Evaluation

My thriller film features mainly around the idea of a zombie apocalypse. It is subject to the genre of a thriller as is primary very tense and little it revealed. Throughout I have stuck mainly to the typical thriller conventions yet have adjusted some conventions enabling for a more original opening.

One feature that is typical in thrillers is to combine micro-elements to obtain an overriding feel of suspense. I do this by combining the visual images with a soundtrack that spans throughout. Typically soundtracks in thrillers create the background and mood for the film for example in ‘James Bond’ the soundtrack is startling and fast paced setting a tense mood- my soundtrack anti-climaxes as builds pace and then falls into a loop. Another typical convention I have stuck to is a  prevailing theme of mystery and identity as my antagonist remains unknown throughout; I achieved this by behind the shoulder shots and close-ups of feet. This is similar used in thriller films such as ‘Halloween’ where the killer remains unknown by the use of POV shots. Also have have stuck to the convention of danger existing and this is the reason for acts to take place. Like in the film ‘Taken’ a kidnap is the primary cause of the lead having risk his life to find his daughter. In my film zombies are the danger and this is the reason why the protagonist is in the situation he is in (alone and running for his life). Another convention I have stuck to is the use of little dialogue and more action. Mine has no dialogue only that of the voice over in the first seconds, this I feel allows the action and music to coincide to create an almost silent movie effect (to an extent), emphasizing the location and actions creating an overriding feeling of apprehension and urgency. 

In my opening important enigmas are planted like that of being trapped and isolation, which are also typical conventions of thriller films. Like typical convention my opening sets a location, which is ordinary yet embeds an extraordinary storyline within it, allowing the audience to relate to the location and situation which further hooks and draws them into the narrative. An example would be ‘The dark knight rises’ where some of the film is located in New York is a city where ordinary people live. ‘Dead End’ is located in an ordinary quarry which people are able to visit and allowing them to imagine themselves there giving it more realism. Commonly in thrillers the antagonist ensnares the protagonist in an accumulating complex web until the protagonist feels isolated and helpless- similarly in mine the protagonist finds himself at a ‘Dead End’ in which there appears to be no escape.

In regards to cuts many thrillers are fast moving attempting to include many cuts to keep the audience guessing and completely on edge. Similarly my opening is very fast paced creating urgency and an persistent inkling of threat and endeavouring to escape something. Camera shots like POV shots are also commonly used as they make the audience feel even tenser as they themselves then take on the persona of the character and feel their emotions (as are literally seeing through the characters eyes). I have used POV shots when my character is running through the trees. In typical thrillers the audience is commonly placed in the ambiguous position of a voyager. Likewise my films the audience are watching the protagonist’s current life as it goes on much like a journey. Though this is only short as it is the opening there is still an apparent passing of time but the audience follows in a neural position.

Moreover generally thriller titles signify defenceless and exposure like films such as ‘Insomnia’ and ‘Vertigo’. ‘Dead end’, creates a sense of a theme of weakness from being trapped or at a point of nothing. Typical lighting in thrillers is dark. In my opening the lighting will be dull and absence of color will be apparent. This will help it achieve an atmospheric idea as will create a mood and sense of lifelessness and lack of hope.

Thriller props also distinguish the genre, for example in the opening to ‘Se7en’ may objects of destruction where presented, and similarly in mine there is objects of danger and hurt like the barbed wire and thorns. Typically in conventional thrillers the narrative is complex leading the audience to question leaving strong enigmas- Like in the Matrix. Within my film I have also stuck to this convention as I continue to transition between shots of different things which generate multiple ideas and leave the audience questioning there relevance. The image of the cassette may seem a passing irrelevant picture however its aim is to symbolize technology and that sometimes it is taken for granted however will not fix everything. My opening also sticks to the conventions as the ending leaves the audience expecting a resolution, as he reaches a dead end and the question that arises is what happens next. Commonly in thrillers the location echoes or mirrors the protagonist’s plight. In my film he is feeling lonely and sad and therefore the set location is a place of wide expanse and is dull and has few colours also showing he is depressed.

My media product represents not one particular social group. My lead is played by a white male, typically in thrillers the protagonist’s aim is to represent a single type of group for example in ‘Se7en’ the cops represent all of the police. In my film though he is a white middle-aged male his aim is to represent all of mankind. I have tried to achieve this by keeping his appearance very minimal and neutral. I have achieved this by him wearing mainly black and all of his body is covered.

Film 4 would be my chosen studio company to host my film. Film 4 was started in 1982 as Film 4 Productions, a film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation and has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom and around the world (Wikipedia). Despite it being a smaller scale than the likes of ‘Liongate’ I feel it best suits the impact I am aiming for. It is British based and company that commonly broadcasts thriller films like 'A most wanted man' which was released in UK, USA and Germany- so despite being British it can still reach a wider background. Ethos of Film 4 productions are to develop British Talent and be a leader of innovation in the British Film industry, to invest around £500,000 per film- at a rate of around 20 films per year, also showcase the films on Channel 4 and Film Four. These ethos would benefit me as would allow me to obtain a sufficient budget for my film as well as knowing that i have somewhere to broadcast it on ( Channel 4 and Film 4). Film4 say that they look for material with a distinctive voice that aims to push the boundaries within a given film drama which my film fulfills as it is a thriller which extends to horror. Film4 does not really extend its target audience to families or younger children which suits my film as I would promote it as being a certificate 15.

The audience for my media product would be people who are interested in thrillers. It is a film rating of a 15 and therefore I will not be widening my audience spectrum to younger people. The film will be aimed at both genres as the presentation of the protagonist will aim to facilitate the action that classically most males look for and the story-line that stereo typically most females look for. The film would have complicated twists and aspects which may be seen as hard to follow yet even if not all is understood then the main story line will still be easily apparent and therefore would suit all social grades as well as classes. I feel I have attracted the audience to my film through presenting the audience with an open ended final shot. This cliffhanger leaves the audience I mystery and wishing to find out the outcome to the previous unfolding situations. Also with having many quick shots I feel I have given the audience tasters of what the films has in sore and leaves them intrigued by the proposed images.

I will attract my audience by using a fusion of traditional and viral marketing, like how 'The dark knight rises' was marketed, I feel through using an assortment of these features to attract people to my film I feel I can access a more varied, diverse and larger audience as although the rating is 15 it still suits several categories of people.I will attract my audience by using a mix of tradition and viral marketing I feel through using a mix of these aspects I can therefore access the likes of a more varied audience. As ‘Film 4’ sets my production it is only small in comparison to the likes of studios like ‘Universal’ and will be UK based despite this I wish to create a global attention to make the atmosphere of the film seem real. As technology is growing and widening its scope to more people I would do a lot of viral marketing.  Using YouTube I would create fake radio reports and post them, due to technology this would hopefully then spread like a ‘virus’. As YouTube is a worldwide thing this would grab the attention of many. This is how ‘Cloverfield’ achieved such success. This would get people taking and questioning about what was going. I would then release minimalistic posters (traditional marketing)- these would be only on A4 making them appear suspicious and again make people wonder. Then more posters would be released creating the drip feed effect. With the number increasing of interests I would then set up a twitter and would make people # photos of dead end signs that would subtly make them aware about the title. 

I would use QR’s as they have recently come to light with the growing technology. On these I would lay down a checklist of how to prepare yourself if a virus where to spread. This would look professional and would make people tense and worried. As more people would link these marketing techniques together I would hope a blog or forum would begin and on this questions would be asked and debated about what is happening. I would then leave his on a cliff hander. I would create strange 1-minute adverts that would be shown in cinemas 2 weeks prior to its release.

I feel I have attracted the audience to my film through presenting the audience with an open ended final shot. This cliffhanger leaves the audience I mystery and wishing to find out the outcome to the previous unfolding situations. Also with having many quick shots I feel I have given the audience tasters of what the films has in sore and leaves them intrigued by the proposed images. The music is very tense and loops so builds and extracts tension teasing people.

The development I feel I have achieved is vast. From beginning off working in a group to making my opening sequence individually I feel I have managed to grow and extend my knowledge significantly.

The Sony HD camera with a resolution of 8.9 mega-pixels in photo mode enabled me to capture precise and powerful shots of still objects as well as moving ones. I could then transfer these onto the computer with the SD memory card. With some I my shots, like of the bolt, I needed an extreme close up however as it was somewhere I could not reach by foot I felt I would be unable to get these shots. Despite this the cameras technology enable me because of the 30x optical zoom, to shoot from a safe distance. Showing how through progress in technology it has enabled me to capture shots which previous would have been impossible.  Its BIONZ processor and BOSS optical stabilizer improve video quality. Though the camera embodies many features it still

remained rather easy to use. The progression in technology has achieved this by almost thinking for itself as though you press one button it does multiple things like when you press record it starts recording plus focusing and capturing each detail. The addition of the 3 inch LCD screen on the side enabled me to controlling the appearance of my shots which in previous years would not have been an item seen on cameras. As well as being a camcorder I was also able to shoot still shots which helped me gage and allowed me to document these so I know what I was going to shoot the subsequent day. The multiple use of the Sony camera of this meant that I did not forget certain locations I wished to film which was beneficial as I was shooting over a period of 3 days. Also the memory of the camera allowed me to store over 1g of footage which meant that I could proceed filming without constantly stopping to upload footage. Furthermore the technology of the camera meant that I could film for a day without stopping to recharge the battery- as without the ability to do this it would have been difficult as my location was 5 miles from my house.

I first used Adobe Premiere Pro 5.5 when creating my preliminary task. Despite this I feel I have progressed well from then till now using it allowed me to take an ordinary clip and transform it to create a whole you atmosphere around it. On my preliminary task I felt I was slow at manipulating images yet on this task I felt I had a better understanding of the software and therefore feel I used it to its potential. I  could upload the clips and then edit them using various techniques like sharpen, spot light, gamma correction, convolution kernel also I could use tint like using red on some of the clips to symbolize the zombies perspective. I also learnt how to overlap clips and I  embed this within my opening sequence which created a disjointed puzzled effect. Furthermore it allowed me to create and add tiles to my production as well as add clean smooth cut between my clip like dip to black and addictive dissolve. While my radio report is playing it also allowed me to manipulate my titles to look as if they are crackling to do this I used noise text.

I also used YouTube to watch clips of films and by doing this I could see typical conventions and analysis some opening sequences.

Blogging, though I have read many blogs, was a new thing to me. Currently it is increasing in popularly with people blogging about various things like themselves or cars. Over the years blogging has become much more noticed and loved as the ‘World Wide Web’ increases its scope to further people- as more people can gain online asses. Blogger(Google) was the chosen place I decided to create my blog on- though there are many other such as Tumblr, WordPress and Weebly. Positively the website enabled me to account my media work and be able to create a portfolio, and was able to keep building on it frequently and daily. You could proclaim that it was much like a diary and perhaps in some people’s cases this is what it has formed. By it being online and saving online it was beneficial as at home, school and at friends and families houses I was able to continually add to it without the need of a pen stick or email it to myself.

I have an Iphone and on this I was able to go to the quarry (my filming location) weeks prior to when I was going to film and capture locations of interest. The phone has an 8 mega pixel camera which shot photos with clarity. I was then able to edit these shots on my phone using an app which I downloaded free of charge. The app allowed me to edit these shots to create atmosphere and help me further envisage my film.  I was then able to use my email account to send them to my main computer to then upload them onto my blog. The technology here helped me to apply what I thought would look good and see whether it was achievable and whether it gave to desired result that I was aiming for before I began to film for real.

If I now where to look back at my preliminary task I think I would feel I have considerably improved. In the preliminary task I worked in a large group which contrasts this task as I worked as an individual. Despite it being easier to hand out roles to people it was difficult when we had to make group decisions as you would have to meet the needs of everyone as well as keep referring back to the whole group when a problem arose. When I was an individual though it was difficult to juggle the multiple roles of the director, editor and camera person etc. therefore I felt that at times the workloads was straining. Plus it also meant you could not share ideas with other to create new dynamics. Therefore I feel I have learnt that perhaps working in a small group would be most beneficial.   In the preliminary task the camera and tripod was a new technology that I had previously not used before, consequently some of the shots where wobbly and not as smooth. In my opening sequence though I feel I have learnt from these mistakes and the camera acts reflect more the objective of the shot I was trying to shoot. For example the zoom in to the snow, in my opening sequence, has more fluidity than the zoom in of the secret agent in the preliminary task. In the preliminary task we acknowledged the match on action and 180 degree rule yet in my opening this was not something which I acknowledged in my opening sequence though I used 180 degree rule I did not use the match on action. Despite this I feel that I have a broader range of shots plus more types of shots than in my preliminary such include extreme long shot and focus pull. The preliminary task allowed me to play around with the camera whilst gaining knowledge, which meant that I could immediately start filming when it came to the opening sequence as I had already had experience with the camera.