2. Q1. In what does your media product USE, DEVELOP
or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media
products?
Form and
convention
Relate to your film Evidence
Introducing
the main
protagonist
U/D In my film, the first shot is
introducing the main character.
The next 6 shots are then still of
the main
protagonist, introducing her to
the audience and making them
aware that this is the main
character. This involves a mix of
shots including close
ups, medium long shot, over the
shoulder shot and low angle
shots of her.
3. Titles U/D From researching title’s in the title
sequences of films, I gathered a lot of
information about what titles to use and
what order to have them in. I put all of
the relevant titles that were needed in
my title sequence. From doing this
research I learnt that the first two titles
were always the distributor and the
production company and they would
fade in before any other titles. I then
stuck to the most common title order
that I found from watching other title
sequences and planned my titles before
adding them to my film.
Titles U/D From researching title’s in the
title sequences of films, I
gathered a lot of information
about what titles to use and
what order to have them in. I
put all of the relevant titles
that were needed in my title
sequence. From doing this
research I learnt that the first
two titles were always the
distributor and the
production company and they
would fade in before any
other titles. I then stuck to
the most common title order
that I found from watching
other title sequences and
planned my titles before
adding them to my film.
4. Music D/C For my film I created a bit of the music in my
film on garage band. I also looked for music
that was not copy right that I could use in my
film, and I found this on a website called
Audio Network. At the start of the opening
sequence the music is quite quiet and slow
but is also creepy, allowing the audience to
straight away guess the genre of this film is a
thriller. You can tell that this music is going
to build up into something more loud and
even more scary because of just how quiet
and slow it is, gradually getting louder. This
particular music has been chosen for the
venerable girl, the music then changes when
we see the first shot of the male who you
can tell is going to be a villain or is up to
something, the music is then much louder
but still adding to the creepy and eerie
atmosphere. I used many different pieces of
music for my title sequence which I put
together to suit the particular bit of the film.
The music starts of slow then there's a
quickening pace to become dramatic at the
climax of the shots used.
5. Narrative D/C The title sequence of my film
is the start of a murder scene
which was in the past. Once
the title sequence ends, the
film will then go on to be the
future investigation of the
murder and flash backs from
before the murder. This is so
that the audience can be more
involved with her life and feel
more sorry for the main
character who was taken,
seeing her past and her future
even after she was taken - of
what her family, friends and
lifestyle was like. The narrative
I used was non linear
narrative.
6. Titles –
Names of
cast
U/D After researching title sequences
and the order of titles in films, I
made a list of the titles I was
going to use. I followed a similar
order from Dirty Dancing’s
opening sequence and Catch Me
If You Can. I made sure that I put
the most important actor’s
involved in my film’s names near
the start of the title sequence.
This is so that the audience can
see some of the stars in my film
and will be excited to watch more
as they may like them actors from
other films. I also made the
names come up as that specific
actor was in the shot in the
background for example, when
the actress Aimie Stringer was on
the screen walking down the
stairs, I had her name fade on to
the screen. I made all of my titles
fade in and fade out.
7. Introducing
the setting
U/
D
My film opening starts in a house, in a girl’s
bedroom. This introduces you to a part of
the main protagonist’s life straight away,
showing her home. The setting then goes
on to show her street and the houses on
the way to the park, the setting leads you
to think that she comes from a middle
class background. You see a lot of the
setting as you see the whole journey of
this girl walking to the park and what she
see’s. You also see why the film is called
Morris Way, as one of the shots shows that
her street is called Morris Way and in a
way it establishes the setting and scene.
Therefore you can tell that this exact
setting that you see on her journey to the
park is important as its the name of the
film and it’s the place that she get’s taken
and so the mystery goes on from this
setting at the very start of the film.
D Develop
U Use
C Challenge
8. Forms and conventions of most thriller films, and ones
that I researched
• MUSIC – tense music, that usually would start off slow and then quicken the pace to become more
dramatic at the climax of the shot.
• MYSTERY – enigma being caused, which should then run throughout the rest of the film, and should be
answered right at the end, unless the film has a sequel. For example from my analysis of The Woman In
Black (2012) by James Watkins title sequence, where three young girls jump out of there bedroom
window after looking at something in the corner of the room that the audience can not see. This was a
great opening sequence in terms of causing enigma and mystery, and making the audience want to
watch on and find out more.
• PACE – the pace should be fast when action is taking place of the villain is around, however it should be
slower when the main protagonist which in my case is the young and venerable girl is in the scene
maybe figuring out what to do.
• GENDER – stereotypically a male character plays the main antagonist , usually the protagonists are a
mixture of male and female but more likely to be female. I stuck to this stereotype to have the male as
the killer and the young female as the one being attacked because this would usually make the
audience relate to the characters more. However women do still play the role of the antagonist in some
films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
• THEMES – isolation, vulnerability, loneliness, revenge...
I took all of these forms and conventions in before making my film and tried to use and develop them
when making my title sequence from researching other title sequence’s and having an understanding
about the forms and conventions of thriller and horror films.
9. • The narrative of my film is non linear (disjointed/disrupted narrative)
• Non linear narrative is a narrative technique where events are portrayed, for example out of
chronological order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality
pattern of the events feature, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or
narrating another story inside the main plot.
• I chose this narrative device because my film is thriller and having the narrative as non linear
will make it harder to understand and make the audience concentrate more and get more
involved in the film as they want to know what is happening. It makes the audience feel
more part of the storyline as they would normally tend to focus more as its more exciting in
my opinion.
• This device will have a bigger impact on my film and create much more enigma which is my
aim really, as my film is a thriller with many unanswered questions which you find out at the
end, making it as interesting and engaging for the audience as possible.
Narrative Device
10. Q2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
• I used a variety of different shots to open my title sequence that introduced the main protagonist
in my film. This was so that the audience could get to know her character and relate to her more
until the end of the sequence comes and a boy follows her to the park and takes her, so that the
audience will sympathise for her more. The main protagonist is a young and pretty female. She is a
teenage student and dressed in everyday casual clothes.
This is a low angle shot showing
her walk down stairs. This shows
her outfit, and from this point
you can already tell her age and
a bit about her.
The first shot is of a girl on her
phone in a pretty pink bedroom
with flowery curtains, this
automatically makes her look
venerable, and teenage girls will
find this situation relatable.
The next shot is an over the
shoulder shot of the main
protagonist, showing her putting
on her makeup in the mirror.
This could tell the audience that
she is about to go out
somewhere.
11. Q2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
She is a British, middle class teen. You can
tell her class because of the outside
surroundings such as the houses, when she
is walking to the park and also because of
the location of the filming, in St Albans.
From researching other film openings, I realised that
the film is much more effective if the target audience
can relate to the characters, getting involved in the
characters life and the audience relating and involving
this character into their life.
12. Representation of Age as a social group;
• There is representation of age with what both the teenagers are wearing. Their outfit’s are in
fashion for teenagers at the moment, and some of the pieces from the outfits are bought
from mainstream, well known shops such as Topshop and Office. You can tell that they are
teenagers from what they are wearing.
• In addition, the girls room represents her age, because of the fact that its pink with lots of
mirrors and pretty flowery curtains. This is quite typical for a teenage ‘girly girl’.
• Another thing is that the girl is walking to the park, where most teenagers do hang around,
even though this is stereotypical, teenagers do hang around in parks for than most other age
ranges.
• As the protagonist girl gets taken and she is quite younger than the boy who takes her who is
actually also a teen, this may say that the fact that she’s younger means that she’s more
venerable and more easy to attack than someone older.
Q2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
13. Representation of Gender as a social group;
• In my title sequence, the male is represented as the bad one as it more common in films for
males to be the abductor and villain. The start of my film automatically makes you scared of
the male character and this is a negative representation of males because of what he does.
• The female at the start of my film is represented as the stereotypical venerable, defenceless
and unprotected young female.
• However, the main protagonist who gets abductor's sister makes us question this stereotype
later on in the film as she is brave, fierce and not scared of anything who goes hunting for
this person that has taken her sister.
Q2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
14. Q3. What kind of Media Institution might distribute
your Media Product and Why?
Vertigo Films is
the leading British
Independent film
production and
distribution
company.
It was founded in 2002
by producer Allan
Niblo and James
Richardson.
The company
has produced 24
films and
distributed a
further 30.
Here it shows Vertigo on
demand, where you can watch
Vertigo’s films on there
website where my media
product could get shown. This
is a platform for my film.
This is Vertigo films
website, where it tells
you about the
institution and some of
the films that it has
done.
15. Q3. What kind of Media Institution might distribute
your Media Product and Why?
Why I chose these Media Institutions as my production and distribution company:
Hammer Films dominated the horror and thriller film market, distributing different films worldwide.
Since Hammer is responsible for many horror and thriller films, this is also why I chose this as my
production company as my film is a thriller and I thought it would be best suited for it.
I chose Vertigo Films as it is becoming a well-known distribution company and it has distributed
many successful films that are mostly aimed at teenagers like my film.
Hammer is one of the most well-known film brands in the
UK and is responsible for the worldwide smash The
Woman In Black and many other films such as Let Me In,
Wake Wood, The Resident and The Quiet Ones. Since
Hammer was founded in 1934, it has made over 150
feature films. Whilst synonymous with horror, and the
genre-defining classics its produced, the company has a
varied history, with action-adventure movies, psychological
thrillers and historical epics to its name.
16. • The platforms that my film would
be distributed on would be at
cinemas, at a Multiplex such as
Odeon or The View cinemas, on
DVD and Blueray. Also on more
on the new platforms and
technologies such as Sky films on
demand and Netflix where you
could watch this film online or
streaming right to a TV via Xbox,
Wii, PS3 and many other devices.
17. Q4. Who would be the audience for your Media
Product?
AGE
• The audience for my media product is teenagers and young adults. However my film would
also be suitable from the age rang of 15-30 year olds or anyone older, both males and
females. I feel that in terms of the content of my film, it would not be suitable for people
under the age of 15 as there is scary parts, strong language, violence and gory images. Also
as my film will be shown at a Multiplex, having the target audience of young adults and
teenagers is a good idea because they are the age range that are most likely to go to the
cinema. On the other hand, because the film is about an investigation story of a teenage girl
who went missing and did get killed, this may catch people of an older age’s attention
because the investigation side of it is psychological and has a story line that would may
interest older adults. There is a wide range of people who would hopefully be interested in
watching my film, however I'd say the audience that I would still want my film to appeal to is
late teens.
OTHER INFORMATION
• The audience that my film appeals to would be people that like other films similar or of the
same genre such as The Lovely Bones-Peter Jackson, Along Came A Spider- Lee Tamahori,
Inception, Silence Of The Lambs and others like that.
18. I thought that a good way to attract my audience was to make a questionnaire with a few
questions asking my target audience which genre they like the best.
I asked 15 people, some from my class and some of my friends out of school which genre that
they think attracts them and other people their age the most.
My Findings:
Q5. How did you address/attract your audience?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
My target audience's favourite genre's
My target
audience's
favourite genre's
From these results I’ve
found that teenagers
and young adults find
thrillers and horrors the
best genre for a film.
Also as this was one of
my favourite genre’s as
well, I figured that this
would be the best way
to attract my audience
and make my film as
interesting and eye-
catching as possible.
19. Q5. How did you address/attract your audience?
How I addressed my audience in the film;
• By the main protagonist and antagonist of my film being teenagers, this is the same age as
the target audience and so this will attract and address the target audience more as they can
relate to them and their lifestyle. This will hopefully engage the audience as they can then
indentify with the characters in the film. For example, having a teenage girl act the venerable
one who gets abducted will make other teenage girls in the audience sympathise for her and
feel empathy towards her, and be scared as well as the actor as any teenage girl would in this
situation.
• The older teenage boy who stalks this girl in the title sequence of my film is wearing casual
clothes which most teenagers would wear, a black hoody, Adidas shoes and jeans. Whereas
the girl is wearing leggings, Converse’s and a burgundy hoody, both of these outfits will help
the attract and address the audience as its in fashion at the moment and most teenagers
would wear most of these things.
• The title sequence builds up tension from start to end when you finally see the male catch
the female, because of the tension building up throughout with a use of different shots and
scary music that starts of slow and gets louder and louder, this will attract the audience into
wanting to know what is going to happen next.
20. Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
After successfully filming my opening sequence, I needed to use a programme called Final Cut
Express. This programme allowed me to edit the footage that I had filmed and to get rid of the
footage that was not needed. I then learnt how to put my cut pieces in order and add
different titles in, music and sounds. I then learnt how to make sure the titles stayed on the
screen and did not contrast with the background of the scene. I learnt how to fade in and out
titles and get them in the place that I wanted.
I learnt how to use many
different types of
technologies when making
my film opening in order to
construct a good and
effective title sequence.
At first I had to get used to
using a camera and tripod to
film with. From making a
continuity exercise at the
start of the course this
helped me to get used to
working with these
technologies.
21. I also learnt how to add music to this software, Final
Cut Express. I did this by creating some sounds on
another programme that was new to me called
Garageband, where I created some of my own music.
I then found a website on the internet called LGFL
Audio Network that had non-copyright music on
it, where I found a couple of pieces of music that I
thought would work well in my film.
Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
I then learnt how to embed my pieces of
music from Garageband and Audio
Network onto Final Cut Express, by
saving them to ITunes first and adding it
onto my film editing from that. I was
able to turn the music's volume up and
down and different points in the
film, for example I turned the music
lower at the start and by the end it got
much louder to build up tension.
22. Director’s Commentary Script on Q6.
- The first shot you see is introducing the main character and you can hear the faint sound of creepy
non-diagetic music coming in, and building up throughout.
-The next shot is then a close-up, over the shoulder shot of the main protagonist.
- From researching other title sequence’s, I realised that the first two titles are the production and
distribution company. Which in my case is ‘Vertigo Films Presents, A Hammer Production’.
- As the music gets louder and builds up even more, the music makes the genre obvious to the
audience, that it is a thriller, as it is creepy and builds up tension.
- Whilst adding in titles, I needed to use title safe to make sure that the tiles stay visilbe on the screen.
- Once I placed the titles on the screen, I used wireframe to make sure that the whole of the text will
be seen on the screen and the titles were in the right place.
- To make sure the titles fade in and out, making my title sequence look more professional, I changed
the opacity of the text.
- Going back to the order of the titles, the last two titles are ‘Produced By..’ and ‘Directed By..’, I’ve
done this to make my film more professional like other films.
23. Q7. Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the
full product?
Looking back at the preliminary task (continuity exercise)
From making my continuity exercise I learnt that you have to plan what your going to film quite a bit
before filming. This involves the importance of planning my shots before actually filming, making it
easier as I knew what to do. I also learnt about the 180 degree rule, this means that the camera should
be placed somewhere inside 180 degrees on a particular side of the ‘line’ of a shot mostly ones
containing two people filmed in a sequence. You stay in this straight line so that your editing is all done
on one side to make it look much more professional and consistent. I also learnt more about how to use
the camera and tripod and get to grips with filming.
Making my title sequence
Whilst making my film I learnt just how important planning a film is before actually filming and
editing, this is why I did a lot of research into other title sequence’s before making my own which is all
on my blog. I learnt how many different shots can be used to make the film more effective as a
whole, including close-ups, establishing shots, long shots and many more and how you should try and
use as many different shots as possible to make it more professional. I learnt the importance of
involving the audience by representing different social groups and addressing and attracting my
audience so that they get more into the film and want to watch it again in the end.
The thing I learnt the most was the actual editing of my film, how to use different programmes and
software's on the computer which I had never used before like Garageband and Final Cut Express, to
add to my final media product.
