Thriller Evaluation

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?Our thriller’s title is: Skate – we chose this title as it is more

appealing to our target audience 15-20 year olds rather than our original title ‘Bad Memory’. Also, ‘Skate’ could apply to young people who enjoy skating as it is currently a popular sport. The word is short, sharp and meaningful which immediately grabs the audience’s attention. We placed the title of the film about 20 seconds before the cliff hanger to imply that this just a beginning.

Additionally, our film has a theme of revenge because the boys steal the memory stick, so she runs one of them over. Similarly, “Kill Bill” uses revenge as the character, "The Bride", a former member of an assassination team seeks revenge on her ex-colleagues who massacred members of her wedding party and tried to kill her.

Furthermore, the location we used was a city park called Eaton in Norwich. We used a park as it is a realistic place for two teenage boys to be. However, a park can also be dangerous as they are open to anyone and it’s difficult to tell what strangers are capable of. For instance, in the beginning of our thriller they are unaware they are being watched, but when they do realise they feel threatened. This could be an inter-textual reference to “The Silence” ( A TV Drama on BBC 2010), as in this mini series the profoundly deaf girl witnesses a car running over jogger in a park and at night. The ground is fairly gritty, likewise in our thriller which makes the noise of the wheels going over the ground sound more menacing. This murder involves a victim getting hit by a car, similarly, we used a car to run over a character - this is a generic convention in thrillers because this is an extremely serious crime. In contrast, our thriller the running over of the young boy happened in broad day light – this is a way we used generic conventions. Likewise in Jackie Brown when Louis shoots Melanie in a car park in broad day light. Another inter-textual could be the location at the end of Se7en which is an urban park.

“The Silence” & “Jackie Brown

The silence murder that the deaf girl witnesses. Jackie Brown: Louis Shooting Melanie at a car park in broad

day light.

Also, we used The Playhouse (a café in Norwich) which is quite small and tight, therefore there could be a sense of claustrophobia which is a generic thriller convention.

Eaton Park The Playhouse café

Additionally, we named the three characters Jason, Gnarly and Natalia. Jason played by Joel is a reference to Jason in “Essex Boys” as his character is laid back, uncaring and not worried about consequences. Gnarly stands out as unique name because it is unusual, therefore it sounds daring which could result in danger. Threat links to Natalia as she is a perilous femme fatale in our thriller as she is the character who hits the boy with the car. I like the way we have chosen a female to hit the boy with a car as it is more stereotypically expected of a male to behave this way. However, all the characters are victims in our film because the girl gets her memory stick stolen and the girl wants to get revenge on the boys, so she runs one of them over. Moreover, Natalia as a name is quite generic as it is a Russian name and often a name used in Russian thrillers. I researched this and came across a fictional text called ‘Shobyet and Natalia’ that was relevant; this is a quote from it: ‘Natalia was going to strangle him in a few moments…she pursed her lips in the mirror and applied her favourite lipstick’ This is an example of a typical femme fatale.

The costume that the two male characters are wearing are jeans and black hoodies, the use of the hoodies made their appearance stereotypically come across as teenage ‘thugs’. Also, Natalia is wearing a black gloves which could imply that she is a dangerous and menaced women. Alternatively, it could represent that she is hiding something because her hand is covered, this gives a sense of mystery. Similarly, something is hidden on the memory stick that the boy steals. The use of dark costumes in our thriller indicate that there is something shady or shifty with these characters. Similar costumes are used in the film “Kidulthood” which represent today’s youth and is perhaps associated with people who commit crimes. Moreover, in the film "Jackie Brown" is the close up shot of Ordell Robbie wearing leather gloves when he drives to the waste ground to murder Beaumont who is in the boot of Ordell's car.

Male character costumeFemale character - black glove

Ordell Robbie wearing black leather gloves.

We challenged the conventional stereotype through the use of hoodies. Wikipedia states: "In the UK, hoodies have been the subject of much criticism; some shoplifters have used the hood to conceal their identities from CCTV cameras in shopping centres. The hoodie became a popular clothing item by the 1990s. During the 2000s, it had gained a negative image, being associated with trouble making teens and anti-social behaviour. It became one of the later items associated with "chavs“... ” we initially established the boys wearing hoodies as stereotype because they steal the girls memory stick. However, we turned this on its head as one of them becomes a victim of revenge.

Objects involved in our thriller were a memory stick which was a significant element as it gave a sense of mystery and made the audience curious as to why it was so important as they are unaware of what is on it. The mystery of the memory stick is an enigma of the brief case in the film “Pulp Fiction” as the brief displays the number: ‘666’ which is associated with the devil. Another object which gave a sense of mystery was the girls phone as it was an unknown call, therefore the audience will wonder who she is communicating with. Also, we used a car, a bike and a skateboard; this enhanced the fast pace movement of our opening, which is suitable for our target audience, and will build up tension and create suspense. Also, the movement could give hints about each character. In addition, a bike and skateboard are objects that can easily be associated with teenagers. The idea of using a bike was influenced by the film “Premium Rush”. The car illustrated stereotypes of how young people are seen to drive – fast and dangerous.

The use of diegetic sound in our production “SKATE” challenged conventions as in thriller films non-diegetic sound is most frequently used in thriller films for uncertainty of what upcoming events will be. The sounds we used symbolised the what type of characters Gnarly and Jason are via the sound of the wheels on the skateboard and the bike which sounds intimidating, especially with the non-diegetic sound we also used (our soundtrack) We used the sound of the skateboard to foreshadow later events within the film, for example Gnarly getting hit by the car and his skateboard rolling along the ground. Alternatively, the sound track allowed us to create a fast and tense atmosphere.

we used the convention of the flash back in the narrative structure of our thriller opening. Wikipedia states: “A flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time for a current point of the story that has been reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story's primary sequence of events to fill in crucial back story...unusual coloration or sepia tone, or monochrome when most of the story is in full colour, may be used. This is to avoid causing the viewer to be confused...” we used this convention to imply that there was a reason for the girls behaviour, so it shows that there is a past conflict. However, the audience will still be curious as to why the boys stole the memory stick; they will wonder what is hidden on it or what is so significant about it. Also, the black and white colouration of the flash back injects our film with a noir quality whilst contrasts with the realism of the ambient lighting used in the real time sequences. The reason we used the noir style for the flashback is to indicate that it was back in time and to not confuse the audience with what is currently happening. Additionally, the use of black and white made it more mysterious and created a menacing atmosphere which would purposely make the audience feel uneasy.

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

Location: we used a park with a skate park is a common place for teenagers to be and it enabled us to use the objects as all of them were accessible to use in this area. Also, teenagers can relate to skating and biking as these are common activities in today’s youth – the location enhances a sense of youth. Gender: Furthermore, we presented young males as stereotypically juvenile teenagers which is reinforced by the costume that they are wearing. However, costume was contemporary as a lot of young people wear hoodies, and realistic for the time. A male character steals the memory stick which insinuates that men are more daring and that situations of theft are mostly carried out by men. Alternatively, our production implies that females can also be very dangerous as the female character hits the boy with a car, which can lead to very serious consequences. Ethnicity: we have presented White British people as dangerous criminals. However, we have also presented them as victims. However, this is important because it is not representing the diverse nature of contemporary Britain. For instance, we haven’t illustrated how other cultures are presented as cultures or victims.

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

I would consider our media product to be an independent British film, therefore a distribution company such as FilmFour is likely to distribute it. A similar film that FilmFour has distributed is “The Selfish Giant” – this has similar aspects such as teenage boys and stealing; the plot of this film is: “The film follows the lives of Arbor and Swifty, teenage boys growing up in an impoverished area of Bradford, northern England. Arbor suffers from hyperactivity disorder, which often gets him into trouble even when it is not his intention. When the boys are suspended from school after a fight, they decide to earn money collecting and selling scrap metal. They quickly realize that stealing copper from telecom, railway, and power utilities proves quite lucrative” This shows that boys are trouble, likewise in our thriller opening.

Films on at Vue in Norwich:

Genre: Thriller

Genre: Action/Adventure

Genre: Comedy

There is only one thriller on at Vue, whereas, the majority of films being displayed are of an action genre, therefore it is possible that Vue could exhibit our thriller, but most films on at Vue cinemas are mainstream and our film is independent, although if it was mainstream our target audience could relate to some elements.

Films on at Cinema City in Norwich:

Genres:

Drama

Fathom Event

Drama

Comedy

Documentary

Horror/Thriller

I believe that cinema city are most likely to exhibit our film as our film is an independent British film and Cinema City is an independent cinema, so this would make sense. Also, Cinema City show both mainstream and independent films, therefore there is more of a variety of films to choose from, as well as being able to watch something other than a film such as a documentary, opera concerts and plays. Additionally, Cinema City has also had low budget films about troubled young people “Dead Man's Shoes” which is a revenge thriller, which is similar to ours.

Furthermore, digital technologies such as YouTube and social networks could offer new distribution opportunities. For example, YouTube allows access to a large audience and it would allow the film to be globalised as YouTube is worldwide. This could perhaps result in the film going viral if it is successful, therefore more people will be interested in seeing the film. In addition, this could be shared on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter which can increase the large audience even more.

4) Who would be the target audience for your media product?

Gender: our media product would primarily target a male audience due to the main characters in our thriller opening being young males who the boys could identify with. However, females may enjoy watching too as it involves a strong and powerful female who girls could identify with.Age: I think the age group our media product would be aiming at are 15-20 year olds because the characters in the film are involved in this age range. Also, the activities such as skating and biking may appeal to people in this age range as they are mainly carried out by people in this age category.Ethnicity: White British. This would allow the target audience to identify with all the characters as they are all part of this ethnic group.Social class: Working class. This would additionally allow the audience to identify with the characters. Moreover, the aspects of mise-en scene involved in our film is more likely to appeal to a working class audience, rather than middle class.

Our thriller opening involves a lot of action, such as theft, the movement of the wheels on the bike and skateboard and the car running over the young boy, therefore the target audience would have to include people who enjoy tension and suspense. Additionally, the audience would be people who enjoy films that use revenge and mystery as themes throughout. Also, the soundtrack we used is a grime genre which is usually associated with young people and the location of a park can also be associated with young people as a park is a regular place for teenagers to hang out.

Other films are target audience are likely to watch are “Kidhulthood” – this is relatable to the audience as the characters in our film are similar by carrying out comparable behaviour. “Kidhulthood” involves violence and crime and it is gritty, likewise to our media product. Furthermore, our audience may be interested in films such as “Essex Boys” as a character in this film, Billy, is a young boy involved in crime. IMDB states that people who enjoyed “Essex Boys” relished the film “Snatch” – the description on IMDB: ‘Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewellers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.’ therefore our audience may enjoy this film as it as similar elements to our thriller opening as it clearly explores aspects of contemporary moral anxieties .

In all of these films, males have been the most popular audience. However, most males who have watched these films have been aged 18 or over, but our film may still be appealing to them because our target audience age range is between 15 and 20. This perhaps means that the older people in this category may be more interested in our thriller opening.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

Several aspects of the mise-en-scene is appealing to our audience. For instance, all the characters are portrayed as suspicious, in the way that the boys steal the memory stick and the girls phone displays ‘No caller ID’ which adds to the sense of mystery. Furthermore, the action involves lots of movement, therefore there is always something interesting for the audience to watch as it gradually builds up the tension. The characters facial expressions are an important feature in our thriller opening. For instance, Jason is portrayed as relaxed and not phased about anything that’s happened, which is intriguing for the audience as they want to know why he is like this. Also, Natalia looks emotionless and serious when answering the phone and it makes the audience want to know who she is talking to. However, Gnarly is the only character slightly on edge. This is perhaps foreshadowing that something terrible is going to happen to him, this is quite ironic as Jason is actually the one who physically stole the memory stick, although Gnarly did tell him to do it.

Girls phones displays ‘No Caller ID’

Boy stealing memory stick

Moving wheels on skateboard

Moving bike wheel

Moving car wheelJason appears as relaxed

when told to take the memory stick

Furthermore, I believe that the use of a flashback intrigued the audience, because it made them understand events happening in current time, but it was a mystery as to why what happened in the flashback actually happened – it is almost a puzzle for audience that keeps them interested. I think what made it more appealing is that the audience are unaware of the relationship between the boys and the girl. For example, they could be strangers, friends, or relatives, therefore we have made our thriller opening quite ambiguous. An inter-textual reference for the use of flashbacks is a thriller genre TV series “The Walking Dead” For instance, the character Rick is laying alone in a hospital and then it suddenly shows what happened to other characters previously.

The cliff hanger in our thriller opening attracts the audience: once the girl has run the boy over and he is laying on the floor, the driver steps out of the car, but you only see their foot, but you don’t know who it actually is. I think the audience would have originally expected her to drive off and leave him, but she doesn’t. This increases suspense and makes the audience want to know what the next sequence of events would be, such as what the driver will do and what has happened to the young boy and the what the consequences will be.

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

Research and Planning:When I began to do case study research, I wrote blog posts about each aspect of the film and

how it related to the thriller genre as this is the genre that our own films are. However, I realised that a better way of organising a case study was on a power point, therefore I used power points. This was an effective way of recording my research because it allowed me to create a slide on each aspect that I wanted to discuss. For example: ‘Lighting and Colour’ on one slide and ‘Character’s’ on another. These case study’s helped when it came to planning as I was able to identify inter-textual references between films, that we could potentially use in our own media product. I uploaded screen shots from films, such as “Kill Bill” and “The Third Man” and uploaded film clips that influenced ideas in the opening to our thriller. For example, a clip from the film “Duel” which illustrated the effective movement of the car wheels. Also, I uploaded a clip of a TV Drama – “The Silence” where a deaf girl witnesses a car running over a jogger in a park.

Furthermore, I used a scanner to scan my storyboard onto my blog that included images of what was going to happen in our thriller and what shots we would use. The storyboard included explanations for each picture and I included inter-textual references for each shot where it was necessary. Also, I created a shot list which indicated what camera angles or shots we would use, what location we needed to be at and which characters need to be in each scene. I created this in the format of a table and uploaded it as a blog post under my planning label.

Thriller Storyboard

I consistently used YouTube when researching the thriller genre, so the internet was a very useful technology for constructing our media product because without it, research may have been more restricted in its range. This may have resulted in not gaining access to as many media texts, so I would have had to rely on DVD’s or films being shown on TV.

My preliminary task and the opening to my thriller were both uploaded on to YouTube. This widens access to a potential audience. Both the rough cut and final cut of our thriller was uploaded to YouTube, therefore I reviewed the rough cut on YouTube and uploaded it on to a blog post where I evaluated it and discussed what needed to be improved.

Collaborating:Luckily, all the members of our group

owns an iphones , this allowed one of us to create a group imessage where we could all discuss what we needed to do, where we needed to be and what objects or props we needed with us on certain days. This was an effective way of keeping in contact as everyone was involved meaning that everyone was aware of what was happening and it was very quick and easy.

Shooting and Editing:We shot our thriller opening on a digital camera. This allowed us to review the footage after each shot we

filmed to see if it looked good enough or we could film the shot again to improve how it would be portrayed.

When it came to editing we need to decide what transitions or colours would be effective to use. In our flashbacks, we made these clips black and white to insinuate that it happened another point in time and it also gave it a sense of film noir which is a generic thriller convention. Additionally, we used cross dissolves to emphasise this. They also created a more tense atmosphere as this allowed the editing to show our thriller opening at a fast pace which purposely builds tension for the audience. Moreover we used the transition ‘Dip to black’ when the boy was run over, so the audience are shocked and want to know what just happened as they are unable to see anything immediately after he is hit, resulting in the audience being anxious to see the boy laying on the floor and what the driver will do.

Furthermore, when adding the possible soundtracks, we had to download them and put them on to a USB stick. We were able to put the soundtracks on to the software premiere ( the software we used for editing) and listened to each soundtrack along with the thriller opening and decided which one appeared as more appropriate. We had to position the soundtrack underneath the footage and cut it down so that the sound ended exactly at the end of the last shot.

Also, we used the Title tool when adding our titles which involved the name of the film, crediting the actors and crediting the soundtrack. These had to be placed above the footage, but we had to make sure that we placed each title in an appropriate place, so the audience can understand.

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

Team work:

I worked with different people when creating our thriller opening, however these people were my friends so I considered this as an advantage when discussing our ideas. Also, our group included two boys and two girls which enabled us to understand views from each gender. I believe we worked really well as a team because we were confident when talking to each other and we stayed in contact via our mobiles to make sure everyone was updated with what was happening. The boys in our group were the male actors in our thriller opening and worked hard as they listened to Jill and I when we were giving them direction of what to do. Jill was the female character in our thriller opening and played her role very well. I believe we all worked well as a team by collaborating as this helped us to be organised. Also, everyone listened to suggestions for improvement. All of us reviewed the footage we had shot on the camera and decided whether we thought it looked effective or not and if it did not, we would try and shoot something from a different angle or leave it out. Overall, we worked to the best of our ability and had a very positive attitude towards what we were creating.

Camera skills:

Since the preliminary task my camera skills have improved a lot. For instance, during the preliminary tasks I understood why some types of shots were used, such as shot reverse shot emphasised the anger in the two characters. However, due to doing a lot of research into thrillers, it made me comprehend what shots or angles would be portrayed as effective in a thriller film and how they can create a sinister or menacing atmosphere, therefore when it came to filming, I managed to film some efficient shots.

Example of shot reverse shot in preliminary task.

Effective point of view shot in our thriller opening – putting the audience in the drivers position making them feel purposely uncomfortable.

Using generic conventions:

During the preliminary task there was not any use of a generic convention, therefore this was something new in the process of creating a thriller opening; we needed to use generic conventions so the audience were able to establish what type of film it was. The case study’s and planning helped this to develop. For instance, we used a dangerous and devious female, criminals via theft and running over someone, illustrated characters as victims, used dark costumes and involved a theme of revenge. These were successful elements of producing an opening to a thriller.

Gnarly being hit by the carThe driver wearing black gloves

whilst watching the boys

180 degree rule:

The 180 degree rule is a basic rule that should imply that the two characters have the same left and right relationship to each other. Therefore, it is important to film by shooting on one side, especially between two characters having a conversation a film and to illustrate continuity and avoid switching sides that the focus was on so the audience do not get confused. When filming the preliminary task, we accidently broke the rule, so we had to film that part again. I took this on board when filming our thriller opening and prevented breaking the rule again, although this was only necessary for a little part of our film, but we still made sure we did not cross the imaginary line (the axis). This stopped us from wasting any time as we had a lot to shoot in a limited amount of time.

Importance of the cliff hanger:

My preliminary task didn’t include a cliff hanger, therefore when it came to creating a thriller opening it was quite challenging to come up with a good cliff hanger. A cliff hanger in a thriller opening is a very significant element as it intrigues the audience and wants to make them watch the rest of the film and it is important to quickly grab attention from an audience because this makes a production more successful. In our thriller, “Skate” the opening ends with Gnarly being hit by a car and the girl steps out of the car. However, her face is not exposed, therefore the audience do not know if it is actually the girl that they would suspect from watching the flashbacks, so this makes them curious. Also, the audience would wonder whether the boy is alive or not and what the girl is going to do. Additionally, Jason bikes off at the time that this happens showing that he isn’t there to help his friend, making the audience anxious that he has been left alone with this criminal. Furthermore, the audience will also wonder if anything is hidden on this memory stick and has caused this incident which is a puzzle they will want to solve, therefore they would be intrigued in watching the full film.

Importance of research and planning:

Planning the preliminary task only really involved creating a shot list, a storyboard and who were going to be characters. This was also important when creating the thriller opening. However, planning the thriller was more challenging as there was more aspects to consider. For instance, the location, the soundtrack, the camera angles, lighting and the costume etc. By planning all of these aspects, it allowed us to be aware of where we should be and what we should be doing; the shot list we made was very useful when going out to shoot as we knew what location we should be at, what angle we were going to use and what characters or objects were needed. Planning was important, as this enabled to us to get it done quicker than we would have if we did not have any time to plan. Additionally, it allowed us to use several generic conventions in our thriller opening.

The preliminary task did not involve research, whereas this was very important when producing our thriller. For example, the case study’s allowed me to identify different conventions and different aspects of mise-en-scene that were portrayed proficiently in thriller films. A few conventions in our thriller opening where influenced by a few of the films that I researched such as “Essex Boys” and “Jackie Brown” This enabled me to learn about the importance of costume and different camera shots when establishing the thriller genre. Without research, many of the best parts in our thriller opening would not have happened as using inter-textual references helped us to make a successful thriller opening.

Example of research I did

Importance of researching a soundtrack:

In my preliminary task I used a soundtrack that went well with the action involved, therefore I had already had some experience with adding sound to a film. Once, we had created our thriller opening, the soundtrack was the main focus, we found three different soundtracks and listened to all of them along with the thriller to see which one sounded most suitable and created the best atmosphere for a thriller genre. In the end we used a soundtrack called ‘Grimes instrumental – switch up’ This sounded the most appropriate as it goes extremely well with our edit and matches up with the action that's taking place; it also creates tension for the audience who are watching what's happening, therefore suspense occurs all the way through our opening until the cliff hanger. I am pleased that we found a soundtrack that is relevant and satisfactory to our thriller film.

Audience and Tutor feedback:

All the way through my preliminary task and the process of making a thriller opening, I have received tutor feedback on all of my work, such as my research and my planning. This was very beneficial as I was able to improve on a lot of my work, although I was already told that my work was good, which was encouraging and motivating for be to want to do better. For instance, in my case study on “Essex Boys” my tutor commented on how I could improve, therefore I took the words onboard and added another blog post as instructed to do so to strengthen the case study. Additionally, I received audience feedback from people who had watched my thriller opening who stated what they thought was the most successful with establishing the thriller genre and what we could do to improve.

Evaluating:

The evaluation for the preliminary task, did not require as much writing and detail as this evaluation for my thriller opening. The thriller involved a larger workload but this has helped develop my understanding of the important things within film making, such as planning our thriller and researching other thriller films as this was not as relevant within the preliminary task I produced. In this evaluation, I have managed to discuss our thriller opening in a lot of detail by stating why we used certain things and why they were effective.

Furthermore, alongside my media AS level, I got into the BFI Film Academy which developed my experience in film making. This course allowed me to understand more about the aspects of film making such as directing, cinematography and script writing. I was very glad to take an active role by being one of the directors which has made me gain many more skills than I had at the beginning of my AS media course. BFI Film Academy was a great experience and has allowed to develop and progress to where I am now, especially due to the short fiction film I made turning out to be extremely successful.