Cool Violence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wdjuS17DGlA

Looking back at your Preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I feel that the continuity and editing has improved greatly and therefore the action in my final product flows a lot better as I have progressed and improved my camera and editing skills since filming this preliminary task. Also, I learnt to use the camera and editing tools with more confidence I gained the ability to be more creative with the available technology. 

I have also learnt that technology is not always as reliable, therefore it is important to save work and check it regularly. 

I feel that I have also learnt the importance of thorough planning, as without my Storyboard and notes filming and editing my final product would have been very difficult.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt how to use Imovie; how to cut, reorder, add transitions, titles and sound effects to clips with ease and this has enabled me to be very creative with my final product. I was able to create the short, sharp hallucinations by cutting the clips and I also made some of the inserts Black and White so the audience could  distinguish between the hallucination and reality with ease.

Although, I did not use music in my final product I learnt how to use the programme GarageBand to create pieces of music and transport them to Imovie, where the music could be cut and copied to fit in with the clips.

I also learnt of the importance of regularly checking the clips after filming on the Video Cameras, as some of the clips had to be re-filmed and I did not realise this until after we finished filming. If I had checked what I filmed sooner I would have saved a lot of time.

Also, through planning my product on this blog I have learnt how to upload pictures, music and video clips onto posts to make them more eye-catching and interesting.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I used a lot of Enigma codes in my media product to draw my audience in and encourage them to continue watching. Also, Thrillers have a strong sense of mystery and the use of enigma codes enabled me to create this through the use of props such as the Birthday Card, which should make the audience question who the sender "George" is and the tablets Emma take should intrigue the audience and they should question why she is taking them.
I also handed a questionnaire out in order to find out what the target audience expect from a Thriller and I took into account the information this provided to create a protagonist who I believed the audience could relate to. Teenage girls can relate to the protagonist and a majority of people can relate to the feelings of apprehension she shows in my product.


Here is the feedback I received from an audience who viewed my final product:

1) Would you continue to watch the film after seeing this opening?
Yes: 100%
No: 0%

2) What Genre do you think it is?
Thriller: 90%
Horror: 10%
Romance: 0 %
Comedy: 0%

3) Was there anything that could be improved?
Sound: 40% - "The sound with the microphone is my only suggestion"
No Improvements needed: 60%




4) Who do you think the film should be targeted to? 

• "Either 12A or 15, and for both males and females."
• "Teens, probably about 16-20. Most likely females because of the main characters."
• "Probably 16-30 year olds, for both genders."
• "Teens both genders"
• "Teenagers, and younger adults of both genders"

5) What did you think of it?

• "All in all, I thought it was very good in the way that there were a variety of camera angles, allowing the people to come across well. Also, it was good by leaving it on a cliff hanger."
• "It's quite spooky."
• "Loved the voice over, the camera work was very professionally done and the black and white shots slotted in with the main shots made it very creepy."
• "Very good, I particularly liked where you changed location by going around her head"
• "Lots of suspense. I really wanted to watch more!"

Who would be the audience for your media product?

I researched the audiences of thriller films on the internet by looking at the BBFC ratings on http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ and I looked at the ratings of the of the 'TopRated Thriller Titles' on http://www.imdb.com/chart/thriller and found that the majority were either certifcate '15' or '18' therefore I decided to aim my product at teenagers and adults of both genders.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

During the opening of my final product my protagonist is unaware of her underlying mental illness. However, later in the plot she discovers that Schizophrenia is the cause of her hallucinations. Therefore to suggest the presence of the underlying mental illness I have added short, sharp inserts, which could be interpretted as mental the protagonist's mental images. I was inspired to do this after seeing the opening credits of Seven, in which the cuts are jerky and erratic because I think it indicates instability to the viewer.
There could be issues involving the representation of mental illness but other than a few hints, used to intrigue the viewer, I have not represented the social group stereotypically or offensively.

In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?

Prior to creating my final product I looked at the typical conventions of psychological thriller films. I particularly looked at these films:

 

I used the convention of the protagonist battling with a mental and emotional enemy rather than a physical one; which is evident in the film 'Fight Club'. I was inspired by this and decided to use it because it enabled me to experiment with supernatural elements, for example hallucinations.
I also used a voice-over, to help the audience feel a stronger connection to the protagonist by allowing them to hear her personal thoughts and feelings. Again, I decided to use this after watching 'Fight Club' because I felt that the audience could feel more empathy for the protagonist and have a deeper understanding of the workings of the mind, which links to the psychological aspects of my chosen genre. 

I also developed the use of the Enigma and Action codes, like the ones used in the opening of 'Silence of the Lambs' because I wanted the audience to be intrigued and want to find out more about Emma, the protagonist. For example, in 'Silence of the Lambs' the audience become aware of the setting through the costume used; as shown below "FBI" in bold letters is printed on a minor characters hat. Action Codes like this answer the questions posed by Enigma Codes.

 I developed this by using props that could provide clues about Emma's life that the audience are not initially aware of and to hold the audience's attention with Enigma codes by intriguing them and encouraging them to question elements of the text. For example I used props, such as the Birthday card from 'George' that should intrigue the audience and lead them to question who George is. Also, the welcoming letter is an action code that reveals to the audience that the protagonist is getting ready to start a new Sixth Form and the tablets taken by Emma could suggest an illness, however it should create suspense by leading the audience to question if it is a physical or mental illness.

Whilst researching the genre and watching many psychological thriller films I noticed the convention of tense, non-diagetic music throughout the opening sequences. I challenged the use of music in my opening sequence as I chose to just use a simple, repetitive voice-over as I thought that the silences in between the voice-clips created an eerie atmosphere and heightened the suspense.
I developed the use of the jerky imagery used in the title sequence of 'Seven". I thought that the erratic, fast paced clips added a mysterious quality to the opening sequence. Therefore, I decided to include inserts of the character Jane to suggest that she is mysterious, ambiguous character and to enhance the tension and suspense of the opening sequence.