Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Question 6

What Have You Learnt About Technologies From the Process of Constructing This Product

Question 7

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

Preliminary Task:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFN9f-1zpus&list=PL41C7588BE5F684A3&index=12&feature=plpp_video

Thriller Opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io2aW0nfXzs&context=C484766dADvjVQa1PpcFPBcYQ9ZoE2HQ8etHEgfitOHDu99hgDsOI=


It is important to understand the dramatic contrast in criteria for these two tasks. From the preliminary task, we were expected mainly to grab a vague understanding of how the camera we will be using works as well as the editing software. A small range of camera angles were to be used in order for us to begin to understand the different shots that can be achieved with the equipment we are given. Other tasks included applying the 180 degree rule, successfully demonstrating match on action and using shot/reverse shot - all very simple aspects of the camera 'world'.
The expectations of our thriller was much more advanced. We were expected to successfully utilise and develop all aspects of mis-en-scene including location, characters, costume, lighting, camera shots, sound etc. We had to use independent research to gain the knowledge of how, when, why and where to use these techniques in order to demonstrate, symbolise and represent certain messages to our chosen target audience.

Although the preliminary task did not fully prepare us for what we had to come, I feel that the planning and research we carried out to support our practical work aided us in creating successful thriller projects. Many thriller films and the symbolism they contain were drilled into us, as well as our own independent research.
The step from preliminary to final was drastic and the main difference was from using different aspects of a generic thriller mis-en-scene to gaining an understanding of why we were using these conventions.
Our research for our preliminary task was very basic. Because we were only just getting to grips with media and the different shots used in a film, we focused on using a wide range of shots and getting them just right, rather than choosing them for a specific reason.
The research for our thriller opening was of course much more advanced and required more time and effort. To develop our knowledge of the genre, we produced many case studies into different films from the genre as well as certain scenes within the films. In order for to make the most out of the project I saw it as necessary to carry out independent research also. With the preliminary task providing us with a basic understanding of the majority of aspects within the mis-en-scene, we were now able to use these as a base to expand on and ensure we knew 'why' these aspects will be used. The research process was arguably the most vital in determining a successful project and without it and with just the understanding we had at the preliminary stage, our films would have no significance as a thriller.

Our preliminary task required us to tell a very simple story. This did not need much thought and no meaning was needed for the camera angles, mis-en-scene, editing techniques, sound, location, costume, casting roles... I could go on. On the contrary, in our thriller, it was essential that every, tiny, little detail of the project was thoroughly examined to ensure that the symbolism of each second of the film was present. Each camera angle used was symbolic and had a meaning. Each location was chosen for a specific reason. Each character was played by an actor for a valid reason and the costume on each of them symbolised something individual. All editing techniques were used for effect and not just to look cool. See below a few of my favourite examples of how we used different aspects to symbolise and represent different messages in our thriller.

The obvious comparison here between car and man shows a juxtaposition in size. The huge car compared to the small teenager signifies the boys vulnerability.

Only half of the boys body is showing here and his face is not on screen. This presents an enigma and questions can be raised as to whether or not the boy is as he seems. (Suggesting homosexuality).

The stairs used in this shot symbolise the struggle that Robbie has as a homosexual within the youth of today's society. This technique is also used in Carol Reed's 'The Third Man' .

The bars in this shot represent prison cell bars which signify both crime and violence - a key theme associated with the youth's of todays society. This technique is used by Quentin Tarantino in 'Jackie Brown'.

The dramatic contrast in lighting to the previous setting here symbolises how the character of Robbie has entered a 'whole new world' much like in Peter Weir's film 'Witness'.

The cross dissolve transition used here shows an advance in time.

The dirtiness of the sink here shows the disgusting representation that our society of today is stereotyped as. The dirt on the side could also be otherwise viewed as blood - therefore connoting violence.

This close up shot of a symbolic prop here draws focus solely to this object and forces the audience to concentrate on the more thorough detail and meaning behind the shot as it is the only thing within this shot.

When viewed in video, this shot appears in slow motion which creates the feel of disorientation amongst the audience consuming.

The titles we used for our thriller required serious thought. It is important to strike a balance between something that stands out and is easy to read as well as something quite different.

This low angle shot makes the audience feel vulnerable as they are looking up at the attack/violence. It also means we sympathise with the character of Robbie as he is the victim of the attack.

Just these few examples clearly show how every aspect of the film are thoroughly considered in order to portray the message intended by me, the director, to my audience.


Our preliminary task did not require much thought into casting decisions. There was no acting as such rather than two figures needed in order to shoot a compilation of shots used in media.
Our thriller opening on the other hand was the opposite. Great thought was required in order to determine who was perfect for each role. Our research helped us to do this. Looking at successful thrillers and pin-pointing how and why the characters did what they did allowed us to see how they did it, highlighting once again how important and useful the research element of the project was. A full analysis of our casting decision can be found here:
http://charlieclarkemedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/character-profilescasting-decisions.html

The preliminary task did allow us to improve our skills of working as a group and gave us the challenge of a deadline to meet - much like our final project. We each began to understand how the media industry provides tough competition and not everybody will always agree. The preliminary task forced us to deal with these dilemmas so that we were able to oversee them when it mattered, our thriller opening.This prepared us well for our main project.
We had to be mature from the first day we began to plan. Having a slightly larger group than what we did in the preliminary task had both its positives and negatives. At some points it was harder to control and take in all input from everybody. However, at the same time it was good to receive a wider range of ideas. Tasks could also be carried out more easily simply because of the fact we had more people. Since the preliminary task we have all learnt to adapt to each other's way of working which is essential in this industry and without a versatile method of working the process would be impossible.

Question 3

What Kind of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product And Why?

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?



We spent time together and sat down as a group to determine our target audience for our thriller film. After some thorough research into the genre, we finally came to a conclusion. Here's what we did:

1. Brainstorm - Before deciding on any specific aspects of our film, we first had to come up with a plot so that we had a basis for our project. As a group we each had our own individual input into what we wanted our film to be about. There would be times where we had similar ideas which would mean that that particular aspect of the film would be included, and also times when contrasting ideas would lead to research in order to determine what would work best in attracting our chosen target audience.
2. Research - Once we had a rough idea of what kind of thriller we were going to shoot (crime, drama) we then researched into this very specific genre. The film we found that best gave the effect on its audience that we aspired to, was 'This is England' by Shane Meadows. Although not your classic thriller, its gritty feel correlated perfectly with the idea we had produced as a group.
3. Associations - We then researched further into this film alone. We looked at different reviews from users of the website http://www.imdb.com/ in order to determine why they enjoyed the film and what they felt could be improved to make it that little bit better. As well as this, we also looked at what other films the same audience enjoyed, and looked into what made these different films a success.
4. Decision - After a long and thorough research process, we eventually came to a decision on who our specific target audienece would be. We wanted to attract a younger audience (15-30), prodominantly male. We also felt that a British audience would be more interested than others.
5. Production - We then began to incorporate the different elements of the research we had found into the production of our own thriller.

Finding your audience is one thing, but the key part to a successfull production is ensuring that you attract that audience. We therefore had to base each and every aspect of our thriller around this target audience and what best suits it.



We deliberately chose characters who are easily relatable to the younger generation in todays society. This meant that their look as well as their actions had to be much similar to what we see in everyday society. We based our characters around those from 'This is England'. However, not too much detail was needed to go into the characters purely because we only shot two minutes of footage and so not much is given away about each character. To see full character profiles click this link: http://charlieclarkemedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/character-profilescasting-decisions.html





We felt that relating the camera work to the general feel of the younger generation in modern day society would enable a successful project. Therefore we chose to use a large quantity and range of shots as well as a mixture of transitions so that a wild, jumpy feel was given - correlating to the lifestyle of many youths in todays society.
Close-up shots were also vital for us in attracting our target audience. Close-up shots allow the audience to identify with the character's emotion, which in this case could be similar to those of their own due to the relatability in age. However, in our thriller we focused or close-ups more on objects than characters and so our extreme close-up of a wallet was the significant shot. Youths of today all wish to have money and a lot of the time this is to aid their drug use. The audience can therefore relate to the theme presented with this shot.
We also had the camera work as quite shaky at various points in the film in order to symbolise the disorientation and confusion that many youths feel through their adolescence. In a more detailed evaluation, the confusion surrounds the life of a youth experiencing difficulties with their sexuality - a key theme in our thriller.




We decided to challenge the conventions of the thriller genre with our soundtrack to an extent, whilst also ensuring that the eerie/mysterious feel that many thriller soundtracks give off, remained. We wanted our soundtrack to contrast with the camera work. However, we needed to make sure that the soundtrack proved fitting for our chosen target audience. We again researched into films that we saw as similar to our own and after some research into music used in Shane Meadows later films 'This is England 86' and 'This is England 88' we saw that he used a similar technique. We felt that by slightly contrasting visuals and audio, confusion would be present amongst our audience because of the juxtaposition between the fast cutting camera work and the slow, mysterious, non-diagetic sound. This unusual approach would be sure to hook them. After a thorough search we finally found what we thought was the best piece of music to compliment our film. Although quite soft in tone and rythm, the music still has an eerie feel to it - fitting suitably with a conventional thriller soundtrack. The track name is 'brandish' - it was downloaded from the website http://www.mobygratis.com/



The harsh reality of our British modern day society is that a lot of youths spend much of their time on the streets. As a group we felt passionate about this and therefore chose to reinforce this assumption and stereotype of our youths. The first part of our thriller opening is set in a location much similar to what many see in reality, this again allows them to relate to our film and get more from their consumption as a result. Our opening would suggest that much more of the film will be set in similar locations and as this setting is now relatable to our audience, they would be intrigued to watch the rest of the film. The public toilet in which the second half of our thriller is filmed is very 'grubby' this suggests vandalism - another connotation of the youth society of today. All of these stereotypes that we have addressed through our location enable our audience to relate to our film.



I conclusion, we carried out useful research into what we saw as our specific target audience and used this research, along with further information we had found, in order to make our project as successful as possible - we knew that several aspects would need to be focused on in order to achieve this and we worked to cover all of these aspects, both in our shoot and our edit so that we could have a good chance of doing this.

Question 2

How does our media product represent particular social groups?

We focused on two different social groups in our thriller and researched into numerous other films prior to the project in order to gain an understanding of how they have previously been represented. The two social groups we focused on were youths and homosexuals.

Youths

In modern day society, youths can sometimes be portrayed in the media as more mature and sophisticated than in reality. With actors in their 20's often playing the role of a teenager, the intellect is further emphasised, even though it is untrue. A perfect example of this would be the character 'Kim' in the film 'Taken’ by Pierre Morel. She plays a teenager who travels with her friend to Paris, suggesting a sensible and reliable attitude. This is unrealistic and would be

unlikely to take place in reality. This false representation is further emphasised by the fact -as previously stated - that the actress who plays 'Kim' was in fact, at the time, 25, almost a whole decade older than her character. As a result, we can conclude that the representation of youths is often a positive one even though it may not necessarily be correct; perhaps the writer and director are collectively trying to falsely represent the youth in a positive light in order to present hope surrounding this social group. 

This is not always the case however. Other films such as 'This is England' by Shane Meadows adopt a different approach and portray youths in a very different light. The main character in this film is young Shaun, played by Thomas Turgoose who was in his early teen years when taking on the role. His character, along with his friends in the film, act in a very immature way, finding themselves in lots of mischief. This film, although set in the past, challenges a typical portrayal of youths of today who we wrongly assume to be 'young adults'.

Shane Meadows film was an inspiration to us and many aspects of his film are also included in our own (e.g. costume, setting). As a result, we decided to reinforce Meadows' representation in our own thriller and ensure that youths, who dominate our cast, are represented in a negative way, as we strongly believed that this was realistic and the truth in a modern day society. We focused on a clever use of camera angles in order to support the representation we were attempting to convey:

• A regular use of close-ups enables the audience to take a closer look at what is in the shot. We felt that by showing the character of Robbie on screen through use of this shot it would highlight any 'boy-ish' features and therefore make the audience realise that this character is just a, young, naive, immature teenager. This shot of the character Shaun from 'This is England' shows his hand very close to the camera. The close-up shot allows the audience to see the smallness of his features and how he is still 'un-developed'. The irony of the shot is how the action that the boy is performing is very grown up but he is not. We come to the automatic conclusion that although he puts on a grown-up act, deep down he is still a child. We used a slightly similar shot in our own thriller opening. We had an extreme close-up shot of our character, 'Robbie's', hand when being washed in a toilet sink. This (much like the shot above from 'This is England') allows us to see, due to some child-like features that this person in the shot is just a teen. He is not powerful or dominant, but instead, an un-important, irrelevant youth.

• We regularly used a high-angle shot. This displays the character(s) in the mis-en-scene as inferior and lower in a social hierarchy, simply because they are lower in the shot. It can also be seen to give the impression that somebody is watching over you, in this case the high angle shot could symbolise the youths being under the watchful eye of their superiors (police), thus underlining that their immature behaviour that needs supervision. As well as highlighting Robbie’s inferiority and vulnerability, this high angle shot

also allows us to establish location. In this case, Robbie has entered a bathroom, which is small and confined compared to the outside where he has just come from. This claustrophobic feel is a key thriller convention and is used throughout several thriller films, such as in Peter Weir’s ‘Witness’ where the young Amish boy enters a bathroom, much like in our own thriller. By establishing location in our thriller it enabled us to highlight how Robbie is tiny and irrelevant to his wide surroundings, thus emphasising the inferiority of youths.

• A mixture of camera angles/techniques (tilt shot, shaky camera work) and editing processes (slow motion, mixed transitions) helped to represent a feel of disorientation. This theme attempts to display how the youth of today as a general group are fractured due to the broken environment that they have been brought up in.

• Location was an important factor to consider when attempting to represent youths in the way we intended. We needed to include some rural/gritty areas in order to show the kind of environment that many are forced to grow up in. The dark, gloomy exterior shots show the streets in the most dingiest way possible and I feel successfully show the grim reality that many youths of today consider as their everyday life.

• Costume had to be thoroughly assessed in order to enforce the negative representation we were attempting. Scruffy clothes highlighted the carelessness of the social group and truly emphasised the juxtaposition between this very distinct social group and the higher class youths of the world who dress smartly all the time.

Homosexuality

Although not explained in our project, we originally came up with the idea that the reason for the attack in our thriller opening was due to homophobia. It is a subject that is often not highlighted in the media, however when it is it can cause speculation and controversy surrounding the subject. Brokeback Mountain (although a drama rather than a thriller) attempts to make people more aware of homosexuality and encourage its audience to accept it as a result. After thorough research into this social group, we found that Brokeback Mountain was one of very few films that surrounded this. We therefore decided to challenge the representation in that film in our own project by portraying homosexuality in a negative way. There were not many ways in which we could give this portrayal to our audience due to the fact that it was only a two minute opening to a thriller and not a whole film. Also, it is not confirmed that this as the reason for the attack in the opening and therefore it was a difficult task. Were we ever to go on to film the rest of this project, various different techniques could be used within each mis-en-scene regarding homosexuality in order to give it a negative portrayal. For example, use of camera angles would be vital; much the same as when giving a negative portrayal to youths, high angle shots would be essential to display any homosexual characters as minors. Cast would also be vital. The vast majority would be heterosexual so that any homosexual references were minority and seemed abnormal as a result.

Question 1

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

Thriller films often use similar techniques, whether it be through use of camera angles, sound, locations, themes, costume etc. These are known as thriller conventions. In my short thriller opening I have chosen to use many of these so that a classic thriller feel is given to the film, and it is constantly injected with suspense and tension.

I would say that the main inspiration for the idea of my short thriller opening came from the bathroom scene in Peter Weir’s ‘Witness’. When watching this clip in class, a real impact was given. I felt that if I could achieve similar types of intensity and suspense, the project would be a success. I therefore took some conventions from this scene and developed them in order to make my thriller as successful as possible:

Contrast in lighting: Although this technique is not necessarily considered or listed as a thriller convention, I have seen it throughout many thriller films during my research such as 'Jackie Brown' and 'Taken'. I also felt that this technique is a primary contributor to the success of the toilet scene in 'Witness' and so should be identified and noted as a result. There is a strong and clear contrast between the dim lighting and very spacious surroundings of the airport, to the extremely bright, confined bathroom that the boy enters in the film by Peter Weir. We tried to show this obvious differentiation in our thriller by using the technique contrasting lighting. The juxtaposition of the two brightnesses in ambient lighting symbolises how the character entering the new location means that they are about to experience a drastic often dramatic change in action. In 'Witness', the boy plays witness to a murder, in our own thriller, the teenager who enters goes on to be attacked. The lighting is used to foreshadow events.

                          








Theme of claustrophobia: I also used the idea/theme of claustrophobic spaces in order to strike a similarity between 'Witness' and my own thriller. This technique is also used throughout many successful thriller films:

• In 'Essex Boys' by director Terry Winsor, a garage is used as a claustrophobic space as well as a white van later on in the film. Winsor's film mostly surrounds violence and this idea of placing a character within a small, confined space allows the audience to view him/her as trapped, linking with the theme of violence.

• In Quentin Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown', when Ordell meets with Beaumont outside his apartment, the small gap that Ordell leaves between him and Beaumont gives off the same, claustrophobic feel. Not coincidentally, Beaumont is murdered by Ordell shortly after this - meaning that the chlaustrophobic symbolism has been used to foreshadow something negative, in this case violence/murder.

• Tarantino uses this technique throughout several of his films - another notabale example and perhaps the most extreme use of this technique would be in 'Kill Bill Vol 2'. The Bride is buried alive in a coffin by Bud and his trailer trash friends towards the beginning of the film. There is no escape for The Bride.

• Perhaps most famously used in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' the confined/claustrophobic space is demonstrated with Marion Crane taking a shower - unaware of what is about to happen because of the curtain behind her and the diegetic sound of the water.

Drastic change in volume: A change in the volume of non-diegetic sound between each scene meant that the juxtaposition between the two different settings was emphasised. The music at first was quite slow, deep and quiet suggesting a gloomy feel, linking directly with the abnormally slow movement of the car at the beginning of my thriller. This is changed immediately once the boy in my thriller enters the bathroom, with an increase in the volume of the soundtrack as well as the diegetic sound of toilets, sinks and hand-driers; the drastic increase in overall volume created was obvious and so the intensity and anxiety felt as an audience is maximised.
This technique has been used many times across the history of the thriller genre, perhaps to best significance again in 'Psycho' by Hitchcock and the famous shower scene. The volume of the scene is filled almost entirely with the gushing water from the shower head. This is until the attacker begins his slaughter. The non-diegetic music comes into play with great effect. Piercing piano notes give the volume of the scene a dramatic increase and it is almost painful to listen to.
See the famous scene here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4



Close Ups: An infamous camera shot used widely in the thriller genre is the close-up. I explored thriller films from some of the most successful directors of this genre in order to pin point, when, why, where and how this shot is explored. Below are a few examples of close-ups of both my favourite and the most successful directors of the thriller genre:

Quentin Tarantino - Kill Bill

Stanley Kubrick - A clockwork orange

Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho

Peter Weir - Witness

It is obvious that most truly successful close-ups shots are of a characters face. This is so that an association can be drawn up with this character. We chose to challenge this conventional aspect of the thriller genre by having close-ups of other aspects of mis-en-scene. For example, we have a close up shot of main character's 'Robbie's' hands when he is washing them in the bathroom sink. We felt that this symbolised the irony of how he is cleansing himself even though he is about to be brutally attacked. We also included a close-up shot of a wallet. We felt that this would allow the audience to distinguish the significance of this prop within the film as a whole - it has been used as a diversion by the attacker. Positive feedback towards these shots give me an understanding that I successfully used the 'close-up' to signify certain messages within my thriller and I did not need to use a character's face in order to do this. I have therefore successfully challenged thriller conventions.

My close ups:

Costume: I would again argue that I have challenged the conventions of the thriller genre with my choice of costume. With a vast majority of thriller films surrounding certain 'gangs' the costume described would be mainly for the male cast. A classic interpretation of a thriller costume would be a suit and trilby hat. Older films that fit this stereotype would be 'Once upon a time in America' by Sergio Leone and Carol Reed's 'The Third Man'. As the thriller genre has moved through time with society, films such as Essex Boys see a fairly plain and hard hitting mode of dress such as jeans and leather jacket - much like a thug of today's society.

My thriller fits neither of these examples. I could have chosen to adopt a 'film noir' feel to my thriller but I feel that this would hugely limit me to what I could do with the film. It is hard to pin point a thriller film that has the costume range I have selected. The mod inspired look I would describe my main character to dress like, originated in the 50's but was also hugely popular amongst certain subcultures right through to the late 80's. The look is more recently coming back into fashion with popular high street shops including 'Topman' stocking items much inspired by the 1950's culture. My explanation behind the decision was purely because I feel that the bulk of youths in todays society can relate to this culture and associate with the film as a result. I also felt that by challenging the conventions of the thriller genre, should my thriller prove successful, I will have gained a much greater sense of achievement than if I had played it safe and gone for a more traditional interpretation.


The process of utilising and challenging thriller conventions in my project was quite a complex one. After consuming numerous thriller films, I explored many different thriller conventions that I thought worked well on giving an edgy, tense feel to the film (the mood I intended to set in my opening) and tested them out in shooting to see if they would work in the project. If happy with the effect that the conventional techniques gave off to an audience, I incorporated these in my own thriller opening. I investigated thoroughly into many different types of thriller films in order to understand how techniques are used in a variety of ways. I have used similar techniques in order for our project to be successful and create the classic thriller feel amongst our audience. If feedback was successful, I would keep the shot/technique/theme and perhaps expand on it, otherwise it was back to the drawing board.