Evaluation of my 2 minute media film opening

1. Evaluation
of our 2 minute media film opening

2. 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
One convention used in real media products that we incorporated into our own film
opening was the use of sound. In particular we used non-diegetic soundtracks to
build tension throughout the two minutes. In many horror films, especially those I
analysed in my research, the music gradually came in part way through the opening
to build tension before the opening title appears and the film begins. Therefore, I
tried to replicate this technique in my own opening by using only diegetic, ambient
sound to set the scene but introduced an eerie soundtrack, slowly increasing the
volume towards the end of the opening to build fear up until this point where most
of the action takes place.
Although, we did challenge one convention of media products in the aspect of sound
which is dialogue. I chose not to have the characters say anything to try and
emphasise the isolated, eerie mood created. Moreover, as the masked character was
anonymous, if they were to have a speaking role in the script, this would be a big
give away to their identity which would ruin the rest of the intended plot. This
should keep the audience engaged and questioning who the characters are and the
context to why they’re in this location. I think this decision was successful, as my
focus group said it would be effective if it was done properly, so I ensured when
editing that I used the soundtrack and sound effects to create an interest in the
opening.

3. Another element of real media products that we developed in our new media
product was the use of camera shots and movements. Throughout the
majority of the opening we tended to use camera shots typical of real media
products however, we also used some shots that wouldn’t typically be seen in
a successful horror film. This can be seen in the medium long shots that
tracks Ruby walking down the path. Although, as well as the tracking camera
movements evident in these shots, we also wanted to use a shaky, handheld
camera movement to create the effect of this shot being from the masked
characters point of view as if they’re following her.
However, apart from these shots, the rest of the opening conforms to the
typical conventions of a film using a variety of camera shots, angles and
movements. For example, I used long, establishing shots to show as much of
the location as possible in order to set the scene. However, in some cases I
used close ups to focus the audiences attention on the emotion shown in
Ruby’s face. In contrast, I used close ups such as the over the shoulder shot
and the low angle shot to keep the identity of the masked character unknown
to create mystery in order to set the plot of the film into place in this opening
scene.

4. The editing I used in my film opening also conformed to what’s typically seen
in horror films as the all the inspiration I had for creating a film in the horror
genre came from the films I analysed in my research as well as others I had
previously seen. Therefore, I used these techniques to try and create the
same effect other horrors do, which work effectively to create scary and
frightening films. One key editing technique I used that I’d seen in other
horrors was the increase in the pace of editing as it got closer towards the
end to build tension in the audience. Moreover, I used a lot of ‘fade'
transitions to cut the shot to a black screen for a few seconds before coming
back to represent a jump in time. I thought doing this would keep the
audience engaged as it meant more action was being shown rather than the
characters just walking, which also makes up for the absence of dialogue.
Our choice of costumes and props also conforms to the conventions of what’s
captured in the mise-en-scenes of horror films. The main female character is
dressed in casual and contemporary clothing to suggest that this is real life
which should cause more fear in the audience as it demonstrates that this
could also happen to them. On the other hand, the anonymous character is
dressed in all black which is typical of the villainous character in films and
connotes a sense of mystery and fear which are feelings horrors aim to elicit of
the audience.

5. 2. How does your media product represent particular
social groups?
The two main characters in this film opening are the key people to create a
representation of social groups through the characters they play. The main
social groups they represent in the film are age, gender, race, class and
sexuality. The main female protagonist, Ruby, represents this gender as the
more vulnerable and powerless gender as the opening demonstrates that
she’s the victim in this situation as she’s being followed by an unknown
person. This portrayal is often typically seen in films as stereotypically,
females are the less dominant gender in real life. However, the character
playing this role is white which may suggest that she is the more superior
character in the film although it’s clear when she’s faced with the masked
character that she loses this power she may have had as she becomes afraid
and chooses to move away. Moreover, the character playing Ruby is a similar
age to that of the target audience between 15 – 25 year olds. I think my
media product supports the stereotypical representation of young people not
being as wise as an older group and finding themselves in difficult situations
where they feel uncomfortable and afraid.

6. On the other hand, the masked character also featured in the opening makes it
harder to create a representation of social groups through this character as their
identity is unknown. However, this does mean the audience are left to interpret
the character meaning they may create a image of the characters social groups
by the way it’s portrayed and behaves in the opening.
Typically in horror films, the villainous character is a male so this may be one
social group the audience associate with the masked character. However, when
filming, we used a female to play this role. Moreover, the race of this character
is also unknown but the audience may assume that it’s a black character as its
been suggested that African Americans are more likely to be arrested for violent
crimes than white people, such as the crimes that would take place later on in
this film. Also, the audience may assume that this character comes from a lower
class than the female character as they’re shown wearing a hoodie and acting
suspiciously which may imply that they’re from a working class background.
Finally, the audience may assume the sexuality of this character as being
heterosexual as this is the most common sexuality however, I don’t think this
factor has any effect on the storyline of the film so can be interpreted in many
ways by the audience without altering the plot.

7. 3. What kind of media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
Universal and Lionsgate are both major film institutions
who have released successful horror films such as Saw,
Alone in the Dark and Jaws. Therefore, these
institutions are likely to distribute a media product like mine
as it fit into the genre of films they usually successfully distribute. However,
these institutions are also known for distributing other genres of film such as
romantic comedies, science fictions and action. One of the main reasons these
big companies often have successful media products is due to the large
amounts of budget they’re able to put into films allowing them to get a more
famous cast, more extravagent locations and better props and effects. All
these factors
attract the audience as it suggests that the film is going to be of a higher
standard and be more engaging, increasing it’s
popularity. Subsequently, this creates a reputation
of the institutions always producing or distributing
high quality films which instantly attracts the
target audience.

8. However, big companies like these often want
more control over the film meaning creative
control would be lost and the film may not go in the
direction I had planned. Therefore, an institution such as Hammer Films or
Twisted Pictures, who are just as successful but produce lower scale films,
would mean I could still have more input in decisions whilst having an
experienced institution who specialise in horrors to suggest ideas for settings,
characters and props that meet the storyline of my film and the typical
conventions of a horror film.
Therefore, if my film went into production and I had to choose a institution to
produce and distribute my project, I would most likely choose a smaller
institution such as Hammer Films. Although they don’t provide big budgets,
the locations and props I planned for in the opening are cheap and easily
accessible meaning a big budget wouldn’t be necessary. Also, having a
institution who are experienced in producing films in the same genre as mine
would ensure my film meets the codes and conventions of a typical horror,
increasing the overall success it would have as a new media product.

9. 4. Who would be the audience for your media
product?
During my planning I made the decision to aim this media product towards
males and females between the ages of 15 to 25. I also suggested that the
main demographic would most likely be working class, white British people
who, because of the specific age range, are likely to be interested in social
media and socialising with friends by doing activities such as going to the
cinema or going out shopping. I chose this audience as my research
suggested that this is the most common target audience for horror films.
Although, I also wanted to choose an audience who could relate to the
characters in the film which is the reasoning behind the specific choices of a
working class, white British audience as these are the social groups of the
characters I had cast.
However, the target demographic for age and gender appears to be quite
broad but my research suggested that the target audience of horror films
tends to be open to a much larger audience than other genres of film as
horrors often include sub-genres that make it appealing to other social
groups. Also, I had a range of people in my focus group, from these different
audiences who all found the narrative of the opening to be engaging, which
emphasises how broad the audience can be for horrors.

10. 5. How did you attract/address your audience?
One way I attracted my audience in the opening was by using characters who
would be similar to the target audience meaning they have someone to relate
to in the film. Therefore, the main character known to the audience in the
opening fits into the age range of my target audience as well as the social
class and. Even though I did want this film to appeal to both male and
females, no males were featured in the opening meaning it might be harder for
them to relate to a character and take on board their emotions although, in
my planning I did show intentions for male characters to be introduced later
on in the film.
However, during this opening sequence I decided to attract the male
audience by creating more action-filled scenes which stereotypically, are
more appealing to men. Therefore, I included shots such as the POV shots
where the anonymous character follows Ruby and the low angle shot where
you see both characters getting on the train, in attempt to create a
stimulating yet frightening scene. This should, according to Katz & Bulmers
Uses and Gratifications Theory, create the feeling of ‘diversion’ and
escaping reality providing relief from typical everyday stresses.

11. 6. What have you learned about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
The main technology I have learned about and developed my skills with during
this project is the software ‘Power Director’ which I used to edit and produce
my film opening. When creating the video for our preliminary task I used this
software however, didn’t feel very confident with it which I think showed in
the final result as the editing could have been executed much more precisely
with better cuts, transitions and effects. Therefore, when I decided to use this
software again for the film opening, I practised using all the features Power
Director had to offer to ensure I could make my opening as high quality as
possible and recreate the vision I had created throughout the planning and
research stages. Subsequently, I learned how to trim clips effectively to form
good action match and continuity shots. I also was able to add in text and
media files I had created on Photoshop, another software I hadn’t used much
previously, in order to create the opening credits and titles. Similarly, I found
out how to add music and clips of footage I had downloaded online and
adjusted the volume/opacity of these in order for them to fit in seamlessly into
my opening and added transitions on the footage and text to create the same
sense of flow.

12. Although, the main way I tried to attract my audience in the opening was
through the use of conventions typically seen in horrors. I wanted to attract
them in this way as the audience would have chosen to watch a horror for a
particular reason, whether it be for personal relationships or diversion.
Therefore, if the film didn’t fit with the typical codes of a horror, it would
dissatisfy the audience and their needs meaning the film wouldn’t have been
successful in its aims and purpose. Therefore, I used features such as the
eerie soundtrack, fast paced editing, low lighting and dark clothing to reflect
what is typically seen in horror films, from what I had found from my research.
Each of these elements together should add to the fear being created in the
audience, building up to the main film, and providing the audience with the
feeling of fear and tension they’d want to obtain from a horror film.

13. As well as Power Director, this project offered me my first opportunity to use
the website Blogger to present all of my work leading up to and after the
creation of my opening. I found using this platform a lot easier to display my
work as I was able to draft and edit posts along the way as well as upload
images and videos to support the writing I had posted. Using this platform
was also enjoyable as it was easy to understand and navigate meaning I had
no issues uploading my content.
The final piece of technology used in the project was an iPhone 5s which we
used to record the footage and sound on. After attempting to use a Nikon
D3200 we decided to use an iPhone instead as we were confident with this
device after we had used it for our preliminary task. The footage from this
task demonstrated that the iPhone could produce decent image and sound
quality which is why we were happy to use this device when we began filming.
However as we filmed in the dark, the quality was lowered slightly although, I
think this works to my advantages as I wanted to create an edgy and
unsettling effect. However, this has taught me for the future to practise with
technology that will produce higher quality results so I’m more confident or
use lighting to illuminate the subject in the mise-en-scene.

14. 7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel
you have learned in the progression from it to the full
product?