Sarah Lolley AS Media Coursework

In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our media product uses conventions of a real horror genre film, this ensures that the audience is familiar and aware of the genre of our 2 minute opening. The conventions we have incorporated within our 2 minute opening - through the use of mise-en-scene - are, a knife, mask and a isolated house. In addition the costume the antagonist is wearing mirrors the ones found in real horror films. The costume consists of dark clothing and a mask which portrays a real antagonist used in many horror genre films, making it easier for audience to identify the genre. The mask is a typical convention of a horror film, we have included it to both hide the antagonist's identity and convey horror characteristics. It adds a sense of mystery and eeriness which would make the audience feel hostile towards the character as they are unaware of who the killer is.

The dialogue conveys a horror genre as the character we have used is a stereotypical main girl who is portrayed as a confident person but is shaken when the antagonist breaks into the house and we express this through the dialogue she uses. The dialogue the foster parents used is mysterious and leaves the audiences aware that something is not quite right - this would put the audience on edge.The storyline challenges conventions of a 'traditional' or 'predictable' horror film because the antagonist is revealed to be the foster parent which is a mysterious twist and makes the film more exciting to audiences, the dialogue and body language the characters use (foster parents) would make it easier for audiences to question who the antagonist is as they would be aware of the foster parent's suspicious behaviour.

The location is open and empty setting the right atmosphere for the opening scene. The main character (Becky) is left alone within the house which is unsettling to the audiences when a point of view shot is shown of someone from outside watching her. This situation promotes horror characteristics as it builds tension by isolating the character further in an empty house with little defences.

To develop our film further we considered the use Micro and Macro features in our product to develop the forms and conventions of real media products of the horror and comedy genre. The sound/music we incorporated into the product helped enhance the genre we are trying create. We used tension building music to build an atmosphere when Becky answered the telephone to a unknown caller. We also used dramatic tension music when Becky (protagonist) was being attacked by the antagonist to create the ideal dramatic scene successfully. It is important to use these features to generate the most successful scenes and accomplish the correct mood for the scene.

We drew inspiration from two real media products, the horror films, 'Scream' and 'The Strangers.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFCStOMqpfk We used the opening of scream as a guideline of what we would like our opening to be like.

There are certain elements within our film that mirror those found in the film 'Scream'. These elements include the main character answering the telephone to an unknown caller; however the scene differs slightly because in 'Scream' the caller has a conversation with the character, in contrast to our film where Becky (main character) answers the phone to silence which builds up tension and leaves audiences unsettled. (add pictures)

Overall, we have challenged and developed conventions that are usually found in real media products through the use of micro and macro features. The non diegetic music is parallel to what we want to achieve from the scenes, i.e. to build tension within the scene we have used tension building music. We have also used a variety of camera angles, shots and movements to capture the ideal scenes, this has made certain that the story we are explaining is represented correctly.

How does your media product represent a particular social group?

The main character in the film is an ordinary teenager who is confident and independent. Becky's background is troubled and you discover that she is adopted by two other characters within the film. This breaks down stereotypical and ideal family types usually used in films and shows a contrasting element which makes the film have more depth and meaning. The social group that the film represents is of teenagers because Becky is a young adult who is independent and willingly to be. She is portrayed as having a slight attitude as she is reading the magazine and acting in a normal teenage way. Becky is seen making a pizza and she feels as if she will have a relaxing night however this was ironic because she is actually about to have the worst night of her life. Teenage audience would be able to relate to Becky as she is portrayed as an average teenager with the same interests and fears. The dialogue is the same as what other teenagers would say to make it easier and more identifiable for teenagers to see similarities with themselves and Becky.

With reference to social class our media product would represent a middle class family as the characters have values and norms which are found in a middle class family, the foster parents use an elaborated language and dress smartly which portrays a high professional image. Which makes various audiences easy to relate to them or aspire to be like them (until they discover they are the antagonists).

In conclusion, our film represents a range of social groups from a middle class sector to a teenager group with the characters and storyline we have created. This would make it increasingly easier for audiences to relate to our film which would promote popularity.

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

Our film would be a low budget British film which not many media institutions would distribute. However Vertigo Films would cater for our media product as they specialise in distributing low budget films. This company would help the distribution of our media product in order for it to gain maximum success and create vast profits from our film.

In 2007, Vertigo Films collaborated with Film 4 and Myspace to successfully create MyMovieMashup- it created the worlds first user generated film through Myspace users. The film received incredible feedback from the film industry, media and consumers. With this I believe that MyMovieMashup would be interested in the distribution our media product, as I believe that MyMovieMashup had a pre-targeted audience (Myspace users) similar to our media product. We predetermined that our target audience would be similar to our age group so we were sure of the conventions that would be suitable for this target audience.

I also believe that a multi-platform release would be well suited for our media product, similar to their previous film 'Faintheart' which was released on DVD, in cinemas and available to download at the same time. This gave audiences more choice in how to consume the film through different types of media (watching it on television, watching it on a computer or even watching it on a mobile phone) which consequently generated larger audiences because they would be more likely to watch the film if they had a variety of choice on how and when to watch it. Therefore, a multi-platform release would be the best option for our media product to gain ultimate success.

Who would be the audience to your media product?

Personally, I believe that our film would attract a more female based audience because the storyline we have is quite feminine and the main character is a strong female even though she is young she is still portrayed as independent because of her troubled past being in care and just recently being adopted by what she thought was a loving family who would finally love her for who she is. This sensitive and emotional storyline would attract a female audience because they are more open to watching sensitive films, stereotypically.

However, our media product would attract a teenage audience because they would identify with Becky as she is a teenager with normal teenage problems and fears. The body language and speech she uses mirrors one from average teenager. Aspects, such as, cooking pizza, having an attitude and reading magazines are all character traits normal teenagers use and have which makes it easier for younger audiences to relate to her and her way of thinking. However, many audiences who enjoy watching horror films will also enjoy our film as the conventions we have used will make it enjoyable for them too. Our media product has a dramatic, unlikely storyline which is an oppostion to what you would usually find in a real media product of a horror genre, this would be enjoyable for most audiences to watch because it is something that is different.

Due to the age certificate of the film- which would be more likely to be '15' or '12'- it reduces the audiences that can watch our film, making it certain that the target audiences be teenagers and adults. The age certificate would be given because of the iconography and conventions we have used within the opening, such as, a knife. Also the body language and positioning of the characters in the frame award the opening with a higher age certificate because they represent violence and deviant behaviour which is unsuitable for younger audiences.

Therefore there would be a number of possible audiences that could be the potential target audience, such as, a teenage audiences, female or adult audiences due to various elements and conventions that are included within our media product.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Audiences would be attracted to our film because of many reasons. Firstly the storyline is a unique and has a mysterious twist which avoids 'copycat' or 'predictable' story lines developed by real media products. This would make audiences more approachable towards our film as the storyline is different and they may be more willingly to watch our film because of this.

Male audiences would be interesting in watching our film because of the connotation that it is 'macho' to watch a scary horror film in order to be masculine. Alternatively they may watch our media product because of it's sex appeal. The use of an attractive main character would make it more likely that male audiences would be enticed to watch the film, increasing audiences. According to Sociologist, Wood (1993) teenagers may use horror films to gratify their needs for excitement. Which supports the view that both genders, male and female, may use our media product to revive their excitement needs. The conventions in our media product will gratify their needs. Our film has qualities that will build tension, such as, the protagonist recieving a call from and mysterious caller, also the protagonist is watched by the antagonists through a window. Excitement is recieved when the antagonist attacks the protagonist on the stairs with a knife.

With reference to the 'Uses and Gratification Model' there are basic needs in which we have which we watch films and television. Firstly it can be used as 'diversion', whereby using media helps us escape from our problems and stresses. Watching our horror film can be used as curing theropy to prevent violence in society by using horror films to release the anger. Another need is 'personal relationships' meaning that the audiences have more knowledge about the characters and less knowledge about people in their lives. The third is 'personal identity' this is when audiences use media products to help them cope with parts of their identity. For example, teenagers would relate to Becky and her problems because they are similar to their own. Lastly 'surveillance' they use media products to obtain information about the social world. This supports the view that audiences should find it of importance to relate to the characters within the film.

Overall the conventions and storyline our media product consists of has aimed to attract the audiences which we have aimed to target. The genre of film itself has a target audience in which we have tried to meet, this has made our film more successful as we have taken into consideration factors, such as, the age, class and gender of our audience. By knowing the the target audiences we have ensured that the media product is popular with them.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the proggression from it to the full product?

When completing our premliminary task we had little experience with acting, camera work and editing which meant that our final product was lacking in quality. Since this experience we have grown in confidence and experience with the elements filming and editing involve.

Close-ups

Match on action

Point of view shot

Firstly, I have expanded my knowledge in the number and vairety of different shots, e.g. medium shots, shot reverse shot, close-ups, panning etc. When filming our preliminary task we only used a limited amount of camera shots/angle/movements, such as, medium shot, over the shoulder, match on action. In contrast in a our full product we have used and increasing variety of camera shots/angles/movements, such as, point of view shot, match on action, close up, medium shot etc. This improvement means that we have now gained a wider range of knowledge on what angles/shots/movement suit the scene we are portraying allowing us to recieve a successful media product.

I have learnt the importance of a steady fixed camera shot, recieved with a tripod - this makes filming look more proffessional to audiences. If we were to have unsteady shots the film would look unproffessional and messy to audiences, risking the popularity of the media product.

I have now had a deeper experience of using an editing suite and editing programme. With constant use of editing and filming I have recieved a more in depth understanding of how to use the programmes, this has enabled me to use more features within the programme by adding elements, such as, quality titles, transitions and faster more effective cuts.

I have a more developed skill of analysing what camera work looks effective and which needs improving and how to do this. I would need to take into consideration what the shot is trying to portray and whether it is successful in doing so e.g. a shot reverse shot would convey a conversation between characters.

Although we have improved greatly in proggression from the preliminary task to the full product we have continued using various knowledge we recieved from the preliminary task, such as, the use of a match on action and its way of conveying continuity and flow within footage. Therefore without the preliminary task we would be unaware of important elements towards filming and editing and what improvements would have to make.

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

I have learnt a vast amount about technologies from the process of contructing our media product. I have learnt how to use a digital camera effectively in order to gain the best shots which would quilify for our media product. This in turn has shorten the time in which to film, because the knowledge we have gained from the technology we are using has made it easier to work the camera, which saved time wasting because we did not have to re-film due to not being able to work the camera correctly.

I have also grown in confidence with using our film editing programme, which has been time costly and has made it easier to achieve better effects and conventions in our media product.

Using the camera we have been able to gain different camera angles which apply to scene they are used in. For example in many scenes we have tried to portray an emotion from the character which as the director I hope the audience picks up on. Becky is worried and cautious of someone outside, we have conveyed this by filming a close up of her emotional face peering behind her. Also, Jackie (foster parent) facial expressions are shown to build tension within the footage by crosscutting her Jackie's facial expression and the Becky (foster daughter) being killed by the antagonist. A close up Jackie is shown conveying a worried, desperate and anxious face as she is waiting for her husband to return after killing their foster daughter. (The images below and above portray this).

Through the use of our editing programme we have been able to cut, merge and rearrange clips in order to create the ideal media product. The technology available allowed us to add a variety of elements and improve upon our footage. We were able to add music to the clips to ensure that tension is being built whenever needed. Volume levels could be selected, so if the music on one clip needed to be higher this could be achieved, this was important when the music needed to reduce slowly and not abrutly - as this would sound too harsh.

Therefore throughout the proggress of contructing and creating our media product there have been many elements I have learnt concerning techology which have conqeuently gave me more confidence in creating mine and my partner's ideal 2 minute opening of a horror film.