Sunday, 18 April 2010
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our film follows the conventions of a modern thriller. The definition of a thriller is a 'fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains'. This is how our film was intended to pan out, which would have been more evident if we had filmed the rest of the film as it is not so apparent at first glance in the opening two minutes.
Our film challenges this definition because the hero in this film is not physically trying to thwart the plans of the villain as the fight with the villain is a mental battle in the womans head with her sanity and her psychosis and the villain in the film is simply a representation of her struggle.
Another way in which it challenges the definition of a thriller is because of the lack of diagetic and edited sound to build up suspense which is usually the conventional way. There is still an eerie noise in the background to build up the suspense but the main way in which suspense is achieved is through the dialogue which is voiced over the top. The description of the womans condition and the emotive power of this is what gets the audience to feel for the woman and in turn building up the suspense prior to the murders happening.
This photo shows that our film stays largely within the conventions of the thriller genre, when compared with the below photo, even though we have tried to challenge it.
How does your media Product represent Particular social groups?
My media project could be said to represent a wide variety of social groups because of the wide variety of situations that the woman is involved in throughout the opening scenes. They are also quite everyday scenes and this is intended to add to the suspense of the film. This also means that mostly everyone can relate to the situations that the woman experiences.
For example when the woman is outside the house, opening the door to get into her house while she is dressed formally, this could appeal to the middle classes. Building on this, the ornaments on the walls outside of the house could add information about the woman which could create common ground with more of the audience and gain their interest. In the second scene she is wearing running clothing and this may not appeal so much to the middle aged people and more to the younger generations or people who care about their fitness.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
MGM is an institution which might be interested in distributing this film. This is because our film is almost completely British as all of the people involved and the settings are from the UK. Also MGM films is a sucessful American company which would increase the credibility of our film in the states and they are very well respected which would automatically increase interest in the film. MGM might also be interested in our film because of films which they have done before, some of which are vaguely similar to Disturbance. This means that they can provide useful expertise to the distribution and helpful tips on the film itself.
Who would be your audience for your media product?
Our film was mainly aimed at an audience who are 16+. This is because this is the age range of my group and therefore we did a film that we were interested in and this makes the likely audience for our film to appeal to 16+. There are still elements of the film which can appeal to other age ranges so they are not outlawed completely. The rating of 12A my group found to be most applicable to our film as it allows a certain degree of explicit content and gore, just enough for our film to include some of this if it needs to while not restricting the age of the audience increasing the potential revenue of the film and to make it more appealing to film companies.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We constructed a questionnaire asking people what genres of film they were most interested in and the thriller genre came out on top. Therefore this is the genre of film is the one we chose but we also wanted to emulate it with a psychological element. The film is also designed to get the audience involved in the film, provoking them to ask questions and to get themselves to answer them which almost gives them a role in the film. If we were to do film trailers we would use this same technique, leaving the audience on edge and wanting to answer the questions that the trailer makes the audience ask themselves.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The main technologies that we used were Apple Mac's, video camcorders, audio recording software and the Blogger and YouTube websites.
I am a PC user and although I am IT literate and I know the basics of Macs getting to grips with the Final Cut Express software took some time. Once everybody in my group got to grips with the software then we had no problem being very productive with it and being able to easily slot in special effects etc without having to consult the teacher.
The video cameras were fairly standard and the use of them was basically the same as every other camcorder. This was advantageous as we could use it straight off and had no problems with the filming sides of things.
The audio recording software was also simple as once you have recorded voice it is easily put onto a usb stick and can be transferred straight into the final cut express pro.
Finally Blogger and Youtube were both common websites that I have used on a regular basis and therefore there was not much to learn concerning these.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learn t in the progression from it to the final product?
Our preliminary task allowed us to get to grips with camera shot and angle as well as editing and producing a finished film which showed us any problems that we might have with our filming before they occurred in the real thing. It just allowed us to learn from our mistakes before they happened. When we were creating our preliminary task I personally felt like a lot more of a rookie than when I was doing my final thing. I felt a lot more at home with all of the tools and was able to utilize them more productively without having to rely on help from the teacher to guide me through.
Our film follows the conventions of a modern thriller. The definition of a thriller is a 'fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains'. This is how our film was intended to pan out, which would have been more evident if we had filmed the rest of the film as it is not so apparent at first glance in the opening two minutes.
Our film challenges this definition because the hero in this film is not physically trying to thwart the plans of the villain as the fight with the villain is a mental battle in the womans head with her sanity and her psychosis and the villain in the film is simply a representation of her struggle.
Another way in which it challenges the definition of a thriller is because of the lack of diagetic and edited sound to build up suspense which is usually the conventional way. There is still an eerie noise in the background to build up the suspense but the main way in which suspense is achieved is through the dialogue which is voiced over the top. The description of the womans condition and the emotive power of this is what gets the audience to feel for the woman and in turn building up the suspense prior to the murders happening.
This photo shows that our film stays largely within the conventions of the thriller genre, when compared with the below photo, even though we have tried to challenge it.
How does your media Product represent Particular social groups?
My media project could be said to represent a wide variety of social groups because of the wide variety of situations that the woman is involved in throughout the opening scenes. They are also quite everyday scenes and this is intended to add to the suspense of the film. This also means that mostly everyone can relate to the situations that the woman experiences.
For example when the woman is outside the house, opening the door to get into her house while she is dressed formally, this could appeal to the middle classes. Building on this, the ornaments on the walls outside of the house could add information about the woman which could create common ground with more of the audience and gain their interest. In the second scene she is wearing running clothing and this may not appeal so much to the middle aged people and more to the younger generations or people who care about their fitness.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
MGM is an institution which might be interested in distributing this film. This is because our film is almost completely British as all of the people involved and the settings are from the UK. Also MGM films is a sucessful American company which would increase the credibility of our film in the states and they are very well respected which would automatically increase interest in the film. MGM might also be interested in our film because of films which they have done before, some of which are vaguely similar to Disturbance. This means that they can provide useful expertise to the distribution and helpful tips on the film itself.
Who would be your audience for your media product?
Our film was mainly aimed at an audience who are 16+. This is because this is the age range of my group and therefore we did a film that we were interested in and this makes the likely audience for our film to appeal to 16+. There are still elements of the film which can appeal to other age ranges so they are not outlawed completely. The rating of 12A my group found to be most applicable to our film as it allows a certain degree of explicit content and gore, just enough for our film to include some of this if it needs to while not restricting the age of the audience increasing the potential revenue of the film and to make it more appealing to film companies.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We constructed a questionnaire asking people what genres of film they were most interested in and the thriller genre came out on top. Therefore this is the genre of film is the one we chose but we also wanted to emulate it with a psychological element. The film is also designed to get the audience involved in the film, provoking them to ask questions and to get themselves to answer them which almost gives them a role in the film. If we were to do film trailers we would use this same technique, leaving the audience on edge and wanting to answer the questions that the trailer makes the audience ask themselves.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The main technologies that we used were Apple Mac's, video camcorders, audio recording software and the Blogger and YouTube websites.
I am a PC user and although I am IT literate and I know the basics of Macs getting to grips with the Final Cut Express software took some time. Once everybody in my group got to grips with the software then we had no problem being very productive with it and being able to easily slot in special effects etc without having to consult the teacher.
The video cameras were fairly standard and the use of them was basically the same as every other camcorder. This was advantageous as we could use it straight off and had no problems with the filming sides of things.
The audio recording software was also simple as once you have recorded voice it is easily put onto a usb stick and can be transferred straight into the final cut express pro.
Finally Blogger and Youtube were both common websites that I have used on a regular basis and therefore there was not much to learn concerning these.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learn t in the progression from it to the final product?
Our preliminary task allowed us to get to grips with camera shot and angle as well as editing and producing a finished film which showed us any problems that we might have with our filming before they occurred in the real thing. It just allowed us to learn from our mistakes before they happened. When we were creating our preliminary task I personally felt like a lot more of a rookie than when I was doing my final thing. I felt a lot more at home with all of the tools and was able to utilize them more productively without having to rely on help from the teacher to guide me through.
Textual Analysis
Our film Disturbance was inspired by three different films. One film called 'Don't Say a Word' (2001) another called 'Psychosis' (2009) and Shutter Island (2010).
We were inspired by 'Dont say a Word' because of the behavioral common ground between the patient in the film. This film is where a group of thieves steal a precious stone and after it has been stolen the character called Patrick, who was involved in the robbery, is double crossed by the thieves and they steal the gem from him. Ten years later a psychiatrist named Nathan Conrad is hired to examine a woman called Elizabeth who is suspected to know the whereabouts of the gem. Patrick then kidnaps Nathan's daughter in hope to find the location of the gem.
Some of the camera techniques used in this film are noteworthy also, and we tried to incorporate these in our film also namely the use of disjointed movement of the camera and the variation or sharp and smooth focus.
Here is the trailer from the film:
The second film we were inspired by was 'Psychosis' (2009). We were inspired by this film because it involves a woman who is haunted by her own murder repeatedly when she decides to write a book about a group of people who camped out in the path of construction of a motorway so that it would not be built. These people were all mysteriously murdered by a serial killer. While the woman studies the evidence on which to write her book she becomes haunted by her own mind.
The use of color editing in this film is what inspired us the most as black and white was used and also what we liked was the use of inverted black and white colors that we unfortunately did not get to use in our film.
Shutter Island was the third film which we were inspired by. Although it was not out at the time when we were filming Disturbance, the trailers and plot line inspired us to make a film involving mental illness. In the film, set in 1954, U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He requested this case for several reasons but but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.
I believe this film to be a very good film and it really inspired me to apply several factors too our movie. Unfortunately all we had to work on was the movie trailers as the movie came out when we were finalizing our opening scenes off. When my group finally got to see this film there features we tried to incorporate into our film.
This film's attention to detail and emotive power are what inspired me and one example of this is
We were inspired by 'Dont say a Word' because of the behavioral common ground between the patient in the film. This film is where a group of thieves steal a precious stone and after it has been stolen the character called Patrick, who was involved in the robbery, is double crossed by the thieves and they steal the gem from him. Ten years later a psychiatrist named Nathan Conrad is hired to examine a woman called Elizabeth who is suspected to know the whereabouts of the gem. Patrick then kidnaps Nathan's daughter in hope to find the location of the gem.
Some of the camera techniques used in this film are noteworthy also, and we tried to incorporate these in our film also namely the use of disjointed movement of the camera and the variation or sharp and smooth focus.
Here is the trailer from the film:
The second film we were inspired by was 'Psychosis' (2009). We were inspired by this film because it involves a woman who is haunted by her own murder repeatedly when she decides to write a book about a group of people who camped out in the path of construction of a motorway so that it would not be built. These people were all mysteriously murdered by a serial killer. While the woman studies the evidence on which to write her book she becomes haunted by her own mind.
The use of color editing in this film is what inspired us the most as black and white was used and also what we liked was the use of inverted black and white colors that we unfortunately did not get to use in our film.
Shutter Island was the third film which we were inspired by. Although it was not out at the time when we were filming Disturbance, the trailers and plot line inspired us to make a film involving mental illness. In the film, set in 1954, U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He requested this case for several reasons but but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.
I believe this film to be a very good film and it really inspired me to apply several factors too our movie. Unfortunately all we had to work on was the movie trailers as the movie came out when we were finalizing our opening scenes off. When my group finally got to see this film there features we tried to incorporate into our film.
This film's attention to detail and emotive power are what inspired me and one example of this is
Mise-en-Scene
Costume:
For the opening scene the main character was wearing a suit which is deliberately designed to contradict the dialogue detailing her psychosis problems. This is designed to give the character a sense of false identity and to provide the audience with a situation for them to question and makes them wonder about the background of the character almost instantly. After a while the attacker enters the scene, the shot is only of the attackers legs. He is wearing black trousers and smart shoes, very formal attire which gives the impression that he is very business like. The attacker is shown to be walking towards the woman which indicates that the woman is going to be killed very quickly if not immediately. At this point the briefcase is then shown, which fits with his costume as a business man and that the suitcase is carrying things vital to him.
In the second scene the woman is shown in jogging clothes. This is intended to show the unpredictability of the situation which the woman could be murdered in which leaves the audience on the edge of their seats as to what is going on. The emphasis on the casualness of the situation also gives the audience a false sense of safety because at first glance there is nothing to suspect but the more observant people in the audience should recognize that the woman could be murdered at any point. As in the last scene shots of the attacker are very selective, showing only key features of the attacker to give the audience only but the most vital pieces of information and the rest is left to their imagination. The attacker is once more dressed formally in suit trousers and smart shoes. To add to the mystery of the attacker, there is a brief shot of the attacker face on, there is however something covering his face obscuring the overall look of the face not allowing the audience to recognize him.
In the third scene of our film the woman is shown to be dressed in pajamas, this shows that the woman is more relaxed and comfortable, leaving her more vulnerable because she is off guard, which is proven to be a mistake at the end of the scene.
Location:
The location for each of the scenes were chosen because they can be related with as a large number of murders do take place in and around the home where there are few people around to interfere with the murders. This also gives the audience the ability to put themselves in that situation around the home and allows them to think how it could happen to them.
The final shot maybe is the most effective because it shows the woman in her bedroom, the place where she feel the safest, tucked away in her bed. But in fact the murderer is waiting outside the window, for her to fall asleep so that he can commit the murder. This also plays on the fact that the murderer has not only infiltrated her bedroom but also her mind, disallowing her to feel safe with herself in her home or her mind.
Look and Feel:
We chose a black and white effect for our film because it divides out the reality from dreams. This is so that if we continued our film, we could then turn the film into color when it goes back to reality. The black and white effect also adds simplicity to the video so that it is easier for people to listen to the dialogue and not have to concentrate as much on the different colors.
Voice:
We deliberately didn't add dialogue for the characters in the film to enforce that fact that the two opening scenes are only a dream and also the fact that no dialogue is exchanged between the two characters as they are not friends. There is however a voice over for the scenes. This voice is used to give information to the audience in the most efficient way possible in the form of a doctors report, read out by a doctor. It is intended to be a doctor because of the formality of the voice in which the report is read. The voice over describes the mental problems that the woman experiences and the cloud of mystery which surrounds her illness.
The voice over is perhaps the most important part of the two opening scenes as it links them both together and it explains, what would otherwise be a series of events into an introduction to a film. It is vital for the voice over to explain to the audience that the scenes are actually a womans imagination and not a woman actually being murdered repeatedly. The use of technical language in the voice over adds to the eerie quality of the film.
For the opening scene the main character was wearing a suit which is deliberately designed to contradict the dialogue detailing her psychosis problems. This is designed to give the character a sense of false identity and to provide the audience with a situation for them to question and makes them wonder about the background of the character almost instantly. After a while the attacker enters the scene, the shot is only of the attackers legs. He is wearing black trousers and smart shoes, very formal attire which gives the impression that he is very business like. The attacker is shown to be walking towards the woman which indicates that the woman is going to be killed very quickly if not immediately. At this point the briefcase is then shown, which fits with his costume as a business man and that the suitcase is carrying things vital to him.
In the second scene the woman is shown in jogging clothes. This is intended to show the unpredictability of the situation which the woman could be murdered in which leaves the audience on the edge of their seats as to what is going on. The emphasis on the casualness of the situation also gives the audience a false sense of safety because at first glance there is nothing to suspect but the more observant people in the audience should recognize that the woman could be murdered at any point. As in the last scene shots of the attacker are very selective, showing only key features of the attacker to give the audience only but the most vital pieces of information and the rest is left to their imagination. The attacker is once more dressed formally in suit trousers and smart shoes. To add to the mystery of the attacker, there is a brief shot of the attacker face on, there is however something covering his face obscuring the overall look of the face not allowing the audience to recognize him.
In the third scene of our film the woman is shown to be dressed in pajamas, this shows that the woman is more relaxed and comfortable, leaving her more vulnerable because she is off guard, which is proven to be a mistake at the end of the scene.
Location:
The location for each of the scenes were chosen because they can be related with as a large number of murders do take place in and around the home where there are few people around to interfere with the murders. This also gives the audience the ability to put themselves in that situation around the home and allows them to think how it could happen to them.
The final shot maybe is the most effective because it shows the woman in her bedroom, the place where she feel the safest, tucked away in her bed. But in fact the murderer is waiting outside the window, for her to fall asleep so that he can commit the murder. This also plays on the fact that the murderer has not only infiltrated her bedroom but also her mind, disallowing her to feel safe with herself in her home or her mind.
Look and Feel:
We chose a black and white effect for our film because it divides out the reality from dreams. This is so that if we continued our film, we could then turn the film into color when it goes back to reality. The black and white effect also adds simplicity to the video so that it is easier for people to listen to the dialogue and not have to concentrate as much on the different colors.
Voice:
We deliberately didn't add dialogue for the characters in the film to enforce that fact that the two opening scenes are only a dream and also the fact that no dialogue is exchanged between the two characters as they are not friends. There is however a voice over for the scenes. This voice is used to give information to the audience in the most efficient way possible in the form of a doctors report, read out by a doctor. It is intended to be a doctor because of the formality of the voice in which the report is read. The voice over describes the mental problems that the woman experiences and the cloud of mystery which surrounds her illness.
The voice over is perhaps the most important part of the two opening scenes as it links them both together and it explains, what would otherwise be a series of events into an introduction to a film. It is vital for the voice over to explain to the audience that the scenes are actually a womans imagination and not a woman actually being murdered repeatedly. The use of technical language in the voice over adds to the eerie quality of the film.
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