Sunday 20 March 2016
Lookin back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? (Evaluation Question 7)
To answer evaluation question seven I created a prezi to visualize my journey of development from the Preliminary Task to the final thriller opening sequence. The entire process took part over a time span of roughly five month, which allowed me to learn from my mistakes, continuously learn and improve my abilities.
Thursday 17 March 2016
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? (Evaluation question 6)
I thought that the gun mic was particularly interesting, since you simply point it at the origin of the sound and then you have two sound recordings in the editing process. I learned that if you have a track that is way to quiet and boosting the master isn't 'enough you can start layering the tracks to create a louder volume. Also you may select one of them, the one that has the better sound recorded which is usually the external mic.
Tuesday 15 March 2016
How did you attract/ address your audience? (Evaluation Task 5)
Target Audience: Male 15-25 year olds
What have you made?
I have produced a crime- thriller that is filled with mystery and suspense as well as a good amount of action.
Why do you refer to it as a crime thriller?
It is a hybrid genre since while it adheres to most of the triller conventions,like suspicious enigmas, extraordinary events, fast pace, protagonist and antagonist, a complex narrative and a cliff hanger it also contains multiple elements of the crime genre. Since it is about a gang that commits a series of crimes/murders and a detective trying to catch the criminals, also a good a mount of the full film dresses the criminals account of the story, which is a typical crime thriller convention.
What are other examples of Crime thrillers?
Other example of thrillers in the hybrid genre are: Seven No country for Old Men and Silence of the lambs. In my research session and the survey I did on what my target audience is, Giorgio (who is 17) says is favorite film/thriller was Silence of the Lambs. This helps reinforce of suitable the thriller is to a male audience of 15-25.
What pleasures can your target audience get from your thriller?
Uses and Gratifications Theory (Bulmer and Katz, 1974)
Identity:
- male character
- although he is 30+ his character is very relatable to the younger audience and acts as a role model
- Being able to recognize the product or person in front of you, role models that reflect similar values to yours, aspiration to be someone else
- his economical situation is comparable to a 15-25 year old’s , since he is educated and enjoying his work however of a working/middle class. -> which is shown in his costume and the cars mies-en-scene elements.
- asa private detective he has been to school and through all stages of education
- acting as a role model since the character is intelligent
- the character is brave, since he doesn’t give up and chases the criminals
- the character succeeds and is there for a good goal model
Educate:
- The audience can learn about the situation, since the opening sequence slowly reveals more and more elements of it, like the hose and the suicide note.
- The audience can learn that a car can be hot-wired
- The audience can be educated about the poisons and often leather effect of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Entertain:
- There is no physical violence, therefore it is also suitable for a young audience from 15-18, however the likable character is put under a lot of mental stress which makes the audience empathies and sit on the edge of their seats.
- the audience is able to follow the rational decisions of the character, without him saying anything. Which has a strangely satisfying effect.
Social Interaction:
- since the thriller touches on controversial subjects like suicide, it provides a common ground for social interaction. The opening sequence might well spark a conversation at a social gathering.
Where have you set your thriller?
Our thriller is set in a garage, which immediately suggests a domesticness to the thriller that all the audience can identify with. The audience is introduced to the idea of someone having a double life, basically they are introduced to a fantasy that sites up their own daily lives. The character is placed in a car. The car suggests a modern aspect to the story and introduces bother the character as modern and raffinate as well as the criminals, since the entire plan is highly developed and technical. Also the setting of a car, can create a sense of claustrophobia which highlights the urgency of our thriller, which subverted to the thriller conventions. In addition the garage introduces the class to the audience. It is obvious that it is set in a middle class, sine the crime is not committed on a grand scale, however it seems well thought trough and their for dangerous. This introduces the gang element.
By only introducing one character in the opening sequence we draw close attention to the protagonist, making the audience sympathies with him and therefor fear with him for his life. Since the thriller has a non linear story line, the opening sequence foreshadows potential different fates of the main character This challenging of the audience, creates an uneasy feeling which highlights the thrilling element of the film.
What is your plot outline?
A private detective uncovering a crime committed by a criminal organization/ gang. While the protagonist is chased by the criminals, he is under time pressure to solve the crime which he successful manages do.
How would this attract your audience?
The thriller’s plot attracts the audience by promising tension, due to its high time pressure and race like element. It also promises action since the idea of both groups ‚hunting‘ each other involves a lot of confrontation and since it is a teasel mission it promises a variety of different life or death action situations. These type of science appeal especially to 15-25 year old men since they crave the adrenaline and excitement. Often it promises and allowed the audience to escape from their daily lives and dive into a world full of excitement and danger. It also intrigues the more mature and educated age range of 25-25 of early adulthood since the character of a private detective promises a complex story, which will have differ facets to it and allow the viewer to speculate with the protagonist.
How would that address what they are expecting as an audience?
It subverted to the typical thriller and crime conventions, which therefore satisfies the audiences expectations towards the media text. Like I mentioned before conventions like: urgency, drama investigation, a fact pace, a complex narrative , suspicion, a protagonist and antagonist, a story line that requires thinking i.e. plot twists and a cliff hanger.
Which social groups are you appealing to?
The thriller appeals to male 15 to 25 year olds. It is suitable for this age group since it is not too violent however since the story line builds up to be extremely complex a minimum age of 15 is advisable. 25 year olds, however are also still interested due to the high stress that the characters are victims of, as much as the thrilling effect that it has on the audience. Men generally seek the adrenaline rush more than females, which is based on evolutionary researched due to the males history as a hunter and protector. This desire and natural need for action and excitement can then be cured by watching a thriller film. Also since the age range normally beholds a high ratio of students in school or university, where they are exposed to a very plane daily routine, this is another reason why our thriller is especially interesting to young males since it allows them to escape from reality for a while and relax.
What does the music connote to your target audience?
The music we used in our opening sequence dramatically builds up to a loud and forceful tone. This type of daunting sound track connotes anger and danger which is exactly what our target audience is looking for.
Although one might argue that it also evokes a sense of frustration, the protagonist eventually overcomes the problem and manages to open the car’s boot, this portrays the character as the hero and a role model. The sound track however also has a certain sickliness to it due to the elongated and stretched sounds. These sounds highlight the mental stress the character is in through out the entire film and highlights the intoxicated/poisoned state he is in, in the opening sequence. The fact that the protagonist can sort himself out and save himself in such a venerable state, allowed the audience an inside look on the characters strength. This type of strength is what our target audience is looking of rain the main character or one might call him a hero.
What information did you give in the titles and why?
The titles we used are intended to catch peoples attention, especially fans of the actors like Adam Grant and Arthur Donald Since the actors might be famous for similar films in the genre, it is a quick and easy form of reaching out to and broadening the audience. This is allowed due the variety of social media platforms. A fan might follow Adam Grant on twitter and see that he is casted in a new film and then he might of and see it. With our film title we were however trying to evoke a different effect. ‚Ecliptic‘ ‚is the apparent path of the Sun on the celestial sphere, and is the basis for the ecliptic coordinate system.‘(wikipedia) The film title connotes a certain feeling of mystery and tigers curiosity, due to its astrological background information . It ties in to the film due to its relevance to the ecliptic coordinate system, which is a vital part in the detectives research and gathering of clues.
What editing techniques did you use? Why will this attract your audience? Is there a style you have created for your film?
When it comes to editing we stuck to the simple convention form of a thriller. We started of by using a variety of different slow pace shots for the title sequences to appear and then slowly started to increase the pace of the edit. This also gets the viewer exited and his heart racing. It foreshadows a constant rising level of tension, until the climax of the film is reached, therefore it promises action and a good plot. Also most of our cuts are on action matches which also foreshadow a high physicality and high rate of action in the thriller.
Monday 14 March 2016
Who would be the audience for your media product? (Evaluation Question 4)
Who is the target audience for your product?
To investigate on what gender and what age group are most interested in our Thriller and what character attributes they classify with, I did a survey and interviewed six females and males.
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Sunday 13 March 2016
Friday 11 March 2016
Evaluation Question 2
How does your Media product represent particular social groups?
The opening sequence to our thriller ‚‘Ecliptic ’ which is about a Private Detective escaping represents different social groups within its four different technical areas: Camera shots and movement, Sound, Editing and its Mise-en-scene. The first two minutes provide potential for a close analysis of the representational areas of Gender, Age and Class/status.
The shots of the sequence suggest a mobility of the main character and therefore a positive representation of middle aged men. The constant movement of the character coveys activity and strength, while his movement across the space connotes an alpha male behavior highlighting his masculinity and gender. In contrast to this positive representation of masculinity the character is also portrayed as weak in the first shot since the camera angle is pointing down at him, the audience is tricked to feel sympathy for the character in this venerable state. Although he is represented in a counter typical form it makes the protagonist more likable since the audience goes on the journey of recovery with him and follow his systematic moments step by step. Once the protagonist has the situation under control the camera is on eye level with him, which is as soon as he sits down on the front seats. Towards the end however, the character gains a higher status and more power this is also connoted by the camera slightly being tilted upwards, towards the actor in the shoot in the cars boot.
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| Low angle shot |
The sequence’s editing has an increasing pace, which connotes the building tension and urgency. Starting of with a slow paced series of long shots draws the attention to the Mise-en-scene elements in the frames, as much as on the fact that the protagonist is Male. The stereotypical male behavior and attributes of Strength, intelligence and success are then supported, by his following actions and increase in pace. Since he is physically capable of high amount of movement as well as making quick and rational decisions. To highlight the high activity of the film most of the cuts are match on action. Using these cuts creates a dynamic media text.
Since there is no diegetic sound in our thriller opening sequence there is no dialogue to to analyze however the non diegetic sound track we added during post production, is a daunting and intimidating feature of the film. Its Sound is the main sauce of tension. However, the diegetic sound of the engine running helps the audience to understand the situation. The other diegetic sound of the protagonist’s coughing represents a countertop to the male hero, since it presents an imperfection. The coughing connotes weakness and poor health which are both unstable bases to create a business on . The character’s swift moments and clear headed state of mind however, create an admirable contrast. The characters imperfections and humanness also makes him more likable to the audience which is our desired effect since he is our protagonist. The unhealthy connotation also links to the characters Age since he is effected by the smoke, however still physically capable of preceding his tasks. This is a positive, however stereotypical representation of age.
The Mise-en-scene of the thriller sequence signalizes a certain status since the protagonist is dresses in a white shirt, suggesting purity and therefor portraying the character as a trustworthy and good force. Also this White shirt in combination with a tie conveys the idea and concept of education, building an educated economically active character. Other elements of the costume like his wedding ring suggest a commitment and stability, which makes the character more likable while also categorizing him as a wealthy man since the ring is gold. In addition to the ring his watch suggests a high status since it is a dominant accessory that connotes wealth and a reliable income. The protagonists make up on the other hand suggests that he has been exposed to a lot of stress. This scruffy look highlights the masculinity of the character, by playing with the physic and strength. Also this consideration of strength immediately relates to the representation since the character in a 30-35 age range he is physically able to cope with the situation and further action scenes of the film.
Thursday 10 March 2016
In what ways does your media product use, develop pr challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (Evaluation Question 1)
This is a video answering the question 'In what ways does your media product use, develop pr challenge forms and conventions of real media products?', by using a shot by shot analysis of similar media products to identify the thriller conventions our products adheres too or challenges.
Shoot day
Our shoot Day was an energy draining and intense day of work, however we all got to expand our practical experience and knowledge.
We meet up in our regular media class room at 08:50 am to get the smoke machine and gather our thoughts. Roberto brought in a bunch of wires, which where ideal since we could display to create the illusion of the car being hot wired. However, we soon had to face the problem of Roberto forgot to bring the hose, after a short discussion we decided to go on with everything as planed and look for a hose on location. We took the smoke machine and headed up to the editing suite to meet Matt who supported us on the shoot day and Adam our actor.
We talked trough the plan of the day and our Idea. A small change we made was to change the car/ set. We ended up filming in Adam's car since it was most easily accessible and Katie will come with us on the minibus and leave her car on school grounds.
Next, we gathered all the equipment and loaded it into the minibus.
Our equipment was:
a Sony X5 (With Zoom Lens)
Microphone Boom (Gun Microphone)
A tripod
After preparing all the equipment and also placing the smoke machine, the wire and the printed of documents in the minibus we walked up to the Cafeteria to meet Sasha our make up artist. Sasha had a bunch of special effects make up laid out and gave Adam the subtle but scruffy make up look we wanted.
This is a video documentation of the Make up process:
Once Adam's Make up was ready we hopped on to the mini bus and after our 7 minute drive we were on location. On the Bus we talked to Adam about his costume since we emailed him in advance and we agreed that he could go change in his house since it is on the sit, we asked him once again to wear some jeans, a shirt, a tie and a waist coat to create the smart casual look we want for our Private detective.
Once we arrived we started cleaning out the space and setting everything up, while Adam was getting changed. The setting up process was quite easy since we agreed to work with natural/ provided lighting in the garage.
This is a time laps of the process:
Afterwords we got all the other basic shots done, before going off to experiment with the camera angles and moments.
We were doing quite well in time, since we were aiming to wrap the shoot before lunch time and we managed to say within the time frame.
After finishing all the shots we still recoded some extra sounds. We recorder the sound of the car doors being violently pushed, the seats clicking and the car boot opening. Once we were cleaning up the location, I sat in the car with running engine and recorded a two minute track of the engine sound.
We were then happy and satisfied with our recorded footage and returned to school after a fun day of filming. We stored all the equipment away as well as giving the smoke machine back to the theatre department.
We thanked everyone who worked with us that day and celebrated, keeping in mind that we are now going into the long process of post production.
Preparing for the shoot Day
1. In preparation for the shoot day we talked through all the props required:
3. Next we talked through our idea of a shot outline since we can not use either of our shot lists or our story board since they are outdated due to quick and spontaneities location changes and actor changes.
4. We e mailed Adam to let him know about his ideal choice of clothing, i.e. his costume.
- wire
- hose
- suicide note
- smoke machine
3. Next we talked through our idea of a shot outline since we can not use either of our shot lists or our story board since they are outdated due to quick and spontaneities location changes and actor changes.
4. We e mailed Adam to let him know about his ideal choice of clothing, i.e. his costume.
5. We also decided that coco would bring her Canon 5D on set so that she could take some behind the scene pictures and film a few interviews if the timing is appropriate, since we came up with a series of questions to ask our actors and coworkers.
Editing
Editing is a precise process including detection and removal of factual, grammatical, and typographical errors, clarification of obscure passages, elimination of parts not suitable for the targeted audience, and proper sequencing to achieve a smooth, unbroken flow of narrative.
The intended outcome for this process is a tension filled media text, with an increasing pace to help create tension. As a goal through out the entire process I set myself the expectations of making suggestions on how to cut the sequence, as well as doing my own practical cutting. Also as part of a group we expect each other to reflect on the product and communicate our opinions. I am also expected to go up to the editing suite in my spare time.
My expectations of the editing process was that it was going to take us a longer time, since all of our group members have strong visual ideas of how the final product may/should look. However, this will also allow us to experiment and chose the best idea.
I experienced the entire post production as an extremely intense and relevant time period, since I believe that the editing of a sequence can either ‘make it or break it’. However I also learned a lot through out the metro process and my work on Adobe Premier got easier and easier with overtime I sat down in the editing suit.
As a group we expected to have a hard time with editing due to the continuity editing involved with the smoke, also the sound seemed dauntingly hard to edit while we rematched it. On the other hand, it was quite clear that our editing will either make it or brake it, since it will determine the tension by the pace and soundtrack.
The entire process was based on different versions of the thriller. We started of by rematching all the footage filmed on the shoot day, the rushers. Then we agreed on what shoots and framings we like and dragged them onto the timeline to create a selection. From this selection we then continued to narrow it down step by step. We edit a rough first cut and then went in tweaking bits and pieces until we were please with it.
In the process I regularly check continuity and focused on finding solutions to sequences with a bad flow to them, for example by experimenting with cut aways.A few key sections that I edited and decisions that I made in the editing process are: I have cut the sequence and close up of Adam reaching to check for the keys. I have decided to change the shot sequence of him crawling to the front of the car, since we all agreed it had a slow-motion like look to it. Also I cut a large sequence of our long cut, that we worked on by shortening it.
To cut end edit the visual element of our thriller, based of our footage we are using Adobe premier pro, Sound editing software e.g. Garagebands/ Soundcloud/ etc. and a Font / titling software.
This is how we altered and chose our fonts.
We added in these title cards for the credits, simply by double clicking them on the icon.
These are examples of how we changed the EQ of the sound.
These are all our different versions saved incase something happens and we need to go back to a previous version.
Wednesday 9 March 2016
Mood Board
This is a mood board I created in preparation for the shoot day:
- the mood board helps us visualize the idea
- to concentrate and focus on the main elements we need to highlight and the atmosphere we want to create
- we can show it to all our coworkers as a quick and easy introduction.
Make up inspiration + Make up artist confirmation
Today we thought more into costume and the general look we want for our main character. To enhance the scruffy, rough and battered look we decided to use some special effects make up.
These are some photo references that we gathered:
We liked the roughness of the make ups, however we all agreed that we are probably going to go for something a bit more subtle since our protagonist has not been trapped in the car for too long. We are planing to create a creased up look on the actors costume to support the make up, so that it looks realistic and reasonable.
Next we contacted the make up artist to ask for her availability and give her an idea of the look we are going for. We showed the images to her to inspire her and help her visualize the desired look.
After having a little chat with her we decided that we would meet at 9 am on the 25th in the upper floor of the cafeteria, with our actor to get the make up done.
These are some photo references that we gathered:
We liked the roughness of the make ups, however we all agreed that we are probably going to go for something a bit more subtle since our protagonist has not been trapped in the car for too long. We are planing to create a creased up look on the actors costume to support the make up, so that it looks realistic and reasonable.
Next we contacted the make up artist to ask for her availability and give her an idea of the look we are going for. We showed the images to her to inspire her and help her visualize the desired look.
The current plan for the shoot day is :
- Meet at 8:50 in the Editing suite- run through the day
- gathering equipment
- 9:00 getting the make up done and changing into costume
- driving to the location
- setting up (finish by 10:30)
- film
- all scenes with actors first
- all extra shots (cutaway) and sounds
Smoke Machine
I contacted the Theatre department to ask if we could borrow the smoke machine, luckily they allowed us to borrow it.
My request:
Guy's response:
Character Cut
Since our Thriller shoot is getting closer end closer and Ted hasn't confirmed his availability, although we have had another chat with him about the exact time period of 11 am to 12:30 n the 25th of January. We decided to cut one of the characters, so that Adam would be our only actor required.
We send this Email to Ted to inform him of this cut:
Now we only film one character, therefor the shot list is no longer valid just like our storyboard, however we have talked through alternatives of filming it.
We send this Email to Ted to inform him of this cut:
Now we only film one character, therefor the shot list is no longer valid just like our storyboard, however we have talked through alternatives of filming it.
Confirmed main actor:
Set design
Today Matt came in to have a look at our set designs, since we however are not filming in the Studio and he is familiar with Adam's Garage in Peeslake we simply gave him a recap of our plan and where what stage of development er are at.
We took a few pictures of the car, we are shooting in so that we could discuss certain shoots and Matt has a chance to get a sense of the space to help figure out any lighting or other necessary technical features.
We took a few pictures of the car, we are shooting in so that we could discuss certain shoots and Matt has a chance to get a sense of the space to help figure out any lighting or other necessary technical features.
Research on Smoke
In definition smoke is 'a visible suspension of carbon or other particles in air, typically one emitted from a burning substance.
'To familiarize myself with the element of smoke I looked up a few videos on how to set up a smoke machine and how to use it.
I also had a look at one of my favorite You Tube Cannel 'Film Riot' s video on fog/Smoke in film.
How will we get the smoke machine?
- we could buy a smoke machine, however they have quite a large price range starting from 25 pounds going upwards.
This is another web site that sells a variety of smoke machines:
- We could hire a smoke machine, this is a website I found this service. Another hiring/borrowing option is the Theatre department in School.
- Another option, however very unlikely for us to work with is creating our own smoke machine. This method is however inconvenient and might be dangerous.
