Evaluation Question 1

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

The media product we produced has elements and aspects of forms and conventions that a real media product would consist. For our two-minute opening sequence we wanted the artefact to look as professional and enticing as possible so we followed the codes and conventions of other films and what opening sequences would have. Our main task was to plan and research, prepare, film and edit a two minute opening sequence of a thriller genre. In order to do this we had to gain knowledge on thrillers and opening sequences. We then researched films of different genres and researched codes and conventions of general opening sequences so we could get more of an idea of what we wanted our product to be like. From our research we gathered that thrillers can be broken into sub-genres, and our film would be placed into a mystery thriller genre and this would be a suitable genre for our sequence to be based on. As our target audience were mostly keen on thrillers that they had to think and solve puzzles in.

After researching the codes and conventions of general opening sequences we know had a more clear vision of what our sequence could be based on. We wanted to create enigmas and raise the expectations of the audience, so they can question and try to elicit what will happen next. This is also very conventional of a thriller genre as it mostly starts in a unique way trying to draw in the audience and creating mystery and anticipation. The antagonist is never mostly shown in the beginning of thrillers, as they want to keep the audience in the dark, and in some cases twist the story so the audience think it’s a specific character but when the truth is revealed it leaves them enticing. To follow this code we used over the shoulder shots so we could hide the identity of the antagonist. All of this is crucial as suspense is created which is one of the most important factors of good thriller movies. We used a various shots in our sequence to convey different messages to the audience, like close-ups to express emotions, feelings and facial expressions. An example of this if when saw the students reaction after she had seen the teacher enter the room.

From researching different genres of film we came across the film ‘Se7en’ which a cross between a crime mystery thriller. We watched the opening sequence to the film and our sequence similar to it. The director used fast paced edits that got faster as it approached the climax. In order to achieve our vision of the sequence we had to keep in mind crucial elements that would play a big part in making it come together as a whole. Elements such as mise-en-scene, sound and ultimately editing as this would portray the meaning behind the film. Because our film was based on a teacher the perfect location was Havering, as we could see the college building and use the classrooms. Sound was also very important as this would make the audience anticipate what is going to happen. We used non diegetic sound throughout the course of the film, this creates enigmas as the audience hear the change in the pitch and pace of the music they think something is going to happen. Choosing the right music is essential as it had to suit our opening sequence and create the right atmosphere as a whole. The sound starts off almost silent and gradually increases in volume making the audience cling to their chairs as they wait for a bang! Because we used fast paced editing the lighting was key, as we wanted to give the movie an eerie feel so we had a combination of good and bad shots making the bad shots. The good shots were in colour and the bad shots were in black and white.

Below are nine screen shots that sum up our two minute opening sequence.

Shot 1: This shot shows a quotation from John Cotton Dana, we included this in the beginning to make the audience think and question what the sequence may be about. It’s in red and a bold font this gives the connotations of blood and death, and will create enigmas within the audience.

Shot 2: This shot is used twice during the course of the sequence. It’s used once at the beginning then at the end, as our sequence is a back f lash of the antagonists’ recalling the events that happened earlier that day.

Shot 3: We used the college as the location because this would be ideal as we the sequence is about a teacher. We got an establishing shot so the audience can have an idea of where the film is taking place

Shot 4: This is our production logo; we used it at the beginning when introducing the titles etc. This will help the audience distinguish this as our production company and if we were produce another media product the audience may remember it.

Shot 5: This is an over the shoulder shot of the mystery antagonist. We see the hood and shoulder of the mystery person, and more importantly we see weapons laid out on the table in front of them. We used this shot as we had a variation of bad and good shots and this is one of the most significant shot throughout the sequence, it creates tension and enigmas within the audience as they ask ‘who is this person an why are they there?’

Shot 6: This is another over the shoulder shot but in this image we see the teacher over the shoulder of one of her students. This shot helps us see her facial expressions and lets us know how she may be feeling and what she may be thinking. This may reveal more of her personality and help the audience figure out her specific role in the sequence

Shot 7: Shot seven is a shot from behind of the mystery person; this creates suspense as the shots lead up to the mystery person heading towards the door. So the audience anticipate something is going to happen and this makes them anxious and engages them more into the thriller.

Shot 8: This is a close up of the student Natasha’s face. She looks shocked as she has seen an unexpected person turn up at the door. This will help the audience uncover the puzzle of the story as they try and figure out who the unidentified mystery person is.

Shot 9: The final shot is the title ‘The Teacher’ which is in a bold font and in red. I created this title using the application Paint. It zooms in from being small to larger on the screen, this makes you jump as you don’t expect it.

Overall our media product mostly challenges forms and conventions of real media product.  We use different techniques and elements to portray what we want our audience to see. 

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Social groups help distinguish people from different groups and are noticeably popular in our communities nowadays. Our media product doesn’t represent any particular social groups as we only have two main characters seen throughout the course of the sequence. The first noticeable one is the teacher herself who is of a white race in a black suit. From her dress code we can gather that she may be of lower or middle class as she looks formal and smart. From all we can see we may conclude that she may be from a working class background. We used Havering College as our location as we were shooting about a teacher this could also be seen as lower or middle class. For example in the classroom we see objects just as a computer and a smart board whiteboard which is fairly new to technology.

We don’t conform or follow typical stereotypes in our media product as we use a female as the main character. We leave the audience to decide whether they think this character is a protagonist or antagonist, as this will help create suspense and enigmas as they try to solve the puzzle. She plays a strong, confident and assertive character and we can sense this just by watching the opening sequence. This is not conventional as in most thrillers or other genre movies the men play the leading, commanding and heroic role. Our other character plays the student whom the teacher attacks. Again we use a female character as it suits the scene; this is where the teacher and student have a conversation. The reason for this scene is for the teacher to look dominant and the student to look fragile and inferior, so using a male character would be inappropriate. The student is of a mixed race and wears casual clothing; she also has her hair out. In a typical thriller movie she may have other female friends by her side and looking like they might cause a fight. When seeing her on screen the audience may think that there is going to be a conflict, with the student being the one that provokes her. But the tables are turned as the teacher is the one who is rude and the student is left feeling inferior.

Above are two images,  the first one is taken from my two minute opening sequence ‘The Teacher’ and the second one is from a crime mystery thriller ‘Along Came A Spider’. I will compare the woman on the left in the cream suit to the character in my sequence. Already we can notice some similarities and differences between the two images. We can see that their dress sense is similar as they are both wearing smart skirt suits. They both have their hair down which provides connotations of being elegant, confident and slightly carefree. Their body language is crucial as it tells the audience how they may be feeling and what they might be thinking through their non-verbal communication. From my sequence my character the teacher has her arms by her sides swinging them back and forth occasionally. This connotes her being in a rush as she strides to get to her destinations using her arms to help her. However, Mrs. Hume from the second picture has her hands sort of together; she’s almost twisting her fingers. This connotes uneasiness and angst, as it looks like she’s nervous and worried about something.

Some differences can include their roles in the movie. In my sequence the teachers part is somewhat revealed but to a certain extent as the audience can’t gather on whether she’s the antagonist or protagonist. We see her for most of the sequence and one might say she looks content and normal. However, at one point she is portrayed as evil; but if the sequence was to continue onto a film their opinion may change. On the other hand, Mrs. Hume is seen to be looking nervous and on edge, but she is innocent and has no main role in the film, she appears once on screen. Overall, we can identify my character with the social group of a ‘different teacher’ as she has another side to her that she doesn’t reveal to just anyone. She’s not your conventional teacher as she does more than teach any has a mean streak.

Evaluation Question 3

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

There are many media institutions that may distribute our media product. Our own personal production company is called ‘Trio Productions’, it’s shown at the beginning of our two minute opening sequence before the titles. The production companies’ role is they help with everything concerning the movie; they supervise it from when it was just an idea to the distribution of the film itself. They also take charge of the financial and legal aspects of the movie. The production company is relevant and crucial when it comes to the organisation of a film as they are always recognised when they produce a famous film.

One production company distributed two of the world’s highest grossing films ‘Avatar (2009)’ and ‘Titanic (1997)’ both directed and produced by James Cameron. It’s a well known production company called Twentieth Century Fox. Both films partnered with Lightstorm Entertainment for ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’. But ‘Titanic’ also partnered with Paramount Pictures and ‘Avatar’ also partnered with Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners.

 Century Fox may be interested in distributing our product as they have been known for distributing many well known films in the thriller genre region. Famous films such as ‘The Happening (2008)’ and ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)’. Both these films made some profit and were known as great movies distributed by this productions company. Furthermore, all these films listed above have been made in the United States but they’re a very diverse production company as they distribute film made in the United Kingdom also like ‘Full Monty (1997)’ and ‘Shallow Grave (1994)’. They also distribute films from all sorts of genres, from children’s animated films like ‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)’, to action and horror films like ‘Taken (2008)’ and ‘The Omen (2006)’.

Another production company that would be interested in distributing our product is Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. This company has been running for over 90 years and is still active even though the founders have deceased. They have been known in distributing thriller films such as ‘Inception (2009)’ and ‘The Box (2009)’. They are also know for creating the Warner Bros. Cartoons, some of the characters including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck from Looney Tunes these characters became the focus of the company’s image.

 

Overall, I think that Twentieth Century Fox would be the right productions company to distribute our media product as they’re diverse and a very famous productions company that distribute many great films. For the fact that they’ve been involved in the two of the world’s highest grossed films should tell the audience that this is a good production company and they have a lot attention in the media eye. 

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

For our media product we aimed it to both males and females ages 16 – 25. This age group mainly are interested in the thriller genre. I also looked at socio economic group and thought which one of the groups would be most likely to watch our opening sequence, and it was the groups C1, C2, D and E as they’re from a lower working class background. ‘The Teacher’ would be based in the psychological mystery thriller genre, so it may appeal to the male gender as men like mystery and there is a lot of suspense and tension in out sequence. It may appeal to the female gender also because the character in the sequence is centred around the teacher who is a woman.

In my group we researched what age group it would be suitable for so we would be clear who would be able to watch it and who wouldn't be. We went on the ‘British Board of Film Classification’ (BBFC) website and at first we thought a 12 or 12a classification would suffice but we watched the sequence again and realised that the tension and weapons may be inappropriate for this age range and decided to make it a 15 classification.

Below is a video of Natasha, she represents the target audience for our media product.

Evaluation Question 5

 How did you attract/address your audience?

We attracted our audience different techniques and using various codes and conventions. We made our sequence follow the typical conventions of a thriller so our product could look professional, and the audience would be able to tell the difference between our opening sequence and any other films opening sequence. We also had to make sure we appealed to our target audience which was the 16-25 age range.

We researched thrillers that are currently at the movies now and we also asked our friends which thriller movies they enjoy most. From our research we saw that there was a movie that was popular amongst both genders and our target audience. ‘Scream 4’ (2011) was a horror mystery thriller genre, so we decided to have black and white shots of weapons like knifes, blades and scissors covered in blood that would attract and appeal to the audience. From the feedback from our friends many of them said that they enjoyed movies such as ‘The Grudge’ (2004) and ‘Saw (2004)’. So from this result as editor I decided to add so small scene to that similar of ‘The Grudge’, this is from 1:38 – 1:51 of the sequence below.


During the production of our sequence when we were going along we changed many things, as our vision of the opening sequence that we had in mind had not been met. Our original plan was meant to be simple but we decided to make it slightly more complicated and intense as this would appeal more to the audience. I researched generally just some movies so I could have a little bit of inspiration in doing something to improve the sequence. After watching a clip from the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan (1998)’ it gave me an idea on what to change in the sequence.  I decided to make the sequence as a flashback and I made the last clip the first clip, so it would be the protagonist recalling the events that happened earlier that day. I also made the sequence shorter as a whole, so it could cut straight to the point as some bits dragged on too much which would lose the audiences interest. Overall, adding and reshaping the whole piece would make a big difference as it would create more enigmas, suspense and tension to the audience.

Below is an annotated version of our opening sequence ‘The Teacher’, which gives further detail in how we managed to attract our audience. 

Evaluation Question 6

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

I have learnt a lot about different technologies from the process of constructing our media product.  As with some technologies I haven’t used before and I was new to it so I had I went through many trials and tribulations in order to get things right. As I was the Editor of our media product, I had to make sure that our vision for the product was met, and I would work my hardest in order to achieve the final product and succeed in all areas. As I was used to using normal desktops and laptops, using the Apple Mac was a challenge as many things are different so I had to adjust during the whole process. The first problems we came across was when we had finished logging and capturing the footage, and we were dragging the clips we didn’t need to trash. After deleting the unneeded clips I continued with the editing then left the editing suite. When I next came to edit again I realized that I needed one if the clips that I had put in the trash, but it was too late as the trash had been set to empty every day. With this I learnt that next time I would create a folder of ‘unneeded files’ and drag all the files I didn’t need there to save time in the future.

With shooting the footage we had some ups and downs, for our preliminary task we chose a PD170 Video Camera to shoot the footage. This was heavy, large and quite inconveniencing as it required two people to carry the equipment. When we went to take out the camera for this task we asked Matt the camera distributor if there was any other cameras we could take that weren’t so bulky. He gave a small and portable handheld Samsung video camera with the tripod, that was much clearer than our previous camera and it was also much lighter. With this situation I learnt to think ahead and prepare and decide what would be better for our product. As camerawoman I learnt to shoot different angles and positions, I also learnt to shoot extra shots so I wouldn’t have to shot again and lose continuity.

Being the editor I learnt and picked up many techniques and tricks along the way. For example, I learnt how to add credits and put effects on them. I also learnt how to add image control for making the clips black and white, to add music and many other aspects. This would be helpful if I needed to edit any other product in the future as I have mastered most of the basics during this process.  

We used many online technologies including: 

Blogger: This was the website we used the most as we put all our coursework and finished products on here to be marked. Without this website it would be difficult to reach our work. We used this website for our group blog which was linked to individual blogs and vice versa.

Google/Googlemail account: To login into our Blogger account we needed to have a google mail account. I noticed that we needed this account to access many websites and they were all linked such as YouTube, Bubbl.us and Scribd. The Google search engine allowed us to search the web for research concerning genres, film research and many more general things.

 YouTube: This website was used to view opening sequences, clips of movies from the thriller genre and different shots and angles we wanted to use for our sequence. We also used this to upload our preliminary task and our opening sequence. We could use the embedded text to post it on our blog and on Facebook and other social networking sites, so our friends could view and comment and give us feedback on what we could change and improve on. This is also helpful as we know our video is secure from being erased, as when it is uploaded it’s permanently there unless we take it down ourselves.

Final Cut Pro: This is an editing software application that was used to edit the preliminary task and our opening sequence. Using this at first was confusing and difficult but as I became used it, it became easier along the way. This was another one of the applications we used the most as without it, it would have been impossible to edit. 

Scribd: This was used to upload Microsoft Word documents and is one of the world’s most famous and largest social publishing and reading site in the world. It gave our blog a extra more formal look to it and was helpful as sometimes we needed to put tables up for example, the shot list and we couldn’t copy and paste this in Blogger so Scribd helped us in this area.  

Incompetech: This website contains Royalty Free Music and we used it to search and find our music for our opening sequence. We couldn’t use a soundtrack from an artist or a movie as this would be copy right, so we worked through the website trying different sounds until we found the right one. 

Facebook: This is the world’s most famous social networking site and currently contains over 500 million active users. We used this to make our fan group page for the sequence so we can have feedback from our friends about their views on the product. 

Bubbl.us: This was used to create a brainstorm in which we needed to plan out our story ideas. Bubbl.us is very easy to use and you just write what you need in the boxes and it does the rest. This is way more effective than doing it on paper so this website was helpful. 

Paint: This was used to create our Production Logo called ‘Trio Productions’, and I also used this to copy and paste pictures and put them onto blogger when the image couldn’t be uploaded directly.