1. In what ways does your
media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products (i.e of film openings)
From the very start of the thriller opening I planned to create tension for the audience and I done this by including a fast paced tone for the backing music. The red lipstick that she has got on as part of her costume plays an important part as not only does it make her more adult like but red also is the connotation of danger and therefore shows that she is in some sort of trouble.
We tried to mix up the codes and conventions by using a female protagonist which doesn't happen as often in other thriller films as you normally see the main character as being male. As well as this, we watch the female protagonist being followed around and been kidnapped in daylight which is a change as it is more commonly known for people to be following you when it is dark.
As the Mise En Scene shows a lady walking around it becomes clear that she may be getting followed by someone as you only see the two props used at the end (briefcase and mobile phone), this could indicate that the sub-genre of the film is a crime thriller as there would need to be further investigation of her missing appearance, has she been killed?
2. How does your media
product represent particular social groups
In our media product gender is not represented in a stereotypical way as it is seen that in most thrillers the main characters are usually male.
Below are some of the main characters from the thrillers I have researched and as you can see the gender is male.
In our film opening we decided to use a White, British Female giving her a typical 'business woman' look by making her costume a blazer, heels and a smart blouse. The red lipstick also makes her look more sophisticated however it also gives off a warning that she may be in trouble as red implies danger.
Below our female character is shown.
As well as this, one of our props being the up to date iPhone it would link in which our social group and target audience of 18-24years olds as it is now commonly known for many people including young adults of this age and of course teenagers to be addicted to their mobile phone.
3. What kind of media
institution might distribute your media product and why?
I believe that this thriller opening would be more recognised by a niche audience as there are many minor things included in the opening such as the camera wobbles, the graffiti on the walls and the area used in general that would not be used in a major Hollywood studio as it doesn't progress to their standard. Therefore I would say that our media opening would suit an independent label that may only be used as an internet only film.
I believe that this thriller opening would be more recognised by a niche audience as there are many minor things included in the opening such as the camera wobbles, the graffiti on the walls and the area used in general that would not be used in a major Hollywood studio as it doesn't progress to their standard. Therefore I would say that our media opening would suit an independent label that may only be used as an internet only film.
4. Who would be the audience
for your media product?
based on the content of our thriller opening and that the fact that it is a thriller, we have decided that our primary target audience would be female adults aged 18-24 as we have used a strong female protagonist, similar to more recent thriller films. As the female protagonist is seen as very feminine-like, it would thoroughly appeal to women. On the other hand, we have also discussed the idea that many thrillers can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Therefore we believe that we also have a secondary target audience of all ages above our primary target audience and also to any gender as the idea of a strong, independent female protagonist may also be interesting to them. Even though we discussed the idea that individuals of all ages can enjoy thriller films, we also decided that perhaps this could exclude elderly people above 70 as they may not enjoy the tension in the film and the obstructive editing as this would alarm them. However, this would depend on the personality of the individual weather they like thriller films, and also the health of the elderly person.
based on the content of our thriller opening and that the fact that it is a thriller, we have decided that our primary target audience would be female adults aged 18-24 as we have used a strong female protagonist, similar to more recent thriller films. As the female protagonist is seen as very feminine-like, it would thoroughly appeal to women. On the other hand, we have also discussed the idea that many thrillers can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Therefore we believe that we also have a secondary target audience of all ages above our primary target audience and also to any gender as the idea of a strong, independent female protagonist may also be interesting to them. Even though we discussed the idea that individuals of all ages can enjoy thriller films, we also decided that perhaps this could exclude elderly people above 70 as they may not enjoy the tension in the film and the obstructive editing as this would alarm them. However, this would depend on the personality of the individual weather they like thriller films, and also the health of the elderly person.
5. How did you
attract/address your audience?
I attracted my audience straight away by starting off the film with fast paced music which my primary target audience of 18 to 24 year olds would be stereotypically into which would then in fact grab their attention and make them want to watch more. We ended our thriller with the briefcase and mobile phone on the floor suggesting that something has happened to the female protagonist. From this the audience would be shocked and attracted to her disappearance and would want to watch on to see what happens and more importantly what has happened to the woman.
6. What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout the process of creating the thriller opening I have realised how incredibly important it is to have all the correct equipment whilst filming. Whilst setting up and getting ready to film it became a sudden dilemma that we had left the tripod back at school. Seeing as we spent a good amount of time doing the protagonists hair and make-up in order to create the codes and conventions of a smart, important business women, we decided to have a go at filming free hand without the tripod. It suddenly became clear that it was much more difficult to get a steady hand and created many wobbles in the film. The technology used to create the film can also be unreliable as the battery on the camera drains quickly and only gives you a certain amount of time to film parts of the scene. Because of this it is extremely important to remember to charge the camera to full battery before you start to film as otherwise you may have some difficulty fitting in all that you wanted to film on that particular day.
Throughout the process of creating the thriller opening I have realised how incredibly important it is to have all the correct equipment whilst filming. Whilst setting up and getting ready to film it became a sudden dilemma that we had left the tripod back at school. Seeing as we spent a good amount of time doing the protagonists hair and make-up in order to create the codes and conventions of a smart, important business women, we decided to have a go at filming free hand without the tripod. It suddenly became clear that it was much more difficult to get a steady hand and created many wobbles in the film. The technology used to create the film can also be unreliable as the battery on the camera drains quickly and only gives you a certain amount of time to film parts of the scene. Because of this it is extremely important to remember to charge the camera to full battery before you start to film as otherwise you may have some difficulty fitting in all that you wanted to film on that particular day.
7. Looking back at your
preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to full product?
Doing the continuity editing task before creating the full film product helped gain more of a clear understanding of not only the rules of filming and different camera shots but also how to use editing software for when we had to put all of our different film clips together into one piece. I have learnt that a lot of time and effort needs to be put into filming in order for a successful final product and time management is key. Another skill that is key is communication within the group, I felt that my teams organisation when figuring out days to film could of improved as in some cases I was only given not even 24 hours notice about when we were going to film leaving me missing out on all important filming time as I had family plans already arranged.
