What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?


We annotated this video to show how technologies from the process of constructing our thriller. Here we talk about the different aspects of technologies that we had to work with to get the final product.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Interviewer: Good Morning Everyone, this morning we have India here, coming to talk to us about her new film Blanched, premiering on the 7^th of June! Hi India!

India: Hi! Im so excited to be here

Interviewer: Were excited to have you, so lets get right to it! What are the pleasures your target audience can take from your opening sequence?

India: Well, my thriller features an upper class man who gets drunk. My target audience would not exactly find that the most appealing thing about the film however, teenage boys do like the mystery and suspense that is created in the opening sequence, which will hopefully hook them to watch the rest of the film.

Interviewer: What genre is your film?

India: My film, Blanched's, main genre is a thriller film, however it has other aspects that can be considered to change or adapt the films actual genre. It has aspects of a crime thriller, as the protagonist then goes on a hunt to find out what happened to his daughter. The opening sequence also reveals elements of horror as he murders someone within the first 2 minutes of the film.

Interviewer:Are there any other films that you would consider to be influential on yours?

India: We did not have a specific film in mind when we wrote Blanched, as we were striving for complete originality however in this industry, almost everything has been already made into a film. The films that we found relate to Blanched or have similar aspects, is definitely Taken, as it is a story about a man who's daughter gets abducted and throughout the film he is searching for her. Gone Girl relates as it is about a missing girl, which can be represented as the daughter, as well as the gory killing of her victims relates to the way in which our character kills the young girl in the title sequence.

Interviewer: Right, so tell us about your setting? Does this specifically appeal to the target audience in any way?

India: The fact that it is mostly set in a typical English cottage, would not exactly attract teenage boys however, the cottage gives off a sense of isolation as the house is secluded. Due to this the girl becomes more personal to him as she is in his house, not anywhere else. This immediately gives clues that he has kidnapped her and has planned to do this. All of which adds to the build of the thriller which is what my target audience is interested in

Interviewer: I see, you seem to keep mentioning the build of the thriller, what else builds to the thriller?

India: Well, many things contribute to it, however a main aspect that should be considered is the Music.

Interviewer: Well, of course! And how did you apply that in your thriller?

India: Through the use of non diegetic sound we added a soundtrack that created suspense and anticipation in the scene, as the scene becomes more intense so does the music and they coincide to create a sinister feeling towards the scene and the character. We edited the thriller on Adobe Premier Pro, which allowed us to play with the music and drag around the pieces in the timeline to parallel the build in the soundtrack to the build in the shot. Another element of sound that builds up the thriller is the simple silence in the beginning, as it makes it more uncomfortable and puts the audience on edge. The music as a whole would be intriguing to the audience as it adds to the convention of the genre.

Interviewer: How interesting! Are there any other parts that would be intriguing to your audience? Perhaps, the names of you actors?

India: Well, because our film is a low budget film, we found that if we left the names of our actors out leaving for the audience to come for the narrative not the celebrities we could attract more viewers as well as hard core fans. We included few titles, only of the institution, producers and director, this way our audience could focus solely on the events happening in the film. I also decided that at the end of our thriller, when the title comes up, that the title would have some sort of blurred effect. I searched through Adobe Premier Pro and found distortion effects that created the perfect blur that would still make the title readable however with an aspect of distortion to make it look more sinister.

Interviewer: Now, I see you've mentioned some editing process that you went through, could you tell me more about that?

India: The main aspect we definitely wanted to keep in mind when editing our thriller was the pace, this is because if we made it too short and static it would have not conveyed the same intense thriller like feeling that would make the film as successful. It needs to somehow trigger the audience and we found that by manipulating the pace to build anticipation, we would be much more successful with our film. We also wanted to make it as real as possible which meant we would not be including any special effects to add to the film, in fear of making it look fake which would then break the suspension of disbelief within the film.

Interviewer: I see, and finally, what are the conventions of your thriller? And have you challenged any conventions?

India: Well the main conventions that we used in Blanched is suspense, slow paced shots, silence and a girl screaming. We challenged conventions however by having a murdered who does not want to actually kill the girl, creates a humanized side of the villain which is normally not shown in these types of films.

Interviewer: How exciting! Thank you so much for speaking with me today, I wish you the best of luck with your film. Blanched debuts on the 7^th of June 2015, watch out for it guys! Its going to be a good one!

Who would be the audience for your media product?

I made a fake facebook account to portray who my thriller film would be targeted at.

Age of audience and why they would like your film?

The age of my specific target audience would be 16 going on to 17 year olds as they're are teenagers who like a thrilling film but they are also in their late teens meaning they can keep up with more intense plot lines that stimulate the brain.

Gender, and age range? Why?
The main gender that my target audience would aim for is men, because typically men prefer thriller/horror films as well as specifically crime thrillers. The age range would be around 15 year olds just up to 18 year olds, this is because teenage boys would appreciate the suspense of my thriller better.

List their interests, what would they do in their spare time? Job wise?

My target audience would be interested in TV shows such as CSI or FBI as well as thriller horror films such as Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs, and would watch these things in their spare time. They would probably also have a job in the similar field of investigation, be it either research or investigation. However my specific facebook profile audience is a teenage boy, he would not have a job as he would be studying but he would be very intellectually successful and pursue a career in investigation. This, however, is a very narrow idea of  who the target audience would be, it could range from many different people with different jobs and hobbies.

How/What would attract them to your film, e.g . genre?
They would be very interested in my film because they already apply to the specific genre my thriller would have which is a crime thriller genre, but they would want to see my film over the other crime thrillers out there because it is a new and completely original idea that many people would want to go see out of curiosity. They would also know that it is an independent film which attracts wider audiences due to the fact that people want to be able to say they first saw the film when it was not famous. 

Think about the type of film you're making and write about your secondary audience. Why might they also like your film? Is your film aimed more at a male or female audience? How would your plot attract males/females and why?

My secondary audience would be men in their mid 30's, they would like my film because they have busy lives with work and family so they would want to get away from that for an hour or so to relax and watch something that they would enjoy watching. My film would be a very satisfying plot that would be leave the audience feeling full of excitement and thrill. Although the film is aimed more at male audiences due to the stereotypical fact that men prefer crime thriller films, women would also enjoy my film as it has a family aspect that would appeal to the female audiences.

 

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

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  Why would your company make your film?

  Initially I chose Vertigo Films to make my film, due to the fact that they are a small British that is close by and tends to pick up individual film makers however I noticed that Universal studios would make a much better choice seeing
  as though they would be able to have enough connections to make the pre-production, production, marketing and exhibition much more successful and they would market our film globally, allowing for a larger target audience. Universal Studios would make our film because they make all genre films, ranging from Jaws to The 40 year old Virgin, which would mean they would be willing to take on a thriller/crime film. It is also a very captivating plot that would attract a large audience and hopefully win some prestigious awards.

What other films have they made?

Universal Studios has made several award winning films such as Jaws, made in 1975, directed by Steven Spielberg. ET the Extra-Terrestrial, made in 1982, also directed by Steven Spielberg. As well as more recent films such as Les Miserables, released in 2013, directed by Tom Hooper, starring major actors such as Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe and Anne Hathaway. Winning Golden Globe Awards, Academy Awards, BAFTA's and many other highly revered awards. They have done very well in the thriller department as well which further supports my reasoning for choosing Universal Studios to make my film as they made Psycho, 1960, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The Purge: Anarchy, 2014, directed by James DeMonaco , Scarface, 1983, directed by Brian De Palma as well as many others.

• How does the film fit the ethos of the institution? 

  Our Thriller would fit in the ethos of Universal Studios as it is a promising film that would add a lot to their reputation as it is a very original idea. Universal Studios also owns a production company in France called Universals Studios France, based in Paris, which is mostly involved in France and Co-European productions, this would be an advantage to us as we are in close quarters seeing as though France and England are both in Europe. Although Universal Studios is known for having a list actors and directors known worldwide which could be an issue in our case, they have worked with very successful directors who got their start amazing films made by Universal Studios. I think they would appreciate the low budget that we have for our thriller and use that to their advantage as they could use their connections as they are part of a conglomerate, therefore allowing us to obtain cheaper advertisement and global viewing of our Thriller.

• How would they market your film?

  Due to our low budget they would focus on marketing via new media tactics, such as creating teaser trailers that would attract a large target audience as well as creating advertisement on facebook and various other social networking sites. Our story is applicable to create a fake scandal on facebook about the death of a teenage girl, through this manner of advertising we will be attracting many more audiences as everyone accesses they internet. Universal Studios would also market our film through Traditional Media to attract a specific target audience, therefore there could be posters up near a high school or university or even in areas more commonly known for thriller fans.

• Do they specialise in a genre?

  Universal Studios do not specialise in a specific genre anymore however they are known for making very successful and high rated Horror and Thriller based films. All of which have very well known directors or actors in them. They tend to rear towards the more classic horrors such as Frankenstein, 1931, and Dracula's Daughter, 1936. This then coincides with the thriller themes that our thriller has which is why I think Universal Studios would be the perfect match for an institution to make our film.

• Do the studio have a particular target audience?

  From the 1920's up until the 2000's Universal Studios had mainly focused on a Horror/Thriller vibe, however in the 2000's they began making more light hearted and different genre films. Therefore they used to have a pretty direct target audience being someone from the ages of 15-50 who would enjoy watching a Horror or Thriller, and usually a boy would prefer seeing the movie over girls. Nowadays their films range from children's movies such as Shrek 4-D that applies to all age groups as Shrek is funny enough to attract older audiences as well, Knocked up a romantic comedy attracting 15-40 year old women, and The Incredible Hulk an action film directed towards 12-30 year old boys/men.

How does your media product represent particular social groups through the use of mise en scene?

When looking at mise-en-scene we used props such as cigarettes and a broken lighter, to show his anxiety and need for relief as well as beer bottles and glasses, which adheres to the character we wanted to convey which was an alcoholic man. The representation of this character through gender, shows clearly that he is a man as we can physically see it, as well as him having the traits of a male, as there are beer bottles laying around, which is stereotypically what a man drinks, as well as straight whisky. This also shows his age, as he is obviously over 18 as he is drinking and smoking, and the way in which he handles the cigarettes and drinks, shows he has experience. Another crucial prop is the hammer, throughout the whole sequence there is an element of suspicion however the audience can not assume that the character is bad in any way until we see him pick up the hammer. This gives a direct clue that he is going to do something that might include killing someone or negative. A hammer brings up negative connotations and is a convention of a thriller/horror.

This relates to the facial expressions part of mise-en-scene where we can see when he drinks that he is used to that kind of alcohol intake therefore supporting the idea that he is an alcoholic. We can also see that he may be already quite intoxicated as he fails to pour the whisky into the glass correctly, spilling around the glass as well. When lighting the cigarette there is an obvious facial expression of anger as he is unable to light the cigarette. Here we can see the male aspect of the character as he loses his temper easily.

His costume is a black, dirty suit which is typical of a working man. The fact that the suit is black is a colour connotation to his dark side, and indicates to the audience that he has a dark side. In relation to representation the fact that he is wearing a suit shows the audience that he is at the age where he still has to work, however he is at a stable boring desk job. He is represented through his costume as a middle aged man with an unchallenging job, which may be the cause of his drinking addiction. However, the audience does not immediately assume that he may be a killer because of his costume, this then adds on to the element of surprise in our thriller and makes it more suspenseful and thrilling.

The lighting in our thriller is natural light in the first room, which gives the impression that the character is inside and it is during the day. We were lucky enough to shoot on a sunny day, that way we did not need to use specific lights to highlight our actor and were able to effectively convey to the audience that it is the middle of the day, this makes the thriller more normal therefore creating the contrast into the other room greater. The second room is quite dark and has small lights on the walls to create a darker more intimidating tone. This is effective as all the tension filled action occurs in this scene.

In relation to character positioning we decided to have the male character, the protagonist, in a different room to the girl, this way there is a change in scenery. We also wanted to create a contrast between the two characters, as our initial plan was to have shots from the different rooms to confuse the audience however when it came to editing the footage we found that it was much more effective to keep the beginning of our sequence in one room and then introduce the girl in the next room afterwards. We also chose to use two different rooms to show a sense of isolation between the characters and build tension when we then show the audience that they are in the same house, and that the male character is actually going to kill the girl in the other room. By putting the girl in a different room we can see the contrast between the two characters, being age and gender.

How does your media product represent particular social groups through the use of camera work?


With camera work we were able to experiment with different angles as well as shots. We used close ups on the man's face to show the detail of his drink and his beard, therefore showing his character as messy and broken, as well as being effective for representation the close ups show detail on the characters face to determine his age. We also have close ups on the actual glass, as he is pouring the whisky to show the concentration of the whisky and the amount that he puts into the glass. Therefore portraying his tolerance to alcohol, making his stereotypical 'alcoholic man' look more effective and real.

We also used an establishing shot of the room so that the audience can see how messy the room he lives in is, as well as the many beer bottles lying around, and the police documents on the couch. This adheres with the representation of a male, as we can tell the stereotypes of a woman being very clean and tidy where as men are supposedly messy and gross, as well as the fact that it is a gender convention to have men drinking beer and whisky.

We included low angles of the character towards the end of the sequence as the audience begins to realise that he is actually the villain in the narrative. The low angle gives him a more mysterious and intimidating look which allows the audience to believe he is about to do something villainous. The low angle also gives the actor an older look to near the age that we want our character to be.