Final Thriller

This is our final thriller we have produced:

Evaluation Part 7

This Prezi shows my evaluation task 7. It shows each stage from my prelim task through to my final   thriller.

Evaluation Part 6

This video shows key notes/annotations about what technology we used during the filming of our thriller:

Evaluation Part 5

Interviewer: Hey there Megan, I heard about your award winning, spectacular thriller opening and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions so I could get an incite into your beautiful brain.

Megan: Of course you can but I only have a couple minutes because I have another interview with Oprah Winfrey at 11 o’clock, but sure hit me with it.

Interviewer: Thanks Megan, ok first question is…How did you attract/address your target audience?

Megan: Ok give me one second this may take quite long time to think of everything.

Interviewer: Don’t worry I'll break it down for you, to make things a bit easier. Can you list all the pleasures your audience can take from your opening sequence?

Megan: Yeah that's a good place to start. Firstly they will enjoy the fast paced shots, which builds adrenaline and increases the tension throughout the scene. I think our thriller will attract our target market, 30+ males, as it has violence and lots of action to keep them engaged.

Interviewer: oooooo thrilling!!!

Megan: Yes, also death in the scene attracts the target audience, as it is unexpected and exciting. Tension is built up as it gives them something to focus on, which puts them on the edge of their seat and eager to find out what happens next. This causes suspense and the audience are waiting for something to impact them in some way, which increases the dramatic tension and excitement.

Interviewer: Yes I love being on the edge of my seat.

Megan: Hahah also looking back at our interviews we shot for research our target market said they enjoy violence and guns and this is occurs a lot in our thriller, which will hopefully engages the audience.

Interviewer: I wish you had interviewed me I would have given you a cracking answer.

Megan: Have I given you interesting answer?

Interviewer: Yes perfect, the next question is what genre would you call your opening scene?

Megan: We have created a thriller, which involves a lot of action in our opening scene. We did this because it could engage a larger audience as many people enjoy this type of genre, as thrillers are universal.

Interviewer: Sweet, next one. Could it be a subgenre?

Megan: No, because although it contains a lot of action the media product is a thriller and has all the conventions as a thriller for example, tension and suspense. Even if our thriller were categorized as an action thriller it would be a hybrid genre instead of a sub-genre.

Interviewer: Oh Ok, which other films might have influenced you?

Megan: Well I like to think my idea came to me without outside influence but I know for a fact that there were some films that influenced it such as The Dark knight, Terminator 2, Special Forces as they all show a hero a villain and victim characters they also all show action and suspense.

Interviewer: I LOVE ALL THOSE MOVIES!!!! Wow you’re a GOD.

Megan: Ohhh stop it you. Any more questions for this ‘GOD’?

Interviewer: Yes, where have you set your thriller?

Megan: Indoors, so the audience don’t know where it is set or what country we are in, which engages the audience. It is set in an old deserted factory basement/warehouse. We did this because this location is already represented with dark and uneasiness as it has a uneasy/unsettling atmosphere.

Interviewer: Gives me Goosebumps even thinking about it. Why did you choose this location?

Megan: The audience are going to be questioning where they are, which intrigues the audience. The lighting is dark and props used made it appear like a warehouse. The audience must feel isolated, so we are not giving away any information. Throwing questions out to the audience, which is mysterious and intrigues them to carry on watching so they can uncover/unroll the questions.

Interviewer: what is your plot line exactly?

Megan: Well interviewer, we are hinting to the audience there is an industrial side to the plot that then leads onto the beginning of the thriller which includes a young man taken hostage by a foreign villain, while setting up a bomb this is all going to plan until the hero (special forces) comes in and begins a gunfight with the villain. However there is an ultimate failure for all the characters. The audience are on edge as they are intrigued.

Interviewer: I just love it so much!! How would you address what they are expecting as an audience? Such as what kind of characters are they?

Megan: We have a young and not rich businessman being held hostage, not a woman so it subverts to the stereotype which makes this thriller slightly different from others which keeps the audience wanting more and intrigued.

We don’t know where the villain is from, but we associate him with terrorists as he speaks in a foreign language. there is no information revealed to the audience about the hero, which leaves them wanting more.

Interviewer: Will your audience like them or not?

Megan: I think these characters will intrigue and attract the audience because they are stereotypical but however we are not given a lot of information about any of the characters so they are left wanting to know more about them.

Interviewer: Have you used any narrative devices?

Megan: Well yes I have, at the end of our thriller you are left on a cliff-hanger, this attracts the audience leaving them wanting more.

Interviewer: Which social groups are you appealing to and how?

Megan: I think our thriller will appeal to all social groups since it is very versatile.  

Interviewer: Do you have any non diegetic soundtracks?

Megan: We involved music in our title sequence; it has an eerie vibe as it builds the atmosphere, which helps attract our audience target market as it creates and builds tension from the beginning so they are waiting for something to happen right from the very beginning.

Interviewer: What about the editing, including pace, transitions, length and effects?

Megan: Started off slow and long shots to give the audience a sense of the space we were shooting in. Then face shot duration was used to create suspense and tension, this also builds the atmosphere of the action scene. We involved slow motion in the action scene to add a contrast in the scene between the 2 characters.

Interviewer: Thank you so much the interview is over.

Megan: Thanks that was very enjoyable, oh no I’m late for Oprah, Bye.

Evaluation Part 4

This video is showing the results we got from asking a selection of people with a variety of ages and gender so we collect a much broader response of answers. It involves two 15-20 year old boys, two 15-20 year old girl, one woman and one man aged between 21-39, two woman aged 40+ and also two men 40+.

This chart shows the results we collect from the video above. This separates the information given and helps us view the information easily.

These are some screen shots and a link to the facebook account I created based on our founded target market. This Facebook profile is representing a Man 40+ who enjoys thriller. Here are some screenshots of the profile I made:

The opening timeline for my made-up facebook profile. 

This screenshot is showing the films the created profile user would enjoy watching.

Showing background information about the profile user. 

Evaluation Part 3

The 20^th century fox company is one of the six major American film studios, founded on 31^st May in 1935, based in Los Angeles. It has produced very popular famous films such as the first two Star Wars trilogies. The company is also the distributors of the two highest and second highest grossing films respectively at the box-office, Avatar and Titanic.

I researched many different film distribution companies, but I wanted a successful company to produce our final thriller. While searching I had to consider key points such as their main target audience, films they have produced, what genre they specialise in and also looking at costing’s whether is a high marketing company or low. So I decided with The 20^th Century Fox if my thriller was a full, real film. I would use this company because it is a very successful film company and would be a good institution for my thriller. This company has many different types of movies from romantic comedy to horror, so I know my thriller would be in good hands and well produced. On the other hand as 20^th Century Fox is a very successful highly spoken company and consuming many large powerful films, my thriller might get lost within that all and become under pressure to compete with the others.

 

Other films they have produced that are similar to mine would be Taken and its two sequels. These films relate to the plot of my thriller because it follows the story of someone being taken (hostage), which connects with my thriller of a younger male victim being held as hostage, they both adhering to the stereotype of taking younger more innocent characters. Thinking about if my thriller was a full finished movie one other film I would compare it to would be

The Counsellor as it deals with the use of drugs, which is what our thriller would lead on to deal with.

I feel like my film will fit into the ethos of this institution because they have produced a lot of action films, so my action scene will be produced very well as they know exactly how to shoot it by getting the correct angles etcetera. Because this institution can afford to spend lots of money on one film I think my thriller will be a good standard, as they would spend money on special effects and lighting etc.

20^th Century Fox will create awareness for my film by spending money on traditional media, by creating posters and placing advertisement in newspapers and magazines, but this is more expensive that new media. They would also use new media for example making trailers and posting things on Facebook, Twitter etc. Uploading things to the Internet means you can easily share things and get it all known worldwide.

This institution does not have a specialised genre; it performs well in all genres from kid’s comedy to horror/thriller films. There is no particular target audience they direct their films at, which are why I think my thriller, would do well at this institution.

In comparison to 20^th Century Fox, if I were to sell my thriller to a smaller UK distribution I think I would consider using the company ‘Icon film distribution’. Icon was formed in 1999 and it is one of the leading independent film distributions. As Icon is a smaller company I think my thriller would benefit, as they would take more time producing it. This company produces lots of thrillers, which including Paranormal Activity, this would be very beneficial for my film as Icon will deal with my film very professionally and they have experience with this genre. Even though Icon film distribution is not as well known compared to 20^th Century Fox, which tells us they have a lower budget however this is not a negative as my thriller is made in England on a low budget set with minimal actors. On the other hand if I were to get 20^th Century Fox to produce my thriller the budget would be increase as that particular can afford it, which would help make the thriller more successful and popular. 

If Icon film distribution were to market my film I think they would use Facebook or twitter for example. Using new media is cheaper than traditional media so I don’t think the film will be advertised in magazine articles or on the radio. Facebook have over a billion users and if the film were to be advertised on this social media it would be known by many people such as Vertigo Films advertised ‘Monsters’ on Facebook and I would like my film to have the same effect. Twitter is very similar as you can easily get a film known however there are less users than Facebook, a tweet and share on twitter is less likely to be seen than a share on Facebook. Although YouTube is not as much a social network as Facebook or twitter, however Icon Film Distribution would upload trailers and teaser trailers to build hype for the film before the film entered the cinema.

When I was looking at different companies and came across 20^th Century Fox and Icon film distribution I found that their target markets were similar however Icon films aims at a higher age group young adults+ but 20^th Century Fox aim at a younger generation but also have films that aim to an older generation.

Evaluation Part 2

 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

This evaluation will comment on the different social groups; ethnicity, class and status. The general short plot to our thriller is about a younger male attached to a bomb, we see the villain finishing up the last touches, however then someone from the special forces ‘hero’ enters and starts a gun fight with the villain, winning in the end and saving the victim, however it did not go to plan and the victim shouts out ‘you’ve killed us both’.

The first social class I will be talking about is ethnicity. We touched upon ethnicity by including a foreign character that is Spanish. We have involved the Spanish language in the thriller so the audience can easily understand the villain is foreign. This suggests that our thriller adheres to the stereotype of a foreign character being the villain. In society at the moment we associate a foreign language being dangerous as we are not used to the sound and it is unfamiliar, for example we associate a foreign language with a terrorist. The other two characters are English so we see a real contrast in the two cultures. This also adheres to the stereotype as the two English characters are the hero and the victim, however all the characters share the same stereotype of being a typical masculine image showing strength and professionalism.

This image shows how young and innocent the victim is compared to the other characters.

Status is shown defiantly through the thriller, however it is shifted from the different characters. Firstly beginning with the villain with complete control over the victim, then once the villain is shot by the hero, the hero gains all control and status while the villain has none as he has died, this then carries through until the end when the victim screams out ‘you’ve killed us both’, the victim has gathered all power and status from the hero as the hero makes a mistake. Looking at the different ages also connects with status. Our thriller consists of two age groups, an older character who is between 20-35 then we have the younger character that is around the age range of 18-22. They are all adhering to the stereotype as the younger character is shown as helpless and trapped (the victim) then the other two character are either the hero or the villain, and for either of those characters you have to be professional and older. 

The image on the right shows the villain wearing his balaclava and the image on the left shows the characters features from side on. This also shows how much older the villain looks compared to the victim.

Mise-en-scene influenced the characters in my thriller massively. We dressed the villain in full black clothing including a black balaclava only showing his face, hiding his full identity, this also links to their ethnicity by having the villain in a balaclava as we foresee this as being dangerous. This adheres to the stereotype of a terrorist as it is what the audience would expect. The victim is wearing a torn, blood stained white shirt with black trousers, which suggests he was professional but was defeated in some way and has lost his status to the villain. Therefore as soon as we are introduced to the victim we automatically see a higher status from the villain. The white shirt was used to capture the audience’s attention as both the other characters wore black clothing, so the white shirt stood out suggesting this character was or is going to be a features part in the thriller. Our hero is similarly dressed to the villain apart from the balaclava, which defines the two characters.

These are photos of wooden crate with grenades and on the right the acidic liquid, with a bomb attached to it.

The props used in this thriller are mostly used to set and create the scene. There are shots of barbed wire, acidic liquid containers, steel bins and a wooden crate filled with nails, and grenades. Guns are a huge part of this thriller, however two out of the three characters use them, the villain and the hero, which also suggests a higher status above the victim. This adheres to the stereotype as normally the victims are weak and venerable while the hero’s and villains are in full power.

Lastly this image on the right shows the prop gun that the villain uses.

Character positioning is shows in this image by noticing that the victim is sitting on a chair on the lower level from the stairs.

This image shows how the hero is at a higher status as the villain, as the hero is on a higher level (on the stairs).

Character positioning uses in this thriller opening shows the status between characters. The victim was placed on a chair near the back of the room. This gave him a lower angle making his character feel intimidated by the action happening around him, however this increases the status and hierarchy of the other two characters. At the beginning of the opening sequence the villain is above the victim giving him more power and authority but as soon as the hero enters he is discovered on a higher level as appears on the stairs, which adheres to the stereotype of the hero being the main focus and full authority. This status is followed throughout the thriller sequence. This also relates back to ethnicity and is subverting the stereotype because strong foreign villains are usually much more powerful and in control than the hero at the beginning.

We tried to make the set design of the thriller as realistic as possible, adding lighting to highlight aspects of the room so shadows could be created.

Editing was shown through shot duration and linear duration. The shot durations in this thriller sequence varies, for example the beginning shots from when the acting begins are long so the audience can capture the setting and understand the situation, but as soon as the hero enters the shot duration speeds up, creating tension and excitement, even though slow motion is included in this section the scene is full of suspense as it cuts in and out of it in a fast direct manner. This opening sequence was a linear duration because is started from the beginning on the scene and went right through to the end. Special effects were added in, which include gun shot sounds/flashes and blood. This builds the intensity and energy of the thriller and helps make it look more realistic.

Diegetic sound is used throughout this thriller, this helps the audience completely draw into the acting and situation with no distractions. We increased the sound levels of the speech included in the thriller, which consists of a Spanish language relating back to ethnicity and how the villain is adhering to the stereotype of a terrorist. There are ambient sounds in the background of the thriller, where machinery is heard, this sets the scene extremely well, this heightened the intensity and suspense on the clip as it contrasted to the action scene well.

the screenshot on the left shows the hero killing the villain and it being shot at a higher level showing a higher status.

The camera was used with effectively to show status. We are shown a medium shot of the victim sitting on the chair, whilst the villain walks around him however we can not see the villains upper half which suggest he is taller and in demand on the victim. Similarly when the hero arrives we are shown a close up of the villain whilst the hero appears behind on a higher level taking a higher status over the villain. This status is maintained through the shooting scene until the hero comes down the stairs. An over the top shot is revealed when the hero shoots the villain, this immediately shows authority and a higher status for the hero, which adheres to the stereotype of the hero winning in the end.

Evaluation part 1

Evaluationpart1 final from Megan Mackay