Thursday, 20 March 2014
Friday, 14 March 2014
Planning Sound - Miss Miller
Sound is arguably on par with
video as the most important element to be able to manipulate and
control during production and post production. Too often filmmakers
focus all of their attention on video footage and ignore the quality of
their sound. Interestingly enough, audiences seem to be more annoyed by poor
sound quality than by poor cinematography.
Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the
image on the screen. The entire sound track is comprised of three essential ingredients:
Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the
image on the screen. The entire sound track is comprised of three essential ingredients:
- the human voice
- sound effects
- music
These three tracks must be mixed and balanced so as to
produce the necessary emphases which in turn create desired effects.
Topics which essentially refer to the three previously mentioned tracks are
discussed below.
Dialogue
Dialogue authenticates the speaker as an
individual or a real person rather than the imaginary creation of a story
teller. As is the case with stage drama, dialogue serves to tell the story
and
expresses feelings and motivations of characters as well. Often with film characterization the audience perceives little or no difference between the character and the actor. Thus, for example:
Humphrey Boggart is Sam Spade; film personality and life personality seem to merge. Perhaps this is the case because the very texture of a performer's voice supplies an element of character.
expresses feelings and motivations of characters as well. Often with film characterization the audience perceives little or no difference between the character and the actor. Thus, for example:
Humphrey Boggart is Sam Spade; film personality and life personality seem to merge. Perhaps this is the case because the very texture of a performer's voice supplies an element of character.
When voice texture fits the
performer's physiognomy and gestures, a whole and very realistic persona
emerges. The viewer sees not an actor working at his craft, but another
human being struggling with life. It is interesting to note that how
dialogue is used and the very amount of dialogue used varies widely among
films. For example:
In the film 2001 little dialogue was evident, and most of what was used was banal. In this way the filmmaker was able to portray the “inadequacy of human esponses when compared with the magnificent technology created by man and the visual beauties of the universe.
In the film 2001 little dialogue was evident, and most of what was used was banal. In this way the filmmaker was able to portray the “inadequacy of human esponses when compared with the magnificent technology created by man and the visual beauties of the universe.
SOUND EFFECTS:
Synchronous sounds are those sounds which are
synchronized or matched with what is viewed. For example:
If the film portrays a character playing the piano, the sounds of the piano are projected.
If the film portrays a character playing the piano, the sounds of the piano are projected.
Synchronous sounds contribute to the realism
of film and also help to create a particular atmosphere. For example:
The “click” of a door being opened may simply serve to convince the audience that the image portrayed is real, and the audience-may only subconsciously note the expected sound. However, if the “click” of an opening door is part of an ominous action such as a burglary, the sound mixer may call attention to the “click” with an increase in volume; this helps to engage the audience in a moment of suspense.
The “click” of a door being opened may simply serve to convince the audience that the image portrayed is real, and the audience-may only subconsciously note the expected sound. However, if the “click” of an opening door is part of an ominous action such as a burglary, the sound mixer may call attention to the “click” with an increase in volume; this helps to engage the audience in a moment of suspense.
Asynchronous sound effects are not matched
with a visible source of the sound on screen. Such sounds are included so as to
provide an appropriate emotional nuance, and they may also add to the realism
of the film. For example:
A film maker might opt to include the background sound of an ambulance's siren while the foreground sound and image portrays an arguing couple. The asynchronous ambulance siren underscores the psychic injury incurred in the argument; at the same time the noise of the siren adds to the realism of the film by acknowledging the film's (avowed) city setting.
A film maker might opt to include the background sound of an ambulance's siren while the foreground sound and image portrays an arguing couple. The asynchronous ambulance siren underscores the psychic injury incurred in the argument; at the same time the noise of the siren adds to the realism of the film by acknowledging the film's (avowed) city setting.
MUSIC: background music
Background music is used to add emotion and
rhythm to a film. Usually not meant to be noticeable, it often provides a tone
or an emotional attitude toward the story and/or the characters epicted.
In addition, background music often foreshadows a change in mood. For example,
dissonant music may be used in film to indicate an approaching (but not yet
visible) menace or disaster.
Background music may aid viewer understanding
by linking scenes. For example, a particular musical theme associated
with an individual character or situation may be repeated at various points in
a film in order to remind the audience of salient motifs or ideas.
Film sound is comprised of conventions and
innovations. We have come to expect an acceleration of music during car chases
and creaky doors in horror films. Yet, it is important to note as well that
sound is often brilliantly conceived. The effects of sound are often
largely subtle and often are noted by only our subconscious minds. Yet, it behooves
us to foster an awareness of film sound as well as film space so as to truly
appreciate a twentieth century art form, the modern film.
Digetic
sound is visible on the screen or whose
source is implied to be present by the action of the film. We will use this
when the girl has supposedly been killed but as her eyes open there will be a
loud gasp, this will automatically scare the viewers as they wasn't expecting
her to wake up because she is laying in a position that gives you the idea that
she is dead and that the villain is walking of in the background. The sound we
have used are very basic and short bu they create a lot of suspense, take the
gasp at the end for example, it is conventional to a thriller because it
increases suspense and will keep the audience on the edge of there seat.
I
think our opening scene will be much more effective with added sound, it will
help create and connection with the audience but also trick them e.g. With the
use of contrapuntal sound. The audience will feel a emotive connection towards
the victim and realise how intense the story line begins by he use of
sharp non-diegetic music. Planning the sound has made it a lot my easier to
decide what we want, we have taken our ideas from classic thriller films.
Opening Scene Narration - Miss Miller
The opening scene of our thriller clip takes place down a road, the first camera shot that is used is a establishing shot. This is used to let the audience know what the scene looks like and already gets them thinking into where the dangers are and where the murders can be taken place. We have an effect also in this scen as soon as it begins it is named 'Distort' this creates the sense of fear as it seems very strange and also creates tension. There is a build up of non digetic sound with the sound of an owl, by doing this it gives the audience the sense that there is a forest nearby and this also creates a sense of fear as forest's are seen as a very scary place at night which is when this scene is.
The second scene is similar to the opening as the same camera shot is used, as the scene continues the shot changes to a handheld, making it seem like the audience are the people within the scene as they are know in the eyes of the villian. The scene begins with the victim walking down the road and into her house. As she then turns the corner the camera changes to a handheld, and it is the villain walking up behind her and then hiding in the corner as she enters her house. This creates tension also as the audience feel as though they are the villain and it gives them the fear of what will happen next. We wanted all the focus to be on the girl and the villain in this scene so we thought by not adding any effects would make this happen. The background sound of the erie music and the owl are still the same as we want to keep the same consistency throughout the scene as the time frame are the same between the two scenes.
The next scene is change of are as it is know shot from the victims bedroom, in this scene we did not have to establish the scene as it was clear the girl was in her bedroom, we decided to use a mid-shot as we thought this was the most appropriate. As we could see what she was doing but wasn't to close up to her that you couldn't see what was going on around her. there was no background music in this scene as it creates more tension and the audience will be sitting in silence also, so it makes them feel as though they are in the same situation as the character. When the scene ends you see a phone light up as a message is received on the ledge of the window.
The following scene is a close up shot of the phone, we filmed this part because it lets the audience see what the message reads and the recipient that sent the message. This creates tension for the audience as the message says "I am watching" and the recipient is 'Unknown' which gets them thinking who it could be from. Like the previous scene there is no sound only the noise of the phone receiving the message, we done this to show emphasis on the phone and we thought by putting in other noise it may distract the audience and think something else may happen, which we didn't want to happen in this scene.
The following scene is a low angle shot and also a point of view shot. In this scene it shows the victim in her bedroom looking at her phone once the message had been received, once she has read the message she then looks out the window to see if she can see the 'unknown' person. This then creates tension as the person who sent the message must be watching her from somewhere. The music in the background is tense and loud as it is supposed to create tension. also in this scene heavy breathing is used and is enhanced by doing this it shows that the villain is aggressive and watching her intensely, There is a slight effect which brightens up the background where the source of light is coming from, this enhances the silhouette of the victim and gives a rough outline of what she is doing.
The next scene is an over shot looking down at the villain, the villain is standing in the middle of the victims garden in dark clothing just staring up at her. We done this to make the audience feel agitated as to what was going to happen next. The heavy breathing is still included into this scene which gives you the feel that the victim can hear the villain from her window and it also creates some suspense due to the idea of what is going to happen next.
The next scene, is a change of area completely as it is now shot on a main road, the camera shot that is used is a panning shot. This was used to follow the victim as she walked down the road and into a gravel road. we didn't want to add in any background noise as we thought the noise coming from the cars and the everyday noises already heard in this scene sounded more real life, and the audience can then relate to the scene more. As the girl turns down the gravel road you see a light shine up which shows the outline of the villain hiding behind a postbox and his upper body is only seen. By doing this it may fright the audience as they could't see it coming as it looks like the girl is casually walking home from school one day. Then suddenly the light appears with the aggressive face of the villain showing.
The scene after shows a shrine of the victim. There is a picture of her attached to a fence and it is surrounded by candles. We used an effect in this scene at the start which blurred the screen, it then focuses to the shrine which attracts the audiences attention. The music used is tense and has a tight grip to is as you listen to the music because it is in time with the flickering of the candle creating tension as you wonder if the victim sees it or if the villain is there instead.
The following scene shows the victim realising that the shrine is of herself, she looks confused as to what is happening and why this could be there. The camera is angled on the floor and is looking up to the victim as she reallises the picture we done this to create a sense of something is watching her whilst she holds the picture. As the victim is off guard and staring to the picture you see a glimpse of the villain over her shoulder with the same light over his face as in the scene before. This creates a sense of fear for the audience as they don't know if he is about to attack the victim now or hes planning something still.
The second to last scene is of the villain and victim when the victim is struggling against the villain when he tries to kill her. The music will be rough and fairly intense as you don't know exactly what will happen and whether he will kidnap or kill her. There is a mid shot to show the whole of the body and what the villain is doing to the victim.
Lastly there is a last scene is a close up of the victim lying on the floor, there is no shadows on the face as it is meant to show all the features. The music in the background will be a heartbeat slowly fading away as if the life of the person fades away then when you think that she is dead. Her eyes open and a large sound will be used which will try and scare the audience so the audience thinks that she's dead but really she is alive.
To summarise i believe our clip will be successful because we used the conventional features of a thriller film, in the way we used a vulnerable female victim and a big aggressive looking man as the villain. I believe we also used the low key lighting well as it showed the shadows clearly and the darkness that represents a hint of fear and danger. Something tat wasn't a convention to a thriller wad that there was not a weapon used we felt every scary film there is always blood and weapons, so by changing it the crowd would not be ready for that and it shows that he killer has thought more about the death and tried to cover his tracks by not leaving and blood or clues for any one to find.
The second scene is similar to the opening as the same camera shot is used, as the scene continues the shot changes to a handheld, making it seem like the audience are the people within the scene as they are know in the eyes of the villian. The scene begins with the victim walking down the road and into her house. As she then turns the corner the camera changes to a handheld, and it is the villain walking up behind her and then hiding in the corner as she enters her house. This creates tension also as the audience feel as though they are the villain and it gives them the fear of what will happen next. We wanted all the focus to be on the girl and the villain in this scene so we thought by not adding any effects would make this happen. The background sound of the erie music and the owl are still the same as we want to keep the same consistency throughout the scene as the time frame are the same between the two scenes.
The next scene is change of are as it is know shot from the victims bedroom, in this scene we did not have to establish the scene as it was clear the girl was in her bedroom, we decided to use a mid-shot as we thought this was the most appropriate. As we could see what she was doing but wasn't to close up to her that you couldn't see what was going on around her. there was no background music in this scene as it creates more tension and the audience will be sitting in silence also, so it makes them feel as though they are in the same situation as the character. When the scene ends you see a phone light up as a message is received on the ledge of the window.
The following scene is a close up shot of the phone, we filmed this part because it lets the audience see what the message reads and the recipient that sent the message. This creates tension for the audience as the message says "I am watching" and the recipient is 'Unknown' which gets them thinking who it could be from. Like the previous scene there is no sound only the noise of the phone receiving the message, we done this to show emphasis on the phone and we thought by putting in other noise it may distract the audience and think something else may happen, which we didn't want to happen in this scene.
The following scene is a low angle shot and also a point of view shot. In this scene it shows the victim in her bedroom looking at her phone once the message had been received, once she has read the message she then looks out the window to see if she can see the 'unknown' person. This then creates tension as the person who sent the message must be watching her from somewhere. The music in the background is tense and loud as it is supposed to create tension. also in this scene heavy breathing is used and is enhanced by doing this it shows that the villain is aggressive and watching her intensely, There is a slight effect which brightens up the background where the source of light is coming from, this enhances the silhouette of the victim and gives a rough outline of what she is doing.
The next scene is an over shot looking down at the villain, the villain is standing in the middle of the victims garden in dark clothing just staring up at her. We done this to make the audience feel agitated as to what was going to happen next. The heavy breathing is still included into this scene which gives you the feel that the victim can hear the villain from her window and it also creates some suspense due to the idea of what is going to happen next.
The next scene, is a change of area completely as it is now shot on a main road, the camera shot that is used is a panning shot. This was used to follow the victim as she walked down the road and into a gravel road. we didn't want to add in any background noise as we thought the noise coming from the cars and the everyday noises already heard in this scene sounded more real life, and the audience can then relate to the scene more. As the girl turns down the gravel road you see a light shine up which shows the outline of the villain hiding behind a postbox and his upper body is only seen. By doing this it may fright the audience as they could't see it coming as it looks like the girl is casually walking home from school one day. Then suddenly the light appears with the aggressive face of the villain showing.
The scene after shows a shrine of the victim. There is a picture of her attached to a fence and it is surrounded by candles. We used an effect in this scene at the start which blurred the screen, it then focuses to the shrine which attracts the audiences attention. The music used is tense and has a tight grip to is as you listen to the music because it is in time with the flickering of the candle creating tension as you wonder if the victim sees it or if the villain is there instead.
The following scene shows the victim realising that the shrine is of herself, she looks confused as to what is happening and why this could be there. The camera is angled on the floor and is looking up to the victim as she reallises the picture we done this to create a sense of something is watching her whilst she holds the picture. As the victim is off guard and staring to the picture you see a glimpse of the villain over her shoulder with the same light over his face as in the scene before. This creates a sense of fear for the audience as they don't know if he is about to attack the victim now or hes planning something still.
The second to last scene is of the villain and victim when the victim is struggling against the villain when he tries to kill her. The music will be rough and fairly intense as you don't know exactly what will happen and whether he will kidnap or kill her. There is a mid shot to show the whole of the body and what the villain is doing to the victim.
Lastly there is a last scene is a close up of the victim lying on the floor, there is no shadows on the face as it is meant to show all the features. The music in the background will be a heartbeat slowly fading away as if the life of the person fades away then when you think that she is dead. Her eyes open and a large sound will be used which will try and scare the audience so the audience thinks that she's dead but really she is alive.
To summarise i believe our clip will be successful because we used the conventional features of a thriller film, in the way we used a vulnerable female victim and a big aggressive looking man as the villain. I believe we also used the low key lighting well as it showed the shadows clearly and the darkness that represents a hint of fear and danger. Something tat wasn't a convention to a thriller wad that there was not a weapon used we felt every scary film there is always blood and weapons, so by changing it the crowd would not be ready for that and it shows that he killer has thought more about the death and tried to cover his tracks by not leaving and blood or clues for any one to find.
Thriller Inspirations - Miss Miller
The inspirations that i got for my own thriller clip was from One hour photo, Millers crossing and Layer cake , i have analysed them and said what i liked about them below:
Layer Cake
Whilst
watching 'Layer Cake' (directed by Matthew Vaughn) i saw quite a few shots that
look easy to execute but are still very effective, for example, when Daniel
Craig is waiting on the bench for 'The Dragon' when it is just starting to get
dark you can see the city landscape layed out before him with all the lights on
which shows you the setting of the film, symbolising how important the male
Protagonist played by Craig is to the story line showing him as larger than
life above the city. This shot is taken from behind the back of the bench this
shows the men as just black silhouettes against the lit up city scape
indicating the darkness of the storyline and the deed you are about to see. it
also keeps the mystery as throughout the entire film you never find out who
'The Dragon' is or what he looks like this shot shows how real he is but still
keeps the intrigue into who he is.
Another shot that looked good but easy, was the scene in which Daniel Craig and the Dukes men are running away from the police, to get across the feeling of panic and desperation this scene has been shot using handheld camera running sometimes behind and sometimes infront of the characters, and in one particularly good bit Daniel Craig runs into a overhanging branch and it flicks back into the way of the camera this gives the audience a sense of worry and adrenaline. This type of shot would be relatively easy to perform, but there would need to be a degree of steady camera work as although effective this type of shot does not show any skill or ability with a camera which is the sort of thing we are trying to exhibit in our production.
I also took a lot of inspiration from the film 'Millers Crossing' (directed by Joel and Ethan Coen) because I really enjoyed this film and particuarly liked the scene in which the male protagonist Tom Reagan played by Gabriel Byrne is forced to go out and shoot Bernie, played by John Turturro, in the middle of a forest. This scene has some brilliant shots due to the location. A slow zooming shot shows the forest and the black tree trunks indicating the bleakness of the surroundings and the plot. In the middle of this shot in the middle of the forest clearing is Bernie crouching down whining for his life and Tom standing over him with a gun pointed down at his head. this scene is incredibly powerful as there is not noise except his begging for his life, this shows us the dispute that is going on inside Tom's head and highlights the characters weaknesses, this correlates with the flawed hero often found in thriller films.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Pie charts/Questionnaire - Miss Miller
Questionnaire/ Pie charts
I carried out a questionnaire to get find out why people watch thrillers and what they enjoy about them. From the results we would have collected we will then use them for our own thriller to see what the people enjoy the most and what will keep them engaged most in the film. We also hope from the questionnaire to try and attract the age range of the audience that we have chosen (15-25).
We tried to keep most of our questions open so we wouldn't get the straight answer of 'Yes' or 'No', we gave the questionnaires to a diverse group of people so we wouldn't get the same answer every time. Also we would give the occupants a variety of answers and also the option of 'other' on certain questions. Incase if they do not agree any of the answers given they can then give their own opinion.
Questionnaire
1. How old are you?
13-18 19-24 25-36
2. Are you...?
Male Female
3. What age certificates do you watch?
U PG 12/12a 15 18
4. What interests you in watching a thriller?
Adrenaline Characters Murder scenes Other .............
5. What do you expect to see in thrillers?
Female victim Murderer weapon Scary setting Other..........
6. Do you like sequels?
Yes No
7. What type of sounds would you like to hear in a thriller?
Eerie music Screams Piano
8. What characters would you like to see in a thriller? Why?
Unidentified killer Blonde Victim Mysterious creatures Why? ...........
9. What type of actors would you like to be used?
Morgan Freeman Brad Pitt Anne Hathaway Gwenth Patrow
10. What type of setting would you like to see?
Suburban Neighbourhood Abandoned Alley Grave Yard
11. Would you enjoy other sub-genres to be used? If so, which ones?
Horror Drama Sci-fi Fantasy
12. What type of narrative would you like to be used?
First person Second person Third person
This questionnaire uses mostly closed questions as we want a restricted amount of answers.
Charts:
The chart above shows the ages of the respondents the highest age was between the ages of 19-24 this we believe at tis age is hen they are most likely to watch the thriller genre because any younger people may still not enjoy this type and above this age people may of matured and preffered a more serious/real life film.
As you can see from the pie chart above there was more male applicants asked as thrillers are mainly aimed at men as the genre is very aggressive and scary. So with this in mind it was best to ask more men as we thought we would get a better in depth answer and a more educated answer. Although we did not just want to ask men because then the answers will not be fair so we still had to ask a variety of genders.
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this pie chart shows the preffered age certificates watched by the respondents, as you can see the age rated film that was voted the highest was the 15. I believe this is because 15 rated films are the most interesting as there is a lot of action and isn't boring such as a lower age certificate and also they are not as gory at which a 18 rated film could be.
The lowest voted age certificate is 18 i believe this is because these films can be to much to watch for the average person as they can be very frightful and gory, so people tend to go for the easier watching film that could be at the rated certificate of 15.
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| The chart above shows what interests people about watching a thriller film, the highest answer was the adrenaline scenes. I believe this is because people between the ages of 15-25 enjoy the adrenalin as they are very enthusiastic and enjoy the buzz they can get from it. Adrenalin scenes are also usually the most memorable parts of a film and they are the ones that stand out of a film so people remember them and will then see them as there most favourite parts to the film. |
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| This chart shows what people expect to see in thriller films, as you can see scary settings was the highest voted answer. This is because thriller films are seen to be scary and jumpy films. So without a scary scene the film will then not be a thriller it is more likely to be an action film. Shortly followed by the scary scene was the murder weapon this is because in nearly every thriller film there are murders so people expect to see a weapon used to kill the characters e.g gun and knife. |
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| The pie chart shows if people enjoy sequals. I was personally surprised by this as i thought peopke would enjoy them more as they have an idea of what the previous film was about so they can they have more educated guesses about some of the unexplained scenes in the second sequak. Although the opposite to this is that people enjoy the unknowing of what is going tohappen on the film so they are constantly kept on the edge of their seat. |
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| This pie chart shows that 46% of people prefer to listen to the piano in a film because it creates a lot more tension and suspense within the film. Next was screams which has 29% of people would like to hear screams, this may show that people prefer to hear screams in a film which may help the audience identify that this is a thriller film that they are watching. |
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| This particular pie chart shows what characters people would like to see in a thriller. As you can see an unidentified killer is the highest voted as this then creates suspense to the film and ultimately gives the audience the adrenalin they want to feel from the previous pie chart. Mysterious creature was the lowest rated i believe this is because a mysterious creature is not relatable to the audience so they then don't feel as involved in the film. Also the fact that it is not real creature it doesn't seem real to the audience so therefore they can then not get to involved into the film as once again they can not relate to it. |
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| This pie chart who peoples favorite characters are in thriller films. Morgan Freeman was the highest voted by a jurastic amount. I also believe he is the best actor to play a thriller film as he seem very mysterious in the way he acts and he really gets the audience involved in the film the way he acts. He is also very good at playing the villain and victim as he seems to have the skill to play both roles in a very good way. |
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| This pie chart shows where popel want to see the setting of the film. the highest voted was a suburban neihbourhood this is because people can then relate to the film more, where as if it was in a grayard its not everyday people will be taking a walk through a graveyard. |
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| This particular pie chart shows that quite a few people prefer to have horror as their sub-genre, this is because thrillers and horrors are very similiar in the way that there are a lot of murders and they both keep the audience on the edge of their seat. where as if the sub genre was sci-fi the two genres can not flow together as sci-fi is very in depth in the way of computing and intelligence where as thrillers are more madness in the way there's murders and violence. |
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| In this pie chart it shows that 43% of the people chosen to take the questionnaire shows that they prefer to have the film in the first person, therefore the audience are able to relate to the film as they use phrases such as 'I' and 'we'. |
Friday, 14 February 2014
Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I created a preliminary task before the main task, the point of this was to aid us in getting used to the equipment and feel to get an idea of the atmosphere in a filming environment. By doing the preliminary task we learnt that when acting we need to feel more comfortable and not be so uptight. My job was to be the cameraman this was because we had already discussed who was doing what jobs in the main task and i felt most comfortable doing the filming out of the three in the group. What I learnt was to how to use a professional camera and tripod as before i had never come across either of these objects. I know feel comfortable using both these objects if i am assigned to a job to do so.
at one point there was a part of the scene when you could hear background noise from the camera man, so by this the group learnt that they need to pay more attention to the editing and making sure they lower the off screen sound and also watch the clip back to make sure this doesn't happen again.
at one point there was a part of the scene when you could hear background noise from the camera man, so by this the group learnt that they need to pay more attention to the editing and making sure they lower the off screen sound and also watch the clip back to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?
In the commercial industry of film making it is important to distinguish your target audience. The motive why it is so important to know your target audience is because it will help when determining what content is to be included. For example, older viewers may favour a dissimilar editing style to a younger audience. This means that there must be a certain understanding of your target audience i.e what film genres they like, type of filming style, editing style etc. This understanding will eventually mean a better revenue than if you came up with a story and tried to advertise without any awareness of your target audience.
The target audience for my thriller is between the ages of 16-25, I have chosen this age range because they are the ages that are most likely to enjoy thriller films and the adrenalin rush they get from it. Also the age certificate i chose was 15 this was because i believe it isn't too gory and bloody to be an 18 but it is still frightening and over the top for it to be certificated at under 15. If we was to make the target audience younger this would not be a good decision because they can get scared a lot easier and it may not be as successful as if we was to aim it at this range.
My film appeals to an audience because of our narrative, it is ver mysterious so therefore people will want to know what happens in the film. Also the soundtrack also links in with the mysteriousness of the film as it is very quiet and there is a strange eerie noise in the background, which give you the feeling that something big is about to happen, so it keeps the audience on the edge of there seat.
The target audience for my thriller is between the ages of 16-25, I have chosen this age range because they are the ages that are most likely to enjoy thriller films and the adrenalin rush they get from it. Also the age certificate i chose was 15 this was because i believe it isn't too gory and bloody to be an 18 but it is still frightening and over the top for it to be certificated at under 15. If we was to make the target audience younger this would not be a good decision because they can get scared a lot easier and it may not be as successful as if we was to aim it at this range.
My film appeals to an audience because of our narrative, it is ver mysterious so therefore people will want to know what happens in the film. Also the soundtrack also links in with the mysteriousness of the film as it is very quiet and there is a strange eerie noise in the background, which give you the feeling that something big is about to happen, so it keeps the audience on the edge of there seat.
Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups
There are two main characters in my film, they are the female Victim and the Killer. I included a killer because within every thriller film there is always a killer/ bad guy nobody knows who the killer is which is what we wanted to happen because it makes him seem mysterious and creepy. So to meet a convention of a thriller I decided to incorporate a killer. The second character was a female victim, a female victim is a conventon of a thriller film and we stereotyped her in the way she dressed, in the first scene she is seen wearing pyjamas which makes her seem vulnerable and innocent. this was because we had already thought of a killer so we had to have a victim that he could go after, we first come up with the idea of having a male victim but after thinking about it we decided to use a female victim because it is conventional to a thriller and she will seem more vulnerable and make it more scary by making her scream louder and make more of a scene.
The gender of the two characters is represented in a stereotypical way because the killer is a boysterious male which is stereotypical because they are seen as the more aggressive and dangerous gender. Using a female victim is stereotypical also because they are perceived as a vulnerable person and will worry in situations , and also that they will be targeted by men. We chose a female victim because there seen as the weaker gender so therefore the audience can then relate to the opening scene.
Our characters will appeal to our audience because they are very conventional to a thriller genre so when they read up about the clip they will instantly want to see it because of the type of clip it is going to be.
The gender of the two characters is represented in a stereotypical way because the killer is a boysterious male which is stereotypical because they are seen as the more aggressive and dangerous gender. Using a female victim is stereotypical also because they are perceived as a vulnerable person and will worry in situations , and also that they will be targeted by men. We chose a female victim because there seen as the weaker gender so therefore the audience can then relate to the opening scene.
Our characters will appeal to our audience because they are very conventional to a thriller genre so when they read up about the clip they will instantly want to see it because of the type of clip it is going to be.
Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms ad conventions of real media products?
The third Convention I analysed is a high angle camera shot. This was used when you first saw the man up against the wall. This makes him seem like the victim in the film. It puts the audience on edge because they know he could be killed but they don't know at what point. This is conventional to a thriller film because by using a high angle camera shot it allows the audience to see what is around the area and what dangers there could be.
The final Convention that i analysed are the guns that were used. They was seen being used by Liam Neeson. Guns are conventional to a thriller film because they create a feel of danger and violence which is also conventional to a thriller. By using guns it makes you feel as though the man has no chance of living because if he breaks free which is unlikely he will just be shot by him anyway
One convention of a thriller we used was a female victim, This is conventional to a thriller because a female victim are deceived as being vulnerable and scared when out in a scary situation. in our film the girl is getting watched by a mysterious killer, and by the end of the clip she is attacked by him and was believed to be killed. During the clip we used a lot of close up shots on the Female to show how she was feeling and to see that she was scared by what was happening.
We also used low key Lighting, which is conventional to a thriller because it creates suspense and and spookiness about the scene. If you was to film a clip in daytime it wouldn't be as scary for the viewers where as when you film it at night it keeps the viewers on edge as it is difficult to see the surroundings. We used this in our clip throughout especially when the victim discovers a shrine that to Killer had made. we used candles to light up the pictures and the rest of the surroundings were blacked out.
We used iconography such as the candle and the picture of the villain,
The final Convention that i analysed are the guns that were used. They was seen being used by Liam Neeson. Guns are conventional to a thriller film because they create a feel of danger and violence which is also conventional to a thriller. By using guns it makes you feel as though the man has no chance of living because if he breaks free which is unlikely he will just be shot by him anyway
One convention of a thriller we used was a female victim, This is conventional to a thriller because a female victim are deceived as being vulnerable and scared when out in a scary situation. in our film the girl is getting watched by a mysterious killer, and by the end of the clip she is attacked by him and was believed to be killed. During the clip we used a lot of close up shots on the Female to show how she was feeling and to see that she was scared by what was happening.
We also used low key Lighting, which is conventional to a thriller because it creates suspense and and spookiness about the scene. If you was to film a clip in daytime it wouldn't be as scary for the viewers where as when you film it at night it keeps the viewers on edge as it is difficult to see the surroundings. We used this in our clip throughout especially when the victim discovers a shrine that to Killer had made. we used candles to light up the pictures and the rest of the surroundings were blacked out.
We used iconography such as the candle and the picture of the villain,
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Planning mise - en - scene - Miss Georgiou
Lighting/Colour
-Lighting is mainly low key, creating harsh shadows on faces, bodies and props. It sets the scene for thrillers being dark, mysterious and sinister. Low key lighting is usually used during the mysterious and sinister scenes, emphasising the suspense and tension. As well as creating an unsettling atmosphere.
-Colour is a key convention for mise-en-scene in Thrillers, as we associate emotions and thoughts with different colours. For example blacks can we used to symbolize death, immediately creating tension and leaving the audience feeling on edge. As well as reds can be associated with blood, again linking in with death. Overall the colour and lighting link together, helping to create a sinister mood. The characters being in dark colours suggest that they are evil, killers etc, as well as the setting being dark, which help to mask the characters and their actions.
There will be low key lighting throughtout most of the openeing sequence as you are therefore able to see what time of day this is set, as this will be over a period of a few days where the victim will feel that she is constantly being watched.
It will be pitch black dark on the last scene when the victim is actually being followed through the woods.
Costumes
-The use of costumes within Thrillers are very important, they must be life like to the audience, as how the characters are presented is how the audience perceive them. Therefore the more life like and believable the characters are the better the storyline for the audience. Typically in Thrillers the murderer, villain etc will wear dark clothes to enhance the mystery and evilness of them, as well creating tension. However the victims usually wear ripped, dirty, blood stained clothes, reinforcing their weakness and vulnerability, as well as connoting that they have been chased, are unable to fight back etc.
The costume for the victim will be very relaxed such as jeans and a t-shirt and a jumper, the villain would be wearing all black, as it hides the identity of the killer. The hair will be very natural and not too extravagant as the thriller will not look normal or realistic which is our aim.
Setting/Props
-The setting is the location, where the scene is taken place or where it is set. Examples of typical Thriller settings would be dark alleys, haunted houses, mental wards, urban city etc. Usually only a small range of colours will be used in the setting, being blacks and greys. This can be used to show how normal and plain life is, contrasting with the villains in the film as they create a dramatic and fearful atmosphere. The setting we intend to use is a girls bedroom and a forest as they are the two most well known thriller settings because you can change the lighting in the room making it more scary and intense.
The iconography we intend to use is a phone as it will be used when the victim receives a text message from this unknown mystery man.
-Props are any movable articles or objects used on the set of a film. In Thriller films props often determine the narrative, identity of the characters and genre. A range of props can be used such as police, mobile phones etc. However typically weapons are used by the villains to reinforce the violence and fear overall, being knifes, guns etc
Facial expressions & Body Language
Facial expressions that will be used for the victim will moslty be:
The body language used for the victim will show that she is frigthened and vunerable as she is chased through the forest by a mysterious man.
-Lighting is mainly low key, creating harsh shadows on faces, bodies and props. It sets the scene for thrillers being dark, mysterious and sinister. Low key lighting is usually used during the mysterious and sinister scenes, emphasising the suspense and tension. As well as creating an unsettling atmosphere.
-Colour is a key convention for mise-en-scene in Thrillers, as we associate emotions and thoughts with different colours. For example blacks can we used to symbolize death, immediately creating tension and leaving the audience feeling on edge. As well as reds can be associated with blood, again linking in with death. Overall the colour and lighting link together, helping to create a sinister mood. The characters being in dark colours suggest that they are evil, killers etc, as well as the setting being dark, which help to mask the characters and their actions.
There will be low key lighting throughtout most of the openeing sequence as you are therefore able to see what time of day this is set, as this will be over a period of a few days where the victim will feel that she is constantly being watched.
It will be pitch black dark on the last scene when the victim is actually being followed through the woods.
Costumes
-The use of costumes within Thrillers are very important, they must be life like to the audience, as how the characters are presented is how the audience perceive them. Therefore the more life like and believable the characters are the better the storyline for the audience. Typically in Thrillers the murderer, villain etc will wear dark clothes to enhance the mystery and evilness of them, as well creating tension. However the victims usually wear ripped, dirty, blood stained clothes, reinforcing their weakness and vulnerability, as well as connoting that they have been chased, are unable to fight back etc.
The costume for the victim will be very relaxed such as jeans and a t-shirt and a jumper, the villain would be wearing all black, as it hides the identity of the killer. The hair will be very natural and not too extravagant as the thriller will not look normal or realistic which is our aim.
Setting/Props
-The setting is the location, where the scene is taken place or where it is set. Examples of typical Thriller settings would be dark alleys, haunted houses, mental wards, urban city etc. Usually only a small range of colours will be used in the setting, being blacks and greys. This can be used to show how normal and plain life is, contrasting with the villains in the film as they create a dramatic and fearful atmosphere. The setting we intend to use is a girls bedroom and a forest as they are the two most well known thriller settings because you can change the lighting in the room making it more scary and intense.
The iconography we intend to use is a phone as it will be used when the victim receives a text message from this unknown mystery man.
-Props are any movable articles or objects used on the set of a film. In Thriller films props often determine the narrative, identity of the characters and genre. A range of props can be used such as police, mobile phones etc. However typically weapons are used by the villains to reinforce the violence and fear overall, being knifes, guns etc
Facial expressions & Body Language
Facial expressions that will be used for the victim will moslty be:
- confused expression
- scared expression
- frightened expression
The body language used for the victim will show that she is frigthened and vunerable as she is chased through the forest by a mysterious man.
Planning editing styles - Miss Georgiou
Editing styles are very useful and important in an opening sequence as it creates lots of suspense and tension. This will create an effect to scare the audience, this will be shown in thrillers mostly. In my thriller we will intend to use the following editing styles, Slow editing, reaction shot, dissolve to jump cut and jump cut. Everyone of these styles create suspense and tension and this will then keep the audience engaged within the clip an keep them on the edge of their seat.
Slow editing is a very common editing style because it is very effective when used. It creates suspense for the audience because it creates a slow build up to a scene, we intend to use the slow editing when the girl is in her bedroom as she receives the message, by using the slow editing at this point the audience may think that a big attack may be about to happen because of the slow build up to the scene This will also keep the audience engaged in the clip because they begin to think what could be forthcoming. This should appeal to the audience because they will see the scenes move slowly as you see the victim creating suspense and tension withing the opening sequence to grab the attention of the audience.
Also in our clip we are hoping to use the Reaction shot, this is important to use as it shows the reaction of a character once something has happened, for example if a gun is shot in a scene a camera may cut to a reaction shot to see either the reaction of the shooter or the character being shot. We are going to use the reaction shot when the girl is walking home through the forest and notices the shrine, by using this then you are able to see the confusion and the instant fear in the girls eyes as she realise somebody is watching her. By doing this the audience can then relate to the character as they now know what she is feeling.
We will use a dissolve to jump cut when the scene changes from the girls bedroom tot the forest. We will do this to create suspense for the audience as you are not sure what the next scene could be, because of the slow build up to it. We are going to use this style at this point because it is a interesting previous scene with the phone ringing and not knowing what will happen next.
The final editing style we are going to use is the jump cut, this is important for our thriller because it separates each scene and creates a slight suspense and shock as you do not know what the next scene will be based on this will then be unexpected for the audience. This will mainly be used when the girl is being followed by the villain this is because it is quite a faced paced scene and to keep switching camera angles it is good to use the jump cut as it is fast and efficient. This should appeal to the audience because they should feel as though they are the victim and feeling how they feel and what is it like getting followed, chased after and maybe even captured.
These editing styles are conventional to a thriller because they make the thriller seem slow and steady creating tension showing the victim, villain and the eerie setting that they are in, this allows the audience to follow along with the film as if they were in the film then suddenly something happens which creates a disequilibrium. This should appeal to the audience as this can create confusion within a thriller as at first everything is normal which may capture the audiences attention then suddenly the whole scenery changes and there is a huge problem, or scary scene that suddenly occurs.
These editing styles are conventional to a thriller because they all create suspense and fear for the audience in there own way and makes the thriller seem slow and and steady creating tension, by doing this it keeps the audience engaged in the thriller clip and follow along with it.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Preliminary Task - Miss Georgiou
In our group we have Myself, Nathaliah Makki and Leandra Saunders. I was the camera man because i was sure thats what my job would be in the thriller clip as that is my strength. Nathaliah and Leandra were the two main characters exchanging dialogue, with Leandra being the character walking into the room and leaving as well.
The purpose of the preliminary task is to experiment with the camera with different camera angles to try and film a short 1minute film on someone walking into a room and leaving the room and exchanging a short dialogue. I believe it is good to do a preliminary task because it will help with the thriller clip, because we will become familiar with acting in front of a camera and i will become more familiar with using the camera. Also because the group was randomly put together we had never met before, so by doing the preliminary task we was able to get to know each other better and become more comfortable with each other, so when it comes to the actual thriller we will be able to act better and feel more comfortable acting in front of each other.
Before we started filming we had to discuss what we was going to talk about. We made a small spider diagram to give us some ideas, because the clip wasn't very long it did not take long for us to decide what to talk about. In the clip the two girls are talking about what they are having for lunch. Once the conversation is over Leandra walks out the room.
We had to use a variety of camera angles, so when the scene starts Leandra walks in the room and i used a panning shot to follow her as she walks into the room and to show the surroundings. As they both sit down a mid - shot is used so you can see both actors when they are in conversation.
Once we had finished filming we had to edit the clip, there was a lot of parts were it was not filmed correctly or the camera was left running for to long so we had to cut parts of the clip. This will also help when we come to film the thriller because we are more familiar with Final Cut Pro, so when it comes to editing our thriller clip we will know what we are doing and wont have to waste time trying to figure out parts of it or getting our teacher to explain how to use it.
Friday, 10 January 2014
Evaluation Post - Miss georgiou
In my group there was three people, they was myself, Leandra Saunders and Nathaliah Makki. We was all given specific roles that we thought was our personal strenghts and the was as follow:
Leandra: Actress/sound technicians/screenplay writer/producer
Leandra: Actress/sound technicians/screenplay writer/producer
Nathaliah: Editor/mise-en-scene coordinator/screenplay writer/producer
James: Director/director of photography/screenplay writer/producer
We decided who would take on what role by the amount of responsibility that we can handle and the abilities that we possess because each one of us have our own abilities and we use them in different ways as we have different ideas and plans to make something.
I was assigned the role of director because I have the ability to take control in difficult situations so for me to overlook the whole project. The director and has numerous amount of abilities to make the film a lot better and believable. I also have the responsibility as director of photography because I am the only one with the ability to work a camera and be able to use it to create character representation by using different camera angles in the scene and to know how to introduce a character or scene. I was also given the role of screenplay writer as well because if we incorporate the three of us in our group we can create a good piece of script that will be interesting but not too complicated that it will confuse the audience. What i learnt from being the director was to be more assertive when i'm trying to prove a point, as director your decision was final and in the beginning i let the whole group make decisions that i should of been doing myself.
I was assigned the role of director because I have the ability to take control in difficult situations so for me to overlook the whole project. The director and has numerous amount of abilities to make the film a lot better and believable. I also have the responsibility as director of photography because I am the only one with the ability to work a camera and be able to use it to create character representation by using different camera angles in the scene and to know how to introduce a character or scene. I was also given the role of screenplay writer as well because if we incorporate the three of us in our group we can create a good piece of script that will be interesting but not too complicated that it will confuse the audience. What i learnt from being the director was to be more assertive when i'm trying to prove a point, as director your decision was final and in the beginning i let the whole group make decisions that i should of been doing myself.
We assigned all three of us the role of producer because we each have the ability to set up the scene and not apply it to one specific person because they may not have an idea that will make the scene better, instead someone else in the group may have a better idea therefore it would be best to assign all three of us the role of producer.
Having specific roles and jobs in a film/opening sequence is better because it means that we are each able to focus on our own jobs and then feedback to the group instead of there being no organisation and there being a problem and a lack of communication or there may be a disagreement in the group and may leave one of the group members unhappy and not satisfied with the end result of the opening sequence.
I believe our group worked very well together in many ways, firstly i believe we was very organised in a way that we knew what our job was and we wouldn't be getting in each others way.
Question 1
Conventions are the elements that are common within different film genres.
I am analysing a clip from the film Taken. The part when they capture the man and tie him to a pole in a unknown place.
The first convention i notice is Fighting, the evidence of this is when the man is tied up the villans are beating him up by kicking and punching him. This is usual because fighting is a convention in a thriller film as they contain action and fighting a lot of the time. This helps the viewers relate to the film because you feel sorry for the man tied up and you want him to get free and find his daughter.
The second convention i analysed is a female victim. The mans wife was taken captive as well as him. This allows the Man to have something to fight for as he loves his family and wouldn't want to see his wife die in front of him. by doing this it make the man seem hero by saving her first. This is conventional to a thriller film because there is usually a female victim who is then saved by a male who wants to be the the hero.
The third Convention I analysed is a high angle camera shot. This was used when you first saw the man tied up. This makes him seem like the victim in the film. It puts the audience on edge because they know he could be killed but they don't know at what point. This is conventional to a thriller film because by using a high angle camera shot it allows the audience to see what is around the area and what dangers there could be.
The final Convention that i analysed are the guns that were used. They was seen being used by the men who had taken captive of the Family. Guns are conventional to a thriller film because they create a feel of danger and violence which is also conventional to a thriller. By using guns it makes you feel as though the man has no chance of living because if he breaks free which is unlikely he will just be shot by them anyway
One convention of a thriller we used was a female victim, This is conventional to a thriller because a female victim are deceived as being vulnerable and scared when out in a scary situation. in our film the girl is getting watched by a mysterious killer, and by the end of the clip she is attacked by him and was believed to be killed. During the clip we used a lot of close up shots on the Female to show how she was feeling and to see that she was scared by what was happening.
We also used low key Lighting, which is conventional to a thriller because it creates suspense and and spookiness about the scene. If you was to film a clip in daytime it wouldn't be as scary for the viewers where as when you film it at night it keeps the viewers on edge as it is difficult to see the surroundings. We used this in our clip throughout especially when the victim discovers a shrine that to Killer had made. we used candles to light up the pictures and the rest of the surroundings were blacked out
Question 2
There are two main characters in out film, they are the female Victim and the Killer. We included a killer because within every thriller film there is always a killer/ bad guy nobody knows who the killer is which is what we wanted to happen because it makes him seem mysterious and creepy. So to meet a convention of a thriller we decided to encorporate a killer. The second character we had was a female victim, this was because we had already thought of a killer so we had to have a victim that he could go after, we first come up with the idea of having a make victim but after thinking about it we decided to use a female victim because it is conventional to a thriller and she will seem more vulnerable and make it more scary by making her scream louder and make more of a scene.
The gender of the two characters is represented in a stereotypical way because the killer is a boysterious male which is stereotypical because they are seen as the more aggressive and dangerous gender. Using a female victim is stereotypical also because they are perceived as a vulnerable person and will worry in situations , and also that they will be targeted by men.
Our charecters will appeal to our audience because they are very conventional to a thriller genre so when they read up about the clip they will instantly want to see it because of the type of clip it is going to be.
Question 3
A media institution is important to consider when distributing your thriller film because, different company's produce different types of films. For example if you was top choose Walt Disney for a scary thriller clip, that would not be the best decision because they produce more child films e.g Toy story.
I believe the film company that would be best to distribute our film is Lionsgate, after i had researched them they usually produce in the same genre of films especially thrillers. The main film they have produced is the Saw films. This what made me make the final decision on who would be best to distribute our film because our clip is similar to the saw films in relation to female victims and a killer. This is also why i believe if Lionsgate was to produce our film it would be successful because they are well known for producing great films in the thriller genre.
Question 4
In the commercial industry of film making it is important to distinguish your target audience. The motive why it is so important to know your target audience is because it will help when determining what content is to be included. For example, older viewers may favour a dissimilar editing style to a younger audience. This means that there must be a certain understanding of your target audience i.e what film genres they like, type of filming style, editing style etc. This understanding will eventually mean a better revenue than if you came up with a story and tried to advertise without any awareness of your target audience.
The target audience for our is between the ages of 16-25, we have chosen this age range because they are the ages that are most likely to enjoy thriller films and the adrenalin rush they get from it. If we was to make the target audience younger this would not be a good decision because they can get scared a lot easier and it may not be as successful as if we was to aim it at this range.
Our film appeals to an audience because of our narrative, it is ver mysterious so therefore people will want to know what happens in the film. Also the soundtrack also links in with the mysteriousness of the film as it is very quiet and there is a strange eerie noise in the background, which give you the feeling that something big is about to happen, so it keeps the audience on the edge of there seat.
Question 5
Question 6
There was a variety of technology that we used throughout the time we spent filming, one of these was Blogger. This was internet based, whenever we had to make a post about certain areas within media we would do the post on Blogger and upload it to the internet where our teachers would then read it and mark it. I had never used blogger before but know i have been introduced to it i believe i will use more in the future not just with media but with other bits of work i have to do wether it be for school work, or work based.
We also used a camera and tripod to film our clip. In the past i had never used a tripod or camera to film, so this was also a new experience for me, it took time getting used to both of them but after a couple of attempts i was able to use it well. The tripod was a big help when having to keep the camera steady and it was very easy to use if you had to move the camera around whilst keeping it in the same position e.g for when your panning round to show the scene.
A shot that i found difficult to film was the over shoulder shot, we found this difficult because at first it was to blurry and we could see the shoulder clearly but outside the window was not clear enough. We overcome this by focussing the camera which made the whole scene more clearer, sharper, and more focused.
The editing software that we used was final cut pro X, i had never used this before so instead of me editing the clips i was assigned to making the credits, after my teacher had explained where everything was it was easy to use, i thought the variety of syles and fonts they offered was good. So it was easier to find the perfect style for our clip, for example the first style i tried would of been better for a action film as it was very bold and was in block letters. So after i had looked at all the styles i decided to use the one that looked like somebody had wrote the credits by hand, we also made the font white as it stood out from the darker background from the scene, this made it seem more mysterious.
Question 7
Our group done a preliminary task before our main task, the point of this was to aid us in getting used to the equipment and feel to get an idea of the atmosphere in a filming environment. By doing the preliminary task we learnt that when acting we need to feel more comfotable and not be so uptight
Having specific roles and jobs in a film/opening sequence is better because it means that we are each able to focus on our own jobs and then feedback to the group instead of there being no organisation and there being a problem and a lack of communication or there may be a disagreement in the group and may leave one of the group members unhappy and not satisfied with the end result of the opening sequence.
I believe our group worked very well together in many ways, firstly i believe we was very organised in a way that we knew what our job was and we wouldn't be getting in each others way.
Question 1
Conventions are the elements that are common within different film genres.
I am analysing a clip from the film Taken. The part when they capture the man and tie him to a pole in a unknown place.
The first convention i notice is Fighting, the evidence of this is when the man is tied up the villans are beating him up by kicking and punching him. This is usual because fighting is a convention in a thriller film as they contain action and fighting a lot of the time. This helps the viewers relate to the film because you feel sorry for the man tied up and you want him to get free and find his daughter.
The second convention i analysed is a female victim. The mans wife was taken captive as well as him. This allows the Man to have something to fight for as he loves his family and wouldn't want to see his wife die in front of him. by doing this it make the man seem hero by saving her first. This is conventional to a thriller film because there is usually a female victim who is then saved by a male who wants to be the the hero.
The third Convention I analysed is a high angle camera shot. This was used when you first saw the man tied up. This makes him seem like the victim in the film. It puts the audience on edge because they know he could be killed but they don't know at what point. This is conventional to a thriller film because by using a high angle camera shot it allows the audience to see what is around the area and what dangers there could be.
The final Convention that i analysed are the guns that were used. They was seen being used by the men who had taken captive of the Family. Guns are conventional to a thriller film because they create a feel of danger and violence which is also conventional to a thriller. By using guns it makes you feel as though the man has no chance of living because if he breaks free which is unlikely he will just be shot by them anyway
One convention of a thriller we used was a female victim, This is conventional to a thriller because a female victim are deceived as being vulnerable and scared when out in a scary situation. in our film the girl is getting watched by a mysterious killer, and by the end of the clip she is attacked by him and was believed to be killed. During the clip we used a lot of close up shots on the Female to show how she was feeling and to see that she was scared by what was happening.
We also used low key Lighting, which is conventional to a thriller because it creates suspense and and spookiness about the scene. If you was to film a clip in daytime it wouldn't be as scary for the viewers where as when you film it at night it keeps the viewers on edge as it is difficult to see the surroundings. We used this in our clip throughout especially when the victim discovers a shrine that to Killer had made. we used candles to light up the pictures and the rest of the surroundings were blacked out
Question 2
There are two main characters in out film, they are the female Victim and the Killer. We included a killer because within every thriller film there is always a killer/ bad guy nobody knows who the killer is which is what we wanted to happen because it makes him seem mysterious and creepy. So to meet a convention of a thriller we decided to encorporate a killer. The second character we had was a female victim, this was because we had already thought of a killer so we had to have a victim that he could go after, we first come up with the idea of having a make victim but after thinking about it we decided to use a female victim because it is conventional to a thriller and she will seem more vulnerable and make it more scary by making her scream louder and make more of a scene.
The gender of the two characters is represented in a stereotypical way because the killer is a boysterious male which is stereotypical because they are seen as the more aggressive and dangerous gender. Using a female victim is stereotypical also because they are perceived as a vulnerable person and will worry in situations , and also that they will be targeted by men.
Our charecters will appeal to our audience because they are very conventional to a thriller genre so when they read up about the clip they will instantly want to see it because of the type of clip it is going to be.
Question 3
A media institution is important to consider when distributing your thriller film because, different company's produce different types of films. For example if you was top choose Walt Disney for a scary thriller clip, that would not be the best decision because they produce more child films e.g Toy story.
I believe the film company that would be best to distribute our film is Lionsgate, after i had researched them they usually produce in the same genre of films especially thrillers. The main film they have produced is the Saw films. This what made me make the final decision on who would be best to distribute our film because our clip is similar to the saw films in relation to female victims and a killer. This is also why i believe if Lionsgate was to produce our film it would be successful because they are well known for producing great films in the thriller genre.
Question 4
In the commercial industry of film making it is important to distinguish your target audience. The motive why it is so important to know your target audience is because it will help when determining what content is to be included. For example, older viewers may favour a dissimilar editing style to a younger audience. This means that there must be a certain understanding of your target audience i.e what film genres they like, type of filming style, editing style etc. This understanding will eventually mean a better revenue than if you came up with a story and tried to advertise without any awareness of your target audience.
The target audience for our is between the ages of 16-25, we have chosen this age range because they are the ages that are most likely to enjoy thriller films and the adrenalin rush they get from it. If we was to make the target audience younger this would not be a good decision because they can get scared a lot easier and it may not be as successful as if we was to aim it at this range.
Our film appeals to an audience because of our narrative, it is ver mysterious so therefore people will want to know what happens in the film. Also the soundtrack also links in with the mysteriousness of the film as it is very quiet and there is a strange eerie noise in the background, which give you the feeling that something big is about to happen, so it keeps the audience on the edge of there seat.
Question 5
Question 6
There was a variety of technology that we used throughout the time we spent filming, one of these was Blogger. This was internet based, whenever we had to make a post about certain areas within media we would do the post on Blogger and upload it to the internet where our teachers would then read it and mark it. I had never used blogger before but know i have been introduced to it i believe i will use more in the future not just with media but with other bits of work i have to do wether it be for school work, or work based.
We also used a camera and tripod to film our clip. In the past i had never used a tripod or camera to film, so this was also a new experience for me, it took time getting used to both of them but after a couple of attempts i was able to use it well. The tripod was a big help when having to keep the camera steady and it was very easy to use if you had to move the camera around whilst keeping it in the same position e.g for when your panning round to show the scene.
A shot that i found difficult to film was the over shoulder shot, we found this difficult because at first it was to blurry and we could see the shoulder clearly but outside the window was not clear enough. We overcome this by focussing the camera which made the whole scene more clearer, sharper, and more focused.
The editing software that we used was final cut pro X, i had never used this before so instead of me editing the clips i was assigned to making the credits, after my teacher had explained where everything was it was easy to use, i thought the variety of syles and fonts they offered was good. So it was easier to find the perfect style for our clip, for example the first style i tried would of been better for a action film as it was very bold and was in block letters. So after i had looked at all the styles i decided to use the one that looked like somebody had wrote the credits by hand, we also made the font white as it stood out from the darker background from the scene, this made it seem more mysterious.
Question 7
Our group done a preliminary task before our main task, the point of this was to aid us in getting used to the equipment and feel to get an idea of the atmosphere in a filming environment. By doing the preliminary task we learnt that when acting we need to feel more comfotable and not be so uptight
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