Question 7 Evaluation

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 allowed me to experiment with all of the media rules such as the 180 degree rule , match on action and eye-line match. Without creation of our preliminary task which , we would have made all of the mistakes we made in our preliminary task in our opening sequence.

If I was to redo the preliminary task I would ensure that we stuck to the 180 degree rule as the shots below show the camera skipping from one end of the room to the opposite side. Making this mistake allowed me to make sure i did not do it again in my opening sequence.

Question 6 Evaluation

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

In the creation of our opening sequence I have used many different technologies. These technologies include : Livetype , IMovie, Final cut express and many websites such as freesound.org and dafont.com. Livetype was used to to add titles to our opening sequence and also to create our distributors logo. This software is was brand new to me being new to media , and to begin with I found it very difficult to use , after a while of practicing and g

etting used to the different icons which I could use to create different effects , I soon became familiar with the software. I believe that this software allowed us to create a really creative distributors logo , as it contained the right genre font and effects which work perfectly with the genre of our film.

I found using www.freesound.org and dafont.com very useful as these allowed us to search for different fonts and music which suited our chosen genre. Without these websites we would have been limited to using

specific fonts and music. These websites took a lot of time to find the perfect font but was well worth the time taken . For example , in our opening sequent a car boot slams , due to lots of background noise when the film was taken we couldn't use our original boot slam. This is w

here freesound.org came

in really handy.

When actually filming and uploading our opening sequence we used many different technologies including: A camera , tripod and figrig to film , but also the Mac computer to upload our footage.

The tripod allowed us to sustain a steady shot, which overall improved the professionalism

of our opening sequence. The quality of our camera also improved our opening sequence as the picture quality allowd us to create clear shots. Another piece of equipement which we used includes the figrig. This allows us to also create a steady shot , but is not the same as a tripod , as it doesnt restrict how we recorded out shots as we could freely walk around holding the figrig , allowing us to create more interesting shots.

Wordle is also another website which I used , it allowed me to create this collage of different technologies which I used throughout the build up of creating my opening sequence and during creating my blog. This is a more creative way of showing the different technologies used , instead of just listing them.

Here , I used 'Jing' to show how we created our production company logo using Livetype.

Question 5 Evaluation

How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 4 Evaluation

Who would be the audience for your product?

I believe that the audience for our opening sequence would include both females and males , but due to the action in the film , I think it would appeal more to males. A wide range of ages would enjoy the film, but due to the genre there would be a age restriction of aged 15. This opening sequence appeals to me , and from peer feedback it also appeals to my classmates, so the age which I believe would enjoy this film the most would be people between the age group of 17-21.

Name: Tom Larner

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Lives: London

Watches what genre t.v programmes: Action, thriller, sci-fi, horror.

Visits what websites: Facebook,Youtube,

Does what when they go out: Plays football, socialises ,

Listens to what music: Music in the charts - R&B , Indie

Wears what clothes: Fashionable brands , smart/casual.

Reads what magazines: sports magazines

Shops where: Riverisland, Office, Superdry, Topman

Ideal Job: Something physical , not working in an office sitting down all day . E.g. Fireman, Police Officer, Electrician.

Likes this particular genre: This genre of the film includes many suprises and invloves a lot of action and physical violence.

Question 3 Evaluation

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

This film is a prime example of films which would have a similar film distributor as ours.'The Disappearance of Alice Creed' was distributed by a Canadian film distribution company called 'Maple Pictures' . I would expect a small independant company to distribute our film as it is would of been made on a low budget , with a low key cast , not with big 'well known' stars.

Film four productions is a British film production company owned by channel 4. The company has been responsible for backing a large amount of films made in the United Kingdom.It has been involved in many low budget films and T.V dramas such as : 'This is England' with a budget of 1.5 million and 'Dead Man's Shoes' with an extremely low budget of 723,000.

The reason in which I believe our film would be distributed by Film Four and Maple production companies , as they both produce low budget films. Our film would be produced on a low budget , but would still be a very successful film. The shot below shows the characters walking out of B&Q , this shows that the film is shot on location rather than on set , it has been filmed this way because of the low budget. The film is also a very British film as B&Q is a recognised British retailer. Film Four is a British Film company which distributes many British films , this is why it would be ideal to distribute ours.

Question 2 Evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our opening sequence challenges the stereotype of one particular ethnicity committing crime. Here we show a white male and a black male acting as kidnappers showing that not only people of a black ethnicity commit crime. We also see a black and white person working together to commit the crime , where usually we witness gangs of the same ethnicity doing this.

Our opening sequence also puts a female in the vulnerable situation, showing her to be innocent and helpless as she is targeted for a brutal kidnapping by two males. This does not challenge the typical stereotype of men being the dominant sex , having so much more power that they are able to kidnapp the girl. In many films the women is the damsel in distress , as it is very unusual to see a male playing this part. Even the girls age , follows the typical age , which also allows the story to be more believable as the girl is younger than the kidnappers . By contrasting the darkness outside to the light room in which the girl is in , again enforces that she is in a safe place and that by being in the dark will make her vulnerable.

The costume which we chose the two male kidnappers to wear shows a typical working class man with the heavy work boots and scruffy/workman clothings. This costume allows the chacters to blend in well with the setting of B&Q. The costume is appropriate as these are typically dressed men that you see in B&Q , allowing them not to stand out and making our opening sequence even more believable.

Even the time of day in which we chose for the kidnapping to happen conforms with many films and stereotypes. As during the night , when a women is most vulnerable in the dark , and the crime is less likely to be witnessed is a very poplar time for a crime to happen.By following this stereotype of crime happening at a particular time of day , allows the film to be more believable for the audience.

Our opening sequence also looks at the sterotypes associated with gender. Frequently men are portrayed at the stronger more powerful sex. Here we enforce this as the kidnappers are played by male roles. The fact that they do not speak throughout the opening sequences shows the audience that they are calm and confident and are in a straight mind-set.

Question 1 Evaluation

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

- Comparison between 'Ransom' (1996), and 'The Last Thing She Saw'

1) The first screen grab shows an ordinary setting , where the audience least likely expect the crime to happen. The establishing shot shows the audience where abouts the film is going to take place. Just like our opening sequence to a thriller , set in B&Q , the audience do not expect a kidnap to take place in such a normal setting. The mise en scene in this shot is very cold and dreary, which reflect our ideas , where we give the audience the same cold feeling but showing them clips of fierce tools which will later be used during the kidnapping.

2) Shot two shows a close of up of one of the tools which is being used to prepare a room for a kidnapping. The staple gun which is being use to soundproof the room , is accompanied by the hyperbolic sound of the staples being shot. This creates a eery atmosphere at you know by the sinister noise that this is not an innocent act.
Similar to this , in our opening sequence a saw gets dropped in to he trolley and we hear the loud,exaggerated noise of metal meeting metal. This created a atmosphere similar to the one in 'Ransom' as these men are not just labourers shopping for tools , we know that they are planning something more serious.

3) Shot three shows the style of the titles , the film 'Ransom' uses plain, bold eye-catching titles , which are characteristic to the thriller genre , and which we have seen many times. Our film titles follow this tradition as they bold , and not in a fussy font , but a font which suits the film. We thought carefully about our titles and making them perfect took a lot of trial and error . To ensure that they were placed in the right place , we watching many openings to thriller , taking note of what areas of the screen the titles worked best when placed. We found that placing them in corners , and in dark shadows/areas of the shot , worked best.

4) The handcuffs chained to the bed , increase the audiences sense that this film is going to be threatening and menacing. To create this feel to our opening sequence , we chose not to use any dialogue , this created the sense of mystery, and the added noise of a clock ticking whilst staring into the girls bedroom. Also, the tools which the men are shown putting into the trolley are very threatening and give the audience a hint into what is going to happen later on in the film.

5) Shot five shows the determination that this man has to ensure that this kidnapping goes smoothly. This is an important element to a thriller film as it lets the audience know that the characters are not going to give up. To show the audience this in our film , the two kidnappers stare directly out in front of them , not talking to each other or looking at each other.

6) The last shot leaves the audience asking questions such as: why is he tampering with the phone? Ensuring that the audience ask questions throughout the opening sequence is vital because if they are not asking questions and wanting to know what is going to happen next , the film is not successful. The audience ask questions throughout our opening sequence as they are constantly wondering why these men need these tools. We know that they are not just average men buying tools , as there is something strange about them as they are not talking to each other and are being very mysterious and secretive. For example shot number 6, the audience automatically ask what is the drill going to be used for?