The document provides an analysis of a media product created by the author. It discusses how the product both adheres to and challenges conventions of thriller movies. It conforms to conventions like using guns, dark clothes, and fast-paced music. However, it challenges conventions by casting younger actors than typical for thriller movies. The document also discusses how the product represents teenagers in London through language, clothing, and behavior. It would be distributed by a major British company familiar with the thriller genre, like Paramount or Warner Bros UK, and target audiences over 13 interested in thrillers.

1. Media Evaluation
By: Warsame Mohamed

2. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
 Our media products conforms to most of the conventions of typical thriller
movies whilst also subverting stereotypical and common conventions. To
begin, in most thriller movies the music is fast paced to match the pace of
the ensuing action. Another way in which we adhered to stereotypes
typical of thriller movies was by the use of appropriate props and
costumes i.e. guns and dark coloured clothes. We were able to do this as
in our research we found that in the more successful thriller movies such
as Inception and Taken guns are used quite a lot and the characters are
often wearing dark clothes, usually reflective of their personalities.
 We challenged some of the forms and conventions of typical thriller movies as
much as we did adhere to them if not more so. For example, in thriller
movies especially crime thrillers such as ours the main characters are
usually of older age whereas we casted ourselves meaning none of our cast
was above the age of 17.



3. Gunfire is typical in
Thriller movies and as it
was such a standard
convention we thought it
was obligatory to include
it.
Another convention of
Thrillers is fast pace
and we thought that by
incorporating a chase
scene we could best
conform to this.
We also realised that Thriller
movies often represent the mood
through many media from the
mise en scene to the weather in
our piece the weather is hot and
sunny to match the ferocity and
fast pace of the opening. In a later
scene where the main character is
bleeding out it is dark and gloomy-
again to represent the mood.

4. Our movie was largely similar to Kidulthood as they both revolve around the lives of youth living in
London. As a result of this we ensured that the dress code of our characters was somewhat similar.
The use of baggy clothes and hoodies is generic in any movie about teenagers from London. The ages
of the cast are similar as well. Notice slouched shoulders of the character on the far right of the image
from the movie and that of the character on the far right of our product in terms of their gait they are
the same.

5. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
 Our media product does not represent any social group differently to how they are
usually presented in movie and television. However, this doesn’t mean that we
have not exaggerated the ways in which the social group we have used is
displayed. First and foremost, the social group we represented was teenagers
of London and we did this precisely through the use of language and gait.
Noticeably, the sociolect the characters in our piece speak with is that of only
teenagers that inhabit London. Moreover, the consistent use of colloquialisms
such as “aite” and phrases such as “ I got this” are only used in London as they
are regional slang. In terms of personality and attitude we may also have
shown this particular social group to be aggressive and intolerable towards
others without giving them the opportunity to speak evidence being the fact
that Emz (main character) is chased without being consulted on what was
happening. However, rather than displaying the attitudes of a whole social
group this aspect of our characters would only represents the attitudes of a
smaller group of people who carry out our characters roles in real life.

6. Continued…
 In the previous slide I began to discuss how our media product displays
certain social groups. Firstly, I would like to make clear that our
representation of a particular social group is not fictional but accurate to
a small group of individuals. The social group we are representing does not
consider any specific ethnicity as London itself is a very multicultural city
hence our use of characters of different backgrounds. Although we have
not been specific in terms of class we have been in terms of gender- our
product tries to represent male teenagers of London and not females.
There may have been many other themes we could have considered when
trying to represent this particular social group i.e. Sexuality but due to the
nature of our product we felt they were not appropriate. In conclusion, I
do not believe we have represented our chosen social group positively due
to the violence present in our product but it would have been difficult to
create a thriller using this social group and not doing so.

7. Notice the bent knees of the
character in the middle, he
is bopping.
Also look at the two
surrounding characters that
have their hoods up as well
as having at least one hand
above their crotches.
We have also represented this particular
social group as reckless which teenagers are
often known as. In this image we can see
one of the characters preparing to jump
from just under the first floor of a block of
flats which is both daring and dangerous but
also representative of the scale of the
situation he is in as he is willing to risk his
health to get away from those who are
chasing him. This in itself is also typical of
teenagers who are commonly shown to ,
more often than not, get themselves in deep
trouble.
We can see here that the
characters are wearing their
trousers below their waists.
This untraditional way of
dressing is common amongst
teenagers from London
especially males.

8. What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product and why?
 The type of media institution that would distribute our media would have to
be a major corporate distribution company that could promise our product
the success it deserves. We would also require a media company willing to
take a risk on our product as there are not many products like ours
available; our product has impeccable characterisation and a clear plot.
Our media product conforms to the Thriller genre meaning that a
distribution company familiar with this genre would be best. A distribution
company with a track record for success would want to distribute our
product so that they can continue their track record of success in the
Thriller sphere of distribution as our product is both appropriate and good
to watch. Ideally a British distribution company would want to distribute
our product as they would have a better understanding of the target
audience than a foreign distribution company. A British distribution
company would also be a more logical choice as the language of our
product is English. In effect,this would therefore allow for our British
product to be distributed by a British company in English- the ideal
combination for the success of our product.

9. Paramount Pictures UK would be a good example of the
type of distributor we would be looking for as they
have a track record of success in the Thriller genre.
They have been responsible for the whole Transformers
and Mission Impossible trilogies as well as The
Godfather franchise, widely considered to be one of
the best of all time.
Warner Bros UK is one of the types of distributors we
would expect to distribute our product because it is
similar to those of which they have been responsible
for before. Warner Bros are the distribution company
that were responsible for The Dark Knight trilogy and
the well-known psychological thriller Inception.

10. Continued…
 In terms of distributing our product on the internet we would have huge
reservations about doing so due to the lack of potential revenue in comparison
to doing so on TV or in cinema. We would not object to the idea of distributing
our product on the web after it has exhausted all other media capable of
generating more revenue. Furthermore, when finally doing this we would
distribute our product using YouTube as it is the easiest way to upload videos
to the web and also the largest video sharing platform. When broadcasting on
television we would broadcast on the BBC due to its high volume of viewers
and more specifically on the BBC Three channel due to the fact that it begins
operating at a later time which would almost eliminate the possibility of
younger children watching our product. Moreover, once a video is posted on
YouTube it can be uploaded to different social networking websites such as
Twitter and Facebook. Another essential stage of distribution is when releasing
our product on DVD we would due this after the product is discontinued in
cinema and before it is released on TV so that the product can generate as
much revenue as possible.

11. Who would be the audience for your
media product?
 The target audience for our media product would be anyone with an interest
in thriller movies. Our media product would appeal to those who have an
affinity for thriller movies and even those who are hard core thriller fans
this shows the wide breadth of audiences our product would appeal to.
However, in terms of the age group that we would target our target
audience would be refined to those over the age of 13 due to the action
and gunfire present in our product meaning it would be inappropriate for
audience below that age. It is for this reason that we have used the below
image warning the audience that the product has be approved for
appropriate audiences above the age of 13 and it is for this reason that
parents are also cautioned before viewing this with their children.
Furthermore, the sociolect present in our product would be best
understood by audiences of similar ages to the cast, teenagers.


12. We have incorporated this caution into the beginning of our video to
alert parents that the following video may be inappropriate for
audiences under the age of 13. Movie rating are there to warn
parents of impending content however, it is ultimately up to them if
they wish to decide and it is in such cases that this caution is required
as a disclaimer of our responsibility.
During the initial research period we conducted a questionnaire of individuals between the ages of 16-18 and it
is based on the feedback that they gave us that we created our product. From the questionnaire results we were
able to conclude that people preferred to have a male protagonist and a male antagonist this was something to
consider especially because we were making a thriller and by having a female antagonist we would have to
consider whether or not to use violent scenes and whether or not it would be appropriate to have 3 larger
teenagers chasing a smaller female teenager, this would have also been less effective.

13. Continued…
 When showing our finished product for the first time we did so to an audience
of 16-18 years although our target audience began as low as 13 years of
age. The fact that we were showing this to an older audience meant that
if they found anything inappropriate we would have to consider what our
minimum age rating was. However, our feedback was nearly perfect we
were informed that the distribution company was blended in well and that
we had a variety of shots. The audience also liked the fact that our
opening was fast paced and they said that this made it very effective. The
audience also found that our shots were well done and this coupled with
the music was enticing to them.
 We were also told that our product could have been better if our gun did not
look so unrealistic.

14. How did you attract/address your
audience? (audience interview)

15. What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this product?
 Firstly, in terms of learning about hardware I have learnt how to use of a
multitude of devices throughout the process of making our product. For
example I am now able to confidently use a Digital camcorder.
Furthermore, I am now familiar with how to use a tripod, of which I
initially thought was the same as the scientific apparatus- I was wrong.
 Secondly, I was not familiar with the use of certain software such as Final cut
and Photoshop. I am now capable of doing many things on both platforms
i.e. I can now confidently put music over a video and snip parts of a video
out that are not required.
 Thirdly, I am now able to use Blogger a social networking platform I had never
used prior to this coursework. I can upload information onto my blog
remove it and edit it with ease. I am also now aware of the embed
function on YouTube which allows users to embed videos on their blogs by
copying and embed code and pasting it onto a post.

16. What have I learnt?
 I have learnt quite a lot to do with technologies whilst undergoing this
coursework. I have learnt how to use hardware, software and Internet
sites that I was not familiar with before and I can now edit and create a
whole video myself with what I’ve learnt. Prior to this coursework there
were many niggling annoyances I encountered when using software like
final cut but I found that with a little patience and through the help of
YouTube tutorials these hurdles could be overcome.

17. What skills have I gained?
 I have gained many skills through the duration of my coursework from editing
skills such as cropping music to finding out how to record on a digital
camcorder I’ve had no previous experience of using. Moreover, I can now
pace myself when using Final Cut where as previously I would have taken
hours editing something of little significance and of little length. Another
skill I’ve gained is learning how to put text over a video, this challenged
me quite a lot before but once I realised how simple it is it’s harder to
forget how to do it now.

18. Looking back at your preliminary task, what
do you feel you have learned in the
progression from it to the product?
 There are lots of things to consider when comparing my preliminary task to my
actual product.
 Quality of shot- The quality of shot in the actual product was better than that of
in the preliminary task. This was mostly because of the fluidity present in the
actual product in comparison to the preliminary task. When filming the actual
product we had a tripod and also a roller which meant the quality of our 180
degree shots would be good. This was not the case with the preliminary task
which lacked in this department as we did not have either of those pieces of
equipment. Rather, we had to do it by hand which proved much more of an
arduous task and was less successful as a result.
 Quality of image- The quality of image was also better in our actual product
because we used a tripod which was steady which meant the images were not
blurred and also the camera we used for our actual product had a higher
resolution. It also helped that we were filming outside on a sunny day rather
than inside as we did for our preliminary task. The lighting was better as well
because of the fact that we filmed outside instead of inside as I’ve already
mentioned.


19. Continued…
 Quality of sound- We used a variety of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The
most stand out example of the diegetic sound would be the aeroplane flying
over during a chase scene. The most obvious examples of non-diegetic sound
would be the music and voiceovers. We also found that in our product in the
editing period there were a lot of sounds that we did not need that were
prevalent as a result we altered the audio levels of these unwanted sounds and
minimised them to the extent that they cannot be heard. This was different to
our preliminary task in the light that we did not use any non-diegetic sound at
all in it and relied heavily on unclear existing audio footage.
 Continuity- To ensure there were no continuity errors we made sure to film whilst
wearing the same clothes in the same style i.e. hoods up unless taken down
during filming. This made the product flow more and pleasant to watch.
However, in our preliminary task we were not as cautious this resulted in a
scene where both of the characters present were standing and sitting down in
conversation within the second. The tripod was very useful for continuity in
our actual product as it made it easier to capture parts of scenes where
characters were turning or opening doors.

20. Continued….
The 180 degree rule was by far one of the hardest things to incorporate into both our
preliminary task and final product. One of which was more fruitful than the other. As
I’ve previously mentioned when doing our preliminary task we did not have the
required equipment to carry out such a shot yet we tried to do so anyway and failed
miserably. However, when conducting our actual product we were more successful as
the use of a tripod paid dividends resulting in a much more smooth and fluid 180
degree shot.
Continuity Editing-
We used many different types of shots in both our preliminary and our actual
product. The differences are obvious the most obvious being that the match on
action shot of our preliminary task was far less successful than that of which was in
our actual product. We also managed to incorporate an eye line match in our actual
product successfully unlike our preliminary task which we struggled in very well.

21. Thank you for
your time