Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Research-Digipaks and posters
This promotional poster is quite interesting. There is no picture of the band on it, and everything is done using computer graphics and is made out of silouettes. This makes it more eyecatching I think because the colours are very bold.
I really like the fact that this is all in black and white. It really makes it stand out, and whoever created it did the artwork really cleverly. The contrast between the light and the dark works really well, and makes it look really eyecatching like the others. The artwork itself is black and white photography which I really like because the way it's been designed the costumes stand out against the background. Also, the typeography is plain, bold and eyecatching.
This advertising poster is done using all computer graphics on software such as Photoshop of Adobe Illustrator. I think it looks really interesting, and because it's advertising dance music this works really well. This is because it's not a natural traditional type of music, so a modern non-traditional method of advertising has been used to promote it to the target audience which will be teenagers.
This is an interesting digipak. The whole thing folds up, and slides inside a protective sleeve which is shown at the front. All of the artwork matches and the same image appreas to be used on every side. This doesn't really show much creativity however, and I hope that my digipak is a little bitmore creative, and maybe shows some images of the band.
The colour of this digipak is the same on every panel. It fits together really well, and it stands out against others because they usually have different colours on. This digipak is also a simple design, and from what we can see lacks alot of artwork, and images. I think I would be tempted to use more artwork and designs on my work to make it appeal more ot the target audience.
It's really interesting how this digipak seems to have another cd case which matches it. I'm not too sure what it has to do with the actual digipak. I think maybe it's a single and the digipak is the album of the band. This is quite interesting from the view of promotion because the two match.
Monday, 23 November 2009
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Friday, 9 October 2009
Codes and Conventions of a Music Video
Narratives may be linear.
Narratives that amplify the lyrics.
Use of star.
Some performance.
Close up of star.
Special effects are simple.
Cuts etc in time with music.
Set in realistic places.
Eliptical editing.
Lip syncing.
Portray image of star. Suiting the genre.
Mise-en-scene used to create charecters.
Charecteristics.
Tracking shots.
No dialogue (at beginning)
Simple narratives.
Closed narrative (ends)
Narratives that amplify the lyrics.
Use of star.
Some performance.
Close up of star.
Special effects are simple.
Cuts etc in time with music.
Set in realistic places.
Eliptical editing.
Lip syncing.
Portray image of star. Suiting the genre.
Mise-en-scene used to create charecters.
Charecteristics.
Tracking shots.
No dialogue (at beginning)
Simple narratives.
Closed narrative (ends)
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Lily Allen-Smile
Aspects of the performance/mode of address
The video is aimed at the man in the peice, however it is sung to the audience. It is both direct and indirect mode of address. The artist is the actor. There is also no dance routine.
Narrative
A girl is dumped by her boyfrend, and she pays a group of teenagers to mug him and reck his flat to her her own back.
How does the video create an image for the band/artist?
The whole thing makes Lily look rebelious and fun. She's powerful and gets her own way. Sh's also very normal and down to earth. There's nothing superficial about her. Powerful and indipendant.Mise-en-Scene
It's set in a very normal area which we could all relate to. A bed-sit, a cafe, normal streets and an apartment. It adentifies with the audience. The story in the video is not far fetched, and it's something we could all relate to. The costumes are all ordinary clothes which menmbers of the audience themselves may wear. Everything about this video is geared to make the audience relate to and sympathise with the artist. It's all very normal and the story is something that could or will have happened to anyone.
Use of camera
Alot of zooms and close-ups of the artist are used in this video, this is so we can see reaction, and the quick pace of the shots matches well with the pace of the music. The close-ups work well here. SHot reverse shot is also used alot to show the contact between the two of them. It also allows us to see their bosy language and how they interract with eachother. Shallow focus is also used to draw the viewer into what's happening at the front of the shot.
Editing
Fast paced editing is used to go from shot to shot. We can see all the different frames, and they fit together to make a story. It's all used so we can see the narrative because the performance of the artist is encorperated into the performance. THe pace of the editing matches the pace of the music.
Representation
The teenagers which mug the man in the video, are striotypically dressed as the kind of people who we would think to mug people in th UK today. We can relate to this in their tracksuits ect because it's what we are shown by the media. The hit-men used to ruin the male's flat are dressed in dark clothing. This makes them look intimidating and is contrasted to the rest of the costumes in the video. They stand out and look like the enemy in the video. The singer is sat in her appartment eating chocolate which is something we can relate to when a girl breaks up with a boy. Alot of the girls in the audience would've been through the same thing, and find it easy to identify with the charecter/artist. The whole thing is meant to be very working class which is the kind of people who would be watching this.
Special Effects
Effects such as dissolves are used in the video. They are put on afterwards in the editing process and are used instead of CGI and polytechnics.
Genre-Pop.
Audience- Teens to lats 20's.
I was not able to embedd the video, as it was disabled on Youtube.com. Please click the link below to see the video in full.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxDrVUrSvI
Monday, 21 September 2009
The Chemical Brothers-Hey boy Hey girl.
Aspects of performance/Mode of address
There was no performance from the actual band themselves. It was all narrative based. There was an indirect mode of address.
Narrative
There is a young girl on a bus going on a school trip. She appears to be obsessed with bones and skeletons. We see her growing up and later on in a club, she is able to see everyone there as a skeleton. There is a clear beginning, middle and end and there is a linear narrative used.
How does the video create an image for the artist?
The visuals create the image for the band. They give the impression of drug use which is connected to dance music listened to in the 90's. This is the era in which the song was released. This type of thing is popular among the target audience, and although it doesn't directly say that it is to do with drugs and the whole rave culture,you get the impression that it is. However, the music is more important than the imageray.
How do the visual elements relate to the lyrics?
There isn't really much relation to the lyrics and the visuals. However, at one point we see a couple in a bathroom which could relate to the lyric 'Hey boy, hey girl.'
Mise-en-scene
The girl is dressed all in black all of the time/ She's very plain considering she's the main charecter and blends in very well. She's not sexualised. Is she at an illigal rave? This shows us she's envolved in social activities which were popular at the time the video is set. It is possible for us to assume she has taken drugs, as she's drinking water which is associated with drug taking in clubs. It is also to do with the whole rave culture. The fact that she's seeing everyone might be an indication of drug taking also.
Use of camera
Throughout the video, trakking and panning is very popular. I think this is because it gives us a good view of everything and really goes with the pace of the video. There's also point of view shots used as the girl talks to a man at the bar in the club, looks in the mirror, walks through the museum and leaves the club. High and low angle shots are used throughout. Perticulaly when the girl is younger.
Editing
PLease click the link below, as the embadding video link has been disabled on Youtube.com. Clicking the link below will allow yout o see the video in full.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64szVQugrAo
Thursday, 17 September 2009
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free-The Lighthouse Family
Aspects of performance/mode of address
The man from the band is looking at the camera and therefore looking directly at the audience.
Narrative
The man from the band is walking through the tube station and looking into people's lives and thoughts. It's not based on the performance of the band. There are flashbacks into the lives of the charecter. There's also a clear beginning and ending. When the charecters move up the escalators they all move together suggesting they're all in the same boat. Also, they move up the stairs towards the light which suggests going from hell to heaven.
How does the video create an image for the star or artist?
The image given is that of calm. The man in the video is part of the band and he effects people's lives on the tube train by listening to them and their problems and helping them out. This tells us the band's music could be life-changing.
How do the visual elements relate to the song?
'I wish' Looks at the sad sapects of people's lives and how the charecters react makes them look desperate to get out and upset. The main charecter in the video is able to calm them and help them out by singing to them. He's helping them realise how they could change their lives. The visuals amplify what's going on and allow the people to feel free by discussing their problems.
Mise-en-scene
The people in the video are singing on the tube train. It's set in an underground tube. Everyone's dressed in dark plain clothes apart from the main man who is dressed slightly smarter than the others, but in similar colours. The first girl stands out because she has blonde hair which is considrered attractive by society, and she also has a different coloured lighter coat on.
Use of camera
Blend 2 shots together. Shot reverse shot is also used. Close ups of the charecters faces occour often. Panning and tracking shots are used through out the video also. Over shoulder shots are used as the main charecter travels through the train. There's also an long shot at the beginning of the video asthe train enters the underground.
Editing
2 shots ontop of eachother showing the flashback of the pseron's life. Match on action. Traindrivers perspective as he goes down the train. Straight cuts are used. Slow paced editing is used all the way through. It's in time with the music. There's also eyeline match as the main charecter looks at the people and we see form his perspective. THis helps us to associate with the charecter.
Representation
People all walking together represents unity. They all go up the stairs together towards the light which represents them becoming free as the go into the outside world after being trapped underground. ould this be a relgious theme?
Special Effects
Blending and distortion are used.
Genre
The genre is contempary soul
Audience
The audience is adults ages 25-40.
The man from the band is looking at the camera and therefore looking directly at the audience.
Narrative
The man from the band is walking through the tube station and looking into people's lives and thoughts. It's not based on the performance of the band. There are flashbacks into the lives of the charecter. There's also a clear beginning and ending. When the charecters move up the escalators they all move together suggesting they're all in the same boat. Also, they move up the stairs towards the light which suggests going from hell to heaven.
How does the video create an image for the star or artist?
The image given is that of calm. The man in the video is part of the band and he effects people's lives on the tube train by listening to them and their problems and helping them out. This tells us the band's music could be life-changing.
How do the visual elements relate to the song?
'I wish' Looks at the sad sapects of people's lives and how the charecters react makes them look desperate to get out and upset. The main charecter in the video is able to calm them and help them out by singing to them. He's helping them realise how they could change their lives. The visuals amplify what's going on and allow the people to feel free by discussing their problems.
Mise-en-scene
The people in the video are singing on the tube train. It's set in an underground tube. Everyone's dressed in dark plain clothes apart from the main man who is dressed slightly smarter than the others, but in similar colours. The first girl stands out because she has blonde hair which is considrered attractive by society, and she also has a different coloured lighter coat on.
Use of camera
Blend 2 shots together. Shot reverse shot is also used. Close ups of the charecters faces occour often. Panning and tracking shots are used through out the video also. Over shoulder shots are used as the main charecter travels through the train. There's also an long shot at the beginning of the video asthe train enters the underground.
Editing
2 shots ontop of eachother showing the flashback of the pseron's life. Match on action. Traindrivers perspective as he goes down the train. Straight cuts are used. Slow paced editing is used all the way through. It's in time with the music. There's also eyeline match as the main charecter looks at the people and we see form his perspective. THis helps us to associate with the charecter.
Representation
People all walking together represents unity. They all go up the stairs together towards the light which represents them becoming free as the go into the outside world after being trapped underground. ould this be a relgious theme?
Special Effects
Blending and distortion are used.
Genre
The genre is contempary soul
Audience
The audience is adults ages 25-40.
Music Theory
Some would argue that music video have made pop superficially based on image. Are pop songs enough on their own to give meaning and pleasure for the audience?
"Good music videos, are clips that respond to the pleasure of music, in which the music is made visual, either in new ways or in a way that accentuates assisting associations" - Andy Goodwin
"Good music videos, are clips that respond to the pleasure of music, in which the music is made visual, either in new ways or in a way that accentuates assisting associations" - Andy Goodwin
Video questions
What is the basic funtion/purpose of a music video?
The music video is used to promote the song in it. It is used by the record company as a promotional tool. They're also used to make the audince enjoy the song and possibly help to persuade them to buy the record.
When were the first music videos produced?
During the early 1960's The Beatles were producing films and playing their songs in the background however they wern't considered music videos. I'm 1965 they released 'a hard days night' which was considered as short film. Music videos became more mainstream in 1981 with the launch of MTV where music videos were played constantly to promote music and bands.
How were music videos comissioned?
The companies who produce music videos are in touch with people called 'AR men' They are able to contact the record companies. They then review the band and decide on the budget for the video. They look at how much the artist and song need promoting and how popular the song is.
How long does it take to make a music video?
Making a music video takes around two weeks to make.
Andrew Goodwin said that there were 3 ways in which a video can relate to the lyrics in a song:
By the video illustrating the meaning of the lyrics through visualisation by providing an, often, over literal set of images.
Amplification of visuals making the director the artist, as he/she then develops and enhances the ideas to make the message in the lyrics clearer.
Disjuncture is a way of completely contradicting the lyrics by using visuals and imagery that may be unrelated or something to opposite to what the lyrics may convey.
What is a music treatment or pitch?
The music treatment is basically the plan of the video. It's what is done before the filming begins. It tells us what is going to happen in the video, the location for filming, who is going to be in it, the pace and the general set up.
What are some things to avoid when making a student video?
No research-If you don't do research, watch exsisting music videos, look at how they have been created and what went in to making them.
Not planning- You need to plan what you're actually going to do in the video instead of just going out and filming. Planning is very important in a music video to make it all run smoothly and make sure the right ideas and messege are given across.
The music video is used to promote the song in it. It is used by the record company as a promotional tool. They're also used to make the audince enjoy the song and possibly help to persuade them to buy the record.
When were the first music videos produced?
During the early 1960's The Beatles were producing films and playing their songs in the background however they wern't considered music videos. I'm 1965 they released 'a hard days night' which was considered as short film. Music videos became more mainstream in 1981 with the launch of MTV where music videos were played constantly to promote music and bands.
How were music videos comissioned?
The companies who produce music videos are in touch with people called 'AR men' They are able to contact the record companies. They then review the band and decide on the budget for the video. They look at how much the artist and song need promoting and how popular the song is.
How long does it take to make a music video?
Making a music video takes around two weeks to make.
Andrew Goodwin said that there were 3 ways in which a video can relate to the lyrics in a song:
By the video illustrating the meaning of the lyrics through visualisation by providing an, often, over literal set of images.
Amplification of visuals making the director the artist, as he/she then develops and enhances the ideas to make the message in the lyrics clearer.
Disjuncture is a way of completely contradicting the lyrics by using visuals and imagery that may be unrelated or something to opposite to what the lyrics may convey.
What is a music treatment or pitch?
The music treatment is basically the plan of the video. It's what is done before the filming begins. It tells us what is going to happen in the video, the location for filming, who is going to be in it, the pace and the general set up.
What are some things to avoid when making a student video?
No research-If you don't do research, watch exsisting music videos, look at how they have been created and what went in to making them.
Not planning- You need to plan what you're actually going to do in the video instead of just going out and filming. Planning is very important in a music video to make it all run smoothly and make sure the right ideas and messege are given across.
Notes on music videos
Music videos are marketing devices used by record companies, they aim to increase the record sales and the overall popularity of the song featured in the video.Music videos have been very popular since the 80's although they were made quite a while before this, The Beatles contributed a lot to the development of "The music video", most famously for their work in the film "hard day night". The film contains songs from the Beatles but also contains narrative making the film's content, musical sequences rather than music videos.In 1965 The Beatles began to made film inserts as a promotional tool, other bands soon followed suit but The Beatles led the way with "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", directed by Peter Goldman. These musical sequences were described as "Avant-garde" meaning experimental but sophisticated, this was achieved by the use of slow motion and other effects that hadn't been experimented with before this.In 1981 MTV was born are made music videos more commercial than ever, the first music video that aired on the channel was "video killed the radio star". Music videos became a standard practise for bands, as they could be cheaply produced using high - tech equipment such as the chroma key.
Monday, 30 March 2009
evaluation
Media Coursework Evaluation
Elizabeth Wood
Over the past few weeks, I have been working with James Lock, Kane Wright and Tisya Khairuddin to produce the opening 2 minute sequence to a thriller film aimed at teenagers with the certificate 15. We planned it all from start to finish, and came up with the initial ideas ourselves.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Once we’d completed out thriller, we asked our target audience to fill out a questionnaire giving us feedback on what we had made. They said that they would definitely pay to watch it at a cinema, and therefore it must look just as professional as a film produced by an actual film company. It’s not similar to any other thriller’s I’ve seen. This could be a good thing because it means it’s a new, fresh idea. We also analysed the opening sequences of some thrillers in class. We looked at the codes and conventions used in these and my group and we put them into our own work. We looked the shots used, editing, sound, graphics, narrative structure and the mise-en scene. There were certain things which were common in all of them, such as they all left you asking questions and didn’t reveal everything straight away. We managed to put this into our own work and stick to thriller codes and conventions. We only chose certain ones, such as concealment of certain things so as not to give too much plot away, music to make the viewer on edge and cause tension and the graphics fitted in with the theme.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
None of the thrillers we watched in class were set in a house. This is why we decided to set our here so that it was different to other ones we had seen. It was also easier to film here rather than outside or in other indoor locations.
I think that our narrative is very clear because it tells us what the stories going to be about. However it doesn’t give everything away. It’s a non linear narrative because it tells us what’s happened after the incident and it contains flashbacks.
We planned to film at my house, because we wanted to set the thriller mainly in a house. We looked at how the house was set out, and how we could work our camera angles to get the effects we wanted in the film. We chose a lot of tracking shots to make it look like the character was being followed. We also wanted to use point of view shots to show how the character was feeling, where they were and see things from their eyes. The flashback we used allowed us to see what was going on in the mind of the character, and allowed us to use a variety of shots such as close ups, high angle and low angle shots. We used the same type of shots as thrillers usually use, and the effect seemed to work very well. They way we edited it all made it look a lot more professional, and the sound effects we put over the top of the music made a really good effect.
Codes and conventions are very important in a thriller. They’re certain rules which all thrillers follow which make them what they were. We had to use them in our thriller, and research them in existing films to decide which to use, and which were most common.
I think our opening sequence was very successful. This is because it looks as professional as possible, and I think we did an excellent job on the editing. The way everything fits together is brilliant, and the music sounds like it would actually be at the beginning of a thriller. It built tension, and went with the action. This is like the music at the beginning of Seven.
We decided to go against conventional thrillers in the sense that we had a female
killer instead of a male. We think this made ours slightly different, and made it stand
out a bit more. It also made the entire plot more interesting because we could make the killer out to be just as vulnerable as her victims.
The completed production is an excellent example of a thriller. This is because we used all of the codes and conventions we wanted to produce the effect we wanted. We kept to all of the codes and conventions seen in other thrillers. It left the audience asking the right kind of questions such as ‘who was the girl who dies?’ this’ll make people want to watch on and see what happens. The character we created, Shelly, made the thriller more exciting because of the way she acted. She was a killer like conventional thrillers, however she was much more nervous and on edge. This allowed us to use a much wider variety of shots such as the outside ones, and the tracking shots.
My group and I decided to aim the film at age 15. This is because it was the best target audience because we can be a little bit more creative and use more exciting and dramatic idea. We decided to use a woman as the main character to be different from other thrillers. This was a wise decision, because it meant we could make the woman out to be either the killer or the victim and leave the audience guessing. We could make her look vulnerable so that it fitted in with the typical idea of a woman being the victim, and so that it fitted in with the rest of the plot, by the way she acted, the shots we used, the pace of the film and the camera angles we used. Using camera angles we could also make her look powerful. We used stereotype of a vulnerable woman, and her almost needing to be rescued even though she was the murderer. This is because it was a character people were able to relate to, and it meant that people would possibly be more interested if it was somebody they could identify with. On my blog I wrote about how she was being controlled by her husband to kill people, and she needed rescuing from him or to get away from him. This makes her almost look like more of a victim than the people she’s killed. My group and I decided to do this because it was more interesting than using a man or a woman who wasn’t in need of help. It made the story line more exciting, and made a change from other films.
We chose my mother Lindsey Evans to be in the film as the main character. We chose her because we wanted a middle aged female to play the leading role to make it a little bit more exciting.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If our film came out to be shown mainstream cinemas such as Odeon and Warner Brothers. It’s more like a mainstream thriller that something you’d see in a smell art gallery. I think it’d probably be available on the internet or on DVD. It would be easy for anybody who wants to watch it then, and might even become a bit hit. If it’s on the internet however it might be pirated and downloaded illegally. This’d mean we wouldn’t make as much money on it, and would possibly fund illegal activities. Compared to a professional film, it would be much harder to advertise, and get people to watch because we don’t have the funding. However compared to a professional film, I think
to the public, I think that the storyline’s good enough to make it popular. The camera work isn’t as good as a professional, and the sound effects aren’t as good as a real film, however I think it’s all good enough that it could be classed as professional.
Choosing our target audience was probably the easiest part of the project. It was easiest to go with certificate fifteen because these were the people it was easiest to ask what they’d like form a thriller. We’re also this age, so making an eighteen certificate would not be suitable because we can’t make something we can’t watch ourselves. We tried to make the storyline something they’d like to watch and enjoy. The surveys we gave out told us that our target audience like murder, blood and to be made on edge. I think our film may also appeal to older people. Over eighteens. This is because of the plot, and the fact that we used an older person as the character rather than a teenager. It’s someone a lot of people can relate to.
Before we started any of the filming or going about creating out film, we had to do some audience research. We created a questionnaire which I later put onto my blog. We gave it out to 30 people in our target audience. From our results, we were able to decide what to include in our thriller from what they had told us they liked. We were able to create a thriller appropriate for our age group. People told us they wanted weapons in it such as knives. We did not want to show actual violence, so we just suggested that a knife had been used by showing an empty slot in a knife rack. This was to suggest that the knife had been used in the murder of the girl in the flashbacks. We could not show the knife actually being used because we were not able to show violence of that nature because the rating’s only a 15.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The filming took place at my house because it was the ideal setting. We had to use the technical equipment ourselves, and learn how to use it all. Before doing the real project, we did two additional projects to get more familiar with the cameras and the software on the computers. Looking at those projects and the main project, it’s very easy to see how much my skills have developed in both camerawork and editing. Even after practices, I think using the editing software was definitely my weakness. I found it quite difficult and complicated to use, and found camerawork much easier.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
We filmed a lot of additional shots to what we wrote down originally on the story boards. This is because some of the shots we wanted, weren’t possible to do in the space which we had. We thought about the layout of the house very carefully before we filmed, however when we came to film not all of them were possible. Lighting in some cases was also a problem because we’d be filming all day and keeping the continuity of the light in the windows as it went dark was very difficult. The bathroom was also very dark, and we had to add additional lighting to make it easier for things to show up on camera. The same problem occurred when we were doing shots of the character walking down the stairs.
Editing was the hardest part, because we’d taken so many shots that it was difficult to pick the best ones and make them all run together in a sequence. I found using the editing software very difficult, and it took me a long time to get to grips with it. Making sure that there were no jump cuts in the finished piece was difficult and time consuming. We had to use two tapes which was more difficult when it came to editing this made it more difficult. We had to use two tapes because we left the first tape at college by accident, and when we came to film on a weekend, realised we couldn’t go back to get it. During editing, we also decided to change some of the shots to black and white, but make blood and some of the water stand out by making it red against the black and white. This was very difficult to do because it meant we had to use parts of the software on the computer which we weren’t familiar with.
The music plays a big part in the film because it really sets the mood and tone of the whole thing. It was very difficult to find the music which we did use in the end. This is because, it had to be copyright free. We had to search the internet for copyright free music, and we finally found the perfect piece. It fitted really well and set the mood, even if it did take us a long time to find.
Looking back over the project, I feel I’ve learnt a lot and my skills have improved greatly. Not just from the first two tasks, but from the beginning of the main project as well. I still found using the editing software a bit of a challenge, however I feel I did very well in the task I was given, and worked really well with my group. We all worked as a team which made things a lot easier.
If I had to do this production again, I’d probably change the titles. They seemed to get the most negative feedback, even though they were exactly the way the audience asked for them. I’d also like to learn more about how to use the editing software, so that it wouldn’t take me as long to do things next time. Apart from these two minor things, I don’t think there’s a thing I would change and on the whole I really enjoyed the project and I’m very happy with the end result.
Word count: 2333
Elizabeth Wood
Over the past few weeks, I have been working with James Lock, Kane Wright and Tisya Khairuddin to produce the opening 2 minute sequence to a thriller film aimed at teenagers with the certificate 15. We planned it all from start to finish, and came up with the initial ideas ourselves.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Once we’d completed out thriller, we asked our target audience to fill out a questionnaire giving us feedback on what we had made. They said that they would definitely pay to watch it at a cinema, and therefore it must look just as professional as a film produced by an actual film company. It’s not similar to any other thriller’s I’ve seen. This could be a good thing because it means it’s a new, fresh idea. We also analysed the opening sequences of some thrillers in class. We looked at the codes and conventions used in these and my group and we put them into our own work. We looked the shots used, editing, sound, graphics, narrative structure and the mise-en scene. There were certain things which were common in all of them, such as they all left you asking questions and didn’t reveal everything straight away. We managed to put this into our own work and stick to thriller codes and conventions. We only chose certain ones, such as concealment of certain things so as not to give too much plot away, music to make the viewer on edge and cause tension and the graphics fitted in with the theme.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
None of the thrillers we watched in class were set in a house. This is why we decided to set our here so that it was different to other ones we had seen. It was also easier to film here rather than outside or in other indoor locations.
I think that our narrative is very clear because it tells us what the stories going to be about. However it doesn’t give everything away. It’s a non linear narrative because it tells us what’s happened after the incident and it contains flashbacks.
We planned to film at my house, because we wanted to set the thriller mainly in a house. We looked at how the house was set out, and how we could work our camera angles to get the effects we wanted in the film. We chose a lot of tracking shots to make it look like the character was being followed. We also wanted to use point of view shots to show how the character was feeling, where they were and see things from their eyes. The flashback we used allowed us to see what was going on in the mind of the character, and allowed us to use a variety of shots such as close ups, high angle and low angle shots. We used the same type of shots as thrillers usually use, and the effect seemed to work very well. They way we edited it all made it look a lot more professional, and the sound effects we put over the top of the music made a really good effect.
Codes and conventions are very important in a thriller. They’re certain rules which all thrillers follow which make them what they were. We had to use them in our thriller, and research them in existing films to decide which to use, and which were most common.
I think our opening sequence was very successful. This is because it looks as professional as possible, and I think we did an excellent job on the editing. The way everything fits together is brilliant, and the music sounds like it would actually be at the beginning of a thriller. It built tension, and went with the action. This is like the music at the beginning of Seven.
We decided to go against conventional thrillers in the sense that we had a female
killer instead of a male. We think this made ours slightly different, and made it stand
out a bit more. It also made the entire plot more interesting because we could make the killer out to be just as vulnerable as her victims.
The completed production is an excellent example of a thriller. This is because we used all of the codes and conventions we wanted to produce the effect we wanted. We kept to all of the codes and conventions seen in other thrillers. It left the audience asking the right kind of questions such as ‘who was the girl who dies?’ this’ll make people want to watch on and see what happens. The character we created, Shelly, made the thriller more exciting because of the way she acted. She was a killer like conventional thrillers, however she was much more nervous and on edge. This allowed us to use a much wider variety of shots such as the outside ones, and the tracking shots.
My group and I decided to aim the film at age 15. This is because it was the best target audience because we can be a little bit more creative and use more exciting and dramatic idea. We decided to use a woman as the main character to be different from other thrillers. This was a wise decision, because it meant we could make the woman out to be either the killer or the victim and leave the audience guessing. We could make her look vulnerable so that it fitted in with the typical idea of a woman being the victim, and so that it fitted in with the rest of the plot, by the way she acted, the shots we used, the pace of the film and the camera angles we used. Using camera angles we could also make her look powerful. We used stereotype of a vulnerable woman, and her almost needing to be rescued even though she was the murderer. This is because it was a character people were able to relate to, and it meant that people would possibly be more interested if it was somebody they could identify with. On my blog I wrote about how she was being controlled by her husband to kill people, and she needed rescuing from him or to get away from him. This makes her almost look like more of a victim than the people she’s killed. My group and I decided to do this because it was more interesting than using a man or a woman who wasn’t in need of help. It made the story line more exciting, and made a change from other films.
We chose my mother Lindsey Evans to be in the film as the main character. We chose her because we wanted a middle aged female to play the leading role to make it a little bit more exciting.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If our film came out to be shown mainstream cinemas such as Odeon and Warner Brothers. It’s more like a mainstream thriller that something you’d see in a smell art gallery. I think it’d probably be available on the internet or on DVD. It would be easy for anybody who wants to watch it then, and might even become a bit hit. If it’s on the internet however it might be pirated and downloaded illegally. This’d mean we wouldn’t make as much money on it, and would possibly fund illegal activities. Compared to a professional film, it would be much harder to advertise, and get people to watch because we don’t have the funding. However compared to a professional film, I think
to the public, I think that the storyline’s good enough to make it popular. The camera work isn’t as good as a professional, and the sound effects aren’t as good as a real film, however I think it’s all good enough that it could be classed as professional.
Choosing our target audience was probably the easiest part of the project. It was easiest to go with certificate fifteen because these were the people it was easiest to ask what they’d like form a thriller. We’re also this age, so making an eighteen certificate would not be suitable because we can’t make something we can’t watch ourselves. We tried to make the storyline something they’d like to watch and enjoy. The surveys we gave out told us that our target audience like murder, blood and to be made on edge. I think our film may also appeal to older people. Over eighteens. This is because of the plot, and the fact that we used an older person as the character rather than a teenager. It’s someone a lot of people can relate to.
Before we started any of the filming or going about creating out film, we had to do some audience research. We created a questionnaire which I later put onto my blog. We gave it out to 30 people in our target audience. From our results, we were able to decide what to include in our thriller from what they had told us they liked. We were able to create a thriller appropriate for our age group. People told us they wanted weapons in it such as knives. We did not want to show actual violence, so we just suggested that a knife had been used by showing an empty slot in a knife rack. This was to suggest that the knife had been used in the murder of the girl in the flashbacks. We could not show the knife actually being used because we were not able to show violence of that nature because the rating’s only a 15.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The filming took place at my house because it was the ideal setting. We had to use the technical equipment ourselves, and learn how to use it all. Before doing the real project, we did two additional projects to get more familiar with the cameras and the software on the computers. Looking at those projects and the main project, it’s very easy to see how much my skills have developed in both camerawork and editing. Even after practices, I think using the editing software was definitely my weakness. I found it quite difficult and complicated to use, and found camerawork much easier.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
We filmed a lot of additional shots to what we wrote down originally on the story boards. This is because some of the shots we wanted, weren’t possible to do in the space which we had. We thought about the layout of the house very carefully before we filmed, however when we came to film not all of them were possible. Lighting in some cases was also a problem because we’d be filming all day and keeping the continuity of the light in the windows as it went dark was very difficult. The bathroom was also very dark, and we had to add additional lighting to make it easier for things to show up on camera. The same problem occurred when we were doing shots of the character walking down the stairs.
Editing was the hardest part, because we’d taken so many shots that it was difficult to pick the best ones and make them all run together in a sequence. I found using the editing software very difficult, and it took me a long time to get to grips with it. Making sure that there were no jump cuts in the finished piece was difficult and time consuming. We had to use two tapes which was more difficult when it came to editing this made it more difficult. We had to use two tapes because we left the first tape at college by accident, and when we came to film on a weekend, realised we couldn’t go back to get it. During editing, we also decided to change some of the shots to black and white, but make blood and some of the water stand out by making it red against the black and white. This was very difficult to do because it meant we had to use parts of the software on the computer which we weren’t familiar with.
The music plays a big part in the film because it really sets the mood and tone of the whole thing. It was very difficult to find the music which we did use in the end. This is because, it had to be copyright free. We had to search the internet for copyright free music, and we finally found the perfect piece. It fitted really well and set the mood, even if it did take us a long time to find.
Looking back over the project, I feel I’ve learnt a lot and my skills have improved greatly. Not just from the first two tasks, but from the beginning of the main project as well. I still found using the editing software a bit of a challenge, however I feel I did very well in the task I was given, and worked really well with my group. We all worked as a team which made things a lot easier.
If I had to do this production again, I’d probably change the titles. They seemed to get the most negative feedback, even though they were exactly the way the audience asked for them. I’d also like to learn more about how to use the editing software, so that it wouldn’t take me as long to do things next time. Apart from these two minor things, I don’t think there’s a thing I would change and on the whole I really enjoyed the project and I’m very happy with the end result.
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