Wednesday 17 April 2013

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt it from the progression to the product?
Our preliminary task helped us gain an insight to the different camera angles we should have included. In addition with our preliminary task, we would be ensured that continuity would play a part, therefore there would be fluidity scene from scene. I have acquired several skills since our preliminary task, which were to editing skills and camera skills. 


The quality of shots improved . The shots in the preliminary task were not shaky and it wasn't jottling as much. It was, however, still an improvement when we progressed to our thriller film. 

In our preliminary task we worked great with lighting, as the lighting was in our favour, so we could see everything well. Compared to our thriller opening, it was still an improvement as we had to work in the dark, but we could still everybody's action. 

In our preliminary task we weren't great with audio levels and the sound. Throughout the whole clip there was no audio, as we weren't aware that the microphone wasn't working, therefore we used text subtitles. Comparing this to our thriller film, this we worked with the microphone to enable the video to pick up our sounds. When editing the audio we made sure to use audio levels to fade out or fade in the sounds to allow the music to be heard or introduce a new frame.
We also used non diegetic and diegetic sounds such as the ambulance siren and the heartbeat to further exaggerate the frames.

The continuity in our preliminary task was shockingly low in regards to cosutume. As it was filmed over a following number of weeks, there was a costume change in every couple of frames. Me and Sveta decided to take our mistakes on board and made sure there was continuity in our costumes and props we were to use. And it was made possible, there is continuity in props and costume. 

Compared to our preliminary task there is continuity in editing. We made sure to inc-operate many camera angles and techniques which we were lacking in our preliminary task. 

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies on the process of constructing this product?


Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience of your media product?




Evaluation Question 3

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

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Question 1

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenege forms and conventions of real media products?


The main objective of a thriller is to thrill. Therefore thriller conventions allow this to happen. The conventions of a thriller are the protagonist and antagonist. Thrillers also have a lot of suspense that keeps the audience on their toes and on the edge of their seats. With it comes a lot of tension, the tension creates an atmosphere that the audience feel they are a part of the film. In addition the dilemma; otherwise the thriller will cease to exist. The dilemma ensures that other conventions of a thriller are focused around it. Moreover the cliff hanger: this ensures that the audience will keep on watching to see the end result of the film. In more cases than often, there usually involves a car chase or a chase scene. This maintains tension and suspense already being introduced to the thriller. 

In our thriller we included several characteristics of a thriller. We included suspense,
tension,
dilemma and cliffhangers. 

When brainstorming our thriller opening sequence ideas we thought of the thriller, Taken


This was clear when we portray a young girl being, what we thought, killed but with a cliffhanger ending. In addition a female protagonist role we also replicated from Silence of the Lambs film.  





Moreover we also used a cliffhanger idea from the thriller North by Northwest.  

Evaluation

The main objective of a thriller is to thrill. Therefore thriller conventions allow this to happen. The conventions of a thriller are the protagonist and antagonist. Thrillers also have a lot of suspense that keeps the audience on their toes and on the edge of their seats. With it comes a lot of tension, the tension creates an atmosphere that the audience feel they are a part of the film. In addition the dilemma; otherwise the thriller will cease to exist. The dilemma ensures that other conventions of a thriller are focused around it. Moreover the cliff hanger: this ensures that the audience will keep on watching to see the end result of the film. In more cases than often, there usually involves a car chase or a chase scene. This maintains tension and suspense already being introduced to the thriller. 

In our thriller we included several characteristics of a thriller. We included suspense,
tension,
dilemma and cliffhangers. 

When brainstorming our thriller opening sequence ideas we thought of the thriller, Taken. This was clear when we portray a young girl being, what we thought, killed but with a cliffhanger ending. In addition a female protagonist role we also replicated from Silence of the Lambs film. Moreover we also used a cliffhanger idea from the thriller North by Northwest.  

The protagonist role is of a woman, the woman is seen chasing after the murder. In other thrillers the man is as the dominant, powerful protagonist role, while the woman was seen as the subordinate, helpless antagonist role. 


My media project conveys particular social groups in different ways, as it follows the conventional stereotypes of a hooded thug and black youth crimes. The different genders portrayed shows originality within thrillers. The woman now plays the dominant role, seen as stronger than what society tells us. The subordinate role, is portrayed by a man older than the woman. In addition, the use of black ethnic minorities depicts the stereotype of young black youths getting into trouble, causing a nuisance and committing crimes. The stereotypes we used in our thriller was the scary hooded youths. 


Our thriller would be distributed by an Independent UK film production company such as Metrodome via the Microwave Scheme. This is due the shared urban thriller genre that ours and the Metrodome released film- Shift is linked to. Our thriller- Bad Guy- can be viewed via Internet and Youtube. This is because our thriller is aimed more to young people which reflects the types of media that they encounter. Young people are much more experienced in the Internet and Youtube, as an angle of viral marketing is used. 


The audience of our thriller plays an important role as it decides how we should market it. The thriller is aimed towards young people, respectively to those who are 15 years old and upwards. This is because it contains young people, which are at a similar age. In addition there is use of informal language displayed by the protagonist of Bad Guy. This heavily reflects the urban young people who might watch our thriller. They would be more likely to watch our film, compared to other age groups, because they would be able to relate to those in the film. 


Bad Guy is able to hold the audience's attention, because it has several conventions of a thriller. It is eye-catching as it there is something happening in each scene, wether it be suspense or tension or a dilemma. The use of young actors, attracts the young audience. Not only the use of young actors allows our audience to be drawn in, but even in the costume/ use of speech used by the actors. This is because they experience this is in their everyday lives allowing them to engage with the characters. 
This would surely hold the attention of our audience. They would want to continue watching it after the initial 2 minute opening scene, because it will end it on a cliffhanger. This cliffhanger ensures that our audience, would be determined to find out what happens to the young female and the murder.


The duration of our thriller pre and post-production, I was able to acquire new knowledge about technologies. We have used several new and old techonologies: 

  • Blogger
  • Mini DV Digital Camcorders
  • Final Cut Express
  • Mobile Phones( with camera)
  • YouTube
  • SurveyMonkey 
  • Freeplaymusic
  • Glogster

We used these technologies pre- production and post- production. We used  Mini DV Digital camcorders were used for the filming, which was later edited using Final Cut Express. When it was finished editing we uploaded it onto Youtube which later went on to Blogger to upload all our post and video tasks. The use of FreePlayMusic were to add background music. In addition SurveyMonekey was used to gain data on films that we needed to research on. In addition the use of Glogster to create our mood board and mobile phones for our animatic. 

I gained skills in film taking, I was able to learn and apply my new knowledge in different camera angles. Moreover editing skills, I was able to gain, to help me edit my film. 


Our preliminary task helped us gain an insight to the different camera angles we should have included. In addition with our preliminary task, we would be ensured that continuity would play a part, therefore there would be fluidity scene from scene. I have acquired several skills since our preliminary task, which were to editing skills and camera skills. 

Friday 12 April 2013

Primeval Extract



How is Gender represented in the Primeval Extract?

Gender in the primeval extract was show in a variety  of ways. At the beginning of the extract we see a young, blonde attractive woman controlling a digger while the other two gentleman tend the vegetable garden. This is quite surreal as a woman wouldn’t normally be involved with manual labour as it seen as quite strenuous and a ‘mans’ job. As we progress on with the clip, we are seen with a CGI animated tiger. A young man, jumps into a hole to protect himself while the young, blonde women in the digger helps to protect himself by scaring away the tiger. He screams out her name in despair for her to save him. This shows the dominance of the female gender. With these two aspects at just the beginning of the clip, we realise that gender roles that have been set by society has been changed. The woman now participating in manual labour, has also come to protect the man trapped by a CGI tiger.

There is also a change in music in contrast to when the woman was first introduced in the digger and when the man was chased by the tiger. The woman had a suspensful, mysterious non diegtic sound which contrasted to the mans jumpy, string orchestra as his life was truley in danger.

Further on when we are introduced to a young, brunette woman. We learn that she is trying to manipulate him into taking the fall for her. As he refuses, she heavily implies that the authorities will hear of his 'dog breeding' business to 'fight' them, giving him only a few days if he admits to a crime he hadn't commit. This shows a heavy female dominance and power she had over the farmer named Mr West, in the form of blackmail.

As he quotes that he is always 'harrased' and he wouldn't be 'pushed around' any longer the roles have reversed. She finds herself begging for him to put the gun down. The scene in particular, was shot in slow motion with suspensful music, because we feel the fear that this young woman is potraying.

Overall gender in the Primeval extract was seen as a dominant, superior group which belonged to the female. This is a contrast to how the male would normally be portrayed.