Media Evaluation

Evaluation Questions:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our media product uses forms and conventions of real media products. The way that we have incorporated these forms and conventions into our final product is through the use of sound, camera, mise-en-scene and through the characters.

The soundtrack to our opening has an eerie feel to it which creates suspense and is tension building music.

It incorporates generic conventions of thriller films such as suspense, enigmas etc. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable watching the film as the soundtrack sounds like wedding bells, church like organs. The audience are made to feel uncomfortable due to the shots of the cut up body parts scattered around the house.

Our use of shots that we have used in our media product use the forms and conventions of real media products. Specific scenes which show this is the image of a close up of the bloody hand with the ring on it.

Through the use of mise-en-scene, we have also used and developed forms and conventions of real media products as we have used fake blood which is commonly used in almost every thriller film.

Our characters in our media product also follows the forms and conventions of real media products. The way that this is done is through our main through the way he is dressed. He is smartly dressed in trousers and a shirt which is typical of most killers in films which we have found from our research. However, this challenges the conventions as the way he is dressed is more of a typical action film. The conventions that we have used do not directly indicate other thrillers that have influenced our work. We have tried to be as original as possiblenot trying to fall into the 'cliche' type of thrillers, By using subtle conventiosn such as fake blood and tension building music, we are portraying the typical conventions of thrillers, However we are not overtly presenting these conventions as our antagonist does not look like a typical stereotypically deranged killer, he is dressed formally in trousers and a suit.

Our media product is a hyrbid genre - psychological thriller. The conventions of a psychological thriller in which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Our use of conventions indicate this as the main character is made aware to the audience of having mental issues.

How does your media product present particular social groups?

Our media product features a child and a man. The man is the main character in our film and is meant to be agesd roughly in his late twentys/thirtys and is portrayed as being deranged. It consists of two characters, a male and a female and through the use of props and the way the  characters are dressed, we have used specific types of clothing that fit into each gender stereotype. The male is dressed in trousers and a shirt which is the stereotypical clothing of a male.

The female character in our media production is not shown as a full length character showing her full body as her dismembered body parts are scattered around the house. She is shown with a veil bing put on her head which is symbolic of marriage as it is considered as bridal wear. She is also shown with a dolly shoe being put onto her foot, making it clear to the audience that it is a female character.

The male in our media product is presented as being dominant and is the main character. He is shown to be dominant as he is the main character and is in contol of the body of the dismembered child in his house.

We have chosen to rate our film 15 and the target audience is everyone above that. This links into the target audience as they can relate to the film either if they have younger siblings that would be compared to the young girl in the film or if they have children of their own. This would then create a fear amongst the audience as to whether this could happen to them.

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

I believe that our media product could be produced by a major Hollywood studio as we have followed the forms and conventions of typical thriller films and have ended the opening at an ambiguous point therefore leaving it with a lot of ideas to be carried on. It isn't specifically similar to existing products however, due to the fact that it is a hybrid genre, it has elements of both thrillers and horrors and i can see it being shown in the cinema.
Our product could be an arthouse film as it could be targeted at a niche audience with an acquired preference for films with a psychological twist. The opening has an ambiguous ending leaving the rest of the film to have many different story lines which can be expanded. Arthouse films target a specific audience with the same preference of film which our product could easily be adapted to.

Who would be the audience for your media product?
We have decided to rate our film at 15. From the research that we found from the internet, we found that it is predominantly males who enjoy thriller and horror genres more making us focus more on targeting our product to males than females. From conducting our research, looking at the BBFC website, we rated our film as a 15 with the age range being from 15-30.

How do you attract/address your audience?
We attracted our audience by carrying out research of different horror and thriller films to use the characteristics that we found in our opening sequence. We also carried out questionnaires in which we gained feedback on our storyboard, rough cut and final product from our target audience.
We posted our rough cut and final cut on Facebook and YouTube which are two popular forms of e-commerce which are widely used by our target audience to gain further feedback. This was helpful as it gave us an insight as to what people actually thought of our media product, the feedback was predominantly positive however we did gain negative feedback which we used constructively.
The font that we have used in our title sequence is white on a black background attracts a male audience as we have used black and white which are harsh colours. We chose the typography to look 'hard' rather than feminine which was what we orignally chose as it would be parallel to the wedding theme as we had originally thought to have a script font which would look like the font on wedding invitations.

The scene in which the male antagonist is placing the veil on the females head is designed to make the audience uncomfortable. This is due to the fact that we have specifically decided not to show the females face, only the back of her head so the audience are left in mystery as to what she actually looks like creating suspense.

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

From the filming process we found that the cameras that we used were not of great quality which therefore affected the quality of our product making it not as clear as we had hoped it would've been. The filming process was taken over by Stephanie and Alexandra who overcame any problems they faced with the equipment by resolving any issues they had with it. Through practice, we were able to get steady shots and play around with the camera more getting different effects which all had different effects on the audience. Stephanie was using the programme Premier Pro the most in the editing process as she picked up how to use it fairly quickly as we were all new to the programme. The editing was a lot harder and more time consuming than i had originally thought as it took up most of our time. Our preliminary task gave us a small insight in the amount of time is put into the editing process however we were all surprised as to how much time and effort is put into it. The feedback we received on our rough cut gave us a clear indication that a variety of camera angles is vital in showing technical skills therefore improving the quality of the opening sequence.

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

We started off with the research on which genre to use, this gave us an understanding on each of the genres. We also conducted research on hybrid genres and sub-genres which helped us in deciding what genre to use as we were drawn to a hybrid genre. This therefore let us know specifically what codes and conventions were expected of these genres in order for us to fulfil what we had to portray. By conducting our research and gaining an understanding of our hybrid genre it made the planning a lot easier as we knew what was expected of our opening sequence. Throughout or planning we learnt that we needed to avoid cliché ideas and locations in order to give our sequence the unique element.

Our preliminary task gave us an insight into what we will be doing in our coursework - the filming, editing and planning processes. It gave us a chance to explore each of these stages, which was a smaller scale to our coursework however, it gave us time to become familiar with the equipment and technologies. From the amount of time spent on planning, filming and editing of the opening sequence, the progression we made from our preliminary task was huge. This made us more confident with the equipment we were using and gave us an understanding on the amount of time and effort will be needed to complete the task.

From watching the preliminary task and comparing it to our final cut you can clearly see a progression on the use of the camera and the editing. The storyboards which we made also show a clear progression of in depth research and of the codes and conventions expected of the genre.

I feel a lot more confident with the equipment as compared to when I used it in the preliminary task as i had more time to use it and explore the way in which to use it and how to create different effects.

Overall, I believe that we were successful in creating an opening that fulfils the conventions of a thriller. Despite the problems we faced which we resolved and overcame, I am happy with our final product as it is unique yet still complies to what is expected. We have used a wide range of different shot angles and editing effects which create the intended effect we wanted to create. The soundtrack which i found fits perfectly into the sequence and gives the effect which we wanted it to.

Feedback for our Final Film

'The use of different angles really put me on edge'
'Its pretty good. You could of put some effects onto the titles though'
'The music was really eerie and the dim lighting fitted well into the theme of the film'
'I like that you've used a good quality camera, it makes it seem more realistic'


We used the feedback received constructively as we tried to take into account everything that was said in order for us to improve our opening sequence as our audience's opinions are vital in the success of our opening. I am happy with the feedback as these were the goals we were trying to achieve with re-shooting using different camera angles in the opening. The fact that we had positive feedback on our soundtrack made me especially happy as i found the piece of music and i felt it fit into the opening very well as it had an eerie feeling to it. 

Final Opening Sequence

Editing the Second Attempt

Editing the footage took a lot more time than we thought it was going to take.  Stephanie, editor for the group found that it was often very hard to match different shots and it was also very hard to always keep the timing correct. Other problems she encountered were to do with the different transitions between shots and the lack of knowledge in terms of what transitions to use. 

The footage she had edited was good compared to the previous footage we had laid out and once she really started to edit, the film begun to take shape and it was really great to watch the footage we had filmed come together into a film. It has given her a sufficient amount of time to get used to Premier Pro and she now knows how to use it properly and efficiently.

Filming - Second Attempt

Alexandra and Stephanie re-shot all of the footage again and this time we are much more positive about the footage. Due to the fact that this was the second attempt, they had learnt from their previous mistakes and were able to make sure things such has continuity was clear in each shot. They were also able to learn about the technicalities of the equipment by learning how to use it more efficiently so things such as having a wonky camera angle were resolved using a different tri-pod. They spent about 7-8 hours filming this time round taking much more care and consideration over what they were doing. 

Teachers Feedback On What We Have Done So Far

Alexandra, Stephanie and myself sat down with Mr Michie and showed him our footage edited so far. The feedback we received was fairly positive and was not negative towards the way in which film or the shots them self but instead the feedback was more towards the sequence in general and the way in which it flowed. He pointed out to us that the sequence didn't make a lot of sense in some areas with our character walking in and out of rooms. We were glad that he had pointed this out when he did because during filming the lack of entrances and exits within our film did worry us as we weren't to sure if the entrances and exits in to different rooms were established enough. Our teacher told us that it would be a good idea to go away and film again and this time to film the establishing shots so that the sequenced flowed more and for us to make it easier for the audience to understand. 
He were also told that we should change the font style as he didn't feel it fitted in with the thriller/horror genre. I do agree with him that it didn't fit the genre correctly, although there was reason behind our font choice as we thought it would match the wedding which was being prepared for in our opening. However it does make a lot more sense to change the font as it makes it easier for an audience to establish the genre of the film and also now with the font matches the codes and conventions of our genre more efficiently. Our teacher also made us consider changing the font on black background and putting it over the sequence instead to allow for more footage to be laid . As a group we agreed that doing all of the following things that our teacher suggested will make our film a lot better. 

Re-Shoot

We sat down in to look at the footage in order to see what needed to stay and what needed to go from the footage we had taken, this was mainly because Alexandra had previously looked at the footage on her own and was not completely happy. When we sat down and watched it we agreed with Alexandra that there was much that could be changed in order to produce a better quality of work. We realised that several things were wrong with the shots such as the movement of hands and feet which didn't match in each shot and therefore looked strange when laid out next to each other but also we realised that the shots were wonky and there was no way to change that other than to re-shoot. We have therefore decided that we are going to re-shoot all of the footage again on the 18th of February and hopefully by taking a mac home over half term will be able to get at least a good half if not all of the editing done over the week.

Music Research

The music that we had originally found for the opening sequence, we felt as a group didnt fit in with the genre as it sounded quite oriental and became annoying after a while so we decided to change it. Alexandra and myself sat down and tried to find an alternative soundtrack to replace the original piece on websites providing copyright free music. Eventually after listening and downloading several pieces of music, i found a piece that myself and Alexandra both thought would fit perfectly into our opening sequence. We later fitted it into our opening sequence.

Filming - First Attempt

The filming was conducted by Alexandra and Stephanie. They found it much harder than they had anticipated. They had issues as to where about in the room to film as factors such as lighting and space gave them problems. They also found that the setting up of the props took a lot longer than they had expected as they didnt always agree on the positioning of some of the things in the shot as they didnt look right in the footage. We are yet to put the footage onto the mac and see what it looks like when placed all together. 

Choosing a Name

We have chosen to name our production 'Cut Up Commitment' as this is an ambiguous name which will interest the audience and make them question what the film will be about. 
The idea derived from the fact that the little girl (victim) has been cut up and placed around the murderers home. The phrase 'cut up' is metaphorical for her state. The word 'commitment' also links to the wedding theme we have in the opening but still makes the audience question what the film could be portraying creating suspense. 

Location of Sequence

The sequence will be filmed at Alexandra's house and we have decided to have two locations. One which will have the child's playroom in it and her arm and another where it's a dining room location where a table is present so that we can put the 'child's head' on the table. 

This will be the playroom. We have decided this would be a good location because it is clear and will be easy to adapt into a playroom which will look effective and realistic. 

This will be the location where we shoot the scene with the child's head and leg. We have decided this would be a good location because the room can be easily adapted so that we can shoot using the wooden board so that it looks as if it is only the child's head placed on the table.

Idea Development and Changes

We have decided, as a group, to change our idea. This is because we felt our idea was too cliche and wasn't unique enough for us to develop without getting caught into films that have already been produced. Now, we have decided that the plot will be about a man getting a little girl ready for their wedding day. The little girl will have all her body parts. ie. head, legs and arms in different locations around the playroom we are going to shoot in. 
We have chosen this idea because it is unique and still fits into the horror/thriller genre of film. 

Animatic

Our animatic was made in order for us to be able to see what our final opening would look like in a sequence rather than just looking at the pictures on the page. I don't believe that our animatic gave us a great insight into what our final product would look like as the pictures didn't move as we want them to, however, it did allow us to see how areas of the footage may not work and how perhaps certain things will need to be changed during our filming.

Props List

The props that we are going to incorporate in our opening sequence are:
- Box - hole cut out of back so arm can fit through
- Black material
- Plywood - painted black with hole cut out of middle
- Toys - found typically in a child's playroom
- A ring
- A shoe
- A black sack or bin bag
- A veil
- Fake blood

Make-up Research

To make our film sequence, we researched a variety of different styles of how we can portray mise-en-scene and costume and make-up would be vital to create a good opening. From our research we found that blood and ripped, dirty clothing is common in these types of films which has helped us try and link mise-en-scene into our sequence.
Websites such as:

http://horrorgenre.com/Special_Effects_Make-up_and_Animatronics/

and
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/19/makeup-secrets-of-movie-horror-pictures/ 

have shown that make-up is a key concept in the opening and we will have to try and link it into the sequence.
Costume is also key because it will be vital to create a realistic environment to film. We were thinking of making our 'murderer' dress casually and the little girl in the sequence to wear a floral dress; this can continue to create a realistic feel as we want the sequence to look as effective as possible. 

Questionnaire

This is the questionnaire we asked people so that we could get some feedback from our likely audience and so that we could make any improvements from the feedback we were given. 


What is your favourite horror/thriller film?

The Silence of the Lambs - 4
The Exorcist - 5
Alien - 3
Paranormal Activity - 1
The Grudge - 3
Other - 4

Do you prefer films with an 15 or 18 rating?

75% of the people prefered an 18 rating on a thriller/horror film.

What is your favourite thing about horror/thriller films?

The majority of people liked the suspense that the plots created and are more scared by a horror if it is subgenred with a thriller film.

What do you dislike about horror/thriller films?

Cliche plots and unrealistic blood and gore.

What kind of music would you expect to find in horror/thriller films?

Orchestral music which builds the suspense.


From the questionnaire, we have found out what the audience would be expecting from a thriller/horror film. This information has helped us think about what we are going to need to include our opening sequence so that the audience is interested and captivated by the thrill of the opening.

Planning - Our Ideas

We have chosen to go with the horror thriller genre of film; we decided this as we can fit the typical thriller conventions but also put in elements of horror so that we can add gore into the opening to make it seem scary as well as thrilling. 


Our idea is to start with a typical opening of a thrillier with pictures of a girl all over a wall - we decided that we would go with this as the starting frame as it is expected of a thrillier to have a stalker/a phyco kind of character.
We then decided that to fit in with the horror genre the majority of our opening will go to a girl lying dead on the floor simply showing different parts of her body this will keep the opening ery and will leave the audience wanting to know what happened to her. Even though there will not be more to the film it will be a good opening and will leave the audience geussing and also by keeping an opening like this we wont have to have much of a story line which I believe works best within a thriller opening because it leaves room for anticipation and suspence.


We have decided on the setting of our opening: we are going to use a kitchen as the setting for our opening, by using a setting like a kitchen it will hopefully add a little to the suspence as a kitchen is not somewhere were you usally expect murder to take place. We have also decided on the gender of the murder and the victim, we have decided to stick to the original style of have the male as the stronger character whilst the female is the weaker character. We decided on have this as we believe that this will fit the conventions of both a thriller and a horror. We may however change the idea about gender and the way in which we represent the characters depending on how we wish to portray them.

Planning - Our Tasks

Each member of our group has been assigned tasks so that we each have an equal amount to do and we can each focus on something and this way our tasks will all get done sooner.


Storyboard - Alexandra and Stephanie 
Location Research - Alexandra 
Make-up/Costume Research - Stephanie
Lighting Research - Sareena


We have also decided we would like to start filming before the end of the year so that we can be in line with tasks and try and create a filming schedule which will get the task done as soon as possible. We have aimed to try and complete all the filming by the beginning of february so that we have plenty of time to edit and in case we need to reshoot or re-edit anything. Our storyboard is the next thing we will need to discuss and plan so that our group can carry on with their tasks as normal and try to stick to our plan.