Final Evaluation- Lauren

what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media product.

As a group, we decided we wanted our film to be a thriller. To show this clearly, we hadto make sure that our opening sequence was part of that genre. We had to incorporate different generic conventions such as lighting, editing, sound and mise en scene, as well as the camera shots.

High angle shots and low angle shots were used in certain scenes to show that one character was dominant or inferior to the other. We made sure that the kidnapper looked more superior to the main character, Sophie who was the one who got kidnapped.We also used point of view shots in some scenes, and shot them in way that relates to the thriller genre. It showed what was happening from the kidnappers’ view, which made the audience feel on edge. They could predict what was going to happen next as feared for Sophie.

The 1995 film “Se7en” was our inspiration and has influenced what we have used In our title sequences. For example, both films use writing which looks like it is being scratched, it is moving, and flickering. We also used the idea of white writing on a black background. The text was created on photo shop. I think it uses contract and helps the writing to stand out to the audience. We used some red shadowing on the text, which looks like blood. This would suggest danger to the audience before the film has even started and makes them aware of what genre it is.

The non-diagetic music which plays in the back ground is in a minor key. This makes it sound low-toned and frightening. It sounds very eerie and makes the audience feel on edge. When the kidnapper is speaking on the phone to Emily, the music begins to build up; making the audience think there is going to be a climax.

In our film, we used a dark garage, which added to the atm

osphere of the film. She looked like she was tied up in a ware house somewhere. It looked secluded. This added to the tension, and matches the thriller stereotype. She was gagged, tied up and had blood and bruises on her body which made the audience aware that the kidnapper was dangerous. This would make them anxious, as they are aware of the damage that could be done.

How does your media product represent particular

social groups?

Our film maintains the gender stereotype of men being more dominant of women. We hav

e shown this by making the kidnapper a male, and the victim being a female. We used shots that made him look more superior, and using

blood and bruising on Sophie, shows just how dangerous he is.The two girls seem venerable throughout the film, doing what the kidnapper says. They both seem scared of him, and I think this shows a stereotype of men being more superior to women. I think the audience would relate to this more as it is what you see on most other thriller films.I think the audience would find it hard to imagine a woman kidnapping a man, so they may have found our film seem surreal.

The end of the film will subvert the gender stereotype, as the young girl will escape, and the other teenage girl, Emily, will save her friend.We dressed the kidnapper in dark clothing, hiding his face. This makes him seem more secretive, and shows he is trying to hide his identity.I think that the film will attract young people, around the same age of the two girls, as they will be able to relate to them better. I think that a lot of the audience will be female, as they will find It more rewarding when they see the two teenagers escape and take charge.

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

As a team, we decided that our film would be better off being distributed by an English film production company. We decided that optimum releasing would be perfect to distribute our film. As the characters are of a young age, we looked for films with characters of a similar age to our characters. Optimum releasing also distributed This is England (2006) and the characters are more or less the same age. It was a very successful film, so we have chosen to have optimum as our distribution company, to hopefully get the same result, and make our film successful.

Our film would be shown throughout British cinema’s, which would attract a lot of audience, but I feel that showing the film through television would also benefit us. using channels like film 4, E4, channel 4 or Sky,would help us to get a wider range of audience, as all these channels show British films on a regular basis.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our film would attract both males and females of a young age. We first decided to set our target market for people aged 15-40, but realized that more young people would be interested in it, as they could relate to the characters easier. With both characters being female, I think that there would be more females wanting to watch the film. The action and atmosphere throughout the film would attract young people, and the action in it has you on the edge of your seat.At the beginning of the film, the two girls are vulnerable and defenseless, but through the film we see them developing bravery and we soon see how determined Emily is to save her friend. I think this makes the film emotional, which would make the audience feel a link to the characters in the film.

We looked at our film and decided that the most appropriate certificate would be 15. There isn’t any gore in this film, and no scenes of a sexual nature or abuse, so an 18 certificate wouldn’t be suitable, whereas the film is far too intense and frightening for it to be a certificate 12. The hostile nature and little strong language throughout the film will make it fitting for a 15 certificate.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines/15-2 please see the BBFC website for more details on film certificates.

We filmed a video of our audience who have watched the two minute film. We asked questions about the opening sequence to gather their thoughts.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

When making our film, we wanted to use things which would attract the audience, and make them want to come and watch our film. To do this, we used things such as flashbacks and point of view shots. This would make it a little bit different to some films and therefore attract the audience. Point of view shots are used when the kidnapper is following Sophie through the park. This makes the audience feel anxious, and they are willing her to turn around and get out of danger. The jerky movements of the camera make it look more real, and when the kidnapper hides behind the tree, the audience feel a little bit of disappointment, as Sophie doesn’t see him.

The flashbacks are done to make the audience aware of how Sophie got into these circumstances, and shows how the kidnapper abducted the young girl. It gives them a better idea of what is going on, and gives them an idea of why he has done it.

I think the storyline attracts the audience, as they really relate to the characters. They can see how much of good friends they are, and I think this makes them want to watch our film. They want to see the determination and courage that the two girls have to get out of this situation. The music is very tense throughout the film, meaning the audience feel more uneasy and fearful for Sophie and Emily’s life.

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

The Sony DV1000high definition camera and tripod are easier to use than I thought. Once we had used them once or twice, it was easy to understand what to do and how they worked. The camera produced a very clear image which made our film look a better quality.

During the filming process, we had one or two problems with our camera. When we had pressed the record button to stop recording, it carried on recording meaning we had lots of unwanted footage on our tape. We didn’t realize this until we had transferred the video recording onto the computer. We think we had a faulty camera, and this made it more time consuming to look through our tape and retrieve the footage that we needed.

We used Final Cut Express to edit our film, and although it looks very complicated at first, it is quite simple to use. I think it is a brilliant piece of software and would defiantly use it again in the future. From using Final Cut Express, we edited the preliminary exercise, title sequence, and footage of our film with great ease and the result was very good. When using Final Cut Express, We used the colour corrector during editing which ensured that all our footage looked as realistic as possible and the white balance of our film was correct. We also used different effects which made our film look professional, for example- using a “light-Rays” effect on the flashbacks made it look surreal and more like a flashback.

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

Looking back at our preliminary exercise, I think we have made a great deal of improvement when learning to do certain things such as editing. I also think we have explored the Final Cut Express software more, looking at different effects and ways we can make our film look better. I think it makes it look more professional.

We have used a wider range of shots in our two minute film as well, which improves the overall product a lot. Creating Storyboards, scripts, and shot lists helped us in our film, meaning we were always sure of what we were doing. We used it as a plan, and followed it as close as we could. Using practice shots meant we could focus on perfecting difficult shots that we were going to use in our film, meaning the final product looked better quality.

In conclusion, I feel that the two minute opening sequence to our film Aftermath, would make the audience want to watch it more, and make them interested in our film. The gripping storyline would make it easy for an audience member get hooked and want to watch the final product.