Evaluation - 7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The purpose of the preliminary task is making sure that you can feel comfortable with the filming and editing resources before actually filming the final media product. I was able to explore and gain experience with the resources by creating a short sequence using my group members. This helped with being able to get the gist of filming and how different shots could link together, what works and what doesn't, how to make a sequence flow well and finally, how to edit in a way that looks impressive and professional. 

Looking back at the preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt a few things in the progression to creating the final product. For example, in the preliminary task we used iconography - a phone. The phone was ringing over two different shots, so to make this flow well I had to make sure that the sound of the ringtone linked to the next shot in time, and to ensure that there was no jolt or pause - which would make the sequence appear unprofessional. Knowing that a phone ringing would be included in the final sequence meant that I was able to practice this timing technique to help with the final product. Having this practice has made a smooth transition evident in the final media product and so the clips flow correctly. Most of the preliminary task was out of focus which I did not realise until I had looked over the shots after filming. This taught me to make sure that the camera is in focus before filming as it can give an unprofessional vibe and a lack of strength in the shots, therefore, for the final media product I was extra cautious of this fault. To prevent the shots of the final sequence being out of focus, we used the technique of placing a blank piece of paper in-front of the lens before filming each shot to ensure that the camera focused. An over-the-shoulder shot was used in the preliminary task by adjusting the tripod to a heigh suitable and positioning it in the appropriate place so that one character's shoulder was in shot but also what is in front of them. Because this type of shot was used in the final thriller sequence, it was easy to be done as it had been done before. From the skills developed to carry out this shot successfully from the experience of the preliminary task, it allowed this shot in the final sequence to be captured successfully and is present when Chloe discovers the picture of herself pinned to a tree.

Overall, I learnt that editing was the most time consuming, but also one of the most important parts in the process of creating a successful production. In the preliminary task, because it was literally thought of 'on the spot', what was filmed was only what was needed to be and so only a few shots made up the content of the preliminary task. Therefore, there was no need to re-film any parts because it didn't need to perfect and there wasn't many shots to capture. However, in the final media product I found that when it came to editing there were no clear transitions between particular shots, causing some parts to not flow and consequently not make sense. This meant that some shots had to be re-filmed and different shots had to be cut. For example, there were many shots captured of Chloe running in the forest, however, not any shots suggesting why she started to run. Therefore, a shot was re-filmed so that there was a long shot of the antagonist and a close up/reaction shot of Chloe's face before she starts to run. This meant that the narrative flowed better and the audience would understand the scene more easily. The preliminary task also helped develop skills in using the editing software of 'Final Cut Pro X', this allowed me the chance to explore the different features and effects on offer and how each part within the software could alter the clips imported. From exploring the software in the preliminary task, I was able to find how to add effects, transitions, texts, credits and sound. This definitely helped when editing the final product as it saved time from the familiarity I already had with the software from the previous exploration of it. 

Our preliminary task was actually quite good considering the time that was given to complete it and the lack of knowledge of certain equipment and software before starting it. Making a progression from it was quite hard as the clips flowed well with a sequence that resulted in an understanding, short narrative - which was the aim. However, evidently, the preliminary task did really help in the editing especially but also with understanding the equipment and what my group needed to do to ensure that filming was done smoothly and in a time efficient way.

Evaluation - 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Evaluation - 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation - 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation - 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation - 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents particular social groups as the main character, (the victim) Chloe is very relatable to the target audience. She is around the same age as the target audience as she is a student who is very naive. For example, she is naive in the way that she discovers the photo of herself and doesn't really think much of it. She screws up the photo and carries on her journey home through the forest. The way she just disregards her findings displays that she is not aware of the consequences that may follow and the dangers that she is in fact in. She is also seen as weak and fearful as when she sees the antagonist, she begins to run but pauses as she feels faint. This shows a lack of strength in her to carry on and means that she is perfect for the victim as you feel that she is more likely to suffer. Situations such as the narrative of my opening sequence are commonly found in the news and so young people (our target audience) will feel empathetic and worried for the victim in question. This is because they can relate to them as they could only imagine what they would do in their situation and because of this they feel scared for their own life and others lives that could potentially be in Chloe's situation. Chloe was included in my thriller as she is a female which makes her a conventional victim, she is weak which makes the audience feel more sympathetic towards her and she is a student so, the target audience being the same age makes her more relatable and the actions that fall upon her, more impactive on the audience. Because of her weak and naive traits, she represents her gender in a stereotypical way. This is because women are expected to be vulnerable and less dominant than men. The antagonist is male and is dominating over her due to the power her as over her and therefore, this supports dominant ideology. 

The antagonist in my thriller is named Marius and he is a male dressed in black. He is represented as dangerous and harmful from the connotations that his black clothing suggests. The way he uses violent iconography to attempt to attack his victim shows that he is threatening and fearless. Using a knife is more personal than a gun so shows him as more dauntless. This also supports his gender as men are seen as strong and dominant over women. The fact that the female victim is scared and fearful of him makes him have a higher hierarchy than her. This supports dominant ideology and appeals to the target audience as the appearance of this antagonist is what the target audience would know to be weary and fearful of. Therefore, feel like when they are present in the scene that they are at a threat and feel a sense of foreboding.

Evaluation - Introduction & 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The brief was to create a two minute opening sequence for a thriller film. To ensure success, the sequence had to be conventional to the thriller genre and satisfy the target audience. My media product is named 'Injurious' which means 'to cause harm' and this was chosen for the title as it matched my opening sequence's narrative and also it is a convention of the thriller genre as causing 'harm' is a negative causation and can be expressed in many different haunting ways.

My group consisted of three members: Alfie Harris, Danny Wheeler and myself. There are many roles in production when creating a media product. We all had different roles allocated on the basis of our strengths and weaknesses. Alfie had a number of various roles, these were: Producer, Actor, Director of Photography and MES (mise-en-scene) Coordinator. As Producer, his role was being responsible for the managerial aspects of the sequence, helping to supply the film with what it may need, like the setting for example. He featured in the sequence as the antagonist and so was casted the role of an actor. As he (and Danny) filmed the whole sequence, their allocated role was Director's of Photography. Alfie was also MES Coordinator where he made sure that the costume, iconography, lighting, positioning of characters, setting and facial expressions of characters were all appropriate and match what we planned and intended. Danny also had numerous roles within the creating of our sequence, these were: Director, Director of Photography and Screenplay Writer. Danny's role of Director meant that he controlled the film's dramatic aspects and guided other roles of production into carrying out their role in a way that would help benefit the sequence. As Director of Photography (along with Alfie) he helped film the sequence, creating the effective shots that we intended to capture. Danny also held the role as Screenplay Writer, as he wrote the script for all the dialogue in the scene, along with stage directions, etc. I was also allocated a number of roles: Music Producer, Editor and Actor. As Music Producer, I chose the soundtrack and sound effects that were included in the sequence, also attempting to stick to the conventionality of the thriller genre. My job as the Editor role, was to edit the sequence, including the different editing styles we wanted to use, filters  and flashbacks for example. From the roles I was given, I have learnt that organisation is key and without organisation a task will not flow properly. I have also learnt allocating roles fairly allows the best possible effort to be inputted into them. This therefore helps for the sequence to be the best it can possibly be. As a group I believe that our group worked well as we cooperated well and exchanged ideas in a fair manner.

I think that we have created a successful thriller opening sequence as we have followed the criteria for a conventional thriller. For example, we have created suspense throughout by using a tense and eerie atmospheric soundtrack along with additional scary sound effects for example when the antagonist is first shown on screen. This use of soundtrack creates a sense of enigma and compliments the events/actions that are taking place in each scene. We also have a young, female victim and a male antagonist. Having this is a typical convention of the thriller genre as young females are seen to be more vulnerable and weak than a male victim would be, this is why it is also conventional to have a male antagonist as they are seen as stronger and more dominant. Our setting was also conventional to the thriller genre - in a forest. This is a trapping, isolated setting with a lack of consistent exits for the victim to make an escape. Violent iconography is also used in our sequence which is a convention of a thriller - a knife. This is used by the antagonist in attempt to kill the victim, (the sequence ends at a point that you are unaware if the victim will escape of not). Having a knife used by the antagonist makes a more personal and brutal murder. By including the thriller genre conventions in our sequence, we also created suspense, surprise and shock - 3 main elements to a successful thriller. Therefore, this makes our thriller a successful one as we have followed the specific criteria for a successful thriller.

Thriller conventions are elements such as low-key lighting, eerie sound effects/soundtrack, a female victim and violent iconography. To stick to the conventionality of the thriller genre, I tried to follow these generic thriller conventions as best as possible. Low-key lighting is used in my sequence throughout, through the use of a dim filter ('Cool Tones' on Final Cut Pro, to be specific) which also puts a down and tense atmosphere on the sequence. I have included eerie sound effects such as in the scene near the beginning where Chloe is looking at the photo of herself in which she has discovered. She is holding the photo in her hands, looking confused and as she screws it up and walks away, the antagonist is shown behind her with a knife in his hand - she is unaware of this. To emphasise his presence, a non-diegetic crescendoed screech is sounded as the antagonist lifts their head up looking straight at the camera to make the moment more intense and personal to the audience. Along with this sound, a heartbeat is also heard in this scene when Chloe is looking at the picture. The heartbeat is used to demonstrate the victim's panic and to create a more empathetic effect towards the victim. This, therefore, strengthens the conventionality to the thriller genre. A female victim is also evident in my sequence through the use of the character of Chloe. This is conventional as women tend to be placed as the victim character as they are seen to be more vulnerable and weak, therefore, more likely to suffer. Furthermore, violent iconography is used in my sequence - a knife. It is used in a couple of shots for example, one being at the end of the sequence where it is a point of view shot from the antagonist's perspective. The antagonist is running after the victim and the knife is shown evidently in the left hand side of the shot. Using the knife as violent iconography shows that the killer is not afraid to commit a brutal murder. For example, if a gun were to be used, it would show that the killer is not as fearless as he may make out to be as using a gun allows you to kill someone from a distance. This makes the murder not as up close and personal and consequently, not as effective and intense. This is why a knife is more conventional to the thriller genre for the antagonist to use. 

Current thriller films already include these elements. For example, 'The Strangers' uses low-key lighting when the killer knocks at the door near the beginning of the film, to hide the identity of the killer. Eerie sound effects layered on top of each other is also used in the film when the characters are panicking and fretting about their safety. One of these sounds had a hidden and discreet message of 'I'm going to get you' and along with the other unknown sounds this build up creates a thicker texture and increased tension. My sequence shows inspiration from this as we create a thick texture of sound at the end where the antagonist is running after the victim with a knife. I chose to use rising sounds and long drones to layer this build up in order to create a more impactive climax and I liked the effect it created in 'The Strangers'. 

Thrillers need to be able to create suspense, surprise and shock in order to be successful and staying conventional to the thriller genre. I believe that my sequence has done this as, overall, my thriller sequence follows the generic conventions as every one is evident in the sequence at some point as explained and demonstrated previously above. My sequence defines the thriller genre also through the use of micro-elements that demonstrate codes and conventions within them. 

Editing is used conventionally as, to help illustrate the fact that a flashback occurs when Chloe see's the antagonist for the second time, a black and white filter is used over the clips to show this flashback. Using black and white not only demonstrates the use of flashback but because of the lack of colour the filter illustrates, it creates a down and tense atmosphere on the scene as well as a negative feel. Moreover, the clips are juxtaposed together quickly consequently creating a montage as the content of the flashback. The fast pace nature of the clips followed one after another compliment the rising screech played in the background as both work together to create a build up of tension and suspenseful atmosphere. Flashes are also used as part of editing in the flashback as it creates a break between the clips and more of an impactive effect as, they create the literal feeling of a flashback, for, they are flashes themselves. The use of a flashback through editing is conventional to the thriller genre, as commonly, flashbacks are used to help the audience realise that events that have occurred in previous scenes prior to the flashback, actually had a meaning. This means the audience are able to witness why the particular clips in the flashback were evident and it helps make sense of the narrative. 

Another micro-element, cinematography, is used conventionally within my sequence through the use of two particular shots - point of view and high angle. Point of view shots are used as the perspective of the antagonist. One is evident when Chloe is progressing through the forest and a shot from behind branches insinuates that someone is watching her. Audiences have to assume it is the person they saw at the beginning of the sequence. However, because you cannot see the person who's perspective this show demonstrates, audiences cannot be 100% sure and so this creates a suspenseful atmosphere. As well as this, a point of view shot from the perspective of the antagonist is used when the victim is being chased and so a jerky, point of view shot creates a tense and empathetic effect as the audience feels that they are the antagonist and are suspenseful as to whether they are going to reach the victim. Again, the antagonist's identity is not actually shown through this shot so the audience do not know whether the person at the beginning shown is who this perspective is of. The use of this shot is conventional to the thriller genre as it allows the audience to feel empathetic towards certain characters and therefore, build a relationship with particular characters. Just after Chloe has seen the antagonist for the first time, she begins to feel weary and so turns in the opposite direction and begins to walk in a fast faced motion/lightly jog. To demonstrate this, mid shots and panning shots are used but also the use of a high angle shot of Chloe running past. This shot is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps demonstrate the lack of dominance that the victim owns and that through the use of a high angle shot shows the victim to appear smaller and therefore more vulnerable and weak. 

Mise-en-scene is a further micro-element that is used conventionally throughout my sequence. For example through the use of facial expressions. Demonstrated through the use of a mid shot, the facial expression of Chloe when she has seen the photo of herself pinned to the tree is confused and worried. She also appears anxious and it clearly represents how she is feeling about her unexpected discovery. This is conventional to the thriller genre as, in thrillers, the character's emotions have to be demonstrated in a way that the audience can see so that they can build a relationship between them. Most victims are put in a worrying or anxious situation and so Chloe's expression is conventional to the thriller genre as she is the victim played in 'Injurious'. The use of costume as part of mise-en-scene also supports the conventionality to the thriller genre. The antagonist wears all black with connotes death and danger. Because the antagonist is seen as a threatening and negative influence on the scene, having them dressed in black helps to push this message across and so makes the audience weary of this character as it creates a sense of foreboding.

Sound is a micro-element used that helps support the conventionality to the thriller genre through the use of sound effects and dialogue. The use of a high pitched, crescendoed, rising screech when the antagonist appears at the beginning is conventional as it is a piercing sound that is uncomfortable to listen to. This creates a discomfort feel to the scene and so this is reflected onto the feel in which it gives the audience. This is conventional as having eerie, uncomfortable sound effects creates a tense atmosphere which is what you want to create in a thriller as consequently suspense, surprise and shock is also created. In dialogue, a reaction shot of Chloe when face to face with the antagonist shows her screaming as a reaction. Having screaming from the victim is conventional to the thriller genre as it portrays the distressed emotions in which the victim is going through and creates shock and surprise for the audience as they are not expecting it.

'Saw 4' is a thriller in which is both similar and different to my sequence in many ways. Focussing on part (6/10) in 'Saw 4', I have found that there has been a filter used to emphasise the unnatural situation in the narrative that this character is put in when Jigsaw (the antagonist) proposes a task to the character. Likewise, in my sequence a filter is used however, my filter is black and white whereas the one in 'Saw 4' is odd in the way that it looks like an x-ray scan. Mine is used to show a flashback whereas, 'Saw 4' uses it to display the unusual situation in which it's character is put in. Both ways even though use a filter differently, create tension and therefore, keep to the conventionality of the thriller genre. At the start of that scene the character is seen walking up to a door with a key in his hand and unlocking the door to seek his fate in the hands of Jigsaw. Throughout this, there is low-key lighting used which creates a gloomy and enigmatic atmosphere, creating a sense of foreboding for the audience. They associate the darkness with a lack of hope and so, feel sympathetic towards the character as they can infer that something bad is going to happen to them. The low-key lighting in 'Saw 4' is not edited in which makes it different in the way it is created in 'Injurious'. In 'Saw 4', as the low-key lighting is used inside, it's easier to create as it's easier to block out any possible natural light that may be invading the shot. The low-key lighting throughout my sequence however, is created superficially through the use of a dim filter through editing. Both create a dark and eerie atmosphere and therefore stay conventional to the thriller genre. Even the title of both films are conventional to the thriller genre as they are short and have a hidden meaning. 'Saw' is short and impactive, consequently making it more effective and it relates to a use of violent iconography (a saw) so gives an insight to the film that it may be violent or risky. 'Injurious' is also short and impactive but is also unique as it is not a word that people may be aware of in reference to its meaning. It means to harm or cause harm and so allows the audience to infer that there will be harm or evil caused throughout the film.

Final Group Thriller

West Hatch High School : 16807

Amy Sowerby : 9367

Alfie Harris : 9336

Danny Wheeler : 9380

Rough Cut - Miss Georgiou

Rough Cut

To any production, audience feedback is important. This is because it allows any strengths and weaknesses to be identified, allowing for acknowledgement as to what needs to be altered to improve the production. Having an audience's view and opinion of the production allows for the makers to improve on making the production more appealing to the target audience and therefore, creating a more successful product. Audience feedback not only outlines the faults in the production, but also the strengths. Knowing the difference between the two helps the makers in knowing what is good to keep in the production and what would need to be improved on. So generally, audience feedback helps the makers of a production know what to improve and allows them to think of the different ways in which they could improve the weaknesses especially from the constructive feedback.

We received audience feedback from our target audience from a screening of our production in class where the age range was our target audience. Having our target audience view our film and share their opinion with us allowed us to have a higher level of confidence in knowing the feedback in which we would get would be relevant, representative and valid. Furthermore, this feedback would ensure that we would be meeting the needs of our target audience once taking the comments on board and acting on them. Direct feedback from this specific age range gives us a great opportunity to act on what they particularly want to see in and from the sequence we have created. Moreover, it also makes sure that we are monitoring response in a way that we are able to witness reactions and feelings towards the sequence. For example, from just getting comments through a cyber experience, it restricts us seeing the reactions the audience may have to our sequence. From us being able to see the reactions, we are able to analyse where certain reactions occur, when certain reactions should occur and what reactions we want to occur. 

This feedback benefits not only our production, but also the film industry. Our production is benefitted from the direct reference to our specific sequence, feedback points out the particular parts of our sequence that stood out - whether that be in a good or bad way. This then allows us to improve our production and therefore we benefit as our sequence is then more successful and conventional to the thriller genre as well as being appropriate for our target audience. The film industry benefits because the feedback provides further research into how this target audience feels about a opening thriller sequence and what they would like for it to include. This helps the film industry, especially thriller films in the industry as they are able to use the research to reach the expectations of the feedback to ensure that the film is achieving the goals that are set for it to achieve - for example, staying conventional to the thriller genre and being appealing to the target audience. Other genres also benefit as the feedback from a thriller sequence shows what they expect from a thriller and so makes the makers of the other film genres to ensure that their genre consists of conventions that are not thriller ones. This benefits them as their criteria for their particular genre is heightened from the definite conventions that are included in that criteria that will not be the same as the conventions of a thriller. Overall, both benefit as it improves the knowledge and research into what the target audience expect from thrillers and what can be improved to make the film more impactive and appealing to the target audience.

Positive comments really help when receiving feedback as they outline the elements that stand out for being good and we managed to retrieve some from our viewing. One for example was 'the use of a dim filter makes the atmosphere more tense and also is conventional to the thriller genre'. As a group, we were happy with this comment as this is what we were intending to create for our sequence - a tense and eerie atmosphere that leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. Knowing that this has been created through the use of dimming the lighting down using a filter we have applied, is a satisfying element that we know not to change as it is doing it's allocated job. As well as the fact that from this comment, we know that we are sticking to the conventionality of the thriller genre, which is part of our aim. Another positive comment from our feedback was, 'I like the way that you have included different types of shots, it keeps it interesting'. We decided to include a variation of cinematography to make our scenes not appear repetitive and boring, so knowing that our audience finds our use of shots 'interesting' is a satisfying thought. Some shots took more effort than others for example, the high angle shot was filmed by holding the very end of the tripod at a height and on a tilt so that it could be filmed precisely and at the angle we wanted, so it is good to know that the audience have appreciated this effort. A further positive comment was 'The credits are good how they appear on screen over the shots and don't manage to restrict any view of the focus of the shot'. When creating our opening credits we tried to ensure that whereabouts we included them, they wouldn't block out any of importance in a scene. Luckily, at the beginning we planned our shots so that we could have space for names/credits for each shot we filmed. This therefore, made sure that credits wouldn't stop certain parts of a shot from being seen and so we are glad that our audience has noticed this. We will use these positive comments when editing our rough cut, as it allows us to keep the positive elements present in our sequence.

We also received some constructive comments which are really useful when we come to improve our rough cut as, constructive comments explain how we can improve certain parts that may need to be in order to make the sequence more successful to its needs. One of the constructive comments that we received was 'the sound was good but not consistent, so maybe to improve there could be an eerie soundtrack to play underneath to create more tension'. This comment was very fair as we had noticed this after watching our rough cut ourselves. The sound did not create the tense and eerie atmosphere we aimed it to and with the including of a long, developing, tense soundtrack, this could resolve this problem that we are having. Having consistent sound throughout a thriller sequence is vital in creating suspense, surprise and shock which are three main thriller elements that should be included in order for a thriller to be successful. Ours was not consistent and so decreased the conventionality to the thriller genre and so we will take this feedback on board and improve in the best way possible. Another constructive comment we received was 'having the antagonist at the beginning created a lot of suspense but when the second antagonist appeared it made the narrative confusing and was quite difficult to follow so, maybe having just the one antagonist would improve this problem'. We really want our narrative to be easy to get into as this is an opening sequence and so to gradually introduce the narrative, it needs to be easy to follow at the beginning. Knowing that our audience are getting confused addresses us of a problem that we will need to resolve. If having two antagonists really confuses the audience we will just have the one as, having one still makes it possible for the rest of the narrative to make sense as well as everything in the scene. A further constructive comment in which we got was, 'the way the girl faints and has a blackout is really good as it shows this happening from the evidence of her falling but the blackout is quite long making it seem like it's the end but then you realise it isn't, so having the blackout slightly shorter would resolve this'. We made our blackout quite long, to create an unexpected appearance of the antagonist looking over the victim. We did not intend however to create a definite sense of finality and so, if this is how our audience are feeling we will ensure that the blackout is made slightly shorter. However, we are happy that the audience likes the use of a blackout (from the comment) so we know that taking it out altogether would be a wrong decision to make.

In the development of our rough cut, many changes will be made to ensure that out final opening thriller sequence is the best it can possibly be. Based on the comments we have received, the sound in our sequence will be improved. We have found that it hasn't created the tense and eerie atmosphere that we intended for it to create and so a dark and eerie soundtrack will be inserted to build up suspense to the climax where the victim is faced with the antagonist. Sound that compliments the actions of the scene, we have found created more impact such as in our sequence at the end where the victim is feeling faint and lost, there is the sound of a heartbeat that beats each time the clip changes. From the screening of our production, we witnessed that our audience felt on edge and tense as they found it was more captivating to watch as they felt more empathetic towards the victim. Furthermore, in our rough cut we had two antagonists but from the verbal feedback in which we received, having two antagonists made it confusing and not as effective as one would be. From this feedback, we will remove the second antagonist and just have the one to ensure that our target audience's preferences are met. It will also make sure that the narrative is clear, gripping and easy to pick up as this ensures that audience stay fixed and engaged in what they are watching, keeping them wanting to continue to watch. As well as this, we will edit the blackout near the end so that it is not so prolonged to make the audience feel as if it is the end. The blackout will be shortened to create a less sense of finality but still manage to create the unexpected appearance of the antagonist looking over her at the end.