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.

My Final Product

Distributors

These are my ideas for a name and logo:

I began by translating words related to the Thriller theme into various languages, like death, prisoner and the mind, because I wanted the name to be ambiguous and perhaps not obvious at first glance, as this is the case for many Thriller plots. Eventually I came to the conclusion that 'Insomnium Productions' would be appropriate as it fits in with the genre of my film and is unique.

For the logo, I wanted a mysterious image that linked to the name. I started off by trying to out the title in the skull area of a simple outline of a human head as I thought that the link with the mind would fit in with the Thriller genre. However, I then started to draw human faces and I eventually created a dark, tired, face and put the title down the side of the face to keep it neat and simple, yet the face gives it a creepy, mysterious edge.

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

I researched lots of different distribution companies and tried to find any that specifically distributed thriller films and also I looked at companies that distribute Independent, unique films.
I found the company 'De Laurentiis Entertainment Group' which has distributed independent thriller films, for example 'Blue Velvet' and I think this kind of company would be ideal for the distribution of my product.
Also, the company 'Optimum Releasing' would be ideal as it has distributed other independent thrillers such as; 'Dead Man's Shoes' and their image is that of a modern, independent new release distributor, and I believe that my film would fit the bill.
By taking inspiration from these distributors I created my own; 'Insomnium Productions'. I thought that the name fitted into the 'Psychological' style of my product. 

Sound.

I have been experimenting with different uses of sound in my product.
Initially I thought that a voice over would be most effective because then the audience would feel a strong connection with Emma, the protagonist. Also, a convention of a psychological thriller is the focus on the human mind and I think that a voice-over could give the audience a deeper insight into the protagonist's minds.
I have also tried different pieces of music in the background by creating music with suspense and emotion on a programme called 'GarageBand'.
I have also tried using this piano cover of Ellie Goulding's version of 'Your Song', originally by Elton John:

However, I think that the simple voice-over was the most effective as the silences inbetween gave the opening an eerie tone, which emphasizes the thriller genre.

More clips..

These unedited clips include me practicing the tracking shot around the back of the actresses head. It was difficult to do it effectively without catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror but eventually I managed to get the shot I wanted.

Raw Clips from filming

These are some of the raw, unedited clips from filming. 

Props;

I have had to create two props for my opening scene:

• A letter from 'Southgate Sixthform'.

• A birthday card from Emma's old "best friend" George, which will later be revealed to have been written by Emma's mother. The card is ripped up to intrigue the audience, they can question why it has been torn and ripped in two.

The Settings.

My opening scene will take place in:

• Emma's bedroom
• Her bathroom
• Hallway of her house
• Dining room
• The roads she walk on the way to Sixth Form
• The Heath she walks through

Here are some pictures of the Settings:

I placed some of my old things in the room that I used to have as a child. Again, I did this to emphasize her naïvety and child like life. For example, I placed the toy horse next to the mirror, as seen in the picture above. Also, I placed this poster (picture below) as it is child-like and fits in with Emma's social problems and also contains significance in that she cannot get rid of Jane, she seems to want to prove that "A Friend is Forever". Also, I have a couple of mirrors in my bedroom and I am going to experiment with possibly inserting a few subtle reflections of Jane in the background of a few shots to enhance the sense of a supernatural force hidden behind the ordinary exterior.

My Storyboard:

Overview of my opening sequence;

I want the following sequence of events to happen in the opening of my film:

• Emma, nervously, getting ready for her first day at her new Sixth Form.
• Emma's mother giving her her medication- Emma believing they are for her "weak immune system" when in fact they are to stop her hallucinations.
• Emma looking at a birthday card sent to her by her old (imaginary) best friend George. It will be later revealed in the plot that she unknowingly wrote it herself.
• Emma seeing Jane for the first time.

My plan is for these events to intrigue the audience and build a foundation so that throughout the plot secrets of her medication, her old best-friend and new best-friend can be revealed to the audience.

Meeting the Audience's Expectations.

A few months ago I conducted a survey to find out what the target audience expects from a thriller.
To see the results please click here.

My protagonist is female, as suggested by the audience.
Also, I learnt from my survey that the audience expect an unhappy, cliff-hanger ending and the ending to my plot is a cliff hanger (as it is unclear whether Emma has truly let go of Jane) and it is unhappy in the fact that Emma has lost two of the closest, and only, friends she's ever had.
The plot includes many Red Herrings, which are the clues to George's and Jane's real existence that prove to be false.
Death plays a part in the film in that Emma takes an overdose after she believes she has murdered Jane- this affects the protagonists mental state greatly.

Character Functions;

In my opening two minutes I want the audience to feel a connection with the main character Emma and I want to make some of her personality traits very apparent:-

• Outcast- Has been treated badly by people in the past.
• Shy- as a result of being bullied previously.
• Does not have any strong relationships, not even with her mother.

Character Functions

Heroine- Emma

Donor/Helper- Psychiatrists (give Emma advice to be rid of Jane)

Object of the Quest- The boy Emma likes but is rejected by, and to be wholly accepted by people.

Blocker- Jane

The Narrative Structure of my chosen idea;

As in most thriller films, my plot revolves around the single protagonist Emma and her own personal battle she has to fight on her own. The battle is a psychological one against Jane, a seemingly unbeatable opponent who plays with Emma's thoughts and mind. Also, Emma has a 'back-story' which is revealed in parts throughout the text to deepen the psychological aspect of the story and the reader shall be able to understand Emma more specifically and see how her previous experiences have shaped her perceptions on life. The solution of the problem never becomes fully clear, as we have a cliff-hanger ending in that we never discover if Emma is ever truly rid of Jane.

To also fit in with the thriller genre, I want this text to be a first person narrative. Therefore, the audience can develop a relationship with Emma and fully understand the workings of her mind. I could achieve this with using voice-overs, like in 'Fight Club' so the audience are always aware of the protagonists thoughts, feelings and perspective on the situation she faces.

Synopsis for Film Idea 3.

A young girl, Emma, starts a new life at a new school where no-one knows anything about her. Exceeding the expectations of her parents, she quickly makes friends with Jane; a girl in her year at school.
However, the secrets of Emma's past soon come to light and we discover that a number of the people she has held close to her are purely figments of her imagination, including Jane. Battling through her mental health issues means battling with her own mind, but Jane puts up a strong fight and is determined to stay with Emma forever.

My chosen idea;

I asked a range of people which of my film ideas they liked best and here are the results;

The majority of the people I asked chose Idea 3.
Personally, Idea 3 was my favourite Idea as I believe it contains many interesting elements and themes of the thriller genre i.e. mental health issues, murder, mystery, suspense, red herrings and a cliff hanger ending.
Therefore I shall choose this idea for my opening scene.

Film Idea (4)

• A girl and her twin brother do everything together and have no other friends.
• The twin girl begins to make friends with other girls at school and her brother becomes jealous.
• The girls she becomes friends with are each mysteriously murdered one-by-one and the girl fears that she will be next. The girl is mentally affected by the deaths and has flashbacks of her past as as a little girl when she pushed her childhood friend in a lake when playing and she drowned. She was treated horribly by people who judged her as a "devil child", which lead to a very insecure upbringing and having to move towns every time a resident found out about the death.
• The boy becomes increasingly protective over his sister and she begins to suspect him to have committed the murders. Though she keeps her suspicions to herself as she believes he would never do such a thing.
• One day the twin sister finds a knife in the bedroom she shares with her brother but still she protects him and he tells her to never tell anyone about what he has done because he knows a secret about her that no-one else in the town knows; the murder at the lake.
• However, one day the girl decides to tell her mother about her suspicions of her brother. The mother becomes very distraught and tells her they will deal with it the next day.
• The following day, the girl is woken up in a hospital and a doctor explains how they had to perform tests on her. They discover that her mental health had deteriorated over time and she was having frequent hallucinations. The girl is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, one day the girl asks why her brother hasn't visited and her mother explains to her that she had no twin brother, he was just a figment of her imagination that she conjured up after her distress of the treatment she received after killing her friend. She asks if she will ever leave the hospital and her mother tells her that she cannot, as she has murdered, and not just murdered the little girl at the lake, but she murdered  her friends too.

Film Idea (3)

• A shy girl, Emma, moves to a new school and meets a new confident friend Jane, on the first day.
• They spend a lot of time together and the two girls become inseparable.
• We see that Emma takes tablets, which the audience will believe are for her immune system.
• We do not see anyone else speak to the two girls except Emma's family, who do not share any screen-time with Jane. They are pleased that Emma has made a new friend.
• Everyone else at the school seems to avoid the two girls and we see them look oddly at them and make cruel remarks occasionally like; "Freak", "Weirdo" etc. At this point the audience will believe that it's because she is a new student they are treating her differently. Jane tells Emma to block out and ignore everyone else as she doesn't need anyone except her.
• One day, Emma tries to speak to a boy she has a crush on but he completely rejects her and says; "I can't be seen talking to a person like you."
• Later, Emma becomes upset as she doesn't understand why people are acting so cold towards her, Jane fuels her anger by taunting her and telling her that people hate her.
• Emma goes out for a drive, and suddenly Jane appears in the car beside her, Emma does not seem at all phased by Jane's sudden appearance. Jane continues to taunt Emma, saying cruel things about her being a freak and pathetic for having imaginary friends at 17 and she talks about her old imaginary friend James. Emma has flashbacks of being cruelly treated and stops the car and tries to run away from Jane, she pulls out a knife she was going to use to kill herself but instead she brutally murders Jane.Quickly driving away she drives to a far away lay-by takes a handful of pills and cries herself to sleep.
• The next morning she wakes up in hospital bed and her doctor tells her that she was found shortly after taking the overdose and needs to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She sees Jane standing behind the doctor, not a scratch on her. She nods but doesn't speak.
• The doctors try to treat her and tell her that she needs to block out the imaginary people and one day they ask her if the new tablets are working and she says she only sees Jane in her nightmares. She is admitted from hospital and we see her taking a walk in the same place she met Jane. As Emma walks we see Jane standing behind her staring and as she takes a step Emma gasps and looks up.

Film Idea (2)

• A young girl Emma, living with her parents, appears to lead a normal life but has recurring dreams every night about her sister's death.
• Her mother has suffered serious depression since the incident and takes tablets to control it.
• As we get to know Emma better, the audience learns through the protagonists conversations with others that she witnessed her sister's murder at a very young age and the murderer was never identified. Her parents are very over protective of her and her father insists she carries a small knife around with her for protection.
• The audience will see clips of a man stalking the young girl and taking photographs of her. His identity remains unclear.
• Emma unknowingly stumbles across the scene of the murder one day and she has a flashback similar to the nightmares she has but more intensified and realistic.
• Her health deteriorates as she has insomnia due to the fear of the nightmares.
• One day her parents have a huge argument in the middle of the night and Emma walks out of the house, a man from a few houses down offers her to stay round his for a few hours until the argument stops, she says no but he grabs her and covers her mouth and takes her into his house. He sits her on a chair in the middle of a room covered in pictures of her that he had taken and newspaper clips about the murders. However she notices that everything is covered in petrol. She can see the place of the murder from a window and has a flashback of this man murdering her sister. He says that he was aware it was only a matter of time before she discovered it was him through her flashbacks and therefore he needs to ensure that everyone else will remain unaware of the truth. He gets some rope and advances towards her but she pulls out the small knife her father gave her and stabs him in the leg, quickly running from the house.
• As she reaches her house her parents are gone and she realises they are out looking for her. She desperately runs around trying to look for them and then she notices the smell of burning, neighbours start to emerge from their houses and the murderers house is engulfed in flames. She notices a crowd of people gathered around the murderer and an ambulance and police arrive. People notice Emma and accuse her of doing this, she is arrested.
• She is accused of attacking the man and setting his house on fire with the intention of locking him inside. The evidence is against her as they describe her as "disturbed" from her past experiences.
• She is admitted to a secure, mental institution and becomes more disturbed as she has time to think. The flashback of her sister just continues to circle her head and the image of the murderer is clearer than ever.

Film Idea (1)

The protagonist will be female, as more people voted for a female protagonist in the questionnaire.

• The teenage, female protagonist moves to a new house with her older sister. We discover early on that she has a history of mental health, yet her past shall remain ambiguous to intrigue the audience.
• The girl is attacked near her house and begins to have traumatic nightmares of murders.
• As she begins to get to know people in the new area, they start to feature in her dreams. The people in the area are very close and they make her feel like an outsider.
• A girl she has met, and has been in the nightmare, goes missing.
• She ventures to the place the girl was murdered in her nightmare and finds the dead body and weapon.
• Residents become suspicious of her knowledge.
• She begins to predict the murders and as she does so residents suspicions grow.
• Her sister has a new boyfriend and the girls nightmares start to appear at any moment and include the boyfriend as the murderer, she believes he will try to murder her and her sister, yet no-one believes her.
• The girl comes home one night to find her carer and the boyfriend tied to chairs. A masked man suddenly appears at the scene and mentally torments her about her past. We find out that she had a violent past, in which she saw her mother kill her father.
• The murderer is out to seek revenge for his daughter's death, who died in the killings and plants ideas into her head that she murdered his daughter and all of the other people in the area. She has images of committing the crimes and we begin to question if she actually did or did not do them.
•  He threatens that if she owns up to the crime, he will spare their lives but if she refuses he will murder them and create the scene to look like she murdered the family and he will provide a witness testimony.
• She refuses and he shoots the boyfriend, he gives her a final chance to spare her sister's life, and suddenly the police surround the area. Despite the fact that the man obviously has killed someone, the police arrest the girl as they feel she is a threat to the community and the man was not in his right state of mine. The corrupt police take the girl away and we see them burying two bodies in a field. They killed her sister too, so she couldn't protest.

This idea contains themes that run throughout many thrillers; death, murder, crime, supernatural.

Music and Sound effects in a title sequence; "Jaws"

 In the lesson we were shown the opening scene of "Jaws" because the music and sound effects play a big part in creating a certain chilling and tense atmosphere throughout the sequence.

Even beofre the visulas begin, a low water-like sound is played, which immediately creates a dark and eerie atmosphere. Gradually more sounds are overlapped and built on top of the original sound, which builds tension and suspense. The visuals onscreen show an underwater shot of dark murky waters and I think it could present a P.O.V. shot from the shark's perspective. I think the layers of music could symbolize a shark approaching it's prey.

We are also introduced to the classic, well-known piece of music associated with "Jaws". We hear the sound of a horn, which sounds very familiar to a hunting horn, also we hear a sound similar to a sonar. These sounds are both assosiated with with hunting and therefore creates a deathly atmosphere. The music has a serious tone as it is made up of orchestral instruments.

However this non-diagetic sound changes to diagetic as the sequence cuts to the next scene. The tone and atmosphere changes greatly to a calmer, more relaxed scene in which we hear gentle voices and we hear and see people playing informal instruments such as guitars and harmonicas. This contrasting tension and serentity fluctuate to keep the audience interested and on the edges of their seats.