Question Seven

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

• In the preliminary task, the main focus was to achieve the 180 degree rule, a match on action and shot reverse shot. These are useful techniques to have learnt, however more skills than these need to be known to produce a successful opening sequence. I didn't use the 180 degree rule or shot reverse shot in my opening sequence but I did use a match on action. This was used in my first scene when the girl is walking down the street. I filmed other match on action shots, for example of the car driving past, but I did not use this footage as it wasn't needed. I filmed a lot of my footage in the car, which I thought was a risk as it may be too shaky, however I learnt that successful shots can be taken in a car using a handheld camera.

• I worked with someone else in the preliminary task as I thought this would be easier as we could bounce ideas off each other, however I found this actually restricted my ideas. I decided to work on my own for my main task as I liked the idea of being more independent. I was worried I might struggle with developing my ideas, however all the audience feedback I received was helpful in the respect that it helped me develop ideas, without restricting any of them.

• I had to consider titles in the main task, which we didn't have to do in the preliminary task. I have learn that every detail is important when creating titles, from the size, the colour, the font, and the framing. If every detail is considered, more successful and professional looking titles will be created. For example, I originally positioned my titles on the very edge of the frame and when I got audience feedback I was told that it was conventional to place titles approximately 2cm in from the edge of the frame. One of the final changes I made to my product was the font of the end title. I did this because my original font didn't suit the thriller genre.

• Although there was sound in my final product of my preliminary task, I had to think a lot more about the type of sound I was going to use in my main task as this is what can make a film effective.

• In the preliminary task we did not consider miss-en-scene such as props, costume, lighting and location as we just used what was convenient for us. These factors make a huge difference when creating an opening sequence as they help grab the audiences attention. I took time in planning mise-en-scene for my opening and what connotation would be shown through these.

• I have also progressed in the amount of posts on my blog. I still need to develop my time management skills so blog posts are consistently posted which would add more continuity to my blog.

Question Six

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

Question Five

How did you attract/address your audience?

Question Four

Question Three

Question Two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my film on the left I am representing a middle class male and on the right is a screenshot from the film Taken which is also representing a middle class male. The lighting is similar in both shots which makes the image clear which then makes the audience see them as people who have a clear vision of what they want. They both have a very serious face which suggests they are confident men. The clothing I chose is dark, also similar to the character in Taken which implies to my audience that they are powerful and smart.

Here, I am representing criminals. On the right is a screen shot from the thriller film Law Abiding Citizen just as people are about to get attacked. The dark lighting in both of these shots represents criminals as secretive but dangerous. The dark clothing worn also makes them seem powerful, therefore making the victim seem weak and vulnerable. 

This shot represents young females. On the right is a screenshot from Taken. Their facial expressions look worried, representing them as the 'damsel in distress'. Their faces are much brighter than the surroundings. This contrast of light emphasises how dismantled they are from their 'normal' life which represents them as vulnerable.

I am also representing young women in this shot too and on the left is another screenshot from the thriller film Taken. The long shot shows more of the characters' body showing more movement, representing more happiness. The costume I have used is also much brighter than in scene one representing her as innocent. The location implies nature, also representing her as younger and naive. The lighting is brighter too, also representing younger women as innocent.

Question One

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

This is something we did in class to help us with this question. First we had to write down conventions of the thriller genre then we had to label them with used, developed or challenged.

This is a list of thriller conventions that I have screenshot from the post Main Conventions of Thriller in the research stage of my coursework. I have wrote about each convention and talked about how I have used, challenged or developed each one.

I am going to do a nine frame analysis of my product to answer this question further.

1. I have developed the conventions of an ident as I have used a clip of a cat and a fancy title. Studio Canal, for example, only use a title in their ident which is similar to mine...

2. Here, I have used conventions of an opening sequence. I have introduced a character and the location in the first shot. I have done this through camera work as I have used an establishing shot to set the scene for the audience. This also gives clues about the narrative away as it is dark and the girl is alone which could suggest that something bad is about to happen, therefore also introducing the genre of the film to my audience.

3. I have developed conventions of opening sequences here as I haven't created a title sequence. I chose to place my titles above the footage of my opening sequence, whereas other opening sequences I have looked at have a title sequence, such as Seven, Limitless and Rubicon. I took inspiration from Seven's title sequence when I chose the font of my titles. I have used two different fonts and two different sizes as I think this makes it more visually interesting for my audience and also looks more professional.

4. By using props to introduce a character to the audience, I have followed conventions. The expensive, slick car suggests that the character is successful. My use of camerawork also suggests that the character is important as the car is in the middle of the frame, where the point of focus is on the screen.

5. I have used conventions of thriller opening sequences here. The use of closeups emphasises the characters' emotions and the voice-over is typical in a thriller opening sequence.

6. The costume follows thriller conventions as the watch makes the character look masculine, representing him as a stereotypical male 'hero'. The mirror in this shot is also a convention of thrillers, especially psychological thrillers due to the reflections. It creates a good effect as it shows the audience more of the location.

7. In all the thriller films I have watched and analysed, I haven't seen any effects like I have used in this scene, therefore I am challenging thriller conventions. I chose to use these affects as it emphasised the flashback and the difference between the present and the past.

8. I have also gone against conventions of thriller here due to the location used. It is a convention that thriller films are set in urban locations. The use of the field implies, nature, vulnerability and purity, which aren't typical themes of thrillers, however I think it works well as this emphasises the flashback and how different things used to be, making the narrative more powerful.

9. My end title is very conventional, with a dark background and a light bold font. A similar title is used in Rubicon, Seven and The Game.