My name is Lizzy Marshall and welcome to my blog. It is a record of the work undertaken as part of the G321 AS Foundation Portfolio within the OCR GCE cause in Media Studies. I worked independently to produce a film opening in the thriller genre. The project lasted four months, commencing in September 2015 and finishing in March 2016. I hope you enjoy my work and find it both successful and interesting. Please use the navigation bar to access my work as organised into labels; Planning, Real Thing, About, Research, Camera shots, Movie Maker Skills, Inspiration, Storyboard, Continuity editing Techniques, Trails, Audience and Trips. There is also a link to the St Mary's School Blog Hub.
"In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)"
Remembering when i looked at the first 9 frames of Scream, i realised how it showed conventional ideas in just 9 frames, well...
I thought i'd so the same:
However when i did the first 9 frames it didn't show much, so i chose for a more accurate representation of my movie, considering it's only 2 mins long, that i could choose any 9 frames ...
1. Establish shot - classic thriller shot. Just like Scream and many others in the very beginning there is always an establishing shot! This just sets the scene, like the killers eyes are watching and showing the vulnerability of the location. This opening adds that scene of fear but also sets up that they are home alone, plus the sound in this shot has the jack in the box music playing plus breathing suggesting there is a link between jack and the person looking at the house - setting up the storyline.
2. Shot Reverse Shot - characters are introduced here to shows the vulnerability of two girls and the dialogue here shows that the oldest is only babysitting. This implicates the vulnerability and introduces the thriller classic convention of a victim that's vulnerable suggesting the genre is thriller.
3.This high angle shot - classic shot used when the vulnerability is heightened as it shows inferiority to the protagonist. The colour although not show in this picture is blue because it's usually used for horrors and thrillers:
4. This long shot - is the shot after the special effect of the doorbell ringing, stops the protagonist in her tracks. This emphasises fear and the fact she is now in the storyline. The costume is bland and minimal to symbolise her innocent simpleness.
5. Match on Action Shot - introduces the story even more as she receives a jack in the box suggesting jack has defiantly got something to do with it. This sets up the story to a creepy thriller. Also This shot is a POV from the killer watching her receive her box.
6. Close up - its conventional of a typical thriller to close up face shots to show emotions, mainly fear and that is exactly what I've done. The editing here cuts quickly betweens shots as the suspense gets higher and higher.
7. Midshot - KILLER introduction. So important for the killer not to be blankly shown, bits have to be revealed to emphasise the presence of him/her. I chose him only due the fact I based it on Jack in the box. Therefore basing my story in Jack killings.
8. Close up - more shots of killer and weaponry but the props are an important part. As the killer must have his distinct way of killing people to create that storyline. Also at this point typical conventions of sound will be used where the music is being built up and built up by instruments being added in and further sounds to heighten the tension.
9. Extreme close up - This a quick glimpse at the killer before the title appears. This title is off no particular text font because the convention is bold and clear to forcibly scare the reader. However, it does have an effect on it!
My evaluation 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?
This means to choose a particular character - such as my main character Lori Freeborn and relate her to a social group and other characters.
Here i have used voki.com to produce this: (script is below)
Script:
Representation is the process of making meaning in moving images and sound. In my film opening, this means to present/show young people. The processes I have used to make my actors stand for the characters they represent include careful use of camera shots, angles, movement and composition, sound, editing and mise en scene.
In my film opening, I wanted to represent a typical innocent young female babysitter to heighten the sympathy from the audience and conform to the conventions of my chosen thriller genre.
I held auditions for the ideal performers for the part. My chosen actress was a typical 18-year-old, with quite an innocent ‘look’ – long blonde hair, petite physique, well-spoken with quite a high-pitched, ‘girly’ voice. Her costume was equally plain and simple, a casual outfit to set the scene. Her characters is positioned to come across as important, but actually not the main protagonist, which is the reason she wears a long beige top with jeans. These colours are quite warm, which contributes to her caring character, the light colours also connoting innocence and youth.
This character is introduced with a wide shot which establishes her to the audiences as quite a stereotypical teenage babysitter in a big room, emphasising her vulnerability alone in the huge house, with large glass windows showing the threatening dark outside.
I also used sound to help introduce her naive character with her dialogue ‘Your mum’s going to kill me’, which foreshadows the fact that she is going to die as well as indicating her position as a babysitter.
I used a high angle shot as she puts the child to bed, showing how her power has shifted from the babysitter in charge to the lonely victim. As she descends the stairs the soundscape creates tension with several layers of different sounds such as drones and high-pitched, unnerving sounds.
The way I edited my film opening also highlights the youth and innocence of my character as she is threatened and in danger. The establishing shots at the beginning are held for several seconds to give the illusion of a calm environment, whereas the shots towards the end quicken as the tension builds. We also have a point of view shot from the killer standing outside the house watching the girl pick up a mysterious package. The editing there is match on action, so the audience are immersed in the action, moving with the girl and empathising with her. The change to the killer’s viewpoint again emphasises her vulnerability and gives the audience both sides of the story, instead of just following it from one perspective.
Towards the end of my film opening I have included several close-ups on my victim’s face to show her growing terror.
The verisimilitude created by my film opening enables the audience to relate to my victim, as she is represented so clearly as a vulnerable teenager. My target audience also comes from this social group, both girls and boys. I decided to have a female victim, as both boys and girls tend to empathise with the stereotypical attractive female victim.
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
Judith butler suggests that in accordance to this theory having gender identifications causes problems amongst our society, therefore we should be open to the suggestion of not having fixed identifications of masculine and feminine but have multiple identifications. Therefore contradicting the law we all abide by. However the film industry do not abide by her theory, as because of gender they are able to create certain moods and therefore movies.
Evaluation 3 discusses 'What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?' so, therefore i thought why not compare companies together to get the best answer. Meaning instead of doing a real life interview, i used an online software called GoAnimate, unfortunately unless i paid it kept the watermark, but you can still see the movie:
Once again, here is the script to follow:
PRESENTER
Hi and welcome to my Chat show.
On today’s show I am joined by Warner Brothers CEO, Kevin Tsujihara, The BFI’s Tom Fatjo and Cannon&Marley Productions, Karen Marley
Applause
Today we are here to discuss the distribution of the new up coming film ‘when jack comes calling’ by Afterlife films.
KEVIN
I represent Warner Brother studio’s and we are a major production company that provide the physical basis for works in the realms of film, arts and more.
We haven taken part is many thrillers such as inception and we are well known for providing recognition for companies. So with our vast audience we can suit the target audience of both males and females.
TOM
I am here on behalf of the British film institute and we are a government-funded company that love to support new talent. We work very well and closely to the BBC and Channel 4 to promote the film further.
KAREN
Well I’m Karen and I’m from my own production company which has produced movies such as ‘The Falling’, which is actually very similar to the movie being discussed.
TOM
Hey, I just had an idea. Sorry Kevin you are not involved but why don’t Karen and I club together and co-fund and distribute when jack comes calling?
KEVIN
That’s fine with me. My company is too big to work with this small movie
PRESENTER
OK, lets not get heated. Well done BFI that is a great idea! Afterlife productions will accept that offer.
Thanks to all my guest and the audience…. Goodnight!
I researched my audience demographic and psychographic in two ways - firstly, I compiled a series of questions on surveymonkey.com to ask the general public, in order to find out my audiences interests on a wider scale, so I could put together a movie that was tailored to and market I was looking at. Then secondly, I compiled a questionnaire on word to ask a focus group after they actually watched the movie.
Here are the results of the questions I asked in a pie chart format. To help me work out who would be my audience for the media product i'm looking mainly at the second chart of who the focus group thought the movie should be aimed at. The results show that the 'teenager' category is the biggest which corresponds with target audience i originally set out to target. The first question is also important because the focus group was based around the ages of year 10 students to sixth form students, so therefore being in the teenager/young adults category means i have to see how happy they were to watch it. The results show that 38/41 (92%) of people enjoyed the movie which is above excellent therefore my audience from this survey is correct in terms of the audience for my media product.
Furthermore looking at my treatment from before the psychographic profile I had before matches the age range at which my movie was shown to. So the results are perfect for my predictions.
Here is an annotated video of my film opening, highlighting the different aspects in my film opening that attracted my audience:
I addressed my audience through the demographics I received when researching for my treatment because I knew who my target audience were. Following this I addressed them further by my actor selection and my setting.
