Monday 14 March 2011

Concluding my Blog

Dear Moderator,
Overall I think my blog was consistent and organised as I always kept up with all my work. I particularly enjoyed learning how to experiment with different softwares such as After Effects, Garage band  and Final Cut Express.

I hope you have enjoyed reviewing my coursework.

Thankyou, Khushel.

Final Version Premonition

Evaluation 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?



Here is a link to my Evaluation of the Preliminary Task, which includes screen grabs of successful techniques and shots: http://khushelthriller.blogspot.com/2010/10/preliminary-rough-cut.html

Here is a link to the Continuity Exercise which includes an evaluation of what went well and how it could be improved: http://khushelthriller.blogspot.com/2010/10/continuity-exercise.html 

Below are links which shows evidence of clear and organised planning in comparison to my Preliminary Task:

Evaluation 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?



The technologies we used developed our creativity from research to post-production as when we were researching and planning we only planned to use still shots without the use of any panning or tilting. However after we came into contact with the dolly and stand we began to experiment with the techniques which could be used in the product to create a clear and eerie atmosphere.

When discovering the effects and techniques which could be created with the Final Cut Express software, we found that we could create effects which could create a positive impact on the final edit.
For example, we created a white flasback effect which highlighted the idea of a premonition occurring. We originally did not even consider creating this effect until experimenting with the lighting levels. We included the effect to emphasise the premonition taking place.


The blink effect was created using the software as we created a fading black out and fade in effect as well as blur to create a realistic awakening. We considered putting this effect into practice when looking at other real life products but we were unsure if it could be acheived. However, we successfully acheived this technique by the experimentations of the dissolving and fades. This really developed our creativity in terms of editing as we found that editing tells its own narrative aswell.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Evaluation 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract our audience we created a film poster which could be advertised accross the internet as well as on billboards and buses. The poster reveals the online release date as well as the title of the film and the tag line. This was our main marketing source which would address the audience.

Below is the link which shows the evaluation of the poster:http://mediathrillergroup.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.html

For this task Yasmin and I decided to interview a series of people from a variety of age groups after viewing our film opening. We decided to do this as we where keen to see how the audience reacted and related to the opening. We were able to get indepth information and feedback on our film opening. Furthermore, we discovered how to wireframe the footage in order to show our product as well as what the audience was saying.

We decided to ask a range of audience such as a selection of older teenagers as well as young adults. This was so that we considered a variety of ages of our audience. As the film was certified as a 15+ film due to violence. We also asked a variety of ethnic backgrounds to gain a good understanding of their perspectives.


We asked our audience whether the product was successful as an opening sequence. The adult female answered, 'It sets the tone of what you can expect'. This sugested that although our product was aimed at older teenagers, we manages to draw in the eyes of adults of any age range.

We also asked the audience what they found were the successful features of conveying the genre of a thriller film. The young male adult answered, 'I think the music definately and also the set decoration was sleek and the colours were dark. You could tell it was meant to be a psychological thriller.' This illustrates that it is clear of the sub genre due to specific shots in the film as well as other conventions. This question was asked to the female adult and she replied, 'The clipping back from the actual real, the character waking up, talking to a potential boyfriend and then the vision in her head that she’s already dreaming', suggesting that shots in the film play a vital role in illustrating and revealing the film genre.

We wanted to see whether the soundtrack compliment the narrative of the film. Most teenagers agreed that the soundtrack was creepy and it built up the atmosphere and tension. The soundtrack was successful as it helped the audience to understand the genre.

The audience is asked to put themselves in the position of the female character, Yasmin. The audience are expected to empathise as well as sympathise with the character as she is in a difficult and psychologically unfit position. I believe that after reviewing this video we can see that the audience do understand the characters position.

Evaluation 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?





Here is a photo of a teenage girl who represents part of our target audience. As you can see she is very into looking good and taking care of herself. She enjoys listening to music such as Hip Hop, Funky House and Grimes. She shops at places such as New Look, Topshop, Asos and very trendy and classy places. She enjoys watching TV dramas such as 90210, Hollyoaks and Waterloo Road.
This girl would watch our film because it is full of mystery and includes a love story as well as drama and gossip which she can realte to. I believe she would be drawn to the story as she would understand and empathise with the female character. She would be interested about the reason why the male character decided to murder his girlfriend. I believe that she would see the female character as a role model due to her strength and courage to overcome and defeat obstacles and events which are given to her. 

As she is very into fashion, I believe she will be interested in the female characters dress sense and how she can get inspiration and ideas from the character.

This girl attends further education and is very interested in the textiles and she watches a significant amount of movies of the thriller genre. I think if she saw our film she will get very drawn into the narrative and questions will be raised in her mind as to what is about to happen next.       

The link below justifies the reason of which we certified our product as a rating of 15.
http://mediathrillergroup.blogspot.com/2010/12/certification-of-film.html

Evaluation 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?



  This form of release that we were inspired by was Paranormal Activity as it originally started of as an independent film and then was taken over by a big film distribution company and eventually ranked as most profitable film of all time.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Evaluation Task 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Above is the outline of our sequence rounded down within these nine-frames. The first frame is very important as it is an establishing shot which involved a slow pan around the scene so that the audience was aware of the surroundings and the location. The main character is also introduced in this frame as she is about to fall asleep. This frame shows that it is nighttime due to the curtains being drawn and the dim lighting and the use of the bed also helps acknowledge that it is night time. The darkness of the setting and the slow pan tackles the thriller genre as it creates the idea that something is lurking around the room and she is being watched.

The second frame begins the story, as it provides the audience with information about the girl and how the girl had been out a few hours earlier with a potential boyfriend. The frame almost opens the story in an informal way. This was an extreme close-up so that it could be read by the audience.

The third frame illustrates the title of the film in a simple black background as it is the most successful due to the fact that it creates a very dark atmosphere and it is the most effective background for credits in a thriller opening as it is subtle. The capital letters creates a boldness to the title and makes it standout more as it catches ones eye and this is the main intention which was planned. The flickering text creates an eeriness to the title which creates a very creepy atmosphere for the audience to make the hairs on the back of their neck stand up, it relates to the storyline as it is almost like a blur which could be a connotation of a premonition itself. This fits the conventions of a film opening as credits are very essential as they provide a clear recognition for the distribution companies, the director, producer and the actors. The title also gives the audience a hint about the film without revealing too much.

The fourth frame is a reflection shot which establishes the characters which star in the film and it establishes the relationship between the character. This frame tells us that there is a loving relation between both of the characters as you see the male behind the female admiring her beauty whilst she is getting ready. The costumes are clearly shown in this frame, the smart and formal clothing suggest that both characters were getting ready to go out to a party. This frame helps acknowledge the conventions as it opens the storyline.

The fifth frame is an extreme close-up of the intimacy between the characters, this helps the audience recognise the heat between the characters due to the body language between one another. The importance of this frame in the sequence is that it helps to introduce the characters.

The sixth frame shows is important as it shows the body language of the male character subtly changing into more of a raging attitude towards the female as he glares into the mirror almost as if he deeply despised her. The shot helps the audience acknowledge that the film is of a thriller genre due to the lighting on the males face as there is a great amount of shadow which suggests that he was hiding something or had a dark side which is about to be revealed and his facial expression.

The seventh frame clearly states that the film was of a thriller genre as the male character attempts to kill the female in her sleep. The frame has significance as a film opening as this creates a series of questions going through the audiences heads, such as what is going to happen next? Is this dream about to come to life? This means that it achieves its goal to create a storyline for the film.

The eighth frame signifies the special effects that we attempted to create. The frame signifies the girl slowly blinking and attempting to wake up. It is a cross-cutting of an extreme close-up of her eye, transitioning into a point of view shot of the girl blinking and a blurred image of the ceiling as she is still asleep. This effect was quite successful as we tried to make it as realistic as possible without making it look to cliche. This concept makes the audience constantly think about what is actually happening.

The final frame shows the female suddenly waking up as she was frightened as to what she had just saw. This frame is a good representation of the last shot of a film opening as it creates a cliffhanger so the audience has to see the rest of the movie to view the official outcome. The frames is very eerie as the female glares directly into the camera which creates a disturbance and then the screen blacks out transitioning into the film. This is relevant as it draws the audience in to watch the rest of the film. It creates a sufficient amount of suspense for the viewers.

Relating the our product to other film products 

Premonition film nine key frames


The first frame which was successful was the title as it introduces the name of the film and gives brief glimpse of what the film is based on. The background suggests that it is of a thriller genre due to the dark and dull background. The bold,white text in capital suggests that the film is based on a premonition. I believe this type of credit is particularly successful as it creates a subtlety an the audience focuses on the title without being distracted by a scene being displayed on the screen. 

The second frame is a close-up of the characters and it acknowledges and introduces the characters as we now can tell that the male and female are a middle-class married couple which may have possibly been newlyweds. This frame is significant as it establishes the relationship between both of the characters simply by the affectionate and loving body language shown on screen. The facial expressions seem very happy and creates a warmth in the setting. 

The third frame is an establishing shot of the location of where the scene is set. It shows a rather large house which is located in the suburbs, with a friendly looking neighbourhood.  This shot creates a rough picture of the setting for the audience to perceive. 

This frame identifies the special effects used to create the concept of the premonition taking place. The white flash implies that the premonition is about to take place. It creates the idea that this simple transition is taking you on a journey into the thoughts of the female character.  This frame begins to open the narrative as it shows us the problem of which the character attempt to solve further on in the film.

The fifth frame helps the audience to understand ore about the character by the use of simple props such as the two lunch box's. The extreme close-up emphasizes the props suggest that she is a mother of two young children and she is very caring as she reminds them to take their lunch to school. 

 This frame is significant as it shows that something bad has occurred in the premonition and we realize that she is scared as she has just received devastating news. This creates a selection of questions which arise in the audiences head. For example, they may be thinking about how she would possibly cope. This frame reveals brief subject of which the film is about.

 This shot shows a very nice special effect which has been used to exaggerate the idea of this clip being a flashback of the couples wedding day. The brightness and contrast of the clip has been tweaked to create a bright and happy memory being remembered whilst going through a terrible tragedy, this is a very successful effect as by simply using an effect the audience gather knowledge about the past and they understand that this is a flashback of the past. The costume plays a very significant art as we understand that this shot is of their wedding day as the man is in a tuxedo and women dressed as a bride.


The next frame is of when the character comes back from the memory and just lays on the sofa. This shot is important as it signifies the idea that the character will soon come out of the nightmare soon leading back into reality. Notice that she is sleeping in a different costume to the next frame which helps us distinguish that this is a premonition. The darkness of the room helps us understand the the character is mourning.


This frame signifies the idea that the female is awaking from a premonition. We can notice this as we see that she is wearing completely different clothes to the previous frame and also the change in location helps us identify the premonition.  This is a mid shot of her possibly beginning to come back to reality.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Peer Assessing Group 3's Rough Cut



The film title has a sense of individuality and originality. I think that the overall man on the run concept is clearly presented in the storyline as the audience can establish the  roles of each character. I think the cross-cutting is very successful where matthew and josh are communicating on the phone with one another.

 I think they use a variety of shots and different camera angles. For example, the over the shoulder shot of the character as he is driving the car is very successful this is because it shows the characters actions aswell as what he is seeing.

However, there are some aspects which could be improved, for example the lighting when Josh is sitting in a room is very dark and dim. I think there should b some lighting to highlight his face slightly more as the transition between josh and matthews phone conversation looks as if it is two completely different days and hours of the day.

Another improvement could be to remake the titles as they do not consist of the conventions of a thriller, these titles create a more of an action genre, along with the soundtrack although it is a very good soundtrack, it is very lively and up beat. I think the group should rethink some areas of the track, maybe they could consider using more of the beginning section where the music is simple and has an odd high beat as this may add more tension to the film.

The sound levels need to be adjusted slightly so that the track does not overpower the dialogue. I think the dialogue is suitable for the film as it creates a form of tension and suspense.

The final that they could improve on, could be the vehicle used in the movie, this is because it is not a car that is used by gangsters as it is of a low budget. If possible attempt to ask a car company of you could film in the car and make it act like you are driving it.

Overall, I think the opening is quite successful and I believe if they consider the feedback given then they can make it even more successful. The continuity is very fluent, however some aspects need to be tweaked slightly. For example, when harshiv comes round the corner there is a long delay and the audience are simply looking at a brick wall, I think they should cut a few seconds of this to make it more fluent. I think it is coming along well.

Wednesday 2 February 2011

DVD Cover Analysis



I have decided to analyse the dvd cover of the film premonition starring Sandra Bullock. The picture of the main character dominates the screen as this actress is well known and would draw the audience to buy the DVD. The character is wearing a very dull colour which creates a very dark atmosphere. The character looks as if she is curious about something.

The Text is positioned above the character in bold capital letters, this implies that the "premonition" dominates her life and almost controls her every move. The font colour is very dark which creates a mystery and darkness to the cover.

The photo of the character subtly fuses into a picture of an eerie house, this suggests that this house has a huge part in the film. The trees in the background are dead and very sharp. This creates an idea of trees having a power over the character as they are sharp and intimidating.

The tag line drws the audience in as it uses persuasive words such as "gripping" which encourages the audience to watch the film. At the bottom right of the screen, it clearly states the number twelve in a bold, red font, this suggests that this movie is only suitable for those who are the age of twelve and over due to innapropriate scenes.

Thefusion of all these aspects creates a very dark and eerie DVD cover which relates clearly to the story line of the film. It is also certified which means that it is cutting a huge amount of target audience out, this may cause less sales and less profits made.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Marketing Ideas(Production company name)

A potential idea of the production company name for our opening could be "Keyhole Productions", I have sugested this as the logo could be a door handle which zooms into the keyhole and then travels through the hole which creates an instant black out. I have chosen this idea because it is a very eerie idea and we have decided to go with a low budget production company which means that the logo fits the purpose.

My Involvement in the project so far

In our group, each one of us were allocated a role or a job to complete by a certain time. My role was to direct and film the shots to perfection. I also created the storyboard to work out what shots I was going to use for each action taken forth by the character.

I have played a significant role in the production part of the opening, as I decided on the positioning of each character and the lighting and I also directed the characters on how they should act and their body language towards one another.

I decided on what certification the movie should have, this was done by checking the regulations for each age certification so that it would be approved for the correct aged audience. However, this meant that a significant number of people would have been ruled out of the audience which meant that the film would have had made a lower profit. So this was a very tough decision to make.

Now we have to edit our footage, as we have finished filming. We will create a rough cut to show the rought editing the main concept bout our film opening and we will now focus on creating a production company logo and the soundtrack as well as the titles for our opening.