MEDIA EVALUATIONBy Millie Richmond

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

Before we began filming we started researching the thriller genre, there are many hybrids within the genre for example, supernatural thriller (Woman in black) and murder mystery's such as 'S7ven' which inspired our mise-en-scene. We looked more closely into physiological thriller as they appealed to the whole group the most, especially 'Black Swan' which depicted a vulnerable  girl descending into mental disorder. Another film, 'Memento' plays with time, using non linear narratives including flashbacks.

Some of the ways in which we have fulfilled the conventions of the thriller genre are by using camera angles that create a sense of tension and enigma. The representation of a young woman on her own in the wilderness is something one would expect to see in this type of film. Furthermore the mise-en-scene in the later part of the extract again amplifies the idea of her vulnerability and isolation. We tried to be original in the use of our editing though our use of characters who seemed present and then disappeared. We purposely shot this character out of focus using depth of field to create more tension for the viewer, her opacity raises the question of whether she's real or not. The slow build in tension from beginning to the end where there is blood in the bath follows the typical aspects of this genre. By employing conventional tropes of successful hybrid thriller films we have worked within those boundaries, yet through our use of camera and subtle editing the films also does something aesthetically interesting and original

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We would be an independent British film production company based In London with a topical current zeitgeist storyline with a twist. We would be working with a low budget but producing material with high production value. We would need a distributer and would premiere our film at a film festival we would follow that with a multi platform release using social media marketing to achieve word of mouth meaning we would have more funding for our next film. We would use below the line marketing as used in the film 'block' which is an example of a similar independent film that is what ours would be. We would aim to distribute our film through bfi, Curzon cinema artificial eye and terrestrial television deals with BBC or film 4. Our main target would be British distributers looking for new interesting films and new talent.

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

Our target audience for our film would be aimed towards the younger generation due to the protagonist being a teenage girl. Due to the genre however the film could attracts audiences of any age depending on their movie preference. Our primary target audience would be 15-25 years old, or secondary target audience being 26-35, our tertiary audience middle class English arthouse audiences; all fitting under the category of mainstream audience.

Who would be the audience for your media product? 

We attracted our audience through visual aesthetics and depth of field which is synonymous with art house films recognisable due to the main protagonist, mise en scene, the house middle class up market.  The costume and make up of the girl appealed to the teenage market as does the music, sound effects, sound scape sounds all of which are conventionally chilling. The font also has a modern edge while also having familiarity in the terms of art house film audiences 

How did you attract/address your audience? 

We have learnt how to use final cut pro for editing sound pace and story. We have also furthered out knowledge of cameras, lenses, aperture, focal length, depth of field, blurred focus and point of view. We also used tripods, a shoulder mount (which acted as a steady cam for tracking for our protagonist. We did research through art of tile, imdb and bfi. We used social media for planning for example we used a Facebook group to arrange the practicalities to ensure we didn’t run into any unexpected problems on the day. We also used our phones which had our storyboards and shot lists on to ensure accuracy.

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

We learnt many things when filming our preliminary task such as over shoulder shots, shot reverse shots , 180 shot and eye line match. We also used linear continuity editing this gave us the skills required to edit our opening. During the edit of our opening our editing skills progressed greatly, we used varied camera angles including; high low, tracking, panning, and we played with zoom and depth of field. We experimented with layering of audios, sound effects and Foley. We really improved our planning abilities as we found our location and took rekey shots early on in the process. We made detailed mood boards which helped capture the mise en scene and create the perfect atmosphere. We became much more responsible taking ownership of our film and meeting all the deadlines, We used the non linear storyline and created a treatment of the whole film screenwriting what was in it.

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

product? 

Our media product present teenagers in a certain way due to the way the main character is presented, with her clothing and the fact that she Is smoking. In particular our film shows how teenage girls are vulnerable and it could possibly be seen as stereotypical, showing a young girl on her own In the middle of an isolated wood looking anxious. The film also represents the supernatural, metaphysical re- visitation of an abusive mother, this represents the breaking down of family dynamics which the audience is interested and a select few can relate to. We subtly introduce moments of abnormality which foreshadows the later events In the film. The opening is vague and suggestive, an enigma is suggested through the slow reveal of the storyline by not giving away too much in the opening sequence. We have a female orientated storyline which portrays an atypical mother daughter relationship.