The audience for my thriller film will be 18-30 year old females. They will go to university and study psychology or criminology and will aspire to become a psychologist specialising in criminal profiling or a police officer within forensics. Therefore the thriller genre is important to them as they enjoy using what they have learnt to figure out what is going to happen in the film. They enjoy the more psychological thriller films as they think that the less-obvious crimes are more interesting to work out.
I found out that this demographic will most enjoy my thriller film from the questionnaire in which I carried out over Christmas. I also found out that these are the people most likely to watch films at independent cinemas such as CinemaCity. Picturehouse cinemas are also situated in University towns therefore there is a lot of opportunity for students to watch independent films such as my own.
The audience for Intruder are most likely to watch television series such as Silent Witness, Luther, The Killing and Spooks. They also read crime books such as Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell and Steig Larsson helping them to build up their knowledge of cases whether fiction or not.
Thursday 31 March 2011
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Final Cut
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Final Cut
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Tuesday 29 March 2011
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My thriller convention is immediately established in my production by the name; ‘Intruder'. This uses the conventional idea of someone breaking into your own home which instantly plays on the audience's mind and makes them think intertextually of other thrillers such as The Sixth Sense which shows someone intruding in on someone else's home. The storyline of a man following Jo into her flat and murdering her was inspired by the recent news story of Joanna Yeates in Bristol. This is a zeitgeist as it reflects the fears of women living by themselves in 2011 England as this terrible story of Joanna is still in the audience’s minds. It reflects the mood of the moment which is often used in films, for example; films about terrorism after the 9/11 attack of the Twin Towers in New York.
The location is filmed in a block of flats with the opening shot being of the under-ground multi-story. This reinforces the generic convention often used in Thrillers of confined spaces. I was inspired to shoot the opening shot here because Jo would seem to be vulnerable from the start, with the dark monotone walls and low ceiling adding to the claustrophobic feel and the sense that someone is watching her. This connotes Carol Reed’s labyrinth in his representation of Vienna after the Second World War in ‘The Third Man’ with the dull, grey streets and constant feel of someone watching the main character.
The location is filmed in a block of flats with the opening shot being of the under-ground multi-story. This reinforces the generic convention often used in Thrillers of confined spaces. I was inspired to shoot the opening shot here because Jo would seem to be vulnerable from the start, with the dark monotone walls and low ceiling adding to the claustrophobic feel and the sense that someone is watching her. This connotes Carol Reed’s labyrinth in his representation of Vienna after the Second World War in ‘The Third Man’ with the dull, grey streets and constant feel of someone watching the main character.
I also used generic conventions in the shots of the corridor. They are very narrow which once again uses the idea of confined space and claustrophobia which was inspired by the corridors in ‘The Shining’. Although this is a horror film, it has thriller aspects conveyed by the use of camera work within these shots. Once again the corridors are also similar to the streets of Vienna in The Third Man with the way I edited the scene which cut from her walking to his feet. It, again, infers the idea that the corridors are a labyrinth adding to the suspense of the shot.
We also briefly used a lift for one shot, where she is travelling up to her floor. The audience also see a slow motion shot of his hand pressing the number to Jo’s floor which makes them wonder why he is going to her floor and how he knows which floor she lives on; using the idea of him being a stalker. Lifts are used because they use the convention of confined and claustrophobia spaces also adding to the fear of not being able to escape or being trapped. A lift is used in various thriller films including ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. The low angled shot looking up at the bottom of the old fashioned lift makes it seem menacing and like it has control over everyone inside it. A lift is also used in the final episode of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and even goes as far as to use it to transport people down to the programme’s ‘hell’, once again showing the lift as being a place where people become trapped and have no escape.
The set for the main part of ‘Intruder’ was filmed in a flat. This was intended to use the fear of someone in your own home and scare the audience, reminding them of the recent Joanna Yates murder. This was mainly influenced by the Sixth Sense and Hitchcock’s 1960’s thriller; ‘Psycho’. In the Sixth Sense, Malcolm Crowe’s ex patient breaks into his home, shooting him for revenge because the man claimed Crowe didn’t give him sufficient help when his parents divorced- ‘giving up on him’. Although in my thriller, unlike in The Sixth Sense, there is no dialogue so that the reason for the Intruder being there is unknown which develops the idea of many thrillers as they often give away the reason for the crime early on, whereas the audience to my film are unsure and have to watch the rest of the film to find out. I also used the idea of Jo running a bath in her flat because she is very similar to Marion Crane, with her blonde hair and the way she is targeted in her own home and murdered. The audience will recognise this as soon as she runs the bath which will suggest to them that the man who has been following her will murder her with a knife, identical to Psycho.
I have used the name Jo for my victim because it is a shortened version of the name Joanna- the name of the woman who was recently murdered in Bristol. This reinforces the audience’s memory of this case and makes them relate Intruder to it, building up the tension amongst them. This uses the convention of a thriller because straight away, you know Jo is a victim, because of her association with Joanna Yates. Sarah- my actress for Jo is wearing an every-day dress, tights and boots, suggesting that she has been at work all day, in order to give the Intruder plenty of time to plan what he is going to do to her, and how. However, I have challenged generic costume of usual female victims by putting her in black. The purpose of this is to show her as being powerful and independent to suggest that she is in charge of a company or has a very high up job which will suggest to the audience the reason for him killing her- for money; much like Marion Crane.
I have used generically dark lighting for my shots of inside the flat. Thrillers use this dark lighting to add mystery as the audience cannot fully see what is going on. This adds tension as they are anticipating something to happen, for example in ‘Intruder’, they audience will be expecting something to happen when Jo is picking up the bracelet, this is then proven when the intruder walks through the doorframe holding a knife. However, in the shots beforehand, I have challenged generic lighting- for example when Jo is walking down the corridor, the scene is very bright. This still frightens the audience and causes tension amongst them because they see everything that happens, even if they do not want to. For instance, they see the Intruder following Jo, however if the scene was darker, they may not be able to work this out and see properly. Also, the use of very bright- however ambient- lighting, is to create a dream-like (or nightmare-like) state that my victim Jo is in; almost unrealistic.
I used a generic soundtrack to build tension in areas such as when the intruder is in the lift and when he opens her door. The soundtrack evokes the audience’s fear or something being there, or that something evil is about to happen. Similar soundtracks are used in the recent series of Silent Witness also being used to build tension.
Lastly, I used the idea from Heavenly Creatures of putting something (in the film a jewel, in ‘Intruder’ a sparkly bracelet) on the floor to attract the attention of the victim, placed there, in order to make them bend down and pick it up, therefore putting the victim in a vulnerable position and making them easier to kill. In ‘Intruder’, the camera takes a close-up of the attacker placing the bracelet on the floor, right by the television so she would be able to see it. He also walks away with it at the end, suggesting the killer collects trophies of the girls he has killed, for example, in the Crime Drama ‘Luther’, the murdered collects the girl’s necklace, and in ‘Thorne; Sleepyhead’ he collects her bracelet.
We also briefly used a lift for one shot, where she is travelling up to her floor. The audience also see a slow motion shot of his hand pressing the number to Jo’s floor which makes them wonder why he is going to her floor and how he knows which floor she lives on; using the idea of him being a stalker. Lifts are used because they use the convention of confined and claustrophobia spaces also adding to the fear of not being able to escape or being trapped. A lift is used in various thriller films including ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. The low angled shot looking up at the bottom of the old fashioned lift makes it seem menacing and like it has control over everyone inside it. A lift is also used in the final episode of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and even goes as far as to use it to transport people down to the programme’s ‘hell’, once again showing the lift as being a place where people become trapped and have no escape.
The set for the main part of ‘Intruder’ was filmed in a flat. This was intended to use the fear of someone in your own home and scare the audience, reminding them of the recent Joanna Yates murder. This was mainly influenced by the Sixth Sense and Hitchcock’s 1960’s thriller; ‘Psycho’. In the Sixth Sense, Malcolm Crowe’s ex patient breaks into his home, shooting him for revenge because the man claimed Crowe didn’t give him sufficient help when his parents divorced- ‘giving up on him’. Although in my thriller, unlike in The Sixth Sense, there is no dialogue so that the reason for the Intruder being there is unknown which develops the idea of many thrillers as they often give away the reason for the crime early on, whereas the audience to my film are unsure and have to watch the rest of the film to find out. I also used the idea of Jo running a bath in her flat because she is very similar to Marion Crane, with her blonde hair and the way she is targeted in her own home and murdered. The audience will recognise this as soon as she runs the bath which will suggest to them that the man who has been following her will murder her with a knife, identical to Psycho.
I have used the name Jo for my victim because it is a shortened version of the name Joanna- the name of the woman who was recently murdered in Bristol. This reinforces the audience’s memory of this case and makes them relate Intruder to it, building up the tension amongst them. This uses the convention of a thriller because straight away, you know Jo is a victim, because of her association with Joanna Yates. Sarah- my actress for Jo is wearing an every-day dress, tights and boots, suggesting that she has been at work all day, in order to give the Intruder plenty of time to plan what he is going to do to her, and how. However, I have challenged generic costume of usual female victims by putting her in black. The purpose of this is to show her as being powerful and independent to suggest that she is in charge of a company or has a very high up job which will suggest to the audience the reason for him killing her- for money; much like Marion Crane.
I have used generically dark lighting for my shots of inside the flat. Thrillers use this dark lighting to add mystery as the audience cannot fully see what is going on. This adds tension as they are anticipating something to happen, for example in ‘Intruder’, they audience will be expecting something to happen when Jo is picking up the bracelet, this is then proven when the intruder walks through the doorframe holding a knife. However, in the shots beforehand, I have challenged generic lighting- for example when Jo is walking down the corridor, the scene is very bright. This still frightens the audience and causes tension amongst them because they see everything that happens, even if they do not want to. For instance, they see the Intruder following Jo, however if the scene was darker, they may not be able to work this out and see properly. Also, the use of very bright- however ambient- lighting, is to create a dream-like (or nightmare-like) state that my victim Jo is in; almost unrealistic.
I used a generic soundtrack to build tension in areas such as when the intruder is in the lift and when he opens her door. The soundtrack evokes the audience’s fear or something being there, or that something evil is about to happen. Similar soundtracks are used in the recent series of Silent Witness also being used to build tension.
Lastly, I used the idea from Heavenly Creatures of putting something (in the film a jewel, in ‘Intruder’ a sparkly bracelet) on the floor to attract the attention of the victim, placed there, in order to make them bend down and pick it up, therefore putting the victim in a vulnerable position and making them easier to kill. In ‘Intruder’, the camera takes a close-up of the attacker placing the bracelet on the floor, right by the television so she would be able to see it. He also walks away with it at the end, suggesting the killer collects trophies of the girls he has killed, for example, in the Crime Drama ‘Luther’, the murdered collects the girl’s necklace, and in ‘Thorne; Sleepyhead’ he collects her bracelet.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In ‘Intruder’, the way that gender and ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are represented go hand in hand. Traditionally, in majority of Noir Thriller films, for example; Psycho and Once Upon a Time in America (with Eve being killed within the first two minutes of the film) women are shown as being the helpless victim, often being killed in their own homes perhaps showing them to be naive or unintelligent. However, some films such as The Third Man and Gilda use a Femme fatale used to cleverly lure in the generic male villain. They are often beautiful, mysterious and dangerous; knowing much more than what initially comes across. This is shown in The Third Man with Anna knowing more about Harry Lime’s whereabouts than let on. This Femme Fatale character is taken to the extreme in Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume Two with the Bride taking on a predominately masculine character, seeking revenge on her old boss Bill, not letting anyone stop her, and often killing whoever gets in her way. Despite these variations in the way women are represented, for ‘Intruder’ I have chosen to use the more traditional female victim character. This is because I feel the location used and my actress reflects Psycho in the way that the man comes into her house killing her whilst her attention is on something else, for example in my film, she is looking at the bracelet, and Psycho, Marion Crane is in the shower. The effect of using this intertextual reference and making the female character the victim is so that the audience can relate to her. It is much easier for a woman to relate to someone, who is victimised in her own home, as opposed to a character such as the Bride in Kill Bill, or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Although before, the female audience may not have seen themselves as being in danger in their own homes, after the Joanna Yeates case, they may be forced to think twice about their safety and who to trust which will be reinforced on viewing ‘Intruder’. The fact that Jo- my female character- appears to be middle class; having a good job and a nice flat in the middle in the middle of a city also shows the audience how it is not just lower class females who are attacked, shown again by the fact that Joanna Yeates lived in an affluent part of Bristol and was an architect- a very well respected and highly paid job.
I have also used traditional conventions of the male being the one to carry out the murder represented as the ‘evil’ in the opening. This, once again is to allow the audience to relate. For example, most murders of women carried out in the home, are carried out by men, with the female audience being afraid of a man breaking into her home, not a fellow female.
However, despite the fact that the opening is centred around the female victim, if I had more time to extend ‘Intruder’, I may have decided after this murder, to turn round the roles of victim and shown the man who carried out the murder as being the victim.
I have also used traditional conventions of the male being the one to carry out the murder represented as the ‘evil’ in the opening. This, once again is to allow the audience to relate. For example, most murders of women carried out in the home, are carried out by men, with the female audience being afraid of a man breaking into her home, not a fellow female.
However, despite the fact that the opening is centred around the female victim, if I had more time to extend ‘Intruder’, I may have decided after this murder, to turn round the roles of victim and shown the man who carried out the murder as being the victim.
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3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Because ‘Intruder’ is only two minutes long so far, it would take a lot of work to be able to get it distributed by the bigger production companies such as Warp. However, companies such as Filmaka and the London Short Film Festival help to promote short independent films and to get them known. Independent film relies heavily on word of mouth and in order to get people talking about their new film, independent filmmakers post their short films on sites such as YouTube and Facebook. This way, audiences can view them for free, give the filmmakers feedback and even post it on their own social network sites so that their friends see the film too, therefore a domino effect is carried out and more and more people end up watching the film. Once these film are being talked about, independent film companies such as Warp view them and decide whether or not to distribute the film. For example, this was the case with Slumdog Millionaire- a very low-budget independent film- which made millions after so many people said how amazing it was.
Therefore, if I wanted my film to get distributed, I would post the opening on YouTube to begin with, sharing the link on my social network site in order to get as many views and feedback as possible. I would also enter ‘Intruder’ into competitions such as the London Short Film Festival. If it did well, film companies such as Warp would distribute my film. They would distribute my film because it would be low budget as the location is real and not a set. If my film were to be distributed by an independent film company, it would be shown in cinemas such as Cinema City and I believe it would do well as psychological thrillers appeal to audiences that go to cinemas such as the PictureHouse chain. Mainstream cinemas such as Odeon and Vue would not exhibit my film however, as their audience view films which have very well known actors, have fairly simple storylines and enjoy special effects in thriller films, which obviously, would be impossible for me to carry out.
Therefore, if I wanted my film to get distributed, I would post the opening on YouTube to begin with, sharing the link on my social network site in order to get as many views and feedback as possible. I would also enter ‘Intruder’ into competitions such as the London Short Film Festival. If it did well, film companies such as Warp would distribute my film. They would distribute my film because it would be low budget as the location is real and not a set. If my film were to be distributed by an independent film company, it would be shown in cinemas such as Cinema City and I believe it would do well as psychological thrillers appeal to audiences that go to cinemas such as the PictureHouse chain. Mainstream cinemas such as Odeon and Vue would not exhibit my film however, as their audience view films which have very well known actors, have fairly simple storylines and enjoy special effects in thriller films, which obviously, would be impossible for me to carry out.
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4) Who would be the audience for your media product?
Audience's for thriller films vary greatly depending on the various aspects of the film. In order to find out the audience for my media product, I firstly asked male students of my age in a questionnaire to i
dentify what they looked for in thriller films. They said that they enjoyed explosions, fast paced car chases and graphic scenes. Obviously- with my resources I would be unable to create such effects and believe that my thriller is much more psychological and slower paced. As a result of this, I knew Intruder would not attract the 16-21 male demographic. However, the female students I asked of the same age group said that they preferred the more psychological thriller such as the opening of my thriller film. They enjoyed thrillers that aren't 'obvious' and that made them think about what is going to
dentify what they looked for in thriller films. They said that they enjoyed explosions, fast paced car chases and graphic scenes. Obviously- with my resources I would be unable to create such effects and believe that my thriller is much more psychological and slower paced. As a result of this, I knew Intruder would not attract the 16-21 male demographic. However, the female students I asked of the same age group said that they preferred the more psychological thriller such as the opening of my thriller film. They enjoyed thrillers that aren't 'obvious' and that made them think about what is going tohappen. After this part of the feedback, I asked them to watch my thriller opening and identify what
thrillers are similar to my own. A majority said that Intruder reminded them of television series such as Silent witness. When I found this out, I looked on the Internet Movie Database at the demographic who enjoyed Silent Witness the most. I saw that it was females under the age of 18 and females between the ages of 30-44. Because these are the demographic for thrillers like my own, I think that my audience would also be females mostly under 18, however also appealing to women over the age of 18.
The audience for my thriller film will go to university and study psychology or criminology and will aspire to become a psychologist specialising in criminal profiling or a police officer within forensics. Therefore the thriller genre is important to them as they enjoy using what they have learnt to figure out what is going to happen in the film. They enjoy the more psychological thriller films as they think that the less-obvious crimes are more interesting to work out.
I found out that this demographic will most enjoy my thriller film from the questionnaire in which I carried out over Christmas. I also found out that these are the people most likely to watch films at independent cinemas such as CinemaCity. Picturehouse cinemas are also situated in University towns therefore there is a lot of opportunity for students to watch independent films such as my own.
The audience for Intruder are most likely to watch television series such as Silent Witness, Luther, The Killing and Spooks. They also read crime books such as Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell and Steig Larsson.
The audience for Intruder are most likely to watch television series such as Silent Witness, Luther, The Killing and Spooks. They also read crime books such as Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell and Steig Larsson.
5) How did you attract/address your audience
In order to address my audience, I will need to use generic conventions which appeal to them. I order to find this information out effectively, I carried out two surveys, one with a class of year 13 media students and the other over Christmas with neighbors, and people who work with my parents. This way I can appeal to both the under 18 female demographic, and also the over 18 demographic. However I found that the demographic that Intruder would most appeal to is around 35-45. This is because this is the age of the character Jo, and therefore the audience will identify with her as they are the same age and Jo also leads the lifestyle an aspiring female audience would want to lead.
I found our that they liked thriller films such as Psycho and the Sixth Sense and therefore I tried to use as many intertextual links as possible, for example the use of the bath/shower.
I also used fast editing to appeal to my audience, especially where they are both walking up the corridor, which juxtaposes the slow, steady- paced narrative structure, offering an intelligent contrast for the audience.
I also attracted them with the soundtrack. They said that they enjoyed thriller films with a psychological chase, therefore I wanted to chose a track that reinforces this.
I found our that they liked thriller films such as Psycho and the Sixth Sense and therefore I tried to use as many intertextual links as possible, for example the use of the bath/shower.
I also used fast editing to appeal to my audience, especially where they are both walking up the corridor, which juxtaposes the slow, steady- paced narrative structure, offering an intelligent contrast for the audience.
I also attracted them with the soundtrack. They said that they enjoyed thriller films with a psychological chase, therefore I wanted to chose a track that reinforces this.
6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Blogger has been a huge help in the production of my film. I learnt how to use Blogger to record my research into the Thriller genre and how the directors utilise generic forms and conventions, using my findings to strengthen my ideas for my own thriller. I also learnt how to upload digital photos for a story board and annotated them, stating camera angles and lighting so that when I came to shoot my film, I knew exactly what to do and when. I have also used YouTube to strengthen my research and planning, taking clips from various thriller films and embedding them onto my blog. Blogger also has a ‘comments’ box which allows teachers and fellow students to comment on our work, allowing us to develop our ideas with further help. I have learnt that using websites such as Blogger are essential for people showing off their work and becoming known with the public. For example, people who wish to make an independent film, can use a website like Blogger to show their previous work, their views on other films and what they wish to do in the future. Millions of people have a blog, and millions more than this regularly read blogs. An example of this is this very blog. I only use it for my media Alevel, and have a grand total of 3 followers, yet looking at my 'stats' on the home page, in just over a year I have had 3,103 page views, with 345 views last month alone which is a huge amount considering I don't advertise my blog in any way. Therefore this shows that anyone who has a blog will get their work seen by thousands of other people.
I have also uploaded ‘Intruder’ to YouTube, giving audiences the ability to view my opening for free and on demand, without the use of a CD. This allows as many people as possible to view my film, creating ‘word of mouth’ so that if I wanted to develop my film, Independent film companies may want to distribute it. YouTube also helped me to research other films so that I could easily access the clips needed, helping me to create intertextual references and find out what kind of soundtrack would be suitable for ‘Intruder’. I learnt that by using YouTube makes someone's video accessible to everyone who has internet access. YouTube therefore gives people who may not have the facilities otherwise, to create, upload and share their videos. This is essential for people creating independent films to get their work well known. Nearly 8 years of content are uploaded to YouTube every day which are available to Millions of users. Nearly 3 billions videos are viewed daily.
In the research and planning, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) was essential in gathering information about directors, character names and the year the film was made. IMDb also offers reviews and user ratings on every single film on the database. It was essential knowing other people’s other opinions on the thriller films researched because I found out what they did not like about the film, therefore, I know to avoid this when creating my own thriller film. IMDb includes for each film a graph which tells you which demographic enjoyed the film the most, for example, ‘males under 18’. I used this graph in order to find out which demographic would most enjoy my thriller by finding out which demographic enjoys films or television series similar to my own.
I also used my social network site, Facebook to ask people to contribute to ideas, planning dates with Evie when to film and afterwards, what people thought of my film. I learnt that social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter are essential for 'word of mouth'. For example, in class when we were asked where we found out about top new films coming out at the cinema, about 75% said they found out from people talking about it on websites such as Facebook. Therefore for someone making an independent film, such social network mediums are essential in getting their film 'out there'.
I used digital cameras during the planning in order to create a story board and experiment with lighting and camera angles, this allowed me to perfect my ideas early on rather than turning up on the day of the shoot and finding out that it didn’t work. For the actual shoot, I used a camcorder which was light, practical and easy to use with the aid of a tripod and ‘Dolly’ to allow for easy movements in the scene where the camera is following Jo and the Intruder down the corridor. With the camcorder, I was able to review raw footage as soon as it was taken to see if I needed to shoot that scene again, and to ensure that the lighting was correct and not too dark or too light.
Finally, I used Adobe Premier to edit my film. I found this extremely easy to use and very helpful in selecting and deleting the unwanted shots leaving the ones I needed for my final cut. I would chose an ‘input’ and ‘output’ second and drag the clip onto the timeline allowing the transactions to flow effectively. I was also able to uploaded a soundtrack onto Premier which could run alongside my diagetic sound building up tension where needed in the clip. I used the ‘Cross Dissolve’ and ‘Dip to Black’ transactions so that the two cuts run over each other which once again helped the different cuts to run smoothly. Premier also allowed me to add titles to my film which gives the audience essential information such as the director and actors.
I have also uploaded ‘Intruder’ to YouTube, giving audiences the ability to view my opening for free and on demand, without the use of a CD. This allows as many people as possible to view my film, creating ‘word of mouth’ so that if I wanted to develop my film, Independent film companies may want to distribute it. YouTube also helped me to research other films so that I could easily access the clips needed, helping me to create intertextual references and find out what kind of soundtrack would be suitable for ‘Intruder’. I learnt that by using YouTube makes someone's video accessible to everyone who has internet access. YouTube therefore gives people who may not have the facilities otherwise, to create, upload and share their videos. This is essential for people creating independent films to get their work well known. Nearly 8 years of content are uploaded to YouTube every day which are available to Millions of users. Nearly 3 billions videos are viewed daily.
In the research and planning, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) was essential in gathering information about directors, character names and the year the film was made. IMDb also offers reviews and user ratings on every single film on the database. It was essential knowing other people’s other opinions on the thriller films researched because I found out what they did not like about the film, therefore, I know to avoid this when creating my own thriller film. IMDb includes for each film a graph which tells you which demographic enjoyed the film the most, for example, ‘males under 18’. I used this graph in order to find out which demographic would most enjoy my thriller by finding out which demographic enjoys films or television series similar to my own.
I also used my social network site, Facebook to ask people to contribute to ideas, planning dates with Evie when to film and afterwards, what people thought of my film. I learnt that social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter are essential for 'word of mouth'. For example, in class when we were asked where we found out about top new films coming out at the cinema, about 75% said they found out from people talking about it on websites such as Facebook. Therefore for someone making an independent film, such social network mediums are essential in getting their film 'out there'.
I used digital cameras during the planning in order to create a story board and experiment with lighting and camera angles, this allowed me to perfect my ideas early on rather than turning up on the day of the shoot and finding out that it didn’t work. For the actual shoot, I used a camcorder which was light, practical and easy to use with the aid of a tripod and ‘Dolly’ to allow for easy movements in the scene where the camera is following Jo and the Intruder down the corridor. With the camcorder, I was able to review raw footage as soon as it was taken to see if I needed to shoot that scene again, and to ensure that the lighting was correct and not too dark or too light.
Finally, I used Adobe Premier to edit my film. I found this extremely easy to use and very helpful in selecting and deleting the unwanted shots leaving the ones I needed for my final cut. I would chose an ‘input’ and ‘output’ second and drag the clip onto the timeline allowing the transactions to flow effectively. I was also able to uploaded a soundtrack onto Premier which could run alongside my diagetic sound building up tension where needed in the clip. I used the ‘Cross Dissolve’ and ‘Dip to Black’ transactions so that the two cuts run over each other which once again helped the different cuts to run smoothly. Premier also allowed me to add titles to my film which gives the audience essential information such as the director and actors.
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7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The preliminary task has put me in a good stead for the filming of my final thriller opening as I learnt essential skills such as making a shot list of where my cameras are going to be in the shoot. I was able to apply this to my thriller which made it much easier on the day of the shoot as straight away I knew what camera angles I would use and where the cameras will be situated on location of Intruder. I also leant to use camera techniques and shot types such as 180 degree rule, match-on-action and reverse shots, using all of these in my film in order to make it seem like a real film resulting in more marks. I was also aware during the filming of my preliminary that lighting is essential. The lighting must not be too dark or you will not be able to see any action when it comes to editing what you had done. I wanted to film my thriller in an apartment at night with low lighting, so I had to make sure there was still enough to be able to see, even if I did want dim lighting.
Editing my preliminary also prepared me immensely for editing my opening. I learnt to use the input and output button to select which part of the cut I wanted to the exact second and drag it onto the timeline which allowed me to use the parts that I wanted making the film flow smoothly. I also learnt that diagetic sound is very important and sometimes the camera picks up extra, unwanted sound from the background so it is essential to be aware of anything else that is going on out of the mise-en-scene; for example, my footsteps as I hold the camera. Within the editing of my preliminary I learnt to add titles to my film as we had to have a slide at the beginning with our candidate numbers on so I was able to add the opening title also including this information onto my own thriller. I was also able to add titles which went over my thriller footage with information such as actors’ names and the names of the directors.
I learnt that before I started filming, I had to make a detailed plan of exactly where I wanted to shoot, the camera angles and transitions between shots all ensuring that I develop and use generic aspects of thriller films at all times. I also made a character profile for my character of Jo so that I could cast a character to fit this description. We were going to use Evie’s friend, however I felt that this could prove difficult as she may be unreliable so I decided to cast my mum as the main character. She fit the description perfectly anyway with her blonde hair and the fact that she is 43 which makes the film more believable as someone our own age would not live by themselves in a flat.
We came across various difficulties in the planning of our film, for example using a train station which would prove difficult when very busy and when using a knife which is what we wanted to do. As well as this, we also over complicated our narrative sequence using ideas which does not come from our age of experience. As a result, we decided to start again in our planning and found a much more suitable location with many generic aspects from thriller films, such as the lift and narrow corridors.
I also learnt to search for un-copyrighted music which would be ideal for my thriller. I searched various websites and didn’t stop until I found the perfect one which heightens the audience’s emotions and the sense of tension at the exact moments necessary.
I found it difficult working to such a strict brief but managed in the end as I stayed in during my free periods to finish the filming so I was ahead of deadlines meaning I could refine my film to perfection. To conclude, the preliminary task proved extremely helpful in the preparation of my thriller film and without it, I would have been virtually clueless!
Editing my preliminary also prepared me immensely for editing my opening. I learnt to use the input and output button to select which part of the cut I wanted to the exact second and drag it onto the timeline which allowed me to use the parts that I wanted making the film flow smoothly. I also learnt that diagetic sound is very important and sometimes the camera picks up extra, unwanted sound from the background so it is essential to be aware of anything else that is going on out of the mise-en-scene; for example, my footsteps as I hold the camera. Within the editing of my preliminary I learnt to add titles to my film as we had to have a slide at the beginning with our candidate numbers on so I was able to add the opening title also including this information onto my own thriller. I was also able to add titles which went over my thriller footage with information such as actors’ names and the names of the directors.
I learnt that before I started filming, I had to make a detailed plan of exactly where I wanted to shoot, the camera angles and transitions between shots all ensuring that I develop and use generic aspects of thriller films at all times. I also made a character profile for my character of Jo so that I could cast a character to fit this description. We were going to use Evie’s friend, however I felt that this could prove difficult as she may be unreliable so I decided to cast my mum as the main character. She fit the description perfectly anyway with her blonde hair and the fact that she is 43 which makes the film more believable as someone our own age would not live by themselves in a flat.
We came across various difficulties in the planning of our film, for example using a train station which would prove difficult when very busy and when using a knife which is what we wanted to do. As well as this, we also over complicated our narrative sequence using ideas which does not come from our age of experience. As a result, we decided to start again in our planning and found a much more suitable location with many generic aspects from thriller films, such as the lift and narrow corridors.
I also learnt to search for un-copyrighted music which would be ideal for my thriller. I searched various websites and didn’t stop until I found the perfect one which heightens the audience’s emotions and the sense of tension at the exact moments necessary.
I found it difficult working to such a strict brief but managed in the end as I stayed in during my free periods to finish the filming so I was ahead of deadlines meaning I could refine my film to perfection. To conclude, the preliminary task proved extremely helpful in the preparation of my thriller film and without it, I would have been virtually clueless!
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