Thriller - Evaluation Draft

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media product uses the conventions of real media products such as thrillers made by large conglomerates, as I tried to make use as many as could fit in using the research I gathered for the thriller project. Such as I tried to use a sense of mystery, as with the research I conducted for my thriller, I found that only basic information was in the narrative was given and this added a sense of mystery and the audience wanted to continue with the plot as there were still many questions to be answered. I also did not want to show the faces of my actors, as I noticed with The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995), that they left the identity of the villain a mystery, right until the end. My thriller sticks to the conventions, but it does not challenge the forms and conventions of real media products, apart from the fact that the narrative is to do with young adults and teenagers. From the research I have gathered, nearly all of the narratives are about adults and their involvement in serious issues, rather than someone in a younger age group. Because of this, I feel that I have challenged the usual conventions of thrillers in my media product. I feel that perhaps I have developed forms of real media products because of this, but in terms of an audience viewing and future use in other thrillers and media products, I do not think that it would have much of an impact as the audience for watching teenager actors on the cinema screen is selective rather than adults who are more general within cinema and can fit any catagory.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product represents particular social groups such as teenagers and young adults, as those are the ones who are within the first few minutes of the thriller. However, within the first few minutes it represents the teenage age group in negatively as they are getting into trouble  and getting involved with criminals. The first teenager shown is killed for not completing a task set by the main antagonist and the second is also in trouble, becoming traumatized by the fact that the criminals they have associated themselves with have knowledge of something that they don't want them to know by using the words 'They know.' within a letter. Because of this, the social group is represented badly because of the criminal activities it gets involved in. Also, firearms are involved within the thriller, making the social group involved in dangerous activities, putting them in a negative perspective.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A media institution that might distribute my media product would have to be a British independant film distributor, not a large American company like Universal or Warner Brothers as they deal in large, big budgeted films with high paid actors, writers and directors. Because of this fact, they would not be going to distribute a British independant film because it would be a much smaller, less money-making film than the company usual deals in. A smaller company would perhaps distribute my media project, if it was at the full length of a film.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media product would mainly be at an age range of 18-24, but given the nature of some of the themes within the thriller, such as death, the age range cannot be under 18 because of the violent theme of murder within the thriller. In terms of an audience, it would appeal to an audience who enjoys the themes of thrillers, such as action, adventure, mystery and darker themes such as murder and investigation of murder, which are both in some of the thrillers I researched for the project. Within The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995), there are questions that the audience wants answering and the investigation of the murder is what interests them because they want to know who exactly has committed the crime. This also occurs in the film Angels & Demons (Ron Howard, 2009) and the film Se7en (David Fincher, 1995) as there is a large murder investigation within both and the audience wants to see the investigation resolved. Because of this, the age I have chosen would be suitable for my thriller rather than a younger audience. I would give it an eighteen certificate, perhaps a fifteen, but because within the first two minutes a death is shown, I would still go with an eighteen and over certificate.

How did you attract/address your audience?
I attracted my audience by using the conventions I found whilst researching thrillers. They often had a chase and the thrill of a chase, along with a problem that needs to be faced by the main characters. I wanted to show this with the narrative of my thriller by hoping to achieve and get as many conventions of thrillers I could put within it. I also wanted to attract and address the audience by involving mystery within the first few opening minutes, leaving many questions to be answered by the audience, engaging them and keep them watching by leaving unanswered questions that won't be answered until the end of the thriller.

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

I have learnt a considerable amount about technologies from the process of constructing this project, especially on how to edit using more complex software which at the start of the project, I was lost with and found it very difficult to use. Now, I can use it more easily, compiling clips, audio and transitions together to make the final product, as well as placing effects onto the product. I also found it easier to use the camera and set up to use shots than I did before, making sure I get the right angle and it is in focus. I also tried multiple shots and found that this was a good way to find the best clip I wanted to use for editing and it really helped in the process of creating the final product.
I have learnt much in the way of managing my time filming and my time editing as well, so I have enough time to get my thriller completed and also allowing time for any problems that I may have faced along the way. I also learnt my way around Adobe Premier Pro much better than when I first started out. When I started, I had no knowledge of editing or filming, apart from very basic software and hardware such as Windows Movie Maker and handheld cameras. Now, I feel more knowledgeable about using this kind of technology and devices.

 

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that I have learnt and progressed a lot from my preliminary task and learnt many things, such as making the final product flow as much as I could possibly could, as within the preliminary task there was a moment that I walked past a board twice, which I tried to avoid happening again within my final product. Also, I think in terms of mise-en-scene and sound, I have learnt and progressed from it. For sound, I took several shots and tried to get the best sound possible, not wanting any sounds that were clearly out of place and accidental whilst filming. With mise-en-scene, I wanted a naturalistic feel to things such as costume, trying not to make it feel like a forced location and characters as I felt it was with the preliminary task, as within that, the only costume we changed was the coats that the actors were wearing and the location was obvious that it was filmed within a school enviroment, not the location that we had within the script. I also tried to use more different shots than with the preliminary task, creating a variety of them rather than the simple shots we used in the preliminary task, as there were many shots, such as long shots and shot-reverse-shot, that were often used but they did not work with the thriller.