Monday, 10 May 2010
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Directors Commentary
To create the project, we used simple video cameras which were relatively easy to use. However, some shots with the camera were difficult to achieve, the tripod could not tilt upwards, low angle shots were unachievable in our sequence because of this. However, the camera was easy to use and record with and has good-quality images.
To create the project, we used simple video cameras which were relatively easy to use. However, some shots with the camera were difficult to achieve, the tripod could not tilt upwards, low angle shots were unachievable in our sequence because of this. However, the camera was easy to use and record with and has good-quality images.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
What Kind of Media Institution would distribute your media product and why?
This is a screenshot of the Film4 website which advertises much larger budget films in contrast with our film opening.
Media institutions produce and distribute products to mostly mass audiences, they are slightly similar to media Conglomerates. Examples of Media Institutions are BBC, Sony and Time Warner. Film 4, owned by Channel 4, is a Media Institution formed in the United Kingdom which doesn’t have such a mass audience as larger institutions such as The Walt Disney Company. Film 4 have produced Films with similar themes and genres as our main task. Film 4 also created a small company called Film 4 productions which backed up smaller projects and films from the UK, its first production, named Walter, was directed by Stephen Frears. Stephen Frears later directed films such as Dirty Pretty Things which also has a similar genre to our film opening, which is a thriller. Other films that Film 4 productions have made have become extremely successful for low budget films, such as Trainspotting and This is England.
Our opening sequence and initial media product is based for a small audience and would be perfectly produced by a small company such as Film 4 productions who make successful, simple and small budget films.
Friday, 7 May 2010
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The genre of the film we have made is thriller. The structure of the opening scene relates to other films of this genre because it is left ambiguous to the viewer, who don’t know what has happen or why it has happened. The film opening also starts with the big event, which is usually at the end of the film. We got our inspiration from the film Brick, which creates a mysterious feeling in the opening scene. The film Brick also starts with the main event of the film first, and then the event is explained in the rest of the film of how and why it happened. In the second half of the story the tone changes from a dramatic, suspicious tone to a more relaxed tone, building into the life of the main male character.
The running sequences are fast-paced to create tension and fear for the consumer.
The score at the beginning of the film opening starts dramatic and intense which is the type of sound track you would expect to hear in this genre of film. The music is that built to a suspense tone at the flashbacks when the female character is running. This is to show that the girl is in danger. This is typical in thriller films as the music often speeds up to an intense level to show that the character is in danger. In the second half of our film opening you hear a sound bridge of the police radio. This fits into the thriller theme as it suggests there is detective connotation. The slow pace piano sound track helps show the slow shifting pace of the male character. The diegetic sound of the video on the internet suggests that somebody has been murdered, but it does not make it clear whether or not it was the male character that committed the murder.
The main male character can be considered typical of thriller films due to his age, appearance and his relatable character for the audience.
The mise en scene relates to other thriller films because the location is in a rundown area and in an unattractive area. Thrillers are usually set in rundown city areas because that’s where most realist crime happens. The male character dress smartly in black again leaves his role in the opening sequence ambiguous, as we do not know whether he is the murder or a detective. The dreary lighting in the sequence connotes danger. In the second half of the film opening the male characters room in neutral which leaves it to the views interpretation of who he is and what his role in the film is.
The video interview in the sequence also sets the plot of the film as a thriller and foreshadows the events of the rest of the film and what happened in the first sequence.
In the opening sequence there a many close ups on the male characters face. This shows his emotions towards the female character as he flashes back to what he remembers. A hand held camera is used when the female character is running to create suspense and to add to the action. When the male character is watching the internet video in the second half of the opening sequence it shows the importance of the video and also it makes the audience feel as though they are there watching it with him. This idea comes from the film Untraceable.
The shot reverse shot links all the events together and shows how the characters are related. The saturation and contrast on the flashbacks suggests that they are dark and also create the idea that she is in danger. In the second half of our film opening there is a slow cut rate, this give a reflective feeling to the film.
The running sequences are fast-paced to create tension and fear for the consumer.
The score at the beginning of the film opening starts dramatic and intense which is the type of sound track you would expect to hear in this genre of film. The music is that built to a suspense tone at the flashbacks when the female character is running. This is to show that the girl is in danger. This is typical in thriller films as the music often speeds up to an intense level to show that the character is in danger. In the second half of our film opening you hear a sound bridge of the police radio. This fits into the thriller theme as it suggests there is detective connotation. The slow pace piano sound track helps show the slow shifting pace of the male character. The diegetic sound of the video on the internet suggests that somebody has been murdered, but it does not make it clear whether or not it was the male character that committed the murder.
The main male character can be considered typical of thriller films due to his age, appearance and his relatable character for the audience.
The mise en scene relates to other thriller films because the location is in a rundown area and in an unattractive area. Thrillers are usually set in rundown city areas because that’s where most realist crime happens. The male character dress smartly in black again leaves his role in the opening sequence ambiguous, as we do not know whether he is the murder or a detective. The dreary lighting in the sequence connotes danger. In the second half of the film opening the male characters room in neutral which leaves it to the views interpretation of who he is and what his role in the film is.
The video interview in the sequence also sets the plot of the film as a thriller and foreshadows the events of the rest of the film and what happened in the first sequence.
In the opening sequence there a many close ups on the male characters face. This shows his emotions towards the female character as he flashes back to what he remembers. A hand held camera is used when the female character is running to create suspense and to add to the action. When the male character is watching the internet video in the second half of the opening sequence it shows the importance of the video and also it makes the audience feel as though they are there watching it with him. This idea comes from the film Untraceable.
The shot reverse shot links all the events together and shows how the characters are related. The saturation and contrast on the flashbacks suggests that they are dark and also create the idea that she is in danger. In the second half of our film opening there is a slow cut rate, this give a reflective feeling to the film.
How did you attract/ address your audience?
We attracted our audience by using a sound track that starts off eerie and slow paced and then builds up tension and quickens as the story does. This will also confirm to the audience that our film is of a thriller genre. Using this track attracts the audience and also ensures that they pay attention to the film, to see what is going to happen. The suspense music creates a mood which can influence the audience opinion of the film and what is going to happen in the rest of the film and it also creates an eerie atmosphere. We have used quick camera shots and hand held shots to create tension in the opening sequence, this created a mood of fear for the audience, also settling on the genre of the film, that it is a Thriller.
The above screenshot is from the first sequence, effects are used to create a sense of fear as well as making it clear to the audience that it is a flashback.
By placing a significant event at the start of the product we hoped to grab the audiences attention with the fast pace sequence whilst keeping details of the plot scarse (only hinting with subtle items such as the shadow in the above screenshot).
However, the second sequence contrasts greatly with the first. We used slow, harmonious music for the second sequence, hinting Romance in the film between the two characters the audience are introduced to. The music finishes just before the sequence does, leaving the audience on a cliffhanger to the plot of the film. The introduction of the genre of Romance in the film offers appeal to a larger, less- distinctive audience. The genre of the film is similar to the film Brick, creating a larger appeal to a wider audience.
The above screenshot is from the first sequence, effects are used to create a sense of fear as well as making it clear to the audience that it is a flashback.
By placing a significant event at the start of the product we hoped to grab the audiences attention with the fast pace sequence whilst keeping details of the plot scarse (only hinting with subtle items such as the shadow in the above screenshot).
However, the second sequence contrasts greatly with the first. We used slow, harmonious music for the second sequence, hinting Romance in the film between the two characters the audience are introduced to. The music finishes just before the sequence does, leaving the audience on a cliffhanger to the plot of the film. The introduction of the genre of Romance in the film offers appeal to a larger, less- distinctive audience. The genre of the film is similar to the film Brick, creating a larger appeal to a wider audience.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience is the group at which are film is aimed at, this is often a age group or gender. It determines how we will make the film and what we will involve in the production of it.
The audience we have targeted with are media product is of a teenager age range of 12-19 years of age. As a result we have used actors and characters that are relatable to this age group. To begin with, in the opening sequence the female character is clearly a 15-17 year old teenager, this makes her relatable to the audience and will increase the like hood of attracting the audience at which we are targeting. The costume she is wearing is something a teenager would be expected to wear at her age showing this. The male character being of a similar age group adds to the effects of this.
The genre of film is thriller, this is a genre that is very popular among the teenage population this makes it very appealing to the age group as it will be similar to other films they have seen in cinema’s of the same genre. It particularly will appeal to couples as it would (if we continued the project) of contained a element of romance to it.
The film may also appeal to a more broader audience. Particularly those who liked films that share similar traits and of the same genre, the most similar film is ‘brick’ as it has a similar opening sequence and storyline as a result we may also attract fans of similar films. Similarly, as the audience is likely to be much smaller we are aiming for a niche audience. As we are not aiming to attract a massive audience of people of many different ages. Thrillers are also more popular with niche audiences, due to their complex narrative.
The audience we have targeted with are media product is of a teenager age range of 12-19 years of age. As a result we have used actors and characters that are relatable to this age group. To begin with, in the opening sequence the female character is clearly a 15-17 year old teenager, this makes her relatable to the audience and will increase the like hood of attracting the audience at which we are targeting. The costume she is wearing is something a teenager would be expected to wear at her age showing this. The male character being of a similar age group adds to the effects of this.
The genre of film is thriller, this is a genre that is very popular among the teenage population this makes it very appealing to the age group as it will be similar to other films they have seen in cinema’s of the same genre. It particularly will appeal to couples as it would (if we continued the project) of contained a element of romance to it.
The film may also appeal to a more broader audience. Particularly those who liked films that share similar traits and of the same genre, the most similar film is ‘brick’ as it has a similar opening sequence and storyline as a result we may also attract fans of similar films. Similarly, as the audience is likely to be much smaller we are aiming for a niche audience. As we are not aiming to attract a massive audience of people of many different ages. Thrillers are also more popular with niche audiences, due to their complex narrative.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The female character as at first underdeveloped, but relatable to the target audience due to her age and appearance.
The way our media product represents social groups is rather typical of the genre. The female lead is presented as a victim with lots of high angle shots on her body giving the audience the impression her character was weak and vulnerable. She is also presented as a scared character running away from her pursuer, instead of fighting back like a stronger female character would have. The female character in our product is essentially a stereotypical woman victim, however the use of shot/reverse shots between her and the man connote they have a relationship and therefore her significance.
The male character is not typical for thriller themed films, he is a calm but secluded character.
The male lead is represented in an un-stereotypical manner for the thriller genre, instead of dominating the scene and ordering an investigation he is instead seen as a solitary character throughout, he is clearly troubled by the girl’s body but he remains calm and calculated. Due to this performance his motives are unidentifiable by the audience. In the second scene he is shown living by himself in a lonely setting, this is unlike the conventional protagonist in detective films who is usually portrayed with a family and as a outgoing cheerful character. The protagonist in our product is portrayed as calm and reflected, much like the protagonist in the opening of the film ‘Brick’.
The use of a young protagonist will also draw in a younger audience to the genre, as most crime-thriller protagonists are older males it is unconventional to have a teenager play the lead detective.
Both of the characters in the product are also White British, this is insignificant in the narrative and was just a case of the actors available for the piece.
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