http://prezi.com/cejj8kge9mkk/as-media-evaluation/
Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our film incorporates generic conventions of the horror genre. We have used the following conventions: Dark lighting, an unrevealing killer, a gun and an open/abandoned area. We have used these convention in our opening sequence to make the audience build up their fear, especially after the audience see the unrevealing killer fire two guns shot. This also builds up tension for the viewer as although the camera does not show who the killer is shooting at, buy yet the audience know who has been killed. These conventions also indicate within our sequence that it is a psychological horror film and this is clear to the audience because we have included a revenge killer in our film. Our film could link in with a film called ‘Wolf Creek’ because the film is based in an ancient creek and at first they think they are alone and safe, but however, they are not.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In our film, we haven’t really got a social group, its just based on a teenage couple. In terms of the age, they are 18 years of age and want to get away for a weekend, like a typical middle class young couple. It’s a boy and girl, (Sam & Sarah). The two genders are represented in a typical male/female role. The gender isn’t represented in a stereotypical way, as the killer in our film is a female. Usually in horrors the killer tends to be a male. But as our film is about revenge, the female takes the action on the couple that is away for the weekend and sets out to kill them. The target audience is around 15+, and the people in our film are teenagers, which then the audience can relate to if they are teenagers around similar ages and interest.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
We haven’t gone for a Hollywood studio release film; this is for major films, which does not fit with the opening sequence that we have created. Also we don’t have any major actors or actresses playing the roles of our characters, we just have C list actors and actresses. This is because we don’t need major actors and actresses, as our film is based on the storyline and not how important the actors and actresses are.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The age group that our film is aimed at is 15+, we chose this because it isn’t to threatening. I think if we added gore and self harming scenes then our target audience would of moved up to be a 18. The film is torn between two genders, It doesn’t aim to any particular one, I think both could watch it and get the same effect, whereas I feel if it was two males in it and was a bit more action or gore, I think it would appeal more to the male gender. Other films that are similar to ours are probably Wolf creek, this is also about a group of people who plan to go away and it all goes wrong, they end up being stranded in the middle of nowhere and getting brutally torched. The second film that is similar to ours is Texas chainsaw massacre, they also have a teenaged group wanting to get away and they enter a house, which doesn’t turn to good. Another aspect to our films is Revenge in the narrative. Scream has a lot of revenge in the film which makes it similar story lines, as we have the killer who is a jealous teenager wanting to get her own back on the teenaged couple. We chose to set the film in a very open space, abandoned space, like many horror films, where if the group need to scream.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
At the end of our opening sequence we have ended it by showing the killer firing two gunshots. This comes across as quite shocking to our audience and leaves them thinking whether the victims are dead or not. We have also included different types of camerawork within our opening sequence so that we can show different point of view angles, such as: the over the shoulder shot of the killer watching her victims. Our audience is in the position of the killer, and we have deliberately done this so that the narrative becomes an open narrative and the audience knows what is going on but the characters don’t. However, by the end of our opening sequence the narrative changes to a closed narrative, as we don’t want the audience to witness the shooting, which makes the audience think about whether the killers victims are dead or not. This is good for the generic conventions of horror films because it adds suspense for the audience and adds a sense of tension between the narrative and the audience. Looking at our audience feedback we got a variety of different rated levels for different parts of our film. We asked a variety of different audience to watch our film (mainly focusing on our target audience) and rate us on different sections of our opening sequence, the ratings were: Minimal, Basic, Proficient and Excellent. Looking at the ratings we got, the majority of our audience rated our opening sequence as proficient.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
At first, we had no experience with the camera, but by practicing and making a rough cut; it helped to improve our film cut. We also didn’t know how to zoom in and out on the camera, but with practice we figured this out. We came across a difficult issue when filming, which was the ground was at different levels which made it slightly difficult to film, but we managed to make the tripod more flat my changing the lengths of the legs. Once we had finished filming, we inserted the recorded scenes into ‘iMovie’. We then, added a darkening effect to the whole sequence so that we had the key convention of dark lighting. This made our opening sequence look more like a horror film. We then needed to add a soundtrack and gun shot sound effects to our sequence. We did this using ‘GarageBand’. We created a major/low key soundtrack to add to the effect of our sequence being a horror film, we also chosen a gun shot to match the sound of the gun at the end of our sequence. We then inserted these to match the righting when the killer shoot the gun – this added the real effect of a gun shot in our film.
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
We started our preliminary task by researching into the genre of horror films and writing a short analysis of an opening sequence of a horror film. This helped to see the use of different camera shots used and different sounds used to create the horror atmosphere. We then researched into more depth and researched into the horror genre, which was useful and helped us to add the important conventions of horror films. After this research, we began to create our storyboard and decided to base it on a getaway adventure – located in an abandoned area. Once we had come up with our storyline we then began to draw out the different shots we were going to shoot within our opening sequence and produce it as an animatic. By doing this it helped to shoot our opening in order of shots – and we knew exactly what shots we were doing and help run this smoother. Some of the shot we used on our first rough cut did not work out as well as we thought and didn’t no look as good when we put all the filming together on ‘iMovie’. We then changed some of the shot types and added some jump cuts to break up some of the sequence. Overall, I think we have produced a good opening sequence of a psychological horror film and we especially like how we have ended the opening sequence by having the killer firing two gunshots, but however, we have left the audience thinking about whether the killers victims are dead or not.
Extras
Company logo and how it was created
I chosen a background image from google images 'http://images.google.co.uk/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi' and i saved it to my documents. I then opened it up into Photoshop and copied and pasted word art text from Microsoft Work onto the image.
I then used the 'scew' tool to transfprm the text to go around the swirl to add effect to the logo.
I chosen a background image from google images 'http://images.google.co.uk/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi' and i saved it to my documents. I then opened it up into Photoshop and copied and pasted word art text from Microsoft Work onto the image.
I then used the 'scew' tool to transfprm the text to go around the swirl to add effect to the logo.
Assessment 9
Rough Cut
This is the rough cut of my opening sequence. I intend to improve on the following things:
- Improve on the titles
- Add company logo
- Clip adjustments e.g. jump cuts & darkening the lighting
- Re-shoot and finish shooting the ending
- Add sound effects & soundtrack
-
This is the rough cut of my opening sequence. I intend to improve on the following things:
- Improve on the titles
- Add company logo
- Clip adjustments e.g. jump cuts & darkening the lighting
- Re-shoot and finish shooting the ending
- Add sound effects & soundtrack
-
Assessment 6 - Actors, Locations, Costumes and Props
Actors
Sarah - Teenager no.1 - Camera man
Sam - Teenager no.2
Hayley - Car driver - Camera man
David - Serial Killer
Location
Hartlepool
In the car
Crimdon Dene
Cimdom Dene is the main focus of my film, this is because it's full of tree's, a good camping place and is the best place to fit in with my script. Also this location is quite isolated, which fits in with the horror genre.
Costumes
Casual
Warm camping clothing
Dark clothing (trousers, hooded coat)
I have chosen both teens to wear casual but warm clothing as they are going camping and this will make the film look more realistic. However, the killers costume is the most improtant as it's essential that the teenagers and the viewer are not able to see who is watching them, so therefore i have chosen the killer to wear dark clothing such as a hooded jacket.
Props
Car
Music
Luggage
Tent
Food and drink
Gun
Mask or makeup
Mobile phone/ipod
The probs for my film are improtant as they also add realism. For example luggage and a tent is imporant to see within the film as they are going camping and also a gun as they are going to be killed. It is important for the viewer to see the gun as it adds suspense and fear as they know someone is going to get shot.
Sarah - Teenager no.1 - Camera man
Sam - Teenager no.2
Hayley - Car driver - Camera man
David - Serial Killer
Location
Hartlepool
In the car
Crimdon Dene
Cimdom Dene is the main focus of my film, this is because it's full of tree's, a good camping place and is the best place to fit in with my script. Also this location is quite isolated, which fits in with the horror genre.
Costumes
Casual
Warm camping clothing
Dark clothing (trousers, hooded coat)
I have chosen both teens to wear casual but warm clothing as they are going camping and this will make the film look more realistic. However, the killers costume is the most improtant as it's essential that the teenagers and the viewer are not able to see who is watching them, so therefore i have chosen the killer to wear dark clothing such as a hooded jacket.
Props
Car
Music
Luggage
Tent
Food and drink
Gun
Mask or makeup
Mobile phone/ipod
The probs for my film are improtant as they also add realism. For example luggage and a tent is imporant to see within the film as they are going camping and also a gun as they are going to be killed. It is important for the viewer to see the gun as it adds suspense and fear as they know someone is going to get shot.
Assessment 5
Plot Synopsis
A teenaged couple, plan to get away for the weekend, they decided to go camping in the middle of nowhere, were they know they can be alone. They start off their journey by their friend driving them to their destination. However, their romantic getaway turns out to be a disaster when they realise that they are being watched by a jealous serial killer.
Opening Sequence
A teenage couple will be dropped off at Crimdon Dene by their friend, where they will be camping for the weekend. They tell their friend to pick them up in two days and then they head off to set up their tent. Once they are all set up Sam lets Sarah know that he is going for a wee in the bushes. However, whilst he's in the bushes he hears a slight rustle from a tree nearby and suddenly notices that a black figure is watching him. He rushes back to Sarah to let her known what has happened. Sarah gets worried and decides that she doesn't want to stay and suggests to Sam that they should pack all their stuff up and go home. Sam agrees. Once they are all packed up they head back to where they got dropped off at, but they do no know that whilst on their way back they will be watched, followed and killled.
Filming Timetable
Assessment 3
Target Audience
Films which are rated at 15, means that those aged 15 and above are able to view the film. This also mean that no one under the age of 15 can view the film at cinema or rent or buy DVD's and Games at this rated certificate. This also applied to rated 18 films.
The use of nudity is allowed in a sexual content but not with strong detail or references, along with sex can be portrayed without strong activity being shown. There can be strong verbal references to sexual behavior, but strongest references won’t be allowed unless the context is necessary. There is generally no theme around this age category as long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds. There can be strong violence in 15 films but shouldn’t dwell on the behavior or injuries. Strong ‘gory’ images are unlikely to be seen in 15 films along with sexual violence such as rape. If there was to be sexual violence, it would have to justified strongly, although there can be references to this behavior.
Films which are rated at 15, means that those aged 15 and above are able to view the film. This also mean that no one under the age of 15 can view the film at cinema or rent or buy DVD's and Games at this rated certificate. This also applied to rated 18 films. The films must not show violent behavior or language to the audience, it can show drug/alcohol abuse but mustn’t promote it within the film. The genre of horror can show strong abuse and threatening gestures. Characters behavior such as being hung, suicidal happenings and self-harming can be shown in horror, but not constantly appealing throughout the film as the audience watching could imitate or copy it and therefore lead to dangerous incidents. Weapons such as guns and other harmful weapons should not be in the audience’s face as a centre point all the time as it could give a fright or be a bit nervous for the audience. Strong language is used a lot in horror as it shows the tension the characters are feeling, words such as ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ are main strong language words used quite a lot in horror as it can relate to anyone’s feelings.
The use of nudity is allowed in a sexual content but not with strong detail or references, along with sex can be portrayed without strong activity being shown. There can be strong verbal references to sexual behavior, but strongest references won’t be allowed unless the context is necessary. There is generally no theme around this age category as long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds. There can be strong violence in 15 films but shouldn’t dwell on the behavior or injuries. Strong ‘gory’ images are unlikely to be seen in 15 films along with sexual violence such as rape. If there was to be sexual violence, it would have to justified strongly, although there can be references to this behavior.
This specific rating, films can only be viewed by adults (people of age 18+). Although it is pretty much the same as rated 15 films, R18 films can be stretched to more extreme things. This could be that the film has used a great deal of strong language or explicit scenes of sexual activity. The film could also encourage violent behavior or harm to individuals, for example: detailed scenes of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use within the film. Also sexual violence, for example, could endorse sexual assault.
Horror Genre
Horror films are also known as: chillers, scary movies, spook fests and the macabre. The horror genre began in the late 1800's and one of the first horror movies to be made was Le Manoir du diable, also know as 'The House of the Devil. To this day horror films are still being watched and this is one of the most favourite watched genre's. A reason why people seem to like horror films is because it brings out their fear and it's almost like being taken on a rollercoaster as it realeases it's audiences adrenalin. The horror genre has been invented to cause fear and panic, to release our hidden worst fears and to give the audience an entertaining but yet a horrifying experience. Horror films effectively center the most alarming events, emphasise on the forbidden and the strange and also give people thier worst nightmares.
Assessment 2
Opening Scene of Scream
The scene begins with a medium shot and a prank phone call takes place. Casey becker (the main character in the first scene), takes no notice of the call and hangs up. The camera then becomes a close up of the phone as it rings again, then to a medium shot of Casey as she has a short conversation with an unknown man on the phone. After Casey says bye to the unknown man for the second time the camera cuts to an establishing shot of her house, revealing to the aundience that it's a big classy house. We then see a cross cut as we see her lighting the hob to make some pop corn, and as we see this the camera slowly zooms out to becoming a medim shot as the non syncronous sound of the phone ringing again. However, this time the coversation lasts longer between Casey and the mystery man, there is a reference to another horror film called 'Halloween' as we see a medium shot of her holding a knife, which symbolises this. The camera cuts from the conversation to the pop corn crackling as it cooks, which is buuilding up suspense and then the camera cuts back to Casey on the phone,which this technique is called a shot reverse shot. The camera contiunes as a medium shot and pans as it follows her from the kitchen into the living room and when the mysterious man says "I want to see who i'm looking at", the camera zooms in to show the fear on her face. This is then followed by a non syncronous sound of a dog barking outside, which is suggesting that the man on the phone is outside. As she puts the phone down in shock, the camera cuts back to the pop corn over cooking, building up more suspense, the phone rings again and straight away she puts the phone down. She rushes to the pop corn and is about to move it as smoke begins but yet again the phone rings. Yet again the camera zooms in to ther face to show fear as he says "I'll cut you like a fish". Non diagetic drumming begins slowly and quietly, then gets faster and louder as she rushes in a panic to lock all the doors, then it suddenly stops, and as he says "To see what your insides look like" a low to a high pitched string sounds plays to build up the tension. The non syncronous doorbell rings and the camera cuts to a medium long shot as she slowly creeps towards the door crying. She crys out "whos there" several times and threatens to call the police, as she reaches for the phone, the phone rings again and the camera zooms in on her face and pans as the camera follows her. As he says "Turn on the pateo light" a non diagetic booming drum sound occurs which suggests something will happen, and as she turns on the light her boyfriend is revealed tied up with blood on him.
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