Audience Feedback

I asked two people to watch the main task video, a boy and a girl, which is the opening sequence for a horror film. The feedback that i received was quite positive, with both people saying that they thought the part when the victim was hit with a hammer was very realistic and this added to the horror element of the video.
The male who watched it said he really enjoyed it and thought the tense build up to the main action was very effective. The female also said that she liked how it built up however she thought that maybe the victim being hit with a hammer was a but violent and she was pleased it wasn't actually shown.

They both really liked the characters, and the female liked the fact that the protagonist was also female as she felt she could really relate to the action and was pleased to see the 'final girl' theory present in the film as they felt this helped to show the power of women and made them seem strong.
The main thing the male liked was the male antagonists and the violence as he believed this made the horror film more exciting and helped him to enjoy it more.

Main Task Video

This is our main task video, it is an opening sequence to a horror film and it is just under 2 minutes long. 

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

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

Since the preliminary task I feel I have developed a lot as that was just a starting point. The preliminary task allowed me to learn the basic skills for filming and editing and I have now been able to develop these and progress.

What I have learnt:

·         Greater knowledge about the different shots that can be used and the affect these have on the audience.

·         Learning how to use a new editing programme; Pinnacle and the different things you can do on it.

·         Thinking more carefully about location and how this can improve a film.

·         Considering the different characters and how an audience relate to them.

·         The importance of continuity and the different shots that help this such as; Match on action.

The preliminary task enabled me to learn the basic skills that come with filming and taught me how to use match on action effectively. This is something that we used within our final product and we used a match on action of the main protagonist walking through the door.

Also from the preliminary task I have taken the tracking shot which shows a character walking with the camera following as I feel this is important and it sets the scene and shows what is happening.

This is our match on action and something which we took from the preliminary task and used in our final horror film.

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

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

From this process I feel I have learnt a lot about the different technologies, I feel I have progressed with my camera skills and also my editing skills.

I have developed my skills greatly on the editing programme Pinnacle and can now edit the films to a high standard. I have been able to cut down clips add in transitions, add sound and title overlays and create the opening credits.

The editing is a key part to show the genre of the film and by adding in music we have helped to create tension at extremely significant parts in the opening sequence and this is down to the editing process. It also enabled us to create the right transitions between clips so the tension continued throughout. Another important part was the continuity as we wanted to draw the audience in and through the editing we were able to have a smooth continuity so the audience would not be disappointed.

Using a tripod is also something we found very important within the filming process as it is important that the filming looks as professional as possible and, unless it done intentionally, having a shaky shot gives the film a very amateur feel.

The process has also helped me to realise that choosing the right camera angle is extremely important as they help to build up the tension and create drama. So it is important to use close-ups to show fear and worry and horror iconography. Long shots are also important as they show the location and the different things that are happening. We used a panning shot to show the room which had been trashed and this was a great way to show the horror iconography that we had used. We were then able to add some tense music when editing and by using all of these new skills with the technologies we were able to bring our film together and create a professional final product.  

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

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience for our horror film would be young adults aged between 16 and 30. I believe this is accurate because this target audience would be able to associate well with what is happening in the opening sequence, as the two people tied up are also young adults and it is something which could also happen to them and this would help them to connect with what is happening. Also because the protagonist is young they will again be able to create a link with her and understand how she is feeling throughout.

The cast does contain characters of both genders however because the protagonist is female, males may be less inclined to watch it. However it does contain violence and the males inflict it so this may attract men to watch it. So overall I feel it will appeal to both males and females and this is important for us as we wanted to have a strong audience for this film.

The characters are all White British and this may stop some people from watching it as it may seem that we have not show the ethnic diversity within British culture. However this was because we had limited cast. But maybe this is something we will think about in future and ensure that we are ethnically diverse when filming so we can target a larger audience and show a true representation of Britain.

I feel that audience will be able to follow the story well and this is something they will like about the film, and because they can relate to the story they will want to continue to watch. This I feel is a pivotal point for our horror film and our target audience will look for this within the film.

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract/address your audience?

Throughout the film they are different parts that may attract an audience for example the location because we have set the film in an ordinary house they will feel they can relate to it as it will be something they see themselves everyday and this again helps to put them into the action and this will attract them in to watching it. I then think the garage will attract the audience because it is quite eerie and I believe that a male audience will enjoy the violence that takes place in the garage and the weapon that is used; the hammer.

I think by using a typically British location and showing the streets around it we have been able to address the British audience, bought in through vertigo, directly.

The protagonist we have used is also something that would attract an audience, for example as I am playing the main role a young female this will attract the females in to watching it because they can link with the protagonist and imagine what they would do if they were in that position. Also the male audience may enjoy watching a female who is central to the horror that is happening. But something else that would attract a male audience is the use of male antagonists and the violence and this is an element some of the males will enjoy.

We have also used very naturalistic characters and this helps attract an audience as it appears more realistic to them and the find themselves drawn in by the action. They can also imagine that is could happen as the story isn’t too fat fetched and this would interest an audience.

Evaluation: What kind of Media Institution might distribute your Media Product and why?

What kind of Media Institution might distribute your Media Product and why?

Ideally we would like to create an international partnership between Twisted Pictures and Vertigo Films.

Vertigo films would be a good distributor for our horror film as they are a British film company and our horror film is British. I feel that they would be a good company as they have also worked with Film 4 both of these companies together are well known so this would work well for our horror film. Also by teaming up with Twisted pictures we would be able to go international with the film and Twisted pictures are known for the ‘Saw’ films and this would create a big target audience for our film from the very start because of the companies that it is associated with.

I think that both these companies would be interested in our horror film as it targets an audience between the ages of 16 and 30 and also shows British actors and location which would interest Vertigo films.

Evaluation: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our horror film represents family and also shows a teenager to be the protagonist. A lot of films such as ‘One Day’ show teenagers in a bad way and over exaggerate their behaviour, films like this show a lot of gun crime and gang wars. As a group we decided this isn’t something we wanted to do and the two main antagonists in the film are in fact older than teenagers and the teenager is the antagonist.

We didn’t focus strongly on the representation of social class however the two antagonists are representing their social class badly as they are violent within the opening scene. I also think because our characters are quite realistic and there isn’t any character in there that could be said to be unrealistic it helps the audience to identify with the characters and be taken through the story with them, they may even imagine what they would do if it was them.

There are a few improvements that could be made looking back at the film and I believe that because we are showing ‘a human monster’ we could have shown more background to the antagonist and shown how they became that way, which often happens in horror films and in a way it helps the audience create a connection with the antagonist and this brings them in to the film.

It could also be said that the two antagonists are like ‘Chavs’ as the one has his hood up and they are both talking quite commonly and this is a representation of a social group as it shows that anybody that dressed in this way is bad and will be causing trouble.

This is the film trailer for the film 'One Day' and it shows how the young teenagers are shown to be chavs and anti-socail and this is something we wanted to move away from and we chose to show the teenagers in a good way, and the older antagonists are shown in a negative way.

Evaluation: In What way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In What way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our media product which is an opening sequence to a horror film does follow the traditional conventions of horror films. We have used a ‘human monster’ and this is used a lot with in horror films such as ‘Halloween.’ Although we are showing two antagonists in the opening sequence it still allows the audience to question different aspects of it; for example has anyone sent them to kidnap the two people or why are they at the house or why haven’t they hidden their identity more. This is something which happens a lot in horror films and audiences are left questioning the opening sequence and this makes them want to continue watching and this was something we wanted to achieve.

The iconography we used within the opening sequence does follow the traditional horror conventions as the location of the kidnappers was in an old garage and it shows the two on their own in the garage initially. However we progressed on to show how the garage was close to the house in which they lived and this could help the audience relate to it. This is something that happens a lot within horror films and they try to reach the audiences own fears and this again is what we wanted to do. Also because we showed the inside of the house and some of the street outside we was able to show how the film was British as it was clears the houses were British and also when the antagonists speak they have a British accent.

   However we did also challenge traditional horror conventions as our two antagonists we dressed quite simply and were just wearing dark clothing and only one of the two have their face covered, this again leaves the audience questioning what is happening and we wanted them to almost get to know the antagonists to keep the questioning what is going on in their minds and what is making them do this. This isn’t something which normally happens in horror films as they normally use costumes that hide the identities of the antagonists.

We used the theme of ‘Good vs. Evil’ which is almost always present within horror films and this is something we thought we would follow as everyone in the audience can identify with it. The two people that had been kidnapped where parents and the main antagonist was their daughter and by using a teenage daughter and parents we will be able to target a wider audience. We have also used the final girl theory something which is often shown in the horror genre. The two people that are kidnapped are White and this is something which goes against traditional horror conventions as a large majority of monster fodders are actually of ethnic minority.

The camera angles we have used within the opening sequence do follow traditional horror conventions as we have used shots such as; medium shot, close-up and high angle. Our editing also follows the same conventions as we have used cuts and fades between the different shots.

The music we have used though does follow media conventions as it is there to help increase the tension and the music starts at the most tense part. This is something which a lot of horror films do as music adds to the mood when watching a horror film. The music is non-diegetic and parallel with the action.