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.