Question 7

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

Before I had to begin to start my planning and filming my opening sequence I had to carry out a preliminary task, in which we had to film and edit a simple scene. Within our preliminary task Tom was appointed the role of director of photography which Scott and myself were starring in the clip.

From carrying this out I had discovered how to switch angles of the camera to create a realistic effect for the audience watching, so that they could feel connected to the characters. This played a massive role in helping our opening sequence much more professional and more pleasurable to watch.
We also learnt that through re-doing clips it became much easier within the editing stage, this is because if one clip was not up to our standards or incorrect in anyway we would not have to go back to re-film as we would have backups. This became very useful when filming our footage for our opening sequence as even though it was time consuming at the time, in the long term we had saved a lot of time.

Having completed this preliminary task, we now have experience on how we can film and edit our opening sequence using different angles and editing skills. We learnt how to use the stand and camera and use many techniques for creating different effects using them. However we did struggle to repeat certain angles and positions of the camera when filming the conversation between myself and Scott, this is because we had to change the camera position each time one of us replied in the conversation. This was tricky as we had to return the camera into the exact same place, otherwise the whole clip would have been out of focus.

Here is the female victim, played by Sophie Ledwith and next to her the killer, played by Tom Tovey.

Question 3

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

Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Within my opening sequence I used two characters, a female victim who was played by Sophie Ledwith and the male killer played by Tom Tovey. Sophie played the victim who was eventually murdered by the killer; this is a very conventional representation of victims within the thriller genre. The victim tends to be a female gender to represent vulnerability as females are stereotyped as the inferior sex. My group and I chose to use this convention, as we believed it was a successful method to relate the audience to the narrative of the opening sequence.

Tom played the villain who murdered the female victim, this is another conventional choice of characters as stereotypically males are portrayed as the superior gender therefore the female would be very powerless compared to him. I chose to abide by the convention as it is a very effective element used within thrillers. This characters was tall and had his identity hidden, I believed this would appeal to our audience, as they would most probably react in the same way the victim did. Having the killers identity hidden created a larger impact of suspense on the audience, as they were unaware of the killer's appearance therefore unaware of what he might do.

I believe my characters build a relationship with the audience as they are of similar ages therefore can connect with them in a stronger way, this included the characters wearing very conventional clothing for their age group. This will make it more relatable for the audience watching as they become aware of the age of the characters through this. There are many different existing thrillers that include female victims and male killers for example;

• Halloween- Male killer, many victims equally of both gender however main victim was female.
• Scream- Male killer, many victims all of the female gender.
• Psycho- Male killer, other victims however main victim is female.
• Last house on the left- Male killers, female victims.
• Hide and seek- Male killer, few victims however main victim female.

Question 1

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

My opening sequence included many generic thriller conventions including;

• Chase scenes- which is used in many famous, successful thriller films such as Scream and Halloween. Within these thrillers several victims are chased by the villain, therefore within my clip there is a chase scene where the female victim is chased by the Killer in the forest. Throughout my research I found that during the chase scene the killer seems to walk in a fast pace rather than run like the victim, this is believed to make the victim seem more vulnerable and the killer seem deranged and superior.

• Female victims- which is the most common thriller convention, used in many films such as Paranormal activity, Jaws, Roommate and Scream. Within these thrillers, the main and majority of the other victims are female. For example Roommate, which uses a young, pretty female as the villain of the film. However within my thriller I decided not to subvert against the codes and conventions of a thriller, as I did not have much research collected on thrillers that did this and stereotypically females are the weaker more vulnerable gender. Therefore the audience can relate to my choice of characters as they are aware of these stereotypes.

• A forest setting- which is used within The Blair Witch Project, which is where most of the surprise and shock elements come into action. Within my thriller 50% of the footage is filmed within a forest location, it creates a higher level of suspense and fear for the audience as it is not a comfortable or familiar setting. The use of all the dead trees conveys the victims future, as she is in danger at the specific time the trees appear in the frame. They also create more suspense and drama for the audience as they become connected to the character and become distressed as they can not see anywhere for her to hide from the killer.

• Low-key lighting- which is used within aspects of most if not all thriller films for example Halloween and Scream. This is the main convention used to help build suspense for the audience. Low key lighting begins in my thriller sequence when the chase scene begins, this was used to create a scarier atmosphere, as the low key lighting builds up more suspense and shock for when the killer captures the victim. The low key lighting used within my opening sequence gradually becomes more apparent as the narrative becomes darker and more dangerous, this is used to alert the audience of the upcoming events within the narrative.

Handheld camera- which is used within documentary films such as Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. This is used used to create a very realistic effect for the audience. Within my opening sequence the handheld camera effect was used many times from the victims point of view, it was used to show her point of view and portray her emotions to the audience as the camera becomes jerky and unstable. There is also another point within my opening sequence in which the killer is holding the handheld camera, this is used to convey his control and emotionless behaviour towards the victim, we added in an effect over the footage to emphasis this representation. 

• Iconography- I chose to use a hammer as the weapon, this is because it gives effect when the weapon choice subverts from the stereotypical weapon. For example within Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a chainsaw is used instead of the stereotypical knife. Although I did make a slight choice in iconography which was not conventional to most thrillers. Instead of using a knife was the weapon, I chose to use a hammer, this is because my killer had to be portrayed as deranged and I believe this is a good way to reflect this. I directed Tom to hold the hammer and make a hand gesture with it, I believe this gave him a much more terrifying portrayal as it looks like he is enjoying stalking his victim.

All of these conventions plus many more are used within thrillers to help build suspense for the audience so that they are aware of the genre of the film and become frightened. When watching a thriller the audience become drawn in by the conventions as they experience the three S's, suspense, shock and surprise. To create the 3 S's films need to include many generic conventions, however many films challenge the codes and conventions of a thriller. 

Overall I do believe my thriller is conventional, as it includes many codes and conventions in which the audience can become aware of the genre of the film, they can associate all of the elements and effects that I have used towards the thriller genre. The title of my opening sequence is 'Aphotic' which is another word for 'Dark'. I chose this to be the title of my thriller as it is very mysterious which reflects the narrative of my actual opening sequence. I believe this is a very conventional title for a thriller as it has a deeper meaning which represents the atmosphere of most thrillers, it builds suspense for the audience as they are unaware of this deeper meaning until the end of the film. 

Rough copy - Miss Miller

As a group we had created a rough copy which we then presented to our class and teachers along with a powerpoint explaining why each element was used within our opening sequence.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TFiGapK1e0

The purpose of creating our rough copy and then presenting it was to gain others peoples perspectives on how we could improve our opening sequence. The suggestions and criticisms we received were very constructive and helpful, for example some comments said;

• More sound effects should be used to create a larger impact on the audience.
• The editing should be faster to build up the suspense.

We took the comments on board and decided to add more sound and speed up the editing, this has made our opening sequence a lot more professional and conventional to the thriller genre. We added in a constant soundtrack within the background of our sequence that begins when the killer is first seen, this is used to emphasis the danger of the character. We also added in sound effects to enhance things such as the footsteps through the forest which are loud due to the build up of suspense, we also added in a heartbeat sound effect for the victim during the chase scene to relate to the audience as they all have a heartbeat that they have experienced fasten in scary situations.

We also received positive comments such as;

• Very clear narrative
• Good variety of camera angles
• Well presented credits

The positive comments made us realise what not to change within our opening sequence, because of this we carried on presenting our credits in similar ways to keep pleasure for the audience. The feedback we received was very helpful as it was from people who fit into our target audience, as they are in the age group of 16-17, therefore we have made our opening sequence suitable for our specific audiences pleasures. 

Planning editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking, and is used to connect to the audience by creating different emotional responses. Editing is important because it can change the whole atmosphere of the film, e.g. a very fast edited sequence will create a lot of excitement and a very slow edited sequence will create suspense. 

Within our opening sequence we will use many editing effects to help set the narrative and connect to the audience. One main editing style we will use will be timing of shots, this is when within the editing stage some shots are either edited slower or quicker to add emotional impact or to create suspense. This is a very useful editing style to use as it can can be used in many different situations within the sequence, for example; quicker editing when the girl is being chased to create suspense and slower editing when the girl is hiding to create an emotional impact towards the character. This will help connect to the audience as they will have an emotional connection towards the situation within the opening sequence. This editing style is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates emotional responses that all conventional thriller films create, for example; suspense is a very big emotion desirably created throughout all thriller films and it will created throughout our opening sequence.

Another editing style that we would focus on within our opening sequence would be the kuleshov effect, which is when two shots are put together to give the audience a third meaning. This effect would be used when the girl is first being followed, the audience can see the girl being nervous and worried and they can see the killer behind her with a hammer. From this they receive a third meaning that he wants to follow her and kill her, this is a third meaning that they have assumed. This editing style will help connect the audience to our opening sequence, as they will be interested in the narrative and characters. This editing style is conventional to the thriller genre as there is always mystery involved within thrillers to help create the three S's; suspense, shock and surprise. Thrillers aim to create these three S's as they entertain the audience which is the aim of all movies.

The third main editing effect we will use within our opening sequence will be the wipe, which is when one part of the screen moves away to wipe another. This will be used at the very end of our sequence when the phone is the only thing on the screen ringing, once the phone is wiped the end of the scene will suggest that the victims life has been taken. This will help connect to the audience as they now know the main focus of the film is the killer and they will want to carry on watching to see what happened to the victim and what the killer will do next. This editing style is conventional to the thriller genre as the wipe stereotypically represents death, which in this case represents the death of the female victim. Death is a major convention within thrillers because it create shock, which engages the audience to the rest of the narrative. 

Opening scene narration - Miss Miller

The narrative for our opening sequence is a teenage, blonde girl on her way home from her friends house, she enters an alley and then turns into a road, while the killer makes hes first appearance when he is revealed behind her.

• For this shot we used many different angles to establish the character and the setting, therefore we used mostly long shots and mid shots.
• The lighting used was a natural lighting as we was outside, however gradually the lighting became darker as the night approached.
• For the shot of the killer we used a long shot that helped create effect as he was in line with the victims body and as she turned away he began to hit hes hammer showing a very disturbed hidden agenda.

 She then begins to feel as if she is being followed, this makes her paranoid so she turns around to check and nobody is there however this does not ease her worry. She decides to cross the road and enter a field.

• For this shot we used handheld to create a jerky and unstable atmosphere as the victim is feeling very paranoid and unsafe. Other shots used are long shot and mid shots as the setting is constantly changing so we choses to keep establishing it.
• An editing affect is used on the handheld shot when the killer is watching the victim, this shows an unhinged behaviour from the killer.
• The lighting remains the same, natural from the surroundings, however as the victim is walking through the alley leaves and bushes block out a lot of light for form a mild aspect of low key lighting.

As she begins to enter the field she here's a loud noise from behind her, she turns around quickly to see there is the killer standing behind her dressed in all black, with hes face covered as he is holding a hammer.

• We used handheld again to make the transition of shots quicker and more effective to the audience, the audience also get to experience the victims perspective which helps create a relationship between the two.
• The camera is never held close or for a long period of time on the killer as we hoped this would create more mystery and keep hes identity hidden more effectively.
• The lighting is still natural to the setting and no extra light is being used from artificial sources.

 She decides to run further into a forest, while she keeps turning back to check for him and he is getting closer and closer, she then falls over a large stick and hides behind a tree.

• As she is running through the forest the last handheld shot is used, throughout the duration of the chase scene. This is used to create fear and suspense for the audience as they can see how close the killer is behind the victim and the struggle she faces trying to move fast through the forest.
• The lighting is beggining to get darker therefore low key lighting is being used. This creates danger and suspense for the audience watching.

 The killer walks in the opposite direction so suggest the victim will survive, however then killer grabs her and drags her from behind out of the camera view.

• The shots used now consist of mid shots and a close up. The close up is used when the victim is hiding and waiting for her chance to escape, her face is very distressed and worried therefore we chose to use a close up to highlight her emotions.
• The lighting at this point is very dark, the low key lighting makes the scene much more scary and conventional to the thriller genre.

The final scene is of her phone ringing again on the floor with her unable to pick up, this suggests she is dead.

• The shot used for this is a high angle which represents the killer having the superior power over the victim, the shot of the phone also suggest the victim has been murdered.
• The lighting is very dark to highlight the phones screen once it starts to ring.
• The ID of the person calling is anonymous, this is because it represents danger and also projects enigma as the identity of the caller is hidden which is simular to the killer.

We believe a lot of our improvements will be made through the editing stage, this is because our opening sequence involves a lot of different angles, shots and no sound. We will add in a lot of sound effects to enhance the noises of things such as; leaves crunching, heavy breathing and heartbeat, as this will create a lot more of an effect.