DANIEL PARSLOW

Media as coursework

Evaluation

Question one – how does your extract compare to other films in the same genre

Our film outline-The films is based around a young girl who makes vital mistakes at a end of year party, the party gets out of Control and things begin to go wrong, her friend is taken by an unknown person! The longer narrative willShow the young girl taking steps to getting her back, our opening is a physiological thriller and being only 2 minutes long shows a duel narrative between the police finding evidence in the remains of the party and the girl loosing her self the morning after. our idea changed dramatically from having a slow complicated opening as seen in “Watchman” with A montage of footage revelling an abduction and the effects it has had on the family, this was far to complex forAn opening in the thriller genre so we looked back at examples such as “signs” where the opening is simple But still creates suspense. So our first steps were to storyboard a new idea with this simple structure establishLocation introduce main character reveal slight narrative.

Opening of Signs were the main actor is waking nothing else – simplicity is key, When Compared to our opening you can clearly see we have introduced our main character without creating a complex edit or shot.

As you can see a simple lowAngle steady shot is used asOur main actress stubbles into Frame showing a broken heel, Connoting danger and incident. Simple as seen in Signs ( left image)Can not see character

This creates mystery and suspicion something we took Inspiration from “Citizen Kane” where no full face shots are Shown, adding suspense

Question one – how does your extract compare to other films in the same genre

Simple sans serif text over image Iconic to the thriller genre example seen in “Walk On The Wild Side” directed by Edward Dmytryk

White text over footage The production Company is Predominantly white Text over black Background, as seen In our film.

Something we as a group found important was not ending our extract dead on 2 minutes and having everything appear constructed, therefore we just ended our film in the middle of audio and footage which gave the impression the film would go on and have more to show not just 2 minutes. This would create a effective ending adding to the level of verilisimilitude

Things we did to reinforce our film as a physiological thriller..sans serif white text over footage .our film is dominated by diagetic sound – footsteps- comparisonWith “The Birds”.slow paced edit .simplistic shots, with some tracking and panning in comparisonWith “I Am Legend” and “Signs”.establishing shot of location in the beginning By putting conventions in place we clearly stated the specific genre ,physiological thriller, this meant we could research inot different Narratives and films in the same genre to gain a better understandingOf our opening

Types of semioldgy used.

Thrillers are all about creating suspense and engaging with the audience, we wanted to convey a lost and Disorientated character and emotion, to achieve this we used particular techniques.

One being titles, titles are not a major tool that directors use to portray emotion or a message however They are an integral piece of mise-en-scene. Titles can establish genre so I thought could they establish Tone and mood.Examples of titles establishing genre are seen in most sci-fi or action films.

Titles for mission impossible 2 directed by John WooAre over red fire connoting danger and action, the titles It self are Sharpe digital font connoting technology and actionBoth aspects establishing genre in a matter of second just With text therefore I did the same establishing mood , giving my Extract a disorientated feel with the titles blurring in and out and moving with no set pattern as shown on the right.

Lighting is a good technique to use to add mood, examples are “Sin City” whereThe shots are dark and sinister creating a comic book violent mood, in my film I had a cold grey tone with dark aspects but the cold colours where perfect adding An innocent yet bitter feel.

Cold tone Skimpy Cold colours Ripped jeans Messy hair DenotingIncident and StruggleAs well as a Teenage innocence

Dark light onCharacter,Example of Binary oppositionGiving character Mystery whichIs a integral partOf a thriller.

Question 2 – what stereotypes and representations have we used

Stereotypes and representation are cauterising a group of people and putting them in particular persona andCharacter such as “blondes are dumb” and “Americans are fat”, these are stereotypes, representation is createdThrough mise-en-scene and camera such as a high angle on a crying female will represent them as week butIn contrast a high angle on a woman wearing black, would represent them as strong and powerful.

Low angle em-powing him Masculine strong dark clothes

High angle de- powering her Wearing white and red princess likeDress making her famine and weakerChildlike.

Stereotypes we have used.

-White policeman

Iconic to any film or television drama,However stereotypes are beginning to change With the changing of society

-White main actress

High angle used to Represent actress as Weak and helpless,Also cloths are ripped andHair is slightly messy Conveying struggle and Stress

Question 3 – what institute would produce your film

Realistically this film is armature and would most probably go straight to DVD or would be produced By television broadcaster such as the BBC, the look of the film is bright and reflects a grey dull outlook iconicTo England and British produced films, and dramas such as “Three and Out” directed by Jonathan Gershfield.And “Survivors” from the BBC. Therefore I would say the BBC would be the more likely to have an interest in producing this TV film, there Are very little thriller/horror based dramas and TV films but some are beginning to brake through such as “Dead Set” and “survivors” both generating much public interest and exposure, which suggest there is a gap In the market for British based TV films.

Both our film and “Three and Out” having a similar grey British look and feel to the text

Another point is the Narrative and Representations Given in out film Dominated by whiteBritish which wouldAppeal to the publicIn Britain, and in Particular youth,

Question 4 – who is the target audience

This is an example of the survey sent out to allow me to Gage the perfect target audience for our thriller film, I sent this out To 50 people. And from the results my target audience are theYounger generations age between 13 – 30 predominantly male.

As you can see the audience is Predominantly male

age of audience

10 to 15

15 to 20

20 to 30

30 to 40

40 +

Are you male or female

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

female male

answered

Majority of age groups15 - 20

Meeting the needs and the expectations of the audience is Key. The question what is a thriller to you will enable me to Gather ideas and add them into our film so the audience is Familiar and engaged with the footage. one particular answer was “a thriller film to me is something that Draws me in appeals to me and gives me suspense and at timesIs frightening” from this quote we tried to do achieve these Targets within the 2 minutes as well as having it in context.

A film to compare ours with is final destinationAll though the plot is very different the audience is youngAnd the genre is thriller, both have a youth like feel and Both are certificated at 15

Question 5 – how do you address the audience

We wanted the audience to feel as the character feels, in this case alone and disorientated, instantly by putting the audience in the shoes of the actress/character it adds emotion but ups the rating of the film, Bringing it to a 15 certificate. Ways in which we conveyed emotion was not just through shots and dialogIt was through titles, M. Night Shyamalan director of films such as “Signs” , “The Sixth Sense" once said “music and camera are my special effects” this meant A lot to me and my group in that it highlighted the fact we did not have outstanding equipment and quality effects To add therefore simple effective use of the techniques we learnt was key. By having the titles blur in and out at different times and move in different Directions, connoted a disorientated emotion which in turn added to the empathy of our character. Along with the semioldgy used we added one point of view shot at 00:01:22 minutes allowing the audience To engage more with the text however I feel this shot was not well executed and should probably not of Gone in to the final edit, however it did and has added to the connection with the audience, but if I could change A few things with our final piece I would take that shot and either re do it or cut it out completely.

what we wanted the audience to feel.. empathy for the character. Disorientated and getting them to think about what has been going on and who is this girl. we also wanted the girl to come across as lost and in a slight panic/brake down. Our final point was to get the audience to guess and make assumptions giving the film a sense of mystery Something that any good thriller dose, examples are in the opening of seven where we see Morgan freemanWaking, leaving the audience to guess who is he? why is he being shown? what is his part to play in the film? thrillers are all about engaging with the audience making them think and jump, every thriller has this elementAnd ours was no exception therefore we did not show any characters face in a steady shot or close upthe camera always had her in the dark giving the frame a sense of binary opposition, asking the audience is she To blame is she a antagonist or a protagonist – creating mystery and suspense.

Point of view shot

First shot of main character in low angle and not fully seen adds mystery.

Question 5 – what did you learn about the technology

From having an experience in adobe Photoshop and adobe flash as well as a slight understanding of after Effects, my group and me grasped adobe premier fairly quick and easy, we understood that taking the RAWFiles from the camera and only keeping them on one computer was needed to enable us to keep developingOur project, from the start I have learned a grate deal not as much as some because of the past experience butI have grasped the concept of key frames in premier which is seen in the blurring of the titles on our opening, And in turn has developed my skills in after effects as that the two programmes are closely linked. for the camera side of things we filmed on a Sony HD camcorder, this was my first time ever using this type of Camcorder and my first time filming properly, I learnt a grate deal from the basics such as zooming and panning To more complex parts of filming. Light was our main object to overcome our first day filming was a bit of a Disaster, leaving it to last minute with little planning and trying to film a night scene. The camera could not Pick up detail and became vary grainy, I think this is because of the light exposure, the ISO in the camera, not Being set right. However it was hard to overcome this but with a change in idea we set out to film the house Seen with grate results where we practiced tracking shot which was a good success but in the end did not fitRight with the context of the film, which is another learning point editing. Editing was fairly easy it required timeAnd patience but in the end had reward. The only challenging part of editing was sound, easy enough to add in, But hard to make it fit so we had to learn another programme “sound booth” in this we learnt how to fade in and Out sound cut sound and even change particular parts of the song be it pitch or length. Overall I learnt a grateDeal with filming and post production, and still want to learn more, I have developed a keen interest in filmas a career and a hobby and intend to take it further.

At the bottom of theScreen is where youCan fade in or out a song

effects

Timeline showingPitch of each note

Question 7 – looking at your continuity task to your final piece how have you improved Looking back at the continuity task and my final piece there is a huge difference, from knowing what I do nowAnd looking back I can pick out so many things that are wrong, however with out that stage and learning Curve I would not have learnt anything so it was a vital step. One thing that was a problem was the group. myGroup changed dramatically with people leaving which was part of some of the problems with the continuity Task but was again a learning curve, for me trying to work with different people that I had no past relationshipWith was something new and something I Learnt from.

Continuity task

Final piece

Particular things that were improved.. In the continuity task background sound was not taken out and there was no planning so we just filmed where ever we could, Which is a big problem, 00:00:05 just 5 seconds in you can hear background talking and a constant noise. In the final there is no Un wanted sound we either took it out or dulled it down, unless its constructed ambience sound.. One rule that we broke, not intent ally, was the 180 degree rule this is seen at 00:00:11 to 00:13 seconds where it cuts to a Completely different door, loosing the extracts continuity, the 180 degree rule simplified is making sure you only film from oneSide not cutting all over that place which will make the audience question camera skills not the film itself.. Finally the main problem is planning and scripting we had no real script are were just “playing”. Therefore the whole extract lost itsContinuity, which was the main objective. Dialog was not flowing and framing was slightly of. However from these point made we Then went on to develop our skills and understanding of film and create something that is still amateur but something that has Thought, narrative, parts of quality , steady shots good techniques and overall I am happy with the end result. If I could go back and Do it again I would change the idea and really spend more time on each part be it filming or post production.

Question 7 – looking at your continuity task to your final piece how have you improved

This was an example of how I broke the 180 degree rule as you can see he walked in to a completely different door and was shot from the left the suddenly form the right. This would make the extract loose its continuity.Continuity task

He is an example if bad framing in the Continuity task as you can see first the Subject is well framed but as he exits the shotHe is cut of, something that in the final weImproved on and planed so this mistake Would not happen again

For our final we had to show a Varity of shots and techniques to show our development and our learning, the continuity task had limited shots and simple camera movements. Zooming with the

camera at 00:35 seconds

Hand held camera work at 1:48 second just showing a higher level of learning and development.