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.

BEYOND THE LIGHT OF DAY

Making Changes

Soundtrack

Something that was repeated in my audience feedback was that the sound wasn't 'smooth'. Some feedback said that it was too 'abrupt'. Because of this I tried fading my first soundtrack in which is when the first title comes on - 'ENIGMA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS'. I didn't like this as I think it sounds more effective when the soundtrack comes in suddenly. It also sounded strange as the first beat was a lot quieter that the second beat, as you can see on the photo, therefore I'm keeping it as it was before.

I also tried making the sound 'smoother' when my voice-over comes in. The reason it isn't so smooth now is because I  decreased the volume of my soundtrack when the voice-over starts. This therefore ruins the continuity of sound. When I first put this soundtrack in I did try to fade in the volume decrease, however it didn't work. After getting my feedback, I tried to change it again by changing the volumes of both parts to make the continuity smoother, however it still didn't work. I can't keep the soundtrack the same volume all the away through otherwise the voice-over is overpowered. For this reason, I am keeping it the same.

Taking off scream

Other feedback that was repeated was that some of the screaming sounds unrealistic. I have always been unsure about this scene as I had also thought it looks and sounds unrealistic but previous feedback had told me otherwise. After getting feedback from my final product I decided to take off the scream. This still sounds okay due to the other diegetic sound of the heavy breathing and the ambience.

Changing the font of my title

Feedback told me that the font of my final title didn't suit the thriller genre and that it was too sic-fi. However other feedback told me that it suits my product as it goes with how modern my sequence is, for example the white BMW. When I first did my title I did try a lot of fonts and I thought this one looked okay. Although the font of my other titles throughout my product suit the genre, I thought using a similar font would look boring, therefore I wanted to choose something different.

I changed my font to Lantinghei SC. I think this still looks good and it definitely suits the genre. I asked other media literate people what they thought about this change and they said it looks much better, they like how it's more slick and taller and they also think it fits with the genre more.

Summary

• TITLES DON'T STAND OUT

Some say my titles stand out and that they are good. However, some people think the titles don't stand out and that they need to be made bigger. When I first added titles to my sequence they were smaller than they are now, then I decided to make them bigger as my media teacher told me they were too small, therefore I am not going to change my titles, despite my audience feedback.

• FLASHBACK IS TOO LONG

One of my concerns was that the flashback was too long, as typically, flashback's are a lot shorter. I had feedback that said the same. I asked my media class if it would strengthen my product if I made the scene shorter however they disagreed, therefore I am not going to change it.

• SHOTS NEED TO BE MORE STEADY IN THE CAR

I disagree with this feedback. Previous feedback has told me that my cinematography skills are good, and that the variation of angles and shots in that scene work really well. I am going to ignore this feedback as I think that the scene in the car is the most professional looking part of my product.

• PURPLE FLASH NOT NEEDED

I did try taking off the purple flash during the feedback, however I think it works better when the effect is included. I did take a red effect off earlier on in the contraction stages of my product as I had feedback saying it was 'too much'. I am going to keep all my effects I have included in the flashback scene as it emphasises the flashback and male characters state of mind and also contrasts with the previous scene.

• FELT LIKE A TV DRAMA

I do not agree that my product looks like a TV  drama opening sequence and even if it does I am unsure what I could do about this as I think it would mean having to change a lot of aspects such as the filming, editing, sounds, titles, characters, costumes and even the narrative.

Feedback

After uploading out final products, both media classes watched everyones products so we could get more feedback. This was useful as the feedback was from media literate people meaning the feedback I did get was specific to media language, therefore helping me to improve my product. It was good as the feedback was written down anonymously, decreasing social desirability, meaning the feedback I got was honest and included constructive criticism, rather than being unuseful.

Final Product

Choosing Titles

I decided I wasn't going to put titles in scene two because I thought it would be too much due to the voice-over, however after investigating with my titles I like them in this scene. I will put names of the producers in this scene, and names of the actors in scene three.

When I did my title sequence research both Rubicon and The Game used a simple font in capitals. Seven had two used two different fonts - one for the name and one for the description. This shows that my research has inspired my ideas. I also found that the colour white was conventional in title sequences.

I really like the titles I chose for scene three as they looked really good with the effects I have added. However when I got some audience feedback I was told that they weren't needed and they look as if they are there for the sake of it, therefore I took them off. I still think this scene looks good however I would have liked to make it into a title sequence.

Further Progress

I have improved my opening sequence from my first cut by:

• Adding diegetic sound of ambience in the first and forth scene

• Adding screaming of the girl while she is being attacked as well as grunts

• Adding diegetic heavy breathing in the first scene, this also adds as a sound bridge to the next scene which improves the continuity of my product

• Adding the title 'ENIGMA PRODUCTION PRESENTS', which also acts as a bridge to the next scene

• Choosing to cut the diegetic sounds of the ambience and breathing when the male character shuts his car door - I think this is effective due to the shot I chose to use earlier on, demonstrated in the post 'Decisions' as it emphasises that the character is 'shutting out' the real world

• Adding titles, however they were too small and I needed to bring them into the frame more

• Adding the sound of the engine to cover up the silences between cutting the voice-over which improved my continuity of sound

• Adding effects to the flashback/scene three

• Taking out the shot of the car after scene three

Choosing Sound

I think my thriller opening sequence is boring at the moment due to the lack of sound. I am going to add some non diegetic sound to scene three.

I looked through my iTunes to see what might suit the flashback scene.

This is a song by Bon Iver called Blindsided. I want something that is quite soft but mysterious, which isn't really conventional of thriller movies. I would just use the opening of this, before the singing starts, however I think the acoustic guitar makes it sound too romantic.

This is Bon Iver - Wolves. Again, I would only use the soundtrack, without any singing. I prefer this one to Blindsided, however I do still think it sounds too romantic.

This is The XX - Tides. The pace of their music is similar to Bon Iver however the genre is different. I think this style of music better suits the thriller genre as it is less folky. I would just use the instrumental of this song, without the lyrics.

This is The XX again and the song is called Fiction. I think this goes well with my thriller opening sequence. The crescendo at the beginning is good as it fits with the slow motion I have used.

This is my fink choice, it is The XX - Fiction, but just the instrumental.

Summary of my Audience Feedback

Feedback from my First Cut

My First Cut

Preparing for my First Cut

I created a questionnaire to hand round to my media class for when I show them my first cut. This will help me as I can get specific feedback. This will then help me improve my product.

Decisions

One of my main decisions today during editing was which shot to use when the car door closes...

1. A shot of the car door from outside

2. A shot of the car door being shit from the inside

I feel this is an important shot in my product as is symbolises closure. It could also be interpreted by the audience that it symbolises the start go his journey.

I chose the second shot as I think it makes it more powerful as it's more personal. It connotes that the character is in his 'own space'. This creates representations of the character already, such as secretive and mysterious.

Construction

Following my filming, I started to edit my shots. I am doing this on Final Cut Pro, an editing software that the college have on Macs. I have used this and similar software for three years now so hopefully it won't be too challenging to use. However, the software has been very slow and jumpy today, so for the three hours I was editing, I didn't get much done.

The main thing I was focused on was getting my shots in the right order. I still need to change shots round, add more shots, take some out and add sound, effects and transitions.

Final Ident

This is my final ident. I added even more visual effects when 'Enigma' appears as again, I think it makes it look more professional and interesting for my audience.

Further Progress with my Ident

Following my initial changes, I need to alter my ident even more to make it look like a real product...

1. Sound

When the cat is in the frame I think silence will more more effective than sound as this will add to the secretive and mysterious mood which I have already created through the colour and slow motion, as well as the black cat itself. When the production name comes up I have chosen a sound effect which is also quite mystical, therefore it suits the rest of my ident.

2. Production name

My production name is going to be Enigma.

Definition: a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand.

This obviously goes with my ident as every denotation I have included is to create the connotaion of mystery. This also goes with the thriller genre as a convention is to create an enigma.


3. Visual effects
I have also added some effects when 'Enigma' appears as I think this makes it look more professional.

Progress with my Ident

I have started to make changed to the original clip I got from YouTube...

1. Cut the clip

I have only used the end of the clip as I think the framing of the cat is better as you can see all of the cat in the frame. I also like how it dissolves out at the end, I think this adds to the mysterious mood that I want to create in my ident.

2. Slow motion

I think slow motion works well as it also adds to the mysterious and secretive mood. It helps to draw the audience in.

3. Colour

I added colour to my ident to make it look more professional and aesthetically pleasing. Purple is the main colour I chose and this is because it has a lot of connotations which are also connotations of black cats.

INDIGO - wisdom, experience, dignity

VIOLET - intuition, elegance, destiny, inspiration, magic

PINK - perception, vision, insight

Beginning my Ident

This is an idea for my ident. I thought of the idea of using a black cat because many people have superstitions about them. This then goes on to create the effect of mystery. Other black cat symbolisms are intelligent, secretive, supernatural, and independent.

I will cut this clip down, add effects, sound and a production name to make it original.

Video from YouTube that I will develop

Ident Planning

This mind map will help me through the process of creating my ident as it includes everything I need to consider when making it. It also includes what makes up an ident - the brand, identity and logo.

Filming

I needed to complete my filming on two different occasions, due to lighting. The attack of the girl needed to be filmed at night and the scenes of the girl walking and the man driving needed to be filmed in the daylight.

I was going to film the girl being attacked (scene 1 and 4) in this alley way. However the weather delayed my filming. The actress would of had to sit and lie on the floor which would have been unfair to make her do in this wether.

I gave these to my actor who was doing my voice over for me. He recorded his voice on the video camera whilst reading the script I gave him. This worked successfully.

This sheet was a rough shooting script that I used on the days of filming. I found this better to use that my neat, final shooting script as it was all on one piece of paper.

I started filming at 8:30am for the driving part (scene 2). The weather was perfect for this scene due to the mist. I thought this created a brilliant atmosphere to shoot in as it gave my shots a more mysterious tone to them.

Unfortunately one of my lights didn't work for my scene of the attack in the dark. Luckily I rented out two pieces of lighting equipment from college, so I did still achieved what I wanted to achieve.

Something that went well was the filming in the car. I thought it might be difficult to get good, clear shots as it could have been hard to hold the camera still, however the outcome was much better than expected. This shows that my cinematography skills have developed since beginning the media course.

Making Changes and Adding Bits In

After completing my storyboards and my shooting script I have decided to make a big change to my idea. This is because as part of my audience feedback from my first draft shooting script I was told that my shots are repetitive and could get boring. My idea is also inspired from Collateral, one of the thriller films I analysed when doing my research. I have made part of a shooting script to represent my changes.

This will be the second scene, following the attack of the girl, and before the flashback of the girl in the field. I will have to eliminate some shots from scene 3 (the flashback) or make the shots shorter to fit this new scene in. I think this change will make my opening sequence more interesting as it will give it more of a narrative.

Detailed Planning

I chose my actor for this new scene specifically. The car he owns (above) is also perfect for a part in a thriller movie. This creates representations of the character, such as wealth, that he is 'up to date' and also innocence because of the colour.

A male character is always conventionally the one who is out to save the 'damsel in distress'. Propp, a narrative theorist would describe my male character as 'The Hero, who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds at the end.' My actor who will play this character is a good choice as he has a very natural serious face which will connote 'that he means business' to my audience. He is a good age (early 20's) as he shows that he is young enough to have ability and old enough to have experience.

He will wear a dark polo shirt, where the colour will connote power and the style will connote class. This goes against conventions of the thriller genre as this type of character would usually wear a suit.

Photographic Storyboard

This photographic storyboard just gives a representations of the shots. Its main purpose is to focus on the cinematography of the product. It does not include the same location, costume or characters.

Final Storyboard

A storyboard is another compulsory task when producing a media text. It is helpful as it gives the creator a better representation of what the product may look like, following the shooting script. 

Storyboard Development

Final Shooting Script

Detailed Planning Prezi

Detailed Planning

Before I begin my final shooting script I am going to do some detailed planning of the mise-en-scene I am going to include in my opening sequence. I will explain why I have made particular choices, what this suggests to my audience, how it represents particular people and places and how it will target my audience.

Audience Classification Research

I want to suggest rape in my opening sequence when the girl is being attacked, however I wanted my audience to be aged between 15 - 25 and didn't know if suggestions of rape was aloud to be seen in a 15 classification so I did some research. A 15 classification is aloud brief scenes of sexual violence therefore my target audience can remain aged between 15 - 25.

15 Classification

• strong violence
• frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking

18 Classification

• very strong violence
• frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’)
• strong portrayals of sexual activity
• scenes of sexual violence
• strong horror
• strong blood and gore
• real sex (in some circumstances)
• discriminatory language and behaviour

Annotating my Voice-over

In my voice-over I have tried to include clues and hints of what might happen for the rest of the film to make my audience carry on watching...

Voice-over

In my thriller I am including a voice-over, which is conventional of the thriller genre. I didn't really know where to start when creating my voice-over as I haven't thought about the characters life in detail. This made it difficult for me as I didn't know what has happened in his past and what will happen in the future (the rest of the film). To help me make a start on my voice-over I went the website thescriptlab.com and read the article 'Top 10 Voice-Overs In Films' which included snippets of voice-overs from films such as Sunset Boulevard, The Shawshank Redemption and Fight Club.

This is what I have created...

"My inconspicuous life, lead to my legitimate life to being crushed. The whole act was a misconception, I thought no one knew, when in fact, I was the one, I was the one that was oblivious, caught up in malicious behaviours, ravelled in immoral attitudes.

They were good, they were undoubtably good. Proficient and skilled. I thought that I could use easy answers to shortcut myself to success, instead, they were used to shortcut myself to defeat. For some beings in this world, their legitimate lives don't matter, a percentage don't even have one. For me, it did matter, Jennifer mattered."

Changes to my Idea

Despite all my feedback being positive about my idea of the titles, I don't think I am going to carry this through. Here, I have used snippets of storyboard to represent my changes and I have explained why I have changed my ideas.

Audience Feedback on my Shooting Script

We handed round our first drafts of our shooting scripts in our media class and wrote on what we did and didn't like. This was a helpful task as it shows me what other respective media students think will be successful and unsuccessful therefore helping me to improve my ideas and shooting script.

Shooting Script

A shooting script is compulsory task when producing a media text as it tells us exactly what shots we need to take when filming. This has also helped me a lot as it has helped me imagine what my final product could potentially look like, meaning I can make changes dependent on this.

Audience Feedback for the Name of my Product

These are the completed question sheets that I handed out to my media class to help me choose a name.

I created this bar chart to present the results I got from my audience feedback. 

This has ruled out four of my options. Out of Fatal Innocence and Beyond the Light of Day, I prefer Beyond the Light of Day. This is because it sounds more inconspicuous and mysterious than Fatal Innocence does.

Choosing a Name

As I haven't got a name for my thriller film yet, I jotted down any names that came to mind on Notes on my iPhone.

I then chose the five names that I thought were the most 'catchy' and created a little question sheet to hand round my media class so I can get some audience feedback on what is the best name.