transport to take us to leathill and that our actors were blue carded from there lessons for the day in order to start shooting. As well as this we had to look for props and possibly buy some if necessary, luckily the drama department had good props so we were able to borrow from the department.

We then sat down with some of the technicians to go over our set design and lighting that we needed. We found out that we needed about 3-4 flats, a door, table and chair & window. The flats had to be brick work, to emphasise a cellar like feel.

DEVELOPMENT OF FILM MAKING SKILLS -

When we shot our preliminary task, our skills for shooting were very weak. We had a introduction to the tri-pod and video camera only a couple of lessons before, so the actual shooting for some of us was quite challenging. We had to be constantly reminded of simple things like our shadow wasn't in the shot and the sound was turned on etc...
When we shot our actual thriller we were alot more advanced and experienced in the fact that we knew how to work the camera, the sound and the layout of the set and shoot day.

USE OF CAMERA -

After shooting the preliminary task we noticed that some things went wrong within the process, some shots may have been out of focus or have vague outlines. But all in all our shots were of a high standard. I'm comparison to our thriller production it was very different as the lighting wasn't as good and the script itself wasn't a very interesting thing to watch. Whereas with out Thriller it challenged us as a group which made us more engrossed in what we had to do. The lighting and sound and camera angles were alot more professional and they made the sequence look alot better and well kept that the preliminary task.

We also didn't have to use the blue screen at all during our thriller which made it alot easier for us to film and edit. We also shot in different locations so this was helpful for us to learn shooting in new places and using different camera techniques for outside and inside shots.

The camera angles were alot different to those used in our preliminary task as we used basic shots in the prelim and when it got to us shooting the thriller we used more advance and interesting shots to show what was happening in the sequence. There was a huge difference between the two as one was more professional and the other more basic. We also had alot more help and advice from the teachers during our thriller than we did in our preliminary task, this therefore enabled us to put more professionalism into our work and make the final piece look better.

USE OF SOUND -

In our preliminary task we had to use basic spoken script that was given to us by the teachers. We let the actors speak the dialogue how they wanted to, in order for them to feel comfortable in what was happening within filming. The only other noises used were footsteps, door opening & closing and light switch turning on and off. Because we didn't use dialogue in our thriller, we used different camera angles and sounds to make out point come across to the audience, this therefore put pressure on us having to make all the shots look good and understandable. In the thriller task we used alot of ambient and diegetic sounds such as screaming, footsteps, candles being blown out and wind etc .. These were recorded during the day and later on during the editing process we added some wind and other sounds to create a spookier mood to the sequence.

FINAL CUT PRO AND THE EDITING PROCESS -

When we started the editing process for our preliminary task we got introduced to some software called Final Cut Pro. This was helpful to us as the software enables you to cut shots, add music/sound and more.

When using FCP we had to log the shots that we had done and cut them down if needed so the words 'cut' and 'action' weren't heard within the shot. We then had to put the shots in order to what was shown on the sheet we were given at the start of the shooting process. Once that was done it was shown to the class and the process for the prelim finished.

We then had to look at FCP for the thriller, this took a little bit of time as we hadn't used the software for some time but luckily we all found it easy enough to grasp. We then had to go through a similar process but this time we had to make it a longer sequence and add more technical ability into the shots. We had to shorten shots where needed, add subtitles and a name for the film. Also sound and fade in and fade outs between each shot to make it flow better. This process took us roughly a month compared to a a lesson for the prelim. It was however a successful time spent and our overall product was something to be proud of.

What i have learnt from the whole process of the preliminary and the thriller is that editing s

Audience Feedback - Peira
Tom Barton – very suspenseful.Clare Dodkins – I liked the pace of editing as it un-nerved the audience and tightened the tension of the piece. Will Berril – very dramatic. Leaya Hatzakis – cast perfectly, great choice of location. Lara kufferath – I liked the way of creating tension with the use of silence. Dan Ash – nice contrast between Alabama and Berika, also according to status. I liked the mask and the mise-en-scene. The basement gave a nice contrast. Alabama reinforced the society we live in with children getting captured, and the canted angle shots of Berika gave a sense of peculiar.


Looking at audience feedback i can see that we have alot of positive approaches to or thriller and this shows us as a group that a range of different people liked our film, therefore appealing to a wider audience. We can see that we had to cast well and choose a good location to shoot in and our work payed off as we had a comment from Leaya about it. Audience feedback is what helps us as the group understand what makes a good product and why and also what we might have done well and wrong, it helps us for the future to reflect on what has been said and apply it to our next piece of work.

Task 6 - What have you learnt about technolgies from the process of constructing this product ?

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

TASK 5- How we attract our audience

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Task 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product ?

The age range for my target audience would be teenagers 16-25 year olds. The social class and network that i would like to target is lower to middle social class. We as a group decided that the gender for our thriller would mainly be targeted at male or female but preferably male. Our target audience are fans of the horror genre, inperticular the sub genre known as torture porn. This is because our film features scences of torture and therfore would appeal to people that like films like SAW and HOSTEL. Generally it is more likely to be males than females that like this type of film, because it features such graphic scenes of violence, and is therfore not for the squeamish. It is likely that our target audience will be in education or employment and is therfore likely to have disposable income to go to the cinema, we fell that our film will be targeted at 16-25 year olds because most people older than this have matured away from thsi type of film. Our groups expectations is that the audience will have a complex and psychological experience that encourages a sense of unease within the audience. We chose this idea because we wanted it to target the same audience as us. Our group being 16+17 year olds, we as a group wanted to relate to the initial idea. The thriller, however, would relate to the audience because we are using young characters, people would look at the man, see that he is young and attractive and relate to him, then be shocked when you see the soon to be masked child as this wouldn’t be deemed ‘normal’. We feel a secondary audience will be young women 16-25 year olds, who will got to the film with there partners and or on there own because they find the lead actor attractive. We delibratly used an attractive actor to target this secondary audience.

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

The type of institution that would distribute our product is Lions gate because they are a low budget film company who would be able to fund our thriller in a way that would be successful but not to expensive. I choose this company because they had worked on thrillers and horrors before so they would be familiar with what to do. Also because other films that they have done have been a success makes the company even more interesting. The type fo films that Lionsgate make are genreally aimed at a core male audience of 16 -25 year olds, examples of this include My Bloody Valentine and the SAW franchise. These apeal to that age group because the films feature blood,gore,death & often teenagers. Therfore this age group likes them for these reasons. Our film is about a young man that kidnappers and tortures young girls. This is in keeping with the films Lionsgates make as it features elements of horror,death and as the main actors are within the 16-25 age range hopefully they would appeal to that target audience. Lionsgate have prooved that they make good quailty low to medium budget films, and i feel that my film would be a relativlly low budget film. We are not relaint upon stars and feel that a successfull advertising campaign in the same way that Lionsgate marketed and advertised the SAW franchise would enable our film to target the same audience. Lionsgate are renowned for making horrors and have been successfull in doing so. I also belive that our film if not successfull at the box office, could have a cult following and lionsgate have successfully managed there after sales on DVD, this could be beneficial as our film could succeed on DVD even if it fails at the box office.

Task 2 - How Does your product represent particular social groups ?

My product represents a particular group by representing a different approach to teenagers going through abuse and also being kidnapped which is frequently a common occurrence. My film is about a man that goes to a derelict house and goes down into a cellar looking room with candles that light up his desk, he starts to rip up sheets and sew into a mask that he is making, the candles then blow out and he goes to light more candles that then reveal a child hidden in the corner tied by the hand with chains and he then masks the child, who resists by screaming and shaking her head. The child is a young girl and the protagonist is in his 20’s. This would help appeal to the younger generation and relate more to teens. We chose this idea because we wanted it to target the same audience as us. Our group being 16+17 year olds, we as a group wanted to relate to the initial idea. The thriller, however, would relate to the audience because we are using young characters, people would look at the man, see that he is young and attractive and relate to him, then be shocked when you see the soon to be masked child as this wouldn’t be deemed ‘normal’An example of kidnapping and vulnerability of children is ‘The Orphanage’ which is what our original idea was based around. We choose this film because it really underlines vulnerability, trust and a plot that can be easily adapted and worked on. We liked the idea of the masked child and the old worn clothes that the child wears in this film; the film itself also has a twist at the end which is what we wanted to interpret in our film as well. Gothica, Silence of the Lambs and Disturbia are all examples of films that are about child vulnerability and other creepy things child related.I looked at articles about Madeline McCann’s abduction and also about a small boys kidnapping. These all relate to my thriller by discussing the same issues used in our plot. The kidnapping of Madeline McCann made front page news for many months in all the newspapers in England, one of the many reasons for this was that she was a young, vulnerable girl who was very innocent. This would compare to my thriller as we used a young, blonde actress who we represented as vulnerable & impressionable to adults who took advantage of this and used it as torture. The newspapers quite rightly represent children as innocent victims when crimes are committed against them by adults and we as a group wanted to show this representation within our film.

TASK 1

Conclusion -

ALL IN ALL these screen grabs shows that our media product uses different shots to get the right effect and mood that needs to be created for the audience to understand where we are coming from

Our exterior shot was of Leat Hill, we had Berika walk towards the house as to appear liek he was walking into the house. This was a perfect location to shoot at as it had a spooky and eary feel to the place. The house itself has no occupiers, which therfore makes the mood of the scene alot scarier as the hosue in derelict and alone. This is a sterotypical look to a scary house that is often used in films such as Saw and The Orphanage and other horror/thriller films that are produced. We choose this house because of its look and size that would create a good atmosphere for our thriller.

This is a shot that shows that mask that we made for Alabama. As you can see we cut out eye holes and a mouth, then stiched parts up to give a better effect. Our inspiration came from the mask in the film The Orphanage, wheras in that film the mask is made out of potato sacks, our's is made or a silk fabric which we found strecthed over the face better, therfore making it look more sureal. We decided against the potato sacks as we didnt want or film to be to like The Orphanage, we wanted to put our own little twist.

This screen grab shows Berika, our main protagonist, to be walking down some stairs holding a candle which heh then moves onto walking into a dark corridor. This is a good shot as it shows Berika's look and expression on his face, showing us as the audience that he is a creepy, scary looking man that has alot of determination in what he is about to do. However Berika is seen as an attractive man, so this would help draw in a female audience as it is seen that most women go and see a film due to a sex symbol that might be playing a lead role. The fact the Berika is seen with a dark background, draws you in closer to what he looks like and puts the spotlight in his actions.

This close-up of Berika shows him looking down at his work, with the candle a little bit out of focus it draws attention to his facial expressions which seems calm. We used this screen grab because it was a good shot that used panning in and out of focus, much like films like Silence Of The Lambs used which is why the film was so success full. This shot helps the audience understand what is going on, that the room is lit by candles and in the background there is this attractive protagonist that is about to commit something odd.

This is a screengrab of Alabama's that has a mask streched over her face. It looks quite compresed and tight on her face, therefore makign it seem uncomfortable for her and the audience to watch. This again is a help to show that our film is a horror/thriller.

This close-up of Alabama's hands shows that they are tied in chains, to give the appeal that she is possibly being tortured and contrasts with the image of an innocent girl that has been abducted. The chains also help reinforce that our film is a horror/thriller.

This Close-up of Alabama's face shows us that she is a young vulnerbale and Innocent girl. This would therefore draw a much broader audience in as they would want to see what had happened to the little girl. Things that relate to this shot is news articles like Madeline Mcann which shocked us as a nation when we all heard the news. This would therefore help us as a team advertise our thriller as this sweet little girl would go through things that might happen to children that are kidnapped.

This is a screengrab of the two main protagonists together. This shot works well because it shows just how vunerable Alabama was in the film and how overpowering Berika must have seemed towards the innocent girl. The candles around her are what are lighting Alabama, therfore again giving it a slightly odd feel and disturbing. This shot shows the contrast between the two characters very well.

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

This is a screen grab of Berika and the set design in the studio, of Berika's work table, where he makes these creepy masks. The fact that we used candles helps us with the understanding if the genre of the film as it is a creepy effect that is often used in other thriller/horror movies.