By Lauren Picot

Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use,

develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
I learned a lot about the common conventions of a thriller film due to my
research into it, the basic conventions of a thriller that I found were build-up of
suspense through music, low-key lighting, male character being dominant and the
antagonists are usually unknown. Our media product develops the common
conventions of the thriller genre as we have used a male character for the
antagonist and he is faceless until revealed at the end of the sequence which is
also another convention; the antagonist is hidden to build suspense then is then
revealed to shock the audience. The protagonist is male which correlates to the
conventions that are seen commonly in the thriller genre. However we challenge
the conventions of other thriller sequences as the protagonist is the victim; male
characters are typically not the ones to suffer.
After looking at other title sequences such as American Horror Story we
wanted to try to hybridize the horror genre into our thriller to connote the
indifference between the two genres, we also liked the idea of the audience being
apart of the sequence so that they feel like theyre involved which we took
inspiration for our horror motif from The Blair Witch Project as theyve used hand
held POV shots that made the product gripping through that feature. The title
sequence typography in the product is inspired by another thriller title sequences
that was made by an A2 media group, we also looked at the film se7en and its
title sequence. From se7en, the eerie flashes that are used have been
interpreted into our product so that the sequence includes an eerie tone and the
idea of a faceless antagonist linking to common conventions in a thriller.

Eerie
Flashes

We used various POV shots of

the antagonist with the
protagonist in view. The shots
were purposefully shaky to
connote the unnerving fear of
being watched making the
audience feel on edge.

Our Title
Sequence

The Blair Witch

Project

The Evil
Dead

Our Title
Sequence

PO
V

The Blair Witch

Project is the biggest
inspiration for our
product due to the
found footage style
of horror. Which is
filmed entirely
through hand held
POV shots. As we
liked the style a lot
we decided to include
our own POV hand
held shots to convey
the same unnerving

After watching the

American Horror Story title
sequence, we found that the
quick sequence of shots that
created a flash effect was
effective in connoting the
eerie thriller therefore we
made our own sequence of
shots then fastened them to
create a flash.

Camera and
Lighting

Our main focus with camera and

lighting was to portray an
unnerving and dangerous
antagonist. By doing this we
used different camera angles
and shot types to convey the
idea of the protagonist being
stalked by the unknown. We
used POV shots to connote to
antagonist pursuit to watch the
detective; role reversal. We also
used series of low angles, high
angles, mid shots and prolonged
shots to drag it out so that the
viewers are on edge expecting
something to jump them.
For lighting we decided to just
use the natural lighting so that
the sequence is as realistic as
possible. This meant that the
changes we make to the lighting
would be post filming.

Sound

We wanted to used sound to

connote a message to our
audience so that they can
establish what is going on just
by the notable sound motifs,
through the soundtrack and the
action on screen. The sound
motifs used for the antagonists
perspective are whispering and
heavy breathing to connote a
animalistic feature so that they
intimidate the viewers.
The soundtrack starts as a
menacing track that is to make
the viewer feel uncomfortable
but then once the antagonist is
revealed towards the end of the
sequence the track changes to a
more sinister to connote the
idea that the antagonist is the
one they shouldnt trust.

Mise-En-Scene

Our mise-en-scene was important as

we wanted our sequence to seem
off the grid so that we connote a
dangerous feel to the viewers, also
in our plot the detective is off-duty
so as he is in the middle of nowhere
we are able to convey the idea that
no one can help him. Therefore we
chose to film in our local woods as
its easy to get to and the woods
itself portray an eerie tone. The
Blair Witch Project also inspired us
to take this location as it is a
stereotypical place to film a
horror/thriller film. However we put
our own twist on the common
conventions to portray the surprise
at the end for our audience.
The costume for our sequence is
kept basic as the detective is offduty therefore is dressed smartcasual to connote a sense of reality.
The antagonists clothing is also basic
all black to keep him hidden and
unknown yet he is seen by the
viewers

Editing

Post filming we wanted to follow

onto the idea of isolation of the
detective through the editing.
This was emphasised through
the phone ringing then the no
signal hang up sound at the
start of the sequence to convey
that hes cut off from any
communication for help or backup and is therefore alone.
Between these sounds, the shot
cuts to the antagonists
perspective to connote that he
is watching him.
We also included a series of
flashes; inspired by American
Horror Story and their title
sequence. These flashes were
put together with a transitional
effect which conveyed an eerie
tone but also conveyed the
location of the sequence;
through the use of close ups of
branches, twigs and uncanny
trees.

2. How does your media product represent

particular social groups?
In our product we have represented stereotypical male roles in a thriller. Through the
title sequence we have confirmed the stereotypical ideas of male characters being more
significant and having the dominant role, this is shown through the use of one male actor
playing both the protagonist and antagonist however showing different personalities
through the use of the roles. In the opening the protagonist is portrayed as an off duty
detective; to connote that he is alone with no backup, he ends up the victim of the
sequence connoting the weaker side of male which could be seen as a feminine act. He is
also a representative of the police that is usually seen in thrillers, the antagonist
juxtaposes to the protagonist when he is revealed at the end of the sequence to the
audience. The viewers are able to see the two different male role contrast each other
signifying the difference in male personalities in the real world. In other thriller films the
antagonists are usually revealed as a confident, masculine and powerful male character
which is shown through the dialogue in the end, Come on, you know Id never hurt you.
We wanted to make the antagonist seem animalistic and supernatural by shaky POV
camera shots, audio; heavy breathing and whispering to connote the sense of a creepy
horror to intimidate the audience. Even though the protagonist holds more screen time
because he is the main narrative, we wanted the viewers focus to be mainly on the
antagonist s pursuit to the detective as this would reinforce the idea of the viewer sense
like theyre involved. The antagonist is wearing a black hoodie which connotes the idea of
him being a stereotypical teenager in perhaps a typical rebellious place to be; the woods.

We liked the character John from

Luther as he would look for the
criminals in his own time suggesting
that the killer has become his
obsession. We took this idea for our
detective as we felt it would make
sense in our title sequence and it
strengthens the potential storyline.
By looking at the character John
we were also influenced in our
storyboarding as the character is
always seen searching for the
criminals in his spare time and
searching through abandoned
buildings etc. We took this idea and
created the plot of the detective
looking for the criminal in his own
time. However we did create our own
idea of the antagonist being aware of
the detectives presence and makes
him the victim.

Age

We decided to make our

characters similar ages to our
target audience (18-early 20s)
This is because we wanted the
viewers to be able to in some
ways relate to the characters;
in particularly the protagonist.

Class

Another difference between

our antagonist and

protagonist is their class. The

protagonist is a detective
therefore has a high class and
importance in society.
However our antagonist is
dressed in all black and is
revealed inside abandoned
shacks which connotes that he
is from a lower class
compared to the detective.

Gender
Stereotypical male masculine
characters have been used in
our title sequence as our
antagonist is confident and
portrays an intimidating
personality. Our protagonist
juxtaposes to the other male
character as once he is
revealed the protagonist is
seen as weaker and confused.

Ethnicity
We decided to stay with the
stereotypical white male
characters as theyre seen as
more dominant and powerful
therefore our aim for the
antagonist to be intimidating
works well.

3. What kind of media institution might

distribute your media product and why?

Our product has the possibility to become a full

product due to the product not being set on one
genre and is a low age rating. Therefore our product
could potentially be distributed by various
institutions. Depending on what the title sequence
is used with, whether its a film or TV series it could
be distributed by Universal; The Bourne Ultimatum,
Netflix; Gypsy series, or the BBC; Follow the Money
series. These institutions have all distributed thriller
products and have a similar demographic as our
product thus it would make sense for our full
product to be distributed through one of these
companies. After carrying out my own BBFC
research I have found that if the full product was to
include violence or mature themes then the age
rating would have to be changed to a suitable rate.
However even though our age rating is 12, our
target audience is still 16-25 so our audience would
still be the same.

4. Who would be the audience for your media

product?
Even though our age rating for the title sequence is
a 12+, we decided to aim towards older teenagers
(16-19) and young adults that love thrillers/horrors
after doing our target audience research. We wanted
to use the narration of the male detective to reflect
how our audience may feel if being watched by a
mysterious character. The ending of the sequence
brings in elements of a psychological, or mystery
thriller as both characters are played by the same
actor, this is to make the audience feel on edge as
they wouldnt be expecting it. Another thriller film
with an age 12+ rating is Rear Window which is a
mystery thriller whos target audience is young adults
and has appealed to them. Another film that is similar
to ours is Taken, even though the age rating is 13+
the film appealed to our target audience; older
teenagers and young adults. After our final draft was
made, we carried out a focus group of 16-18 year olds
to see their reactions and feedback of our final
product. We did this to see if our title sequence was
successful. The feedback we got was similar for all
viewers which was that they loved it and thought the
ending was unexpected but effective for a thriller.
Very high quality camera work and effective sound
that conveys the thriller genre

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Audience feedback is very useful, as it helps to understand what their expectations are
in a thriller so that I can make a fitting and effective product that would be successful.
Therefore we did some audience research; we made a survey where we asked particular
questions that we needed the answer to so that we got feedback that will inspire and help
improve our product. After making the first draft of our title sequence, we held focus
groups to gain criticism and tips on where to improve.
Once we carried out our audience research through the survey and focus groups, we
were able to see who our target audience is specifically.
Although our age rating is 12, we wanted to aim towards 16-19 and young adults as we
are 17 we felt that we would create a product that attracts them. We found that the
viewers thought the ending of the sequence is the most significant part as it reveals the
antagonist in a surprising way that makes them feel uncomfortable which is a common
convention of a thriller; putting the viewer on edge. We have used editing and
camerawork in order to portray both characters, as theyre done by the same actor we
had to use a mid/long shot to show both and shoot the shot with each character then edit
both shots together so that it looks like a normal shot, this helps to show the narrative of
the sequence. The typography is simple but effective as it connotes the modern view on
thrillers. However the setting being in the woods contradicts the modern view as its
natural yet gloomy denoting the eerie mood that we wanted which is reinforced through
the diegetic sound of heavy breathing and whispering as it distorts the viewers. Most of
the viewers in one of our agreed that the ending of the sequence shocked them in a good
way and that they would go see it if this was a film. I was not expecting him to be the
same person! I love the surprise at the end as its built up

Theses are the questions and answers that we thought were the most helpful to us whilst
planning our main task.

From this Target Audience research our planning improved a lot since we had made our idea
correlate to the answers that we had gotten. Our audience believe that the music is the key
thing to build up suspense in a thriller therefore we made sure that we used sound effectively;
whispering, heavy breathing and soundtrack. They also believe that the setting and the plot is
the most significant part of a thriller film therefore we wanted to have a good plot that is in a
fitting setting and I feel that we have achieved that in the setting of the woods and the plot
being the double of the character. Our actor Arthur played both of the roles and successfully as
he managed to portray the two different characters personalities, which our target audience
said that makes them want to carry on watching a film. Overall I feel that we have taken the
research in the account and included it into our title sequence which ultimately makes our
sequence very successful.

6. What have you learnt about technologies

from the process ofconstructingthis product?
Within the process of creating my title sequence, I have had to use a
lot of technology to make the product as successful as possible. Before
making the film we had to do lots of research using Google and YouTube
so that our planning is high quality, we then also used Survey Monkey to
carry out our target audience research efficiently. When filming the
scenes we wanted, we used two cameras; hand held and a DSLR
camera. With the DSLR we managed to get very clear and effective
shots which made the sequence look professional.
However we had difficulty with the hand held camera as it either
didnt work or the battery died very quickly therefore to resolve this
issue we had to use several hand held cameras and carry spare charged
up batteries. Fortunately because we filmed outside in the woods we
used natural lighting for both the majority of the sequence (woods) and
last scene in the abandoned barn therefore we didnt need to take any
lighting equipment. When editing we used final cut pro, which I was
unfamiliar with at first however have learnt how to add after effects;
colour correct, stabilise shots using the stabilization tab, how to get a
smooth transition.
Our editor Joe helped me understand how to use final cut pro so that
I got a better understanding of what hes doing so that I could
contribute. The clone effect at the end is the most effective part in the
sequence as we rely on the camera, mise-en-scene and editing to be
accurate so that the shot looks as realistic as possible. Though we had
to use the built in microphone in the DSLR camera, we still managed to
get a good quality conversation at the end. Moreover, to complete my
blogging I used a Mac as they are quick and efficient and I wanted to
save as much time possible and Blogger and Google Docs to record all
my work. However even though I was able to blog continuously, I feel
that I should have taken advantage of all the different ways to blog;
video blogs, as I would of saved a lot more time. Although I believe that
we did use all the technologies that were available to us effectively.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what

do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
Our preliminary task product wasnt successful due to the minimal knowledge we had in
planning, filming, editing etc. Our planning reflected within the preliminary, some of the pan
shots were shaky therefore our camera skills needed to be improved as well as our
organisation as a group as we didnt set a specific date to film and therefore we made
mistakes such as the costumes changed in the mise-en-scene making it look unprofessional.
Learning from these mistakes we made sure that our planning was detailed, I made a
storyboard with the help of Joe, who then made an animatic to show to focus groups. However
throughout the process of planning I did research to further my understanding on DOP roles
and explored the thriller genre title sequences/films. By doing this research and planning we
gained more of an idea of what camera shots, sounds, settings, lighting to use in our title
sequence. Once we made anything that reflects our ideas we presented it to focus groups to
help get advice on how to improve. We also carried out target audience research so that we
attracted the right audience and included their expectations as well as including the common
conventions of a thriller title sequence.
In general, after going into more research and planning I have improved my skills in camera,
sound and editing. I have learned how to create a clone effect as well as use a DSLR camera to
get high quality shots therefore I have become more confident in using this equipment
although I feel that I can improve my knowledge in editing further .
Overall, I think that our preliminary task has helped us understand that a lot of planning and
research needs to be done before to get a high quality product. Our product is high quality, its
clear that its a thriller sequence and it meets our target audience expectations.

No
Knowledge
Limited/ Getting
there
I
Know