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

With the introduction on new technologies available now, it is now possible to achieve more in post-production. Different effects can change what the audience sees and what it means to see it in a different colour for example.

In this example I have changed the scene into black and white, this effect is used in some films because it can be used to represent a flashback or a scene from the past. We used this effect in our opening sequence to represent the flash back to the abduction and killing of the young girl.

This effect is called high saturation and high contrast, this is used in films to represent the extreme cold or the supernatural, the eeire brightness is most effective in ghost films and horror films with a supernatural theme.

This effect when you change the exposure and brightness to a low setting. This is another way to use exposure to add effect, this effect makes the scene look more eerie and the background as dark and dangerous.

In this effect i have turned the red exposure up. In our opening sequence we were going to use this effect for the first person of the mutants, to try and make it seem that they have a red tint in their eyes.

Sound is also very important in films, diagetic sound, sounds that the actors can hear as well as the audience is very important because it puts a sound to the image. Non-diagetic sound
is sound that only the audience can hear, this is usually music or a voice-over. Music can be used to set the mood of the scene, for example eerie music sets the mood for something scary about to happen, romantic music can set the scene for a love scene.

Suspense is very key in any horror and thriller film, this can be produced visually by dragging out the action before the key momment happens and also by music. Music can also build ip suspesnse. It lets the audience know that something is wrong and that something bad is going to happen. Click on this link here to listen to suspense created by these sounds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTPhPCF0wu0

A tense bass line can also creat suspense because of the relation to a slow heartbeat or to build of the speed of the drum to build the tension greater. Click on this link to hear the tense bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4SsqykBFTM

On the other hand an upbeat drum bass can also created an effective tense mood. This beat is usually used to create panic and can also be used to replicate a fast heart beat, like of somene running. This fits into our thriller well in some areas because the girls are trying to run from the mutants. Click on this link to listen to an upbeat drum bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnRjAMRXSXI

The most effective sounds in thriller films is eerie music. This music creates suspsense and mystery and a dark sinister atmosphere that reflects the emptiness of the park and fact the girls are alone. Click on the link to listen to a eerie sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlRw1v_TRuE

How did you attract/ address your audience?

After we uploaded out opening sequence onto youtube we left it open so that people could leave comments, opinions and suggestions on it. This was helpful because we can learnt a lot about what people like and what they didn't like in our opening sequence.

We received comments on how the change from the black and white scene to the girls finding the bag 5 days later didn't make sense, we then changed and removed the 5 days later text and this cleared up the confusion of that scene. Many people complemented how well the video was and how professional it was.

Click on the link to go to our thriller opening sequence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mPwiZHSGd4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our film is based on the genres of horror and thriller, most films of these genres, especially horror, are normally 15+. If a film is classified as anything lower that means it is suitable for younger audience and properly not scary, gory or horrific as many horror films are. Our film would be a 15, it has enough suspense, tension and mystery that is becomes scary. However we have not got the key elements to make it an 18. Many people agreed that 15 would be the right classification for our film.

The majority of horror films and thriller films are aimed at 15-24 year olds. This because this is the group who go to the cinema the most and the age range that most enjoy horror and thriller films. Movies do this by keeping it relevant and by making it as scary as possible beca

use that is what the audience wants to see. 28 Days Later is attractive to this age group

because they can relate what they see to where they live and use their imagination to fill in the blanks. Younger audiences could not make this link as well, and older audiences do not enjoy horror films as much as the teenage/ young adult audi

ence.

Our thriller films would appeal to a range of different people, it is a general film and

is not aimed at one specific group but more to all groups of teenagers and young adults. However the "typical" audience member would be aged between 16-19 interested in the latest music, fashionable and spends a lot of their time on social network sites like Facebook. They would wear branded clothing like island, topshop, H&M etc. Their social life would be very important to them and watching a film whether at a cinema or at home would be a social event if possible. They would like our film because it has suspense, mystery and drama which will keep an imaginative mind locked on.

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

Both 28 Days Later and I Am Legend were distributed by large distribution companies and had a lot of financial backing to make sure their promotion and availability was the best it could be. I Am Legend was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. This meant the film had large amounts of money to support its distribution. 28 Weeks Later is distributed by 20th Century Fox, another large company with lots of financial backing. Our films may be distributed by these companies however our film is being made by a smaller independent film company so it is more likely that a smaller independent distribution company would distribute our film. 20th Century Fox has released films such as Avatar, Star Wars and The Simpsons. Warner Bros. has released films such as Harry Potter, The Matrix series and Terminator. However it is more likely that our film would be distributed by a company like Pathe distributors. Who have

released films like Adulthood and Chicken Run.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

From our preliminary task i have learnt a lot about different camera angles and effect and how important the camera can be in adding emotions and effects. The way a camera is positioned can give a lot away in a story, just as much as the actors. Close ups on people can show the audience a certain area of importance, this is usually the face or a certain part of the face, eg lips or eyes, or another body part of importance, for example someone drawing a gun. Close ups can also show an item that is important, for example keys. Long shots are important to show the audience the setting and can also show the audience a long shot of the scene and show more to the viewer than the actor can see, for example showing a women looking out a window but in the background a person walking in the door.

This is a long shot from my preliminary task. It shows a person walking down a corridor infront of a window. We can see his complete body and we can see his surroundings.

This is a picture from my opening sequence showing a long shot of the young girl being followed by the mutant. In this shot you can see the girl's surroundings and what is going on in the scene.

This is a medium- close up from my preliminary task. In this picture you can see the face and the facial expression. Close-ups can be used for this reason to show emotions in faces.

This is another medium close up in my opening sequence. This shot was used to show a first person view of the mutant stalking the young girl.



We also learnt how to use shot reverse shot to show conversation or action between two people or groups of peopl, or it can show two groups coming together, like in our opening sequence. The first example i have is from my preliminary task.

In these three screen shots you can see a conversation between two characters, shot reverse shots shows this but reversing from to the other, while observing the 180 degree rule.

This is a shot reverse shot from my opening sequence, it shows the two girls walking towards the mutants and then the mutants and back to the girls running away

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

Thriller films main aim is to thrill the audience to add a sensation of suspense and the sensation of not knowing to the audience. This is done in the opening sequence by teasing the audience with clues to the story line and showing action and suspense that will keep the audience enticed to watch the film. The opening scene is the most important part of the film for capturing the audience and keeping them interested in the rest of the film.
I Am Legend and 28 Weeks Later are both thriller films that are similar to our film and are both successful films.

In the opening sequence of I Am Legend we see an interview between a news reporter and a doctor explaining how the doctor has designed a "cure" for cancer. It then shows New York 3 days later empty and abandoned. However Will Smiths character is still alive and is driving around the empty city searching for deer to hunt. The opening sequence grips you straight away and you want to know why New York has been deserted and why Will Smith's character is the only person there with his dog. Because the tv interview is shown first this means that what is said in the conversation is important. This is where our thrillers are similar becasue at the begining of our opening sequence we have a news report from a radio explaining a breakout of three highly dangerous mutants that have escaped from a secure prison.

In our opening sequence we have made a hybrid of horror and thriller. We did this becasue horror films like 28 days and weeks later have zombies and sell. However the difference between I Am Legend and 28 Days Later is that the mutants in I Am Legend are intelligent and have some interlect, where as 28 Days Later has mindless zombies. Our film is a cross between the two because our mutants are highly interlectual. The opening sequence in all three leave the audience wanting more and wanting to see what happens.

In this picture you can see the mutant stalking a young girl this shows that he has the abilty to follow someone without them noticing. This is one of the attributes and skills with have tried to show to the audience to make the film seem more appealing to them.

In this picture you can see a promotional poster of the film I Am Legend. In the background you can see the Empire State Building with the bio-hazard symbol on it, this symbol means it is not safe to enter the building, the fact the symbol is all over the city meaning the city is not safe. In many of the zombie thriller films this symbol means infected humans, and that is how the zombies come about.

This is a promotional poster 28 Weeks Later, again in the background you can see the top of the biohazard symbol and two children surrounded by dead bodies and people coming towards them in the background. This poster gives the viewer the idea that some biological weapon has killed many people and anyone left is heading towards them, however we do not know if this is good or bad.

Comparing characters

Evaluation

Comparing characters:

The lead Mutant in our film compared to the Alpha male mutant in I Am Legend. Aspects of the character required: Male and he is the tallest and biggest built because he is the ring-leader of the mutants. He is merciless and is the one who is fuelled with revenge of the Doctor. Niall suits the role as he is tall and lean, and has a more dominant personality, similar to the character of the lead mutant. This works because they are both the leaders of their groups and have the respect and power over the others. However they are different because the alpha male in I Am Legend has been altered more deeply than the lead mutant in our opening sequence, in I Am Legend the mutant is un-able to stand in the Sun and his body is much more basic.

The other character I have decided to compare is the Mutant woman from I Am Legend and the female mutant in our opening sequence. They are both powerful and intimidating mutants, but both are protected by their male leaders and the mutants around them.

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