Main Task - Evaluation Q7

Q7 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task involved understanding the making of a basic film, such as techniques like the use of match on action, a 180 degree rule and shoulder reverse shots; which can be seen in our preliminary task video. These were aspects that we wanted to include in our final production. I have also learnt that these are not difficult to achieve, and initially I did fear that I would be unable to edit and use the camera equipment, however by today’s standard of technology, filming is far easier and so is the editing process.

Furthermore due to the experience and skills that I have learnt, my view of films and watching films has changed. As I know about what is involved in creating certain techniques used to keep the audience interested, specifically the Mise en scene, in which how a setting is created. Other conventions in the production of cinematic theatre, such as the soundtrack that is required, the camera angles, usage of narrative and how plot lines are not required to be chronological in order to create a engrossing story.

By going with the horror genre, at the same time there are a wide range of options to choose from for horror, e.g. supernatural, vampire, slasher, mystery and much more. However, we limited the audience who could watch this; a younger audience are completely not allowed, as well as individuals who may find horror a subject matter far too disgusting or difficult to watch. Although, in current trends, horror is a genre in which we can explore emotions and exploit that sense of not wanting to move your eyes from the screen. However, to achieve this effect of a serious horror, we had to ensure that things were not too over dramatised, and that some of the acting in horror is difficult for those who are not professional actors. I think we had cast about three girls until we found Nadia; initially we wanted to play up to the typical Hollywood versions of a young teenage girl, who has magazine cover appeal. However, we decided at a later stage to change this idea, and used an adverse idea for the characters appearance; we decided to base the movie on what it means to violently kill. Hollywood budget movies do create this effect that the victim is at fault, for being attractive, for standing out. But in the real world violent acts are not because of the victim, but instead it lies with the offender. Another aspect is that we intended to create a movie, which had a big budget feel, and at first I felt inspired with large grossing horror movies like The Ring, Sixth Sense, Drag me to Hell and so on. Instead, as I researched my project, I found that the trend in horror have been popular amongst independent film makers, like the creators of 28 Days Later and Dog Soldiers. These have British castings, and have a feeling of the terror being far closer to home, thus this created a sense of authenticity.

Another realisation was the filming process, as a group we had to do this together, and at a time in which was suitable for all of us. We were limited by locations, as well as time. The time that suited all team members was during the day; however this affected us when we went to editing. Because the opening was about the events taking place in the past, in terms of the chronological order of the film; editing these scenes in black and white as would be seen in a matinee movie look was difficult. Because the filming had initially taken place during the day, the actual killing scene was supposed to look as if it had happened at night; in black and white it was obvious we had filmed during the day. Which is why we decided to go with the x-ray effect, this also distorted Nadia’s face more, and enhanced the sense of horror for the audience.

Overall I think more time, and an early casting of characters are important, furthermore, it is a good idea to be inspired by movies which would be beyond our budget, however it is important to create a sense of authenticity for the viewer, and to be able to realise that the quality of the movie is down to the storyline and good acting.

Main Task - Evaluation Q6

Q6 What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Editing is not as difficult as I initially perceived, it was fairly straight forward to upload our clips onto the Mac laptop. The only thing that I did not foresee, that as a group, although we were often agreeable, we did often take more time than needed to decide an aspect in editing. However, I expect this is part of filmmaking, where decisions can be difficult and will require time and patience in working together as a team.

There was a need to put the clips in order, as some were not filmed in chronological order, but we were aware that we could place these in the order preferred later when editing. Some were 10 to 30 second clips that had to be placed in order, in other cases we had sets of frames rather than actual clips to place in between other clips and frames. Particularly where Nadia is running through a gate entrance, we needed to show this from two angles, we had to film this in two separate shots. These shots had to be edited and placed side by side for the benefit of the audience, in order to create a match on match action.

We also as a group learnt about transactions, which are various editing devices for filming, for example creating a black and white visual effect, or a negative effect, or enhancing the colour for a richer visual perspective. As we were making a horror movie, we chose to use an x-ray effect to represent something took place in the past, although it would have been preferred to use black and white effect. However this did not work out, as the initial filming of the scenes were conducted during daylight, and therefore this was far too obvious for the audience. With more time, it would have been better to film closer to when the evening drew in, or twilight. But we did not have time to do this. Therefore we experimented with other types of transactions, the two main ones being negative and X-ray. In general editing the speed, style and chronology of clips and frames were fairly straightforward once we got used to using the software. Unfortunately this was not the case with editing sound into the 2 minute opening, although overall the opening passes as a tense horror. Using iMovie 11 software was not as enjoyable. Firstly the overall music playing over the opening credits, is a little lower than desired, and a few sound effects could not be found, like when Memz, who plays the male character hits Nadia, we required the sound effect for when the audience hear this taking place. I think in hindsight, it would have been better if we had taken the time to record this sound effect ourselves and upload this, and then edit it in place. However, again we ran out of time. Using Garage band was not as difficult, Safina was able to undertake the responsibility in making the eerie soundtrack, and it was evident that there was no need for any of us to actually know how to play an instrument in order to use this software. By which I mean reading music notes, or having to write notes down. The software allows us to match a rhythm by using pre-recorded loops, which can be taken from various instruments e.g. guitar sounds, piano, violins etc. We used basic steps to achieve our final product for the movie, first we named our piece, as you would a file, we set the tempo, which means we could go from slow to quite fast, however we decided to keep the track simple, and stick to using basic sample pre-recorded pieces, and only experiment with these to achieve the desired effect.

Main Task - Evaluation Q5

Q5 How did you attract/address your audience?

In order to attract our audience, we aimed to not steer too far from the typical themes within horror; the initial scene induces fear and disgust from the offset, with a female as the victim. As well as this, the opening comes across as a separate story; however this is supposed to combine at some point. This is similar to the openings of ‘Sixth Sense’ and ‘Drag me to Hell’, as the scene’s here set up a movie but are explained mid way or at the end. This is the effect we want to achieve, to keep the audience guessing what the opening scene was about, and why it took place.

However, the eerie set up of the abandoned playground, which although is a public place is disturbingly empty, and as it is fenced in, the Mise en Scene, gives a sense of isolation and claustrophobia. We use little close-ups except for when the girl is running. Now in reflection I do think that using close-ups of the playground area would have looked better, for example the movement of the chains on the swings, rather than distance shots. This would enhance the sense of confinement and isolation, as in the distance it is inevitable that there are passers by walking into the scene, furthermore the roundabout shot should also have remained a close-up as the opening credits continue. We did however choose to edit parts of the scene to half-speed or in other terms ‘slow-mo’, so as to convey a sense of time slowing down, and the girl’s fate is inevitable regardless of when it takes place.

Another aspect that we would like to have changed for the viewer is the X-ray effect in some of the scenes, where the attacker places his hand on her shoulder; here I believe it would have been better if it remained at half-speed, but without the X-ray effect. So that the fear on her face is what the audience observes, the X-ray effect hides this, however, although Nadia is an excellent actress and put a great deal of commitment into acting for us. It was far too obvious that her look of horror was just not genuine enough, and did not create that impact with the original unedited version. Therefore the X-ray effect does induce some sense of fear and insecurity for the viewer. If we had more time to have re-filmed some of these shots, I think we could have achieved this. But we did not, so therefore made do with the editorial effect available to us.

Main Task - Evaluation Q4

Q4 Who would be the audience for your media product?

 

The target age range for my media product would be about 15 -25, however we do not wish to limit ourselves here, and would like to be able to cater towards a wider market of an older age group. The age group of the characters in the film do represent a younger audience; however the storyline and the setting of the opening and sections of the film which are based up to 20 years ago in the eighties, people who were teens in that decade, and remember that decade would today be in their mid thirties to forties. Therefore, will be interested in viewing the film.

 

Furthermore the film will be a mix supernatural and psychological thriller, which is designed to not only induce fear and disgust, questions the relativity of such violence. As afore mentioned, she is not someone who stands out for having supermodel looks, however is a vulnerable character, who is murdered on account of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, by those who have nothing but violent and sadistic intentions. The movie aims to question why women are exploited violently in such a way, and the type of audience would be possibly more a female audience. Rather than an audience wholly of men, we do not want to insult the female audience by claiming that they are always the victim, but want to create a sense of reality. My personal opinion is that movies in which the victim is this heightened almost visually perfect female, there are two ideas often conveyed. First that looks are the important part in such exploitation, or that those with ‘head-turning’ looks are at fault for being so good-looking in the first place, and ultimately are the ones most likely at risk. Because of this factor, this will draw in an older crowd, who may find it easier to understand a psychological thriller that conveys this message and use intellect to try to make sense of the plot.

 

Ultimately however, this is a horror movie and the horror aspect is what we want to draw the audience in on. The style of horror is a Brit-flick similar to ‘Dog Soldiers’, and’ 28 Days Later’, there is almost an underlying sense that some of the events maybe possible, and the ‘Britishness’ of it will bring it closer to home.

Main Task - Evaluation Q3

Q3 What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I would imagine our filming team as independent filmmakers, we are British based and would be looking to approach the likes of the BFI ‘British Film Institute’ or the UK Film Council. We do not have access to a production company or the funds to get the product marketed; however there are institutions which cater towards funding and distributing independent, unknown and a new generation of filmmakers into the mainstream. Danny Boyle is a British director who filmed ‘28 Days later’ with the help of studios through DNA productions and the UK Film Council; later on the film was distributed by 20th Century Fox.[i] This film did relatively badly in British cinema Box Offices, however on DVD and in American Cinemas it did well. Although it would be thrilling to be considered a success in America, we do aim to at least create revenue amongst British consumers. Therefore it is important to ensure that the film has been marketed and produced by British institutions, although a film’s success is not always about how and through whom the item is marketed, but more about the quality and how well the film is received by the consumer public. But, it is clear that marketing and the distribution of an item plays a significant role, the type of cinemas we also imagine taking an interest in releasing this film, would be independent cinemas. Such as Phoenix Picture House or the ICO Independent Cinema Office, there has been a shift for more mainstream distributors to follow the trend of taking the initiative to screen an up-and-coming release, simply because smaller cinemas have benefited in revenue from the movie first. As they also do not want to lose out on the possibility of making money from a particular film, although they may not be the first to release the movie. There are far more commercial distributors in towns and cities, therefore they can tap into a market, where independent distributors lack in having a branch within a particular location to offer such a screening. However, again there is a low chance that this could happen, and as a result we do not aim to meet Hollywood or mainstream standards. Furthermore, to distribute towards the mainstream standard of viewers, a lot more money is involved, in regards to marketing and distribution. Whereas from the use of the ICO criteria for marketing and advertisement, the method of screening and acceptance is based on the cinema staff, and the general audience; quoting from the ICO website:

‘We strongly believe that the most successful cinemas and film societies are those where staff have the opportunity to watch films and feel passionate about them. To this end, twice a year, the ICO organises a Screening Days event, providing exhibitors with a crash course in key forthcoming independent releases.’.

This suits our style of production and what we stand for. However similarly, there are alternative means of marketing methods, for example if we look at the recent post 2000 horror movie, ‘Paranormal Activity’, this was not screened to a room of film critics, instead the filmmakers chose to take the product and screen this to various college towns of University students, claiming it to be a true story. Thus creating a viral sensation via word of mouth and the use of internet forums, as the internet is a powerful marketing tool. There are also viral ads, which can be used to create hype and sensation for consumers to buy into the actual product. Due to budget funds this would be far more ideal.

[i] http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2002/oct/25/artsfeatures1

Main Task - Evaluation Q2

Q2 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The aim was to direct the movie towards a more generalised section of the public, rather than one social or age group. Although the film is intended to be certified as 15, we do not wish to only cater to a young teen market. The girl running is of ethnic origin, it does seem typical to have the victim to be female. However, the opening is wholly action, and of someone in fear, which we hope will draw the audience in. The ethnicity of the girl is Asian, because we wanted to steer clear of the archetypal blonde in danger, instead a young East Asian girl is what the audience will see first. Although media entertainment is moving towards marketing films with South East Asian actors, the horror genre internationally does lack this.

The hooded villain could be male or even could be female, although the ending will reveal that the villain is male. We felt it would be better not to lead straight away with his identity or gender. But rather it remained a mystery. Although today there are films where the villain is now represented as female, which could add to a story twist or enhance the reaction of the audience; for this movie, Paranoia, we felt that the reverse in roles was not necessary. But rather the overall story and the impact of the scenes, that are to contain danger elements of violence and gore.

We are aware that we chose to use a female character from the offset as the victim, and this does not essentially contradict or challenge the horror genre. She is typically running away from danger but to no avail, she is being chased and admittedly we are aware that all the audience hear is her feminine scream. However, our aim was never to challenge the gender role, but rather create a movie where the action and creating the sense of horror were more important than us challenging the stereo-type. Although alternately, we chose a female who is not essentially a white, blonde female, with magazine cover appeal. But rather someone that would not typically stand out, but an individual who we would see in day to day life, and pass us by in the street. The opening sequence, where she is running through the park, we chose to use dull colours for her clothes; she is not your typical brightly coloured young girl. She is a young woman, not someone in her teens, and we wanted to represent this. The clothes are fairly fashionable by today’s standards, but we chose items, that also had an eighties look. As the character in the opening shots, is actually the young protagonists mother, if the audience were to place the time line, she would have been a young woman approximately 20-25 years ago, therefore the eighties. We wanted to create the look of someone who was not your typical airhead, but someone real and not a Hollywood actress with perfect teeth, or airbrushed. The person running could be anyone, someone you meet in the street. This use of this actor and character is to create the sense of reality, and to bring the sense of danger much closer to home for the audience. Thus we believe that by the use of the character having a more realistic look, and her being killed, has nothing to do with her being a perfect, desirable individual, but it is more about something deeper than that, it questions that it is not the victims fault by any means; but rather the attacker and the person committing the crime is really to blame. We hoped that this would appeal to a larger audience because of the far more realistic approach to murder and that violence is often not perpetrated by the victim, whether directly or indirectly.

Main Task - Evaluation Q1

Q1 In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Horror films are generally a popular genre for the cinematic experience; they explore themes of fear and disgust. The basis behind using this genre to create our media product was to thrill the audience, and entice them to watch our movie. Also, there are many different types of horror, there are slasher movies, supernatural and phenomena, monster and alien, vampire and legend based horror films. There is something for everyone to enjoy, which is why we felt, that combining something supernatural with an opening where the girl is slashed to death, would enhance the sense of vulnerability for the viewer. The audience are lulled into thinking that this is a straight forward slasher mystery, but instead there is a supernatural theme that becomes more apparent in the storyline.

In regards to more conventional genres, there are romance movies, period dramas, comedy’s, however not everyone is stimulated by these themes; although fear is something that grips all of us. Hence the reason for choosing this theme.

For our opening film sequence, in Paranoia, we felt there was little need for dialogue. It was important that we draw the audience’s attention by the use of action, but with an opening scene where there was a clear sense of danger. Not a sense of foreboding, or something ominous to happen, as with most horror movies, from the outset the audience anticipate the actual horror part of the film. We decided to start with the horror straight away. Similarly to the Sixth Sense, where Bruce Willis is shot or Blade, where we see the protagonist kill the hoard of vampires in an underground raving party.

The movie was shot simply; to create the visual aspect of the Mise en Scene in our opening, we wanted to shoot on a cloudy day, and we were lucky in achieving this. However, if we could not, there are methods of editing and creating this affect, by dulling the tone of the film by using the editing software. Our composition was to remain fairly basic; we angled the camera to shoot from a low angle, with a sort of mid shot angle, but from the ground up, this would then develop into a long shot of the victim running away. We wanted to give the viewer an idea of where the setting is, the sort of landscape of dead leaves and to enhance a sense of barrenness in her surroundings. This also creates a claustrophobic feel, although she is out in the open, the shot is deliberately confined and they are only able to see the ground and a decrepit iron railing fence in this frame, her means of escape from whatever she is running away from are limited.

If for example we look at common movies like ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ the seventies version and the recent post 2000 remake, there are scenes in which the characters are out in the open, yet the shot of some of the frames where they are filmed close-up gives a sense of confinement, and this builds the tension for the audience. Or in the movie The Others, we see the family clearly surrounded by open fields, and a large house, yet again there is a sense of confinement. As we often see little else, we never see them leave the house or the grounds. In my opinion this builds genuine sense of imprisonment for the viewer themselves, in other words, what the characters are feeling is projected onto those observing the scene.

Overall, our main aim was to excite and stimulate the viewing experience from the offset of the film, we did not wish to film a chronological order of events, where the excitement builds later on in the movie. But rather from the beginning, to create a sense of insecurity and a sense of the unexpected as most horror movies are deemed to do so. There are movies that require a chronological storyline, like The Descent, where the story begins with six women getting together for a caving expedition, and then are faced mid way though the movie with monstrous, carnivorous creatures. The movie that I would personally liken ours to is the Sixth Sense, where one initial story also links with another separate story to make one complete tense picture for the audience.