Our Completed Thriller

Preliminary Exercise

Evaluation question 7

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





Since the creation of our preliminary task i have gained many valuable skills such as how to edit, produce and plan a film. For example we learnt how to keep continuity throughout our scenes. I have also learnt how to incorporate camera angles, lighting and sound together to create particular atmospheres,

During the creation of our preliminary task we were still rather new to using camera angles so we stuck to the basic shots such as the medium shot. Where as during the production of our thriller we were a lot more comfortable and managed to use an array of different camera angles such as a crane shot which we created by resting the tripod on a high branch of a tree. This shows progression as i am now able to use a large variety of camera angles.

                                 Preliminary                                             Thriller


Another skill we improved on as a group was our ability to edit, not only did we improve our continuity but we were also able to edit to match the scene; we used fast paced editing in the chase scene to show the speed of the chase.

I have also improved my script writing skills. During the preliminary task our script was very limited and not very well thought out which resulted in alot of time being wasted by attempting to improvise, where as in the Thriller our script was planned thoroughly and it also included stage directions. This helped me improve my planning skills and allowed us as a group to focus more on more important things such as editing.

Lastly i have also learned how to use sound effectively. In our preliminary task we only used digetic sound as we were still trying to understand the different types of sound and why they are used. In our thriller however, we managed to use both digetic, non digetic, on screen and off screen sound by using dialogue, music and sound effects.

Evaluation Question 6

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

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

evaluation question 3

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

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product predict represent particular social groups?

evaluation question 1

In What ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our thriller follows many of the typical conventions of a thriller. We used an array of techniques ti attract the attention of our audience. As a group we were particularly influenced by the film "Taken" as we found the way the kidnapping scene was executed was particularly interesting. As our thriller also involved a kidnapping scene we decided to incorporate bits from "Taken" such as the use of weapons. 

  

One typical convention we used in our thriller was a cliffhanger. The opening of our thriller ended with the protagonist being shot. Cliffhangers are widely used throughout the thriller genre as they are a way of creating suspense and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

We also made our antagonist appear more powerful as in thrillers the antagonist is typically the dominant one. We used this throughout both our chase scene and our hostage scene. During the chase scene our protagonist is running away from our antagonist. This shows us that the antagonist is more powerful and he is the one doing the chasing. This also suggests that the protagonist has reason to fear the antagonist as he is running away from him; suggesting that he is in danger. This created a number of enigmas such as  "why is the protagonist being chased?", "who is he?" and "who is chasing him". Our hostage scene also supports the antagonist being more powerful as he is the one being in control of the situation and the protagonist appears weak and fearful.

In our hostage scene the antagonist had all the power. Although our protagonist attempted to gain power his attempt was blighted and was met by a gunshot. This shows that our antagonist never really had a chance at regaining some power. Films such as Lord Of War use and The Matrix use similar interrogation scenes. In the Matrix, during the interrogation scene Agent Smith has complete control over mr Anderson. Anderson refuses to cooperate and is faced with the consequences. Smith and the other agents assert their dominance and show that they are in control of the situation.

Another convention of thrillers that we used is the protagonist being dragged into a situation against his will. This is shown in our hostage scene when our protagonist claims that it must be a case of mistaken identity. We also used a revenge fueled plot which is common amongst thrillers such as Taken. In Taken, Liam Neesan's daughter has been kidnapped and he sets off on a mission to find her and take revenge. This is similar to our thriller however it is reversed; our antagonist is the one who's actions are being fueled by revenge

Audience Feedback

Rough Cut

Studio Ident

Production Company

As a group we decided to call our production company "HamProductions".  We decided on this because James has a YouTube channel with that name and it is also original and catchy. We felt that this name would be an effective name for a production company as it is unique and it adds a quirky edge.

Before deciding on a particular style James experimented and showed us previous idents he had made on his channel.

 

Although these were of a particularly high standard we could not use them as they were way to long. Because of this we had to create a new one.

Sound Effects

Whilst editing our film we decided that we did not have to use many sound effects. This is because there is only a few points in our introduction that need sound effects for example we needed the sound of a gunshot. We could have used more however i believe that too many sound effects would over complicate our film and would not be necessary. To find our sound effects we used the website www.freesfx.co.uk/.

Update On Target Audience Research

On Thursday i decided to do more audience research. To do this i brought the camera with me to school and during my free periods i interviewed numerous amounts of people.
During these interviews i asked the following questions:

what is your favorite genre of film?
How often do you visit the cinema?
How do you usually watch films?
What story lines attract you to a film?
What do you think about having a narrative that centres around a kidnapping?

Filming Day 2

 Today we filmed the last scene to the opening of our thriller. We decided to film this scene in my shed as it is in an isolated area which enabled us to use fake weapons and the location looked like where someone would be held hostage. I feel that our second day of filming was effective as we managed to maintain continuity by making sure the costume was the same and we managed to fully complete all of our filming.

Survey

Today i created a survey using the website surveymonkey.com to collect target audience research.
Click here to take the survey

Music

When searching for some music for our thriller we used many websites such as: www.mobygratis.com/. However after searching for a long time it became apparent that the music we were looking for could not be found on theese sites. So as a last resort we used youtube. Whilst on youtube we found the perfect music for our thriller and it was uncopyrighted!

Our chosen music:



We decided on this instrumental as it has a dramatic effect and it builds suspense which makes it perfect for the chase scene in our thriller!

Vox Pops

The term "vox pops" is a shortened version of the latin word "vox populi" which translates to "voice of the people". In the media industry vox pops are spontaneous interviews with random members of the public and are used to show different opinions. Vox pops are often used by news broadcasters as they show a balance between opinions.

Our Target Audience

Our target audience is those of all demographics as films of an action/thriller genre are known to do well with all classes. We also feel that our film will probably be rated a 15 as it would contain an array of bad language and violence. Although we feel that our film will appeal to all genders our target audience is males between the age of 15 - 25 as we feel the fast pace action will appeal to them. 

Past Student Thriller Analysis

The  first past student thriller I have chosen to analyse is " The Catalyst". I think the ident is effective as it looks professional. I particularly like the use of colours; the colour of the font matches the colour of the sky. I also like the music used as it is a catchy recognizable tune, however to improve I would suggest that some form of animation is added to extend the duration. During the opening scene of this film we see a male using a knife to open a door. This intrigues the audience as it is quite obvious that he is breaking into the house. Once inside the house the unidentified character enters a bedroom and takes out a rifle which he uses to shoot someone. during the shooting I particularly liked the editing technique where the the audience could see through the characters eyes whilst he was aiming the gun.I also liked the match on action used at this point as the continuity is perfect. Another strength is the slow motion used after the shooting as it builds suspense and adds to the shock of the incident. However a weakness is that at around 2:19 there is what could be classed as a continuity mistake as we can clearly see buildings out of the window which he was shooting out. This is a mistake as when the audience see from the characters point of view the area is completely rural. Another thing that this group could of done to improve is include more fast paced editing during the part where the victims companion is running away. The continuity editing at 2:39 is also extremely impressive. .Another editing technique that was effective was the fade at the end of the intro. The fade introduced the title which I think was a clever way of bringing in the title. During this film non diegetic sound was used extensively and was the more dominant type of sound used. Although diegetic sound was used (for example the footsteps at 2:30) I feel that this intro would have been more effective if more was used. Overall I feel that this intro was filmed and edited to extremely high standards.




The second past student thriller i have chosen to analyse is "waking Up". Firstly i feel that their ident is good as they have used black and white only, which are contrasting colours. This not only makes "Tesseract Studios" stand out but it also creates a sleek professional look. The sudden sound that appears as the ident comes on is effective as it startles the audience into paying attention. I also really liked the animation used as having the company title come on the screen before the image and the rest of the text makes the company more memorable as its the first thing the audience see. The colour of the text used throughout the title sequence is white; this is effective as it is a light colour that does not distract the audiences attention to the extent in which they are no longer paying attention to what is happening. Throughout this opening a mixture of diegetic, non diegetic, off screen and on screen sound is used. For example the voice over is effective as it not only allows the audience to hear the characters thoughts but it also gives the audience some background information and some of the plot. The first couple of shots are effective as they establish the scene in which the first part of the opening is set. Fades are also used between each establishing shot. Another effective shot is the point of view shot at 0.25. This shot is effective as it allows us to see through the protagonists eyes. This shot quickly cuts into a shot of the protagonist running towards the camera then to a long shot. These shots are effective as the continuity is are perfect. The narrative itself is good as it is a fairly original idea. I particularly like the bit at the end where he is looking in the mirror and his alter ego appears. Overall I feel that this is an effective opening to a thriller.




The last past student thriller I have chosen to analyse is " The Routine". Firstly i feel that their ident is pretty poor as the animation and the image looks unprofessional. I also feel that the name of the production company is weak as it does not flow very well when said out loud which could make it unmemorable. Another downside about the ident is that their is no sound. I think sound is very important when it comes to idents as the sound becomes a trademark to that production company. However the actual title sequence itself is very effective as the white font stands out as it is brighter than the rest of the image. I also like the way in which the different titles were placed throughout the sequence; particularly the one against the slipper. This is a creative and inventive way of setting out titles. Another strength of this film is the sound. The film starts with diegetic sound;the alarm clock. This was a good way to start a film as it starts at the beginning of the day. The music used is good as it creates a cheerful atmosphere which tricks the audience into thinking nothing bad is going to happen. At 1:15 the music suddenly stops and the screen goes blank. The screen goes blank for around 3 seconds then the image returns however the music does not which could suggest there is a problem. After the blank screen we hear the alarm clock go off again however this time we are observing the protagonist waking up from a different point of view and it appears that the alarm clock has moved and so had one of his slippers. This causes the audience to start to question what is going on. Then when he is in the bathroom we see him cleaning his teeth from a different angle and from that angle we see his reflection in another mirror. We then see a person dressed completely in black walk past him. This startles the audience as they are sure something bad is about to happen but it doesn't. Eventually something bad happens and he gets knocked out. At 2:20 our protagonist wakes up but he's in a different location. The rolling shot used after this point is very effective as it shows the audience that he is laying on the floor. Overall I think the narrative was very creative and clever but the ident really let this opening down.

Script

Chase scene:

Studio indent

                  + Music starts up.
                     Music fades out
*Punch Sound effect*


Torture scene:

Matas: Oh, look who is waking up!

James: Where am I? Who the f*** are you?

Matas: I will be the one asking the questions today...

James: This has got to be a misunderstanding... I-.I don't know what you want with me.

Matas: Peter I know who you are... and what you have done.

Matas: Revenge is what I want Peter, and you know it.

*Gunshot*

*Music starts again as the murder walks away*

Font Analysis

We have decided that the font we will be using will be rather simple as complicated fonts (especially those in sans seriff) will distract the audience from what is happening throughout the title sequence. We have also decided that the font will be a bold black as it makes the text appear powerful but not too overpowering.

 

We are considering using the text "Boris Black Bloxx". as it is simple yet creates a good effect because of the boldness and intensity of the text.

What Is An Ident?

An ident is a logo/image that represents production company. Idents are alsways located at the very begining of the film and never vary from film to film; a production company always uses the same ident. The same ident is used as the audience recognize it as a trademark.

Examples of well known idents

Dreamworks

Walt Disney

Universal Studios

Paramount Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures

Metro Golydwyn Mayer

Spyglass Entertainment

Filming: Day 1

Today we traveled to Hainult Forest to film the first scene  To get there we took the number 150 bus. The Journey took approximately 50 minutes. On Friday we made sure to check the weather to make sure it would be suitable to film. Our first day of filming was very productive. We managed to film the whole of the first scene and an interesting intro. Overall our filming session went rather well however i am concerned that we didn't get enough footage as the weather conditions were not suitable for spending over 2 hours in. We managed to use a wide variety of  filming techniques and even invented our own. For example we decided to film a crane shot, but as we could not climb any of the trees we held the tripod high up and rested it on a branch.


 


 

             

Title Sequence Planning

1. HamProductions Presents

2. A Film By
3. Danny Boylan
4. Starring
5. Ellese Lee
6. James Gardiner
7. Matas Vireikis
8. Also Starring
9. Kamie Rose
10. Georgia Fortt
11. Ropafadzo Mugadza
12. Editing By
13. James Gardiner
14. Costume Design By
15. Ellese Lee
16. Music By
17. Matas Vireikis
18. Screenplay By
19. Danny Boylan
20. Producers
21. Matas Vireikis
22. Danny Boylan
23. A film by Danny Boylan
24. Directed By Danny Boylan
25 Title - Disappearance 

Social Demographic And Target Audience

Social-demographic

Social-demographic is a term used by the media industry used to categorize consumers by ‘social class’. Social-demographic is used by companies when deciding on the target social class to sell their product to.

 social-demographic refers to 6 classes by labeling them A-E. These are:

A - Upper middle class
B - Middle class
C1 - Lower middle class

C2 - Skilled working class
D - Working class
E - Those at the lowest level of subsistence

Target Audience
When creating a product for an audience to consume it is vital to consider the target audience especially when it comes to advertising.When deciding on a target audience the things that need to be considered are:
 1) gender                                          
2) social class
3) age
4) location

Age
age is particularly important when considering advertisement as younger people are more technological and frequently use social networking sites/ the internet. If a company is targeting young people they are more likely to advertise online using websites such as youtube, Facebook, twitter and tumblr. Older people are less likely to access social networking sites often and are more likely to see ads on TV, newspapers and the radio.

 

Another thing a production company has to think about is content of films. In the UK the British Board Of Film Classification decides on the age classification of films. This is an important thing to think about when considering target audience as if your target audience is for under 15's then language and violence would need to be carefully used as if to much violence/bad language is used then the film is at risk at being classified with a high rating than the target audience.

   

When classifying a film the BBFC have to consider theme, context, drugs, discrimination, imitable behavior, language, sex, nudity and violence.

Die Hard

In the late 1980s the first in the Die Hard series was created. However when the BBFC tried to classified the film they noticed a number of potential classification issues. Sex, nudity, drug use and violence all appeared throughout the film.Although the sex and nudity featured in this film was limited and was containable at certificate 15 in 1988 the violence was considered as being to extreme to be rated 15.

20 years later, in 2008 the film was re examined by the BBFC and was rated a 15 as the guidelines had changed drastically.

Animatic/StoryBoard