For this part of our task we had to create a pitch for our thriller opening. Here are some of the things we had to include;
The narrative of our thriller opening.
Whether we are challenging any conventions.
The age range of our target audience.
Information about what we would like our target audience to be.
The tensions in our thriller (What is the tension? What sparks the tension?)
Who the two characters are and the relationship between the two characters.
Below I am going to embed a video of our pitch. At the end of the pitch we had a few questions to answer about our thriller.
Evaluation
The first question we got asked was "if Alex sees Stacey go into the house, then why does Alex just randomly pass out?" Alex is unaware what is going on around him as he so fixated on the person going into the house. For all Alex knows it could be Stacey behind him or could be someone completely different. The person walking into the house might not be Stacey he might have got his wires crossed along the way. It gets the audience thinking "who was that?" what's going to happen next?"
The second question we were asked was "what are the conventions you are portraying in your thriller?" The conventions we have decided on in our thriller is that Stacey is going to end up kidnapping Alex. In this part of our thriller we will be challenging the social conventions of a typical thriller as stereotypically the boy kidnaps the girl but in our thriller it is the other way around where the girl kidnaps the boy.
The next question we got asked was "I thought Alex and Stacey were friends?" Alex and Stacey are friends in our thriller. However, because Alex finds out what Stacey's dad did to her, he threatens to tell someone about it. Stacey doesn't want anyone to know about it so se does whatever it takes to stop Alex from telling someone, that is why she kidnaps him.
The next question was "where is Alex going to be tied up?" Alex is going to be tied up in a dark place in the school somewhere like the theatre. The theatre is a good place for Alex to be tied up because there are black curtains all the way around the theatre which we could use to create a dark and tense atmosphere. We could then also use the 3 point lighting to create an interrogation kind of atmosphere.
The next question was "you mentioned something about abuse, that might be a bit risky". We aren't actually going to completely show Stacey getting abused. All we will see is Stacey cowering in a corner and her dad shouting at her. We will then see her dad raise his hand to her and then it will cut to Stacey almost snapping back into reality like the thought of her dad going to hit her made her feel it in real life.
The next thing that was mentioned was that the target audience is a bit small. To fix this instead of having our target audience between 15 and 17, our target audience is now 15+ so that now our audience is a wider variety and range of people and not just a select few people.
The next question was "how are you going to show that it is a flashback?" We were going to use a white flash in the editing to show that one of the characters is having a flashback, going into a grey kind of picture of the flashback. We will also use sound effects. Also with some of the violence we are going to show we will use slow motion and then when the hand is raised it could cut back to her being consciously back in the room.
In this post I will be taking you through our team name and team logo. This is an important part of creating any film as it separates you from any other film industry or company. In give you your own unique identity.
Below I have embedded a picture of the kind of logo we would like for our team. Our logo won't just be an eye on its own we will make it unique to our name and team. These are the ideas we have got.
This was our first idea. We wanted to incorporate the team name and the logo together so this is how we did it. We then thought we would create another design just in case we wanted another team name and logo. So below is another one of our designs.
This is our second design. Again we wanted to incorporate both the team name and the logo together so we came up with a few different designs like all good film makers would do. Below is our last design that we created.
This is our final design that we created. We looked at and analysed all three designs and we came to a decision as a team on what we would like our team name and logo to be.
We had two other names for our team these were;
The Optical
Connection
We decided against the other 2 names and went with Optical Productions instead. This is because we thought it sounded better and sounded more like a film production team and suited our team very well.
Below is the official team name and logo that we decided on as a team...
We decided on this one because we thought that it represented our team name very well. Optical is related to the eye so we thought it would be a suitable logo to have with our team name being optical productions. We all came to a unanimous decision that this will be pour team name and logo.
My next post will be my Film Pitch, Feedback and Evaluation of Feedback.
As part of our research for our main product we have to create and produce a TAP and also research similar films to our thriller to look what their target audience is. This gives us a better idea about who to aim our film at and the age ranges that watch and like these particular films.
Below I am going to embed at least 2 examples of films that are similar to our thriller which is 15+.
Title - No Escape
Age Range That is Most Popular - 15-24 (42%)
Genre - Thriller
No Escape is the same age range and certificate as our thriller that we are creating. Therefore it gives us a good understanding of our target audience and therefore helping us to create a good Target Audience Profile (TAP). It also helps us to understand what our audience likes.
Title - Jurassic World
Age Range That is Most Popular - 15-24 (28%)
Genre - Thriller
Jurassic World is the same age range and certificate as our thriller that we are creating. Therefore it gives us a good understanding of our target audience and therefore helping us to create a good target audience profile (TAP). It also helps us to understand what our audience likes.
This research is like our own thriller as in the films there are bits in them that are incorporated into our own film. They have the same suspense in their thriller that we have in ours. They create the same tension as we hope to create in our thriller, there are no scary parts like a horror has but there is suspense and tension. The age range of these thrillers is the same as ours so we hope to create the same effect as these ones do.
Using this information we are going to create a Target Audience Profile (TAP) for the perfect target audience for our film.
For our main task we have to add sound effects and soundtracks to our film opening so to practice this we created a short film.
For this task we had to create a short film. This was called Show me, don't tell me.
We had to work in groups of 4 which was specified in the OCR specification. In our groups of 4 we had to create a short film of two people playing a game. We then had to include cutaway shots and match on action shots etc. In the editing we had to include several sound effects to make our short film more interesting and cause tension for the people watching. This film didn't include any dialogue at all.
Below is a quote from Anton Chekhov that represents what the show me, don't tell me task was all about:
"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass - Anton Chekhov"
In our task we had to include; Match on action shots, shot/reverse shots, cutaway shots, a two shot, an establishing shot, cross cutting (in a different location), insert shot, appropriate camera movements, appropriate camera shots, sound effects, soundtracks and basic titles and credits.
The things we could't include was; dialogue, footage from inside the toilets and camera zooms.
Below i am going to embed our show me, don't tell me final film. Have a look and see if you enjoy.
Evaluation
For this task we had a total of 2 hours to film our short film. Here is how we planned on doing it;
Planning and storyboard: 8.50 - 9.25 Shooting on location: 9.25 - 10.10 Editing: 10.10 - 10.50 Exhibit: 10.50 - 10.55
Even though we tried to follow this time. We found it quite difficult to do everything withing the 2 hour time slot. We therefore had to do some filming and editing in our free time.
If i were to redo this show me, don't tell me task I would do some things differently here are the things I would change; don't waste the space in the shot, less continuity errors, check the location and surroundings before filming, make the shots match up in the editing, make sure if I include a cutaway shot it makes sense when I cut back.
Below is the feedback from my teachers on my show me, don't tell me film.
A lot of the improvements I picked up on my teacher picked up on as well. This was just a practice for our main product so i'm sure it will be much better.
In my next post I will introduce the production name and logo for our main product.
For our AS Media product we are going to be creating the opening of a thriller. So in this post I will be deconstructing 2 thrillers in order to into depth a bit more so I can see the different types of techniques and camerawork used in order to make a successful thriller.
The first one I am going to show you is a deconstruction of the thriller the sixth sense. This one we deconstructed as a class.
The thriller I am going to deconstruct and talk about is called 96 minutes, "The lives of four children collide in a moment and hurtle toward a life changing end."
Here is my deconstruction of the thriller 96 minutes.
In this post I will be talking you through the questions that the exam board have given us, it's always a good idea to see what the specification is from the exam board is just so we know we are doing the right things.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
This question is asking us if we are going to stick to a typical thriller story line like a murder case or an escape from the police or a gang etc. or whether we are going to create our own innovative thriller plot. For example, if we look at Shrek they challenge the generic conventions of a typical fantasy (Propp's Theory) you expect at the start of the film for it to be a typical fantasy with the music and the opening titles at the start with the castles and the prince etc. but then when the film starts it is the complete opposite to a proper fantasy film.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
For this question we need to take into account the different types of social groups we are going to showcase in our film and the people we are aiming our film at (Target Audience). When representing social groups (Sexuality, Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Beliefs etc.) we need to make sure we are representing them in an appropriate way without offending any of them and making sure we don't isolate the different social groups we use in our film.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I won't know what my audience for my film will be yet as I haven't decided the story for my film just yet. When I have decided the story for my film then I will be able to discuss and decide the type of audience I would like to watch my film. I will need to consider the violence and language i have in my film and then use the BBFC guidelines in order for me to decide my audience.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We have to make our film a successful thriller and we also have to make it different to any other thriller out there (Steve Neale's Theory), as long as it doesn't follow the same story line as every other thriller out there then we will manage to attract our audience.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
So far we haven't started filming our product so I can't really make a comment on how technologies has helped with the construction of the product. When we have filmed our product we can decide which lighting creates suspense and the camera angles and camera shots etc.
Look back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression for it to the full product?
When filming our preliminary task we hadn't really learnt the more advanced camera movements and camera shots or lighting so we didn't really have a lot to work with we just had the basics. Now we have learnt the more advanced camera movements and techniques we would now be able to improve our preliminary task.
For my next post i will be taking you through a deconstruction of 2 thriller films.
For our project in our AS Media course we have to create a short film opening. This film opening has to be genre specific. There is a specific brief that we have to follow. The brief is "The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes."In this case the genre we are focusing on for our project is Thriller.
In the lesson we weighed up the Pros and the Cons of working with this specific genre.
Pros
There isn't anything major that we need to focus on achieving. For example, if we were to do a comedy then we would have to make sure that we made people laugh, if we were to do a horror film then we would have to make sure we scare people. Whereas a thriller doesn't have any major issues that we need to achieve.
Thrillers are quite popular with all ages and genders. If I were to do a romance or a rom com then I wouldn't have a wide range of audiences and would;d probably only appeal to women as it contains cheesy love scenes.
Thrillers don't take too much special effects in order to complete. If I were to do a sci-fi film or a fantasy film then I would have to use green screens etc. in order to achieve that out of this world m,magical and scientific look, whereas with thrillers you don't have to do that.
Cons
2 minutes isn't a long time to attract the audience to watch your film. So in those 2 minutes you need to make sure that you have built up enough suspense and adrenaline for the audience to make them want to watch your film.
The opening titles only last 2 minutes so you have to make sure that everything you want to achieve can fit into those 2 minutes or else some of it could get cut off or wasted which could make the story confusing or misleading.
Overall the thriller is a good genre to go for when creating a film because it creates suspense for the audience which is what we want to achieve. It is also quite easy to achieve when comparing it with other genres. With thrillers it can allow groups to create different types of the same thing for example a murder, there can be many different ways in which to do a murder story and many different ways for people to present it which makes them all different yet equally suspense.
In my next post i will look at the AS Media evaluation questions.
In this post I am going to be talking about 22 Narrative Theory.
The first thing I am going to do is embed a picture of the 22 narrative theory.
This Theory guarantees that every story line will be based on one of these 22 main stories, this is why there are so many film with similar stories.
An example of Temptation from the 22 narratives theory is the godfather. Michael has to make a moral choice between what's right and what's wrong. He has to choose between a life of crime with his dad or whether to become a proper family with his wife.
An example of rags to riches from the 22 narratives theory is trading places. Billy Ray Valentine and his friend become rich after uncovering a scheme by Randolph and Mortimer. They go from being poor to rich.
An example of the riddle from the 22 narratives theory is the da vinci code. A 2003 mystery detective novel by Dan brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the louvre museum in Paris. When they become involved in a battle.
An example of metamorphis from the 22 narratives theory is Pinocchio. When the woodworker Geppetto sees a falling star, he wishes the puppet he just finished Pinocchio, could become a real boy. In the night the blue fairy grants Geppetto's wish and asks Jiminy cricket to serve as the wooden boys conscience.
An example of rescue from the 22 narratives theory is the golden compass. Lyra Belacqua lives in a parallel world in which human souls take the form of lifelong animal companions called daemons. Dark forces are at work in the girls world and many children have been kidnapped by beings known as gobblers. She sets out on a mission to save her world.
An example of tragedy from the 22 narratives theory is the impossible. In December 2004 close knit family maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas the holiday turns into a nightmare, when a terrifying roar rises from the seas that is a terrible tsunami.
An example of love from the 22 narratives theory is grease. Stephanie Zinone is the leader of Rydell high school's pink ladies, a gang of girls are counterparts of the school's group of greasers called the T-birds. Stephanie is tired of her relationship with top T-bird Johnny Nogerelli so she breaks up with him and quickly catches the eye of English exchange student Michael Carrington. Hoping to win her over. Michael tries to overcome his nerdy ways while holding off the jealous Johnny.
An example of monster force from the 22 narratives theory is the Exorcist. When young Regan starts acting odd - levitating, speaking in tongues - her worries mother seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest, however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert to help with the difficult job.
An example revenge from the 22 narratives theory is the last house on the left. Mari and her friend look forward to a holiday at the remote collingwood lake house, but instead an escaped convict and his crew kidnap them and later leave them for dead. Mari makes her way back home, where her parents, John and Emma, have unwittingly offered shelter to the thugs. When John and Emma find out what happened to their daughters, they decide to make the strangers rue the day they harmed Mari.
An example of transformation from the 22 narratives theory is pretty woman. While on a business trip in LA Edward who makes a living buying and breaking up companies, picks up a hooker, Vivian, on a lark. After Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for the weekend, the two get closer, only to discover there are significant hurdles to overcome as they try to bridge the gap between their different worlds.
An example of fish out of water from the 22 narratives theory is Mr Bean's holiday. When London's wet weather becomes too much to bear, pratfall-prone Mr Bean heads to the French Riviera for some fun in the sun. As usual, his plans do not go smoothly, and he is mistaken for both a kidnapper and an award winning filmmaker when he arrives with a Romanian director's son and an aspiring actress in tow.
An example of maturation from the 22 narratives theory is Juno. When precocious teen Juno MacGuff becomes pregnant, she chooses a failed rock star and his wife to adopt her unborn child. Complications occur when Mark, the prospective father, begins viewing Juno as more than just the mother of his future child, putting both his marriage and the adoption in jeopardy.
An example of pursuit from the 22 narratives theory is Goldfinger. Special agent 007 comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and now he must outwit and outgun the powerful tycoon to prevent him from cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox and obliterate the worlds economy.
An example of rivalry from the 22 narratives theory is Rocky. Rocky Balboa, a small time boxer from working class Philadelphia, is arbitrarily chosen to take on the reigning world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed when the undefeated fighter's scheduled opponent is injured. While training with feisty former bantamweight contender Micky Goldmill, Rocky tentatively begins a relationship with Adrian, the wallflower sister of his pal Paulie.
An example of underdog from the 22 narratives theory is Forrest Gump. Slow witted Forrest Gump has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother, he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on the gridiron as a college football star, fighting in Vietnam or captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires people with his childlike optimism. But one person Forrest cares about most may be the difficult to save, his childhood love the sweet but troubled Jenny.
An example of discovery from the 22 narratives theory is close encounters. Science fiction adventure about a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a "sunburn" from its bright lights to prove it. Roy refuses to accept an explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his life to pursue the truth about UFOS's.
An example of escape from the 22 narratives theory is saw. Photographer Adam Stanheight and oncologist Lawrence Gordon regain consciousness while chained to at either end of the filthy bathroom. As the two men realise they have been trapped by a sadistic serial killer nicknamed "jigsaw" and must complete his perverse puzzles to live, flashbacks to the fates of of his previous victims.
An example of journey and return the wizard of oz. When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog, Tonto, are whisked away in their house to the magical land of oz. They follow the yellow brick road towards the Emerald city to meet the wizard, and en route the meet a scarecrow that needs a brain, a tin man missing a heart and a cowardly lion who wants courage. The wizard asks the group to bring him the broom of the wicked witch of the west to earn his help.
An example of comedy from the 22 narratives theory is ace ventura pet detective. When the dolphin mascot of Miami's NFL team is abducted, Ace Ventura, a zany private investigator who specializes in finding missing animals, looks into the case, soon Miami dolphin players are kidnapped too including star player Dan Marino making Ace's sleuth even more pressing. Working with dolphin representatives Melissa Robinson, Ace closes in on the culprits, but not before many ridiculous misadventures.
An example of quest from the 22 narratives theory is the Goonies. When two brothers find out they might lose their house they are desperate to find a way to keep their home. They find a treasure map and bring some friends along to find it. They are all looking out for the X and trying to get away from a group of bad guys who also want the treasure.
An example of sacrifice from the 22 narratives theory is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. A clash between good and evil awaits as young Harry, Ron and Hermione prepare for a final battle against Lord Voldemort. Harry has grown into a steely lad on a mission to rid the world of evil. The friends must search for the horcruxes that keep the dastardly wizard immortal. Harry and Voldemort meet at Hogwarts castle for an epic showdown where the forces of darkness may finally meet their match.
An example of wretched excess from the 22 narratives theory is Citizen Kane. When a reporter is assigned to decipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane's dying words, his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. Though Kane's friend and colleague Jedediah Leland, and his mistress, Susan Alexander, shed fragments of light on Kane's life, the reporter fears he may never penetrate the mystery of the elusive man's final word "Rosebud."
My next post will be about the AS Film brief (Genre Specific).
