TASK 1 Question: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The ways in which our media product uses and forms and conventions of real media products is through using a variety of camera angles such as high shots low shots, extreme close ups and establishing/long shots. All camera angles that you commonly see in thriller films, to build on enigmas or to set the seen increasing suspicion on what may happen next. We also have used flashing photographs of girls, the ballerina in the jewelry box and a pair of eyes, all creating enigmas which keep the audience guessing the story behind them throughout the opening. We use a variety of pace in our clips which create a disturbed unnerving affect, developing on the convention of a brooding atmosphere. The image of the eyes which flashes on and off, developed by never showing the "ballet teacher's" face uses the thriller convention of of uncovered characters and a limited amount of information given through camera shots.
Task: Choose 6 stills from your finished thriller that you think illustrate how you have used thriller conventions and opening sequence conventions (3 each). Annotate each still with notes on exactly which convention is being shown and whether you are using, developing or challenging it.
The ways in which our media product uses and forms and conventions of real media products is through using a variety of camera angles such as high shots low shots, extreme close ups and establishing/long shots. All camera angles that you commonly see in thriller films, to build on enigmas or to set the seen increasing suspicion on what may happen next. We also have used flashing photographs of girls, the ballerina in the jewelry box and a pair of eyes, all creating enigmas which keep the audience guessing the story behind them throughout the opening. We use a variety of pace in our clips which create a disturbed unnerving affect, developing on the convention of a brooding atmosphere. The image of the eyes which flashes on and off, developed by never showing the "ballet teacher's" face uses the thriller convention of of uncovered characters and a limited amount of information given through camera shots.
Task: Choose 6 stills from your finished thriller that you think illustrate how you have used thriller conventions and opening sequence conventions (3 each). Annotate each still with notes on exactly which convention is being shown and whether you are using, developing or challenging it.
 |
| This still from our finished thriller illustrates opening sequence conventions because it gives the audience an understanding of what is going on in the dance studio, and explains that the basic story line of the thriller is to do with two ballet students. The poster also looks quite proffesional and normal and so therefore the audience wanders what is going to happen in the rest of the thriller from this point of seeing this. We are developing this convention because this still just shows a image of a ballet poster and doesn't actually give us information about what could happen next. |
 |
| This still from our finished thriller illustrates opening sequence conventions because it shows the audience that these are the two main characters involved in the story, and introduces them showing that they have quite a high standard of ballet, showing their commitment and focus to the style of dance. From the close up of the back of "The teachers" head it also starts to create the enigmas for the thriller. Therefore in the opening shot this part is already making audience a bit suspicious. We are challenging this convention because the focus is on the girl in the red leotard where as this still is focusing on the teacher in the black. Therefore the convention isn't as clear and straight forward. |
 |
| This still from our finished thriller illustrates opening sequence conventions because it is a high establishing shot introduces the scene, setting and characters to the audience. This then gives them an idea of whats to come with the theme choice etc. This still also shows how the scene is quite normal and doesn't look very scary. However, then intrigues the audience more as it can sometimes be more scary having something unsettling happen in such a normal, unexpected place. We are using the convention here as the focus is on both girls in this still which is the main element of the thriller. |
 |
| This still from our final thriller opening illustrates thriller conventions because it is quite an unusual object to show and creates a brooding atmosphere due to the slow speed in which it turns. It doesn't reveal any of the characters or the disturbing story line and so is already creating enigmas in the first frame of the film. We are developing the convention because the still is just of a ballet dancer in a music box and isn't showing us the characters of the thriller. |
 |
| This still from our final thriller opening illustrates thriller conventions as it is a close up image which hides information from the audience and doesn't give a clear picture of why this black and white image has got a heart around it, but also why its such a solemn photo of this particular girl. This also builds on the enigmas of the thriller and adds to the complex story line. Here we are using the convention because this still shows the audience a clear image of the theme of the thriller and the main focus. |
 |
| This still from our final thriller opening illustrates thriller conventions because like the still image before it is a very close up image and gives us very limited information. It also isn't uncovering which character this is and what relevance they have to this thriller. Again advancing on the building enigmas. Here we are challenging the convention because the audience doesn't actually know who these eyes belong to and it gives nothing away about the thriller. |
Task 2 Question: How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Task: Select a still from your thriller that you think shows an individual from a particular social group you have represented. Then, select a still of a character from A. another film that discusses the group and B. a still of a real individual, possibly from a news story, who also represents that group. Write annotations for all of the stills that discuss why you have represented this group in your particular way and how your representation compares or contrasts with both your chosen real media text and the still of a real person.
Task: Select a still from your thriller that you think shows an individual from a particular social group you have represented. Then, select a still of a character from A. another film that discusses the group and B. a still of a real individual, possibly from a news story, who also represents that group. Write annotations for all of the stills that discuss why you have represented this group in your particular way and how your representation compares or contrasts with both your chosen real media text and the still of a real person.
Our thriller opening represents the social group of sports groups. This is shown through the intense focus that these two girls in our thriller have on perfecting their moves in the ballet classes. They both have the same interest and ambition in this particular sport/dance and so this is the main social group which is presented.
 |
| This still from our final thriller opening presents our social group of "sporting clubs" as it shows the two dances moving in complete synchronicity, perfecting their moves, trying to do it to the best of their ability. You can tell from the mise en scene; setting and costume, that they are serious about this sport, practicing in a small focused group in a proffesional dance studio with sprung flooring and wall length mirrors, just the two of them, wearing the correct ballet attire of a leotard, tights and t-shirts over top. |
 |
| This image from the sporting news of Tom Daley and his diving partner Pete Waterfield show their dedication and focus on their specialist sport of diving as this image shows they are completely syncronised with each other and show pure concentration on their faces, perfecting this move. Our thriller relates to this because of the focus and attention the girls had on their ballet and did not even give up when suspicious things started happening such as the disappearances of the rest of their class mates due to their focused attention and determination. It is clear that in this photo of Tom Daley they both would be oblivious to their surroundings whilst diving as they have such concentration and focus on perfecting this move in the air. |
 |
| In this film 17 Again the social group of "sports club" is shown through the determination and focus that both Mike ( Zac Effron) and Alex (Sterling Knight) share for Basket Ball. They both have great ambition to be the best they can and when they are playing on the court there is very little that can deter their focus from scoring goals for their team. This relates to our thriller film through the determination they have for their sport and the way that one of them is more of a focus (Zac Effron) than the other one, as Alex at points fades into the background and Mike is the center of attention, just as Charlotte is the main focus for the obsessed teacher. |
TASK 3 Question: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A media institution such as the Picture House in Cambridge or another small type of entertainment picture house may distribute and show our film, as it isn't a huge well known genre and style of film. Our film is filmed to look more like a home video rather than a really professional, edited film with special effects such as Harry Potter or a thriller film with blood, gore and extravagant settings. Therefore I think it would be suited to a smaller venue for a selective type of audience who especially like this type of thriller film, focusing more on enigmas than something which would make you jump.
Task: Use the www.IMDB.com template to create a page for your film. You will need to fill in all of the blank information.
A media institution such as the Picture House in Cambridge or another small type of entertainment picture house may distribute and show our film, as it isn't a huge well known genre and style of film. Our film is filmed to look more like a home video rather than a really professional, edited film with special effects such as Harry Potter or a thriller film with blood, gore and extravagant settings. Therefore I think it would be suited to a smaller venue for a selective type of audience who especially like this type of thriller film, focusing more on enigmas than something which would make you jump.
Task: Use the www.IMDB.com template to create a page for your film. You will need to fill in all of the blank information.
Task 4
Question: Who would be the audience for your media product?
Task: Decide on a film magazine that you think would be most likely to carry reviews and adverts for your film. Create a word document that includes an image of the front cover of the magazine, a 300 word analysis of why you think the publication would be appropriate for your film and a 300 word review of your film that could potentially be found in the magazine.
Task: Decide on a film magazine that you think would be most likely to carry reviews and adverts for your film. Create a word document that includes an image of the front cover of the magazine, a 300 word analysis of why you think the publication would be appropriate for your film and a 300 word review of your film that could potentially be found in the magazine.
The audience of our media project would be teenagers from the age of about 12 or 13 plus. The opening for our thriller, is more so full of enigmas and mysterious images than gruesome shots and scary frames of film, therefore it would appeal to teenagers who like thrillers from a younger age than most thrillers. Our media product would attract to this age group because it is about a sport (ballet) that a majority of girls may have done when they were younger and can relate to the main theme. But then there is the thriller genre which entices teens in as they want to know who this person is that we never see the face of. The pictures that flash on and off also allow enigmas to be created and will draw in our target audience through curiosity and unexplained occurrences.
<<<< EMPIRE MAGAZINE FRONT COVER
Analysis of why this publication is appropriate for my film:
This publication ‘Empire’ would be appropriate to include a film review of our film in it because; it is a well known magazine for all types of media reviews: New and Old Films, Cinema reviews, DVD reviews, Soundtracks, TV, Hardware and Books. This magazine also give thorough reviews including a summary of the plot of the film, the verdict, a complete in depth review and a 1 – 5 star rating. It also includes reviews from members of the public which are available for the general public to look at. This is really helpful because then people can give their honest opinions and you can easily get an idea of what age group this film is most suitable for and if you would like it or not, before you go and see it. This Empire magazine is also in touch with the social networking sites where you can ‘Like’ the film, and comment on a Facebook site about it. Making it more of a global post and also advertises the film across the world through the internet, increasing the popularity and viewings of the film. The review page also includes a thumbnail of the film poster, Film details such as the certificate, the Directors, Screenwriters, Cast and Running time allowing for the viewer to get an exact overview of the film and to be given the opportunity to find out background information about the film. My thriller film would be very appropriate for my film because it also has a variety of genre reviews in the magazine and so each film can be put into its own category. It would also interest most people because of the wide scope of film etc reviews, so a wide variety of people of all ages buy this magazine.
300 word Film Review:
Well known private ballet school at Long Road, runs a number of successful private classes, running on various evenings throughout the week. The numbers of students has seemed to be mysteriously dropping in the past few weeks, and the class sizes are dramatically decreased. These unexplained disappearances have parents worried, but keen enthusiast ballerinas Joanna and Samantha have kept on attending their classes with their ballet teacher for regular sessions every week. Suddenly another disappearance occurs and everything starts to become increasingly suspicious. Pictures on the wall, crosses through their faces, hearts round others, but one girl is the convergence that they desire. A desire to touch, to grab and to focus on. A girl with a grace to yearn for, an attraction of that in a force field. The mission to get her on her own in the studio is one to be worked on but is to be succeeded by one unexpected suspect. The girls do not realise the unusual behaviour from their ballet teacher, the spying through the doors, the unnerving closeness and light protective touching that has occurred becomes the norm for Joanna due to her intense focus on perfecting her dancing. She is a very naive girl who would not suspect a thing from such a “harmless” person who has been her guide and support for so many years of her life. The ballet school has become her second home and a place where she feels secure and safe. Somewhere she can be herself but that all changes, when she becomes captivated in the sick minded world of her teacher who leaves her feeling unnerved by the persistent threats if she utters a word to anyone. A blank expression and hollowing eyes becomes the face of Joanna as she is absorbed into this secret obsession, and her personality slips away beyond the grasp of herself, her friends and her family. Jealousy is the key element to this story, but a jealousy that has become so obsessive it has become murderous.
Task 5 Question: How did you attract/address your audience?
In our opening thriller sequence we attracted the audience through our intriguing title 'Infatuation' and the different enigmas which we built on steadily as it the opening went on. The images which flashed along with the disturbing crackling sound and slowed down/edited sugar plum fairy music increased the curiosity of the viewer and made them want to keep watching to find out more about this unusual, disturbing story line. We addressed our audience
TASK 6 Question: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
Throughout out this whole process I have learnt a lot about the different technical elements which go into creating a product such as an opening for a thriller film. The camera equipment I found quite easy as I had previous knowledge of how it worked, but the editing processes using Final Cut, and Garage Band, proved to be more of a tricky task for me. However, at the same time it gave me a chance to expand my knowledge and skills on how to use them correctly and effectively. I have learnt how to quickly cut, copy and paste clips, add in transitions and video effects as well as speeding up and slowing down the pace of the clips. I have learnt, through using Final Cut, how to create a thriller opening which looks snappy and effective through putting simple short frames of film together into something which and tells a story and gets the audience guessing the secrets behind it all. Garage Band I haven't used as much as Final Cut, although the time I have spent using the programme I have learnt how to put together different sound effects and tunes to create a complete tune which fits to our genre of film. I have learnt how to expand and shorten certain clips of sound and how to repeat the same sound to create a continuous tune. Overall my knowledge of these programmes and other type of technology has definitely expanded and improved. After creating our thriller opening I feel a lot more confident in creating something quite complex using a variety of technologies.
Task: Use the stills of you with shooting equipment that you took whilst shooting, screen grabs of software and of you using the software. For each of the stills, note down what you learnt about the equipment/ software, what it allowed you to do and what you might consider its drawbacks.
Throughout out this whole process I have learnt a lot about the different technical elements which go into creating a product such as an opening for a thriller film. The camera equipment I found quite easy as I had previous knowledge of how it worked, but the editing processes using Final Cut, and Garage Band, proved to be more of a tricky task for me. However, at the same time it gave me a chance to expand my knowledge and skills on how to use them correctly and effectively. I have learnt how to quickly cut, copy and paste clips, add in transitions and video effects as well as speeding up and slowing down the pace of the clips. I have learnt, through using Final Cut, how to create a thriller opening which looks snappy and effective through putting simple short frames of film together into something which and tells a story and gets the audience guessing the secrets behind it all. Garage Band I haven't used as much as Final Cut, although the time I have spent using the programme I have learnt how to put together different sound effects and tunes to create a complete tune which fits to our genre of film. I have learnt how to expand and shorten certain clips of sound and how to repeat the same sound to create a continuous tune. Overall my knowledge of these programmes and other type of technology has definitely expanded and improved. After creating our thriller opening I feel a lot more confident in creating something quite complex using a variety of technologies.
Task: Use the stills of you with shooting equipment that you took whilst shooting, screen grabs of software and of you using the software. For each of the stills, note down what you learnt about the equipment/ software, what it allowed you to do and what you might consider its drawbacks.
 |
| One Apple computers we used a programme called Garage band which allowed us to create our own music for our thriller opening. We were able to mix different sounds and jingles together to create the tune we wanted to give our thriller more of a thriller theme. The sounds we used from this programme were mostly piano sounds with strong beats and distinctive sounds. We learnt from using this software how to make proffesional tunes which resembled clearly a particular genre (ours being thriller). This programme was very easy to use and I found I could pick it up quickly, however it was difficult to create the sounds on here and then fit them to our thriller opening. This made it hard for us to fit certain sounds to particular parts in the opening. |
 |
| We used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to create the poster for our thriller. This programme allowed us to import images from the computer off of sources such as Facebook to use in our poster. We were then able to easily edit these into a design which resembled a thriller film. On this software we could add effects, colour effects and a range of texts and images to create our poster effectively. However, the drawbacks of using this programme is; if you've not had any experience before using this programme it can be quite hard to pick up because it has so many different elements of editing to it. Therefore it can be quite a struggle to produce something to a good standard first time round. |
 |
| We used Final Cut Pro to edit all of our shots and clips on that we had filmed for our thriller opening. We used this programme the majority of the time to cut, copy, paste, crop, add effects, slow down and speed up our clips to create an opening which flowed from one frame to the next. This programme gave us the freedom to move clips around and edit them to look scary and to create enigmas through various effects. The drawbacks of using this programme is that when there are a lot of clips on the screen it can be difficult sometimes to move them into the right places, as you have to continuously keep moving the page backwards and forwards. It can also prove quite tricky to edit both the sound clips and film clips to sinc in with each other and to fall at the right places. |
 |
| This is the video camera that we used to film our thriller opening, it is just an ordinary video camera with a zoom button and a setting where you can both film and take still images. |
TASK 7 Question: 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 task I feel that I myself and as a group we have progressed dramatically. We have all learnt, myself in particular, having not used a lot of media programmes etc previously, how to use the editing programmes and camera equipment effectively and correctly. I have learnt how different camera shots create different emotions and effects for the audience and also how creating enigmas through having some characters uncovered and undiscovered allows the audience to keep guessing and builds up the suspense in the opening of the thriller. Through using the programme Final Cut, I have learnt how to create a thriller opening which is effective by putting snappy shorts clips of film together into something which unravels a story but also creates lots of enigmas allowing the audience o continually guess the secrets behind it all. I haven't used the sound editing programme Garage Band as much as Final Cut, but through the amount of time I have used it I've learnt how to put together different sound effects to create a complete tune which relates to the genre of our film. I have learnt how to expand and shorten, copy and paste clips of sound creating a continuous tune. Overall I have definitely grown in confidence with using these programmes and overall creating an opening to a thriller film. Being able to create something which builds enigmas and entices a viewer into a complex story line of jealousy and obsession is quite an achievement considering how minimalistic our film was in terms of props, lighting and setting.
Task: Create a Prezi that takes your ‘reader’ on a journey from preliminary task to finished thriller. Include images to illustrate your points.
Looking back at our preliminary task I feel that I myself and as a group we have progressed dramatically. We have all learnt, myself in particular, having not used a lot of media programmes etc previously, how to use the editing programmes and camera equipment effectively and correctly. I have learnt how different camera shots create different emotions and effects for the audience and also how creating enigmas through having some characters uncovered and undiscovered allows the audience to keep guessing and builds up the suspense in the opening of the thriller. Through using the programme Final Cut, I have learnt how to create a thriller opening which is effective by putting snappy shorts clips of film together into something which unravels a story but also creates lots of enigmas allowing the audience o continually guess the secrets behind it all. I haven't used the sound editing programme Garage Band as much as Final Cut, but through the amount of time I have used it I've learnt how to put together different sound effects to create a complete tune which relates to the genre of our film. I have learnt how to expand and shorten, copy and paste clips of sound creating a continuous tune. Overall I have definitely grown in confidence with using these programmes and overall creating an opening to a thriller film. Being able to create something which builds enigmas and entices a viewer into a complex story line of jealousy and obsession is quite an achievement considering how minimalistic our film was in terms of props, lighting and setting.
Task: Create a Prezi that takes your ‘reader’ on a journey from preliminary task to finished thriller. Include images to illustrate your points.
Timeline of our journey from creating our preliminary task to the final finished thriller opening:
1.06.12 - We created a preliminary task which consisted of a variety of shots including long shots, close ups, mid shots and panning shots in a 52 second video. Our film was based around an uncovered murderer being hunted by someone else with a gun. This film allowed us to try out different shots to see what would look good in a thriller film. From this short film we then also knew who would be good to have in the thriller and who was the best as filming.
15.1.12 - 22.1.12 - We watched and analysed various thriller openings which already exist in well known successful thriller films such as; Inception, Hidden, Vertigo and The Prestige. These analysis' we wrote both individually and as a group giving us chance to brain storm and collect both our own ideas and thoughts as well as the those from the rest of my group. These analysis' gave us the chance to see what worked well in thriller openings and gave us some ideas for our own thriller. We were able to break the openings up into various headings such as sound, cinematography, mise en scene and editing. Allowing us to see clearly what worked in each category.
23.01.12: We watched some thriller openings from previous media groups at the college and then analysied their opening sequences, answering the following headings: Holding shot where appropriate, Framing a shot, Using a variety of shot distances, Shotting material appropriate to set task, Selecting appropriate mise en scene, Editing so that the meaning is apparent to the viewer, Using transitions appropriate to task, Using sound and images andf editing in an appropriate way, Using title appropriatly, Using genre conventions in a creative way. This allowed us to see the potential of our own thriller opening sequesnce and gave us ideas of the effects people had put in their openings that were effective and worked well.
30.01.12-31.01.12: We started to plan and come up with some potential themes and ideas for out thriller opening. During the planning process we did a variety of blogs which present our research and findings. Some of our original ideas were; Assasin (women wants revenge), Darkeness, Theft, Wealth, Ballet lesson, Glamor, Concealing of information. We chose to go with the idea of the ballet lesson, in the dance studio. This idea we then built on and researched around to see how we could create a thriller opening using this theme. We all had the common thought of it being a bit like the ballet studio scene in Twilight. We researched various elements which brought us to where our opeing is now, these were; Mise en Scene, Sound track, Logo, Location, Choreography and Classification. From doing this research we were then able to build up the storyline and invisage what the opening was actually going to look like.
3.02.12 : We started to plan and film our test footage. This would enable us to discover which angled shots looked best for a thriller film and which ones would build on the enigmas and also relate to the theme of our opening. This proved to be quite successful as we then were able to use the ideas from some of the shot ideas e.g. the bathroom shots. This gave us a good idea of how it would look in the actual film and also gave us some good ideas for location.
10.02.12 - 27.02.12: We have discussed and research inspiration for our thriller opening to give us some ideas of settings and props etc. We also created a shot list, story board, Call sheet, Title ideas for our thriller opening. This really helped us as we then had a structure and a plan to our shoots etc. This helped us to get organised and decide when to shoot what bits etc. We found as a group this helped us to work together and to be organised in when to bring props, clothing etc.
13.02.12 - 21.02.12 : We filmed our thriller opening in the dance studio at long road. We had to make sure that we booked the stdui for our filming to ensure we would be able to go in there during our lessons as our opening was completely filmed on the college grounds
24.02.12 - 9.03.12 - We analysed our thriller opening and wrote about the ideas in which we were going to include and the ways in which we were going to carry out different tasks. We created the film poster and researched the fonts and colour schemes that we could use for our opening credits and title. We also decided on how we would promote our movie and the different typed of media we would use to get it publically known e.g. social networking sites.
24.02.12 - 26.03.12 - We edited our sequence using Final Cut Express and Garage band. We edited the clips by shortening, lengthening, slowing, speeding up, distorting and adding special effects to them. This was all done in Final Cut Express and which we learnt to use previously in the year. This drawn out process proved quite stressful at times as myself and another member of my group were not the most confident with using this programme. We made a rough cut of our opening which was just basic edits that we had made. Our peers then assessed us on this and gave us feedback. This then helped us to make more ajustments and edits to improve our film. The last thing we edited before importing our Final version of our thriller opening was the credits and the title, this made the film seem more professional and official.
No comments:
Post a Comment