Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Monday, 27 April 2009
Our Thriller Evaluation.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
By using the trailer for 'Hide and Seek' as our main inspiration for our film it allowed us to research into the forms and conventions it used that made it so successful.
Our media product uses all aspects of the mise-en-scene to make it effective and intersting to the audience.
In our thriller we used lighting to our advantage in setting the mood and atmosphere at the beginning, the park location was sunny and bright which reflected the childs innocence and purity. This hugely contrasted the darkness in the rest of the film, we used low key lighting by positioning a variety of different lamps in different positions to create a shadow projection onto a blank wall. The shadows represented the evil in the film, and made the little girls lonelyness at the park seem more sinister once you saw the violent shadows. By using the shadows which the audience were made to think were the girls Mother and Father it created mystery because you couldn't see the faces or know the identities of them. This audience manipulation is used in 'No Country for Old Men' and 'Psycho' because the audience doesn't visibly see the violence, but it is edited in such a way by using shadows and sound clips that we believe a brutal attack has took place without having to witness all of the gory details. We wanted to create this binary opposition between good and evil because in many thrillers we have watched there is always some sort of convention of good and evil etc being portrayed.
The soundtrack of our film was called 'Save the Hero' by 'Beyonce', the lyrics in this song were extremely applicable to our films stoyline in that the young child was the hero stuck in between all of the fighting, this convention of a hero or heroine is used in 'Hide and Seek' as the little girl is simply being manipulated by her Fathers schizophrenia and dual personality.
Also the way the music reflected the mood and pace of the film was used in the 'Hide and Seek' trailer as more and more instruments were added such as strings to build the intensity and volume of the music, which led to the final action climax. We used this convention in our film by timing particular poignant parts of the music in with key parts of the storyline, for example when our soundtrack became more intense as drums were added, this is where the violent shadow scene was shown.
The editing was very important to us because we had identified this as being the main factor that makes a film successful. We used a variety of length shots because by quickening up the cuts it increased the pace of the film, this increased the intensity of the film and built up the tension ready for the final climax scene, this technique was found in many different thriller trailers that we watched including 'Hide and Seek'. In contrast to this we used slow motion effectively to focus on a particular point and line in the soundtrack and storyline of our film, this gave that particular clip a more thoughtful and meaningful portrayl. By cutting between the park location and the room location it showed the contrast between light and dark, good and evil.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The particular social class that we were focusing on wasthe lower social class. Our film represented the type of people who had low amounts of disposable income and didn't have a comfortable way of life, this was shown through the mise-en-scene of our film such as the oppressive room and violent characters. The male figure in our film was portrayed as a domminant man who beat his wife, the female figure was conveyed as someone who was fragile and vulnerable who suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her husband or parner, this in itself is a representation of a lower social class.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
We researched into who distributed the film 'Hide and Seek' because ours was similar to this, and targeted the same types of people. 20th Century Fox distributed this film, so we believe this media institution would be the ideal company to distribute ours because it is a globally known name and would give out film huge credebility and make people want to watch it. Because of the thriller genre we were using it immediately gave our film a certificate of 15+, because of the scenes of violence, so we would have to be careful how we advertised the film such as not putting the adverts onto childrens channels or before the 9 o'clock watershed incase it scared younger children.
However as our film is of a low budget and not produced by world famous producers and directors there may be little interest by big global distributors in distributing our film for us. So we may have to target the niche market of distributors such as filmFour as they aim for a more niche and highbrow market by showing a mixture of old and new independent, arthouse, British, foreign language and specialist cinema, along with some critically-acclaimed Hollywood films, this describes our film precisely so maybe FilmFour would be the better option however it wouldn't make our film as mainstream.
I believe our film should be shown through mainstream multiplex cinemas at night because it would create the scary thought provoking atmosphere we were looking for.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for our media product would be people above the age of 15, because our film would be given the viewing certificate of 15+ by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), because it contains strong violence, imitable techniques such as the shadow fight scene, and horror.
Our film would target both males and females above the age of 15 because it contains characters of both genders and also a child, so every type of person can relate to the characters. However as the thriller genre is very specific and not all types of people like the genre we realise that it wouldn't be everybodys favourite film, so the audience for our media product would be a fan of the thriller genre who enjoys unravelling a complicating and intriguing psychological plot.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We would attract our audience to gain interest in our film by showing a series of advertisements on all standard channels, BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV 1, Channel 4 and Channel 5, but they would have to be shown after the 9 o'clock watershed so they don't cause any distress to younger viewers.
By using a child it gave the portrayl of innocence and vulnerability which is exactly the idea we wanted to create, this would address the audience because they would feel sympathy towards a child once the sinister twist was revealed.
The park location of our film would immediately attract our audience because it is a place that everyone can relate happy childhood memories too, and would be typically associated with love and family, however the park in our film is represented as being a sort of get a way for the girl as she is shown as a withdrawn yet pure character that makes the audience question whats wrong with her. Then once the violent shadow scene is brought in it creates suprise and shock amongst the audience and increases the sympathy towards the girl.
The theme and implications of domestic violence that is used throughout attracts the audience because it shows how it can affect someones life, this life being the childs makes the audience feel immense sorrow for her and makes them want to watch more and find out what happens to her and the psychological impact it has.
From the posotive feedback we received it shows that our film was widely welcomed by out target age group and should be successful if produced on a bigger budget scale.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt a great deal about the technologies used in constructing a media product because i had never used apple software on a MAC laptop before so i had to learn from scratch.
Initially we practiced using the technology by completing a short preliminiary excercise, this consisted of filming a short film in the genre of your choice using the video cameras provided. By doing this excercise before diving into our main Thriller task it allowed us to explore different camera techniques, angles and what worked on screen.
After we had collected all of our footage we then uploaded it onto the Apple Mac's, and then started the process of cutting all of the clips we had and editing them together to create a smooth professional looking sequence. I learnt that you can never have too much footage because once editing you sometimes only need a few seconds worth of a particular clip, so if you have a variety of these then it can make your film more interesting.
This editing showed me how to use transitions to make the cuts between clips smoother, add effects to clips to give a certain effect or create a particular atmosphere, and how to actually cut the clips so your left with the precise sections you want which was quite tricky to do, I learnt how to put a clip into slow motion or alternatively quickening up a scene by changing the amount of frames per second, and i also learnt how to add a soundtrack into your film for effect by fading in certain parts and emphasizing others.
However once we had played around with the apple software we got to grips with it, and learnt that the editing part was the section that made your film successful, created tension, and gave the overall atmosphere effect you desired.
Overall the technology involved in fiming and editing our thriller was imperative but time consuming, but once we had practiced using the software it was simple to use.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Our preliminary task consisted of a few lines of dialogue being exchanged between two central characters, this showed a few key camera techniques such as zooming and tracking, and also a few camera movements that are commonly associated with a conversation which are two shots, medium shots and reverse angle shots.
I have learnt how important the planning process is because on our preliminary task we did a storyboard of the shots and thats it, but when doing our actual Thriller we planend in much more detail, for example we brainstormed possible ideas initially then had a group meeting to decide on a final storyline. We then completed brainstorms for things like location, props and character ideas and finally we drew a storyboard to illustate our shot list. By completing all of this planning it allowed us to set deadlines and keep a track of what we needed at each filming session so we were organised, and by brainstorming our ideas together it allowed us to be creative and throw all of our ideas in together in order to create an amazing story line.
I feel as though i have learnt a huge amount in the progression from the preliminary task to the full product because i have learnt how to edit to create a certain atmosphere or effect by using editing effects such as slow motion. I have progressed in my camera skills work, as previously i don't think i got enough footage to make my edit successful but in my Thriller i shot from a wide range of angles and used a variety of camera techniques, so i could edit them all together to increase the pace of my film if need be, also because we had already planned what shots we were going to take that would create the best effect it was relatively quick and easy to film as we knew what we were doing and what we wanted out of the filming session.
I believe through completing the preliminary excercise it allowed us to progress hugely because it gave us the experiance with using the cameras to film and laptops for editing to create a certain atmosphere and to add tension, without doing the preliminary task it would have been a much longer process in completing our Thriller because we wouldn't have the skills needed to make our film successful and overcome obstacles along the way.
By using the trailer for 'Hide and Seek' as our main inspiration for our film it allowed us to research into the forms and conventions it used that made it so successful.
Our media product uses all aspects of the mise-en-scene to make it effective and intersting to the audience.
In our thriller we used lighting to our advantage in setting the mood and atmosphere at the beginning, the park location was sunny and bright which reflected the childs innocence and purity. This hugely contrasted the darkness in the rest of the film, we used low key lighting by positioning a variety of different lamps in different positions to create a shadow projection onto a blank wall. The shadows represented the evil in the film, and made the little girls lonelyness at the park seem more sinister once you saw the violent shadows. By using the shadows which the audience were made to think were the girls Mother and Father it created mystery because you couldn't see the faces or know the identities of them. This audience manipulation is used in 'No Country for Old Men' and 'Psycho' because the audience doesn't visibly see the violence, but it is edited in such a way by using shadows and sound clips that we believe a brutal attack has took place without having to witness all of the gory details. We wanted to create this binary opposition between good and evil because in many thrillers we have watched there is always some sort of convention of good and evil etc being portrayed.
The soundtrack of our film was called 'Save the Hero' by 'Beyonce', the lyrics in this song were extremely applicable to our films stoyline in that the young child was the hero stuck in between all of the fighting, this convention of a hero or heroine is used in 'Hide and Seek' as the little girl is simply being manipulated by her Fathers schizophrenia and dual personality.
Also the way the music reflected the mood and pace of the film was used in the 'Hide and Seek' trailer as more and more instruments were added such as strings to build the intensity and volume of the music, which led to the final action climax. We used this convention in our film by timing particular poignant parts of the music in with key parts of the storyline, for example when our soundtrack became more intense as drums were added, this is where the violent shadow scene was shown.
The editing was very important to us because we had identified this as being the main factor that makes a film successful. We used a variety of length shots because by quickening up the cuts it increased the pace of the film, this increased the intensity of the film and built up the tension ready for the final climax scene, this technique was found in many different thriller trailers that we watched including 'Hide and Seek'. In contrast to this we used slow motion effectively to focus on a particular point and line in the soundtrack and storyline of our film, this gave that particular clip a more thoughtful and meaningful portrayl. By cutting between the park location and the room location it showed the contrast between light and dark, good and evil.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The particular social class that we were focusing on wasthe lower social class. Our film represented the type of people who had low amounts of disposable income and didn't have a comfortable way of life, this was shown through the mise-en-scene of our film such as the oppressive room and violent characters. The male figure in our film was portrayed as a domminant man who beat his wife, the female figure was conveyed as someone who was fragile and vulnerable who suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her husband or parner, this in itself is a representation of a lower social class.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
We researched into who distributed the film 'Hide and Seek' because ours was similar to this, and targeted the same types of people. 20th Century Fox distributed this film, so we believe this media institution would be the ideal company to distribute ours because it is a globally known name and would give out film huge credebility and make people want to watch it. Because of the thriller genre we were using it immediately gave our film a certificate of 15+, because of the scenes of violence, so we would have to be careful how we advertised the film such as not putting the adverts onto childrens channels or before the 9 o'clock watershed incase it scared younger children.
However as our film is of a low budget and not produced by world famous producers and directors there may be little interest by big global distributors in distributing our film for us. So we may have to target the niche market of distributors such as filmFour as they aim for a more niche and highbrow market by showing a mixture of old and new independent, arthouse, British, foreign language and specialist cinema, along with some critically-acclaimed Hollywood films, this describes our film precisely so maybe FilmFour would be the better option however it wouldn't make our film as mainstream.
I believe our film should be shown through mainstream multiplex cinemas at night because it would create the scary thought provoking atmosphere we were looking for.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for our media product would be people above the age of 15, because our film would be given the viewing certificate of 15+ by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), because it contains strong violence, imitable techniques such as the shadow fight scene, and horror.
Our film would target both males and females above the age of 15 because it contains characters of both genders and also a child, so every type of person can relate to the characters. However as the thriller genre is very specific and not all types of people like the genre we realise that it wouldn't be everybodys favourite film, so the audience for our media product would be a fan of the thriller genre who enjoys unravelling a complicating and intriguing psychological plot.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We would attract our audience to gain interest in our film by showing a series of advertisements on all standard channels, BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV 1, Channel 4 and Channel 5, but they would have to be shown after the 9 o'clock watershed so they don't cause any distress to younger viewers.
By using a child it gave the portrayl of innocence and vulnerability which is exactly the idea we wanted to create, this would address the audience because they would feel sympathy towards a child once the sinister twist was revealed.
The park location of our film would immediately attract our audience because it is a place that everyone can relate happy childhood memories too, and would be typically associated with love and family, however the park in our film is represented as being a sort of get a way for the girl as she is shown as a withdrawn yet pure character that makes the audience question whats wrong with her. Then once the violent shadow scene is brought in it creates suprise and shock amongst the audience and increases the sympathy towards the girl.
The theme and implications of domestic violence that is used throughout attracts the audience because it shows how it can affect someones life, this life being the childs makes the audience feel immense sorrow for her and makes them want to watch more and find out what happens to her and the psychological impact it has.
From the posotive feedback we received it shows that our film was widely welcomed by out target age group and should be successful if produced on a bigger budget scale.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt a great deal about the technologies used in constructing a media product because i had never used apple software on a MAC laptop before so i had to learn from scratch.
Initially we practiced using the technology by completing a short preliminiary excercise, this consisted of filming a short film in the genre of your choice using the video cameras provided. By doing this excercise before diving into our main Thriller task it allowed us to explore different camera techniques, angles and what worked on screen.
After we had collected all of our footage we then uploaded it onto the Apple Mac's, and then started the process of cutting all of the clips we had and editing them together to create a smooth professional looking sequence. I learnt that you can never have too much footage because once editing you sometimes only need a few seconds worth of a particular clip, so if you have a variety of these then it can make your film more interesting.
This editing showed me how to use transitions to make the cuts between clips smoother, add effects to clips to give a certain effect or create a particular atmosphere, and how to actually cut the clips so your left with the precise sections you want which was quite tricky to do, I learnt how to put a clip into slow motion or alternatively quickening up a scene by changing the amount of frames per second, and i also learnt how to add a soundtrack into your film for effect by fading in certain parts and emphasizing others.
However once we had played around with the apple software we got to grips with it, and learnt that the editing part was the section that made your film successful, created tension, and gave the overall atmosphere effect you desired.
Overall the technology involved in fiming and editing our thriller was imperative but time consuming, but once we had practiced using the software it was simple to use.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Our preliminary task consisted of a few lines of dialogue being exchanged between two central characters, this showed a few key camera techniques such as zooming and tracking, and also a few camera movements that are commonly associated with a conversation which are two shots, medium shots and reverse angle shots.
I have learnt how important the planning process is because on our preliminary task we did a storyboard of the shots and thats it, but when doing our actual Thriller we planend in much more detail, for example we brainstormed possible ideas initially then had a group meeting to decide on a final storyline. We then completed brainstorms for things like location, props and character ideas and finally we drew a storyboard to illustate our shot list. By completing all of this planning it allowed us to set deadlines and keep a track of what we needed at each filming session so we were organised, and by brainstorming our ideas together it allowed us to be creative and throw all of our ideas in together in order to create an amazing story line.
I feel as though i have learnt a huge amount in the progression from the preliminary task to the full product because i have learnt how to edit to create a certain atmosphere or effect by using editing effects such as slow motion. I have progressed in my camera skills work, as previously i don't think i got enough footage to make my edit successful but in my Thriller i shot from a wide range of angles and used a variety of camera techniques, so i could edit them all together to increase the pace of my film if need be, also because we had already planned what shots we were going to take that would create the best effect it was relatively quick and easy to film as we knew what we were doing and what we wanted out of the filming session.
I believe through completing the preliminary excercise it allowed us to progress hugely because it gave us the experiance with using the cameras to film and laptops for editing to create a certain atmosphere and to add tension, without doing the preliminary task it would have been a much longer process in completing our Thriller because we wouldn't have the skills needed to make our film successful and overcome obstacles along the way.
Analysis of Hide and Seek.
This film influenced our thriller hugely because the character of an innocent little girl is in this film too, she plays the main part as she's a lost child caught up in her parents problems, which is the key theme that runs throughout our film as well.
We studied the main aspects of this trailer that made it so successful, and why it made such a huge impact on us as the audience.
The trailer for 'Hide and Seek' uses music effectively to highlight main points in the film that are key to the storyline, and should have the most impact. The music gradually crescendos in volume, as more instruments are added such as strings, this increases the intensity and eventually it comes to the climax where the main dramatic point in the storyline is.
Also the words 'come out, come out, wherever you are' are used, which is said in a twisted version of the child's game hide and seek, we used this concept whilst brainstorming ideas for our film , because we were going to use the well known children's lullaby 'Mockingbird' but alter the last words to give it a sinister and dark edge. However in editing process we didn't end up using this.
The editing is a very important element in this trailer that gives it pace and suspense. The cuts are at first quite slow and then they seem to quicken however the audience is being teased into thinking the action will be taking place soon, but the cuts slow down again. Once the titles are introduced the cuts start to become fast and the action is blurred at the end because of how quick the cuts are, so you just catch glimpses which conveys bewilderment and intensity but also makes the audience want to see more.
At the beginning of the trailer close up and point of view shots are used of the little girl, this immediately lets us view what shes seeing. Then a variety of two shots, medium shots and reverse angle shots are introduced whilst some dialogue is taking place, these are common shots that are used when a conversation is happening because it makes the audience feel as though they are in that particular conversation.
Towards the end of the trailer when the pace is increased through the editing, fast tracking shots are used to make it as though you are following the chase and builds the tension, the zooming camera technique is used on the door too which makes the audience wonder whats going on behind and furthermore builds the suspense.
At the very end, a low angled shot is used from below the basement door so its as though the audience are positioned within the dark basement where 'Charlie' is supposed to be hiding, this creates excitement effectively.
Lighting is used effectively in this trailer to represent different moods and feelings. At the beginning the park is very bright which represents a childlike innocence, but also a certain naivety. This contrasts however to the darkness that the rest of the trailer is in, low key lighting is used throughout the rest of the trailer to show the binary opposition between good and evil. The darkness is particularly effective when the action is becoming more intense because you can't clearly see everything so it adds mystery.
The little girl is the main character in 'Hide and Seek', as she is portrayed in the beginning as an innocent, pure girl doing general child things such as playing in the park. The binary opposition of pure and twisted is created during the film, which at first makes the audience think that the child isn't as innocent as first thought, however this conclusion you draw quite early on into the film isn't necessarily true.
As you can see 'Hide and Seek' was our main inspiration, and we drew a lot of ideas from the film that we believed made it an exciting and thrilling film. We liked the idea of using light and dark to represent good and evil, this was created in our film by using the bright sunny park location then contrasting this with the dark shadowed hall and we also thought the idea of using a little girl in the film was interesting because its not a character you would normally expect to see in a thriller, so this would gain the audiences interest.
We believe that by using all these key elements that made 'Hide and Seek' so successful also have the potential to make our film just as successful.
Analysis of Phonebooth.
Another film we watched to draw inspiration from was 'Phonebooth'. This isn't your typical thriller, as it is set in the same location throughout the duration of the film, which immediately you would think would be boring, however its a very clever idea because it gets you instantly associated with the characters and gradually builds the tension until the climax at the end of the film.
'Phonebooth' challenges the forms and conventions of typical thrillers, because not only is there only one location, but that location is a busy high street in New York and its set in broad daylight using high key lighting, so it doesn't use the cliche of darkness to set a scary atmosphere or a house in the middle of no where to create the idea of being solitary.
Also little visible violence is used, which is the same in the other two films I have analysed, so that makes them similar in that respect. A lot of diagetic sound such as cars passing by and horns is used throughout the whole film, which creates the busy New York street atmosphere.
However the sound of the snipers voice is used as a narrative into his killer mind all the way through, this gives the audience an insight into his motives to kill the man and it allows us to see what the mans life is like and why he deserves this, the audience is almost made to feel sympathetic towards him.
The film ends with the sniper not being caught which leaves the audience on a cliff hanger and makes you analyse details of the film to see what you can draw from it to make your own mind up about the snipers fate.
Analysis of No Country for Old Men.
We also watched this film in our media class, but this clip was poignant to me because the man in the shop who is the killer has previously just murdered a lot of people, yet he appears unfazed by this, and has a calm, collected appearance.
This famous representation of the killer is extremely effective as you do not visibly see all of the murders. For example there is one particular scene where he is just about to kill a man in the shower, however he closes the shower curtain before shooting the man. This shows that the audience doesn't necessarily need to see all of the gory details of the murder to have a vivid picture in their heads of the violence, as other details such as the mise-en-scene and music contribute to the whole effect.
The editing of this clip is relatively simple, the camera uses two-shots, over the shoulder shots, reverse angles and medium shots which are all commonly used when filming a conversation where the dialogue is key to the film.
In the scene above, it shows the superiority of the killer, and how naive the shop assistant is because he doesn't know just how dangerous the man is he's serving, as he just presumes that he's just arrogant and rude. This gives the whole scene a tense atmosphere because the audience have already seen the man commit brutal murders so they know what he's capable of but the shop assistant is un-aware of this which adds to the intensity.
The killers superiority is shown further as he asks general questions about the closing time of the shop, and once the answer is given he has the audacity to tell him he's wrong. This creates a certain awkwardness in the conversation taking place between the two characters and this friction is portrayed via these lines, and puts the audience on edge as to whats going to happen next.
'No Country for Old Men' is quite similar to 'Psycho'in the way that some of the murderous scenes aren't shown explicitly, this is done purposefully for effect because it creates mystery and manipulates the audience into believing something violent and brutal has taken place.
Analysis of Psycho.
We watched 'Psycho' by Alfred Hitchcock in our media lesson, and it hugely influenced our decision to use shadows to create mystery because by using shadows instead of seeing actors visibly on screen it makes the audience intrigued about the identities of these characters, and makes them seem more sinister.
This same idea was used in 'Psycho' in the shower scene (above), Marian Crane the female lead character, is murdered in the shower, however the audience does not actually see this act of violence, an illusion is instead created using sound and shadows.
The audience sees a male shadow approaching the shower at first, but you cannot see his face which makes his identity unknown and keeps the audience guessing as to who murdered the woman until the very end of the film.
Also music is used effectively as you don't physically see the knife penetrate the skin but sound effects are used to replace this, diagetic sound such as the woman screaming and a penetrative knife noise are used, and the noise of the shower still running even after we've heard her slump to the base of the shower which informs the audience that shes now dead. This gives an impression of a brutal attack, and shows how Hitchcock cleverly manipulates his audience.
Quick cutaways and close-up shots are used in this scene too, which creates tension, and the way the shots are sequenced together makes sure that you never see a knife penetration, only the facial expression of the woman clearly shows her in pain.
Alfred Hitchcock shocks the audience even more by killing of the lead character relatively early on into the film, this adds a suprise element, and shows just how daring Hitchcock was. By killing off the lead character it gives a big twist to the story because the audience is already interested into Marion Crane stealing forty thousand dollars only to be shocked when shes brutally murdered.
I believe this contributes to the whole film because it gives an initial fear factor and makes people watch and listen more intently to try and figure where the storys leading and who’s next to die. Also it grabs people’s attention instantly and makes the film unique, which is what Hitchcock wanted.
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