final cut, preliminary task

question 7 - looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full project

At the start of my AS year at cns sixth form, i knew nothing about media, or editing or any technical skills on how to produce a short production. I feel like with the help of students and teachers i have accomplished a lot in a very short space of time.

My prelimary task helped me work out how to edit, and practise new skills such as effects and digetic sound, which i could then apply to my thriller. Which i have done, hopefully effectively.

for example, i learnt more about the 180 degree rule, which now makes sense to me, and i can see why it is used in all films, as well as this, when watching films, i find myself realising the camera movements and angles, and truly understanding the effect they have on the audience. This shows that learning  media at AS has had a large effect on my life outside of sixth form, i find myself watching more and more films, and aspiring to be as talanted as these directors one day. I'd always had an interest in film, but after learning whats behind what you see on the screen when you go to the cinema, it has striked interest into my mind, and set me with aspirations to do something in the future based around filming, which is a very broad catagory. i have enjoyed studying this thoroughly, and i believe i have made progressn not only in editing and filming, but also developing skills and making new friends with common interests.

From the set deadlines of my thriller coursework, although i fell behind on a few of these, which im disapointed with, i tried my best to organise my time and work effectively through the drawbacks i caused on myself. With this in mind, i hope to improve my effieciency with all other subjects. Media has taught me how to be more organised, and how technology has really changed education, from someting as fantastic as having coursework on blogs electronically.

i have had an indepth involvement with all genre's of thriller films, from gritty to noir, and i have enjoyed learning about the conventions of each, which now to me are easy to identify and enjoy to their full potential.

question 4 - who would be the audience for your media product?

Age
our main age range target is 16-24 year olds. The characters in our opening are in this age range also, which means the audience may relate to the characters in the opening. For example, Sophie Butler is a usual 18 year old female, other 18 year old females in the audience will find something in common with the character and understand the character more than a 40 male would.

Contrary to this, i believe older audiences will enjoy this film due to the noir thriller aspects of it.  For example, our sophisticated use of shadows will attract older audiences and remind them of films from their youth, whilst the younger audiences will relate to their youth with the younger characters.
As film noir is considered to be 'classic' the demographic would be 45+ for this age range suiting younger but also older audiences. 

target audience film noir mindmap created with inspiration from IMDB

Soundtrack 

the classic aucoustic soundtrack will attract older audiences, as it is not heavily reliant on electronic sounds it will be a tribute to older music from the 45+ ranges youth. Also, the acoustic sound of the music adds tension to our thriller opening, as it peaks when the action does and fits smoothly around the events as they unfold. 

question 6, evaluation - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

•By having to upload film clips onto my blog for a more in depth analysis, I used computer techniques I could then apply to my other subjects which has helped me a lot through my A-levels, for example embedding a specific video onto my blog.

•Through uploading screenshots I also widened my knowledge of using a computer. The style of our coursework, and the fact we keep it all on a blog has been a lot easier and more efficient for my work. Having a fast and easy platform to store my work has made media an interesting subject.

•The internet has been incredibly helpful when trying to complete in depth analysis of aspects of thriller films. Research using the internet has made the experience of AS level media fun and motivational, the fact that vital information is only a few clicks away. For example, after viewing the film ‘The Third Man’, internet sites such as IMDB has made it possible for me to learn more about this film, and the contextual factors which had an effect on how it was filmed and made. In turn, leading to a greater understanding of the film industry.

question 3 - what kind of media instiution might distribute your media product and why?

Distribution

From looking at Film4's previous films which they have distributed, i believe my film (Cold Case) would fit in well with the criteria.

Submarine (film4)

The imposter (film4)

This is England (film4)

Trance (film4)

my film being a psychological thriller, similar to film4's film 'Trance', i think it would be well distributed by film4, as using this companies facilities of loyal audiences and at times niche, i think it would be selling the film to the correct market segment. This film would not be sucesful in larger cinemas sch as Vue or Odeon, it simply does not appeal to that larger audience, films known as 'blockbusters' differ greatly from the opening i have made. This is why they belong in seperate instituions. By screening it at places such as Cinema City (Norwich), i believe it would fufil its potential as a film, as that branch of cinemas is popular amongst the target audience we set before we created the film.

Due to the fact Film4 is a british distributor, i believe this is an advantage, i dont think my film would be sucesful in places other than the uk, due to the nature, and the cold-hearted britishness of the film. Such as the old looking streets of Norwich, and the common english stereotype of boys in hoodies (for further details on hoodies click here to view question 2).

An example i believe would be a good comparison due to the nature of our both the films would be Danny Boyle's 'Trance' . Both 'Trance' and my film 'Cold Case' are psychological thrillers, with british actors. This film did well by being distributed by film4, the cold and unique genre of this film fits the mood of film4's distribution well. Also, the main character, James McCavoy, is british, similar to the characters in my opening. Having the characters british helps the sucess of our film in the british market, audiences will find it easier to relate with accents, lifestyles and current affairs which take place. As well as feeling connected with the film when references are made to livng in the UK.

 

'Trance' trailer 

Cinema most likely to exhibit my film

I believe Cinema City would be more likely to show my film, due to the close reference to 1930's UK lifestyles and unsolved crimes, as well as psychological elements. All of these aspects combined make my thriller opening unique and sophisticated, not necesarily something which would be sucesful in a cinema such as 'Vue' or 'Odeon'. Due to the nature of these mainstream film exhibitors, i dont think my film 'Cold Case' would appeal to the type of audiences which view films at these places. There is a high contrast between the audience which view films at cinema city and those who view films at mainstream cinemas such as 'vue' and 'odeon'.

As well as the tributes to film noir through my opening, i believe my film would fit well into an arthouse cinema, the distinctive use of shadows and mise en scene connote a sense of 1930's noir thriller, which would not be appreciated as well in mainstream cinemas as it would in independant cinemas such as 'Cinema City'.  Cinema City have shown psychological thrillers on their screens before, such as the critically acclaimed 'A Clockwork Orange'. The psychological aspects in this film mirror the ones in my own, as well as the sense of living in a dystopian world.

Cinema City (Norwich) 

 How could digital technologies offer new distribution opportunities? 

The use of certain websites as a distributor would work effectively and to our advantage, due to Youtube's intelligent characteristics is can be moved around, and advertised to audiences who have viewed similar productions. This way, the production is being automatically aimed at our target audience, simply by them watching something which may have a small link to film they wish to advertise. Also, youtube is one of the largest, most popular websites on the internet, with millions of people using it each day. This popularity linked with the intelligence of the site to stream a trailer to the correct audience will create an ultimate sucess plan for a new film.

after discovering the trailer, interview or snippet from the production users of youtube may then go onto sharing it with friends across other social websites such as twitter, and facebook.
As for twitter, and sharing a production, the use of a hashtag can maximise the success of a product. This hashtag is a global trend which anyone can see, if you wanted to trend a film named 'cold case', the hashtag would be #coldcase , this would soon become popular, eventually leading to large amounts of popularity. The wonders of social network sites can help new films out incredible amounts by finding the right audience and feeding them videos they will be interested in. This works as advertisement for your film, making it popular across the internet.

question 2 - how does your media production represent certain social groups? ( Question 2)

Stereotypes in the media :

Stereotypes are very popular in terms of media productions, it sets up and comfortable expectation shared between the viewer and director. We had to decide whether we wanted to conform to popular stereotypes or challenge them.

By conforming to social stereotypes we would make the audience feel at ease with the characters, and help them associate themselves more with the social group they are involved in. Also, they may be able to identify aspects of the character and compare them to people they know, or even themselves. In turn, subconciously building a relationship between the viewers and the characters on the screen.

Reinforcing stereotypes in thrillers :

'beach-bum' Melanie in Tarantinos 'Jackie Brown' (chicks with guns)

Reinforce stereotype of a blonde female, clumsy, pretty, vulnerable (later on gets shot by dominant male)

 Close up on feet at begining of establishing shot makes Melanie seem less important when comparing to low angle shot of  Jackie Brown showing power and importance.

By challenging it would add an enigmatic aspect to my opening, the audience may feel on-edge as they have to focus on the characters more, as we significantly created them to be different to what the audience expected from them after first seeing them.

Challenging stereotypes in thrillers : 
The bride (played by Uma Thurman), in Tarantinos 'Kill Bill'. Challenging the female stereotype, as the main character in this incredibly violent film is a blonde, woman. Who seeks revenge on enigmatic character 'Bill'.

Representation of gender  and age in my thriller opening : 


Sophie Butler:
female

The representation of female characters when looking at our character Sophie butler appears slightly flawed, she is neither stereotypical nor challenging stereotypes.  With females in society, there is no set stereotype which is correct, as each woman is an individual and consistently proving the labels of a stereotype wrong, in turn making the stereotype ineffective. Saying this, Sophie Butler is a female, and a successful criminology student. Making the representation of gender for a female appears intellectual, curious and ambitious. Also, she appears brave and willing to involve herself so much within the case due to her goal ambition to solve it, in turn, this leads to paranoia and a turn of events for the worst for this character. As she begins to challenge the stereotype of women in thrillers (clumsy, object to men, dresses in minimal clothing), she then turns and falls into the trap of generic conventions. As she begins to become paranoid that someone is following her, Sophie’s body language, and the shots which follow her begin to connote a sense of vulnerability whilst the opening progresses. Sophie’s attitude towards work and ambition is not stereotypical, as our other female character (eve Walcott) was from an era when women were not equal to men, and would usually play a minor role in society, and simply be seen as men’s objects or workers. when making comparisons between the two female characters it shows differences in attitudes towards society, although we focus more on Sophie than we do on eve, we can clearly see that as times have progressed from eve's period to modern day, the stereotype that women are not capable of doing an academic job such as criminology has slowly faded away, we showed this through the use of Sophie’s vocation. We hoped to show society, and how attitudes towards women in the workplace have changed. I believe the character of Sophie is contemporary and realistic, through the use of our character not being overly attractive, or vice versa (not overly bad looking) we set up a realistic character for our audience, although this could affect the type of audience we would receive, I believe it makes the sequence more tense as there is nothing more to focus on than the emotions of the characters and the scenery. The clothes she is wearing are not minimal; she is wearing clothing which covers her body. The use of jeans and a casual t-shirt makes the character of Sophie appear as realistic and practical.  Copy Cat Killer  male

The representation of female characters when looking at our character Sophie butler appears slightly flawed, she is neither stereotypical nor challenging stereotypes.  With females in society, there is no set stereotype which is correct, as each woman is an individual and consistently proving the labels of a stereotype wrong, in turn making the stereotype ineffective.

Saying this, Sophie Butler is a female, and a successful criminology student. Making the representation of gender for a female appears intellectual, curious and ambitious. Also, she appears brave and willing to involve herself so much within the case due to her goal ambition to solve it, in turn, this leads to paranoia and a turn of events for the worst for this character. As she begins to challenge the stereotype of women in thrillers (clumsy, object to men, dresses in minimal clothing), she then turns and falls into the trap of generic conventions. As she begins to become paranoid that someone is following her, Sophie’s body language, and the shots which follow her begin to connote a sense of vulnerability whilst the opening progresses.

Sophie’s attitude towards work and ambition is not stereotypical, as our other female character (eve Walcott) was from an era when women were not equal to men, and would usually play a minor role in society, and simply be seen as men’s objects or workers. when making comparisons between the two female characters it shows differences in attitudes towards society, although we focus more on Sophie than we do on eve, we can clearly see that as times have progressed from eve's period to modern day, the stereotype that women are not capable of doing an academic job such as criminology has slowly faded away, we showed this through the use of Sophie’s vocation. We hoped to show society, and how attitudes towards women in the workplace have changed.

I believe the character of Sophie is contemporary and realistic, through the use of our character not being overly attractive, or vice versa (not overly bad looking) we set up a realistic character for our audience, although this could affect the type of audience we would receive, I believe it makes the sequence more tense as there is nothing more to focus on than the emotions of the characters and the scenery. The clothes she is wearing are not minimal; she is wearing clothing which covers her body. The use of jeans and a casual t-shirt makes the character of Sophie appear as realistic and practical. 

Copy Cat Killer 

male  

Following popular stereotypes which link males to violence and dominance, we crafted our copy cat killer around the younger teenage generation, and took inspiration for this character from films such as Menhaj Huda's 'Kidulthood' (2000, thriller, following lives of a group of troubled 15 year olds in west london), and Ben Drew's 'Ill Manors' (20012, Crime/ Thriller/ Drama, The lives of four drug dealers, one user and two prostitutes.) As well as taking inspiration from these urban films, i also observed closely news articles about the London Riots which took place in 2011. The main offenders were of the younger generation, and all looked similar to the copy cat killer we created in the opening, through costume and body language. The use of the hood adds an enigmatic sense to the character, making it difficult to identify his features, this adds tension whilst watching the opening.

i believe we crafted this character realistically, as this dress style is incredibly common amongst teenagers of this age in many cities across the UK and other parts of the world. This adds a sense of realism to the opening.

By having our character dressed in this specific hoodie, and outfit, we are reinforcing the stereotype that people in hoods are 'out to cause trouble', or enjoy causing problems. This may not be the case for all people who choose to wear these outfits, but the media, along with pictures from the london riots and other violent episodes which have happened in other cities across the world, show that these are the type of people who are causing the trouble, and coincedently, the majority of the pictures are of men, being violent, and causing anarchy in large groups.

Jay from 'kidulthood', wearing a hoodie, similar to our character,  In the media (film) associated with violence, due to his social class and status.

Youth, through the news of the riots, now the common hoodie is associated with violence, and danger.

Hooded Youth in London Riots (2011) photograph by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

 'Feared, derided, misunderstood and still resolutely un-hugged, the utilitarian, hugely popular sportswear garment, the hoodie, has staged a comeback against a backdrop of pyromania and rioting. Worn by millions every day: a generation's default wardrobe choice was transformed into an instant criminal cloak for London's looting youth' - Quote from Kevin Braddocks news artcile 'The power of the hoodie'. 

(click 'The Power Of The Hoodie' for a direct link to news article)

final cut, thriller (cold case)