Friday 30 March 2012

Evaluation Task

1.  Question: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?




We tried showing that are film could be suitable for the big screen by using typical convention from the genre we were given, which was THRILLER. We demonstrated these fixed conventions throughout our film because not all of them would be relevant. 

At the start of our opening we have introduced the main character straight away, but we have not shown her face because we wont to create enigmas within the audience. This was to create tension and to engage the audience! Enigmas are a typical convention in a thriller film. 

Another one we included was 'The protagonist will be in peril inane or more scenes before the resolution.' This was straightforward to do in opening sequence as we could use this when introducing the audience to character and this would be easily perceived not to be giving a decision as it would leave the audience not really bothered about watching Silent minds. This would also be easily shown through cinematography and other micro elements, which could help create tension!!!!


This is the main character Lucy, but the audience might not work it out, which create enigmas. This is an other shoulder shot, which capture a figure in the window! The aims for this shot was to show lucy in peril and to make the audience question them selfs about the refection, is it lucy in the reflection??! 
This shot makes lucy look vulnerable, which builds tension and engages the audience!

This is two shot over layering each other, it show Lucy self harming and it also shows Lucys eyes. Lucy eyes show shes scared and its showing that something is bothering her. This makes the audience feel sorry for the character, which builds a connection with the audience! The shot is a close up which still doesn't reveal her whole face!! 


2. Question: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We have combined two social groups and represented both of them in depth! We have represented youth and mental health and explore both of them in one character 'Lucy'. Lucy has schizophrenia, so we have link them to micro elements to try and show our two represented social groups, but the same time using the right conventions to keep the genre as a thriller film!! 

We have research the mental illness 'schizophrenia': 
"Throughout recorded history, the disorder we now know as schizophrenia has been a source of bewilderment. Those suffering from the illness once were thought to be possessed by demons and were feared, tormented, exiled or locked up forever.
In spite of advances in the understanding of its causes, course and treatment, schizophrenia continues to confound both health professionals and the public. It is easier for the average person to cope with the idea of cancer than it is to understand the odd behavior, hallucinations or strange ideas of the person with schizophrenia.
As with many mental disorders, the causes of schizophrenia are poorly understood. Friends and family commonly are shocked, afraid or angry when they learn of the diagnosis. People often imagine a person with schizophrenia as being more violent or out-of-control than a person who has another kind of serious mental illness. But these kinds of prejudices and misperceptions can be readily corrected.
Expectations become more realistic as schizophrenia is better understood as a disorder that requires ongoing -- often lifetime -- treatment. Demystification of the illness, along with recent insights from neuroscience and neuropsychology, gives new hope for finding more effective treatments for an illness that previously carried a grave prognosis.
Schizophrenia is characterized by a broad range of unusual behaviors that cause profound disruption in the lives of people suffering from the condition, as well as in the lives of the people around them. Schizophrenia strikes without regard to gender, race, social class or culture." 

-Delusions & Hallucinations Are Common in Schizophrenia

-Social isolation and withdrawal

-Irrational, bizarre or odd statements or beliefs

-Increased paranoia or questioning others' motivations

-Becoming more emotionless

-Hostility or suspiciousness

-Increasing reliance on drugs or alcohol (in an attempt to self-medicate)

-Lack of motivation

-Speaking in a strange manner unlike themselves

-Inappropriate laughter

-Insomnia or oversleeping

-Deterioration in their personal appearance and hygiene

Black Swan shows throughout the film the fight 'Nina Sayers' to keep the black swan within her. In the movie the director has also investigate how modern day elements contribute to her fight and how the coercion of day to day life for a high end dances soon builds up leading to an outbreak she is no longer able to contain which soon leads to her taking her own life!!!!! 





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





4. Who would be your audience for your media product?

Our target audience would be between the ages of 15 - 30, It has to be above the age of 15 because of our chosen classification age of 15. This is an bigger enough audience to engage and show them in depth what living with a mental illness is like! 

To get people to more about our thriller, I decided to write a review, but before i could write one, i need to do a bit of research before hand!!


Here is an online review :
Here is a magazine review: 



Here is a few magazine/web pages my review could feature on:




Here is my review: 


5.How did you attract/address your audience?

We made a voice over our opening talking about micro elements and how they attracted our audience. I was the spokes person for Camerawork and Sound.

Here was my speech:

 The camera work for our thriller opening sequence mostly were close up of objects and part of Lucy's face, this was used to create enigmas within our audience. Also this helps create a surreal environment and to create tension in the atmosphere. In the opening sequence we have used a montage (made mostly of close ups), this was used to show how mentally unstable the main character Lucy is and what weird thing happen in side her head.

The sound for our opening thriller sequence we decided to layer ambiences and distorted sound effects, this was to create enigmas and to create a unnerve environment. The sounds were random and not in a order, which created enigmas within the audience!!


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

- The HD video camera and tripod that were provided for us were very easy to handle and use. The quality is also a big plus. One problem with it maybe is that the tripod wouldn't be very useful in small spaces and areas.
-Final Cut Express helped me learn about how to create dynamic scenes using transitions such as fade to black and to use quick cuts during the editing process. It was also very useful when layering two clips over one another, this was very effective in our opening sequences! One of its drawbacks that we had to solve was its incompatibility with other cameras other than what we have been provided with.
-GarageBand was very useful for using loops that were provided that were suitable for our film. GarageBand was also very helpful when adding ambiences and over sound effect to our opening. 

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