Question 1 - Mrs Georgiou 3184

Question 1 – In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a real media product?  

The thriller genre has many conventions that are associated with it; these are just some of them: low key lighting, dark and light clothing, male and female characters, suspenseful music, quick cuts and the themes of shock and suspense. Some of the films that use these are Se7en with low key lighting, Shutter Island with suspenseful music and No Country for Old Men with different colours of clothing representing good and evil.

My group used the thriller conventions many times in our own film. One example is the clothing that is used in thriller film which can represent feeling and how good or evil characters are. Our murderer for example is in dark clothing which puts across the negative feeling that he is evil and not to be trusted.This makes the audience have a negative view on him which is exactly what we wanted, therefore this gives the audience a indication of what he is going to do. A second example is our female murderer, who is dresses in black and white, the white which makes the audience feel she is innocent while the black which may give the idea that something bad will happen to her. This makes the audience have sympathy for her as she is innocent and with bad things happening to her. The contrasting colours make her seem confused which makes the scene more conventional as the victim is unsure of the situation.

Another thriller convention is the use of shadows which is used in the ending of my own film, as the audience can see a man swinging the knife down on the woman and the screen fades to black. This helps with the thrills of the scene as we don’t actually see anything but the shadows this makes it all the more shocking for the audience. The shadows give the impression of a horrific death but still do not show what happened graphically.  This is used in Se7en where it is used effectively to hide the killer’s identity while still showing a death. This is conventional as the antagonist is still in the shadows but still commits a murder which links to hidden identity. This is much more appealing to the audience as it shows something that was not totally expected.

Having a female victim is also a convention and very stereotypical with it being in nearly all thrillers. This is used as women in general are physically less strong than men and is used to show innocence and vulnerability in thriller films. This is also generally why they are normally the first victims of a killer in thriller films, such as in Se7en with the detective’s wife.  This is conventional as the female is seen as the damsel in distress,  it is used in nearly all thriller films as the females in the audience feel sympathy for the woman and the men want to protect her. This is used in many films as it is one of the easiest ways in which a film can manipulate the audience.

 

Hidden identity is also a thriller convention which is often used to bring more fear to a killer in a film. I used this in my film and I believe it makes a killer somewhat scarier if you cannot see their face as the audience cannot relate at all to the character. This can also be seen in Se7en until the killer is finally found. It is also another easy way in which a film can make there antagonist feel separated from the violence. This makes it seem that the killer could effectively do anything as they are not responsible for what they do. This makes the antagonist limitless on what they could do.

Conventional sounds are also a way in which thrillers try to make the experience scarier  and more unnerving for the audience. If a scream is used at a perfect time it can take the scene to a different level of thrills from what it would have been without it. Another example is the sound of breathing which when used can mean someone watching, which is also very scary. This is used many times such as in Shutter Island when the detective is inside the cell block. In this scene it is used to shock the audience into making them jump from the sudden change in music and the image on the screen. In my own film it can be seen when the woman is being stalked by the antagonist. This is an effective way to make a scary scene into a terrifying scene.

Lastly, a quick cut is very conventional and is used in nearly all thriller films. This is when a quick cut is used when something happens and it goes very quickly from one shot to another. This helps as it can change the feeling of a scene quickly so is effective in keeping a narrative moving or revealing a killer. One example in my own film is where we first see the killer and it jumps to the victim. This is a excellent way in which a scene can become much quicker and action packed compared to other shots. This is also very exciting for the audience and makes them feel like it is happening simultaneously unlike other shots.

My own thriller film clearly defines the thriller genre as it incorporates many conventions that should be in a thriller film and I have made them more personal to my own film. It encompasses suspense, thrills and action and uses these effectively at points such as in my own film when the woman is being stalked without her knowing. Then the action and thrills start when she finally notices him and she is running away and the final murder. So overall it is clear that my own film closely follows the thriller film stereotypes and only adds a small amount of my own personality in the film.  

There were also many micro elements that I used in my own thriller to improve the quality of the film. An example is using a car park as a location; this creates the normality of a common place which makes the experience more unsettling with the killer for the audience.  Another is the iconography of using a knife, many films use knives as the deaths are more brutal. Also using a knife is much more dramatic than a gun which is good for a thriller film.  

My own thriller film can easily be compared too many other successful thriller films, this is due to me using conventions which overlap both films. The thriller film opening scene that I will be comparing to my own is the thriller film Se7en. Firstly the use of hidden identity in both films helps with making the killer more mysterious. We do it in different ways, me covering the face with a balaclava and Se7en not having his face in shot. This makes the audience feel more uncomfortable with the killer as they in no way can relate to them. We also both use conventional camera angles which add to the scene and conventional music at the correct times. This makes both films look much better than without these important conventions. We continue with the connections in that we both use unusual locations which are conventional to a thriller. I use a car park and a suburban street whereas in Se7en it is a small darkened room. This puts the audience in a unusual position as the scene does not match with the location. Finally low key lighting is used extensively in both films. In my own film it mainly is at the end of the film where the shadows start to form and darkness is more prominent.  In Se7en it is used throughout and is a main focus on the scene, the only light comes from a small light in the room.

Thriller Comparison- Mrs Georgiou

Thriller Comparison

Overall I believe that I have created a successful thriller sequence for many reasons. One reason is that we have managed to include many things that have appeared in many other films such as Se7en , Saw and Insidious. These things include low key lighting , hidden identity and the killer being unusual which accentuate thrills which is the purpose of a thriller. Another way that I created a successful thriller film is that sometimes the film deviates from the stereotypical thriller scene. We dedicated much more time to the stalking of the woman than the chase, in many films such as Se7en the chase lasts several minutes whereas ours lasts half a minute. Then instead of the killer finally catching the victim  the victim runs into the killer, this changes the rules of what is meant to happen in a chase.

There are many micro elements throughout the film which show things such as creativity and understanding . One micro element that I thought that shows creativity is the numerous locations that we used: a car park, a suburban street and a forest area. I thought this would be good as it both is stereotypical,the forest and unusual with the suburban street. A second micro element that I believe shows creativity is the narrative which deviates at some points in the narrative from a traditional thriller. Things such as the victim running into the killer rather than the killer chasing the victim shows how we have taken the traditional narrative and changed it to make it different. Another micro element that shows understanding of the thriller convention is the characters in the film.They are stereotypical of a thriller in the way that there is a male killer who is presented as powerful and dominating. This contrasts with the vulnerable and physically weaker female who is presented as the victim in the film and the clear distinction between them helps the audience understand who is who immediately. Lastly a way we have understood the conventions of a thriller is through the sounds we have used at certain points in the film. For example when the killer first comes into the shot the music instantly changes to a much darker sound. I believe this shows how I understand thriller conventions and can use them in a film.

     

 My own thriller in many aspects compares and contrasts with the opening scene in Se7en. The narrative of our opening scene's are quite different from each other, Se7ens scene does not contain much action but does give images for what is to come such as his victims. My own scene has more action and sets up what is to happen in the future using actions rather than images which Se7en did. This makes it easier for  the representation of characters as it makes a clear difference between them. In Se7en it is not clear whether this person is the killer or a victim although it leans towards the Killer which does not help people understand . This contrasts with my own which makes it clear immediately who is the killer and who is the victim and does this with the sound and costume . This I think helps the audience to get a preconceived idea of what is to happen and make more sense of the narrative.

The sound of the scene can both compare and contrast with my own, the sound has no dialogue which is the same as mine. I know that I did this is to gain interest in the film and not be distracted by too many things going on at the same time, this is what I presume is wanted by Se7en. The music however is in contrast to my own as I use background sound which make the scene more in depth whereas Se7en uses music which changes the mood of the scene.The editing of the scene is another way which both of the starting scenes are dissimilar. Se7ens editing is constant cutting and going from one angle to the next but they all link together. Mine however has cut scenes but has a longer period in between where actions happen. I believe this makes it easier to tell a story than the Se7en editing which is sometime hard to comprehend. Finally mise en scene is also very different beween both of the scenes. In Se7en it uses books and photographs to show what the killer is doing and who are his targets. In my own I simply use a knife to indicate who the killer is. In my own opinion I believe a weapon will make it easier to identify a killer than photographs of people who turn out to be victims. Although it does add suspence that the killer is not properly identified.

In conclusion there are many ways in which blockbuster thriller films can compare and contrast with my own thriller opening sequence .These ways are through mise en scene, editing, sound and cinematography.

Audience Feedback - Mrs Georgiou

 

 

Audience Feedback- Mrs Georgiou

Audience feedback is crucial to a production as it indicates to the maker of the production how the audience will react to it and if they like it or not. The production can then be changed and altered to suit that particular target audience which will make it more of a success as it caters to their wants. If you do not change the production to suit the audience then the production will not be as successful as it could have been , and will cause the film to be a flop.

I received audience feedback through three different ways : screening of the production, questionnaire and a focus group. We use these in different ways, the screening helped as we can see the reaction of the audience and this is a big indication if they like it or not. In the industry this is used as if the film is a success to the audience then they know they will make money from it. Also we know if some of the techniques we used such as hidden identity actually worked from the reaction that the audience gave us. The questionnaire is more specific than the screening  and makes it easier to see whether the audience liked it or not using the 5 questions. For example a question is "Do you think low key lighting contributed towards the overall narrative?". We learnt from this that we should use more music throughout the production than previously thought and one positive comment was "low key lighting really did help the narrative and made it more engaging". This is also helpful in industry as it gives specifics that a production company can work on and improve for the audience, which is what they need to make money from the project. Finally the focus group was one of the most helpful, this is where a group of people sit down and talk about the project. From this we learnt about the good points of the project " the narrative was easy to understand" which was helpful as a group of people agreed on, which makes it more reliable information. This is extremely helpful in industry as a group of their target audience will give a clear indication on whether the film will be a success or not.

There were many constructive points in our feedback that we can use to show that our production will be a success. One positive comment that came through numerous times on the questionnaire was "good use of low key lighting". This is reassuring as it was one of the points that I wanted to come across strongly in my production. This increases the suspence of a seen and makes it somewhat more scary for the audience watching. Another positive comment was that I had  " a clear narative " this is beneficial as it is one of the main parts of the film that can be hard to change if something goes wrong. A last positive comment was that I had a " good killer" , this is one of the best possible outcomes as if there is a weak killer it makes the idea of them murdering people seem absurd.

The three constructive comments that we had found from the questionaires are things that could be improved and I did improve. The first was " more music throughout the production" this can be easily changed by either making music longer or putting in new music. I chose to use the exsisting music as it contributes to the scenes and helps make an atmosphere. A second negative comment was to have "more of a chase scene"; this was hard to so as filming had been done at a paticular set but we managed to use existing scenes to make the chase scene longer using existing film. I felt this was one of the things that was hard to corect as it meant more film being used. Lastly we were asked why we " did not use dialogue" we felt this was one of the things that defined us. Some people saw this as a fault others saw it as a postive so I did not feel I wanted to change it. With these comments we can make our film even better and cater for our target audience which is 15 to 25 year olds. So we can make it quicker and more spooky than before as this is what our target audience wants.

In conclusion I felt that I fully followed the brief of making a two minuite long thriller opening scene. I belive I have done this fully with the thriller being about a killer who is after an innocent woman and the chasing and stalking of her. This is steriotypical of a thriller but wavers from in the way the killer does not chase her all he time but waits for her to come to him. This is the way that we have changed it from the mainstream thriller genre. The opening scene is als two minutes long so it fully supports the brief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rough Cut- Mrs Miller

Rough Cut 

Why is it important to make a rough cut?

It is crucial that a rough cut is used before a final cut because  it helps our group to improve the film and to make it an overall better experience for the audience. This feedback will come from our class who are going to watch it and give us feedback which we can analyse and use. Our trailer is no where near finished as things such as the credits and sound need work this is something that we found from the peer feedback. When we had finished the improving we uploaded it to youtube to make sure that everyone cane see.

Why is  audience feedback is important?

Audience feedback is very important for our film, this is because it gives an indication of what the response from the audience will be. It is also crucial, as these will be the people that we are presenting to and will have an opinion on the film. This will make our film better as with this information we can improve it and change to there tastes. Although this is not always compulsory as it may simply be the audiences opinion.

How did we get our feedback?
We received feedback from marks out of 60 on a sheet and to tell our group what went well and what we could improve on. They also had the mark scheme so that they could give an accurate estimate on how we did, this would also give us a realistic idea of where we were compared to others and how far we were from finishing. These where all done so that we could improve on whatever was indicated in the what could be better question.

We also used a power point at the start of this to indicate to our markers what we wee aspiring for,  this would give them a clearer idea of what we were going for and whether we accomplished it.

Our Results

We received feedback from 8 group who all filled out a sheet and gave us a score out of 60, this indicates what we did well on and what we could improve. Overall our scores had a mixture of things to improve and were very inconsistent. We had marks that ranged from as high as 49 all the way down to 33 which is quite a large range and makes it quite inaccurate. We found from this we were a low band three which makes us only a few marks away from a band four.

The things that the audience thorught we did well were camera angles, use of lighting and sound in certain points. The things we could imprve were consistent sound, more tension and better credits at the start.

From these results we have and accurate picture of what we need to improve and now we know that we can implement changes that will make our film better. We can do it through the use of editing and possibly more sound which will add more tension and help the film flow. Although the low sound could be contributed to the speakers not being turned up enough.

Group Storyboard- Miss Miller

 Elements

The purpose of a group storyboard is to take individual ideas then to collaborate them to make a much better storyboard done by the whole group. This will undoubtedly be better than one done by an individual as it only take one persons opinion into account which limits the possibilities of our film clip

Ben Yarwood:

The killer always walking was one element that was take from my own storyboard. We used this as it makes the man less human with his movements and it seems to make the man much more terrifying than if he wasn't. Also it makes the victim more vulnerable in the way that she is running and is nervous and panicky which juxtaposes the way that the killer moves in a calm and fluid movement. This also makes the audience feel more uncomfortable as he is so robot like and gives them a surprise when he comes onto the screen yet does not run.

Another is the way that in my own storyboard the face of the killer is never revealed to the audience or the victim. This makes the killer much more threatening as you cannot identify him and the victim knows this.This makes the victim panic and therefore the audience will feel uncomfortable in the way that it could be anybody in the street so is making the actions on the screen feel more real and relate able. This will also make the part where the victim is murdered more unsettling for the audience in the end.

I also used a panning shot which was used in my storyboard. This was used in the the chase as it presents the idea of speed and panic which helps present the emotions of the scene. This is one way that emotions can be prented to an audience though the camera angle.

Beau Abery:

From Beau we took the idea of the setting being in a normal and familiar area that is deserted. This makes the killing more personal and has a feeling that it could happen on any street to anyone. When the killing finally happens then it makes the killing more personal to the audience and therefore makes the killing much worse to watch. Also the idea of it being in a normal area the audience can relate to building a relationship with the people who are there. Also the idea of it being empty gives the sense of hopelessness which puts people in more of a vulnerable position.

A second point that we took from Beau's is that we should use a big knife instead of any other weapon. A knife is much more dramatic than a gun and makes the killing much more brutal to watch for the audience so makes them feel more pity for the victim. Another reason is that it makes the killing much more personal for the killer and victim , if it was a gun the killer would not need to actively pursue and chase the victim, therefore leaving less of a chase scene and more hiding so less active for the audience.

Michelle Woods:

From Michelle's storyboard we decided that we should have both characters in normal clothes. This will make the victim seem more relatable and when she finally dies it will be more personal for the audience. Also the killer will be much more scary in the way that he could be anyone in the audience and therefore make people that see it more scared of the killer as he is anonymous among a crowd.

A camera angle that we took from Michelle's was the low shot of the shoes of the victim. As she see's the killer she start to run and then it goes to the killers trainers walking quickly on the concrete. This will show the mood of the scene without actually showing the faces.

Evaluation

Overall I believe our group storyboard has been a success in the way that we have pooled our ideas to create a even better one incorporating everyone ideas. We have used parts from all of the storyboard but some more than others to make a unique clip that we are all happy with and that we all think is good.





Opening Sceneration- Miss Miller

Opening Scene Narration

This is our final finished product for our filming and includes our ideas combined to make a better version of our individual ideas together.

Our plot is as followed: a woman who is coming home from work at 7pm and is driving. She then parks up in a underground car park and gets an odd feeling of being watched , she ignores it and gets on with locking her car and walks away. Unsuspecting to her she has a follower who as we can see has a knife in his hand and when she finally notices he is much closer. She starts to run immediately for her house which is on the other side of a forested area and goes for a shortcut straight through. Over some time of running the killer is finally gaining on her. She stumbles and the killer is finally able to grab her and then the screen goes black with just silence.

Our first frame is a woman in a car driving through a forest on a empty road. The only light source is from lamp posts and this creates shadows on the side of the road, this is very conventional to the start of a thriller. The sounds in this scene are the car engine and the noises of the forest such as wind and trees swaying.The shots used in this scene are the establishing shot, panning and point of view shot.There is no dialogue in this scene apart from a small amount of talk from a radio station. The screen also shows some of the background such as a person walking and a dog barking in the distance.

The second is the car driving into the car park after it has driven on the road.The light again is from a lamp post but one that is far away so the car is in shadows.The noise in the scene is the engine and noises from the forest which surrounds the car park.The camera shots used in the scene are middle shot, high shot from far way and a pov from the killers perspective . This also has a person walking on the road with a person walking on the side of the road.

The third frame is when the woman gets out of the car and closes the door.The light is the same as before but the sound becomes more tense and it is obvious that something is going to happen. The other sound are the slam of the door and the wind which is happening around them.The camera shot used are a low shot which creates the sense of vulnerability, middle shot and a long shot. There is a car alarm in the background but not close enough to see the car.

Our fourth frame was the beginning of the chase scene where the woman first see's the killer. The sound in this scene is dramatic sound and everything goes silent. This created dramatic suspense and is very conventional to thrillers and can be seen in films such as Shutter Island. The light in the scene goes darker than before but is just due to time and the increased shadows creates even more suspense. The lighter area created by the lamp post creates an even more eerie scene. This scene has a very uncomfortable feeling and we can see it in the woman's movements.

The fifth frame is when the chase scene start and she starts to run. She sees the man advancing and starts to quickly walk then breaks into a run this is done rapidly over a short amount of time. The noise of this scene is the noise of her shoes on concrete and the killers heavy shoes. The rest of the scene is silent for dramatic effect this is seen in many other films. The camera angles in this are pov which makes the dramatic effects more personnel. Another camera angle is the tracking shot which is used for the chase scene as they are all moving.

The sixth frame is when the woman runs through the forest area to the other side which is safe but is struggling to make it against the killers fast walking. The sound is the rustling of the leaves and the wind rocking the trees in the background.The light is the moonlight coming through the trees and the faint glow of a lamp post in the distance. The camera angles are pov, tracking and a long shot all of these make the scene feel more real for the audience and improve the scene. This scene is very tense as the audience can see that she will probably not make it.

Frame eight is when finally the killer is catching her up she is sobbing and he is very close behind her now.The sound is the rustling of the leaves and the wind rocking the trees in the background.The light is the moonlight coming through the trees and the faint glow of a lamp post in the distance which makes for an odd glow. The camera angles are pov, tracking and a long shot all of these make the scene feel more real for the audience and improve the scene. This scene is full of anxiety as the audience wants the woman to escape but she will not at the rate she is running.

Frame nine is when the killer finally catches her and she is struggling to get away.The light is the moonlight coming through the trees and it is very dark now representing how hopeless she is. The camera angles are pov, tracking, close up and a low shot.These make the scene have many different camera angles and give lots of camera angles to how horrific it is. This scene is very anxious as the audience now knows the woman is caught but we do not know what will happen to her after.

Frame ten is simply when a blindfold is put over her and we can hear nothing but her sobbing and her heartbeat. Then silence for a few seconds then the laughing of the killer. This scene is very disturbing for the audience and makes it quite unpleasant as the bond between the characters has been built and now they car about her.

Finally frame eleven shows the killer leaning over the woman in silence and the camera goes into a low shot looking up at the bell tower and trees. Now we want to know what has happened finally to the woman and now the audience is interested in what will happen.

There are many ways that our own storyboard is conventional. It being set in a forest and car park are very conventional places and give the idea of isolation towards the audience. Other things such as the killer not being directly viewed gives a sense of him being inhuman and this makes him more scary.A last way is the way that the victim is portrayed as a vulnerable characters from the start which is typical as no victim is ever strong.

Things we may add  for it to become more conventional:

A scream from the victim may help the scene become more conventional as it is easy to use and shows pain and panic which is what we want from our victim. This would also shock the audience more and make it more uneasy for them to watch.

We possibly may extend the last bit as the ending is very predictable maybe if she escaped the wood but ran into the killer it may be a better ending. This would also be more conventional as in thriller things normally do not go the way expected and it may be better to have a twist.

Also making the time the victim does not know she is being followed could be longer. This could relate to the audience as everyone has had the feeling of being followed which can make the experience of watching it more unsettling. Also in many other thriller films victims do not immedietly see the killer.

Risk assessment- Miss Georgiou

Risk Assessment 

A risk assessment is used to minimizes the risks of an environment and make it as safe as possible for the people involved. Without a risk assessment that people do pay attention to it can be very dangerous for the people involved even in the most safe of environments. This will make the risks that are undertake much smaller by comparison.

Our risk assessment covers the main dangers that are related to our filming and are very specific with things that can be done to prevent them and how they have started.An example of a dangerous location which is not to far away is just filming on a road. This is an example of how any location can be dangerous but can be helped by a risk assessment of the area. Things as simple as avoiding using a busy road can really help the safety and make filming much safer for the people involved. Without the risk assessment it would be very dangerous to film on any location.

Our first risk is trailing leads while working around a set which form a tripping hazard which is very easily done and is easily preventable. All that is need is taping them to the floor so they cannot be moved and this will prevent tripping over them.

Running in a forest can be very dangerous as debry and obstacles in the way. Things such as rocks, branches, roots and holes can all cause a serious trip and landing of any of these can result in serious injury such as broken bones or cuts. The best way to counter this is to use appropriate footwear when running if possible and clear the path of any tripping hazards before the run.This will prevent any injuries when running in a forest.

Another big risk is using a knife in filming , things such as cuts and stab wounds can be fatal and would need medical attention immediately. To make it safer using a knife we must hold the knife in the correct way which avoids cuts to hands and to not run with the knife as if someone ran and slipped they could impale themselves and would likely die. Or it would be much safer using an alternative although that is not possible in this case.

This is essential as if we did not have a risk assessment and people did get hurt then it would be the fault of the people who are in charge as they have not instructed them. With a risk assessment that is known it is easier then for people to take precautions and to be safe in the area that we are filming and working on location. Also necessary things are needed for working with different things such as running in a possible wet forest with a knife. For this we cleared a path and made sure there were no obstructions in the way. However it is also personnel responsibility such as wearing appropriate shoes.

Overall a risk assessment is very important on keeping people safe and to make sure that the chance of dangerous things that could be happening to be kept to a minimum so as to make it hopefully not happen while filming.

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