Ninthuja Saseetharan

Evaluation

1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of real media products?

I believe our sequence follows a conventional thriller’s narrative content, format and style of presentation. For example, we designed our storyline to fit the thriller concept, hence the dark use of colours throughout the sequence, dramatic tension and building suspense. This is also outlined in the emotions portrayed, consisting of serious, to pity, and pain, which sets the dim atmosphere. The opening sequence is set within the night, indicating a shrill event is to occur, which is a typical code used in thrillers. The film title ‘Living Nightmare’, doesn’t deviate from the theme of the film, as the word ‘Nightmare’ connotes a horror denotation, which allows the viewers to acknowledge this film is going to be based on realistic nightmares. The format of our credits doesn’t differ from the conventions of a thriller, as firstly the font and colour, pale purple is very basic, to maintain focus in the background, and to blend in with the dim atmosphere. Moreover, the storyline is based on a psychotic unknown villain by the name ‘The Games Master’ visits people in their dreams to torture and sabotage their happiness, hence nightmares. He kidnaps those and takes them back to his world, to enjoy watching them suffer. This is where Sai the protagonist enters the scene being one of his victims, however to the Game’s Master’s surprise, Sai is willing to save his life as well as all the other’s held captive, which is where the adventure begins, the battle begins and hidden secrets begin unravelling.

To elaborate, the climatic point of our storyline, when Sai has to keep revisiting his nightmares to encounter ‘The Games Master’, we had to ensure that we were utilising shots to illustrate the surreal effect. In addition we focused on after effects and transitions in the editing suite to illustrate typical codes used in thrillers. We also produced shots like canted angles to create the conventions of a thriller movie. Moreover, to maintain the interest of the viewers, each shot had to be kept to the minimalist, and straight to the point, to fit the thrilling effect. Our most predominant influence of this production was ‘A Nightmare on Elm’s Street (2010), which is a film based on realistic terrors occurring during nightmares; this is the link for the trailer of the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SulpWn6Glk. We concentrated on creating an intriguing plot, making our own interpretations of our storyline, which made it unique.

Link for our video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctzgf0nNevs

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our main character, Sai, is a young 10 year old Asian boy, who lives with his parents, Manesh and Nisha. I would consider this cast to be atypical in comparison to movies produced today, as films today are dominated by a white ethnic cast, whereby various ethnic backgrounds are usually presented as extras. However, recently there have been successful films produced today, which represent most specifically, the British Indian community. For example, Bend it Like Beckham (2002) and Bride and Prejudice (2004), directed & produced by Gurinder Chadha, an Indian/British film director. Using her position in the film industry Chadha promotes the Indian culture, allowing the wider population to familiarise with the Asian culture. For instance, in the movie Bend it Like Beckham (2002), the representation is arguably realistic, as we see a very strict Asian

lifestyle portrayed, where Indian girls are supposed to traditionally be married with time. Here is the link to the

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movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsmbObwStSQ. This juxtaposes the preferences of the main Indian actress, who instead pursues her passion for football, which expectedly doesn’t sit well with the Indian cultured family, as they believe football is stereotypically supposed to be a male hobby. The culture is also reflected through type of clothing; saris and Sikh turbans, the family frequently communicating in an Indian language as well as the Indian cuisine.

Our central characters in this sequence are of an Asian background. But they do slightly differ to culture representation of the Indian origin. For instance, the strong and fluent, British accent is defined as the sequence opens when the family converse with each other. The style of clothing also opposes the Asian culture, whereby they are seen wearing casual, English clothing. This represents the Indian community living today in Britain, who have adapted to the modern British culture. This certainly surpasses expectations, considering any Indian based movie usually conveys a strong Asian culture.

The family is portrayed with very traditional male and female stereotypes, consisting of a father, a mother and their young son. There are gender stereotypes highlighted from the beginning of the sequence, as it opens with Nisha the loving caring mother comforting Sai, while Manesh anxiously waits at the door, calling out to the mother just before heading out. The dominance is outlined, when Manesh is impatiently waiting at the

door, ordering Nisha that they need to leave that instant.

The family is also seen to be a stable, working/ lower middle-class, with Manesh being a Car Mechanics Manager/Owner and Nisha being a respectable Accountant. The parents set the atmosphere of an ordinary household, with no unusual characteristics to seem out of the ordinary. However this idea is contradicted from the facade Sai puts on as being a small, defenceless boy, when we witness his bravery as he is confronted by the antagonist, The Games Master. In his first realistic nightmare, we finally acknowledge, that this character, surprisingly turns out to be the protagonist in the film.

Ultimately, our film is based on the concept of Good Vs Evil: Sai Vs The Games Master. Having said this, there are similarities between our film and the horror movie ‘The Omen (2006)’, as the character of Damien is perceived as an innocent boy, however he turns out to be the devil. Here is the link to the trailer of the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wfEziDWLj0. However, in our sequence Sai who is victimised turns out to be the hero of our movie.

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

Our main ideology was influenced by the American movie, A Nightmare on Elm’s Street (2010), which was distributed by New Line Cinema, an American film studio. However, since our film is based on British characters, is set in London and is of a very low budget production, we would possibly be funded by a British company such as The

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British Film Institute. This particular institution specifically contributes to promoting and funding British films for entertainment purposes, which is applicable in the case of our film. Also our film could be distributed by the British company, Pathé, which distributed the successful film, Slumdog Millionaire (2008); this is the link for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q. This movie has a British Asian lead, Dev Patel and a British Director, Danny Boyle and also a number of unknown Asian actors in the film. More so, it is an Independent British movie, which has risen to success due to the unique and moving plotline, portraying realms of the Indian society in a new light, which are the achievements we strive for in our film.

We would consider our film to be an Independent film, however I do feel certain aspects of this particular film, provides opportunities to be merchandised and/or further released as DVDs. From our findings we discovered that the character of Sai and the Games Master were well received by the audience, therefore I believe we could merchandise and advertise these characters well. Below is a part of the research findings related to this point:

Our movie is very different to another independent movie The King’s Speech (2010), here is the link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAm7gRXFiRo. This movie is based on the Royal Family; it has an American actress and various British actors in it to appeal to the American audience. We have none of these characteristics in our sequence and therefore I do not think a big American Hollywood company would be interested in our film.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

From our research we discovered that our target audience are teenagers aged 15 and above, therefore we believe our film is a certificate 15, which means only those over/and 15 years of age are allowed to view this film. Also we feel this film is gender neutral, as there is action to entertain the males and there are obstacles the young boy faces, alongside his mundane lifestyle to attract women. In our sequence the audience are given a chance to relate and connect with the characters throughout, especially during the Nightmare scene, where Sai’s isolation and desperation is truly expressed.

Our target audience research indicated that they prefer slight gore in most parts, and expressed preferences to films such as Saw (2004). As a result, we interpreted our storyline to include dangerous antics whenever Sai encounters The Games Master. Thus, from the beginning of our sequence, we see blood references, which is enigmatic of the risky events which lie ahead. There is one major similarity between our film and the film ‘A Nightmare on Elm’s Street’ (2010), which is the idea of danger occurring every time the character sleeps, hence having nightmares; this is what ultimately attracts the audience.

Ninthuja Saseetharan

5. How did you attract/address your particular audience?

To attract our audience, we gradually revealed the character of Sai giving the audience the chance to understand him. The character of Sai, slowly portrays his true colours whilst the film progresses, which allows the audience to learn new things along the way. Sai is someone who is taking all the viewers along with him through his journey, and his perspective of how he resolves the tricks of the Games Master. Ultimately, we hope to achieve a one-sided emotion that is going against evil, whereby the audience will only be able to share gratitude with Sai, despite any extra characters appearing around him.

We developed the idea of the Game’s Master, from a familiar figure in the movie ‘Saw’ (2004), whom is Jigsaw. Here is the link to the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd8Lb_w99po. From this movie we used the idea of evil tricks being played on innocent people to attract audiences.

I feel this film could attract Asian audiences as we have an Asian cast which includes the lead actor. This is very unusual for most Hollywood movies.

Our filming took place in the interior of one of our group member’s home, and we used the luminescent ceiling lights and lamp lights as part of our lighting, to attract our audience.

The darkness of the environment in which it is set in, the eerie, unsettling music, the fact that Sai’s parents had to unexpectedly leave behind a young boy for an urgent situation, all help to attract our audience. Also a very trivial yet significant code is the T-shirt Sai is wearing, printed ‘Instant Nightmare’. This peculiar style of clothing does contradict the pleasant ambience at the time we are introduced to the family. The shaky, canted, slanted effects of camera positions contributed to the disconcerting atmosphere throughout the sequence. Thus, adding an attraction to our sequence.

We received good comments from our audience feedback although there were no thrills to begin with, our sequence did build anticipation. Our audiences liked our music and camerawork, the 180° shot, slanted/canted angles, tracking/panning shot, shot reverse shot, low/high angles and the cutting and echo effect. Our audience feedback indicated that all these techniques enhanced the dramatic effect of our film.

(Example of audience feedback based on camerawork/music)

Ninthuja Saseetharan

We did not use Computer Generated Images like Avatar (2009), due to our low budget. Here is the link to the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHsVbptb1RU. Whereas Avatar had a budget of $300 million, providing the creators money on research and development, new technology such as 3D cameras and motion capture tools and a wider range of special effects, to create the fantasy world of Avatar.  

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

I have managed to learn a number of new technologies such as, doing extensive research on Google, especially when completing my Research Document, where

I used this as a source to access different sites for information involving media productions. Through Google I was able to find information on technical skills development and editing and film work, such as sound equipment and editing techniques as well as relevant images to accompany these areas. I also used this to find the template coding to change the layout of my blog background, where I also managed to find descriptive instructions as to how to change the codes safely, which was extremely useful to avoid any mishaps.

I have also learnt how to use Final Cut Pro. Being the editor in the group, it was vital for me to learn all the necessary techniques in this area. I had learnt how to capture shots according to timing, then insert it into the timeline and add appropriate effects, i.e. sounds, transitions, and credits, ensuring everything was flowing well without any continuity errors. I also learnt how to insert credits into my sequence, using straight-forward instructions on a printed document. I

also learnt how to insert a soundtrack and sound effects/music, from CDs or an MP3 file, by choosing appropriate music which will fit the mood of the sequence, to enhance the atmosphere set. I was able to add audio/video transitions, by simply selecting one of the options/icons along the top of the program, which helped the continuity and flow of the sequence, by moving along each scene.

Our main problem lay within the camera and tripod, we struggled with keeping the tripod legs even and as a result, we found ourselves trying to attempt very steady hand-held shots. There was a time when we over-wrote our tape of previous shots while filming. As a result, we had to re-film those shots that were lost. We made sure that this did not happen again.

The responsibility of the camerawork was held by our cameraman, whom had learnt how to use each mechanism, after experimenting with it. We learnt how to keep the shot steady, how to tilt and pan shots, which we used in the nightmare scene in our final video. However, the rest of the group would help whenever there was trouble and assisted in creating different types of camera shots /angles. This experience has allowed

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us to work together as a team, despite our positions and roles in the group, we found ourselves discussing on set, coming to final decisions and actively helping each other get through the process, as the mistakes we made only allowed us to learn, and improve our techniques as we went along.

(Print screen of blog page):

One thing I am fairly confident about is our blog; I learnt how each setting worked and every time I had logged in, it would become easier for me to use. For example, I managed to learn how to embed the video as well as change the template of our blog. Overall, the entire course of the project, I feel a sense of accomplishment with the new skills I have learnt, which is a step closer to the way the professional field of media produce their work.

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

The preliminary task had only slightly prepared us for the challenges that faced us in our full product. I remember during the time we were completing our preliminary task, I was slightly nervous, and it was a complicated stage for me, as the planning and camera work was quite difficult to begin with. I recall directing that task, where I had to approve shots and decide on the angles, this personally was a challenging phase for me. As soon as we had entered the editing suite, I panicked and I was unable to pick up the techniques very well. It was very confusing for me and I found capturing images on Final Cut Pro hard. However now looking back, I am grateful for the opportunity to practice, as through time, I was able to pick up the different skills required, especially in the editing suite; such as capturing at appropriate times, adding transitions and effects and adjusting and adding sounds.

I was also in charge of filling out the log sheet. With time and practise I managed to fill in the time and description of each shot much quicker. During my first round of logging, I took over an hour to fill out one log sheet, however after the second round; it took me approximately 45 minutes to record a whole shoot, which I felt was a personal accomplishment. This was done when the other two members were editing on the Mac, while I used the small monitor to log the footage.

The whole experience of planning a schedule, creating a research document, a proposal and script development, was a very insightful learning curve for me. Through this process I acknowledged a few hardships major media productions face and overcome. For the most part during this project, I learnt how patience was extremely vital, and if I lost motivation, then the whole production could fall apart. We as a group had seen ourselves getting into frustration and arguments with each other due to the stress and careless mistakes we were making. But we realised if we worked together we could complete each task successfully, which I feel we have managed to achieve.

The filming process had been a tough encounter, as we re-shot five times, due to minor mistakes, this was causing a lot of stress, especially with the actors having to re-film many times, alongside the various takes with

Ninthuja Saseetharan

each shot. There was also a time when due to sudden location change, a couple of shots we had planned to re-shot, had been changed and thus we had to film the whole sequence again. Another time, a car park space was unavailable which we needed for a particular scene that day. On the whole, we have found our filming to be a lot more efficient compared to the first time round, as we were able to learn from the difficulties we faced. The amount of time we spent filming reduced. This change was achieved because we knew what we were doing each time we went back, consequently we had learnt from our mistakes. Having completed this project, I have learnt a vast amount of skills, overcoming the hardships that were faced, gaining beneficial knowledge about the field of media production work. Link to final video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctzgf0nNevs