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

The thriller genre consists of a lot of conventions:

Other conventions in thriller openings can be the shot types, these can change deping on narravties, however common shots used are establishing shots of the area, close and mid shots used to introduce character.



High angle shot of the victim to make them look inferior and weak (psycho)



Shot angles are alos used to make an character appear to be the innocent victim, this could be a point of view shot from a high angle looking down on the victim as it will make them look inferior and weak.

Editing is also used to create conventional themes as it can easily build tension by editing the shots to cut from one another quickly, so the pace varies to create peaks through the tension.  This same idea can be for cross cutting; this is effective in building tension between two on going narratives as it flicks between them. E.g. one narrative of a car chase happening at the same time as a risky deal is happening.



The victim is lit brighter than the dark shadow of the
 killer behind the certain on the left.



Common mise en scene used in thrillers:
 lighting- lighting is generally very dark for shots around the villains setting as this represents their personality and creates a dark atompshere. On the other hand lighting can be used very brightly to light a victim to show their pure and innocent character an example of these lighting techniques is in the thriller Psycho as the killers face is hidden by lighting where as the victim is well lit surrounded by light colours.



Sinister characters face shadowed out to make them
 mysterious and keep their identity hidden. it alos
add suspsense the the situation as the shadow could move
at any moment to reveal who they are.



 Shadows are another strong feature of a thriller as they too were used in the Psycho thriller. They are used to hide a characters identity yet show their movements and create a great amount of tension. In our thriller we tried to keep to the lighting conventions by keeping all the shots very dark as all the shots were of the sinister character. We also used candles for lighting as we hoped the flickering light would make it look more supernatural and mysterious.

Screen shot from our thriller to hide the identity. Use of costume
of black cloak for mysterious effect.

Costume- costume is used in thrillers is often used to hide identity of a villain. This usually consists of hooded items and masks to hide a face and keep them mysterious. Black is also used a lot to connotate their dark character. In our thriller we used a long black hooded cape to keep the identity of our character hidden until the end. It worked well as wearing black made it look mysterious and the hood kept the face hidden.

The isolated location we used for our thriller, making the
character seem very suspicious and mysterious as they were
in this setting.

Setting- Settings of thrillers vary , they could be set in a dangerous and derelict place such as down alley ways or abandoned houses as they are so isolated the victim will seem more helpless. Alterivetly they could take place in what is a safe place for someone such as a home, this is often effective as it can build tension well as it is somewhere unexpected and is somewhere they thought was safe, making the viewer empaphise for the victim. Psycho exemplifies to this as the murder in the film occoured in the victims bathroom, It shows and unexpected situation in a realistic environment. This goes to show that you are not as safe as you think which may frighten an audience. Our thriller took place in a dark abandoned barn it was effective as it showed no signs of civilisation and made you question why is the person there and are they on their own.

Props- The props we used for our thriller were conventional in some ways such as the candles and matches as they created a supernatural atmosphere, the other props we used still fitted will with the thriller themes but were not as common. The dice represented the idea of chance and uncertainty and the contact lenses were used to shock the audience and make an impact as they  when what our tension build up to. Props used in other thrillers are things such as weapons which make be used for a murder or criminal act. Computers/photos for stalker themed thrillers. Alot of our props fitted with the religious themes:



We used all of these props for our thriller
Cloak: it was used to make them look mysterious and sinister , it may also represent a religous garment
Contact lens: These were our shock element, we used this to scare the auidence and be the climax of our tension.
Chalk: This was used as it we thought it would look more realistic,it also stoood out against the board we used and created a very effective scratching sound.
Matches: These made the charcter seem powereful as they were using fire in a way which perhapse 'summoned' some sort of supernatual being.
Dice: These where our element of change and uncertaiunty, they build suspense as you did not know what the numbers were going to be and what they would cause.
Snakes: the sankes were the main prop we used as they created our narrative. We used them as many people fear them and we wanted to play on the idea of phobias.



Here are the overall conventions of our thriller:

One film we took inspiration from was Seven as its opening sequence was quite fast paced and confusing at first yet still made you want to know who the persopn was why they were writing and making all these things, and who they were. It made you want to know more as the overall use of the shots was done to only show you sections of what was happenign so you had to guess what was going to happen. We really liked the idea of dark quick shots compiled together to create an opening. We tried to use similar transitions of fades to dark colours and quick straight cuts. As well as trasitions we tried to use the same pace and create similar  dark lighting for each shot as we thought seven's openign was very effective. We also tried to form a narrative from the quick clips as did the thriller opening titles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY

The main convention we avoided was having a male protagonist as we thought it would be interesting to have a female as it shows a change in power and makes the behaviours seem unusual and make you want to know more. it was alos what we found out from research that our audience wanted to see a new narrative with a female villain.

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

I think the main skills I have developed in as a film maker is the technologies we had to used to create our product. I think this as it was all new and my editing ability has become more confident since the prelim task as I only used basic techniques for the preliminary, where as for the thriller I used both imove and final cut to make it the highest standard possible.

Our preliminary task was a success and achieved good continity for our first piece of work as it uses a range of shots and we managed to put in a graphic match. However it could have been improved as the 180 degree rule was not stuck. We made sure we didn't make this mistake again in our thriller by using a line on the board as our 180 line. However it was difficult to stick to as we needed shots of names all around the board and it meant that at point the some of the names would have to have been upside down. We also had a problem with continuity in our prelim as we had to take one of the shots again as it was not right, however we had difficulty getting the background to look the same and there was a large amount of stacked cups in different colours. Another thing we improved on our thriller was the use of music in time to clips as for our thiller we tried putting a chant every time the snakes appeared. Editing the shots to sound was a skill i developed as for the prelim task i placed the soundtrack over the footage just to make it fit, however this time we had done more research which showed that editing sounds to shots is really effective.
We didnt have any problems with match on action for the prelim and we tried to carry this success through to our thriller.

We really improved on our planning for our thriller idea as we narrowed the idea down using questioniares and powerpoints so we had a clearer picture of what to plan for and what shots we wanted. Although we did discard some shots from our narrative ,(treading on the board) the story made more sense without it. When editing some of the shots were not as good or realistic as we had hoped and so were also not used. Our first story board for our prelim was easier to understand however when our thriller story board was paired up with the shooting script it was very clear. We also went to our location and took photos to help up plan out how we would take the shots and what it would look like.

Our Prelim task went very well, no one in our group had any prior learning of any part of the media industry or how to use a video camera and tripod. Doing our Prelim task helped us to be confident using the camera equipment, basic shots and learn how to use imovie effectively. We tried to ensure all the shot were effctive by using all the knowledge we had learnt about good mise-en-scene and composition.

For our thriller opening we had to use much more complex shots, mise en scene and lighting as we had to really think about how to make it fit thriller conventions. Overall our thriller was a  success, although it was not entirely conventional it still showed some conventions such as a dark mysterious character who is a main villain, it has a psychological element as it incorporated fears and phobias, it also worked well together to make a creepy atmosphere and build suspense by editing quicker towards the end. We could have improved our thriller as the quality of the shots were not always brilliant. This was due to the lack of light in our location, although we did check it out beforehand, the day of shooting was quite dull and it was hard to get the light to pick up on camera. We tried to resolve this problem by propping a door open and adding extra candles to brighten up the shots, although the candles provided little light they still looked very effective in the shots. The other main thing we could have improved was the stability of the shots as they were often very unsteady due to problems with the tripod. We had to take the camera off the tripod for some shots as we could not get it at the right angle at a low enough height, although this affected the quality of our shots, it was vital to get the shots we had planned. We tried to stabilize the shots using I movie, however it was impossible to make them look completely steady.

The main strengths of our thriller was the unique idea and unconventional themes, this was the general good point we got from interviewing people after we had showed them our thriller. The other good things about it were the use of mise en scene to make the character seem realistic and fit thriller conventions by wearing black and disguising the face with a hood. The contact lenses were the main costume use as they were meant to scare/thrill the audience and they were used for the reveal of the characters face. The weaknesses of our thriller were the poor lighting and unsteady shots as they lower the quality and overall standard of the production. They were things we could not do much about once editing and so had to make the most of the clips we had.

In our prelim task we used a graphic match of a mug and a biscuit to show connection between them. For our thriller we also used a graphic match between the eyes of the person, snake and dice.

We also used another new programme when editing our thriller to make the title called final cut we used it to make two shot into one show a snake behind the title name.

The main thing we have progressed with since doing our prelim task is with knowledge of the subject and how to use camera shot to create meanings for the narrative such as using low/high angle shots to change someone’s power and how graphic matched can show connections between things. As well as this we also found that going from a comedy western to a thriller required a lot of different conventions and therefore needed a whole new mise en scene to create the desired genre.

(prelim screenshot) (thriller screen shot)

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

this was the line we used as our 180 line

The main technologies we first used were a video camera, tripod and mac. We first learnt to use these when doing our preliminary task and used very basic shots and learnt that it was important to take more that one shot of each shot you need as it is unlikely the first shot will be completely correct. We also found that the 180 degree rule was something very important for continuity. If the 180degree rule is not stuck to then things will be in the wrong place, e.g. if a conversation of two people doesn't use the 180 rule then the person will switch to the reverse side of the screen and look unprofessional.
The camera we used was Sony handy cam, it was very easy to use as the only buttons we used were the on and off switch, record button and the playback button, we have no problems using the camera technically. However we did learn that you must turn it off when not using it as the battery runs out fairly quickly.

The tripod was very helpful especially when using it for our thriller. It allowed us to change the angle of the shot whilst keeping it steady and we were also able to higher the camera on the tripod for an effective birds eye view shot of the candles around the board.

Lighting the camera is important too as better lighting means a better quality shot. The lighting of a shot can also be very effective e.g. shadows. The troubles we had with using the camera were the lighting conditions as it did not pick up the light in the way we had hoped, we had to over come this problem by adding candles and shining light in form outdoors by opening a door.

 When composing shots it is important to centre the middle around thing you want to focus on most. When framing a shot we learnt to use the golden mean which is a diagonal line with two points which draw attention to themselves. Another way of framing is to use a grid with 4 crosses, at each cross will be an area of interest.
We also used a regular digital camera to take pictures of our filming to post on our blogs.

For the editing process we used a variety of programmes:
imovie was the main one we used as it was where we imported all of our footage and placed it together in order. We then had to trim clips and make sure that match on action was accurate by splitting and deleting parts of the clip. Another thing we used Imovie for was to edit the clips and make them darker (this is done by adding exposure) with more contrast to make them more ominous and give them more atmosphere. The only transitions we used were fade to black as they made the shots flow better and the fact that it faded to black rather than white makes it seem darker. The constant fade to blacks in the last seconds almost create an effect that make the viewer feel as though they are blinking, this made tension build. We changed the time length of the transitions to a very short second to allow the pace to continue flowing. We also used imovie to put in a still of our own movie ident. We planned to use garage band to edit out soundtrack together however not all the sounds would load into the programme so we decided to also use imovie to put the sound together. 

This is our ident we put at the beginning of our thriller

This is our soudtrack made from layering sound effects in imovie 

This is the range of effects you can chose from to put on your clips, we chose hard light as it  made the contrast harsh and the colours bleak.

This is how we edited the length of trasitions

Final cut is another editing programme we learnt to use to create or title at the end of the opening. We placed one clip over another and made both slightly transparent to they were faded into each other by editing the opacity. It was quite complicated to use and it was difficult remembering to render every time you changed something, however the final outcome was worth it as it made our title look much more professional. Final cut is very good for  making effects and animation within a shot, where as imovie is limited to a few simple effects final cut is capable of high standard editing.

This is Final cut, you use the layer bars at the bottom to put the two sections side by side, we then reduced the opacity in both shots so they could both be seen through each other.

Photoshop was used to create our movie ident. First we downloaded an image form the internet, we then edited it to make it look colder and we changed the colour of the eyes to match our snake eye contacts. It was easy to use as I had previously used it so we knew where all the tools were.

Editing our ident in photoshop

Other technologies we learnt to used Blogger, google, powerpoint, youtube and wordle. Blogger was used to help us keep track of our planning and publish posts about how we were getting on.

We found google very helpful as it was good for researching all about conventions and mise en scene we would need for our thriller.

was used to present to others our 3 pitches, it was good as it helped to clearly put across our ideas and therefore get clear feedback on them.

Youtube was used as a means of sharing our preliminary and thriller, also to gain feedback.

Wordle was used to help make presentations of conventions in an exciting visual way.

How did you attract/address your audience

o collect our audience research we used a questionnaire which included questions like how old are you?, what genre do you watch most?, What do you enjoy in a thriller? These questions helped us to decide what we should include into our thriller as using what people say they like should help us make a successful thriller. The questionnaire also helped us define who our target market was. We also got some feedback when doing our pitch presentation on which pitch idea they liked most.
The things we found they liked the most were psychological elements, suspense and tension, female protagonists and idea1-snake eyes.

We found that for our production narrative the main convention the audience said they would like to add is a female protagonist so we made sure we incorporate that in. We also used psychological elements with suspense and tension as these were what was asked for. We included the psychological element of fear and phobias in our production by going with the snake idea, we also used the religious idea to create spiritual psychological elements. The sound and mise-en-scene have also been used to create a psychological thriller. The sounds we used were very eerie and we included the religious sounds which again were very spiritual. 

For the mise-en-scene we used suitable costume (black cloak with hood) as it kept a sense of mystery, we know our audience like mystery as shutter island is a mystery thriller which they said they preferred. The props of contact lenses, chalk, dice and candles all worked well together to create a spooky atmosphere.

Shot showing composition of centred props with use of mysterious costume

 Finally camera shots and editing were used together to make suspense and tension for the audience. We used camera shots which hid the villain, creating suspense about who they are and what were they doing, the shots were also composed to draw attention to the mise-en-scene such as the candles and chalk, by doing this it made the sub-genre, of psychological, we were trying to achieve more clear. The editing was what built the tension as I made the shots much quicker toward the end of our opening, the tension built upto the climax of our thriller of the scream and contact lens shot.

One our thriller was finished we showed it to some of our target audience to see how it had lived up to their standards and expectations.

From what they had expected they were very satisfied with the results and commented on the unconventional idea that worked well with thriller themes.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

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

Mirimax and Lionsagte are both suitable companies to produce and distribute my media product as they are partnered and will work well together to support the film. Some Lionsagate films such as Abduction, Daybreakers and The Bank Job are all thriller based films and therefore means they would be experienced in distributing the film to the right audience and places, making the film a success. They also produce and distribute films of a similar genres, meaning they will address the correct audiences. Miramax is also an institution which has worked with many recognisable thriller and horror films such as No Country For Old Men, Reservoir Dogs, The Scream and Kill Bill. It too would be good for our film as it would help develop the film into a desirable one and create good publicity.

Miramax and Lionsgate are both American companies known for distributing independent and foreign films. Lionsgate is independent and is therefore more likely to fund our low budget film.

link to lionsgate website

link to Miramax website

How does your media product represent particular social groups

shot from above and behind to hide face.

We have only represent one character in our thriller, that is of a female villain. There is purposely little evidence shown on the character to give away clues as to what they are like and what social groupings they would represent, this was done to keep them mysterious and make you want to know a lot more about the character. The secretive side of the character is shown by the composition camera shots avoiding the face and generally being above and behind the back of the head. It is also shown by the costume of the black hooded cloak which disguises their identity. As well as this the isolated location makes you thing there is something a little abnormal with their behaviour.

shot of hands to show female

Throughout the shots there are clues to the gender of the character as we see the hands, mouth and some hair, however it is not until the final shot that we clearly see it is a female. This may seem shocking to the audience as it is unconventional. In the majority of thrillers the protagonist is a male and the female is always a victims, these common roles in thrillers are why the female villain is so unusual . We also found out from out audience research that they would be interested in a female protagonist as it is different to other thrillers and will therefore bring about new exciting ideas for the thriller and new narratives.
The character is also young however the age does not show any representation of naïve behaviour or innocence, however it may lead to questioning of perhaps a supernatural or spiritual cause as to why as young girl would be doing this.

Finnished thriller: Snake Eyes