eleni christofi evaluation

7/31/2019 Eleni Christofi Evaluation

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AS Foundation Portfolio

Eleni Christofi

2075


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1.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

of real media products

The chosen genre for our media product is psychological thriller, but it

also holds conventions of the crime genre in the narrative. In this sense,

our opening sequence is a hybrid, as we have incorporated the typicalconventions that conform to both the genres of our product.

One of the ways that we have developed the conventions of the sub-genre

is the use of an extreme close up of a characters mouth, while he is

talking on the phone. The purpose of this is to create a sense of ambiguity

and mysteriousness about the character. By only revealing parts of hisface, it raises the sense of enigma and therefore the viewer is intrigued as

to who the character is.

Our opening sequence has the basic elements of Propps 8 character

theory. The delay of showing the characters whole face implies that this

character will fit into the role of the villain in the narrative, but the

viewers expectation is challenged as the character actually turns out to

be the hero later on in the narrative.

Our sequence starts with the wheel of a wheelchair spinning slowly. This

represents the idea of the cycle of life, as the female character is giving

birth. Also, an enigma is created again, as the extreme close up makes it

hard for the viewer to tell what the object actually is. The diegetic sound

of the slow clicking noise of the wheel is eerie, and it evokes feelings of

tension and suspense within the audience. This shot contrasts the rest of

the sequence, as we have used fast paced editing, cutting quickly to

different shots and scenes, which also builds the tension and creates an

unsettling atmosphere for the viewer.


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Another major generic convention is the use of uncomfortable and tense

atmospheres, which we had created in the office scene when Toby is

talking on the phone to the nurse. The reaction of his colleagues to his

behaviour causes the viewer to react in the same way as the characters do.

We have taken the inspiration of the shower curtain in HitchcocksPsycho, and used it in our product as a prop for the birth scene in thehospital room. However, we have used the pulling back of the curtain as afalse shock for the viewer. The enigma and suspense causes the viewer toexpect to see something shocking, but the character that is revealed isgiving birth, so it does not match the audiences expectations. But theshock again heightens as the viewer is unsettled by the characters agony.

Our product also challenges the conventions of both the thriller and crimegenre. Many films of the sub-genre tend to use dark lighting; an example ofthis would be Sin City, which is filmed in black and white to create an eerieatmosphere. However, we have used a lot of natural and bright lighting tocreate a realistic setting, increasing the verisimilitude of the scenes in oursequence. This is an effective way of intriguing an audience, as it promotes

the feeling of normality and something that the viewer can relate to.


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2.How does your media product represent particular social groups? We have shown the representation of gender through the

camerawork of the characters in our media product; althoughstereotypical, we have filmed the majority of the female charactersfrom slight high angles to give the implication that they areinnocent, weak and vulnerable, and possibly even inferior to men.This representation is conventional to the thriller genre, as thefemale characters are usually portrayed as young and victimised.

The male characters were shot from low angles to suggestsuperiority and power over the women in the narrative,or were only shown through extreme close ups of theirfacial features and from shots that did not show their fullphysical appearance, with the aim of enhancing themysteriousness of the male characters.

However, there are fewer male characters in our openingsequence so women are the predominant gender in our

media product, while the main character is also a female.

In order to emphasise Belles abandonment, the onlyother character filmed within the same shot as her isthe doctor that delivers her baby, who does not haveany kind of relationship with her, and as a male herepresents the absence of the babys father. He isonly introduced into the narrative through his joband we do not find out much about him as acharacter. In this sense, he almost acts as a prop.Therefore we have represented the faceless nature ofdoctors in our opening sequence. Within the mise-en-scene we have demonstrated his professionthrough his typical white doctors costume, whichpromotes his power (as people in uniform tend tohave authority over others). This type of profession isgenerally thought of very highly within society, andagain we have used low camera angles to suggest hissuperiority over others. Also, we have placed Toby inan everyday work office, which emphasises thecontrast in status between him and the doctor.


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We have represented the main female character as

innocent and pure, as she is wearing white clothing and is

covered in a white blanket. We have done this to imply that

she is a good character, or a hero (applying Propps 8 stock

characters theory). We have covered her in a red blanketwhen she is in the wheelchair to connote that she is being

led to danger. The last shot of the sequence, which is a long

shot of Belle holding her baby, we have tracked out to

emphasise her loneliness, therefore causing the audience

to sympathise her. This makes her look like a victim,

contrasting with the villain type, an example of LeviStrauss Binary Oppositions.

The main male character in our media product is quite slim

and looks like a regular, young man. This character has a

powerful and aggressive personality and we havechallenged the stereotypical representation of men in this

particular genre. Powerful men are usually thought of as

strong and masculine, however we have chosen the

opposite physical appearance for our actor. This does lose

the effect of his power and dominance over women, but

we are implying that anyone can be a threat, creating moreuneasiness in the audience.


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3.What kind of media institution might distribute your media product

and why?

Our product is classified as British, as we have used British actors,

directors and we have filmed it in London. Therefore a British film

institution would be most likely to distribute our film, as we would be

targeting a British audience.

The film distribution company that would be likely to distribute ourproduct would be a company that specialises in the thriller genre, such

as Revolver Entertainment. This company would be appropriate for

distributing our product, since it is an independent film company,

making it more likely to take an interest in our product than a major

company would. Also, they will already have a large audience for this

genre, making our product more successful.

If our media product is successful with smaller companies, we will then

distribute it to larger film companies that have also distributed films ofthe thriller genre and that are British based, for example Working Title,

therefore promoting our product and gaining a wider audience.

I would use as many methods of distribution as possible to

target different markets and audiences, creating a wideraudience. Firstly, I would use online distribution to allow internetusers to watch our product. I would then distribute it to smallindependent cinemas. If this is successful, I would expand tomultiplex cinemas. I would decide to distribute our product in theOctober half term, as students will be visiting the cinema moreoften since they do not have school. This way there is morechance of our target audience choosing to view our film.


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4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

The primary target audience for ourproduct is teenagers from the age of 15

years old. We are aiming to attract bothgenders for a wider mass appeal.

18 years old

Male

Student

Lower-middle class

Likes watching movies and playingcomputer games

Favourite film genre is crime and thriller

25 years oldFemaleShop assistant

Middle classInterest in pop music and likes towatch rom-com films and films ofthe drama genre.


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The certification of our product is 15+,

according to the classification of the BBFC.

Our product meets the criteria, as it does

not include discriminatory language, but

there is strong use of language evident in

our product. The certification of the whole

film cannot be any lower than 15, as it

includes violence, since there is a rapescene in our narrative. However, this will

be very discreet, non-explicit and will not

be filmed for longer than appropriate.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/15s200.png


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5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Individually, I created a questionnaire to gain feedback on our products appeal to our target audience and how far itconforms to the genre. I asked 10 people of different ages and genders to fill it out while watching the openingsequence.

The questions and some answers included:

1. What was your reaction after watching our opening sequence?

Felt sympathy towards the female character

Unsettled by the birth scene

2. Was it evident that our product was of the thriller/crime genre? If so, how?

Yes, the editing was fast-paced and built tension

No. there was not anything that indicated that it is a crime genre (no police or blood)3. Did my opening sequence appeal to you as an audience?

Yes, the settings were realistic and applied to everyday life (the hospital room and the office).

The wheel spinning was unusual and it intrigued me.

4. Do you think there are any stereotypes in our opening sequence?

Yes, the main female character is vulnerable and powerless.

The man acts superior to others and is very assertive and independent.

5. Were there any points in the sequence that made you feel unsettled or nervous?

The wheel turning was creepy, as I didnt understand the meaning behind it. When the shots were changing quickly; waiting for the climax.

When the woman was giving birth; it is unsettling to watch someone in pain.


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From my questionnaire, I had found that our audience had a strong reaction to our opening sequence,

particularly in the birth scene. They had felt sympathy, and possible empathy, towards the character and

were unnerved by the amount of pain that the character was in. This shows that they could relate to our

sequence, which is an example of the Uses and Gratification theory.

Again, our audience could relate to our opening sequence due to the verisimilitude of our scenes and

settings. The office room appealed to average, middle-class people that work in offices for a living. Also,

many women have given birth and can identify with this situation, applying the Uses and Gratification

theory.

There is a lack of conventions that adhere to the crime genre in our opening sequence, however we had

included Levi Strauss Binary Opposites of the villain and the hero by the use of an extreme close up to

the characters mouth, and the use of bright lighting in the scenes that the female character is in. These

also apply to Propps 8 Character theory. This was made clear to our audience, which I had discovered

from the question about stereotypes. We often used high angles on the female characters and made the

male characters more superior by the use of low angles and creating ambiguity through the close ups.

The mise-en-scene causes the audience to believe that the hospital scenes are actually set in a hospital, aswe have used props such as the blanket, the wheelchair, the curtain and the hospital bed, which applies

to the Hypodermic Needle theory. This also applies to the character of the doctor. The viewer would

automatically assume he is a doctor without being introduced to his character, just by him being male, in a

doctors uniform and in a hospital room.

We had intrigued our audience by the idea of the wheel spinning, as there is the use of Barthes Enigma

Code theory. The enigma is that it is hard to tell what it is, and why it is spinning. The feedback that I had

received from my questionnaire informed me that some viewers had felt uneasy and tense due to the fastpaced editing and the creepy turning of the wheel. This shows that the speed that we had applied to the

wheel had made the correct effect on our audience that we had hoped for.

Overall, I have learnt that we could have improved our opening sequence by adding more conventions of

the crime genre, possibly by including signs of the real villains character of the narrative in the sequence.

Also, I have found that our group has been successful in other areas, such as making our audience feel

uneasy in certain parts of the sequence.


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6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing

this product?

As a group, we used a range of technologies to complete our product.

I used a Mac computer which provides programs that other hardwares do not have, such as Garageband and iMovie,

making it easier to construct our product.

I used Celtx to write up the script of our opening sequence in the pre-production stage.


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I used Final Cut Express for the final stage of editing,

which allowed us to edit the audio on our sequence

and to add effects such as the blur effect.

I used Garageband to create the soundtrack and

other non-diegetic sounds (such as the telephone

ringing) to apply to our sequence.


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7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the

full product?

Looking back at the preliminary task, I feel that our group has learnt a lot in the progression

of the whole product.

I feel more confident with the use of the new cameras since the first time that I had used one

in the preliminary task. I can now set it up without difficulty and I have learnt how to hold it

in the correct way to ensure that I dont drop it.

I found the preliminary task extremely useful, as it gave us a chance to edit on the Macs

before we started our product. This made the process less time-consuming altogether.

In the filming of each scene, everyone in the group was aware of the 180 degree rule, and we

had made sure that we had followed it correctly. This was due to the emphasis on the

importance of the rule during the preliminary task.

We have learnt that planning is essential in creating a product. Unfortunately, our group did

not make use of planning enough, therefore sometimes we did not achieve our desired

results when filming. However, we did concentrate on filming certain shots a number of

times so that we would have back-ups if we found any mistakes in the footage. If so, wewould re-shoot. An example of this in our product is in the birth scene, where we had noticed

the microphone in the corner of the shot, therefore we had to re-shoot the scene.

When we had finished the pre-production and planning stage of our product, we had realised

that we had let too much of the narrative away in our sequence and that it looked more like a

trailer. Therefore we had decided that in order to make it look more like an opening sequence

we would have to alter the narrative and change the storyboard and script.


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