Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media productions and why?

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products and why?

A thriller is a novel, play or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage. There are many subgenres and hybrid thrillers as shown below:

Our thriller is based on a psychological thriller with elements of action. Before making our thriller we carried out research on our target audience. We found out that the target audience of a psychological thriller is mainly men aged between 15-35 because younger children may find the storyline scary. Also due to our thriller having elements of action in it we believe it is aimed more towards men. Action films are aimed at men due to the genre including cars and fighting which interests men more than women. We chose to incorporate action into our thriller after watching 'Cape Fear' which was a big influence for our thriller. 'Cape Fear' includes a car and a chase which are common elements found in an action film, we used a car in our thriller because it created a setting which is common but can also show abandonment.

The setting in a psychological thriller is usually in a city or inside a building, not however in the countryside as it can be confused with horror films. However we decided as our thriller wouldn't have worked inside a house we would film in a very open space, because as well as showing abandonment it also shows the victim to be in an unknown environment and so is at great risk of not being able to find her way back. Also the setting allowed us to, as well as use a quiet road, put the child in a common situation. This makes our thriller more eerie because it shows how bad things can happen in the most common situations

The costume in a psychological thriller is dependent on the part being played. The antagonist typically wears smart clothes and the colour scheme for the costume is usually dark. We decided we would use this convention in our thriller; therefore the antagonist in our thriller is wearing dark trousers and a black jacket. Dark clothing signifies danger, suspicion and mystery and so we decided to use this convention to show the antagonist to be someone who shouldn't be trusted.

The actor who played the antagonist, Danny, wore a black coat

However the victim, who in our thriller was a young girl, is shown to be wearing a white dress, which shows purity, but has a dark coat over it. This foreshadows that her purity is going to be taken away and although she is pure someone could take that away from her. In psychological thrillers however the victim is usually wearing bright colours, however because we wanted to show the foreshadowing we decided to adapt this idea to show how the victim could change from being the conventional pure child to someone else.

Our thriller was filmed in the early morning at around 7am, which gave us morning darkness. We chose to film at this time because the morning darkness was more eerie and easier to work with than filming at night. In a typical thriller the lighting is usually dark with street lamps to lighten the shots. The darkness in contrast with the street lamps can allow the film to use shadow to create tension and atmosphere. However we decided to film when it was lighter because, as well as the lighting being difficult to control, it also allowed the viewer to get a perspective from the back of the car when our antagonist runs past. This allows the story to commence and also adds tension because the viewer has seen something that the characters have not.

Prop are usually a main aspect in a psychological thriller as they are normally used to create clues and foreshadow what will happen during the film. These clues are used to keep the audience thinking and engaged. I believe the most important prop in our thriller is the teddy bear, as it shows the youth of the victim and how vulnerable she is. The teddy also is a reoccurring object which is referenced throughout our thriller opening, it is shown in flashbacks to keep reminding the viewer of the youth of the child and also due to it being shown at the begin of the opening it also foreshadows what will happen and so is a clue which keeps the audience engaged to find out what the importance of it is. Therefore with the idea of props we used the normal conventions linked to a psychological thriller.

High tension music or eerie sounds are commonly used in a psychological thriller. Instead of using the convention of either having eerie sounds or high tension music, we decided to incorporate the two. To do this we asked the Nayana (who played the child) to sing 'ring around the roses' in an eerie way, with a sudden rise in tension at the end. To create this sudden tension we asked for Nayana to sing the nursery rhyme very slowly and as she nearer the end to get louder. To make this soundtrack more tension filled on the final time she said 'down!' she drops the teddy, to show an end to the reoccurring reminder of her youth.

Finally it is common for the editing in thriller films to be fast as it creates tension and makes the audience suspect something is wrong. Our editing was simple but effective in the way we used it. One conventional aspect we used through editing was the use of flashbacks, we edited our opening to keep cutting back and forth between one prop (a teddy) this was used as a reminder of the past and what changes throughout the opening and was a visual clue as to what would happen during the opening scene.

 

Q2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Q2: How does your media product represent particular social group?

The six main groups of demographics are shown below:
In our thriller we decided to keep the identity of the antagonist unknown. This gives him a sense of loss of identity, we see him run across the back of the car but never see his face up close. This can give him a sense of mystery and can also make the audience more fearful of who his is and what he could do.

Q3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our group name is CJ Productions, we chose this name because it incorporates both of our initials in a professional way. Our production name was seen at the beginning of the thriller before any footage was seen. We decided the production name would be before the film because this is common in thriller films.
The role of a production company is to market, sell and a film we produce. The production company helps decide on actors that will star in the finished film. They also commission the producers and other members of the crew. The production company we choose will own the rights to the film we produce and they, themselves would get commission when the film is watched. The production company can then use the money to advertise and therefore sell the film.

I designed the indent for our film production. It has a black background to create atmosphere. Black signifies darkness and creates a sense of loss. This creates fear and tension before the film has started. The text on the indent reads 'CJ Productions' however it is written twice and the two pieces of text then overlap. To overlap the indent text I typed 'CJ Productions' twice in two different colours, firstly in white and then in red. The white text is slightly bigger so it shows up even though it is overlapped by the red text. I decided the text in the background should be white as this signifies purity, but because it is slightly hidden also shows that the purity is slightly hidden or is being over taken. The text which overlaps the white is in a dark red colour. I chose the colour red because red signifies danger and evil. Due to the red overlapping the white the indent shows that the evil/danger is taking away and hiding the purity in the film.


We have chosen Walt Disney Motion Pictures as our production company. Walt Disney Motion Pictures is a production company whose headquarters are located in Burbank, California and although this is not an England based company I believe it would benefit our film. Walt Disney Motion Pictures is owned by The Walt Disney Company and was established in 1953 as Buena Vista Distribution Company, it has produced many thriller films such as; 'The hand that rocks the cradle' which as well as being the same sub-genre as our thriller film, a psychological thriller, is also one of the main inspirations for our thriller. This therefore shows that this production company has produced films of similar genre to ours; therefore this would be a good production company for our thriller too.
Walt Disney Motion Pictures also have experience in other genres such as action films. Our thriller also has elements of action in too. Therefore Walt Disney Motion Pictures could help to incorporate action into our thriller aswell.
Their experience with thriller films would mean that they would be able to offer advice on how we could improve our thriller. Also due to them being based in Hollywood our film would be able to reach a wider audience, not just in the USA but also around the globe.
The money which will fund our thriller film will come from many sources. One way our film will be funded is through the profit made by Walt Disney Motion Pictures from other films they have distributed. Another way in which the production company can fund a film is through advertising it to a wide audience. This will allow a variety of people from different countries to buy this film, which would therefore mean a higher profit will be made.
In a thriller opening the titles include:           Our thriller opening titles include
Production Indent                                           Production Indent
(Production Company) Presents                     Presents
(Film Title)                                                     Commandeer (title)
Leading Cast Members                                   Nayana Thompson
Supporting Cast Members                              Shelley Fowler
Casting Director                                              Danny Fowler
Music Composer                                             Directed by
Costume Designer                                         Jessica Hayward
Associate Producers                                        And
Editor(s)                                                          Courtney Fowler
Production Designer
Director of Photography
Executive Producer
Producer(s)
Writer(s)
Director(s)

During our thriller opening the order of the titles was slightly different. Although the Production indent and the title appeared at the usual time, we decided the names of the actors would appear when the actors appeared on screen because this allowed us to use freeze frames and add tension.

Q4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience I would expect to enjoy our thriller would be aged between 15 and 30. This is because our film includes a kidnapping which could be scary for younger children. Also I don't believe our thriller would appeal to those over the age of 30 because of the fast paced shots, such as the car speeding away, I believe a slow paced film would more likely appeal to an older audience. I also believe our thriller would be more likely to appeal to a male audience than a female audience. The kidnapping could upset or offend a female audience due to them having a motherly nature. Also due to the protagonist being male, it is more likely a male audience would like to watch a thriller with a male lead. Other films that my target audience would enjoy watching are 'The hand that rocks the cradle' and 'Cape Fear' as these thrillers were the inspiration for our opening to 'Commander'. To find out more about my target audience I asked for them to fill out a questionnaire. The results showed that our target audience:

• Would like the protagonist to be a middle aged male.
• Would like the victim to be female.
• Would expect the child victim to be aged 10-15.
• Would like to view a psychological thriller.
• Would like the thriller to have elements of an action film.

To incorporate these main aspects into our thriller we:

• Had a middle aged male play the part of the protagonist, in our film the kidnapper.
• Asked a female to play the part of the victim, who we believed to be the mother.
• Had a child aged 11 play the part of the victim who is kidnapped.
• Chose to make our thriller a psychological thriller.
• Added elements of an action film into our thriller, such as the car speeding off.

Therefore our target audience would (be):

• Aged 15-30
• Male
• Enjoy action films
• Enjoy other psychological thrillers

The rating for our thriller, according to BBFC, would be a 12/12A. Our thriller has this age rating because in a 12/12A rated film:

• There may be strong language but it must be infrequent.
• There may be moderate language.
• Moderate violence may be included but there is no emphasise on injuries or blood.
• Dangerous behaviour (for example hanging, suicide and self-harming) may be present in 12 or 12A works, but will not dwell on detail which could be copied or present those activities as pain or harm free.

Although our opening does not include moderate/strong language the classification can allow our film to develop and have the freedom to use any of the elements shown above. We decided, due to the classification allowing us to include aspects we need, to chose a 12/12A rating. Although our target audience is aimed as 15-30 year olds it allows a wider audience to view and enjoy our thriller.

Q6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Q6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the filming of our thriller film, I learnt many things about how to compose a good shot. One aspect I learnt about composing a good shot was making sure that throughout the filming there was continuity. To make sure this happened we had to film the car starting and stopping in exactly the same position each time we shot it. This was difficult to do but we used objects to show where to start and stop the car, therefore the continuity was portrayed well. We used continuity throughout our thriller opening which allowed us to edit it without the camera changing angles and confusing the viewer.

 

Before filming we also learnt about the 180° rule. This rule makes sure the audience does not get confused or the actors do not seem to change places. To make sure the 180° rule was not broken we decided we would always film from the right hand side of the car. When we wanted to film from another angle we moved the camera whilst filming. This was to make it clear to the audience that the camera had been moved and therefore the audience would not be confused.

 

To create mystery around the villain we watched multiple films which had a villain similar to the one in our film. We watched films such as ‘Cape Fear’ and ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ to see which shots where used and how they create mood and atmosphere around the villain. We then decided that the best way to make the villain mysterious was to make sure the villains face was not shown throughout the opening sequence. This makes the audience question who this villain is and why he kidnaps the girl.

 

When editing we learnt how to use IMovie. We learnt how to crop videos so that if something was in the frame that shouldn’t have been we were able to crop it out. To do this we pressed the crop tool and changed what was shown in the frame of the particular shot. This also allowed us to use more close ups by cropping the shot to just show characters faces.

 

Another technique I learnt was how to use transitions effectively. This is shown in our thriller opening when the first shot fades to white. We decided to fade this shot to white because it showed the shot as a memory which was slowly fading away. We chose to fade this shot to white instead of black as white has connotations of innocence and so shows the way in which the character shown in the shot (the child) is very innocent and her memory must be an important part of the storyline.

 

To make our thriller have aspects of other subgenres I decided to add in a black and white effect. This is a common feature in film noir, however I believe using it to show when the villain was watching the car was an effective way to create mood and atmosphere. The black and white effect made the viewer see the comparison between the white dress the girl was wearing, which shows purity, and the black coat the villain was wearing. Also the car which we used was white which shows cleanliness and purity. We used a white car because as well as the connotations connected to it, the shot below shows the villain running past the car in very dark clothing which covers the white car. This shows that the villain is changing the way in which the car, and possibly the girl inside, is not as pure anymore.

 

We also had to think about the ways in which the weather could affect the continuity of our thriller. As we filmed in the early morning the sky gradually got lighter and so when editing this lead to some continuity difficulties, because some of the shots which are supposed to be near the end were lighter than the shots near the beginning. However due to us shooting each shot 4 or 5 times we could use the shots which kept the continuity through how light or dark they were.

 

Another aspect we had to factor into filming was the road we used. We decided to film on a road which was very rarely used. This allowed us to film along this road without any other cars getting into the frame and also allowed us to place the camera on the road if we needed to film from in front or behind the car. If we had filmed on a busy road we would have had to move the camera and may not have had continuity of where we filmed from.

 

 

Q7

Subgenres and audience

Subgenres and audience

Subgenre – A genre within a genre

• Religious thriller
• Political thriller
• Psychological thriller
• Noir thriller
• Erotic thriller
• Supernatural thriller
• Dystopian thriller

Hybrid – genre mixing

• Action thriller
• Romantic thriller
• Crime thriller
• Sci-fi thriller

Audience categorising

Subgenres

Religious thriller (End of days

The religious thriller is aimed at middle aged men with a high level of religious education; the audience should also be quite religious.

Political thriller (Z)

A political is aimed at both middle aged to elderly men and women with a high level of education and an interest in the news.

Psychological thriller (Se7en)

Psychological thrillers are aimed at intellectual teenagers (male or female) who are interested in the way the mind works.

Noir thriller (Sunset boulevard)

Noir thrillers are aimed at older teenaged to middle aged men who enjoy classic ‘old’ black and white films.

Erotic thriller

Erotic thrillers are aimed at middle aged women and men (they are more likely to be aimed at men) without children.

Supernatural thriller

Supernatural thrillers are aimed at young adults, both men and women, who are intellectual and are interested in things that are ‘out of this world’.

Dystopian thriller

Dystopian thrillers are aimed at teenagers, both men and women, who enjoy books e.g. fairytales but with a twist in the storyline. The target audience are also intellectual.

Hybrids

Action thriller

Action thrillers are mainly aimed at men but women can still enjoy watching them. They’re aimed at teenaged and middle aged men, who like to be involved in action, this audience would either be teenagers or have teenaged children.

Romantic thriller

Romantic thrillers are aimed at middle aged and/or teenaged women. The audience doesn’t have to be intellectual, but they have a true understanding of love.

Crime thriller

Crime thrillers are aimed at middle aged men who like to know who commited a crime before the detective/police officer. The audience has children but like to be alone.

Sci-fi thriller

Sci-fi thrillers are aimed at intellectual middle aged or teenaged men. They live alone and are interested in what will happen in the future (aliens or new technological advances).