Question 7

Question 7

What was the purpose of the Preliminary task?

The purpose of the preliminary task was to get me comfortable with the cameras and using the tripod and to try out different camera angles which i would use when it came to filming. This also helped my  group get to know each other better which was good as we didn’t all know each other and feel comfortable with each other at the beginning. Doing the preliminary task made it easier when we came to filming as i knew how to get all these angles which made it quicker and more efficient for my group. From the preliminary task as I was the actor I learnt not to speak to the camera in the clip as I have to speak to the other actor. I also learnt which different camera angles show different effects such as a close up shows the expression on the actors face which could build tension as the audience could see they are worried therefore this makes the audience feel uncomfortable and scared. 

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

Question 6- I used many different pieces of technology to research, plan and evaluate my thriller. For example I used blogger to record all the information I found out and used different blogs to help me organise all our different findings so we could look back and know all the information. This was an easier way to record our work as our teachers could get easy access to see what we had wrote. For our sound effects we used the internet and used copyright free websites to find our diegetic and non diegetic sounds. For example the young girls scream and the back ground music. I also used a tripod and camera, the tripod helped as it helped to steady my camera to make a better effect so the audience can focus on one thing without the camera being shaky. It also helped as i could take the camera off the tripod when i wanted a hand held effect which is conventional to the thriller genre as it crease suspense and a sense of an un balanced atmosphere. I got to practice with our camera when I filmed the preliminary task as I got to work on different angle shots and understand how the camera works. The shots I found difficult to film were the high angle shots as it was hard to find an area that high to get a good angle of the film. I also found the close ups quite hard as I filmed in a dark alley so it was hard to get all the facial expressions on camera as the darkness did not allow the camera to pick up much but i wanted to film in a low key lighting area as it follows the conventions of a thriller. I got over these by a group member climbing up the stairs onto the roof of a building to get the high angle shot and we filmed the close ups right next to a light so we could get the most light onto the close ups as possible without having to change the whole setting and filming inside which would ruin the narrative. The editing software we used was Final cut pro X. This allows you to cut all your thriller clips and add them together it also In this editing software I cropped added all the clips together and edited them to give a good effect of our thriller. My group and i chose a variety of different filters through out the thriller to help make certain aspects stand out.  I think one of our good editing skills was using the high angle to make it look like it was from a cctv camera by making the screen green and adding a date and a place to the screen. This made a scary effect as it was though someone was watching the whole murder and it was all of tape. 

Question 2

We have used two characters in my Film which is the young blonde female Orphan who wears a long white night dress and comes across looking very innocent at first as she walks along sadly holding a pink teddy bear. I Included this character in my thriller as i wanted the audience to think they had figured out what was going to happen in my thriller thinking a young innocent would get murdered when really it has a twist and she becomes the evil murderer. We also had our second character who was a young teenage boy who is wearing all black and has his hood up. I picked to choose this as my audience would be able to relate to this more as he looks like a normal young boy walking home which would create more tension and fright as they can relate it to a real life situation everyone has been in.

At the beginning Gender is represented in a stereotypical way as in the young blonde female is seen as sweet and innocent and vulnerable to everyone. Also the young boy who is dressed in black will be seen to be a thug and be dangerous. This then changes and the stereotype disappears as the audience notice that really it is the opposite way round. We decided to do this as it would shock and confuse the audience and make it unique to most other thrillers but also as it will also be conventional to the thriller genre but with an extra twist.

These characters will appeal to my audience as in my research into  audience as 62 percent of the people we asked were aged 11-20 which means they can relate more as there is a young teenage boy playing the victim. This means they will feel more connected to the film as they can relate doing something as walking home in the dark to their everyday life. Also as the people we asked 23 people out of 40 people we asked were male which means they would be able to relate to the young male more. 

Question 1

My group consisted of myself, Harry Hyett, and Luke Durance.  We all had many roles in the production such as Director who was Harry Hyett, A director is someone who directs the making of the film. Harry directed the cameraman and the actors what to do and where to stand etc. Harry was also the producer along with Luke. A producer of the film will prepare the film and supervise the making of it. We also had two actors which included myself as the little blonde orphan girl and Luke who was the male victim within my thriller sequence. My roles within the thriller was selecting the mise en scene in the film and acting as the young girl.I think at the start my group did not work well as a group as we didn’t know each other well enough which made things a bit awkward. After a while when we got to know each other we all started to feel more comfortable and combined all our ideas to make our idea of our thriller we have.  I think we have made a successful thriller. My group have included some of the conventions of thriller for example we set our thriller is a secluded place using low key lighting. This helps to build tension as the audience see no one is around and we cannot see a lot due to the lighting. My also used the convention of a young blonde female which we believe is the victim at the beginning. This is a convention as it foreshadows what is going to happen in the rest of the thriller and the use of a young blonde female follows the stereotype of a dumb blonde who is vulnerable.

The generic conventions of a thriller are..

1.    Acting- This genre of film will usually have characters which are on edge in the thriller. This is as it builds tension for the audience as they can see that the characters no that something bad is about to happen. For example in the film when a stranger calls the female actress knows that someone is in the house and begins to get very scared which builds a lot of tension for the viewers watching it.

2.    The story line of a thriller film will usually be in the leading characters point of view. Which will show the events the hero will need to overcome. By having the thriller in the point of view of the leading role will help to form a relationship with the audience and make them feel more connected with the thriller. There sometimes may be other point of views such as the murderer’s point of view to help with telling the plot of the film.

3.    Plot- Usually thrillers show justice and injustice. They have someone who is evil and someone who is good and a hero. These two characters will usually be fighting with each other. Usually the good character will interfere with the evil characters plans. For example in the film Saw the male detective interferes with Jigsaws plans.

My group follows the generic conventions as we have someone who is evil and someone who is innocent. For example we have the evil little orphan girl who murders the innocent man who is trying to help the young girl. We also followed it as we can see that the male victim in the thriller seems like he is on edge in the thriller when he approaches the young girl as we see his is wary of her which builds tension for the audience and they can see something bad is about to happen. There is also elements where we haven’t followed generic conventions such as we haven’t put the thriller in the point of view of the main character as it isn’t is any of the characters point of view throughout the whole thriller.

Our opening sequence defines and follows the thriller genre as we have used the representation of good and evil. As Luke who is an innocent man and Hannah who is the evil little girl. At the start I also have used hidden identity of the little girl and also the boy this is so it builds enigma for the audience as they do not know what to expect.

I have also followed the thriller genre as I have used a blonde female girl and using a high angle camera shots. This makes her seem like she is the victim and makes her seem weak and vulnerable but really it is the other way round. It also follows the conventions as we have used low key lighting to build more tension and not give too much away with the setting with have chosen.