Evaluation: Question 3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation: Question 4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

Planning: Preliminary Task (Mr Smith)

Preliminary Task

Purpose of a preliminary task:
A preliminary task is designed to familiarise you with the camera and how to film a short sequence. It gives time to understand how to set up and use the camera before actually getting to the production. This 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.

This is our preliminary task...




The scenario: (screen shot)

 Our 30 second scenario starts of with Carlie walking round the corner into the study area. We decided to use the tri-pod in order to keep the filming stable and clear for the audience to see.

She sits opposite Emine and asks her if she is going to attend a party. We used shot reverse shot for this scene and over the shoulder shot. This gives the audience a clear understanding of the narrative as they can follow the conversation well. This shot was filmed with the tri-pod also to keep the camera stable during the conversation.

 Emine replies by saying she would go but does not have anything to wear. This is shot reverse shot being continued and another over the shoulder shot. This gives the audience a clear view of the other person in the conversation. This was also supported by the tri-pod to stabilise the scene.

Carlie then offers to lend a dress, however, Emine declines by saying they are not the same size. This is also a continuation of shot reverse shot to keep the flow of the scene.

Carlie takes offence and feels insulted. We decided to use a reaction shot to emphasise her response to Emine. We also used a close up for the audience to feel the emotion of the character. This was not filmed on a tri-pod and instead was hand held in order to get close enough to Carlie's face.

 

Emine immediately apologies for the misunderstanding and Carlie accepts. We decided to use a two-shot for this scene in order to show the audience the surroundings of the characters and stuck to the 180 rule in order to not confuse the audience. This shot was supported by a tri-pod in order to ensure the characters are the centre of attention even though the surroundings are being shown.

 

 

 

Emine then says she has a lesson and leaves the table, walking off. This shot was hand held in order for the camera operator to follow her as she walks.

Group roles:

In our preliminary task we decided that Emine and Carlie should be actresses in the production as they were the most confident and comfortable. We also decided that as they're going to be acting that they could take part in most of the editing. I was responsible for operating the camera and filmed the scenes needed for the task and also contributed to the editing alongside Carlie and Emine.

Difficulties you encountered whilst filming:

Difficulties we encountered whilst filming was the lack of continuity. Whilst filming in one shoot there was no chair in the scene however, in the next scene the chair appeared. This is an example of the lack of continuity in our production. Another difficulty we encountered whilst filming was sound as there was a very noisy background which interfered. Also, Emine was not speaking as loud as Carlie so the camera did not pick up her voice clearly.

In this scene, there is no chair placed between Carlie and Emine as they're having a conversation.

However, the scene after there was a chair placed between them which lacked continuity during the scene.

Difficulties you encountered whilst editing:

Difficulties we encountered whilst editing was that we had very basic knowledge when using Final Cut Pro. We had to learn and understand how to use the editing system before we could make significant changes to our scenes.

What have you learned?

During this process we learned how to operate the camera and tripod properly and also got used to the editing process. We have understood our difficulties and this gave us an opportunity to familiar ourselves with these factors before filming our thrillers. Its been beneficial as we are now ready to film without difficulty and complication and also saved us time.

Planning: Shot List (Miss Begum)

Camera Shot List

The camera shot list is created in order to show a clear list of every single shot size, angle and movement. This will benefit us once filming as we will know exactly what shot to take which will save time and planning on set. It will also make the production much more organised due to it already being set out. It will most importantly avoid confusion. 

This is our shot list...

Planning: Pre-Production Paperwork (Miss Begum)

Pre-Production Paperwork

Prior to creating our thriller we had to complete legal documents in order to ensure safety. The paperwork included a production schedule, location reece, a risk assessment, client release form and location release form. Emine was in charge of the paperwork and distributing the roles as she is the producer. 

Production Schedule:
A production schedule is a summary of exactly what is going to happen in your filming schedule. It includes times and dates of when certain cast and crew members are going to meet and film certain scenes. This organises the team/production to know exactly when and where to meet and what equipment to bring. It also provides meaning and understanding. Emine took on this role as she is producer and knew how to organise the group.


Location Reece:

A location reece is a summary of the location that you have decided to use for your thriller. This explains the details of the location and how to access it by various transport. We included visual information and discussed our reasons on why we picked this specific location. Emine also took on this role as she was able to access the location the easiest and knew the most about it.
































Risk Assessment:
A risk assessment is a legal document which analyses the location and is able to identify what risks might arise and how you plan to overcome them. We included every risk that could potentially arise in order to try and avoid them. We also came up with solutions to these risks so we are prepared if a problem does occur. This is extremely important to the paper-work as it could cause major difficulties which is why it has to be understood before hand. Carlie took on this role as she is most responsible and knows the location well.

Client Release Form:
A client release form is a legal document that discusses the terms and agreements of any actors in your thriller. We gave this form to all three of our characters in which they had to agree to the rules of our production. The form also analysed the location and risks which could potentially occur in order to make the actors aware of any problems. This makes it easier for the actors to know what they're committing to. I was responsible for this role as I know the actors well and was able to distribute the forms easily.

Location Release Form:
The location release form is a legal document that discusses the terms and agreements for the company/council/people that are allowing you to film in their location. This document should be given company/council/people to show that you have agreed to terms and conditions. We gave this form to the owner of the house which we are filming in to understand the rules we expect from them and how we will use their location. This is important as they understand what problem could occur and how we decide to solve it. I was also responsible for this role as I was able to access the owner of the property easily.

Planning: Micro-elements (Mr Smith)

Micro-elements are a significant part of films. This is because it is the key factor to putting the different scenes into one whole prouduction flowing smoothly. The three elements are cinematography, sound and editing.

Cinematography:

Cinematography is important to films because it gives the audience a different representation of the character and allows the audience to respond in different ways. The cinematography we will be using is...

An ariel shot is used right at the beginning when the scene opens and the audience see both bodies laying on the floor. We chose to use this because it will show the bodies and iconography clearly for the audience to grasp the atmosphere in the first couple seconds of the scene. 

A close up is used when showing Carlie's hand. This to emphasise the cuts and damage that has happened to her. She will still be bleeding which suggests the violence that has occurred before. This will help give the audience and understanding of what has happened before hand. This is conventional to a thriller as close ups are almost always used for emphasis to affect the audience. 

A zoom out will be used just after the shot of Carlie's eye. It zooms out to see the rest of her body and also Lashane's. We decided to use this as it would help create a natural flow from the eye shot to the bodies then zoom out more into a fade to white. These edits work quite well together which helps the audience stick to the narrative. 

A high angle will be used when the female victim is scurrying around after waking up from being knocked out by the violence between her and her boyfriend, she is looking for a gun. We have chosen to use this high angle to show the character as an inferior character. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows vulnerability in victim which is usually what is shown in thrillers. 

Medium shots will be used when the audience is shows the 2 injured bodies laying on the floor. We've chosen to use this because it shows a clear view of both bodies and how injured they are. This is conventional to a thriller because it allows the audience to not only see both of the characters, but some of the scenery. 

Long shot will be used for the end to show the last shot of all the 3 characters. We have chosen to use this because it's a shot where we can see all the characters actions in the last shot which is very significant to the thriller.

A shot reverse shot will be used when both actors are arguing. We will use this to create tension between the two characters. This is conventional to a thriller because it will generate a reaction from the audiences as well as encouraging emotion and helping withdraw meaning.

An extreme close-up will be used when the antagonist is introduced. This will be used to give the audience a clear view of the character entering the narrative. It will show the emotion of the character therefore giving spectators time to try and figure out what her intentions are. This is conventional to a thriller because the extreme close-up will also show that the character has a hidden identity, making the audience feel uneasy. 

Editing:

Editing is important in films because it uses different techniques in order to put the film together. Editing we will be using are...

Fade to black is used when the production company's name comes up on a black screen and edits into the next shot of the hand dripping with blood. We have chosen to use this edit because it runs smoothly with the background of black and in the first edit.

Fade to white is used when we're doing a flashback scene. We used the fade to white as this symbolises the reminiscence of what had happened. This will give the audience a clear understanding that the scene is going into a flashback.

Straight cuts will also be used quite regularly as it is one of the most significant edits when putting a film together. It is quite easy to use and does not confuse the audience which is why we chose to use them. 

Sound:

Sound is important in films because it is used to create understanding for the audience and to create more meaning about the character and emotions. We will use...

Non-diegetic sound is used when the shots are showing 2 injured bodies, this music is very dim but eerie for the audience to listen to. We used this because it would make the audience feel uncomfortable watching the scene. This is conventional to a thriller because in the making of a non-diegetic sound you can bring the atmosphere to a certain moment in the scene with an upbeat tone of sound to make the audience jump out their seats. 

Parallel sound is used when the flashbacks are happening with the couple. You can hear their voices and what they are arguing about. We have chosen this so the audience feel what the characters are feeling through their words and passion in their voices. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows violence in the characters and the situation itself which is needed for the audience to have an understanding. 

Diegetic sound is a sound part of the film world and will be used during the flashback scene of the couple arguing.The audience know exactly where the sound is coming from and is important for the audience to hear the dialog between both characters. This is conventional to a thriller film as without diegetic sounds the audience will not understand the film. 

On screen sound will be used when Carlie is arguing with Lashane and objects are being smashed about. e.g. the glass and frames.  The audience is able to hear the smashing and see exactly where the noise is being created. 

Off screen sound will be used when the gun is used to shoot someone. You will not be able to see where the gun shot is coming from but you will hear it. We have chosen to use this because it is very conventional to a thriller film , by the way it leaves the audience in suspense and will encourage the theme of mystery. 

Overall, this has been beneficial to our group as it has given us a clear understanding of what different techniques we are using and why we are using them. Also, it has shown just how significant it is to use the micro-elements. 

Planning: MES (Mr Smith)

Mes en scene (MES)

MES in very important in film making. This is because it allows the audience to grasp the different elements in detail. These different elements also help set the scene as they help portray the narrative.

The 5 sections of MES are: 

Setting: 

We chose to set our thriller in an ordinary dark room in a house. The rooms we chose to film in are the living room and bathroom. We decided that a house would be the best place to film as it portrays the couple living together and also easy to build low-key lighting. We hope this setting gives our audience a daunting atmosphere and builds tension on what is going to happen.

Iconography:

The iconography we chose to use are..

•Blood: to portray to reality of the violence that has take place. Also, to show danger and scare the audience. 

•Smashed glass: to also portray violence that has taken place. Suggests that the characters are aggressive to one another.

•Frames: to portray the reality of their relationship and also it being thrown about suggests that they're not getting along anymore.

•Lipstick: to portray the confidence the antagonist has and how she wants to make herself look good.

•Gun: to portray violence and danger. Suggests how angry the character is towards the other and wants to resolve he situation in violent way.

Costume, Hair, Make-up:

Character 1: Carlie 
She should be wearing grey casual clothes to show her depression to the audience.
Also, natural make-up, however, make-up dripping by the end of thriller.
Big curly messy hair to portray her anger and craziness.

Character 2: Lashane
He should be wearing all black clothing in order to portray a dark and mysterious character.
Neat hair as he isn't angry but feeling more guilty.
No make-up

Character 3: Zelal
She should be wearing all black clothing (hoodie) to portray a mysterious and anonymous character for the audience.
Dark lipstick and nails to portray her arrogant personality.
Straight long hair, neat. Suggesting she is a perfectionist.

Lighting:

Low-key lighting and the use of candles to create a smokey atmosphere. This is to make the audience feel disturbed, alarmed and frightened. Also, this is conventional to thrillers as most thrillers shoot scenes with low-key lighting to maintain tension and anxiety for the audience which is what we would like to achieve.

Colour:

The use of dark colours such as black's, grey's and red's as it sets a daunting atmosphere and is conventional to a thriller. Lighter colours would suggest that something good or happy is about to happen which is why thriller tend to stick which dark colours creating a adrenaline rushing atmosphere.


Planning the MES has been beneficial as it has helped the group understand exactly what is going to be included. Also, identifying the MES helps the audience grasp the details easier and have the right response to our thriller. Without MES, it would be extremely difficult to portray a narrative which would engage the audience and attract them.