Evaluation - extended

When we were given the task the first thing we started to do was research as much as we could about thrillers. Because we decided we wanted our thriller to have a subgenre of horror, we also had to research horror films as well. I started by finding out out what the codes and conventions are of horrors and thrillers. I stared analysing the first 10 or so minutes of films such as Seven, and begun to pick out where the producer had used the codes and conventions of this particular genre of film. This then gave us more of an idea of what we had to include in our own film opening. Other members of my group begun researching other films and also by producing a questionnaire which was then gradually filled out by a range of different audiences. When we got the results back from the questionnaire, we could then start planing our thriller/horror film opening. For the planning stage, we had to think about characters, setting, camera shots, content and mise en scene. Once we had come up with the ideas for our film opening, we put everything into a story board so when we began too film we could look at it to know what scene we need to be filming next. I think that the storyboard helped in the sense that we knew what order the scenes were going to be in, however, we did change our minds about some shots on it but initially we did stick to it. I think planning overall was our weakest point as I don't feel enough was done. Even though we didn't do very much I think we did a good job with our media product and am pleased with how it turned out and our audience feedback results.

Evaluation

Post Production Realisation

When our group started to take all the shots we have and go through all of them sorting which ones are good and bad to use. After this we put the ones we deem best and place them onto our Premiere Pro timeline. However when we started to cut the shots and place them in order as well as after being edited to fit with each other in time consecutively one after the other we begun to realise that some shots were jumpy and we needed some more shots in between the current ones we have to create more tension instead of there being constant action. For example one of the first shots is a shot of the protagonist sleeping next to the fire on the sofa and then a shot of the baby's room, which then cuts to another shot of her sleeping and then the monitor starts to make noise and it then zooms in on this, but the babysitter is asleep and cannot hear this. We then wanted her to wake up shortly after by the control falling off the sofa by some supernatural or paranormal force. However we put these shots together of the monitor making noise and then the controller falling off the sofa, but we realised that this didn't look right as it cut to quickly between the two pieces of action and we needed some more mysterious shots of something else happening before the controller falls as we all thought it was too soon. However we do not quite know what to put in between these two sections of action. Therefore we now realise that everything isn't as easy as it is planned. Furthermore that when in post-production you can come across shots that don't directly fit into one another. Moreover this happens when the babysitter goes to drink the water but the arm jumps too much as she raises it up to drink. making it look unnatural. Therefore we know we have to shoot more shots and maybe shoot a variety of other things that could be used as fillers to also create mysteriousness within the opening as it is a horror/thriller which tend just to imply themes rather than actual show and consequently fit into our genre as well as making the opening more natural and flow better overall.

My Conclusion:

The House - Opening Thriller/Horror

Progression

When we started coming up with our ideas and begun to film , I thought creating a two minute opening was going to be straight forward. During production, we faced many implications such as availability of our group and of actors, time, setting and equipment. Availability was one of our major issues when filming as even though we had to change our plans or make days free, there was always one day that not everyone could attend due to whatever reason. However, if one person out of the group couldn't attend, the rest of the group would still go ahead and film as much as they could without that person. Another issue we faced was setting. This is because is out opening was filmed in Laurens house which wasn't very convenient as it isn't very near to us and every time we went to film something had changed in it. However, I'm glad we did film in her house as the setting is perfect for our opening, and even though things changed it was never difficult to put back how we needed it to be. Equipment was an issue throughout production as cameras and tripods weren't available when we needed them. Also, during one day of filming we found the camera we were using ran out of battery because the group that previously used it didn't charge it back up again. We have learnt from this to always check our equipment is charged and working properly before using it and to get it as soon as possible so not to miss out if it becomes unavailable. Overall I think we have made great progression as a group because we have dealt with every problem that has occurred and stuck to our original plan with a few exceptional changes.

Background music

For our background music, we decided we wanted to have continuous music throughout the opening. We got the music from a copyright free website allowing us to use it without breaking copyright law. This piece of music lasts just over 3 minutes which give us enough time for it to last the whole way through and cut any out if not needed. The reason we have chosen tis particular piece of music is because in my opinion it gives off an edgy, suspicious and unnerving feel due to its deep tone. This links in perfectly to our thriller horror as we wanted to create that unnerving feel for the audience.

Costume

When looking at costume we wanted a costume that was very typical of a modern teenager as well as something you could maybe expect within a horror-thriller film. Therefore we wanted our protagonist to be wearing something basic and plain. For example leggings, jeans, jumpers, t shirts etc. Furthermore  we also wanted casual plain colours. For example we decided we wanted some kind of white upper garment - like a white jumper or top.

The white jumper below is like the jumper our protagonist wears throughout the opening. We chose this as  jumper can seem 'home'ly' as well as it being a casual piece of wear that is communal worn by teenage girls and women of all ages in modern society. Furthermore we decided we wanted it to be a white jumper as this would represent purity and innocence because of the social connotations and general associations with the colour white. We thought the white would represent innocence and angelic like almost like an angel or a dove.

Furthermore these are the type and style of jeans that our protagonist will be wearing throughout also. We thought this was fitting as she is meant to be represented as just typical female teenager of a modern society and jeans are the most ideal, casual and normal trousers for them to wear. Therefore we also thought this was better than leggings and any pyjamas as pyjamas would show its her house whereas we want to show she is a babysitter and this isn't her own house therefore wearing clothes to go out but as if it is her own household as she is used to babysitting there. Furthermore leggings are associated with more lower class and are too casual. Moreover typical leggings are black and in some low key lighting it is then harder to see her legs and what she is doing. Therefore making us decide that navy blue jeans are the most ideal.

Evaluation:

From my group members work I can see that the both the jumper and the jeans are both very casual pieces of clothing which is the effect we wanted to go for. The costume is also typical for young adults and teenagers to wear as it is comfortable yet stylish. The reason we decided to use a casual costume is because we wanted to keep a sense of realism for the audience, which we wouldn't have got if we used an unrealistic costume. For our opening realism is very important as when analysing horror films and thrillers we found that one of the aspects that makes them so scary is because the characters and setting are based on everyday people which automatically links the characters to the audience. Another reason we wanted to have a casual costume is because our setting is a typical middle class house and the costume fits in with the typical middle class feel. In contrast to this we didn't use a dressy upper class costume as it wouldn't have fitted in with our setting.