Evaluation

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and convections of real media product?

Some conventions of the thriller genre include dark lighting and shadows, quick cuts, music that creates suspense and tension, mirrors and stairs and many more. Our thriller contains a lot of aspects of real thriller movies. One example of this is that we have used a cliffhanger at the end as the audience doesn't know what is going to happen and leaves them wondering. We included some conventions of the thriller genre by making the product look really dark and scary and used some quick cuts. We also used certain sound affects and lighting that created suspence which many real thriller movies do. Our thriller has some similar aspects from the film 'The Ring' including a shot of the eye, the scary girl, the quick cuts and the type of music used.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw70E71G8Z8&feature=related

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think our product represents teenagers and young children. It shows them in a very negative way as they are bullies. We used young people for this as it is around that age that most bullying starts and certain people get singled out. Some people could argue that our thriller shows ethnic minority as the girl getting bullied is asian and the bullies are both white.


3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think media institutions like the BBC might distribute our product as it is something that can be shown for learning purposes so that people realise the seriousness of bullying and helps raise awareness. I think it could be shown in a few small cinema's too.


(Image taken from http://rosenblumtv.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/bbc_logo_470_470x352.jpg)


4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

I think that teenagers and parents of teenagers would be our main audience. One reason i think this is because the story in the film is based on teenage people, and also people that are being bullied or bullying could relate to the film as they are experiencing whats happening in some way or another. Also, after people did our questionnaire it was evident that the majority of people that watch thrillers are young people.


5) How did you attract/address your audience?

By using actors that are around the age group as the majority of the audience. Also by making the main subject in the film bullying because it is a very common issue amongst the young people of today.


(Image taken from http://heroworkshop.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/bully7.jpg)


6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot of new things. I have learnt how to use a video recorder in different ways like doing close ups, long shot etc. I have also learnt how to use movie maker on the Imac computers, edit pieces of film and add effect to a film. I have also learnt how to use a tripod and no its purpose which is to hold the camera still creating a more steady shot.


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

Looking back at my groups preliminary task i have learnt many things. I have learnt how to use a bigger variety of shots with the video recorder. Also i've learn how to edit pieces of film better and make it run more smoothly. I have learnt lots of new skills along the way and now looking back on our preliminary excersise, I can see a few mistakes that we've made that i didn't realise before.

Our animatic :)

Preliminary Exercise :)

Kind Of The Final Idea ! (:

After doing the plot first, it was easier for us.
We are starting off by the camera being at a door that says 'No Entry' and going down a corridor, ending up in a clear room with an actor sitting in the corner very distressed and rocking back and fourth. The 'a ring a ring of roses' song will be playing in the background, getting louder and louder as the camera goes down the corridor and gets closer to the room. The camera will the go up to the actor, she will sit up in shock with her eyes open wide then the camera will zoom into her eye where there will then be a flashback. The flashback will be her and 3 friends when they were younger playing 'a ring a ring of roses'. An accident will then occur but at the moment we are not sure about what the accident will be. The camera will then zoom out of the eye and 2 of the 3 friends will be at the dead friends funeral where there is a ring of roses on her coffin. It will end with the camera again zooming out of the girls eye and finishing with the girl in the corner again and the camera going backward out of the room and back to the door with 'No Entry' on it (as if the camera is rewinding). We are still thinking about what relevance 'a ring a ring of roses' has to the 3 girls.

Our Ideas

The group members are: Danielle Bascombe (Me), Casey Barnard and Megan Billany.

When expressing our ideas, we came up with many names. A few we came up with were:

- Four walls

- The asylum

- Patience

- The well

Each name has a different story/idea and the names relate to each story.
We came up with these names before we came up with the plot. we quickly realised that this wasn't a good idea and that maybe we should think of a plot then decide on a name after.

- Always a 'bad guy' and a 'good guy'

- Shock moments (Noises, people jumping out at the screen...)

- Violence (Element of danger)

- Protagonistic is put into situations where they are in danger

- Suspence is created (Audience left waiting)

- Setting normally modern (not always)

- American thrillers (Can be a girl in danger)

The Beginning of No Country For Old Men

Setting
- Rocky desert
- American landscape
- Police station/ Sheriff's office
- Trailer

Characters
- The 'Killer'
- The 'Drug dealers'
- Cowboys/ Hunter
- Wife
- Police man

Situations
- Murder at start
- Establishes character
- Cold-blooded
- Drug deal gone bad
- Track the money?
- Raise the alarm? MORAL CHOICE
- Returning home to the wife

Style
- Voice over at start
- Lack of Non-digetic music
- Continuity editing and straight cuts
- Extra long shots and long shots