Friday 14 February 2014
AS Evaluation- Question 6- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Add in strengths and weaknesses of software
describe blogger and camera
AS Evaluation- Question 7- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The
main purpose of a preliminary task is to understand the camera and how it
works. The purpose of doing a preliminary task is so that our group is used to
using the camera and knowing how it works before filming our opening sequence.
It also gave us confidence with the camera so when I went to film our opening
sequence I had no problems with the camera. We also learnt how to use the editing software also which was useful when we came to editing our opening sequence as we had experience with using it.
As a group we learnt many things from doing the preliminary task. It allowed our group to know what camera angles were easier to shot so we practiced on camera angles that were more difficult to perform such as a panning shot so when we come to film our opening sequence we could perform any camera angle without any difficulty. It also allowed my group to know what camera angles worked well for example we found that when I was having a conversation with Domenico the best shot to use was a close up so the speech was clear. I also learnt that I would have to film my thriller in a quiet location so there are no background noises as I found in a preliminary task background noises can ruin an effect of a camera angle. I also learnt to keep the tripod dead still otherwise the camera shots will be unsuccessful and sometimes come out blurry. Lastly when I watched back the preliminary task the shots didn’t flow meaning that I now know to keep the camera in the exact place when filming the next shot.
My preliminary task was very useful as we learnt many skills which helped in my thriller film. The main skills I learnt was how to use the camera well, how to create different camera angles, what shots works best in different positions and just to become confident with the camera. Without doing the preliminary task I would have had no experience with the camera meaning that the camera angles would have been less successful which could have made my opening sequence less successful. This task helped me create my thriller as the things i found difficult during the task such as certain shots were overcome and i could perform them well producing the opening sequence. By taking part in this task i believe overall made my thriller more successful.
As a group we learnt many things from doing the preliminary task. It allowed our group to know what camera angles were easier to shot so we practiced on camera angles that were more difficult to perform such as a panning shot so when we come to film our opening sequence we could perform any camera angle without any difficulty. It also allowed my group to know what camera angles worked well for example we found that when I was having a conversation with Domenico the best shot to use was a close up so the speech was clear. I also learnt that I would have to film my thriller in a quiet location so there are no background noises as I found in a preliminary task background noises can ruin an effect of a camera angle. I also learnt to keep the tripod dead still otherwise the camera shots will be unsuccessful and sometimes come out blurry. Lastly when I watched back the preliminary task the shots didn’t flow meaning that I now know to keep the camera in the exact place when filming the next shot.
My preliminary task was very useful as we learnt many skills which helped in my thriller film. The main skills I learnt was how to use the camera well, how to create different camera angles, what shots works best in different positions and just to become confident with the camera. Without doing the preliminary task I would have had no experience with the camera meaning that the camera angles would have been less successful which could have made my opening sequence less successful. This task helped me create my thriller as the things i found difficult during the task such as certain shots were overcome and i could perform them well producing the opening sequence. By taking part in this task i believe overall made my thriller more successful.
Thursday 13 February 2014
AS Evaluation Question 5- How did you attract/address your audience?
Primary research was essential in carrying my production as
it gave many successful ideas that I can corporate into my opening sequence. Without
primary research my opening sequence wouldn't have been as successful. I
carried out many different research methods to help/influences us when creating
the opening sequence. I analysed many different opening sequences to provide
inspiration for my own opening sequence. For example when researching into
cinematography I chose the film prom night as there were many conventional
camera angles used such as close ups and over the shoulder shots. Another film I
analysed when researching into sound was silence of the lambs as in the scene
there was many different types sound used such as non digetic, parallel,
digetic and on screen sound.
By researching into films I could see the generic conventions and how they have made their thriller successful. If I didn't analyse different films I wouldn’t have understood what conventions in thrillers are successful and what conventions to add into our opening sequence. I analysed many different opening sequences of thriller films to help see what generic conventions are used so I could use them into my own sequence. I also analysed many different opening sequences to see how different narratives can still create the same effect on the audience. By analyzing different opening sequence I could also see what shots are important to use, ideas for our mise en scene, what sound to use, what editing styles and characters I should incorporate.
By researching into films I could see the generic conventions and how they have made their thriller successful. If I didn't analyse different films I wouldn’t have understood what conventions in thrillers are successful and what conventions to add into our opening sequence. I analysed many different opening sequences of thriller films to help see what generic conventions are used so I could use them into my own sequence. I also analysed many different opening sequences to see how different narratives can still create the same effect on the audience. By analyzing different opening sequence I could also see what shots are important to use, ideas for our mise en scene, what sound to use, what editing styles and characters I should incorporate.
A shot that inspired us to use from analysing prom night was a close up because it was very effective because it showed how the character especially the victim felt meaning that it allowed the audience to build a relationship with them as they felt sorry for that particular character. It also built suspense for the rest of the scene. The film we analysed to look at the mise en scene was saw VI. From analysing saw VI we took the idea of using low key lighting throughout the whole of the scene as this is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates adrenaline for the audience as it hides part of the scene. I also saw that the characters were set in the middle of the scene so when creating the film we put the character in the middle. From analysing silence of the lambs we incorporated many different sound techniques such as non digetic and parallel sound into the opening sequence to make the opening sequence interesting and to keep the audience at edge. I used a non digetic sound track throughout and parallel sound of the door opening and crunching leaves as she walks through the forest. By using different sounds it creates a tense atmosphere which is conventional to a thriller film. By using the parallel sounds it makes the film seem more realistic and creates a sense of realism.
The editing styles that I saw was conventional and decided to incorporate into the opening sequence was to use a straight cut. I used a straight cut from a different location to another to create suspense as the audience can’t see what is going on. The straight cut was from the girl getting ready to the globe. I used a straight cut to build tension as the audience cant see what is going on. I also incorporated timing of shots; we chose the timing of shots to be slow at the beginning of the sequence and quicker towards the end to build up to the climax. By doing this is will create an element of excitement and make the audience engage with the film more. I also looked at age certificates to see how films are assessed and to see what audience I should set my opening sequence at and what conventions would interest them.
By looking at age certificates I found out that the rating 15 would be a perfect rating as 15 films allow strong violence, frequent bad language, sexual activity, nudity, drug taking and discriminant language or behavior. I also created a questionnaire to give out to different individuals whom were different ages to get unbiased results. I asked much different type of questions, i asked opened open and closed questions to get different results that will help me create my thriller. For example we asked ‘What gender are you’ to see what gender I should target my thriller at. Another question I asked was ‘What do you expect to see in thrillers?’ I asked this as an open question and got many different responses to give us a wide range of results to help create the thriller. By doing a questionnaire I found out what audiences look for in a thriller film which helped to create my opening sequence as the answer influenced our choices. Research definitely helped when creating the opening sequence as it gave many inspirations which made my opening sequence successful. It helped to add in many generic conventions.
Without doing any
research I would have struggled and wouldn't have been able to create a opening
sequence at all. From the age certificate research I decided to categorize my
opening sequence a 15 as the conventions in our opening sequence is typical for
that rating. I also took inspiration from many different opening sequences such
as seven, silence of the lambs and prom night to add in a non digetic sound
track as it builds tension successfully. Another main inspiration I took was to
use different camera angles to keep the audience interested; I found this out
form the questionnaire and by analysing many different opening sequences. It
assisted with planning our production as we then knew what shots I am going
to use, the age certificate I am going to use and the different conventions I am going to add into my opening sequence.
AS Evaluation question 4- Who would be the audience for your media product?
Having a target audience is important when creating an
opening sequence or any film so that you can add in conventions which will
engage that particular audience. For example if your target audience is mainly children
over 4 years old your film is most likely to be rated a U. There may be brief
scary scenes and moments where the characters are placed in danger. As with
violence, however, these scenes will be balanced by reassuring elements, such
as comic interludes or music. ‘Baddie’ characters may carry or use weapons, but
there will be no emphasis on these. Child or ‘hero’ characters are unlikely to
use any kind of weapon outside, for example, historical settings. A U film can
be any theme as long as it’s suitable for younger audiences. It’s not just
children films that are rated U also adult films can be rated U. U rated films
shouldn't have any references to drugs as children won’t understand the
concept. All those conventions suit the target audience and will interest them
into watching the film. An example of a U film is Walt Disney Peter Pan. The
typical age certificate is a 15 so that teenagers can watch them as well as
adults.
My target audience is for teenagers aged 15 and above as it’s conventional to the thriller genre and many conventions in my opening sequence suits this age range. The narrative appeals to this age range as it will interest them because the subject of drugs is very conventional to this age range meaning they will engage with the film. There is a drugs present when the female victim gets possessed from the glass of water; this will extremely interest the audience and will create enigma. The narrative wouldn't appeal to younger viewers as they may not understand the story line and they may find it offensive as the girl dies, drugs are present and there is violence. The character will appeal to the audience as she will be similar age to the viewer’s meaning they will build a relationship with her which will make them focus on the film more as they will be more interested in her. The sound track appeals to the audience as it will create a tense atmosphere which our audience will enjoy and will be on the edge of the seats which is key for the thriller genre. Especially the loud soundtrack will keep the audience on the edge of their seats and will make them want to watch the film more as it will add mystery to opening sequence.
If my target audience was younger they may be too scared to watch the film due to the loud music and low key lighting throughout the sequence which would make the film unsuccessful. My camera shots will also appeal to our audience as we will have many different shots that will keep them engaged and use them successfully to build suspense which is what our audience looks for in a thriller film. For example audience 15 years older and above enjoy adrenaline rushes, this is why we will use over the shoulder shots as this will make the girl look creepier which will excite the audience. Editing styles that will be used in my opening sequence will appeal to my audience as they will make conventions in my film more interesting. Timing of shots for example will build up suspense successfully which appeals to my audience as they enjoy adrenaline rushes.
The mise en scene such as the setting will appeal to the audience as its set in a typical gloomy forest and house which normal thriller films are set meaning it will definitely appeal to our audience as normal thrillers target audience is 15 years old and above. They will be able to relate to these locations meaning they will be put on edge which is a key for audiences to feel when watching thrillers. The iconography which is the makeup and the watch will interest the audience as it will add a sense of mystery which altogether will engage them into watching the film.
My target audience is for teenagers aged 15 and above as it’s conventional to the thriller genre and many conventions in my opening sequence suits this age range. The narrative appeals to this age range as it will interest them because the subject of drugs is very conventional to this age range meaning they will engage with the film. There is a drugs present when the female victim gets possessed from the glass of water; this will extremely interest the audience and will create enigma. The narrative wouldn't appeal to younger viewers as they may not understand the story line and they may find it offensive as the girl dies, drugs are present and there is violence. The character will appeal to the audience as she will be similar age to the viewer’s meaning they will build a relationship with her which will make them focus on the film more as they will be more interested in her. The sound track appeals to the audience as it will create a tense atmosphere which our audience will enjoy and will be on the edge of the seats which is key for the thriller genre. Especially the loud soundtrack will keep the audience on the edge of their seats and will make them want to watch the film more as it will add mystery to opening sequence.
If my target audience was younger they may be too scared to watch the film due to the loud music and low key lighting throughout the sequence which would make the film unsuccessful. My camera shots will also appeal to our audience as we will have many different shots that will keep them engaged and use them successfully to build suspense which is what our audience looks for in a thriller film. For example audience 15 years older and above enjoy adrenaline rushes, this is why we will use over the shoulder shots as this will make the girl look creepier which will excite the audience. Editing styles that will be used in my opening sequence will appeal to my audience as they will make conventions in my film more interesting. Timing of shots for example will build up suspense successfully which appeals to my audience as they enjoy adrenaline rushes.
The mise en scene such as the setting will appeal to the audience as its set in a typical gloomy forest and house which normal thriller films are set meaning it will definitely appeal to our audience as normal thrillers target audience is 15 years old and above. They will be able to relate to these locations meaning they will be put on edge which is a key for audiences to feel when watching thrillers. The iconography which is the makeup and the watch will interest the audience as it will add a sense of mystery which altogether will engage them into watching the film.
AS Evaluation- Question 3- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
change institution to lionsgate- include examples of films that they have made
Why it would make our thriller successful.
Wednesday 12 February 2014
AS Evaluation- Question 2- How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In
my opening sequence I have only included one character as I wanted my opening sequence to
be slightly different to the typical thriller opening sequences and be unique. My character at the beginning of the scene is deemed to be an innocent young girl as through the use of the mise en scene of her putting on make up portrays her as a typical young girl. However the audience will start to see a change in character when she starts to circle the glass and when the location changes from the house to the forest. The emotions of the audience may change from sympathy to envy when she changes. I just wanted to have one character in our thriller so the audience can just focus on her and
will be understand the narrative more as there is only one powerful character. Also by just having one character the audience will be able to engage with her more meaning they will be more interested in the film.I also just had one character so it will be quicker to film. The character is a 15 year old girl who looks innocent with typical blonde hair. We've
decided to use a young girl with blonde hair as it’s very conventional to the
thriller genre as the audience is more likely to sympathize for her meaning a relationship will be built. The age of the girl is important because they
are more likely to feel sorry for her building more of a relationship between
them. Also by having her a similar age that the audience will be, they will be able to relate to her more meaning a relationship will be built. The girl comes across vulnerable as at the beginning she’s vulnerable and
looks innocent as she comes across in that way by putting on make-up etc whereas at the end she looks unstable. The
clothing she was wearing was a plain grey tee and plain jeans. We wanted her to
wear something plain to portray the innocence so the audience will sympathize
for her when she gets possessed. The clothing will also appeal to the audience
as they will wear similar clothing so they can relate more to the film. I also chose this character so people will be asking questions meaning they will want to watch more. She will create enigma and keep the audience fascinated. I just decided to use her instead of two characters as she is a very strong character and I didn't want to have two strong characters.
The representation of the character changes throughout the opening sequence. At the beginning she comes across really innocent as she is seen putting on make-up and getting ready to go out. She comes across as the victim to the audience and they sympathise for her. However when she puts water on her face after she gets ready the audience starts to notice she’s not right. Especially after she circles the glass and drops it on the floor the representation of the girl changes from her being innocent to her being possessed and evil. I decided the girl would change from innocent to evil to show the audience she’s not as she seems and to get a point across that not everything is as it seems. I also decided to have 2 representations of her as I only have one character and I wanted it to make it more interesting for the audience so we wanted to change the way they felt about her. The audience may also feel sorry for her but however they may feel different and get a feel that she’s mental which will build a tense atmosphere and build a relationship between them.
The gender of the girl is represented in a typical way as she’s young and a female so the audience will feel sorrier for her when she dies. When she becomes her own killer she is very not very stereotypical to the thriller genre as she in young and has blonde hair which is the opposite of what typical killers look like. I believe this was a risk but has been successful. The character would appeal to the audience as she’s a similar age to them which is 15 so they would be able to relate to her easily which makes the film more interesting for them. They can relate to how she feels meaning that they may sympathize for her or may envy her. I want the audience to have different opinions of my character because she has 2 different representations. I also chose this character so people will be asking questions meaning they will want to watch more. She will create enigma and keep the audience fascinated. I decided to use her instead of two characters as I didn’t want to only wanted to have one strong character.
The representation of the character changes throughout the opening sequence. At the beginning she comes across really innocent as she is seen putting on make-up and getting ready to go out. She comes across as the victim to the audience and they sympathise for her. However when she puts water on her face after she gets ready the audience starts to notice she’s not right. Especially after she circles the glass and drops it on the floor the representation of the girl changes from her being innocent to her being possessed and evil. I decided the girl would change from innocent to evil to show the audience she’s not as she seems and to get a point across that not everything is as it seems. I also decided to have 2 representations of her as I only have one character and I wanted it to make it more interesting for the audience so we wanted to change the way they felt about her. The audience may also feel sorry for her but however they may feel different and get a feel that she’s mental which will build a tense atmosphere and build a relationship between them.
The gender of the girl is represented in a typical way as she’s young and a female so the audience will feel sorrier for her when she dies. When she becomes her own killer she is very not very stereotypical to the thriller genre as she in young and has blonde hair which is the opposite of what typical killers look like. I believe this was a risk but has been successful. The character would appeal to the audience as she’s a similar age to them which is 15 so they would be able to relate to her easily which makes the film more interesting for them. They can relate to how she feels meaning that they may sympathize for her or may envy her. I want the audience to have different opinions of my character because she has 2 different representations. I also chose this character so people will be asking questions meaning they will want to watch more. She will create enigma and keep the audience fascinated. I decided to use her instead of two characters as I didn’t want to only wanted to have one strong character.
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