EVALUATION QUESTION 1

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS (IE: OF FILM OPENINGS)


The title of the film

I chose the title 'SNAPPED' as the name connotes cameras and picture taking. The protagonist and victims in the film have pictures of them taken whilst they are being followed, the camera in this film being a very important prop in the storyline. It's also quite a sharp and edgy title.


Setting/Location



The reason I chose a library to open the scene is because it's supposed to be a safe, public and peaceful place. The last place you would imagine trouble to occur is within the quiet walls of a college library. I decided to go against stereotype and use the library as an unobvious place for someone dangerous to hide out and plan the capture and torture of someone innocent.
I chose a garage for the second scene as it had a dark and sinister feel about it, the perfect place for a torture scene.



Costumes and props




P.C Preston wears a flourescent hi-vis jacket and a police hat to stand out and connote safety to the public. I gave her a clipboard to note down the evidence of the witness she talks to.
We don't see the the antagonist's face during the sequence only his legs and body. He wears a plain outfit- dark shoes and jeans so as not to raise suspicion or get noticed. He carries a camera throughout the sequence. We do not see the actual camera at any point but know he has it from the beginning as we watch P.C Preston through the lens.
I chose an electric box which he uses as a torture device, as it's original yet deadly. Sparks fly when you touch the metal clasps together, making the device look altogther more dangerous.
I used the garage as my second location as the lighting was dark and gloomy and the walls were covered in sinister looking tools and tubes.




Camerwork and editing



The beginning of the sequence is seen as if through the lens of a camera. Every time a picture is taken, a 'snapping' noise is made and the frame freezes into black and white. I used a handicam in the opening to give the impression you are watching P.C Preston from the stalker's point of view. Most of these shots are long shots and medium shots to suggest that the stalker is keeping at a safe distance for a while. The camera zooms in on both P.C Preston and the witnesses' faces.
There are a few long takes within the sequence to build suspense. As P.C Preston leaves the building, the camera pans in towards her (suggests that the stalker is running at her) and then the screen fades to black.

The garage scene consists mainly of low angles. This connotes that the antagonist is sinister and dangerous. At first, each shot cuts straight in to the next then the last shot of P.C Preston being tortured is a long take.



The font and style





The font of my title is Arial Black, which I chose as it's bold and stands out against the dark background. The title is bright yellow which connotes the flash of a camera light. The title is set against a black background with the framing of a camera lens. I thought this look was quite effective, as most thriller titles are written in black or red so I wanted to try something different.


Story and opening





The first image we see in the opening sequence is of a mystery person developing photos in a red room. This immediately suggests that the film has something to do with taking photos and sets up the enigma and mystery of not knowing who is behind the crimes as no face is shown. The eerie non-diegetic music backs up the idea that something strange is going on. As the mystery person hangs up the photos you wonder who he is and why hes developing pictures, and why the camera doesn't show his face. This is something that is continued throughout the opening sequence, the face of the stalker is not revealed, leaving you wanting to know who he is.



Genre and how the opening suggests it

The opening sequence consists of someone mysterious in a red room, then of a Police Officer being watched through a camera lens from a distance. This instantly sets up the film as a thriller, it feels intrusive and creepy to stalk someone.
Codes and conventions from the thriller genre are present, low angles for a sinister effect, low key lighting and eerie non-diegetic eerie background music. The pace is slow and sinister, which I did purposely to build up tension, which is an important factor within the thriller genre. Suspense and enigma are also built up, which are stereotypically present in any thiller genre film.




How characters are introduced





As you see the opening sequence through the antagonist's point of view, you can immediately tell what he's doing is morally wrong, and that this person is mentally instable and dangerous. You don't actually see this character until the garage scene and even then only the bottom half of his legs are present. This gives him a mysterious edge, not much is known about his character.

P.C Preston on the other hand is present in the opening shot. She us fully visible and wearing a high-visibility police outfit which connotes help and safety to the public. She is interviewing a witness and working alone. She seems hardworking and innocent and is instantly targeted as the victim as the scene opens.




Special FX

The only effect I used during editing was the camera lens effect in the library scene. I wanted to make my film true to life so I didn't feel that I needed to use any special FX.

EVALUATION QUESTION 2

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?



<< P.C Preston

<< Clarice Starling







A character similar to P.C Preston is Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), and FBI student from the film 'The Silence of the Lambs'(1991 Jonathan Demme)
Clarice dedicates her life to fighting crime, as does P.C Preston. They are both strong headed, fearless women. The main difference is that Clarice befriends and creates a relationship with a murderer whilst P.C Preston is instead targeted by the cold-blooded antagonist.

They are both independent, important female protagonists. Clarice is haunted by a childhood memory of lambs being slaughtered, hence the unusual title of the film. P.C Preston also has vivid flashbacks and nightmares of someone following her in the dark yet she doesn't confide in anyone about her thoughts and fears.

My media product represents strong, fearless female protagonists which go against the stereotype of women being weak and helpless.

EVALUATION QUESTION 3

WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?

My film 'Snapped' would be distributed and funded by BBC films and the UK Film Council which uses National Lottery money to develop and fund up and coming new film makers.
Such institutions have already produced successful British films such as 'Fish Tank' and 'London to Brighton' which are both very inspiring pieces.
Production companies are responsible for the development and production side of media products including radio, film, tv and performing arts.



Fish Tank directed by Andrea Arnold (2009)won a BAFTA film award








Production companies are responsible for the development and production side of media products including radio, film, tv and performing arts. The director, producer, director of photography, cameramen, sound people and actors are usually named in the titles as these are the main people behind the scenes.

The Lottery funding website - www.lotteryfunding.org.uk states that: 'For every £1 that the public spends on Lottery tickets 28 pence goes to the Lottery good causes. These are the arts, charities and voluntary groups, heritage, health, education, the environment and sports. Lottery funders are the organisations that distribute the good causes money to local communities and national projects'

This is how the money available for film funding is accumulated in the first place.



Ths logo is simple yet effective, bold in black and white and bearing the famous crossed lucky fingers.

BBC Films also co-produce British made films, a successful and recent example is 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' (Grant Heslov) starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey!

EVALUATION QUESTION 4

WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?


This is Alicia, she represents my target audience.



Age: 18

Favourite films: Scream, Twilight, Pretty Women

Favourite shops: Topshop, River Island, Primark

Favourite music: Beyonce, JLS

Favourite programs: Desperate Housewives, Friends, 90210

Why I would watch 'Snapped' the film: I watched the trailer and it left me wanting to see what happens next, me and my friends all enjoy thriller films as they are great for a girly night in with popcorn! I like the suspense in them.

EVALUATION QUESTION 5

HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?

Here's an annotated version of my 2 minute opening sequence picking out the genre conventions I have used to attract my target audience. As this is a duplicate of the original sequence I have uploaded, YouTube will not allow me to embed the video onto my blog. You can either view the annotated video answering this question at:


password:

or sign into my YouTube account
username:shannapreston

EVALUATION QUESTION 6

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?




The first thing I learnt during the process of constructing this product was how to set up a 'Blogger' account where I would submit and publish my work. I used a Mac to create my blog, which I found very advanced at first compared to a standard PC computer!
I then learnt how to set up a camera and tripod (as pictured in the photo). I had previously created a storyboard of the shots I wanted and learnt how to capture my desired shot types and angles with the camera. I found the physical filming part of the task the most enjoyable!

I used Final Cut Pro, and editing software application to log and capture my film footage. I then learnt how to edit my work and use various techniques such as 'fade' and 'black outs'. I also learnt how to create the effect of a camera lens. The beginning of my opening sequence is seen as if watching through the lens of a camera. I intended to give the impression that the audience is watching P.C Preston from the stalker's point of view. The lens snaps and freezes throughouts the first minute's footage as if taking a photo. I learnt to do all of this through Final Cut Pro.


Another piece of software I learnt to use was Photoshop. I captured and edited scrennshots taken throughout my opening sequence, and Soundcloud proved very useful for uploading music and soundtracks.

I used YouTube to upload my video, and Facebook to create a film group, both of which I had previously used beforehand.

Overall, with all the packages and technologies I have learnt to use during the process of creating my film I feel confident that I'll be able to make another project using all of these.

EVALUATION QUESTION 7

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK (CONTINUITY EDITING TASK) WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO FULL PRODUCT?

Whilst creating and publishing the video for my preliminary task, I learnt how to use various different types of computer software and the camera kit. I used a Sony camera with a tripod and experimented with different types of shots and angles. This task was designed for the class to learn how to use the camera equipment and editing software in preparation for the filming of our 2 minute opening sequences.

We learnt how to use Final Cut Pro, an editing software. We logged and captured our video footage then edited it onto the time line, adding non-diegetic music. As this was our first time editing, we cut straight to each next shot. We used an eyeline match; in the video the character looks up and the shot cuts to the poster she is looking at. We also used an over the shoulder shot, a shot literally filmed behind someone's shoulder. We included a shot reverse shot, where the camera shows someone's face, cuts to the person they are looking at/talking to, then cuts back to the original person.
Close ups were used to show emotion and facial expressions, and long shots to show the mise en scene and establish the location. Medium shots were used to show body language.

One of the main tasks in our preliminary video was not to break the 180 degree rule.

WEEK 10

This week we answered the questions to our evaluation, including written answer and visual material! I've included pictures, videos and annotations.

'SNAPPED' - THE OPENING SEQUENCE

PRODUCTION BRIEF

Project name: SNAPPED

Medium/Format length: Thriller opening sequence. 2 minutes long

Deadline: 21st March

Group members: Shanna Preston

Brief overview of content (approx 50 words):

P.C Preston is interviewing a witness in a college library. She gets the feeling she is being watched,but continues working. As she exits to leave the building, her stalker attacks her.
P.C Preston finds herself half unconcious in an old van parked in a deserted garage. She is tortured with electric wires.

Target Audience:

My target audience is aged 15-25 both male and female. The socio-economic groups would be C1-E, working class and students.

Possible scheduling/publishing suggestions:

I have scheduled my filming dates for the 15th and 17th of February. I will publish my sequence on to my blog and YouTube.

What comparable products have you researched?

I've researched both horror and thriller films to compare the differences in codes and conventions as they are very similar genres.

What is the rationale behind this text?

The rationale is to enhance my knowledge on the thriller genre and include all the codes and conventions I have come across during research.

What representations will be operating in your text, are these justified?

The male antagonist in my sequence is represented as being dangerous and violent, a stereotypical thriller antagonist. The female protagonist has been represented as vulnerable, although later in the film the audience would find out that she is a very strong and independent woman.

How will you test if the product is successful? How will you check that it accomplishes the intended effect?

To test if the product is successful, I will show my opening sequence to a group of people that fit in to my target audience. I will distribute a questionnaire for feedback to receive valuable feedback and constructive criticism.


What general codes and conventions will be operating in your text?

The general codes and conventions used in my text will be the various shot types and angles which will create the enigma and suspense, and portray the power and dominance of the antagonist (by using camera tricks such as low angles) Low key gloomy lighting and a lonely dark setting for the torture scene are typical thriller characteristics.

Are there any hidden messages incorporated in the text?

There aren't any hidden messages within my text. However the ending has a very big twist.


Identify any resource restraints (time, money, equipment, human resources) that might affect you production and hopes for your product

I will have no problem with the equipment and weather as all my filming is indoors and I have filled out a call sheet and been assured the use the equipment on my intended filming dates.

WEEK 9

This week I wrote my production brief and started to create my evaluation using essay style answers and visual material!

STORYBOARD

I made my storyboard using Photoshop, capturing an image of every different shot with a description of each shot. I included shot types, angles, lighting and description with each shot.

FACEBOOK GROUP

I created a facebook group for my target audience to follow and comment on. The link to visit the 'Snapped' group is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=400852121071

QUESTIONNAIRE

Questionnaire

SCORE NOTES

I didn't use any dialogue in my opening sequence so the music was an important part of creating the atmosphere. I chose an eerie background music and uploaded it through SoundCloud. The piece of instrumental music I chose was non-copyright and is the type of slow and suspenseful music you would expect in a typical thriller film.

LOGO

This is the logo I have created for my film. I chose black and white as they stand out against each other and are bold colours, yet simple and effective. As I worked alone I chose my sir-name as the production name - 'Preston Film Production'.

WEEK 7

I have started to edit the film and look for suspensful music for the background. I also created a logo for the film.