Planning for the preliminary task

This is the only bit of planning I have for my Preliminary task.

Planning for Thriller opening

 This is all of the planning I did for my Thriller opening.

Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

7. Back in September when I was in a group with my friends we had no idea how to make  film or how to edit it, but by the end of the final short opening I feel that I have a good enough skill set to carry on the art of film further.

When I planned the preliminary task with my original group, we quickly thought up an idea and figured out how we were going to shoot the short task by having a play around with different camera angles and shot types. Because I hadn’t met most of my class it was hard to find a group for the preliminary task but I quickly bonded with others and the work got on swiftly. After shooting the preliminary task I realised that having dependent planning is vital to the shoot because if you don’t know where you are meant to be or don’t know what you are meant to be shooting it could have turned out costly.

Before the task I had never heard of the 180 degree rule and had no idea what it involved or how to do it but now I understand it perfectly and see that it is crucial to my work. The work we did during the preliminary task helped me when it came to the main task. It gave me a brief insight into how things were going to work and how quickly I needed to get things done so that I have enough time to make sure it looked good. And through the preliminary task I leaned that the planning and shoot for the film had to be done perfectly, else it was going to be a rush to get everything done in time.

During the planning of the thriller opening which became Stone Statues, I was the only person working on it because everyone else wanted to be in a group so I didn’t mind being alone, because that way I could use my own ideas and own views and portray them how I wanted to. But in doing this I have realised that it is a lot harder to get everything done in time and have had to rush everything a bit to get it all done and in on time. The planning went well but could have done with having someone else put their ideas into it because at times when my plans didn’t pay off I had doubts that it was all going to fall apart and that doing this was going to be a waste of time because I was going to fail. But after getting past the planning and getting onto the shoot I realised that the end was closer than I first thought and that made things feel a bit easier. The costumes that I chose for the shoot were really easy to find because it was just an old band t-shirt and skinny jeans and some trainers, I chose these to give my main character Sofia a contemporary look.

When choosing my sound track I made sure I chose something that wasn’t too loud and wouldn’t be distracting because I knew if it was then the audience wouldn’t focus on what was going on in the film and would focus on the track.

I have learned that the opinion of the audience is vital in finding out what people like to see and finding ways to improve my film. By finding out the positives and negatives of it, I could put as much work into it as I could and I am happy with the outcome. If I was to do this again, I would definitely put more work into getting things done before the deadline and not the night or week before, because it is stressful and isn’t the best way to get a good grade and I would also like to work in a group rather than on my own because the workload is ridiculous and too much for me to cope on my own, and i would definitely shoot some more footage because I found out that I didn't have enough footage to fill the full two minutes and that's why mine is so short. 

Q6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

6. Before I started this course I had an idea of a blog but had no idea how to use it. The course required us to use one to document our progress through the year and with the help of the teacher at the beginning really kick-started my understanding of it. I have learned that blogging is very different to having lots of paper in a folder, because it can be searched up and found quickly instead of having to rummage through hundreds of sheets of paper. Having a blog is much easier because it is stored on the World Wide Web and have learned that filing the work is much easier.

I have also learned that planning the film is much easier on the blog because you can add in images or embed videos which help make the plan come to life more than if you were to have it on paper in a folder.

I have also learned that how useful a camera can actually be and how versatile it is. I have learnt how quick and easy moving footage from the SD card to the computer is and how modern camera can be taken anywhere and only need batteries to stay alive instead of mains electricity. My knowledge of camera angles has improved significantly because I have been taught these and then gone and put them into action. I can use these camera angles effectively for example using a low angle shot to show ones dominance or a close up to show the expression on ones face. I also learned how to use a tripod effectively with the use of tilt shows and raised shots over some lower shots and by using a tripod it gave me the stability in the shots so it didn’t look rubbish and shaky. I tried shooting in the dark but soon learned that even modern day cameras can’t focus in the dark unless there is lighting.

When editing the film I used Adobe Premiere Pro, to which  had no prior knowledge of using because the only time I had used it as doing my preliminary task but I hadn’t delved into the deeps of the software so when it came to the main task the editing was rather fun but challenging because I used an overlay which took some time to figure out and get in the correct speed and looking right and also had lots of chopping with dip to whites at the end which was time consuming but I feel I used it to great effect. The library of effects was useful in creating my final cut because without it I wouldn’t have been able to relate what I had done. Also using cross-fades helped make the whole cut flow and I felt this made the film feel better instead of just a bunch of shots thrown together.

I learned how to use different web outlets to find the right soundtrack, I found that having a stringed composition made my thriller feel better and to me the music felt like it completed the thriller. I also learnt how to create titles and how to make them move if I needed them too.

Q5: How did you attract/address your audience?

5. After my film was finished I was given feedback by teacher and some of my friends and classmates. When I asked them which bit of the film was best portrayed, unanimously the ending where the flickering of the fade to white and back to the car advancing in the shot to the point where it cuts off. People commented on it saying it was gripping and made them want more and to see what happened to her because it ended so abruptly they were left speechless. My teacher said she liked how there was a shot of Sofia walking with the overlay of the car approaching and it gave her a sense of what was coming and made her want to see what was going to happen.

At the start of the film where there is a sound bridge from the begging of the film to where there is an arch and Sofia starts to walk through the cemetery, the audience are given the first real sight into who the film is about and the music links with her walking. This give the audience a chance to quickly get up to speed with what is happening and wonder how this girl is. The audience don’t get any chance to find out who she is or what she is doing here and makes them wonder and speculate about what the film will be about. When the title of the film appears and the stone angel is standing there those quicker in the audience will notice it and sense that it has something to do with the story. The overlay of the car speeding and her walking gives the audience a chance to see what might be to come. By cutting off at the end of the opening with the flashing and thee sudden drop to black creates a mystery and grips the audience into wanting more and making sure they do not lose interest when watching it. The music build to a tensioned ending and suits the film perfectly and it grabs the audience and makes them stay rooted to the spot s that they want to find out more. The film is appealing because not many crimes happen in or near a cemetery and it would make the audience wonder why this has happened here and make them want to stay to find out what would be revealed if there was more to the film. The concept of having a girl get hit whilst walking home on her own is a great tool for creating fear because then people realise it could happen to one of them. 

Q4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

4. Stone Statues aims to appeal to the audience range of 16-25 because the main character is young and this age range means they can relate to her. Sofia is set out to be this woman who doesn’t care about anything and gets her own way about everything. The way she is walking in the opening shots shows she has swagger and an “I don’t care” attitude towards most things. Even at the end of the opening when the car comes rounds the corner and it cuts off she is shown to not care that the car is speeding or about to hit her. The use of Sofia being this attractive girl who has sex appeal would attract the demographic because a lot of guys in this age group would link her to the sexual things that youngsters are into these days. They would also link her to what they see in the news and on the web of young ladies getting assaulted and attacked. The fact that she doesn’t actually die shows that she is resilient and gives the demographic that sense of hope and to never give up on things even if things get really tough.

The location being in the cemetery is of a typical horror film and of one thrillers, which is contrast to those of the hyped period dramas of this day and age with the likes of Downton abbey and the king’s speech. The soundtracks eeriness plants it firmly in the audience’s head and it drags them in to the film building tension towards the ending of the opening. Thrillers like time lapse are centred in the 16-25 demographic and I used the contemporary clothes style to benefit.

I would see my male audience consuming films such as Essex boys and Kingsman because of the violence and killings in it. And I would expect an amount of guys and girls to watch films like Thelma and Louise and the girl with the dragon tattoo because of the sex appeal from the girls involved and how it would show girls that they don’t need no man to have a good time. Stone Statues is positioned slightly away from the mainstream end of films and more towards the TV sort of thriller like Midsomer Murders. 

Q3: what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

3. I would distribute my media product through the means of film and in cinemas considering it is the opening to a film. I would also distribute it through TV because it is the opening to the film and it would give people an insight into what the film is about and that way they can get a feel for it and hopefully capture them into wanting to see the full thing.

The most likely company to distribute my film would be StudioCanal because it is quirky and different to the normal films that come out of Hollywood and that is more their sort of thing. It would most probably be more suited to TV than that of a cinema because it is an independent film and not a massive blockbuster. Channels like channel 4 and channel 5 would be the sort of places that this would be distributed to because they normally attract a lot of independent films and get a lot of views on them. Channel 4 and E4 in particular have a lot of independent series which do really well like shameless and the inbetweeners. I wouldn’t have a big group like universal distribute it because it is independent and hasn’t been made with a lot of money and therefore wouldn’t qualify for the big companies to come in and distribute it. The big companies like to play safe and my film would be too risky for them to try and they would lose money if they were to try distribute my film, so that is why smaller companies are more likely to take it on.

The cinemas that would be most likely to take on my film would be the independent train with cinemas like cinema city because my film is independent and isn’t made with a lot of money and therefore would suit their type of film. Cinema City is an art-house cinema and this means that they like to challenge the big multiplex cinemas and try to get smaller and quirky films shown so that the makers can get recognition for the films they make and this would be where my film would be shown. It wouldn’t be a DVD released film because it isn’t a big blockbuster and wouldn’t have the financial backing that it would need to be sold as a DVD, so it would be shown in smaller independent cinemas and not get much further.

New technologies such as YouTube and social networking sites could prove very useful in trying to distribute the film and get the word out because a lot of people are viewing these sites a lot and it would be easy to get the word flowing with adverts at the beginning of big Youtuber’s videos and adverts down the side of the sites so that people can see them and hopefully take notice. Games consoles could be a good idea to promote the film by releasing videos on the dashboards of each console so that people can see the film and can see the trailer to it. Also video on demand sites like LoveFilm and Netflix could prove helpful with distribution because they have a whole range of indie films and if they would let it be on their site then I could reach a massive area of the world because there are so many people in the world that use these sites and it would be such a boost towards getting the film noticed but it would all depend on getting the financial backing to do these ideas as they would cost a lot to do.

My status as a student film-maker probably would help in getting distribution offers because some smaller companies would be up for the idea in investing in a student film maker and getting them the help to try and kick start their career and hopefully make some profit of the back of the student which would be beneficial for the company and the student. 

Q2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

2. In my media product I used gender in a contemporary style. For example, I dressed my character in jeans, trainers, a band t-shirt with a jumper and a rucksack.

I did this so that my thriller opening was not like the others and made into a noir thriller type of film. I wanted mine to be different and try different things so that I would be happy with the final outcome. Having her in a band t-shirt shows that she is a modern day character and challenges the look of most great thrillers with the exception of a few thrillers like the girl with the dragon tattoo and Thelma and Louise which are modern greats. 

Her look is more of a realistic type because I thought that if I made her into a noir thriller look it would not seem realistic enough and it would not suit my train of thought and what not follow what I would want her to look like. I used a female as the main character because that is what is mainly used in thriller films over the years and those films have been the successful ones. I dressed her in these clothes because that’s what most people in today’s society would associate and relate to; they would relate to this through the style of clothing and the band on the front of the t-shirt which is quite popular amongst teenagers in today’s world. This would allow them to access a mutual relationship with the character and empathise with them. 

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1. My opening to a thriller film, Stone Statues, is a film which tries to challenge some of the generic aspects of thriller films through but uses other aspects to confirm itself within the genre.

The title of the film is Stone Statues which is linked to the fact the main character starts in a graveyard and there are gravestones everywhere. Thrillers such as Pyscho hint at their being something to do with the name of the film and what happens in it. The real reason it is called Stone Statues is because of the stone angel in the back ground when the title of the film first appears.

The main location of the film was a cemetery in Wymondham. The features of the place with it being a graveyard gave me the option to link it with the ending of The Third Man and especially the stone angel in the middle of the cemetery gave me an idea which links to the weeping angels in Doctor Who. The cemetery is a dull place and suits the generic conventions of a thriller film which firmly places it in the genre.

The ending of The Third Man

                                                         The Weeping Angels

The road at the bottom of the cemetery isn’t a place that would normally see a crime happening but I tried to challenge the generic conventions of the thriller genre and tried to have a place that would shock the audience because a crime wouldn’t normally happen there. The crime happening at a cemetery helps put fear in people’s minds because of the fear or spirits and poltergeist which are mainly linked with the dead and having it at a cemetery means that people will have fear that this could happen to them. Having the hit and run attack on the road means that it conforms to one of the generic conventions of having a damp wet road and that’s where mine takes place.

When choosing what to dress Sofia, I wanted to choose something that would challenge the normal stereotype for women in thrillers where they wear red lipstick and a dress. I watched the movie Time lapse to get some inspiration because that is a modern day thriller and has the female characters wearing modern clothes rather than those of the typical thriller genre. I thought that having a contemporary style of clothing would be better than having any that were associated with the genre in a typical sense.

I wanted Sofia to wear a band t-shirt and jeans and a hoodie because it challenged the stereotype that females dress elegantly and are all sweethearts. I thought that it would suit my character better than the normal style of clothing.

The choice of soundtrack was inspired by the opening theme of Midsomer Murders because it is quite slow and uses what seems to be the sound of an oboe. The theme tune to that inspired me to find something along those lines and I chose it to grasp the audience.

I left it on a cliff hanger because then it grasps the audience in wanting to know more and wanting to watch more of the film. I also left it on a cliff hanger because it is a typical convention in thriller films and to confirm it amongst the genre.

In summary, Stone Statues uses different forms and conventions that would please a modern day audience. The same type of theme tune from Midsomer Murders, the stone angel from Doctor Who, and the stereotype challenging clothes of Sofia. 

Final Thriller Opening Cut

Comparing 'Pyscho' and 'Thelma and Louise'

There are a lot of intertextual references within films and TV and a lot of these define conventions of the genre they are in. For example, white on black is a classic convention of a thriller film and fast paced music is a convention for an action film.

Thelma and Louise has been seen to relate to the ever changing views on females. They show that women don't need to be controlled by men and are perfectly capable of looking after themselves which challenges the generic archetype because normally in thriller films the woman dies (femme-fatale).

Compared to Pyscho's representation of females it is completely different. Marion Crane being the classic femme fatale who is mischievous and dangerous and punished for her actions compared to Thelma and Louise who are independent women and give the punishments.

Marion is shown to be scared when the cop pulls her over and you can tell by the look on her face that she has done something wrong. The cop is a dominant figure which is how men were portrayed. Whereas in Thelma nd Louise you can see that Ridley Scott has referenced Hitchcock's scene. Although Ridley has created two different females compared to Hitchcock, Scott's women are not fearful of the male cop who pulls them over and show him who is boss. They don't follow the normal way that a female is presented in a thriller and this helps promote to women that they can be independent and don't need a man to have a stable life.

Pyscho case study

 Psycho

Pyscho is a psychological thriller made in 1960 by Alfred Hitchcock.
 

Femme-Fatale

Marion Crane, is the femme-fatale in the film. she steals some money and is instructed by the her boss to take it to the bank but instead she uses it to buy the love of her boyfriend who she is having an affair with.
  Instantly the audience can sense the archetype straight away buy seeing her as mischievous and dangerous and can tell her actions won't go unnoticed. the establishing of her archetype is a classic convention in noir thrillers. Whenever she appears with her boyfriend who she is having an affair with, she is submissive showing that she is trying to please him. She seems really desperate for the relationship and is willing to do anything to have him. But Hitchcock gets her to wear a white laced piece of lingerie which is resembles purity but because she is submissive to her boyfriend it shows that Hitchcock is challenging the generic archetype.

Hitchcock has been known as the 'lady-killer' director and knows how to present femme-fatales in films to show the audience. Hitchcock gets the female characters to go against the normal expectations and then he punishes them for what they do. Marion has the same fate and is brutally murdered in the famous shower scene.

Location

The location for the famous shower scene is obviously in the shower and what makes it more chilling is the fact that it happens in a normal situation in a normal place. The shower is an enclosed and confined space which is a classic convention in thrillers. She is also portrayed as vulnerable because she I naked and in the shower which is slippery meaning that she cant protect herself.

Having no ambient lighting adds to the effect because it creates a silhouette behind the shower curtain of someone approaching Marion and puts a chill into the audience because they know that someone is coming but Marion doesn't, but the audience is shocked by how she is killed and that is the mysterious convention of a thriller because no one knows who is stabbing her.

The soundtrack over the top when the silhouette approaches the shower curtain adds to the suspense and tension that is created giving the audience an unnerving ending to Marion.

 

Potential Thriller Soundtracks