Evaluation

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

My thriller does conform to some of the conventions found in thrillers. It is set in accessible locations, which is usually the case in thrillers. The characters involved in my thriller are average high school students. There is nothing bizarre or unusual about their characters - they are just everyday people as in the case of most thrillers. Also, I carefully selected the actors to play the roles. I feel that they convincingly played their roles to the best of their ability to portray the characters they were meant to convey, which can be an issue when producing a film without professional actors.

It does challenge several features of traditional thrillers. This is because of the type of thriller I have aimed to produce (a cult teen thriller). Usually in thrillers, the music is used to create suspense throughout the entire film. I have used music to develop the character and to an extent to narrate what is happening on the screen for the opening scene. Also, I have used music with lyrics, which is usunusual but I wanted the lead character to be seen as though she was listening to the music herself (diagetic music). It is only when I reach the dream sequence that music is used to create suspense. Instead of building up to something happening. I have used the opening to disorientate the audience as what is going on. This is not a usual feature of thrillers.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our film has a clear representation of youth. In our thriller, the youth are represented in a very negative light, only being as involved in drugs, alcohol, smoking and they are somehow linked to the murder. Some of these activities such as drinking, are often associated with the youth of today, so my thriller has conformed to the stereotypical representation of youth. However, it has been taken to the extreme.

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

I feel that some media institutions may distribute my product - the most obvious being the film industry. Trailers and possibly a premiere would be developed and organized for the film to promote the product effectively. Obviously the trailer is pivotal in the success of a film. A trailer has a limited amount of time to reach out to its target market, therefore the clip must be of high quality and be able to entice the audience to want to view the entire film. Film premieres allow the film to be publicized around the globe, not only giving actors publicity but also the film company itself. Due to technological convergence, the internet can also play an important role in the distribution of the product, allowing people to view the trailers online either by their own choice of viewing or being forced upon them through pop-ups on popular sites such as Facebook. Also, some companies promote their film through podcasts, where they interview actors, directors and people who have already seen the film. These are made accessible via the internet. An example of this is "Sunshine", where Danny Boyle (the Director) did a five minute interview, which was accessible for people to watch online.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our film is aimed towards ages 15 and above, and possibly no older than 30 as some of the content maybe frowned upon by older generations. The reason I feel that our thriller would be aimed towards people over the age of 15 is because of the reference to drugs and alcohol, which would be persistent throughout the film. Due to this content I would classify the film as a 15.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience through the content of the film. My target audience often are attracted to risky behaviour so to have a film that revolves around all these types of behaviour and showing these activities would interest the targeted audience. Also, the choice of music appeals to the target audience involved.

The fact that the thriller is based around drugs and alcohol mainly, would appeal to the possible audience ( as named above) as they are more likely to be able to identify with the issues covered and probably more curious about them.

If the film were to be released I would try and attract them through the usual ways such as trailers, interviews, podcasts, premieres and reviews in magazines and newspapers.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of construction this product?

I have learned how to do a Vertigo shot/Dolly Shot, which was a tricky and took a good 15 minutes of filming as at the the same time as moving the camera out, you have to zoom in on the main focal point. This distorts the background but keeps the main focus(Beth) at the same point in the screen. Also, I learned how to edit and create different effects like slow motion through the use of I Movie.

I learned how to cut the music up into segments and how to integrate the actions to match what is happening on screen and the importance of this to emphasize what is occurring on screen.

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

Since my preliminary task, I have learnt various things not only in the production and development, but the importance of team work and co-operation. In the editing of our prelimanary task some of our shots were left and held for too long. This was not the case in our thriller. In order, to keep the audience interested I ensured that shots were not held in one spot for longer than 3 seconds so it did not drag on. In the editing I learnt how to add various effects like the change in contrast and how to insert titles. Also, I managed to incorporate a variety of shots, which were not included in the preliminary like the vertigo shot (which was especially difficult).

Another way I feel I've progressed is through overcoming difficulties and adapting the original plan. An example of this was the locations. Due to the locations for the dream sequence being quite difficult to get to, especially with all the film equipent and props, we changed the location to my back garden. This actually enabled us to incorporate the trampoline, which I feel is effective in the dream sequence.