My media evaluation

1. Evaluation of our
thriller
INCLUDING CRITICISMS AND CREDITS. ALSO INCLUDING CAMERA
SHOTS AND EDITING SKILLS THAT WERE USED IN ‘GROUNDED’

2. Introduction
 This presentation will show the skills we had to use when filming
‘Grounded’ as well as the problems we had to deal with which
came our way during the whole time we had to complete the task. I
will be outlining the pros and cons of the final product as well as
pointing out the different camera shots and editing techniques we
used in the thriller and why.

3. The Dialogue
 The dialogue helps the audience to understand the plot as signposting the
development of the story. The dialogue between the members in the family helps
us understand their situation and the phone call from the mystery caller leaves the
opening title sequence on a cliff-hanger. This was extremely important to include
as we wanted the audience to carry on enjoying and watching the rest of the
thriller. We wanted to create the sense of concealment- meaning the suspense is
created by hiding something from the audience. We created concealment
through the mystery caller as their identity is secretive.
 However, as a group we criticised the dialogue as it may have allowed too much
information for the audience as they may want to work some parts of the plot
themselves. In addition, we could have improved the quality of the dialogue and
we should have kept to the script strictly.
 As a result of allowing the characters to go in the direction they may choose to go
in, the dialogue was not as successful as we liked it to be.
 Moreover, we were rushed for time because we only planned to include the
Sophie scene for the whole thriller, however when we finished editing, we were told
it was too short as it only came to one minute thirty seconds. We had to come up
with an additional idea quickly as well as fitting it in that was a convent time for us
and the actors we had to find.

4. The Camerawork
 The overhead shot makes Nicole look vulnerable when walking up
the stairs. You cannot see her facial expressions from this angle
however, this could have been a good shot to use if we had not
seen who she was beforehand. We wanted Nicole to look
vulnerable on purpose as she has lost her child and the camera
angle emphasises this.
 The Point Of View shot with Nicole searching in Sophie’s bedroom
allows the audience to empathise with victim. Furthermore, the
point of view shot allows the audience to put themselves in the
characters shoes as it allows the audience to engage with the
thriller.

5. The editing, sound and lighting
 The cross cutting between each scene keeps audience to stay connected and
maintain their interest in the storyline. The dissolves from scene to scene adds to
the suspense and creates mystery.
 The non-diegetic sound of the music increasing in tempo influences the
audiences’ mood. The diegetic sound could have been improved by the
quality of the sound of phone call. If we had a better budget we could have
used an additional software to make the dialogue clearer. The lighting towards
the end of the scene was poor as the outdoor lighting kit ran out of battery. This
may have been less preparation from us, although it was fully charged, however
if we stuck to our schedule in a stricter manor, this problem may not have
occurred.
 As a result of this, the lighting in the coffin had changed but we could not have
helped this at the time. We did further research on how to solve his by using the
editing system which was a possibility by masking over the light from another
scene. However the editing software was an old version and the facilities of
solving this problem was limited on top of us students having little experience of
using adobe premiere pro. If we had a bigger budget to work with and more
time to investigate into the software, we could have solved this issue.

6. What was achieved
 Finally, all thrillers must have enigma. Enigma is holding back the story
line and not giving too much information away to the audience.
 A thriller also needs to create a combination of feelings to make it be
more successful. For example, the audience needs to feel fear as well
as excitement
 We also wanted to include audience gratification, which is when the
audience will be on the edge of their seat and expect surprises. Enigma
may also include an active audience where they have to work the plot
out.
 We have achieved this by ending the thriller on a cliff hanger, the
intense cross cutting between Sophie and her family and the mystery of
the character that took her, where she is and why she is there. All these
questions can be answered by the audience therefore we have
achieved enigma in the opening title sequence to our thriller.

7. Conclusions
 Overall I would have liked to of changed the dialogue between
Nicole and Johnathan if we had more time. I would have changed
the lighting in the coffin in the last time it cut to the coffin scene if
we had a wider knowledge on how to use the software. I enjoyed
the experience I gained from using the camera equipment and the
editing software and working in a team.
 By Marc Crown