EVALUATION: Question 5 - Who would be the audience for your media product.

Naomi, is a 18 year old girl, who does childcare training and wants to become a social worker. She likes fashion and reading horror books and enjoys books and movies to do with vampires. Listens to r'n'b, garage and rock. She likes politics. Her bag contains a purse, make-up bag, tissues, toiletrees, brush, ID card, driving liscence, oyster card, ipod and a blackberry.

EVALUATION: Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups

With eyes being the "windows to the soul" i have picked two stills - one from our title sequence and one from the film "Hannibal Lecter" dircted by Thomas Harris. The picture of yasmins eyes compearted to the hannibal lecters eyes shows the psycotic side to the characters. The blood smudged on yasmins face compared with the red eyes of the hannibal lecters eyes represents the blood, murder and gore of the films.

Skills audit: filming and editing preliminary match cut exercise

For our second filming practice we filmed a match-cut exercise. The film started myself and Julie. To film this scene, we wanted to add more camera shots other then the required shots: the match cut, 180 degree rule and dialogue. So when we come to filming we used a over the shoulder shot where the camera focuses on Julie and the tilt both high and low during the dialogue. I'm shown to be the one with the power in this clip so the high tilt gives the idea of authority and power to me and also a little effect of menace to show that i shouldn't be double crossed or messed with. We also used low tilt for Julie, showing that she is the vulnerable and weak one in this situation. We also added a variety of different shots such as long shots, wide shots and medium close ups. The 180 degree rule was used on the focus of me to show the conversation between me a Julie. Our match cut was right at the start of the clip where Julie opens the door and enters the room.

Evaluation Question 8 Response: Audience Feedback and Comment

With the responses we had from the audience, we used some of their main words to create a wordle blog to create a connotation of all the words the film was described as in the feedback for our thriller opening scene. With the film's genre being a pyshcological thriller, the words ' dark', 'spooky', ' scary' were the reactions we was expecting and hoped for.

The responses that the film had received were positive:

The Quotes

Mica, 17, 'WOW! it was good and I liked the scene with the water in the glass changing from still to blood.'

Jason, 16, 'Yeah! I liked the gory theme of the film- great thriller.'

Jasmine, 17, 'It left a creepy crunch in my mouth! Eek!

Daisy,17, 'It was bloody great.'

Final edit of livetype and sound filming practice

For our first filming exercise, we filmed a "bag swap" scene staring Kelly and Julie. This was the first lesson we was introduced to LiveType. We was shown how to use it to add titles to our video. We also had our first experience in using the software to create a soundtrack to add to our video using our previous experience and knowledge from out SoundTrack Pro tutorial. I made the sound track for this film with the inspiration from a 'James Bond' as i wanted the film to have a spy feeling to the film and the group agreed this would be a good genre for the soundtrack as it would match the bag swap theme of the film.

EVALUATION Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

During the preliminary exercise, the sound which we made for it was very basic throughout with the same types of sound being played all the way through the scene. This wasn't particularly great because it created a sound which suited what we wanted to achieve which was spy theme (following inspiration of something like the James Bond films) however, the sound wasn't developed to its full potential, making the visuals not as gripping for the audience. Also we only used non-digetic sound which meant that there was no variety of skills used when producing the sound. We think that our skills in producing sound had developed and improved extensively. For the title sequence, we created a detailed soundtrack to go on it, having a variety of sounds featuring in it. A few examples include Appear Crystal 1, 2, 3; Drone Etheral, Footsteps heels, Cathedral walk, Heavy Water and Screams. We also had them featuring at the appropriate times, one example being that at the glass scene (show above) we have the sound of a glass being rubbed at the top rim which suits what is happening at the visuals perfectly. What also shows that we had improved the sound and developed our skills is that we had a mixture of both digetic and non-digetic sounds within the title sequence. While having out non-digetic sound in order to create the mood and tone of the film, we also made sure that the necessary digetic sounds was put in. This was everything from the burning of the butter in the pan and the sharpening of the knives to the turning on of the cooker. This shows that as a group, we have progressed well when it came to the sound skills and therefore has made our title sequence all the more better.
Mise en scene was one thing which we had developed and progressed in the most for very simple reasons. For the preliminary exercise we didn't really take much attention in terms of clothing, props or the background location. We chose the location of the gardens opposite the college on City Road but we didn't make sure that the location was perfect or that any bystanders were in the shots. The only props we took into account were the briefcases because that was what the scene was all about. However, we payed a lot of attention to the mise en scene for the title sequence in order to achieve the visuals that we wanted and theme of the film. This included lots of props such as knives, wine glass, fake blood and steak. The location which was Melissa's kitchen was key for the whole title sequence as you couldn't really have a psychotic woman cooking and eating a person in a bathroom as that would not be a good visual. Also the make-up of both characters were one in order to make the characters fit in with their profile as much as possible.

When it comes to filming and editing, we have improved our technique on a big scale. For example, if you see the first video on this post, it shows a little clip from our preliminary filming exercise and there are two things wrong with it. For one, the second part of the match cut is much too long and the second thing is that the handheld camera is a tiny bit shaky when it was following Kelly walking. This had been taken on board and enabled us to improve and develop our skills for the final title sequence. This becomes apparent in the 'glass scene' of our title sequence which is shown in video 3 of this blog post. The match cuts in this part are done more smoothly and fit in with each other perfectly. Following this, the shots are quite short so it keeps the audience captured throughout the whole scene. Following this, we done most of the filming on a tripod so there was no way in which the camera could shake, making the filming of a better quality.

Overall, by looking back at our preliminary task and comparing it with our final title sequence, we have seen how we have progressed from the the beginning of the coursework stage to the end and how we have all developed our skills into producing a much better piece of work.

EVALUATION Question 6: What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

This voiceover is the spoken voice of Juliana Amaa explaining what we did as we filmed, the prorams we used on the Apple Mac to make the film's titles, score, additional lighting and filming. For example, the program Livetype enable us to make a font that related our film genre being a pyschological thrilller.

Detailed analysis of Thriller Clip analysed in class

In "What Lies Beneath" most of the shots are from Claire's point of view. There is a high angle shot of Claire walking up the stairs to show that she's vulnerable and going to be the weak character in this scene. There is also a close up of the necklace on her neck to show it will be and important aspect in this scene. Straight after this close up we see a long shot of the bathroom so we link the necklace to the bathroom then a panning shot of the phone. We then see her walk into the bedroom as puts on a white dressing gown over her white dress. The white clothes signify her innocence in this scene. We then see a close up of the phone to show the importance the phone plays as we see that Norman didn't call the emergency services. There are a few match-cuts throughout the fighting sequence where Claire is struggling to get away and when she's running down the stairs. There is a Low angle shot of her when she is crawling on the floor to show he vunrability with a high angle shot of Norman on the stairs looking down on Claire to show his power and that he's in control in this situation. There is a close up of Claire's face when she's on the floor, which makes the camera look like its on the floor, to show her facial expression as she struggles to get away. This is followed by a high angle shot of Norman standing over her but the camera returns to a normal mid shot of him when he's admitting what he done. There is a high angle shot of him carrying Claire in to the bathroom to enhance the menace of what he is doing. This is followed by a birds eye view of the bathroom to show him putting Claire in the bath tub.

How is suspence created in the film you watched in class?

In class, we watched the supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" directed by Robert Zemeckis. The plot of the film is about a couple who experience a strange haunting that slowly uncovers secrets about there pasts. Suspense is created in the film by using false plateau. False plateau is when the audience think something is going to happen but it doesn't happen. A good example of this would be when Claire walks up the stairs and you expect something to happen or someone to be waiting for her, and she walks into the bathroom with the shower running and u would asume that theres someone in the bathroom.

News and current affairs events

The story in the news that caught my attention this week was the execution of Zheng Minsheng who stabbed eight young children to death and injuring five other children at a primary school on the 23rd of March. He carried out the attack after breaking up with a girlfriend. I think the whole story of this attack would make a intresting pyscological thriller.







Another story that i found intresting was the migrants in Mexico that are facing a major human rights crisis. The human rights group said officials ignored or even played a part in the rape, kidnap, and murder of migrants, often carried out by criminal gangs. Tens of thousands of Central American migrants pass through Mexico every year to try to reach the US and find work.

List of Thriller sub-genres - which inspires you at the moment and why?

List of Thriller sub-genres:

Action thriller
Conspiracy thriller
Crime thriller
Disaster thriller
Drama thriller
Horror thriller
Erotic thriller
Legal thriller
Medical thriller
Political thriller
Psychological thriller
Spy thriller (also a subgenre of spy fiction)
Techno-thriller
Religious thriller

The thriller sub-genre that inspired me, before the actual film of our thriller, was the psychological thriller as i think this would be a great sub-genre for our film as we can use it to make the thriller quite scary and twisted.

EVALUATION Question 3&4: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? How will you attract/ address your audience?

How we would launch our low budget student film.

The type of media we would use would be the world of the internet which would include websites such as youtube, vimeo and facebook amongst other social networking sites, making the thriller film go viral.

Furthermore, for the types of magazines which could promote the film includes empire, total film , vertigo, Little White Lies and maybe even BFI sight and sound as they all support independent films which would include ours. In addition, other newspapers and magazines which could help promote our film are bright lights, film threat and kamera because they specialise within the independent film industry.

We think that the film maker mag would help give us pointers on how to do effective promotion and distribution for our film if we were stuck for ideas.

For the type of cinema's that could show our film (under the assumption that it was successful when shown at th

e screen on the green in Angel) would be other independent cinema's such as The Curzon which has many outlets such as the one in Soho (see below).

Another cinema which could have been the Greenwich picturehouse which specialises in independent films and has many other outlets apart from the one situated in Greenwich. These are just some of the cinema's where the film could be shown. We think that our film would be most suited to independent cinema's rather than mainstream cinemas such as Odeon, Vue and Cineworld because it is such a low budget film and it would need a guaranteed big gross profit to make it at those kind of cinemas.

This student film that i found was made for a A level project on a very low budget and has had 4,865 hits on youtube so far. youtube has been used to show people globally his short film and with more hits the more people are likely to watch it.

i think like this film my film would also be released onto you tube and on to vimeo , from the post a few people will see it and hopefully more , by word of mouth my thriller opening will be seen by many more people globally and will grow in popularity . through the cinema screening that we had at the screen on the green more students around the college saw the film and told there parents or friends about the film and it finds new ways to be talked about and grow in popularity.

The list Screen Grabs

Memento Screen Grabs

Memento - Opening Sequence

One film that really inspired the opening sequence of our thriller film was the psychological thriller film "Memento" written and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Evaluation: Question 1 - In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In the opening of many thrillers, you would expect the opening sequence to contain suspense or thrill to catch the audiences attention. This would also be to set the tone and genre of the film e.g if the film is meant to confuse the audience and leave them thinking about whats going to happen next, then suspense would be used. Our opening contains more suspense then thrill as out aim was to confuse the audience and leave them to link the story together and workout the plot and storyline. In many starting sequences, you would expect to see the title and the credits of the people who produced and made the film but this ain't always the case e.g the director Michael Mann has never used titles and credits at the start of any of his films, he always leaves them to the end. In our groups opening sequence, we made our titles very sketchy with a hand written effect to add meaning to out title as the film is called "The List" and the story behind it involves a handwritten list of names in a notebook. With the titles, you would expect to see the institutional ident of the film. Our Openings institutional ident was "Candi Studios". Music is a main aspect in thriller opening sequences as they are used to draw the audience in. My groups opening sequence uses music effectively to create suspense and build it up to catch the audiences attention. Most opening sequences either introduces the location of the main character or both. The main character is introduced in the start of our thriller as it was necessary to introduce the story and bring more suspense to the storyline of the opening sequence. Slow seduction or the quick thrill structure is used at the start of thrillers to create the suspense needed for the starting sequence. Our film uses both effects as it slowly builds up the thrill but also at the ending, of the opening sequence, there is a quick thrill jolt to scare the audience.

EVALUATION: question 8 Audience feedback and comment

Changes in light of feedback from roughcut

The clips needed to made shorter to fit the criteria of the film being no longer than two minutes. The sound levels had to changed so that it was not distorted.
We had to change the order of titles because we made a mistake by placing the names in the wrong heirachy of status within the cinematography industry. For example, the Producer has to be credited first because that is the person who hires the Director.
The fade effects were put in place to portray the eerie dark atmosphere of a psychological thriller film, which creates dramtic tension. Furthermore, this lead to more scene needed to be made darker to enhance the nature of the film.
Also, there was a dispute about the film's title, as some agreed that the 'The List' was not a clear meaning to our filming being about human cannibalism. Nevertheless, we decided to keep it because of the ambiguity surrounding how the film shows the routine and order of the character lifestyle being planned in as a list.
There was a disargeement amongst the staff, where some felt that the film was not ended in a way they approved with, on the other hand we argeed to keep our original idea because it was more dramatic than their idea.

Skills Audit: Soundtrack pro (making of composition)

The pictures above are showing the process of the sound for the final edit of the title sequence being created. We decided to stick with the main sounds which we demonstrated in the pitch. These were Appear Crystal 1,2,3; Drone Etheral; Footsteps heels cathedral walk and heavy water. However, we did add another sound which goes well. When the glass scene arrives, we have a sound which sounds like someone is rubbing the top of the glass. This makes the scene even more effective and it also succeeds in making the title sequence even more eerie. Melissa was in charge of putting the sound together and myself along with the rest of the group were giving advice and constructive criticism about what worked well and what didn't work so well. Overall, the group as a whole believe that it went smoothly and are very happy with the end result.

Skills Audit: Livetype (creation of titles)

The choice to use a serif font to show the formality of the human cannibalism. Also, the over- etching of the letters highlights the scribbles you tend to see on a list, as people can re-write something or re-think about there actions.
The medium shot of the frying pan on the stove creates the dominant nature of the fire being placed under the Producer's name as she is in charge of all the decision regarding the film and she decides who she hires in terms of Artist Director, Director and Sound Manager.



The specific skills of the film being used to see the film clearly without it being unclear to watch. Also, we learnt the layer effect as the font goes over the frying pan, whilst it is on the hot heat.




The juxtapositon of the black background against the white writing 'THE LIST' conveys boldness amongst the characters and the film's purpose, as human cannibalism is not common. This shows the character is an individualist, who believes in what she does and carries the courage to continue eating humans.