Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the product?
It is clear to see the progression hat Charlie, Daniel and myelf have made from our preliminary task to our final product. Over the course, my knowledge of the thriller increased and I was able to incorperate many more conventions into the film. Our setting was much more authentic than our preliminary and we got to experiment more when we filmed our final film, trying out things that didn't necessarily work and being able to adapt our ideas to maximise success.
Clearly, in our thriller, the mood is much darker as we filmed at night time to add to the effect and used a lot of shadows and silhouettes to add mysetry. We used music in our final piece unlike in our preliminary and so the music helped to add to the mystery and terror of the film.
During the experience of filming, I have gained filming and editing skills. I have learned to use the camera effectively to create different moods and effects. Learning about aspects such as mise-en-scene helped me and my group to develop our ideas. Watching other thrillers also helped me and my group get ideas and techniques to really make it look professional.
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Evaluation of my Thriller (Part 5)
How do you attract/address your audience?
Word cloud made with WordItOut
By using all of these techniques, the audience wants to carry on watching past 2 minutes. Our audience feedback further confirmed this...
By using all of these techniques, the audience wants to carry on watching past 2 minutes. Our audience feedback further confirmed this...
Monday, 26 March 2012
Evaluation of my Thriller (Part 4)
Who would be the audience for your media product?
According to our audience research, our target audience for our triller is between the ages of 16 and 24. This is the average age of most cinema-goers and so if our film had been made into a feature length film it is possible that people in this age bracket would go to the cinema to see our film.
Our film appeals to young people as all of the protagonists are young and relateable. It is set in a working class area which is the background that most cinema goers at this age come from. The thriller genre is also growing in popularity with young people. According to IMDB, the most popular thriller at the moment is 'The Hunger Games' which was realeased this year. The Hunger Games is aimed at the 16-24 year old range and so it is unsurprising that this age group were also the people who gave the most positive feedback on our thriller.
According to our audience research, our target audience for our triller is between the ages of 16 and 24. This is the average age of most cinema-goers and so if our film had been made into a feature length film it is possible that people in this age bracket would go to the cinema to see our film.
Our film appeals to young people as all of the protagonists are young and relateable. It is set in a working class area which is the background that most cinema goers at this age come from. The thriller genre is also growing in popularity with young people. According to IMDB, the most popular thriller at the moment is 'The Hunger Games' which was realeased this year. The Hunger Games is aimed at the 16-24 year old range and so it is unsurprising that this age group were also the people who gave the most positive feedback on our thriller.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Evaluation of my Thriller (Part 2)
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Gender:
In my thriller, it was intended that men and women were to be shown in an equal light. However, the casting of the film fits into some stereotypes about men and women. The two young protagonists are shown as bing equal in the sense that both are blissfully unaware of the murderer waiting to pounce on them. However, the killer is a man. This fits in with the stereotype that men are stronger than women as he appears to overpower them both. Even though we do not see the leading lady being killed, it can be assumed that she did die as the killer was seen in her house and the film ends with a loud scream indicating that she has been caught by the killer.
Ethnic Minorities:
The only three characters in the thriller are white. Therefore, no negative or positive assumptions about ethnic minorities are made in this film and there isno racism.
Sexuality:
There is no reference to sexuality in my thriller and so neither gay people nor straight people are depicted in any way.
Age:
The cast of the thriller consists of young people. The young boy and girl on their way home from a party appear to have been drinking and so this reflects negatively on young people as underage drinking is a large problem in the UK today. The killer is also a young person, again reflecting negatively on the young population of the country.
Class:
Judging from the area and the way that the characters are all dressed, we can assume that the characters are either middle or working class. The fact that a serious crime is being committed in this area by someone of this class towards people of this class reflect badly on the lower classes.
In the thriller, two stereotypes are used which are common in thrillers: the 'young, weak blonde' and 'the hoodie'. The leading lady is small and blonde who is completely unbeknown to the predator in her house. Alfred Hitchcock always used blonde leading ladies in his thrillers, for example Janet Leigh in 'Psycho' and Tippi Hendron in 'The Birds'.
The hooded character is seen as threatening and carrying a knife: two things that people associate with hoodies. Considering that young people wear hoodies more commonly than the older generations, this reflects badly on younger generations. Also, the fact that the killer is very tall (he is 6 foot 8") shows him as being powerful and dominating over the other two characters.
Gender:
In my thriller, it was intended that men and women were to be shown in an equal light. However, the casting of the film fits into some stereotypes about men and women. The two young protagonists are shown as bing equal in the sense that both are blissfully unaware of the murderer waiting to pounce on them. However, the killer is a man. This fits in with the stereotype that men are stronger than women as he appears to overpower them both. Even though we do not see the leading lady being killed, it can be assumed that she did die as the killer was seen in her house and the film ends with a loud scream indicating that she has been caught by the killer.
Ethnic Minorities:
The only three characters in the thriller are white. Therefore, no negative or positive assumptions about ethnic minorities are made in this film and there isno racism.
Sexuality:
There is no reference to sexuality in my thriller and so neither gay people nor straight people are depicted in any way.
Age:
The cast of the thriller consists of young people. The young boy and girl on their way home from a party appear to have been drinking and so this reflects negatively on young people as underage drinking is a large problem in the UK today. The killer is also a young person, again reflecting negatively on the young population of the country.
Class:
Judging from the area and the way that the characters are all dressed, we can assume that the characters are either middle or working class. The fact that a serious crime is being committed in this area by someone of this class towards people of this class reflect badly on the lower classes.
In the thriller, two stereotypes are used which are common in thrillers: the 'young, weak blonde' and 'the hoodie'. The leading lady is small and blonde who is completely unbeknown to the predator in her house. Alfred Hitchcock always used blonde leading ladies in his thrillers, for example Janet Leigh in 'Psycho' and Tippi Hendron in 'The Birds'.
The hooded character is seen as threatening and carrying a knife: two things that people associate with hoodies. Considering that young people wear hoodies more commonly than the older generations, this reflects badly on younger generations. Also, the fact that the killer is very tall (he is 6 foot 8") shows him as being powerful and dominating over the other two characters.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Evaluation of my Thriller (Part 1)
In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media project closely follows conventions of a thriller to make it effective. The use of shadows and silhouettes is a common sight in thrillers. Thisadds tension and suspense to the scene as the audience is left wondering what is lurking in the darkness. It adds an element of mystery to the scene which is effective as the human imagination becomes over-active in the unknown. Colours used were dark to fit the mood of the thriller.
Eerie music is definitely another aspect of the thriller genre the I used in my project. The music was attained from MobyGratis.com and was selected very carefully to fit in with the mood of the film. The music is in a minor key which adds to the darkness of the film and sets the mood. The screeching violins add to suspense. The use of violins in this piece was a stark reminder of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' in which violins are used in the shower scene. We also adjusted the music to make the violins entrance to coincide with a pivitol scene in our thriller: the unveiling of the knife.
My media project closely follows conventions of a thriller to make it effective. The use of shadows and silhouettes is a common sight in thrillers. Thisadds tension and suspense to the scene as the audience is left wondering what is lurking in the darkness. It adds an element of mystery to the scene which is effective as the human imagination becomes over-active in the unknown. Colours used were dark to fit the mood of the thriller.
Eerie music is definitely another aspect of the thriller genre the I used in my project. The music was attained from MobyGratis.com and was selected very carefully to fit in with the mood of the film. The music is in a minor key which adds to the darkness of the film and sets the mood. The screeching violins add to suspense. The use of violins in this piece was a stark reminder of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' in which violins are used in the shower scene. We also adjusted the music to make the violins entrance to coincide with a pivitol scene in our thriller: the unveiling of the knife.
However, there are some aspects of the thriller that were not used in our film. Parallel sound was used throughout the film, meaning that thew sound we were hearing matched what was going on on screen. Contropuntal sound is usually used in thrillers as it throws the audience off balance and creates a strange atmosphere that is almost unrealistic.
Friday, 9 March 2012
Our Finished Thriller!
This is our finished thriller. We had so much fun planning, filming, starring in and editing our film and the end product was a real success. Here it is and we hope you enjoy!
Friday, 2 March 2012
Editing Our Thriller
This is a still from FInal Cut Express showing the editing process for our thriller.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Stills From Filming
These are pictures taken by myself during the filming of our thriller. As you can see, we all had a lot of fun filming this, especially when I got to cover Daniel in ketchup!
Charlie's having fun with the filming!
And the best director award goes to...
Our 'killer' seems to be having fun, too!
Daniel before he gets murdered.
After trying to make our own fake blood and failing miserably, we settled for a £0.99 bottle of value ketchup. Worked pretty well, don't you think?
Monday, 27 February 2012
Filming
Today me and my group finished the filming for our thriller. All we have to do now is edit our film on Final Cut Express ready to be uploaded to a DVD.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Location Pictures (Night Time)
Notice the mysterious figure reflecting in the window...
Road at night
Road at night
Front of the house
Under the lampost
Under the lampost
Under the lampost
Monday, 20 February 2012
Location Pictures
This is the location where we will be filming our thriller. It is just an ordinary street in Dagenham with plenty of street lights for lighting (as we will be filming at night). The house we are using has a window facing the street which is ideal.
The window which the character of Katie will see Daniel from.
Where Katie and Daniel will have their conversation before the murder.
The street where filming will take place.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Exam Board Titles
These are the official opening titles for our thriller. These titles are purely for the exam board to establish who we are for marking.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Interviews for Audience Research
These are the interviews our group carried out to assess what our audience would look for in a thriller. We all sat down as a group and devised questions to ask selected members of our class and staff.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Treatment
Name of Film: 'Hidden'
Outline of Ideas:
Two young people are walking home from a party after a long night out. As they stop outside the girls house, they begin a short conversation. In the background, the audience can see a shadowed figure at the bottom of the street under a lampost. As they talk unaware of the figure's presence, it begins to move closer. The boy and girl say goodnight and the girl goes inside. The boy then turns around to leave but his throat is slashed and he is left outside the girl's house in a pool of blood. When the girl is inside, she places down her bag and coat and goes to the window to shut the blinds. As she glances out of the window, she sees something on the floor. As she leans closer to the window to look at what it is, the reflection of a hooded figure is in the window behind her. When she realises the thing on the floor is the body of her friend, she gasps and turns around only to be confronted with the killer. She screams.
Resources:
3 actors - one boy and one girl as the main protagonists, one killer.
Dark road that can be quite well lit by street lights.
House with windows looking onto the street.
A knife.
Fake blood. penis
How will these ideas fit the genre?:
-Silhouette of the killer creates mystery as you cannot see their face. It also creates an enigma because the audience will want to know who the killer is and question their motives.
- Shock is created when the boy gets attacked with the knife; the attack was unexpected and sudden.
- Suspense is created while the boy and girl are mid conversation and the audience can see a dark figure moving closer. Suspense is also created when the killer's reflection is in the window but the girl does not see it.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Music for our Thriller
This is the music we obtained from mobygratis.com to use in our thriller. We thought this music would be suitable for our film as is sounds creepy and eerie.
Monday, 6 February 2012
iDent For Our Thriller
This is the iDent which will go at the beginning of our thriller. It shows the production company name which is 'KCD Productions'. We made the background look like an old, run-down street as we thought it was quite eerie and fit in with the thriller genre.
Friday, 3 February 2012
Moby Gratis Conformation
Gratis request no. 44114 has been APPROVED according to the Terms & Conditions you accepted within your application.
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