Evaluation Task

Question1: In what does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Answer:
To try and show our final media sequence as an opening that could fit into the professional industry of film making we used typical conventions of the genre we had been given (thriller)
We showed these specific conventions throughout our film as not all of them would be applicable to us. the first one we used was 'The protagonist will be in peril inane or more scenes before the resolution.' This was simple to do in opening as we could in twine this when introducing the audience to character and we would obviously not be giving a resolution as it would leave no reason for the audience to continue watching. This would also be easily shown through camera work however to add that crucial tension we would combine the micro elements.
The second was 'Themes of identity are common.' By exploring this concept we decided on a double/split personality. This is portrayed in by the mixture of the shot lighting as throughout the sequence it goes from very dark enclosed places, to wide open spaced with free, natural lighting (and atmosphere) Due to the combination of the micro elements this builds enigmas within the audience and evidently tension as the audience in unaware of what may or may not be coming next (which in itself is another convention of a typical thriller)
The third conventions which was prominent within our opening sequence is 'The antagonist ensnares the protagonist in a complex web until the protagonist feels isolated and hopeless' Although we included this in convention in our thriller we decided to challenge it and develop it into a 'complex web' itself. This was because that we thought it would mentally stimulating for the audience to engage with the idea that the protagonist is the antagonist themselves. So to initiate this idea we gave small hints allowing it to have the 'snow ball' effect through the film.
To show you what I have been talking about I have taken some stills from our opening and written by them about how exactly they show the conventions in which we have chosen to put in the thriller.

This extreme close up immediately shows the audience that our character is very stressed and upset about something leading the audience to wonder what. This shot is also intense as the eyes really draw the viewer in and engage them with the distress that the is quite obviously feeling.

This over the shoulder shot also shows the character in peril and by not showing the face it creates enigmas within the audiences mind as although they have hunches that it is the same person they are not 100% sure.

This shot is more complex than the others as the extreme close up simply shows the character putting on eyeliner which is a standard day to day event for many teenagers but due to dark and intense lighting this creates an unnerving atmosphere. Also this shot does not run alone, soon after an unsettling shot runs (like the ones above) showing a clear personality switch.

This we felt was a far more subtle and abstract way of showing how the two minds are locked and forced together to create this complex story line that will engage the audiences mind.

Within this shot we layered to shots onto one another this is fairly contemporary editing style and we felt gave our thriller a new fresh development on the convention. We chose to do these two specific clips as the thorn spiking shows the girl self harming (even despite the severity being very minimal) Also the eyes show someone looking very uneasy and nevus about something therefore creating ambiguity.

This final shot which is also the final shot of the opening sequence shows just how isolated and alone the character becomes due to the constant conflict her two polar opposite personalities have. Also by having her in the dark it emphasises how she feels completely push out and how she is now living on the absolute periphery of society. In addition we used the candles in the back ground as this echoes enlightenment giving the viewer hope that our character will make it out of this rut and thus they will want to go on the journey with her.


Question2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Answer
Within our thriller the social group that we decided to explore was evident from the outset, schizophrenia. We decided to explore this particular social group and this mental health issue as it links to many of the conventions we wanted to develop and give our fresh take on them creating a new thriller that doesn't run parallel with all the other generic thrillers that have been out on the screen for the last five years.
However there are some break that mould and this is one of those that inspired our piece;

I chose Black Swan as this shows throughout the film the battle Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) has to keep the black inside her. In the film the director has also explored how modern day elements contribute to her on going struggle and how the pressures of day to day life for a high end dances soon mount up leading to an outbreak she is no longer able to contain which soon leads to her suicide.
I got a video 'mash-up' off of youtube which I felt showed what I just stated.

As well as looking at fabricated stories I also looked at real life stories that made news and was surprised at how far all these suffers would go when they hear these voices. One that really caught my eye was the case of David Berkowitz A.K.A 'Son of Sam' in 1978. In 1977 Berkowitz went on a killing spree murdering a total of 7 people, when it came to his trial Berkowitz pled guilty for all 7 counts of murder giving very vivid descriptions of how he killed each and every one of them. At his trial when asked why he said it was demanded to do it by his neighbour and these very strong orders were sent via the barking of his neighbours dog giving him a total of 365 years in jail and still to this day lawyers are deciding whether or not he is 'legally insane.' This story amazed me how eccentric it was and just how over powering these voices are to the sufferers.

I feel this still best shows our characters unstable mind as the mixture of the smoking, which is often done when a person is anxious or feeling anxiety, and the twitching of the rings which we have sped up to again highlight the anxiety building up in the scene. This in turn is creating enigmas and ambiguity within audience leaving them to wonder what our character is spiralling into and how/if she will be able to get out of it.

Question3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Answer
The type of institute that would distribute our thriller would most likely be one of the smaller cinema companies as this would allow for the right type of audience to watch our thriller. We decided this as many of the people that go into the major companies to watch a thriller are simply going for the gore and guts and for the cheap and simplistic thrills, however as we feel our film is more sophisticated we didn't want this sort of viewing.
We also decided to go into the smaller screening companies as our thriller production company is very small and would therefore be hidden and living in the shadows of the big and well established companies that are all over the market.

Question4: Who would be your audience for your media product?
Answer
As we decided that the rating for our film would be 15 our target market would be anything between 15 and 30, this would allow enough of a market that there is enough of a viewing however still being able to focus and channel our ideas so we can truly engage them and give them a thrilling over all experience as any good thriller should.
So I could engage them in the first place I decide that I would write a review as this is what many people rely on to tell whether the film they are planning on going to see will be what they are looking for, so...
So I could get a better idea of how a film review should sound I looked at a review by Empire Film Magazine of the new film out in a couple days, Contraband.

From this I was shown that as well as your personal opinion that you should also include a short plot description however it is crucial you do not give the story line away as this will ruin the film for the viewer.
My Review of Silent Minds
Plot
This is the story of a young girl going through her last year of college. The stresses of an average teenager are always there, but on top of all this an overpowering mother and abandoning father, Lucy Write is forced on the periphery of society. Easily swayed Lucy soon falls into the wrong crowd and when they turn on her she is forced to be alone. Festering in her own disturbing thoughts it is abundantly clear there is something seriously wrong. 
Verdict
This unconventional thriller really feeds the mind both creatively and factually. Engaging the audience from the very first sequence the film shows many teens out there how important it is to have that network of truly caring people. Chaos from the outset and throughout and a taunting tone that shows the audience just how soul crushing a disease like schizophrenia can be to a person.
The mixture of micro elements highlights the tension that is constantly breeding through the film and due to the contemporary editing techniques it gives the film as a whole a fresh and open minded look on the youths of today and what they are really having to deal with and face in modern society on a day to day basis.
Unlike many of the films out on the big screen a the minute the opening to this thriller is crucial to the plot. This is the first time we are introduced to Lucy and immediately we are drawn to her and intrigued by this issue that is engulfing her. The mish-mash of clips engage and involve the audience with the disease making us feel her crippling pain and there for dragging us through the ordeal with her.
In all the thriller, although is very much thought provocative is in a twisted way refreshing as we are able to see today's youth in a way he haven't seen before and I would advise anyone who wants a ride that will not be forgotten to go and see this film. 


Question5: How did you attract/address your audience?
Answer
To show how we engaged the audience in specific parts of our opening we decided to do a running commentary telling how we used the mixture of micro elements to engage the audience and leave them wanting answers.
The script for my part of the commentary.
Thriller Conventions
In our opening to ensure we made the appropriate genre we made a conscious decision to follow three of the typical thriller conventions.
The first was showing the protagonist in peril. Although this was not apparent straight away the audience is soon made aware of the  immediate personality change creating enigmas for the audience to engage with.
The next is the antagonist ensnaring the protagonist in a complex web. This idea in its self is very complex as in our thriller both the antagonist and the protagonist are in fact the same person.
 We hoped this would confuse the audience enough that they would be intreged with the storyline but not too much that they would give up with the plot. this idea was first introduced to the audience in the monologue.
the third conventions we tried to involve in our sequence was combine micro elements to build a paramour amount of tension. I felt, despite this sounding the easiest, was probably going to be the hardest. Thankfully this was no the case and and at certain points I feel we were able to really force the audience into feeling insecure and unsettled in the same the character does.
Characterisation
Unlike many other thrillers on the big screen at the moment within Silent Minds we have explored the idea of our character having schizophrenia and therefore having two completely split personalities.
By doing this we hope to make the audience feel complete polar opposite emotions, fear and empathy.


Question6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
Answer
During the process of making our opening sequence I learnt a lot about the technical elements that go into making a professional and engaging thriller for the audience. Although I did not have much input when it came to the filming as I was not actually present when it took place I already had previous knowledge on how the cameras worked due to the making of the preliminary tasks. 
Despite this I feel that my editing and music producing skills have come on in leaps and bounds from those very first tasks we did. I have also learnt how rot use photo shop in an a lot more efficient way therefore allowing me to get it done quicker and more professional looking.
I feel through this process that it has been my editing skills that have bee improved the most, this is because (as I didn't do any of the filming) I did a majority of it for our opening sequence. 
Heres how and why:

Final Cut Express is an editing software on Apple Macs. It is a lower grade of the software that many of the big name film companies use when it comes to editing there blockbusters.
At first when it came to editing the process was very slow as I was unfamiliar of where specific techniques so was constantly asking for help. However once I really began organising, cutting the clips down and changing the speed I started to get much quicker and became far more efficient. Once I had really got the hang of the simple techniques I started exploring different effects and transitions to give our sequence fresh, different and more contemporary look to it.

One technique that I learnt to do was over lap two clips. This was show the very busy and confused mind that our character had therefore engaging the audience with her problem.

Garageband is also a piece of software on the Apple Macs which allows you to take beats and symphonies and layer them allowing you to make your own piece of music.
Within our thriller we actually used two pieces of music and layered them onto one another to create this very unsettling ambience that ran through out the whole of our opening. 
I already had previous knowledge of how to use garage band as I have it one my personal laptop at home however due to making another and more advanced I have been able to enhance this knowledge further. 


Question7: Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Answer
After looking back at the preliminary task we did at the very beginning of the project I think it is safe to say that all the skills and knowledge we had to start with have been trebled and more. 
The preliminary task looked extremely jovial and in way shape or form this was mainly because it was carried out in a very short time period and therefore couldn't really plan different angles, mise en scene or even enhance the small amount we did have with skilful knowledge (mainly because that was still very limited) 
However this all changed when it came to doing our main project. The planning for our opening sequence was extensive from analysing mainstream thrillers to those made by previous students. We then began looking at ideas for our own, this was very initial ideas so they were not developed and were very raw as they had not been thought throw on a practical level for example we had the idea of having an extreme close up of blood shot eyes and without making this looking tacky or fake. We then began to channel these thoughts and decided that we would go with the mentally unstable idea as this would give our thriller the unpredictable nature that a thriller needs to engage the audience and really engage and anticipate what will or will not happen next.
We then started looking beyond the actual film itself and started looking at fabricating our own production company, this started with the logo.