Scott Green - 3072 - 28278

Thriller Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My thriller contains conventions found in a typical thriller for example; My thriller creates suspense at the beginning by having a camera angle taken from an unknown person's point of view with a blurry effect looking up at some woodlands. When there is a climax in action then the sound gets a lot louder to increase the suspense and tension. A lot of good thrillers often take place in woodlands or abandoned buildings. I managed to get mine to set in both woods and abandoned buildings at different points. Many thrillers have a chase scene in the opening to draw in the audience and build suspense. This is also the case with my opening as I have a chase scene between the victim and the attacker. Most thrillers are filmed during the night to build suspense although this was hard as the camera I used couldn't see much in the dark. This means I had to film it in the day and just lower the brightness to make it seem darker outside.



How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My thriller product represents old teenagers and young adults for having a violent view upon life. It then shows a younger teenager feeling vulnerable. It also represents the younger teenager when he wakes up having a blurry and not being able to see properly. This makes him feel vulnerable because he doesn't know where he is and what he is doing there. Also the violent part of the opening represents the young adults showing that they can be very dangerous. It represents the male gender as also being thrill seekers and often having violent lives. This also represents a young adult because he is having some form of fun with his victim and toying with him and scaring him before finally capturing him. This links with other violent films such as Urban Justice (Don E. FauntLeRoy2007)



What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I believe that Metrodome would be a good institution to distribute my thriller as it has distributed many other thrillers in the past such as Fifty dead men walking (Kari Scogland 2009) and The warlords (Peter Chan 2008) These films are both similar to mine in different ways which means that this distribution company has experience with this type of film. Metrodome is an independent all-rights distributor, in business for over 10 years. It acquires films and other product for exploitation in cinemas, on DVD and via broadcast.













Who would be the audience for your media product?
My audience for this thriller would be older teenagers and younger adults. This is because it may be unsuitable for anyone younger and also may be slightly shocking or Unnecessary for the older age group. Also I created a questionnaire, this helped me realise what certain people of certain genders and age groups are interested in. I then based my thriller around this and made a good opening for the target group I have chosen. For example, my target audience believed that the thriller would be best set in woodlands. So I set my opening in some woodlands, also they thought that thrillers are best opened with a quick fast paced action packed chase scene, so I did this in my opening. Also by watching the opening of other thrillers I have understood what draws an audience in and how to build suspense and tension amongst your audience.



How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract and address my audience I used various techniques. To start off there is a blurry handheld shot to show first person. This builds suspense because the audience try and work out where the character is, who the character is and why they are there. This keeps them drawn into the opening as they want to find out the answer to these questions. I constantly kept the suspense up to keep the audience in. This was done by him hearing noises and beginning to run. This keeps the audience stuck into the plot as they want to know who or what is chasing him. Continueing on from this we see his attacker and the builds suspense as he is big and scary. Also many clips follow this which show that the attacker is getting closer and closer to our main character. This gets the audience involved as they want our main character to escape this attacker. Another first person view adds to the tension as it makes the audience feel in his shoes and part of the action.



What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
That technology is never fully reliable and that things can often crash and work can be lost. Also how to edit well in Adobe premiere pro, I wasn't sure how to titles on my thriller as I wasn't sure how to edit them into the piece over the top of the video. I learnt how to place it into there and also change the font size, type and position of the title. I learnt how to do a transition between two different clips as before the characters just jumped onto the screen rather than fade in or blur in. I did some small bits of editing before we started this projects although I learnt great amounts during it.

The picture to the right of this text is the editing page I have used. At first glance it seems quite complicated to use. I quickly became used to using this program. I started by using the razor tool a lot to cut down each clip and make it easier to manipulate. I then used blur and fade in fade out effect and a lot of other effects too.
I had some trouble finding the right kind of sound effects I wanted for my thriller as the one which I originally used was not copyright free so could not use it. I then became aware of new copyright free websites which i then used for many different parts of sound in my thriller.

I learnt how to use different camera angles to show different things and also how to edit and manipulate sound in Adobe audition.



Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I have learnt a great amount about editing and various other things from my preliminary task. For example for the preliminary task I worked in a group. Although this meant I was not able to use any of the ideas that I had thought of. Also other people took over and I was not able to do much. This made me realise that I would rather work on my own as I would be able to use all of my own ideas, film whenever I want to, go into college and edit whenever I want to and also get a higher grade for doing all of the work and not just half of it. From my preliminary task I learnt how to edit well, use certain camera angles for better uses and how to manipulate and import sounds. Firstly I learnt how that different camera angles can make different characters look big or small (strong - weak and vulnerable) I then learnt how to import these clips which I had taken. This then lead onto me being able to cut the clips and place them into the correct places. Finally after placing all the clips in the correct places I imported sound from a non copyright website and cut them down and placed them into the correct place.

Camera Angles

I will use a variation of camera angles by using first person shots, handheld camera, tripod shots, close ups, long shots, long takes, and many others. These different shots show different things about the characters. For example. When the camera is looking and the main character he feels vulnerable and scared therefore I made the camera point downwards towards the floor making him look small and an easy target. Also when the attacker walks into screen the camera is low looking up towards the sky. This make him look big on the screen and made him look more menacing and more of a danger to the main character.

Music Rights

Music rights - I got my music from a website - http://www.soundsnap.com/ This was really good as you would sign up to the website and you were able to get five sound effects for free downloading them. Unfortunatly I went over my 5 download limit because certain things were too quite and were not correct and so I had to make another account to be able to download more.

Filming schedule

I will be filming at Toton Sidings which is next to the train tracks but separated by a large metal fence. I will film on Saturday the 7th March 2009 and i will film it three times once at about two or three o'clock in the afternoon when it is fully light outside. I also film it at about five o'clock when it is beginning to get dark so it will be scary and yet the camera will be able to see. Finally I will film it at eleven o'clock at night so it is pitch black although the camera may not be able to see anything. I will then look back at all three of my foot ages and choose the best looking one for my ideas. I will then edit it to make it look as creepy and scary as possible for a thriller.

Actors

Jack Peall -Jack will be playing the main character in my thriller opening. He is a great actor who can be very serious when performing and will listen to all ideas and instructions. Yet he can also be a great laugh. I have chose Jack because I know he will perform well and do a good job at acting in my opening.

Josh Rhodes - My second actor will be Josh Rhodes and he will play the bad guy in my opening. I feel as if he will fit this role perfectly as he is very tall and strong and he also has a very large jacket which will add to this effect. He is a good actor and will make the audience nervous when chasing the main character.

Risk Assesment

When thinking about the risk assessment I thought of different things that could happen. Instead of the actors and myself going down the big hill to the woodland we shall go round the long path way to minimise injury. We shall have have our mobile phones on us in case the worst were to happen.

We all know our way out of the woods and back to the road. I am filming at Toton woodland which is near the large train depot. Although there is a very large fence prevent me or the actors from entering the premises where the train lines are. We have all checked exactly where we are filming so we know where we are going preventing us getting lost.

Also we will have one or two people acting and at least one person looking after the camera in case a big gust of wind were to blow the tripod over. Finally we will be as safe as possible and avoid trouble as best as we can.

Storyboard animation

Thriller Storyboard

I have two main idea for my final piece on making the opening to a thriller. My first idea is where it will be dark down in a woodland area. It will be night time and it will be rather creepy. There will not be many actors if not just the one. It will start with a first person shot from the main characters point of view. He will wake up rather confused and scared with the camera swaying being blurry and blacking out for short moments. There will be noises coming for around the character and he begins to run. Many camera shots are used here to build tension and show what is happening. He will be running as if being chased and will be very scared. The main character will slow down feeling safer as the noises have stopped but the way I will film from then on will make the audience feel he is not yet safe and there is somebody watching him from many directions. Not many if not no props will be used in this scene and dark clothing will be worn by all of the actors to create fear and excitement for the audience. Dark costumes will be used for all of the characters involved especially the bad people. This is to add on top of the fear and excitement of the audience. My second idea will also be in a woodland he will wake up exactly the same as the first one but instead of him hearing noises getting scared and starting to run there will be big bright lights coming towards him getting bigger and brighter. You will not be able to see anything because of the bright lights. You will then hear voices muttering things about the character. After this the sound of a car boot crashing shut will accrue as if the character has been trapped up. For the props we will need a car and some bright lights as where I am wanting to film you are not allowed cars. This could make it rather tricky to edit it well and make them go well together and look good. As before, dark clothing will be worn by all actors and a hood will be worn covering the face of the bad guy to hide his identity making it so the audience does not know who the character is being chased by to add suspense.

Editing ideas

I took a few pictures down in the woods at night and decided to play around with it to see how good I could make it look. I was with a couple of friends when I was taking these photos and after taking some of the woodland we thought it may be a good idea to try something. Josh took a drag on his cigarette and blew it out in front of the camera as i took a picture. This looked really good in the photo as it made it look more menacing and creepy with the smoke drifting across the photo.

Also I will be using different effects to make my work look even better. I will make most of the first person shots slightly blurry to emphasise the fact that they are first person shots. Also the first shot where the main character is waking up I will start off as a fade in so it seems as if the character has woken up in the woodland area building suspense. Also when the victim is being dragged by the attacker it will fade in and out on a couple of occasions making it look like he is dropping in and out of consciousness.

When on the editing program I imported different music and sound effects. I then played around with them making them the correct volume so you could hear them but they were not overpowering. I then moved them round so they were in the correct place and sounded really well when played with the video.

Thriller Ideas

I have various ideas on what to show in the scene. I have taken photos of some of the things I would like to show and they are below. Firstly I would like to show this sign in my scene as it says no trespassers and i think this could go well with it.















Secondly I think some clips of this barbed wire could fit in really well with the scene as it shows danger for the character.

Thriller set

These are some pictures of where the thriller will hopefully be filmed. Firstly there are pictures of this place in midday showing the surroundings and what it looks like. After that there are some photos of the setting in the dark which is hopefully when the scene will be filmed in. Firstly there is a photo of an abandoned house. This could be used in the clip to build suspense.













Secondly there are some photos of the woodland where by I will be filming. Some of these photos are took from within the woodland when the scene will take place and some from on top of a hill looking down on the woodland showing the surroundings.

















These following pictures are photos taken by me of the same surroundings in the woodland but taken late at night to make an effect of fear and other feelings brought to the audience and character when being shown. This will hopefully be similar to when i actually film the scene.

Preliminary task story board

We would film somebody walking down a corridor at rather a fast pace. Although we would only film their feet. Throughout the whole task none of this characters identity will be shown. They would then walk into a dingy looking room where another character will be sitting. We make him seem to be hiding or cowering away. An interrogation then takes place which then results in a murder or injury of one of the characters. We decided to hide away the identity of the attacker to draw more suspense to the audience as to who the attacker was.

When thinking about props We will need to use a table and a chair also we would need a free corridor to film down. For costume there will be a rather smart but casual clothing for the interrogator and dark clothing which can easily cover up the character and he can hide in for the prisoner.

Thriller Questionnaire

1. Do you watch thrillers?
Yes 10
No 0


2. Where would your ideal thriller be set in?
Warehouses 2
Jungle 6
Abandoned town 2
Built up rural area 0


3. How do you prefer the opening of your thrillers?
Action packed and find out storyline later 9
Slow storyline filled waiting for the action 1


4. What is the best type of thriller opening
A chase scene 6
All out violence 4


5. When is best filming the thriller opening
Sunrise 0
Midday 0
Sunset 0
Midnight 10


6. What is the best name for my thriller?
Stalker in the woods 0
death in the woods 1
Disappearance 9



This made me realise that people liked certain things which I wanted to do for my thriller more than others that I had chosen. This made life a lot easier for me when it came to deciding certain things about my thriller.

Analyse 2 thrillers

The Scorpion King (Chuck Russell 2002)

When the film first starts we as an audience see a mountainous range and a very vast area is shown to us. This could make us feel calm. Also there is not much sound. This could pull us into a false sense of security and therefore make us feel safe in this situation. A strange looking man then enters the screen looking round as if expecting something. A sharp pointy object then hits him in the face probably killing him if not fatally wounding him. This makes us jump as there is a calm opening with the mountains followed by a bit of sudden violent action. It then clips to inside the building where we see lots of people having fun ready to kill someone. This is ruined by what we presume is the main character bursting in. This action packed beginning helps us go to the main characters side and we like him because he has beaten many bad guys to save his brother. The opening is then calmed down by showing us the name of the film. This slows it down and calms us back into our seats.






Jet Li’s Fearless (Ronny Yu 2006)

The start of Jet Li’s Fearless (Ronny Yu 2006) shows us and tells us what has happened in china and also what is happening at the time the film is set in. This lets the audience know the storyline easily early on. Following on from this we see a showdown of one country against another with Jet Li fighting. There are four rounds and there are mass amounts of action throughout this sequence with Jet Li winning the first three. This action packed bit of filming shows Jet Li being dominant whilst fighting, with a staff and with a sword which makes us believe that he is… Fearless

Mind map on ideas

This mind map shows all my original faint ideas about what I could do for my final piece. It shows that I have thought about where I can film my piece, what actors I will use, what feelings are shown and also my basic storyline ideas.

Thriller practice

This is mine and my fiend Nico's attempt at making a thriller as practice for this project. We only spent about half an hour filming. I acted in it and helped with the filming and camera positions. It was great fun and a big help now we have to do this project. We originally started making a serious opening to a thriller with the waking up and natural scenery with the action right from the beginning but we soon started to enjoy ourselves with what we were doing and drifted away from the serious thriller.


Attempt at creating a thriller for Media from Nico Turner on Vimeo.com

Thriller research

Thriller - Every so often you read a story book or what a film and it stuns you. One which keeps you glued to the screen until the film is finished. Everything moves really fast and there is action happening on regular occasions. You feel every jolt until you hit the final unfolding climax which leaves you exhausted.

Thrillers are films with constant action most of the way through the film. They keep you excited and on the edge of your seat. A sense of suspense are used in thrillers and can often shock the viewer making them feel very involved in the film.

Top 10 thrillers of all time -
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Rear Window (1954)
Cidade de Deus (2002)
Fight Club (1999)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Psycho (1960)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Thrillers often take place in exotic settings such as foreign cities, woodlands/ jungles, polor regions or out at sees. I feel this is becuase it makes the audience feel out of place becuase it is not in their usual enviroment so it makes them nervous. The main characters are tough men who are used to danger and fighting and are often alone to make the audience more nervous.
Thrillers are often watched by the younger generation but also watched by older generations. This is because the younger generation thrive for action, speed, suspense and excitment. They get these from thrillers, as you should expect a good thriller to be full of action and constant adrenaline filled moments. Thrillers nearly always involve violence as the viewers are hungry for violence which keeps the film flowing.