Evaluation Question 7

Evaluation Question 6

Below is my answer to Evaluation Question 6, in the form of an Eselly.

   
easel.ly

Evaluation Question 5

How did you address/attract your audience?

We used various thriller conventions to help draw in an audience. The us of young males helps to draw in a younger audience to watch our film. In order to keep the audiences attention we have the enigma of the tech & the enigma as to what the Overseer has to do with the whole operation.
The fact that at the very end of the film you find out that The Overseer & The Collector are in league, & have been helping each other to obtain the tech, makes viewers want to watch on & find out what the tech actually is & why it is so important.

Our audience said that they enjoyed the camera work & environments, & want to find out what the piece of technology actually is, as well as it's relevance. We have drawn attention to our thriller opening by posting on Youtube, & then sending links to the video in various Facebook group chats, exposing thev video other people.

Evaluation Question 4

Here is an Emaze show showing my answer to Evaluation Question 4.

Evaluation Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product & why?
Neither major nor mini film studios would distribute a production as small as ours. Large companies such as Disney & Dreamworks only distribute films they know will make them a lot of money, & usually produce great blockbuster films. If we were to show our production to a studio then we would be better off showing it to an independent film studio such as Metronome.
We could also approach a television company. Channels such as the BBC & Film 4 have film departments & so one could approach one of them & ask if they would display our film.
Another option is a saturation release, in the film is released in as many theaters as possible, preferably in at least two theaters in every big city. This, however, is not a very feasible option for us, since we would not be able to get a large amount of theaters to endorse our film. There is also the option of a platform release, whereby we would a small city with a diverse amount of people in & show it there first & see how it is received. The type of people that enjoyed the film the most would dictate where the film would be released next. We could even advertise the thriller on the internet on sites such as Youtube, or social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. We could even go to film festivals to promote their film. One option would be a straight to DvD release, or, even better, a simultaneous release, whereby the film would be sent to cinemas, DvD, Demand, TV, Netflicks, all international on the same day. This opens up our production to a wide range of people instantly.

Realistically, our film is unlikely to be successful in most of these fields & so our best option would to advertise it at film festivals, as well as releasing free versions of the film online.

Evaluation Question 2

Here is a popplet displaying my answer to Evaluatyion Question 2.

Evaluation Question 1

Here I have created a powerpoint presentation, of which has been uploaded through SlideShare, expressing my answer for Evaluation Question 1.

Thriller Opening

                                            Conspiracy

Here we have the final product, the complete thriller opening. 

White Virgin Media presents...CONSPIRACY!!

   The video below is the final cut of our thriller opening, & even includes our company logo/ident, as well as the names of all the cast & crew, as well as some other names to help bulk out the opening.  

     

Risk Assessment

This is the risk assessment sheet for our thriller opening. It shows all the ways in which something could go wrong & could could get hurt, as well as the severity of the occurrence.

Shot List

This is our wour shot list, containing all the various shot types we used & what happens during said shots.

Shooting Schedule

This is our shooting schedule, which shows how & when we filmed everything.

Treatment

Here is the treatment for our thriller opening which includes the various roles of the people involved in the production, as well as a professional synopsis for the film as a whole.

Location Sheet

Here is the location sheet we created to help us plan out where we were going to film our thriller opening.

Stypes of Editing

There are various ways to edit a film. These include:

Straight Cut
The most common form of transition. This is when one scene cuts to the next instantaneously, retaining reality, making it the least noticeable of edits. This edit is so seamless that it has been given the nickname as the "invisible" cut.

Dissolves
Dissolves gradually fade one shot into the next in a fashion that means for a brief moment (the mid-point) both scenes will actually be visible on screen at the same time. This edit is commonly used to show a connection between two characters, scenarios, or objects.

Fades
This is similar to that of the dissolve, except instead of fading into the next scene, the scene fades to either black or white, before fading into the next scene. This edit is commonly used to show the passing of time.

Wipes
Wipes are a rarely used edit, as it is easy for them to appear unprofessional. If done correctly, however, they can have a great effect. Wipes are usually used to switch between two scenarios taking place at the same time but in different location, & is done so by the current scene sliding off to either the top, bottom, left or right, as the new scene appears on screen, seemingly pouching the previous scene out of frame. The scene is most commonly pushed off to the left, as this helps to give the feel that the film is moving forward & advancing. The most common use of wipes is in the critically acclaimed STAR WARS saga.

Jump Cut
The jump cut i also one of the loess common edits, though much more common than the wipe. It is possibly the attention grabbing edit due to how swift & noticeable it is, as the scene literally skips a few frames & jumps forward. This discontinuity is usually used to show a fast paced scene when the character may be rushing &/or panicking.

Graphic Match
A graphic match is when an object in one scene briefly mimics the shape of an object in the next scene. It is as the object has transferred in some way, & this form of edit can commonly be used to express a connection two scenes or objects.

Continuity Editing
Through the use of flash backs or flash forwards, the film advances in chronologically appropriate manner

Eye Line Match
A character is seen looking at an object or scenario that is off screen, the film then cuts to that object to allow us to see it after having seen the characters reaction to said item.

Match on Action
A character starts an action in one shot & continues it in the next.

Montage Theory In 1910s-20sSoviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov created the Kuleshov effect. The phenomenon Shows us a characters face with a fairly neutral, then an object or scenario they are looking at, & then the characters neutral expression again. Through association with with what the person is looking at, we project our own emotion onto the person's face, even though they are actually expressing little to no emotions.
This video helps to explain the mental phenomenon:

Media Theorists

Traditional Hollywood Narrative Structure-3 acts (linear)

• The traditional Hollywood Narrative Structure consists of three main acts. 
• Act 1:(25%) Set-up
• Act 2: (50%) Confrontation
• Act 3: (25%) Climax
• Follows a linear chronology consisting of few, if any, sub-plots with a tendency towards closure at the end of the film.

Roland Barthes-Enigma Codes.

• An Enigma: A Mystery.
• All texts are complex bundles of meaning.
• Enigma Codes (problem introduced)-usually takes place during the confrontation stage
• Closed texts: resolved at the end.(most common occurrence-"fairy tale ending")
• Open texts: Not resolved at the end
• Polysemic Texts: Has various different meanings

Levi Strauss-Binary Opposites.

• Narratives can be organised through binary opposition (two things opposed)  - usually dominant vs subordinate - e.g: hero/villain, male/female.

Todorov-Narrative Theory-5 Stages.

• Todorov produced his 5 stage theory in 1969
• He believed to be able to be applied to any film.
• Todorov believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern through various different stages:

1. A state of Equilibrium(all is as it should be).
2. A disruption of that order by an event.
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
5. A return, or restoration, of a new Equilibrium.

Vladimir Propp-Character types.

• Through analysing traditional folk stories Propp discovered that there are eight main character types: 

1. Hero
2. Villain
3. Helper
4. Donor(Provider)
5. Father
6. Dispatcher
7. Princess
8. False Hero.

• One character can perform more than one role.

Laura Mulvey-Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.

• The theory of the male gaze
• In the cinematic world women are viewed as objects of male erotic desire
• Men are active/Women are passive.
• Women do not have agency-Do not advance the plot forward.
• The audience is more often than not audience is to identify with the male gaze.
• Cinema reflects the male dominated patriarchal society.
• Patriarchy and phallocentrism are linked-phallus is a symbol of power e.g. in film guns=phallus=power.

Modern Thriller Openings

Brick

The opening for Brick is a very intriguing one. It holds a blue undertone which instantly makes the whole scenario seem sad & somber, as well as cold, chilling & quite depressing. We see someone kneeling next what appears to be the dead body of a girl. This instantly draws the viewer in & makes them question many things like who the girl is, who the person kneeling next her is, are they friend, foe? Did they find her like this? Did they kill her? We don't know. The opening then cuts to a scene within a school where a girl wearing the same bangles as the dead biddy opens her school locker. Could this be the same girl just before she died? Could these just be an identical pair of bangles? Or are they the same bangles being worn by someone else? All this leads the viewer to jump to, & consider, many conclusions, not knowing which is correct, which makes them want to watch on as a result, making the title sequence a successful one as a whole.

Zodiac

Zodiac's opening scene starts off a lot less morbid than that of Bricks. We start off the film on the Fourth of July, a happy day for Americans. A woman drives up in her car & a guy gets in (the woman driving challenges gender role stereotypes) & we then sees them drive through the neighbourhood in the form of a tracking shot. This goes on for a while & nothing peculiar seems to occur, but this long period of normality is merely a lead to an inevitable jump scare. The car moves to a deserted area where the two attempt to get intimate, when all of a sudden a great bang occurs behind them. This bang, however, was a false alarm, as it was only a group of hooligans setting off fireworks to scare the two. After this we are put into a false sense of security, still recovering from the previous scare when another car passes, then turns around & approaches the car. A dark male figure steps out of the vehicle & walks towards the couple's car. He appears to be an officer, but then out of nowhere he pulls a silencer out of his pocket & shoots the two in the head. We don't see who this man is, & his unexplained homicide on two characters we barely knew anything about makes us want to watch on & find out who this man is what exactly just happened, & also, why it just happened. 

No Country for Old Men

The film opens with one & a half minutes of tracking shots focusing on the desert landscape of the Wild West. There is a man narrating the scene who we do not see, but judging from his voice the public can easily assume that he is a seasoned Wild Western man. We then see a scene of a man with a canister being escorted into a police car by some form of ranger. The opening then cuts to a scene within a police station where everything onscreen appears to be rather beige/ cream colour. We can see the warden/ranger sitting at desk, as a dark figure rises behind him. The figure is the afore mentioned man who was being packed into the police vehicle, & his dark clothing greatly contrast the light beige-like colours of the rest of the scene. This makes the man stand out from everything else onscreen & instantly draws the viewer's attention to him. His dark clothing may also represent danger or death. As the dark clad man sneaks up on the officer from behind, we get a sense of dramatic irony, as the audience can see the man approaches the officer, & knows he is in danger, but the character himself does not know, & so we are forced to sit there & watch as his inevitable demise takes place. The man then wraps his hand cuffs around the officer's neck & pulls him to ground. A rolling shot takes place focus of the killer's face as he lays on the floor, chocking the officer to death, with a rather manic & psychotic look upon his face. This rolling shot is meant to express the sheer confusion, terror & fear of the perishing officer, as well as the madness & insanity of the situation, & perhaps the slightly corrupt mental state of the killer himself. The film cuts to a scene of a seemingly innocent man being pulled over by a police office. However, this no police office, it is the murder from the police station wearing the uniform of an officer & sporting a stolen federal vehicle. He is holding the same canister as earlier & has a cord extending from the canister of which he holds up to the man's head. The canister then shoot some pressurised air out of the cord & cuts a hole straight through the head of this man, killing him instantly. The killer then gets back in his stolen vehicle & drives off. Who is this man & why is he committing sad murders? We don't know, but we want to find out, & watch on, which makes this a very successful thriller opening.

A History of Violence

The opening of A History of Violence starts fairly ordinary. two men seem to have stayed in a motel, & go about their ordinary business such as returning hotel keys & getting in the car. The older of the two then returns wiping his hands with a cloth stating that "nothing... i had a little trouble with the maid but, every things fine now" when asked why he took so long by the younger man. The older man then tells the younger man to get some ice, & that there's a cooler back in the office. The younger man then gets up & enters the building. This where the eerie, chilling music picks up. It starts off fairly quite but gradually gets louder as we see the younger man step over the dead body of an employee as he casually opens the cooler to get some water. It becomes apparent that by "[having] a little trouble with the maid" the older had to murder her, along with the other employees. A little girl then spots the younger man. He then puts his finger to his lips to silence her as he raises a gun at her. We then hear a gun shot & a scream, but we do not see whether or the girl was shot. Not knowing the fate of the girl & not knowing these men have committed such cruel acts of murder, or why they have even committed them, greatly intrigues the audience & makes them want watch on.

Titles (Thriller Examples)

The title of sequence of a thriller, or any film for that matter, is a very important & vital part of the film. It is the very first thing you see when you sit down to watch a film (assuming you don't miss the beginning, that is. For this reason, it is vital that everything about the sequence is done correctly. The sequence must include the company ident, the director/producer, the main actors & other important information. It also helps if this information is displayed in an interesting & intriguing way, such as in the example below:

The above set of images is taken from Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller "North By North West". At the start of this title sequence the credits run across the walls of various towers & sky scrappers, & then begin to appear over crowds of people on the busy grounds of the city. Alfred Hitchcock himself even makes a cameo during the title sequence as he walks onto a bus as his name appears onscreen, in the very last image of the sequence.

A modern day example of an excellently thought out title sequence is that of the amazing Se7en. It's opening is one that cannot be explained through words alone, nor mere images for that matter, & for that reason one must watch the video below: 

Just like Hitchcock before him, Fincher is an amazing thriller director, & knows who's right for each job. Not only did he pick an amazing cast consisting of big names such as Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow & the legendary Kevin Spacey, but he also knows how to hire his title sequence designers. Fincher hired renowned title sequence creator Kyle Cooper, who in turn created one of the most memorable title sequences to date. Se7en's title sequence literally oozes 'thriller'. The whole sequence is accompanied by some form of eerie & edgy music which instantly puts a first time watcher into a state of slight discomfort. The sequence also seems to focus on a set of hands, a very strange set of hands. The hand's fingers seem to be bandaged, & we see the hands cutting the skin from their finger tips using blades & sticking down images into some form of book. They also appear to be crossing out the eyes & faces of children, as well as sewing together paper in a way that makes the audience feel rather uneasy. We never see the person these hands belong to, & only know that they are meddling hands delving in some act of villainy. The credits displaying the cast & crew's names appear quickly & jaggedly, jumping on & off the screen. All of this confusion & lack of explanation causes a form of enigma within the audience, as they do not know what is going on, a common trait within thrillers. Everything is very fast & unclear, & really sets a person up for watching a thriller.

Thriller-first Day of Filimng

Overseer on balcony

 Today was White Virgin Media's first day on the Conspiracy set. Today we travelled up to central London to complete our first day of filming. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral & found a balcony from which we filmed some high shots of the Overseer observing various acts from above.

Drug exchange scene

We then went to some other locations, such as inner city roads, back alleys & more balconies, in order to film from prime positions to get the exact angles & shots we wanted.
One of the scenes we were meant to shoot was one where two characters, The Collector & the Dealer, exchange some very important tech, but unfortunately the person tasked with bringing the tech was not able to acquire the prop. And so we had to improvise &, with the help of some handy STAR WARS Stormtrooper mints I had spare in my pocket, we ended up shooting a drug exchange scene instead. Except this wasn't our original vision, & swapping the top secret tech with mere drugs took away from the purpose of the production, as well as making it a lot less engaging. If the characters are exchanging drugs, then there's no real catch to pull the viewer in. They're not going to be sitting on the edge of their seat wondering what type of drugs were exchanged,

Stormtrooper mint drugs

or what the characters are going to do with the
drugs. This is because they know that they are either going to sell them, or go home & take them. However, if we had used a piece of technology then it may have caused a form of enigma, making the audience wonder what the piece of tech was, & why it is so important. For this reason, we may have to go & take another trip to shoot some secondary filming, re-filming this scene in particular.

With the exception of needing to reshoot the exchange scene, today was a very successful & productive day of shooting, & we got a lot of work done. We've made some real ground on this thriller opening, hopefully all goes as well in the future.

The Collector checking his surroundings after the deal

The Collector 

The Dealer

The Overseer

Designing/Making The Title Sequence

Here we have finished off our title sequence by adding our studio ident & role numbers & have begun to export the completed video.

Preliminary Task evaluation

Preliminary:-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCEfetxvsJY

Our preliminary was almost a form of tutorial for our thriller opening. We used it to experiment with various filming techniques in order to be best prepared for our thriller opening.

There are quite a few faults within the video. One such fault takes place during the rolling shot, of which did not go very well. the shot was not contained very well, was jumpy & lost sight of the character. Not only does the camera loose the character slightly, but he then emphasises this & makes it even worse by further walking out of the camera's viewpoint.

Sound is another issue. The sound was not picked up correctly at points due to the boom not being held correctly, hence the need for non-diegetic sound. The sound also cut out during filming, as well as the boom popping into the frame, something we had to fix. The acting is a nightmare in itself, but this was not a study in acting, it was a study in equipment & filming techniques.

A blooper reel is included at the end of the vieo, of which shows some of these flaws, whilst also showing that we did manage to overcome some of them, or at least improve upon them.

Although it is true that the video contains many faults, there are some things we did well. What is probably the most successful segment of the video is the opening scene, in which we played classical music along with cross dissolves to help show the passing of time. This, combined with the increasingly intensifying negative & impatient expressions upon Michal's face, helped convey the passing of a large amount of time. This, in turn meant that the audience was aware of Sam's lateness when he arrived, making it easier for them to follow along with the story.

Filming this video helped us to find out what some of our weaknesses are, &in turn allow us to improve upon our flaws, & hopefully create a much better video of higher quality, our thriller opening.

Preliminary Task

Here is our preliminary task. This is the third production we have made & we used this task as practice for our thriller opening, experimenting with different shots & other techniques. A blooper reel is included, which shows some of the mistakes we made during filming, which we then improved upon in the final product.

Initial Ideas

Here are some of the initial we wrote for our thriller opening, though they still need to be finalised.

Animatic

Below is the animatic video created for our thriller opening. This short video comprises all of the 24 frames included in the storyboard & plays them side by side in an almost slideshow like fashion. This helps to give us a more in-depth view as to what the thriller opening may look like once it is pieced together than the storyboard could have alone, as it displays all the frames in an almost movie-like fashion.

The video even has the soundtrack used in the opening playing in the background, to further give one an idea as to what the overall feel of the segment will be like experience.

Costumes & Props

We used various costumes & props in order to add to the authenticity of our thriller opening, all of which had an effect on the sequence, no matter how small & insignificant they may seem.

Costumes

The Overseer

Samuel Hannigan asThe Overseer

Though we do not actually see the overseer move from the balcony, & he seems to predominantly feature in medium shots, his costume was still thought out, & holds great importance to the overall production.

The Overseer possessed rather colouress, yet modern attire. He can be seen wearing a grey hoodie, grey t-shirt & dark blue slim fit jeans. He also possess a Bagboy, which is a sidebag based on the classic Nintendoportible games console, the Gamebag. The bag itself, however, is not visible in the thriller, only the strap is. This adds to the character's mysteriousness, as the audience does not know what the strap is actually attached to.
This seemingly colourless getup helps to show the characters maturity & seriousness, & helps to attract a more mature audience.

The Collector

Michal Cendrowski as The Collector

The Collector also wore a rather modern attire, boasting a dark blue winter coat & blue jeans. This follows the same dark colour scheme of the Overseer.

The Colllector's coat, however, with it's fur rimmed hood, along with the rather light trousers, makes The Collecter appear much friendlier & more approachable than the other two characters seen during the opening.
Perhaps this is why he is the one
walking among the streets, & not scouring over some high up balcony
or leaning against walls in back alleys.

This more friendly demeaner could, however, be seen as broken by the characters rather aggressive looking facial hair. The Collecter sports a somewhat fierce looking beard, which, when combined with his furred hood coat, gives him an overall foreign look. This makes the deal all the more interesting, as it makes one wonder whether our antagonists are delving into some illegal inter-nationional trades of some kind.


The Dealer

Joshua Collier as The Dealer

The Dealer does not fail to keep up the dark yet modern look of his patterning characters. He appears
wearing a grey winter coat over a black hoodie, with black trouser & a pair of black converses. This dark demeanour makes him appear more sinister than the Overseer & the Collector, & his hoodie & stance make him seem like a streetwise young man who you wouldn't want to mess with. This getup definitely makes The Dealer seem like the more edgy & dodgy character out of the three.

Props

Though we did not use an overly large amount of props for our opening, the ones we did use were thought out & added to the production as a whole.





The Tech
                                                                                   

The first prop we see in the opening is The Tech. This device is an important piece of technology that both The Overseer & the Collector seem to hold great interest for. It is a vital part of the opening, as it is what binds all three characters together, & causing an enigma for the audience, as they wonder what this object is, & why it's so important. What is it? We don't know. It's a conspiracy. Hence the title of the thriller, "Conspiracy".


Though we don't know what the very important piece of tech featured in the opening is in regards                        to the world & lore of Conspiracy, we do however know what it is in regards to the world that we live in. Unfortunately none of our production team is lucky enough to be in possession of a super expensive & important top secret piece of technology, & so we had to improvise. Whilst I may not possess the means of acquiring top secret tech, I do, however, own a 3DS. And so it was decided that we would use my Nintendo 3DS game cartridge for 'The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds". When shooting, however, we made sure that the cartridge was held upside down, only showing the technological circuitry. This, along with the angle at which The Collector holds the piece, makes the cartridge look a form of computer chip, SD card, or any form of modern day technological devices capable of withholding top secret information or data that one would pay good money to get a hold of, pr to keep out of their rival's hand. This also meant that pesky little elf seen on the game's cover art is not viewable during the production, helping to keep authenticity & not break from the lore & setting of the thriller itself.

The Mobile



The next prop we see, & one of the very last things we see in the thriller opening, is the mobile phone. The iPhone5S is seen towards the end of the opening (just after the exchange takes place between The Collector & The Dealer) when The Overseer receives a text message from The Collector.  The message simply reads "Got It", to which The Overseer simply rep lie "Excellent".  This is a very important scene in the opening, making the phone a very important prop. It sets up the enigma of the tech, & makes the viewer wonder why The Overseer cares so much for the item, & why he sent the The Collector to 'collect' it for him, rather than just going himself. It also clarifies to the audience that The Overseer & The Collector are in league with one another, & are both involved in whatever exchange has taken place. The further adds to the mystery of the "Conspiracy".

Storyboard

In order to successfully create & film our thriller opening we first had to create a storyboard. After discussing all the key points & features of our thriller, we took down some notes & had a brief idea as to how the final product should look. Using said notes, I then drew a storyboard to help give us a much clearer & much more visual idea as to what our opening may look like when translated onto the screen. Each panel has a box to it's right which holds some key notes on sound, camera shots/movements & any other additional notes to help give us a further idea as to how the finished product will appear. We used the storyboard, which spans over two A3 sheets of paper, to help us film each scene in the way we wanted to in order to get the final product we were aiming for.

Edit 1-Editing the thriller opening

After we finished filming the thriller, we then had to edit it before we had our finished product. We had cut & paste a few scenes, including one where a member of the public interrupted filming & looked into the camera, smiling. We also added some non-diergetic sound to the piece to add some atmosphere, as well as various fades & transitions.

Our initial shoot of the opening included a scene where we see a drug deal commence. This, however, did not seem very significant, & would not catch the viewer's attention in any way, & so we decided we would change this occurrence by going out & re-filmed the scene with a piece of important technology being dealt rather than a common drug. We then slipped this into our existing footage to piece together the final opening.

Screening & Audience FeedBack

Here our thriller opening is being displayed to two members of the public to gain their overall reaction to the film.

The audience expressed various views about the production, including one of them mentioning that they wanted to know more about the piece of tech exchanged between The Collector & The Dealer. This comment is good for our thriller as it shows that our opening has somewhat succeeded in it's aim. The whole idea of the opening is the 'conspiracy' behind this piece of tech & the operation taking place around it, & if this enigma has caused a viewer to say that they want to watch on to find out what this enigma is, then that means that, in that respect, the opening has succeeded in it's aim of drawing in audiences, which is exactly what we set out to do.

Sound Test

This is our Sound Test video, & was the first time we ever filmed outside.

            
When making this video we put great focus on the sound aspect. This was the first time we had ever used a boom & dead animal before & so recording sound using the audio apparatuses was an interesting experience for us. The sound could be greatly improved (as well as the story & filming, though this was not the aim of the task), thought this was our first time with said equipment.

3rd Production Meeting

This was our last production meeting before filming. Here we settled on our final locations & arranged the days of which we plan upon filming. We hope to be done filming by christmas, as long as everything goes as planned. After the meeting we collected all the equipment we needed & set out for filming over the Christmas holidays, ready to face whatever filming perils await us!