evaluation post-miss georgiou

1. in what way does your media product use, develop challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

a thriller consists of various generic conventions such as weapons,unknown location,female victim and usually a handheld camera when the female victim is running from the antagonist.these conventions are used in the successful thriller 'scream' for example there is always a weapon used usually a lethal sharp weapon to kill the female victim. also the female victim runs away from the antagonist when in fear.

in or own thriller scene we followed the generic convention of a female victim and a unknown location. we used these conventions when the female victim falls asleep and than wakes up to an empty train carriage. in addition to this we created a sense of hidden identity when she receives a phone call  from an unknown number with no answer.moreover we used micro elements such as camera angles, foe example when the female victim runs in fear from the antagonist there is a distant shot to create a relationship with the audience. these codes and micro element are conventional to the thriller genre thus making my opening sequence define a thriller.

i have analysed the thriller 'Se7en' and have taken inspiration for my own thriller sequence.In the beginning of Se7en" the credits appear on screen and a close up is used, similarly in our own thriller we have used the credits in beginning and also used a close up to make it conventional to the the thriller genre.


2. how does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main characters in our thriller is the boyfriend and girlfriend and the antagonist villain. The female represent the stereotypical female blond victim and the villain was masked to portray hidden identity, they were included in our thriller to make our thriller conventional to the genre, moreover the characters will apeall to the target audience regardless, due to the fact that the victim is 16+ so is the victim.


3.what kind of media institution might distribute your media and product and why?  

rough cut-miss miller

As a group we created and presented a rough cut of our thriller sequence to our peers. The point of doing this was so that our peers could give us constructive criticism and feedback on our work so, we could then undergo further editing and make changes to our thriller for the better. Our rough copy included credits, the scenes themselves, minor editing techniques and sounds. Our groups rough copy was significantly different to the other groups as we had not finished filming, meaning our rough copy was not a clear interpretation of our ideas. However, for other groups, their rough copy displayed their idea to the viewers and a clear outline of what the final piece will be like.

In order to receive feedback we exported our video on to youtube and created a presentation on PowerPoint for our classmates to view. The presentation consisted of slides explaining our narrative, how we created our video, our inspirations and what we are trying to achieve as well as a slide explaining our further filming to be taken out. It was important we got feedback from our audience on the presentation and the video as our audience will be the ones who will be viewing our final piece so, it is important we have a criteria that fits them. As a group we would then look at the feedback and take all the points into consideration for our filming that was to take place the week after. This meant we could really take the feedback and put it into action.

In order to collect feedback, sheets were handed to the class that consisted of a grade they would give it, what went well and ultimately even better if. The class would fill these sheets out within their groups, coming up with the answers as a team and then would give them to our teacher who would, hand back all our feedbacks to us at the end. The sheets were anonymous meaning that the group could give honest feedback, which will really help us in the long run. Overall the feedback we were given, was expected as we knew we had a lot to improve; hence the planning to film again. We received some positive feedback also, which we found really refreshing and the positives were all things we were intending on keeping when we filmed again, so, it was good to have had our ideas confirmed and to know our audience were behind us.

After collecting our feedback and reading through the sheets with great care as a group, we were then able to discuss how we were going to make these improvements. For example one improvement we found was to incorporate more sound for suspense and enigma. Straight after hearing this, we took out research of sounds we could use in our thriller, and placed them into our rough copy. We then asked a member from another group what they thought of the additional sound we had incorporated in order to check that we were fulfilling our audiences needs correctly. By doing this, we are really reaching out to our target audience and always keeping in mind that they are the people we are aiming to please within this whole creation. As a group we are really strong at baring this in mind and it is always a question when deciding on new ideas.

Overall the activity was a really effective one that we took out as a class as, it allowed us to improve and tweet our thrillers to make them as effective as possible to the viewer. The improvements allowed our group to know what to do within our further filming and to understand exactly what needed to be done and for what purpose, where as, the positive feedback gave our group the real confidence boost we needed that our filming had real potential. By having this confidence boost it will mirror within our work as we will now know, that everything we are doing has been confirmed and backed up. The task ultimately was a success and will help us greatly. 

group storyboard-miss miller

planning sound-miss miller

In thriller films sound is used to create tension and suspense within the audience and to make them feel scared and frightened. Music is also used to build a climax when, a particular event is taking place as well as to create the mood of the scene in the film. A series of sounds and sounds devices can be used in order to be placed within the thriller and no thriller is without it. In class we watched a thriller muted with no sound and a thriller not muted (with sound) and we came to the conclusion that without music the thriller is no where near as impactable nor scary. This means that sound in our thriller will be esential which, is why planning and intense discussion has taken place regarding this.

One sound we as a group have decided to use is parallel sound of conventional train sounds. This includes sounds of the tracks, pedestrians passing, the wind as the train approaches, opening and closing of doors and the voice announcements. We will use these sounds to create a sense of normality which, will allow the audience to be able to relate to the characters as they would be familiar with the sounds present. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it alows the audience to create a greater relationship with the characters which then results in a bigger care of what happens to them. In terms of cresting suspense it will help as it will Alow us to make things appear as normal so that when things get bad, there is an evident and clear contrast for the audience to relay to.

moreover we are including a sound technique known as contropuntal sound, this sound is created when the victim wakes up from a deeep sleep and she notices the mask opposite her. this contropuntal sound creates a sense os suspense and can also create humour towards the end to help keep the audience interacted within the thriller scene.

We are including the sound feature of diagetic speaking in our clip also. This is between the two female victims (the main and the bystander) talking and exchanging everyday normal conversation.
This will help the audience as they will be able to see the girls personalities and their vulnerability contrasting of the act about to be played out on them. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the victim is normally vulnerable and their vulnerability is shown to the audience through there way of speech. This alows the audience to sympathise which, then creates suspense as they fear for what will happen to her in the future of the thriller.

A non diagetic noise will also be placed in our thriller to emphasise and highlight when the victim first sees the killer and then this is repeated after when she witnesses him again later in the clip. The use of this alows the audience to have a sense of dramatic irony as they will know the killer is approaching before the victim will. This will create suspense and enigma and is conventional to the thriller genre as unexpected loud noises are used to jolt and shock the audience.

opening scene narration-miss miller

The opening scene of our thriller consists of , of a couple on the way to the destination via public transport,as The final shots we see is the outside of the shed and then the mask of the killer jumps infront of the screen.

There will be some elements that will make our opening scene narration better..

Our thriller is called 'the continuinity' this film is about a killer in which kills his victims through public transport, most likely via train. the antoagonist does this by entering into the victims dreams, and patronizng them.
as the scene begins there is a couple talking the the train carriage, going towards their destination, the victim falls asleep and dreams of the villain in the reflection accross her, moreover she gets up and he appears, she sprints for the doors to open but none of them will open due to the train movement, ansd her panic.The killer than pushes her down, and than goes to grab her, she than awakens with her boyfriend next to her an, sees the mask of the antagonist in on the chair opposite here and must escape the continious danger that forshadows her.
Shortening phone scene: The scene where the victim was texting her Mother and telling her when she will be home was quite long and took up a lot of our 2 minute time period. We felt this part was not as significant as others in our opening scenaration so we decided to shorten it. This will allow the opening sequence to increase in speed and intensity creating much more tension among the audience, this will therefore make it much more conventional.
Using out of focus shots: We plan on using a lot more out of focus shots in our opening sequence, these will be included when the killer is on screen. This will make our opening sequence much more conventional as a thriller as it creates an enigma as the audience aren't fully able to see the killer.

risk assesment/filming schedule-miss georgiou

The purpose of the risk assesjntssment is to ensure safety within our group and to take note of all the        risksand anomalies and prevent them , this is also to make sure all the actors and team are safe. we discussed by having group meeting, we noted all hazards by order and discussed how to prevent this. Our setting is at a train station therefore there are numerous amounts of hazards and by doing a risk assesment table we will be able to prevent these hazards.

Description of hazard	Prevention of hazard
Avoiding the train track when filming for our own protection and our equipment	Make sure our eyes are alert throughout and that eqpment is a metre away from the track at all times of filming.
Using the scream mask in public	Take care of young children being near us to avoid unnecessary upset
Dropping the camera during handheld or close ups	Make sure we are always using the handstrap and take care of who is near us
Tripod falling over or camera falling of tripod	Make sure it is on flat land and the camera is correctly attached to the tripod
Tripping over loose leads or loose cords	Use gaffer tape to secure leads and cords are unable to cause accidents

we had to make a filming scedule in a similiar table, as group, therfore we knew exactly the times we are filming, when we are filming and what we are filming. the fliming scedule set a frame and organised when we are going to film otherwise there would be errors in filming and we may not be able to meet our deadlines. Moreover this scedule helps us list our camera angles in which helps us to use them, this will enhance ouir thriller and make it more conventional to the genre.

Shot	Date & time	Location	Content /Action	Shot type & Duration	Costume/ hair/ make up	Iconography	Personnel	Equipment
1	16.11.2013 4:30pm	Epping Train Station	Establishing the scene by creating shots of the train entering the station.	Extreme long shot at a semi high angle due to it being shot on the bridge over looking.	N/A	The london underground sign on the train, connotes a sense of normaility- our audience will relate.	Cameraman	Digital camera, Tripod, Lighting caused by trains headlights.
2	16.11.2013 4:40pm	Epping Train Station	Filming the two girls walking over the bridge together casually talking.	Low angle shot, Lasts 7 seconds.	Casual clothing, Hair style down.	The sign on the wall just behind the stairs the girls are walking down.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera, Tripod, Train station lighting.
3	16.11.2013 4:55pm	Epping Train Station	The victims on  the opposite platform chatting and giggleing.	Long shot, into zoom of the main victim. Last 8 seconds in total.	Girly outfit, Hair  style down.	London underground sign, Phone.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera, Tripod.
4	16.11.2013 5:10pm	Epping Train Station	Girls running down the stairs and getting on the train.	Low angle, into over the shoulder shot. Lasts 9 seconds in total.	Girly outfit, Hair style down.	London underground sign, Phone.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera
5	23.11.2013 4:30pm	Theydon Bois Train Station	Girls on train chatting and giggling.	Mid shot, Lasts 4 seconds.	Girly outfit, hair down.	Phone, Train map.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera.
6	23.11.2013 4:40pm	Theydon Bois Train Station	The victims taking pictures using the camera.	High angle shot, lasts 2 seconds.	Girly outfit, hair down.	Phone, Train map.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera, Tripod.
7	23.11.2013 4:50pm	Theydon Bois Train Station	Filming the girls talking, but can see the antagonists reflection within the window of the train sitting next to her.	Mid shot, Lasts 4 seconds.	Victims as stated prior, Killer dressed in all black, long coat, scream mask.	Scream Mask	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera.
8	27.11.2013 5:00pm	Hainault Train Station	Two new victims, a boyfriend a girlfriend, on the train, talking.	Over the shoulder shot, Lasts 8 seconds to establish new characters.	Victims dressed in casual wear, main victim following conventions with blonde hair (this time tied up to show change)	None	Cameraman New Actors	Digital camera.
9	27.11.2013 5:10pm	Hainault Train Station	Killer in the window of the train, next to vicitm. Swaps places with what was boyfriend.	Midshot, Lasts 10 seconds	""	Scream mask.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera.
10	27.11.2013 5:20pm	Newbury Park Train Station	Girls reaction, then her trying to get of the train.	Reaction shot, then into Longshot of the carriage, Zooms in on open button she is pressing.	N/A	Scream mask. Open Button.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera, bin bag.

11	27.11.2013 5:35pm	Newbury Park Train Station	Girl running off the train and towards the esculators.	Over the shoulder shot, Pov of killer. Lasts 8 seconds.	""	N/A	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera.
10	27.11.2013 5:45pm	Newbury Park Train Station	Girl coming down the esculators at other end, not realising the killer is across from her, gradually notices.	High angle shot then into long shot, then into reaction shot, finshing in a establishing shot.	N/A	Scream mask.	Cameraman Actors	Digital camera.

character planning-miss miller

The purpose of characters within a film is for the audience to build relationships with, this will make the audience more involved in what is happening in the clip as they will feel more emotions towards what is happening. This is because they will have built relationships with the characters therefore caring more about what happens to them and if they are in any danger/happy/sad etc. Different characters are also very important within a thriller as it helps the audience identify different characters status by displaying their background/age and role in the film. moreover the characters represent the narrative of the thrillers. 

In our thriller clip we have chosen carefully what characters we are going to include so that the audience can relate to them more. Our main character is a stereotypical blonde female school girl from a middle class background, aged around 16/17. This is will help engage the audience as she is the same age as our target audience and therefore make them more interested in whats happening, as they will create a relationship with the her. The audience will feel more fear as they will be able to put themselves in the same situation as the character as its a ordinary day to day situation.

The next character we are going to include are the main characters friends (roughly 3) they are going to help display that the main character is a stereotypical teenager and on a night out with her friends. They are going to be from a middle class family background as this will appeal to the target audience the most as its most relate able. They are going to be the same age as the main character (16/17) and have brown or blonde hair. This is to make it relate able to other audience's who have different hair colour. This is relatable to the audience as the group of friends are not to specific making it relatable to as many people as possible.

The killer's age is going to be unknown, and still irrelevant as he will be wearing a mask hiding his identity. Although his identity will be hidden, his age will be around 16/17 also this is to appeal to the target audience who will be watching and they would be more interested in whats happening if they are the same as themselves. His background will be that he has been stalking the main character for a long time as he is a mental patient. The fact that we don't know his background fully will add to the enigma of the film and therefore make it appealing to the audience to find out about him and what happens.