Final Thriller

Thriller Comparison - Miss Georgiou

 I think that we did create a successful thriller sequence because we included certain elements of editing, sound, cinematography and mise-en-scene also including the micro-elements.  The fact that we included conventional qualities of the thriller genre like low key lighting which is able to create a sense of mystery and suspense which adds more depth into the opening sequence. 

 I believe the best micro-element which shows my creativity and understanding would be mise-en-scene because it is able to show the main conventional qualities of the thriller genre.  The location for example; one of the locations is an abandoned car park, despite cars being there nobody seems to be using it and the fact that the victim walks through there alone while nobody is there, the audience knows she is unsafe because nobody is with her which makes the victim an easy target.  It is conventional to the thriller genre for locations to be in desolate places where the victim would most likely be alone and would ensure that the villain gets caught.  The audience would be able to relate the victim as they would have used a car park.  This best shows my understanding because the villain wouldn’t want to get easily caught, so they would chose locations where not very many people would go to get a victim.

Another micro-element which shows my understanding is the low key lighting because it is able to create an atmosphere for the audience and is able to create a sense of mystery and suspense considering the limited light in the scenes.  Low key lighting is able to create shadows and make the villain seem less visible to the audience as well as creating an eerie atmosphere.

Dead End: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgv-dFnIcOE

Our thriller opening sequence can be compared to scream as it is quite similar.  

Both films include the villains having a hidden identity, this is conventional to the thriller genre because it adds a sense of mystery making the audience question who is behind the mask as it could be someone the victim knows or just a stranger that has chosen them to be their victim.  The fact that the audience doesn’t know who the villain is, it keeps the audience engaged into the film. 

Scream 4

Dead End

The settings are conventional to the thriller genre because we also used a car park in the opening scene, this car park seemed quite desolate and even though there were cars there nobody was there.  The car park would enable to audience to relate to the situation therefore making it more close to reality.

Both films contain non diegetic sounds such as music to help create suspense for the audience.  The fact that the sounds chosen we suggested to create a suspenseful atmosphere for the audience is make them feel fearful of might or may not happen.

Both films have a female victims who are brunette.  The fact that the victims are brunette aren’t as conventional to the thriller genre compared to having a blond victim but it is still conventional to the thriller genre as females are considered to be vulnerable and naïve.  It also adds a sense of reality as it shows the audience that it could happen to anyone not taking into consideration the hair colour.

They contain similar styles of editing styles as it is edited to create suspenseful atmosphere along with the cinematography such as point of view shots which are unsteady which enable the audience to relate to the characters more because they can see what they can see.

AS Thriller Evaluation - Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The purpose of the preliminary task was to show my understanding of cinematography that I have learnt and to be able to get used to using the camera and tripod, which we will be using when I started filming our thriller opening sequence.    After filming the shots, we had filmed I had to edit them, taking out unnecessary parts which were not needed, therefore showing a clip which flows through easily. There was background noise within my preliminary task, we improved this going to a quieter setting and turning the volume down during the editing process, so that any unwanted noise in the opening sequence would be able to be heard. 

From the preliminary task I learned how to use the camera which we will be using during the process of creating of our thriller opening sequence.  This gave me knowledge of how to use the camera, rather than getting to the filming stage and not knowing how to use and operate it.  This included learning to how to turn it on and how to zoom in.

I also learned how to use the tripod.  I had to do certain things for the tripod to get taller, how to screw the camera on and making sure the stage is level, so that the picture in the viewfinder of the camera is level.  This helped, as I would know what to do with the tripod when it got to the filming stage.  Without the use of the tripod, the sequence may look very amateur as it would look unsteady if it was handheld.  Meanwhile, using the tripod would make the thriller film look more professional.

I got an idea of how to use the editing software ‘Final Cut Pro X’.  The opportunity to use the editing software provided us with more knowledge and experience of how to use the filming software including cutting and combining the clips together in order for them to flow easily.  Being able to use this in the preliminary task meant, that when we have filmed the actual shots for our sequence and want to combine them and edit them, it will not take as long to edit, as we already would have known how to use it because of previous experience.

I learned how to edit by using final cut pro X; this skill helped when going towards the end stage of making our thriller film.  Another skill, I learned was how to use the camera as we all took turns on using the camera, so that everyone knew what they to do, when handling the camera to the best of my ability.  Another skill, I learned was how to use the tripod as this avoided any shaky shot which weren't meant to be unsteady.

Audience Feedback - Miss Georgiou

Audience feedback is important to a production because the audience is who you were creating the film for and by following a process of answering the facts of what they liked and dislikes helps the group improve on certain aspects.  The fact that it’s coming from an audience ensures that the film will be more successful as producers have to take their comments on board.  It’s an opportunity to make it better for the audience before it officially releases onto the screen meaning it will be more successful than it could have initially been.

We received audience feedback from doing a presentation explaining the ideas we have and the narrative and reasons for choosing certain elements in the film.  We also had to explain how we got the idea and how we did it.  We held a screening of our rough cut which we had created so far.  The audience gave us feedback including what went well and what could be done better in order for it to be more successful.  We received constructive criticism and focused on the things we could do in order for it to be better within the time we had.

During the screening, the audience had a questionnaire to answer.  The questionnaire consisted of three sections including of how many marks they thought the opening sequence would be marked if it was the full version.  Another section was for the positive comments and the next section was for constructive criticism to in order to make our sequence better. 
The feedback received benefited our production because it meant we could instantly improve on the things which we need to do in order to make our opening sequence better for the audience.  It would benefit the industry because improving our film would mean that it would get more successful therefore benefiting the industry.

One positive comment was on effect of Low Key Lighting.  The audience thought that the low key light was visually appealing according for audience.  Another point why they liked the effect of low key lighting as it is conventional to the thriller genre and the fact that if high key lighting was involved then it would have a completely different effect on the audience.                    


Another positive comment was about the conventional characters because they are is conventional in the thriller genre.  It is conventional in the thriller genre to have a villain and a victim.  The fact that we included these two characters meant that it was familiar to the audience when it was shown.

One constructive comment would be that we didn't have sound throughout.  The reason for this would be we hadn't quite finished the sequence and we were still in the process of choosing music that was appropriate for a thriller.  Another point, would be that if the final media product had certain clips which had no sound meant that it seemed very unprofessional or amateur and it just didn't feel right for the audience.

A second constructive comment would be that we could've used more or a range of camera shots considering cinematography.  This would be because there wasn't really a range of cinematography as there was POV shots of the villain’s point of view.  We could have included close ups of the knife and the shadow making the movement of the knife.  At this point we were short of time and couldn't film it in time as well as getting it edited.  I think the audience commented on the cinematography because a range of cinematography is able to create a good effect on the audience according to different camera shots.

Overall, I believe we have followed the aims of creating the thriller from learning about the different elements of the thriller genre including cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene and editing. Without learning about these elements I wouldn't have been able to create a successful thriller film. 

AS Thriller Evaluation - Question 5

HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?

Camera Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_vp-uHWQ-c

Primary research was essential for my production because the research collected consisted of information which would be helpful for our group as we asked the public a series of questions using a questionnaire.   This was essential because it helped us as group decide on the best target audience; without knowing the target audience, I wouldn’t know who we would be aiming it to and knowing that type of thriller to create.  

We researched various thriller films focusing on one element of the conventions.  I did a series of blogs analysing mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing styles, sound etc.  Doing this research helped us get a better understanding of why a certain element would be used in a film and what type of effect; it would have on the audience.  It also helped convey our own understanding of thrillers overall. 

I did research on the history of thrillers and what made the thrillers successful.  This helped to get an understanding of what other films were like in previous years and that other films got inspiration and took the ideas and involved in their own films.

I also did research on film certificates; this research was done to help to get an idea of what the different film certificates were like and what kind of things the film had to involve to get that specific film certification by classification.  I carried out research for the certificates of U, PG, 12, 12A, 15 and 18.

I carried out secondary research on narrative theories; this helped us have an idea of what type of theory was more similar to our own narrative.  It provided us to research about three different theories from Vladimir Propp’s, Aristotle and Todorov.  We wanted our thriller to be realistic for our audience, so we followed the idea of realistic events leading up to equilibrium.

We carried out a source of primary research; this research involved making a questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions for the public to answer about thriller films. 

This secondary research helped to plan our film because without the research we wouldn’t have made a successful thriller.  I had to plan what to include, to get the best results for the audience.

The primary research helped to find out who our target audience was going to be.  Without knowing the target audience, we wouldn’t know what kind of things to film.

I took editing ideas from scream 3 including timing of shots and straight cuts to suggest a change in location because these editing styles were conventional to the thriller genre and would have an effect on the audience. 

I took inspiration for mise-en-scene from Shutter Island and scream 3 because we used the idea of the car park and the low key lighting from Shutter Island because it added an eerie atmosphere.  

I got inspiration of sound from Halloween as it consisted of the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds as well as the on-screen and off-screen sound because without these sounds everything would be different. 

I took inspiration of cinematography from Saw and Halloween, as they consisted of various camera shots such as point of view shots in the film Halloween because it added a sense of mystery.  Another camera shot, we took the idea of the establishing shot because it lets the audience know the location of where the action will be taking place.

The research of the film certificates helped to plan what type of thriller opening sequence I wanted and knew what types of things to include for that certain age certificate being for fifteens and over. 

The primary research was a big help when planning the film as this helped us decide on what we should aim the target audience to be in our thriller.   The questionnaire consisted of open and closed questions, to get a range of different answers both detailed and straight forward. We took on the generalisation of the results of the questions.  I took the idea that a lot people liked the suspense and the feeling of being scared when watching a thriller and tried to incorporate that into my thriller film.  I also took the idea of making sure that it was going to be cliché because we didn’t want it to be too predictable.  I took the idea that they liked the effect of the music, as this also played apart on how it made them feel.  Knowing that the general age asked was 15+, we decided that our target audience would be fifteen and over.  My primary research inspired my thriller as it consisted of answers which included answers from the public and I was able to generate my idea from the popular answers of what type of thrillers to use.  The questionnaire consisted of open questions which was able to produce quantitive data which means that more detail could be involved in my results.  The closed questions consisted of possible answers next to tick boxes, this was able to create quantitative data, so it was easier to gather statistics and get a visual of what answer was more popular.

Overall, the primary research assisted with planning what our target was going to be and what would be best to include.  The secondary research was a big help when planning the thriller because it provided us with essential information to make the thriller opening sequence.

AS Thriller Evaluation - Question 4

Camera Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKS94mt_kS0

Target audience is important because I need to consider the types of people who would be watching my film and know how to make it appeal to that specific target audience.  Recognising or knowing what you would like the audience to be, before the production point is vital as they will determine the content included.  E.g. a company which would want the film to appeal to 15’s and over, would want to the content to appeal to young adults and older people.  They would have to be able to engage and relate to the film opening to that specific age group.

My target audience is for fifteens and over because we decided this, through our primary research and results showed that the age who liked watching thrillers, were in the age of fifteen and over.  The fact that we also wanted to film this for an older audience was because we wouldn't be limited in what we could include in the thriller film.

My narrative appeals to our audience because it is able to create mystery and suspense, as they don’t really know what is going to happen or who this villain is. 

   Characters appeal to our audience because people will be able to relate to the victim who goes to work and is wearing business like clothes.  The audience will be able to build a sense of suspense and fear with the villain because they know what his intention is and then want the victim to get away.  

My mise-en-scene appeals to the audience because the audience would be able to relate to the setting and the second location, would appeal to the audience because it’s dark and they don’t necessarily know where it is therefore creating mystery making them want to know where it is and what is going to happen. 

   The costume would appeal to the audience because they will be able to relate to what the victim is wearing, if they go to work.  They will appeal to the costume of the villain because of the dark colours, which he is wearing so he won’t get caught easily.

The editing would appeal to the audience because it is able to flow easily and the straight cuts are able to show a change in location.

AS Thriller Evaluation - Question 6

AS Evaluation - Question 3

AS Evaluation - Question 1

EXPLAIN IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF THE REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

In general, thrillers have two sides including good and evil.  The plot has to have some suspense included and the sides collide with each other making it more exciting as the good gets away from the evil.  The character of the villain may or may not be known.  If the character of the villain is known, the audience will wonder when or if they will find out whom the villain is.  If the villain, is unknown then it will add a sense of mystery and make the audience want to find out who it is.  The thriller genre typically has a sense of danger and some may start with an equilibrium, which is a plot which is close to reality but then a series of unfortunate events will show the degradation of what will happen to the character. 

The narrative of the thriller genre will normally be shown from the villain’s point of view, following the events which will happen to the victim.   The point of view allows the audience to be included in the events themselves and develop a relationship with the character, making them feel closer to the situation at hand.   Other points of view may involve other clips which tell the overall plot which allow the audience to see how the villain acts or how they used to act before they got to that point.  This would create empathy for the villain and make them understand why they are acting the way are.

In a  thriller, the generic conventions of the character are that there is normally always an antagonist (villain) and protagonist (victim) who are set apart from each other in way which the audience can make a relationship with and view the characters differently.  The villains will normally be men who will be tall and have a strong build which may make the audience have a sense of fear and it should have the effect of the victim since they will feel like the weaker character.  The image of the villain should put the message across the audience that he is the stronger character.

Victims are typically female, as females are represented to be innocent and naïve.  They are also shown to be helpless.  Most victims in thrillers are blond as they are represented to be vulnerable towards the audience.  This would be conventional to the thriller genre because the audience would be able to relate to character as they would be able to relate to their fear.

A general setting of a thriller may be in an urban city or in an abandoned setting.  If it was set in an abandoned, desolate place then it would not enable victim who may be trapped to get away making it easier for the villain to keep it there.  This setting may be an unfamiliar setting as it looks like nobody else would be able to find them easily which creates suspense as it makes the audience question if they will be able to escape.  An example of an abandoned setting would be SAW 1 as it is set in a bathroom, with no way to get out and that nobody would be able to hear them.

Iconography has the ability to add meaning to a scene by showing an object.  In thrillers, iconography could be weapons such as knives or guns, as these objects give connotations to the audience of death, murder and brutality.  A conventional piece of iconography would be a mask; this would normally be on the villain.  This is the idea hidden identity of the villain which creates suspense and mystery.  An example of a mask being used, would be in Halloween and Scream films as it makes the audience curious as they don’t know who is behind the mask.  Like many other thriller films, Halloween uses a knife as iconography as you see a hand holding it because it is a point of view shot.

In thrillers, colours can be limited, in other words would be known as low key lighting, as they may normally be filmed in the dark to create suspense.  The lighting and colour helps to create the overall mood and atmosphere of the film.   An example of a film, which has low key lighting, is Shutter Island, where all the character has, is a lighter as the only light source when he is walking through the alley way.  High key lighting gives the film a realistic feel and makes the audience relate to the situation.

In thrillers, a range of camera shots would be used to give a certain effect or create an effect for the audience. Camera movements such as hand held, can be used to give a sense of urgency and chaos as it seems to be quite fast paced.  This is conventional to thriller genre because the audience would be able to relate to the character and make them engaged to keep watching the film.  An example of this would be in Saw five, where once the timer is set off and the victims start reaching for the key, this signifies the urgency to survive.
   Another conventional camera shot would be the close up, this can be close ups of an object or a facial expression.  An example of a facial expression would be in Saw II, reverse bear trap where a close up of the victims face is shown to show her fear, therefore creating a relationship with the audience, as they will be able to relate to the fear on her face.
  

   Another camera shot would be the establishing shot.  This shot is conventional to the thriller genre because it sets the scene of the location and lets the audience where it will be taking place.  An example would be at the end of the first scene of Halloween where the house is shown, showing that the murder took place in that location

The main theme would often be based around something which occupies a lot of what society thinks about and may have a fear about; this could be able murder, kidnapping, isolation and the effect of it. 

The elements of shock, surprise and suspense are generic conventions of the thriller genre because without these three elements it wouldn’t be a thriller.  The element of shock would shock the audience without them knowing.   The element of surprise would keep them engaged as its slow version of events would follow up to surprise the audience as they wouldn’t expect it.  Suspense is a key element of the thriller genre as without suspense it would have a different effect on the audience, so they wouldn’t be able to be engaged to the film.  Within my thriller the element of shock and surprise is done in the opening sequence when the villain unexpectedly appears at the end of the thriller as he walks towards the camera which acts as the victims point of view.  The elements are conventional to the thriller genre as it has it have all three elements as the film wouldn't have the same effect on the audience.

Lighting is a generic convention because it decides on the tone of the atmosphere.  My group followed the generic convention of low key lighting in thrillers, as the victim and the villain walk through the car park and through the dark setting.  My group decided to film when it got dark and when other surrounding lights would be on, being some kind of light source for filming.  The victim is walking home from parking her car in the car park but she doesn't know that she is getting followed by the villain holding a knife.  We decided to use low key lighting as most dangerous scenes take place at night because they would have a lower risk of getting caught and would be able to create the feeling of danger and suspense for the audience.  So, the stabbing took place at the dead of night, as the audience would be able to see the shadow of the villain against the wall about to kill the victim.  This is conventional to the thriller genre because it is able to create suspense and mystery within our thriller.

Normally, the convention of the location would be in desolate, enclosed area or an area where nobody would really be, which adds a sense of having no way of getting out for the character.  I chose to use a car park as when they are empty, it can be creepy and they are commonly used in thrillers e.g. Scream 3.  A sense of worry would be created in other locations which are more isolated as if a person is in danger of getting murdered, there would be a low possibility of anyone coming across the victim and end up getting no help.  Our other location was walking through an area where it looks like nobody would be there, also giving false hope that the victim would come across anybody else to help them.

Another generic convention would be the iconography.  Weapons such as knives and guns are used.  We followed the convention of using the knife as the knife has connotations of death, brutality and fear.  The villain is seen holding the knife as he follows the victim in the car park and while she is in the car.  Iconography is conventional to the thriller genre as it wouldn't be able to give messages to the audience such as knives giving message that a character such as the victim would get killed.

The fact that a female victim was used within this thriller, is conventional to the thriller genre because females are known to be vulnerable and helpless as they can't really fight for themselves.  Stereotypically, females are used as victims in thriller films because of the idea that females are seen as the weaker of the characters as females are normally seen as the characters who get caught by the antagonist.

Another generic convention would be conventional sound because in thriller the sound has to be considered as being suspenseful as sound such as music would be able to create suspense towards the audience.  We included sound throughout my thriller opening sequence from selecting music from a website which was copyright free and taking into consideration what the audience would feel.

My thriller is conventional and successful as I followed the generic conventions of the characters of the idea of a victim and a villain.  The villain normally wears dark colours and tall.  The thriller genre focuses on the wrong type of behaviour, so we decided to do it on the idea of committing a crime being murder.  The fact that the villain is masked and wearing dark colours covers the convention of aspect of hidden identity.

Cinematography includes panning when the victim is walking in the car park and a point of view shot from the villain’s point of view when he is following the victim.   And the establishing shot, when it sets the scene of the car park for the audience.

The micro element of sound is a big factor in our opening sequence as this is main element in this, is the main thing which creates suspense.  We selectively chose the music to make sure it built tension and made sure there was music where silence wasn’t necessarily supposed to be.  This music is non-diegetic sound. Using music as non-diegetic sound is very conventional to the thriller genre because it’s another source of suspense for the audience. 

Comparing my thriller film to scream 3, my group took most of our inspiration from this film.  We decided to use the car park as part of our setting because the fact that the car park wouldn’t be in use and nobody would be there, would give the audience that victim would be unsafe which is what most situations they put the victim in a place where it would be unsafe for them and cause something bad to happen.  When developing a real thriller film, it is essential to think of the setting as it has to be conventional to the thriller genre because without a deserted setting, it would a completely different feel for the audience.

Just like Scream 3 and other thriller films they use weapons for iconography; this weapon being a knife.  The fact that the knife is shown, shows to the audience that something bad is happening.  The knife is revealed when in the car park in our thriller film and the knife is also shown to the audience in the car park when ghost face is on the hood of the car and shows the knife to the victim.  Once a knife is revealed to the audience, they instantly know that a killing will take place.

The music my group chose is very similar to scream 3 because of the suspenseful music and the part where it goes silent when you see the villain about to stab the victim, which signifies a death being taken place.  The silence in scream 3, also occurs when the victim gets killed after being unsuccessful from trying to get away.

AS Evaluation - Question 2

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA USE PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

The main character of my film is the victim.  My victim is female giving the idea to the audience that she is innocent, vulnerable and naïve.  I included this character in my thriller film because it’s conventional to the thriller genre to have a victim.    A reason, why I decided for the victim to have brown hair instead of blond would be that it would be more unexpected and more realistic for the audience as these things can also happen to people who also have brown hair.

  The other main character of the film is the antagonist.  The villain of our film wears black and something covering the face.  We decided that the villain would have a hidden identity as this creates mystery.  The villain is quite tall making the audience and the victim, fear him as they would be inferior of the villain.

Gender is represented in a stereotypical way because females are said to be represented as the weaker character.  This means that they would be known as the vulnerable and innocent character.  On the other hand, males are said to be more dominating and the strongest out of the two genders, meaning the male character would be scarier as they would be well built and taller.

The victim would appeal to the audience as she would be seen as the innocent character and as the film goes on would create a relationship with the audience as they wouldn’t want her to get killed.  The victim is said to be a secretary, so she is wearing business like clothes.  People will be able to relate the character as they may be going to work in that kind of attire.

  The villain would appeal to the audience as threatening and make the audience feel suspense as they know what the villain will be doing to the victim, they just don’t know when that specific moment will be.  Therefore, the suspense would be built up and shock them when he kills her.  The villain will be wearing all black; this highlights the hidden identity and would give him less of a chance of getting caught or being seen.  The colour black has connotations of evilness and would appeal to the audience as the antagonist of the film.

     

AS Thriller Evaluation

Rough Cut - Miss Miller

A rough cut is an unfinished version of a film.  A rough cut would be shown to an audience because they are able to give feedback, so that we can improve it further and make it better.  The feedback consists of what the audience thinks is good and bad about the film.  The bad things which are said will turn into improvements for the film.  Getting feedback from the audience and then putting those improvements by adjusting things such as the sound and other editing aspects which will make the film better for the audience.   We receive feedback before completing the final copy because it allows to make improvements.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei02jXzTorc&noredirect=1

Our group did a presentation to the class and the feedback was written on paper from every person.  We looked over all the pages of feedback and made the improvements we could do within the time limit.  The feedback had four separate sections.  The first section required them to fill in a mark out of sixty of what they thought it would be overall.  The second section required them to write what they thought was good about the thriller opening sequence.  The fourth and final section was to require them to write other comments that they thought would be fine.

The feedback collected will help us because the audience will give the best improvements and they know what they like and don't like.  Most the feedback received considered that we should have sound throughout the whole of our thriller opening sequence as it would be weird if there was sound in one part and no sound in the next, where silence wasn't necessarily needed.  To improve this, we would be very particular when choosing the sounds so we will be very selective.

Other feedback was about the font of the credits as these credits did not seem to be conventional to the thriller genre so we decided to change that when finalising our thriller opening sequence.   We will use a different font such as the 'chilli' font to make it more conventional to the thriller genre.

Some positive comments was that some of the shots were good.   Another positive comment was the fact that we used the stereotypical characters of the thriller genre including the victim and antagonist.

Overall, I believe this will help our group improve our sequence as we will take on their advice and improve our opening sequence taking into consideration the time we have to improve what we can into the sequence.  One of the comments would be to include more close up shots, being short of time it means that we were not able to fulfil this improvement.  However, within the time we had we could make sure that we had sound throughout the whole clip, making sure that the sound chosen would be necessary for our thriller opening sequence.