Draft Evaltuation - By Ghislaine Moolenaar

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

The definition of a Thriller is a suspenseful adventure story or play or movie. Source from wordnetweb.

What makes a Thriller is called the ‘conventions of a Thriller’. This is the use of good Camera Work, Sound, Mise en Scene and Editing.

High Angle. Extract From Doctor Who

Low Angle. Extract From Doctor Who 

·         Camera Work; will be high/very high angles is to make the antagonist/protagonist (mainly the protagonist) look ‘smaller’, it also shows being vulnerable and scared. And low/very low angles is to make the antagonist/protagonist (mainly the antagonist) look ‘bigger’, it also shows power, and bravery.

No Dialogue. Extract from
The Disappearance of Alice Creed

·         Sound; there will hardly be any dialogue, which creates tension, and there will most likely be a sound track – non-diegetic sound.

Cross Cutting Diagram

Parallel Editing Diagram

·         Editing; The cuts and transitions will be quick, to keep pace, and keep the audience watching the movie/opening. Thrillers can be either cross cutting, where two different things will be happening in two different locations and the characters will eventually meet up. Or Parallel editing, which is where there are two separate actions happening at the same time but never meet.

·         Mise en scene; sets the mood, and places the actors into their characters. Mise en scene includes 11 elements: Body Language, Facial Expression, Composition, Settings, Props, Decor, Lighting, Colour, Costume, Hair and Make-up.

·         Our Thriller Opening is very much based on what an opening is meant to do; give a brief explanation about what the film is about. So we tried to make it so that it wasn’t all Thrillers based, but enough to create enigma in the audience and so that they watch on and we also wanted to see what the audience thought it was, to create suspense and enigma. We also used flashbacks a lot, so that the audience don’t know which ‘time’ is real and what is a memory.

·         We used a mother and a daughter as the two characters, which are mainly used in Thriller’s. At the beginning of the opening, neither of them are protagonists or antagonists because they seem happy, until we hear a scream, which is from the mother, from downstairs when the child is upstairs. Then both of them suddenly become protagonists. We have been influenced by TV programmes and movies such as Marchlands (TV Programme) and Hide and Seek (Movie).

·         Shot 1 is an establishing shot, where we see the little girl (main character) in front of swings, swinging by themselves. This is a stereotypical setting, however we find it very good, because then the audience will know that it is something to do with a thriller based story line. We tried to get the lighting a bit darker than the memory, because then we can tell what is ‘real life’ and what is a memory. We can also hear silence except for a high pitch swing squeak.

·         Shot 2 is an extreme long shot. This is where she is in the memory – her mum (another main character) and the little girl. We have created a high key lighting to create a ghost like look. There is a lot of dialogue here between the mother and daughter.

·         Shot 3 is also an extreme long shot, but we see the little girl on the swing head on, this is so that we can see her facial expression – happy, exited and thrilled. This is to show that she is neither a protagonist nor an antagonist, so that the audience cannot make a judgement on her straight away.

·         Shot 4 shows the little girl back in the ‘real world’ walking towards a picture she has found. There is no dialogue here, because she is in thought and has no one else to talk too.

·         Shot 5 is a big close-up of the little girl’s face, to show her facial expression – sad. This is a contrast to her memory – happy. This could imply she is a victim of an accident that has happened in the past.

·         Shot 6 is a fade to another memory of the picture she was holding, but on a table.

·         Shot 7 is a shot of the little girl walking up the stairs. The lighting is a lot darker, which means that something is about to happen which has made her upset in the real life. This creates suspense and enigma.

·         Shot 8 is a shot of the little girl washing her hands, and the lighting is a lot lighter, this could put the audience off track slightly because they thought something was going too happen. But then she hears a scream, with the lighting the same, this then answers the audiences questions about how it is a thriller.

·         Shot 9 is the title – a ripped painted picture of her and her mum but with her side insight, with the title ‘Alone’. This creates mystery and suspense in the audience because they are wondering where the mum painted picture is. There is also a soundtrack of a music box over the top which is non-diegetic sound.

• 2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Hide and Seek

• Our Thriller opening represents a few social groups. For example, we have a very strong Mother and Daughter relationship, since they like to go to the park together and have fun. There is also a thought of the mother being a single parent, because at the age the daughter is, the father would also be there.

Marchlands

Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek

• The little girl is a very stereotypical girl in a thriller movie/TV program. We wanted her to wear pretty and girly/feminine clothes. So we got her to wear pink and black. This creates the appearance to be innocent. We also got her to wear a pink flower Alice band in her hair, to make it look even more feminine. She walks and her actions are very dainty and careful, so make her look innocent and that she can be hurt or broken very easily.
• The Mother is also very stereotypical because she is loving and caring and wants the best for her child. When she is pushing the swings she is also in very close contact with her daughter, as if she doesn’t want to let go, but when the daughter is in the sky, the mother can feel and see her happiness. They also keep eye contact, as if they do not want to let go of each other, and that they have a very close bond. The Mother is wearing very classy clothes, which gives an impression she is a young mum, and also because her daughter is still quite young it backs up that theory.
• We wanted to create this particular look for both the Daughter and Mother because we wanted them to be fragile, and that they are very easy victims to get killed, raped, murdered, kidnapped etc. Anything that would be included in a Thriller. We also wanted the light to hit them to make them as if they are angels, or ghost like, and to make it as if even though they are fragile, they cannot be harmed, however this then contrasts with the end of our thriller opening.
• Our audience is for anyone over the age of 16, because the younger generation like thriller movies, because they get a ‘thrill’ from it. And even though this is going to be aimed at the older generation too, it could make them even more protective about their families, because kidnapping, rapes and murders happen in real life too. However, this is not for the children, because it can scare them, and can also make them weary about loosing their mothers. 

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

·         Now, because we have made our Thriller Opening, we have to choose a media institution that will distribute our product.

·         A film distribution company ensures that the film reaches the target audience. (British, age, mainstream/independent) The company will know what attracts people to films and so they will tailor their marketing campaigns to appeal to what audiences want. They will need to communicate information about a film to audiences in a way that will make them not only aware of the film but also in a way that will make them want to see it

·         There are lots and lots of different film distributors. Here is a link to a list of all of them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motion_picture_distributors

·         I would choose the film distributor Palisades Tartan. This is because they have experience in Thriller and Horror Movies and they are English. However, it is not well known, and it mostly evolves around Asian Ethnicities.

·         It has distributed films like ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, ‘Night of the Living Dead’, ‘Red Siren’ ‘Monster Man’ and many more.

·         I think our film could be shown in Mainstream Cinemas and Independent Cinema’s. This is because when we release our Thriller, we can show it in Mainstream Cinema’s first, so that a lot of people will be able to see it, and also all over the world (hopefully) and then after a few years, the movie will be then shown in Independent Cinema’s.

·         The Years in between showing our Thriller Opening in the two different types of cinema, we will be releasing DVD’s, Games, Posters, Merchandise and a lot of other things which will help increase the knowledge in which people know about our Thriller.

• 4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

• I think the audience for our Thriller should be rated 16+. This is because younger audiences might find it hard to understand but also might get a bit scared of loosing their mum (if they do understand the plot).
• Also because the younger generation like thriller movies, they will enjoy this, and also understand the plot, and even if they don’t, they will understand that they will feel like there is enigma and mystery to it.
• This will also be for the older generation; however, it could make them even more protective about their families, because kidnapping, rapes and murders happen in real life too.

• 5.How did you attract/address your audience?

• We are going to attract our audiences by showing them the Opening of our Thriller. And hopefully then they will like it and tell their friends. However, if they do not like it, they will tell everyone. We will also create merchandising, posters and cardboard cut-outs. This will promote our Thriller Movie, and hopefully bring more people.
• A good idea is too bring our families and friends to watch our Thriller Opening, and then comment on it afterwards, on what we can improve and what was good about it.
• People will like our Thriller Opening because it is about a Mother and Daughter relation ship, but in the Daughters memory. In the little girl’s memory she remembers having fun with her mum in the park, then in their kitchen painting a picture. She then goes upstairs to wash her hands because they are dirty from painting. She then hears a scream, which is from her mum. We then see a shot of her in real life crying. Then it goes to the title. This suspense of not knowing what happened to the mother makes the audiences want to see the whole of the Movie. The Characters are stereotypical, so the audience will know what to expect, however that isn’t always a good thing, because then they will get bored easily because they will know what will happen.
• Comments from family and friends inserted here:

• 6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

• Since starting media studies and having finished our coursework – A Thriller Opening, I have learnt a lot of new things which helps in making an even better quality product.
• I have learnt about:
• White Balance. White Balance. White balance is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. You need to set white balance because otherwise your picture will look either very yellow, or very blue, depending on what time of day it is, or where you are shooting. We had the problem with white balance when we where filming our first idea outdoors, when the light was changing very quickly. (picture)
• But then when we new what to do and do it when we changed location, it became easier to not forget it, and then it became natural to do it, so we had fewer problems with White Balance in Alone.

• 180 Degree Rule. ‘The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.’ Source from Wikipedia. We had to use the 180' rule when we shot the view of the mother and the view of the daughter when she is swinging. If we broke the rule, it would look like the daughter and the mother are facing the same way, and would be confusing to the audience.
• Using a tripod. Using a tripod was fairly easy. This link shows how to set up a camera: http://www.ehow.com/how_298_set-tripod.html
• Panning, Tracking, Crabbing and Tilting. These are the different types of camera movements and positions. These all contribute to the Thriller experience. They create suspense, enigma, sympathy, empathy and many more emotions. We didn't use many camera movement techniques, but what we did use was the tilt, when the little girl walked up the stairs. However, we didn't use this to create a thriller experience.
• Knowing the different Angles and Shots. Knowing these are very important, because they will all contribute to the Thriller experience, just like the different camera movements and positions.
• Also knowing how to edit is important and all the different transitions when in the production stage because one wrong edit, which is too short or too long, can make the difference between a good flowing piece or a jumpy rubbish piece. Also, if you have a transition which doesn't work, it can make the whole sequence look bad.

• 7.Looking back at your prelim task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

Our First Idea - Scarlet

• Because we had some problem with our first idea for our Thriller Opening – Scarlet, we needed to quickly think of another idea. We did this well and succeeded in creating a better story line than the preliminary task and our first idea for the main task.
• I think we have progressed a lot since the preliminary task to the main task.
• We have learnt a lot, especially from our mistakes, for example:
• We used to forget to set the white balance, at one part, when we filmed a door handle as an extreme close-up; it was very dark, since we forgot to use lighting. We have then been very careful where to use lighting when necessary. We have also learnt that even when you want to create darkness, you have to create it with light.
• Our editing had also become better, because we will look out even more for continuity and flow between the shots.
• Our camera skills have also gotten better, because we can now pan/track/crab/tilt with more flow.
• We didn’t use any extra Foley sounds, because we thought we didn’t need them. So when we did our main task – Thriller Opening, we had little knowledge about how to use Garage Band, however, we did spend one or two lessons learning a little about it and how to use it.
• Overall i think we succeeded what we aimed to do and what our aim was - to create a 2 minute Thriller Opening.

Thriller Opening Title- By Beth

 1.Dexter:  This is the opening sequence of 'Dexter' taken from series 3. After the first few shots the title 'Dexter' appears in a bold red font on a pale yellow background, I feel the use of the pale coloured background is so it's not too distracting to take your view away from the title shot. Also as soon as the title appears a drop of blood falls just under Dexter on the bottom left, which then starts the title off as it changes colour to a darker shade of red  almost like it's bleeding itself because it spreads through the font, seeping out of the type. This scene tells the viewer this programme has something to do with a murder, or someone called 'Dexter' who gets killed. The first picture on the left is the main title shot of the programme Dexter. Then the next drop of blood is on another title further on in the sequence. However i feel the type,image and music are all synchronized together because as the drop appears the title flickers in time with the music and then moves down and to the right and appears right next to it when the music has a chime of a triangle. This is then repeated when another drop joins the previous drop on the last scene shown in the screen grabs below to the right.

 The soundtrack throughout the sequence is instrumental and doesn't include any lyrics. Which i feel creates more of an atmosphere without and as this is a thriller this is probably what they were trying to achieve. Also the instruments used are a variety of types going from;  Maraca's, drums, Violins, Guitars, and tambourine's. These are used to create a steady tempo background theme for this thriller.

2.Batman Begins: This is the sequence for the thriller opening 'Batman Begins'. The sequence starts off with a background image of some clouds at night, which is quite eerie. Then following this scene the title 'Batman' appears written in a bold yellow font on a dark navy blue background, so it can easily be read. The screen grabs below are from the opening titles. The one on the left shows what image is at the start of the opening. Then next to on the right is what the title shot looks like.

 Throughout the following shots the clip is of extreme close up of the batman sign made out of stone like a statue. However each shot is hiding the identity of this by only showing you shadows or extreme close up of certain areas. This screen grab shows one of the images from the sequence of one of the extreme close up of the shadows. This makes me wonder what this object is, which keeps the viewer involved as it keeps them guessing, as it gives away a little bit more each time. Until finally revealing that it is the Batman sign at the end of the title sequence. 

The soundtrack for 'Batman Begins' is mainly instrumental again, without any lyrics. However the first instrument to play is a piano, then a violin, triangle, drum, trumpet, which gradually increases in volume until the title scene, when it uses symbols and drums to introduce the title as it appears. Then from that scene onwards the tempo of the music gets faster and louder until finally dying back down then gradually repeating this over again until the end of the sequence when it dramatically gets slower as it reveals the sign to the audience. 

3.Phone Booth: This is the opening sequence for the thriller 'Phone Booth'. The first few opening shots of this sequence are of a phone wire formed from a set of circles and a thin line. These screen grabs below show where the phone wire starts to form while the credits are also being shown on that shot. Also the credits either appear on screen by the effect wipe or fades. However unlike the other openings this main title of the film doesn't appear until the end of the sequence, so it more of a build up to the title itself. Also the soundtrack through out the sequence is instrumental however theres is a Foley sound of heavy breathing  put over the top, almost to add suspense and to create a sense of it actually being a mysterious phone call.This screen shot on the bottom right shows the different ways that it changes from one background animation to another. Also it relates the the title 'Phone Booth' as the start of the bottom left screen grab is a animation of a voice meter which refers to phones as they all have voice signals. Next the voice signal changes into an anamation of buildings where later on the title appears out of very graphic rectangular blocks, almost as if it's been taken from a bird's eye view of the building from above.

Draft Evaluation - Hannah Mitchell

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

• 2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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

• 4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

• 5.How did you attract/address your audience?

• 6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

• 7.Looking back at your prelim task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

Editing - Hannah Mitchell

• We are at the last stages of editing at the moment and are nearly finished with our Thriller opening.

• What we have left to do is add the title to our opening which will be the picture featured in our opening and we may just play around a bit more with the sound so it fits exactly to the movement of the swing in our opening.

Update - By Ghislaine

We have now finished editing, putting in non-diegetic sounds, e.g. swings, tap water and a soundtrack, putting in credits. and now all we have to do is the Title. Amy will either take a picture of the painting for the title, or bring the painting in. We will have to do the title in our own time, since we have no more lessons to edit. And then.... WE HAVE FINISHEd

Sound effects - Amy

i have recorded most sound effects myself. But i had problems recording the sound for the swing as i went to 3 parks to record the sound of the swing 2 of the parks swings were quite new and were silent  and the third park we went to was the one we filmed at but they had recently made the swings better and they didn't squeak as much so had to swing on the swings for ages till they started to squeak again but we finally got the sound we wanted and it fits in well with the film of the swings and doesn't look out of time.

Thriller opening credits - Hannah Mitchell

Pulp Fiction - Opening credits

• This is the opening sequence for the Thriller film 'Pulp Fiction'. We see an animation sequence in which at first, a bullet is fired from a gun. Showing this in the opening titles, it immediatley reflects the genre of the movie and communicates it to the audience showing that is some sort of a crime/thriller movie.
• The colour scheme of black and white in this sequence could signify perhaps the contrast between colours in which could reflect that there is a contrast of characters and motives in the film perhaps including an antagonist. The font of the text of the credits in the corners looks somewhat old and dated and reminds me of the 1970/80s which could reflect what time era the movie was set.

• The fade of black across the screen and then the bullet 'smashing' the white area of the screen again reflects the genre and can also tell us that perhaps in this movie people will be shot and lifes may be shattered like the white part of the screen.
• Then the title 'Pulp Fiction' appears from a fade onto the screen. The colours are a complete contrast from the balck background and the yellow and red and they font type remind me again of a different era of time.
• Later, when it shows the leading characters names, it has what appears to be a beam of lights going round showing the credit names. This could also be interpreted as maybe search lights showing these characters could be criminals.
  
  
  
  
  
  Marchlands - Opening Credits 
  

  
  
  

  

  • In the opening of the TV drama 'Marchlands' we see a map of where Marchlands is located. On the map however, there are no other names on it making it appear alone and it has trees located next to it which has connotations of a thriller as a it appears to be a house by the woods which is a common thriller location.

  
  
  

  

  •  The next section in the opening shows the house called 'Marchlands' with branches in the way creating a 'Blocking Shot'. This is to create a thriller atmosphere around the credits and create the idea there is someone watching like the ghost in the TV show. The inverted coloring also creates a 'thriller' atmosphere revolving around the opening because the color makes the house appear 'ghostly' because it is white and therefore, connects with the story line of the show.
  
  
  

  

  • The credits in this scene then fade away to have the new credits and fade upwards. The way in which they fade creates the look of a ghost or a soul disappearing which then matches the genre of the show and also the story as it is revolves around a ghost or soul of a girl.