In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
1). Our thriller main task is still attached to the usual codes and conventions that any other stereotypical thriller would consist of, which appeals both to our audience and remains in the genre type. To demonstrate the thriller genre the setting and location of our main task is at nighttime, symbolising evil and representing the mood. Also the use of a hand held camera to achieve a P.O.V shot of the antagonistic character relates to the genre and helps to build tension that thrillers emit. In our opening sequence we have sidetracked from the conventional uses of some of the more overused themes such as a female character being the subordinate and inferior as our character that faces danger is a male, which deviates from the conventional. Our genre is thriller although we have stuck to this genre we have also diverted from the usual and have used a hybrid genre that is a thriller/ enigma. This mix of genres keeps the the opening sequence looking natural whilst adding a different element keeping it fresh. From our opening sequence we think that it relates to other works such as taken in the fact that theirs a missing character who needs to be found. We have also been watching a collection of viral video uploads ‘MarbleHornets’ on youtube.com which influenced the idea of using a mysterious unknown character by the name of ‘Slender-Man’ who dates back to the 1540’s who was a renowned child catcher.
How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
particular social groups?
2). From the opening of our thriller different social groups are represented in different ways, for example as our target audience is 15-24 (as shown on the Pearl and Dean website) our choice of characters are of a young age group, being that our audience is of the same age range as ourselves. We have targeted this clip at the working class because many of our target audience can relate to these type of characters as in the media they are constantly bombarded with similar figures like those portrayed in soaps like Eastenders etc. Also like the smash hit Misfits which was filmed minutes away from our opening sequence, it too was set in a recognizable and relatable place in Abbey Wood, allowing a lot of the audience to relate to this type of sub-urban area. There is no stereotypical gender represented such as a woman being undermined by men because our opening sequence only consists of a male cast, showing male dominance. Also it shows a male character being subsidiary to the stereotypical role of a male character. But this could work on two different levels. As it is a mainly male cast it may only attract on gender but could also be positive as due to other viewing figures from similar genre films males are usually the main source of viewing.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
3). The opening sequence for ‘The Final Entry’ is something that I feel would be more suited for a theatrical feature film. The reason for this is that there have been many other films that have been produced and distributed through cinemas such as Film 4 who are responsible for some of the greatest British independent films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting and the more recent 127 hours. We feel that this style of film and its location would appeal to a more British based audience who can relate to its contents and visual style. We felt that due to the bizarre theme of Trainspotting Film 4 would be an ideal route to send this type of film down. In terms of exhibiting the sequence we would choose to use the internet and Television as our main sources of advertising. This is because our audience will be used to sites such as youtube.com and play.com which advertise on the home page.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
4). The target audience for the final entry would be as said in question 2 from the ages of 15 – 24. The reason that this age bracket has been chosen is that they would be more technologically aware than any other so using the slender man based plot our audience will be aware and had knowledge prior to the films release. Some of the other similar films that would be able to relate to the final entry are the likes of scream which too has a recent installment to their string of films and according to pearl and dean website scream 3 (the predecessor of the scream series) the target audience were in majority of 15 - 24 year olds with slightly more male than female viewers. This helps us to determine who our audience are. After seeing this we decided to research another thriller based genre film and we chose The Number 23 which was released in February 2007. This was a mystery thriller which fits perfectly to our film. we also discovered that the most affected audience in terms of viewing figures were between the ages of 15 - 24.
How did you attract/address your audience?
5). The gender for this type of film would typically be a mix as it can appeal to both. Our main task portrays our film as one which would appeal to those who enjoy un-comfortability or sudden frights. This is because due to the nature of the film there are many moments that this type of audience would enjoy. The use of P.O.V shots in our opening sequence is a short introduction to the themes that run throughout the film and will have high tension which fit the thriller convention and will attract a wider audience as within the thriller genre there are also other sub-genres such as mystery thriller in which the characters attempt to solve mysteries. Through the use of pace which is edited after the filming we were able to add a fast paced series of shots which explores deeper into the different uses of camerawork to achieve the eerie and scary feel that we want to achieve and to create suspense. The impact that most of these camerawork has is that it help to set a mood or type of emotion such as fear or anxiety in the audience depending on the location, lighting, characters and other elements.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
6). There are many pros and cons with using a hand held camera. Firstly due to its weight it is very portable and sufficient for use when on the move. Also when filming P.O.V shots the camera creates a much more realistic effect when filming.
The camera though does have some lag when filming making movements judder and sometimes blurry. When filming in night vision it was nearly impossible to get any sort of picture as the conditions were not quite dark enough to see in night vision but to dark to film in natural light. Although the use of final cut pro allowed us to speed up these clips making them more visible and in the end creating a really good unexpected effect in the final edited opening.
The use of a tripod allowed us to both be in the scene without having somebody operate the camera. It also was able to hold the camera perfectly still better than any other person could to get the perfect shot that we needed. It could also tilt which gave dutch angles and could add different shots to our main task. By using software such as final cut pro we was able to speed up slow down and combine a whole lot of shots with relative ease and was able to introduce a soundtrack thanks to garageband and also include transitions for effect. Pace was something that we wanted some parts of the opening sequence to include so using final cut ‘in’ and ‘out’ tools we was able to cut shots and put them together in the order that we wanted and the length that we wanted. When creating a backing track in garageband there were a few challenges that we were faced with. For example we had to decide on the tempo and sound of the piece so that the right atmosphere was captured. But with the broad choice to choose from on garage band we were able to create alongside with sounds that we had recorded on the camera the perfect diegetic and non-diegetic soundtrack.
The camera though does have some lag when filming making movements judder and sometimes blurry. When filming in night vision it was nearly impossible to get any sort of picture as the conditions were not quite dark enough to see in night vision but to dark to film in natural light. Although the use of final cut pro allowed us to speed up these clips making them more visible and in the end creating a really good unexpected effect in the final edited opening.
The use of a tripod allowed us to both be in the scene without having somebody operate the camera. It also was able to hold the camera perfectly still better than any other person could to get the perfect shot that we needed. It could also tilt which gave dutch angles and could add different shots to our main task. By using software such as final cut pro we was able to speed up slow down and combine a whole lot of shots with relative ease and was able to introduce a soundtrack thanks to garageband and also include transitions for effect. Pace was something that we wanted some parts of the opening sequence to include so using final cut ‘in’ and ‘out’ tools we was able to cut shots and put them together in the order that we wanted and the length that we wanted. When creating a backing track in garageband there were a few challenges that we were faced with. For example we had to decide on the tempo and sound of the piece so that the right atmosphere was captured. But with the broad choice to choose from on garage band we were able to create alongside with sounds that we had recorded on the camera the perfect diegetic and non-diegetic soundtrack.Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
7). I think that from our preliminary task to our main task we have been on a huge learning curve. When given the preliminary task we were given a brief which stated that we must included the following three camera types which are the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. We decided to demonstrate these techniques in a discussion by using two characters. The task helped us to learn how to use a hand held camera and get full use out of its potential and understand the functions. for example being able to zoom pan tilt and track. These are some of the more basic camera techniques and we were able to accomplish them by using the camera along with the assistance of a tripod. We planned the preliminary task with the use of a story board to assist us when filming and to assure that all of the three key areas were covered.
When we were given the brief for our main task we researched into different genres but decided to select the thriller genre. There were many other thrillers that we researched into such as scream to identify what some of the typical themes involved were such as enigmas and mind games. After the genre was established we had to decide which type of thriller we would base it around. There were three that we wanted to choose and they were crime, mystery and psychological. Although crime was initially the route we intended to go down it was clear that after viewing other similar films and other types of media a mystery thriller was the most appealing and interesting. After this we needed to create a storyboard to help direct and plan out our opening sequence. We had to decide on the location, theme, mise-en-scene and other factors. Also a storyboard helps to foresee what our main task will eventually end up looking like, and also with the storyboard you are able to tweak and define different aspects prior to filming allowing you to see fully which shots to use and not to use. The location was Lesness Abbey in Abbey Wood. The reason for this is it is and abandoned ruin which used to be occupied by monks and is supposedly haunted. This setting gives the perfect mood and location for the narrative of the film to be revealed in the opening sequence. when using the camera in the Abbey i felt much more confident with the use of shots and able to explore different shots and methods. For example some shots where made to look like there was a strobe light effect which was unplanned and not pre-designed but seemed to be a very effective technique.
I believe that our final product is very pleasing and worthwhile as it fits the criteria and the task. The finished task has everything that you would expect in an enigma filled mystery thriller. It has a diverse range of camera shots angles and movements which would appeal to our target audience of 15 - 24 with its fast pace and eerie music.
