Progression from Preliminary Task

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

In terms of research and planning for filming, we planned a lot more as we knew we wanted it to look better as we were not happy with how our preliminary task turned out. This meant we researched thriller films that were effective within their genre and generated some ideas. We planned our shots with the genre in mind, however we were less reliant on the storyboard as when we started filming we changed some ideas as we felt we could make our media product better. This showed how we were much more considerate of the mise-en-scene and compositions. In our prelim task, we used similar shots which did not create as much suspense, so in our film opening we used a variety such as long shot, mid shot and close up as this created more tension. Our skills with the camera improved as well as we decided that it would be best for me to film as I have a steady hand, so it would look better overall and cleaner cut. I have also learnt the skills to use a camera in my photography course which has helped me to apply my knowledge when filming and achieving the right exposures in each shot which I did not know about earlier on in the year. Filming was also a much quicker process, as we knew what we wanted to achieve so did not have to do as many testers like we did in the prelim task.

In terms of post production, we learnt how to use more effects on Adobe Premiere, as in our prelim task we only used simple cuts between each shot. For our main task we took the thriller genre into consideration, and we wanted to build suspense, therefore we included many fade to black effects at the beginning to set a slower pace. As well as this, we learnt how to add text for the credits which were not used in our prelim task. This helped it look more professional. Music was also added to our film opening as this is a key factor in building suspense in thriller films. We did not use music in our prelim task, which made the overall piece not at its best as the sound of the camera recording could be heard.

Technologies

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

Here is a Pixton animation I created in response to this:

https://Pixton.com/ic:48vlewnx

Audience

Who would be the audience for our media product and how did we attract/address our audience?

I created a powerpoint in response to these questions:

Distribution

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

For our film opening, I researched companies that distribute thriller films and I noticed how Warner Bros has distributed multiple thriller films, including ‘Orphan’ which is one of the films I researched.

However, as our film is low budget, it would be unlikely that a mainstream company would distribute it. I then researched companies that distributed independent films, preferably thrillers as well. Kaleidoscope Film Distribution distributes independent films including thrillers, so this would be more realistic company that would distribute our film.

As our audience is 15+, Netflix has become more popular recently to watch movies on. Statistically, in the USA, 65% of people who watch Netflix are between the ages of 16-24. Overall, this shows us that the majority of people between these ages watch movies on this platform, therefore, as our targeted audience is 15+ this would be an ideal media institution to distribute our media product. 

Representing social groups

Gender
In our media product, we included both genders, however the man was not properly seen. We represented the girl as not too stereotypical of being overly 'girly' wearing lots of make-up, especially as she was on a run. The stereotype of girls being into their appearance is represented, as she is a teenage girl of the age 17, which is typically an age where girls are most self-conscious, therefore by her being on a run, it shows how she is conscious of her weight and appearance. Even though it is not needed, she is wearing a small amount of makeup which adds to how girls are constantly thinking about how they look. We also represented the female stereotype of women being weaker than men as she is the one being preyed on and when he kidnaps her she is unable to defend herself.
In terms of male representation, we showed him in the shadows spying on the girl after stalking her for a while. This reflects on the stereotype how men are more aggressive than women, and are usually the ones preying on women. This also adds to how men are stronger and more dominant compared to females especially as the girl makes no effort to run when she sees her stalker showing how he immediately had power over her.

Age
Our film also represents age, with the girl being a typical teenager who is conscious of her appearance. At the age of 17 she is still dependent on others which is shown through her phone call to her mum, and adds to the sense of vulnerability she has despite still being mature enough to be by herself. It is usually younger girls that are preyed on by older men who are paedophiles. This is represented in our film opening as she is alone in a forest, being unknowingly watched on by a man.

Class
Class is slightly represented in our film opening as the girl is shown to have higher class as she is well-spoken and polite. The man is of lower class which is made evident by him living in a small, messy and cramped room that is filled with the girl's pictures.

Using, Developing and Challenging Forms and Conventions

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

Conventions of real media products:

• Establishing setting
• Introduces character(s)
• Introduces plot

These are achieved through the use of mise-en-scene, lighting, music, font and editing etc.


Mise-en-scene

A high angle to low angle pan transitions into the establishing shot that depicts of multiple photos of the main protagonist and her belongings. It is also messy with paper and litter scattered around suggesting that someone lives there. This is the first clue to the main theme of stalking and kidnapping.

Lighting

In the first scene where the photos of the main protagonist are displayed, there is low-key lighting used. However it is bright enough to show everything clearly so the viewer understands that someone is plotting against her.

Low-key lighting is typically used in thriller films to build tension and anticipation, so the viewer is kept in suspense. In the film opening of 'Orphan', low-key lighting is a key convention and overall looks effective as a thriller.

Editing

In the film opening of Orphan I analysed, the shots were placed together using a 'fade to black' transition and I thought this matched the thriller genre well as it created more suspense. Therefore, in this scene we used 'fade to black' to make it flow so it does not look jumpy. It also sets a slow pace, to build even more tension.

When she is running in the forest, we used 'cuts' to set a quicker pace to build up to the highest point of tension. 

This convention is typically used in thriller films to add action to the scene to build tension, and was used in the film 'Shutter Island' which I analysed. The fast pace in the 'Shutter Island' opening was also matched with music that grew louder and faster, which when researching our background music, we wanted it to slowly grow more tense, as our end shots were the highest point of tension, therefore, we felt it did. 

Font 

For the opening credits we decided on a font that looked similar to handwriting as this links to the title of 'Dear Diary'. Credits are a typical convention used in films, included in all the films I researched.

For the title of the film we wanted to have a different font from the credits so we found this font that looked like it had cracks in it to show it is broken. This can symbolise the plot of how the girls life suddenly falls apart. We used a similar transition to the film opening of 'Orphan' as the text zooming-in was quite effective. However, we had the text move quickly in to match the fast pace of the rest of the film opening.

Sound

In all the thriller film openings I researched, they all included diegetic sound of music and no ambient sound to give the sense of being trapped and isolated. This was effective, especially in 'Orphan' and 'Shutter Island' as the music was very low and a fast beat which added to the tension.

We also included dialogue in our film opening which challenges conventions, as film openings are typically made up of diegetic sounds, such as in 'The Purge', calm orchestra music was used when showing brutal scenes.

Final Outcome

Editing Journal

Monday 23rd January
- As Chloe had already saved the clips onto her memory stick this saved time in the lesson so all we had to do was import them onto our computer. However the computer we were working on turned out to be slow so this ended up taking a whole lesson.

Wednesday 25th January
- After having them imported we went through each clip choosing the ones we wanted to include and deleting the unnecessary ones. We then cut down each clip in order and renamed them 'clip 1', 'clip 2' etc so that it would be easier for us to recognise them.

Friday 27th January
- We continued to cut clips down as it was a slower process than anticipated due to the computer being slower than expected. We also rendered them as we went along so that we could watch them back.

Monday 30th January
- After putting all the clips into order we realised it was already too long especially as we had more clips to add in when we filmed the first part, therefore we had to cut out even more parts that were not needed. We also researched music that would match our theme and chose a thriller piece which we imported from YouTube and cut down to have playing throughout the shots. We also added in a 'twig snap' effect so that it could be heard better.

Tuesday 31st January
- Edit check in with Ms Mallet - 'add in dip to black transitions, title screens and opening credits. Make the dialogue louder and music quieter, can't hear what she is saying. I like the music.'
- In response to our teacher's feedback we started to add fade to black transitions between shots after finding out how to do this.

Friday 3rd February
- After filming the rest of the shots which were to be placed at the beginning, we imported them onto the computer and cut them down and placing them in order at the beginning of the sequence.

Monday 6th February
- We then added in transitions such as fade to black as well as testing fade to white to see what would match the scene in the kidnapper's shots. We decided fade to black was more effective and set quite a slow pace. In the end shots we agreed on simple cuts to set a quicker pace.
- We also did more research on music looking at websites such as YouTube and Orange Sounds to find one that would fit better and eventually found a thriller piece which we both agreed on.

Wednesday 8th February
-  During this lesson we added in opening credits and decided where to put them to make it look professional, after learning how to achieve this. We also tested out different fonts and eventually agreed on a white text in a handwriting-type font.

Friday 10th February
- This was our final lesson where the final outcome was due so we used our time effectively to add in changes and parts we had not yet done. One of these included the title of 'Dear Diary' at the end, however as we had already learnt how to do this it was an easy process where we only had to decide on the font. Once achieving this, we watched it through multiple times checking it was how we wanted before exporting it.

Monday 27th February
- Final outcome uploaded to youtube

Filming Journal

Sunday 22nd January

We filmed the main part of our film opening which was the main protagonist running through
Ockwells Park. We started with filming Andy's part as his was shorter to do so he could leave when finished. With the input of the actors, we differed from our storyboard as they suggested more effective shots we could use which turned out to look better. We then filmed Charlotte's scenes which were also altered due to testing different camera angles and shots and finding one we both liked.

Obstacles we overcame:

• As we filmed in a public place there were many dog walkers about so we had to stop filming so they were able to walk past and be out of shot. This made the filming process longer.
• Another problem we had was the intensity of the ambient sound which was not a problem for most of our shots as we cut the sound, but in one scene she was on the phone and talking, it is quite hard to hear her as the wind, cars and planes in the background are more intense. 
• With the weather still being cold, it was quite frosty which made it harder to film and affected our actors motivation to be outside for longer as we wanted to test multiple ideas. This meant we had to film quickly but our shots turned out well as we would briefly watch them straight after filming and would decide whether to refilm it. One example is when she runs off into the distance, initially I ran behind her but the camera shake was not effective. I then stood in the same place and zoomed in after her but eventually we decided it would be best for her to run and become smaller in the frame.

Wednesday 1st February

We filmed the scene that depicts of the kidnappers room whereby many photos of the main protagonist are shown. Initially we were going to film in the main drama studio where we could use the professional lights and dark walls to create a tense atmosphere, however this was unavailable to use. We then had to choose somewhere else to film and decided on the other drama studio despite not having any lights to use for effect. Luckily there was a small part of the studio that has dark walls and pegs which we used to hang up the 'belongings' of the girl such as her hairbands. The small space turned out to work well as we filled it with papers to portray how messy the stalker's living style is and how cramped his room is.

Obstacles we overcame:

• The lights were quite bright and gave off a yellow tinge which contradicted with how we wanted a dark frame to portray the dark and creepy atmosphere.

Music Research for Film Opening

Background Music Research

• In the beginning of our film opening, when the photos of the main protagonist are shown, we are going to include music as there is no other sound in this scene. Ideally we want to use quite eerie music to create a tense atmosphere, reflecting on how this scene is meant to be dark and uncomfortable for the viewer.
• We would like the background music when portraying the girl running through the park to sound quite innocent, reflecting off her character and how she is innocent and unaware of what is to happen, as well as sounding intense, and increasing tension.
• We are going to have one long continuous piece of music throughout the opening so that it flows through each shot using a sound bridge.
  

Title Research for Film Opening

Typeface Research

• Originally when deciding a title for our film we browsed ideas based on the main themes such as 'Lost', 'Hidden' and 'Kidnapped' as we thought that one word titles were much more effective and catchy.
• After changing the start of our film opening to be based on diary entries, we agreed that the film should be called 'Dear Diary' as that is still effective but does not give away the plot of the film and is quite unique.
• When we finally decided on the title, we had to find a font that could represent a thriller but still can be interpreted as innocent, so it will catch the viewer off-guard.

Some of the ideas of fonts included:

1.   Dear Diary…
2. Dear Diary…
3. Dear Diary…

• In terms of design, we want to use a white font on a dark background so that it stands out, as well as the colour white typically connoting peace which would be juxtaposed with the theme of the film.
• We also want a clear font so it could be easily read, and perhaps in a handwriting-style font to represent that it is a handwritten diary.
  

Costume and Make-up List for Film Opening

Costume and Make-up Research:

• The costume and make up element to our movie is minor and doesn't require any expense.
• Due to there also being only one character through the most part of filming, they will be wearing workout clothing, such as sports leggings and a hoodie which would be sufficient as the situation they will be in is running outside.

• The make-up element will be minimal due to the main protagonist doing exercise so will not need excessive make-up, and we do not see the face of the stalker so make-up is not needed.

• The other character of the kidnapper, who appears momentarily in the final seconds of the clip, will be wearing dark clothing and will be ideally wearing a hood so the identity is concealed. They will also wear black gloves.

Casting Research for Film Opening

Casting Research

• For our film opening, our main protagonist is a female so we needed a female around the age of 17 for this role, luckily as we attend an all girls school this was an easy task.
• As we want it to look realistic, we thought it would be best to find someone who does A-level drama so that they are comfortable with acting in front of a camera and can look natural.

The person we have chosen does A-level drama as well as having performed in pantomimes and musicals, and wanting to pursue a career in acting. Therefore, we decided that she is the ideal candidate.

• Additionally, for the character of the kidnapper, we needed a quite broad male as he would need to be bigger than the girl therefore more menacing.

Location Research for Film Opening

Location Research

For our movie opening we needed a large open field that was surrounded or was near a woodland area. The Thicket was somewhere that first came to mind, but due to the time of day we wanted to film, we felt, for our own safety, that it wasn't the safest place to be filming. After searching and looking at a few more locations, we finally decided to opt for Ockwells Park. This was a safer option as it was nearer one of our houses and has houses surrounding it also, as well as having a field with a surrounding forest so we could film in one location, not several. Finally, the forest itself isn't too enclosed and is popular for dog walkers so we wouldn't be filming in  an area that could be cut off from people. However, due to this locations popularity, we would have to go at a time where it wouldn't be as busy. But because of the time of day we want to film, if we were to film Sunday late morning, there may likely be less interruptions.

Ockwells Park: