Evaluation: Question 1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Final Product: Two Much Pain

I am Katie Yiacoumi : 6168

 

I worked with;

Carlie Cokell-Smith : 7904

Emine Ibrahim : 7910

TWO MUCH PAIN

Evaluation: Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

What was the preliminary task and what were it's main aims?

The preliminary task was designed to familiarise me with the camera and how to film a short sequence. It gave me time to understand how to set up and use the camera before actually getting to the production and also a chance to distribute our production roles. Furthermore, another benefit of the preliminary task is that it was the first time familiarising ourselves with a basic sequence on Final Cut Pro. This also benefits the group significantly as some may have not used a camera before which gives them an opportunity. This also benefits us when understanding techniques in editing.





Improvements in filming and editing:

Filming: Looking back at my preliminary task, I have now realised how much more confident I have become with using a variety of cinematography for example, shot sizes, angles and movements. In our thriller, we decided to use a high angle shot when the two characters are in bed to emphasise that they are inferior and the audience are looking down on them. In our preliminary task, we did not use any high angle shots which is why this has proven I have  improved in filming and getting the right shots to represent the right emotions and content to the audience.


Filming: Also, our group learnt how to utilise the camera whilst creating an effective P.O.V shot. In our preliminary, we were not able to use this because we did not have the right skills however, in our final product we succeeded in this as we were more comfortable with different shots. I learnt how to move with the camera to make it seem as if we were in the antagonists eyes which would help the audience create a link between them and the characters, proving I have improved since my preliminary task as I can now use a variety of camera movements.



Editing: In my final product, I was able to ensure my transitions were sharper and used when necessary unlike my preliminary task transitions which were basic. One transition I learnt how to use was the 'flashback'. This was an effective transition as I was able to create a scene where one of the characters is reminiscing on his relationship. This gave a deeper understanding to the narrative for the audience. Also, this transition was very much necessary and very effective which made the product flow better proving I have improved since my preliminary.




Editing: Additionally, in my final product,  I learnt how to edit and apply fast motion. I decided to add this in when the antagonist is about to kill as it would create more suspense to the build up of the end scene. I learnt how to use Final Cut Pro X more efficiently by adding fast motion into my thriller which proves I have improved my editing skills since my preliminary task.



Comparing preliminary to final task:












From looking at my preliminary task, I have improved significantly in the use of over the shoulder shots. On the left image, is my preliminary task where there is a huge amount of unwanted space where the audience can see irrelevant background near the character who they are supposed to be focusing on. However, on the right image, from my final product, it shows that I have positioned the over the shoulder shot in the right position with no unwanted space around the character. The shot is sized accurately highlighting the improvements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, another improvement I have made is filming the two-shot. The image on the left which is from my preliminary task shows again how much unwanted space there is. There is too much background space which is irrelevant to the audience and also makes the characters looks irrelevant. This is likely to distract the audience and may lose focus on the characters. However, the shot on the right, shows that the most important thing in the frame are the two characters which is emphasised by no unwanted space. I can film so much better now because I can focus my shots more accurately. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, another improvement that has been significant is my use of effects. The effect/transition used on the left which is a dissolve was not necessary in this shot as it did not identify or highlight anything important that had happened and was very much used only to purely add a transition. However, the effects used on the right which is a flash to white, was used to portray anger from one of the characters. This helped create aggressive and tense atmosphere for the audience. I can now apply transitions more effectively. 

 

 

After the preliminary task, planning became essential as we had to ensure we did not make the same mistakes and improve for our final product. We had to ensure that all conventions, shots and editing would be at its best. To make this happen we efficiently  storyboarded, planned our group roles and created pre-production paperwork to ensure everyone involved in the production knew what was required of them. Firstly, we storyboarded our thriller in order to make it clear on which shots, angles, and transitions we were going to use. This helped us when it came to filming as we did not have to worry about what to do because we had planned before hand. Also, we distributed group roles in our group. It was decided that I would be the director, the lighting manager and the manager of costume, hair and makeup. These roles were based on my skills as I have very good leadership skills and I am a very creative person. Lastly, we created pre-production paperwork which helped us all to be organised while filming. It allowed us to gain consent from our cast members and any other people who were involved in the thriller. It also ensured safety throughout filming and the risk assessment provided a solution to any problem we may have faced. This planning meant that we progressed from our preliminary task as we knew what mistakes we made before and how we could avoid them. Planning effectively ensured we would eliminate any problems we could for see.

 

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Personal reflection:
Overall, I believe I created a successful thriller as my group  and I followed the conventional themes and conventions of a thriller. Our product consists of revenge, death, and love which are themes that keep the audience engaged and focused as it would appeal to them.
Personally, I enjoyed filming the most. This is because I was able to direct and tell the cast members which angles and shots to use. This was most exciting as I expressed my skills of leadership and teamwork. This highlights the improvements I have made throughout this course.
From looking at my final product I believe there is still room for improvement. One improvement I could have made was spending a little more time on the soundtrack. This would have helped ensure the sounds in my thriller were more accurate in order to keep my audience engaged and create a better response from them.
Over the whole process the main things I have learnt are how to work in a team efficiently and organise the dates on filming and editing. These skills helped me complete my final product to a higher standard. I also learnt how to use new media formats such as Final Cut Pro and Garageband.
I can research, plan and execute in a professional manner.

 

Evaluation: Question 6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of construcing this media product?

Evaluation: Question 2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation: Question 5) How did you attract/address your target audience?

It is extremely important to do secondary research into existing films because it is reliable in gathering information. It gives new ideas and influences different perspectives which could help attract the right target audience.

From looking at secondary research it is evident that the target audience for thriller films are people between the ages of 15-35 including both genders. It is also evident that the target audience do not have a certain ethnicity or occupation. The target audience's hobbies or interests tend to be more adventurous rather than relaxed.

I felt that the thriller audience enjoyed the conventions such as tension building, scary music and villains as these factors contribute to a typical thriller film. Our group had to ensure that we followed these conventions in order to address a similar target audience and their expectations. This was done by planning out the conventions and including them when filming and editing together.

For my thriller, I wanted to attract a target audience aged 15-35 including both genders in order to stick to the conventions of a successful thriller. I also wanted all ethnicities and people with different hobbies to be interested in my thriller.

We decided to carry out a questionnaire as part of our primary research because this would ensure we followed the audiences preferences and what they wish to watch. The more information we got from the audience the more advantageous it was for our group as we could meet the needs of our target audience the best we could. The questionnaire also saved us a lot of time as we could pick up our results, that were reliable, quicker. This is my questionnaire...

4 key questions:

One of the key questions I asked which was a multiple question was "What scares you the most in thrillers?" with the options of "Ghosts, Zombies, Possessed Children, Extreme violence, Deaths." This helped us attract the right target audience as we were able to understand what the audience wanted to watch. This resulted in the majority of people in favour of "Deaths" which is why we chose to include it in our thriller.

Another key question that I asked which was open ended was "What attracts you to thrillers the most?" This question helped us attract the right target audience because it gave the audience a chance to write their opinion clearly which we could then use to base our thriller on. The majority of people answered in "Scary music, Death scenes and Violence" which also gave us a clear guidance when producing our thriller.

Another key question that I asked which was a multiple choice question was "Would you prefer to watch characters that are students or families?" This question resulted in the majority of people wanting to watch students which was extremely beneficial as we were able to base our characters on younger adults/teens. This ensured that my group attracted the right target audience.

Additionally, a key question that I asked which was open ended was "What setting would be suitable for a thriller in general?" This resulted in the majority of people stating "Dark places, houses, and forests" which was also beneficial as we could adjust our setting according to their opinions.

2 key quotes...

An open ended question I asked was  "Whats the best thriller you've seen based on realistic ideas?" which resulted in various quotes such as "Obsession, Seven, Psycho, Insidious, Sinister"
This helped me make key decisions in ensuring that I was attracting my target audience because I could use these successful films as influences to my thriller. The difficulty in relationships shown in my thriller links to the film "Obsession" whilst the anonymity of the antagonist links to the thriller "Seven".

Another open ended question I asked was "What ideas would you like to see in a new thriller film?" which resulted in various quotes such as "different methods of killings", "scarier music", "better tension building", "more silences to help build tension". This helped me make key decisions in ensuring that I was attracting my target audience because these answers gave me a clear guideline into how to make my film more thrilling for the audience.

Some results from my questionnaire...

Overall, I believe that primary research was extremely important as it is reliable and data you researched yourself. Also, it gives more of the opinions to the specific questions the researcher asked which could be difficult to find through secondary research. Due to this, I believe primary research helped me attract and address my audience.

Audience Feedback:

After creating my production, I held a focus group because I wanted to gain feedback from my target audience. The people that were asked to come and view the production were 15+ as this was my target age group and would help me gain the strengths and criticisms I needed. 

The focus group...

The feedback I got...

Stacey, 18 

This piece of feedback made me feel extremely proud as one of the audience recognised the typography and stated that it followed the conventions of a thriller. This means that I met the audiences expectations.



Nick, 19

This piece of feedback made me feel that I needed more improvements. This made me realise that I should have included and represented all three characters the same.



Hannah, 17 

This piece of feedback also made me feel proud as I knew that I kept my audience engaged by creating a clear narrative.


Sandro, 17

This piece of feedback made me realise that my victim was clear, however, not clear enough for my audience to engage with. The audience did not grasp enough of the representation of the victim which helps me for when I next create a production.