MEDIA
evaluation
evaluation
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
When researching current thriller productions I looked for conventions and stereotypes within the thriller genre. I felt that it was important that I had a solid understanding of what these were before I began to produce my opening. My initial idea was to challenge the thriller conventions in order to make my thriller opening more unusual, however it soon became apparent that time restrictions wouldn’t allow me to experiment further with this approach. With the idea that I’d be adopting the conventions of the thriller genre I began my research.
My primary audience research conveyed that a male psycho and a female victim would be the best two characters to cast. This research was targeted largely on my target teenage audience which gave me the idea to cast actors and actresses my own age as these two characters to make them more relatable, or in some cases not relatable to cause shock.
One film that I researched and was inspired by was Fatal Attraction. I analysed the bathroom scene and I thought the director’s use of costume to demonstrate violence was exceptional. He chose to dress the three characters in all white – except the male who was wearing black trousers and a white shirt. This clean crispness of the white enhanced the blood stains after the brawl which made the tension increase for the audience. I also studied Helmut Nickel’s black hats white hats theory and I immediately knew I wanted to follow his theory that the antagonist should wear black and the protagonist should wear white – therefore showing their contrast. I mixed these two costume ideas together to get the final ideas for Efa and the MM’s costumes. So, this is one way that I have used the conventions of real media products.
During my research I also analysed film titles and looked at the typography and conventions of them. These were a massive inspiration to my final media product as they aided my understanding in the conventions of a real media product title. I thought that the spacing between the letters in the Alien title was particularly effective in creating a sense of isolation and entrapment. I also thought that the red font colour of the Panic Room titles were effective in creating a sense of danger. So I used the thriller conventions of these two titles from real media products.
Another way in which I have used thriller conventions in terms of the typical iconography is the water overlay at the beginning. I found the Psycho bathroom scene particularly driven by the use of running water and drains which increased the suspense of the scene. I decided to use this iconography in my thriller opening and conform to the thriller conventions that I found.
Finally, one way in which I challenged the thriller conventions slightly is through my use of locations. During my research I found that an indoor location to convey entrapment usually prevailed. In a way, the woodland setting conveys a wide space because it’s outdoors but I believe it actually emphasises the fact that Efa is trapped due to the natural barriers and obstacles created by the trees. I didn’t come across any other thrillers like this when researching despite the fact that I’m sure there are some that also use this technique.
When researching current thriller productions I looked for conventions and stereotypes within the thriller genre. I felt that it was important that I had a solid understanding of what these were before I began to produce my opening. My initial idea was to challenge the thriller conventions in order to make my thriller opening more unusual, however it soon became apparent that time restrictions wouldn’t allow me to experiment further with this approach. With the idea that I’d be adopting the conventions of the thriller genre I began my research.
My primary audience research conveyed that a male psycho and a female victim would be the best two characters to cast. This research was targeted largely on my target teenage audience which gave me the idea to cast actors and actresses my own age as these two characters to make them more relatable, or in some cases not relatable to cause shock.
One film that I researched and was inspired by was Fatal Attraction. I analysed the bathroom scene and I thought the director’s use of costume to demonstrate violence was exceptional. He chose to dress the three characters in all white – except the male who was wearing black trousers and a white shirt. This clean crispness of the white enhanced the blood stains after the brawl which made the tension increase for the audience. I also studied Helmut Nickel’s black hats white hats theory and I immediately knew I wanted to follow his theory that the antagonist should wear black and the protagonist should wear white – therefore showing their contrast. I mixed these two costume ideas together to get the final ideas for Efa and the MM’s costumes. So, this is one way that I have used the conventions of real media products.
During my research I also analysed film titles and looked at the typography and conventions of them. These were a massive inspiration to my final media product as they aided my understanding in the conventions of a real media product title. I thought that the spacing between the letters in the Alien title was particularly effective in creating a sense of isolation and entrapment. I also thought that the red font colour of the Panic Room titles were effective in creating a sense of danger. So I used the thriller conventions of these two titles from real media products.
Another way in which I have used thriller conventions in terms of the typical iconography is the water overlay at the beginning. I found the Psycho bathroom scene particularly driven by the use of running water and drains which increased the suspense of the scene. I decided to use this iconography in my thriller opening and conform to the thriller conventions that I found.
Finally, one way in which I challenged the thriller conventions slightly is through my use of locations. During my research I found that an indoor location to convey entrapment usually prevailed. In a way, the woodland setting conveys a wide space because it’s outdoors but I believe it actually emphasises the fact that Efa is trapped due to the natural barriers and obstacles created by the trees. I didn’t come across any other thrillers like this when researching despite the fact that I’m sure there are some that also use this technique.
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In terms of gender representation some might say I have been slightly stereotypical by making the psycho a male and the victim a female due to the “strength” males vs. females. However, I felt that it was important to represent the two characters fairly but still make it clear that Efa is the innocent protagonist. I mentioned earlier about Helmut Nickel’s black hats white hats theory and that I put Efa in a white shirt. White has connotations of innocence, purity and cleanliness which is how I would describe her character. Pair that with her blonde wavy hair and her character is portrayed as quite an angelic figure – therefore the murder of her is made more shocking to the audience because she didn’t deserve it. As well as the white shirt I put her in a red coat as it has connotations of danger, violence and death – all of which feature in my opening. I represented her character in a way that made her look weak by using high angled camera shows that looked down on her and appear inferior. At the outset I did want to experiment with the concept of a femme fatale but after my primary audience research told me that a small percentage of people wanted one I decided to focus on other character types. However, this could have been a good character for me to include due to the explicit ways in which I could have represented her.
Following the gender representation route and Helmut Nickel’s theory – I decided to put the MM in all black – except for the white mask. This is because black has connotations of mystery, endlessness and secrecy which give the audience the perception that the MM is a psychotic character. The reason that I chose to use a white mask as opposed to a black one was to create a sense of twisted perception of his character due to the initial fake kindness that he would show to his victims before killing them. It’s obvious that this perception is twisted in my thriller opening as he says “run” straight away which isn’t conveying kindness at all. This psychotic danger is further shown when he is carelessly stroking the knife. I think this really represented his true evilness as he seemed to be handling the knife in a familiar way, touching the ridges as if it was second nature.
It could be suggested that I have represented the working class in quite a negative way due to my use of the Daily Mail as a newspaper. I used this newspaper because the stories are often politically and ethically incorrect, using facts that sometimes aren’t realistic. The paper is a tabloid paper that disguises itself as a broadsheet – this could possibly be reflected in the way that the MM is an evil character who disguises himself as a good character (implied through the use of the white mask). So, it could be said that if the MM was to buy the Daily Mil – as it is him that is cutting it up – he classes himself as a ‘working class’ citizen and therefore could portray them in a slightly negative light.
In terms of gender representation some might say I have been slightly stereotypical by making the psycho a male and the victim a female due to the “strength” males vs. females. However, I felt that it was important to represent the two characters fairly but still make it clear that Efa is the innocent protagonist. I mentioned earlier about Helmut Nickel’s black hats white hats theory and that I put Efa in a white shirt. White has connotations of innocence, purity and cleanliness which is how I would describe her character. Pair that with her blonde wavy hair and her character is portrayed as quite an angelic figure – therefore the murder of her is made more shocking to the audience because she didn’t deserve it. As well as the white shirt I put her in a red coat as it has connotations of danger, violence and death – all of which feature in my opening. I represented her character in a way that made her look weak by using high angled camera shows that looked down on her and appear inferior. At the outset I did want to experiment with the concept of a femme fatale but after my primary audience research told me that a small percentage of people wanted one I decided to focus on other character types. However, this could have been a good character for me to include due to the explicit ways in which I could have represented her.
Following the gender representation route and Helmut Nickel’s theory – I decided to put the MM in all black – except for the white mask. This is because black has connotations of mystery, endlessness and secrecy which give the audience the perception that the MM is a psychotic character. The reason that I chose to use a white mask as opposed to a black one was to create a sense of twisted perception of his character due to the initial fake kindness that he would show to his victims before killing them. It’s obvious that this perception is twisted in my thriller opening as he says “run” straight away which isn’t conveying kindness at all. This psychotic danger is further shown when he is carelessly stroking the knife. I think this really represented his true evilness as he seemed to be handling the knife in a familiar way, touching the ridges as if it was second nature.
It could be suggested that I have represented the working class in quite a negative way due to my use of the Daily Mail as a newspaper. I used this newspaper because the stories are often politically and ethically incorrect, using facts that sometimes aren’t realistic. The paper is a tabloid paper that disguises itself as a broadsheet – this could possibly be reflected in the way that the MM is an evil character who disguises himself as a good character (implied through the use of the white mask). So, it could be said that if the MM was to buy the Daily Mil – as it is him that is cutting it up – he classes himself as a ‘working class’ citizen and therefore could portray them in a slightly negative light.
3) What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?
Personally, I would use new media outlets to distribute my media product as these are the most effective in getting my target audience (teenagers) to see them due to the increase in internet usage in the 21st Century. Sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot can be used to distribute my media to various audience members – specifically teenagers. Although very unlikely due to the short length of my thriller, it could be funded by an independent company like Working Title Films or Warp Films because it could be described as innovative. From here, it can be developed into a feature film and possibly played in a multiplex outlet because it’s a mainstream thriller. I don’t think that it would be aired on television because my thriller conforms to the thriller conventions, making it more likely to be aired in a smaller, independent outlet. Overall however, I am inclined to stick mainly with the online media outlets like social networking sites and Youtube due to the small scale production of my thriller. I believe uploading my thriller to Youtube will gain it more views overall because when someone ‘likes’ a video on Youtube it will appear on another person’s timeline who is subscribed to them – thus increasing the amount of people viewing it.
Personally, I would use new media outlets to distribute my media product as these are the most effective in getting my target audience (teenagers) to see them due to the increase in internet usage in the 21st Century. Sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot can be used to distribute my media to various audience members – specifically teenagers. Although very unlikely due to the short length of my thriller, it could be funded by an independent company like Working Title Films or Warp Films because it could be described as innovative. From here, it can be developed into a feature film and possibly played in a multiplex outlet because it’s a mainstream thriller. I don’t think that it would be aired on television because my thriller conforms to the thriller conventions, making it more likely to be aired in a smaller, independent outlet. Overall however, I am inclined to stick mainly with the online media outlets like social networking sites and Youtube due to the small scale production of my thriller. I believe uploading my thriller to Youtube will gain it more views overall because when someone ‘likes’ a video on Youtube it will appear on another person’s timeline who is subscribed to them – thus increasing the amount of people viewing it.
4) Who would be the audience for your media product?
In terms of audience, I decided that the best target audience for my thriller would be teenagers 14-17 years old. This is because this age range of people took my survey and therefore I was able to tailor my thriller to suit their viewing requirements. 58% of participants to my primary audience research were 14-17 year olds – 65% of these were female. So, I could suggest that my thriller is specifically for females aged 14-17 because these are the majority of people that took my survey and therefore who I have made the changes for. One of the main changes that I made to make my thriller appealing to this particular demographic is having a female victim and a male psycho. This appeals to females because they are able to relate to her character’s emotions of panic and fear. Another way that this particular demographic would find my thriller appealing is the editing involves many jump cuts and which is similar to editing that exists in current thriller films now. These jump cuts encourage the younger generation to think and act faster. I believe that the audience for my media product would watch other thriller films such as 127 Hours – this thriller was watched by 48% of cinema goers aged 15-24. This suggested to me that people of this age group prefer more of a gore/suspense thriller which is why I included these 2 elements in my thriller.
In terms of audience, I decided that the best target audience for my thriller would be teenagers 14-17 years old. This is because this age range of people took my survey and therefore I was able to tailor my thriller to suit their viewing requirements. 58% of participants to my primary audience research were 14-17 year olds – 65% of these were female. So, I could suggest that my thriller is specifically for females aged 14-17 because these are the majority of people that took my survey and therefore who I have made the changes for. One of the main changes that I made to make my thriller appealing to this particular demographic is having a female victim and a male psycho. This appeals to females because they are able to relate to her character’s emotions of panic and fear. Another way that this particular demographic would find my thriller appealing is the editing involves many jump cuts and which is similar to editing that exists in current thriller films now. These jump cuts encourage the younger generation to think and act faster. I believe that the audience for my media product would watch other thriller films such as 127 Hours – this thriller was watched by 48% of cinema goers aged 15-24. This suggested to me that people of this age group prefer more of a gore/suspense thriller which is why I included these 2 elements in my thriller.
5) How did you attract/address your audience?
In the rough editing stages I was able to preview my thriller opening to a group of people within my target age range – 16-17. They answered surveys on the technical quality and appeal of my thriller like “are many camera angles used” and “are there any parts that you disliked and why”? From here, I was able to alter my thriller accordingly to ensure that it attracted my target audience. A large number of respondents stated that they thought the shots where Efa looked worried were “irrelevant” and “broke the flow” of the thriller. Therefore, I was able to remove them to ensure that my thriller ran smoothly and appealed to my target audience. Another response that I received was that the effects that I had applied to my clips made them look somewhat “unrealistic” so I was able to alter the effects to make the overall appearance more like night time. Additionally, the biggest change that I made was the outset of my opening. The overlay of the water running off the knife and diegetic bag packing scene was altered after I was advised that diegetic sound would make the thriller’s suspense and tension increase. However, despite these three queries the feedback I received about sound, lighting, camera angles camera shots and everything else was quite positive.
Another more implicit way that I attracted the audience was through the unsteady extreme close up shots of the newspaper. I thought that having random words like “single stab”, “devastating” and “Efa, 17” would help build the narrative further and help the flow of the opening. This attracts the audience by making them curious as to what happened to Efa and therefore raise their feeling of suspense.
In the rough editing stages I was able to preview my thriller opening to a group of people within my target age range – 16-17. They answered surveys on the technical quality and appeal of my thriller like “are many camera angles used” and “are there any parts that you disliked and why”? From here, I was able to alter my thriller accordingly to ensure that it attracted my target audience. A large number of respondents stated that they thought the shots where Efa looked worried were “irrelevant” and “broke the flow” of the thriller. Therefore, I was able to remove them to ensure that my thriller ran smoothly and appealed to my target audience. Another response that I received was that the effects that I had applied to my clips made them look somewhat “unrealistic” so I was able to alter the effects to make the overall appearance more like night time. Additionally, the biggest change that I made was the outset of my opening. The overlay of the water running off the knife and diegetic bag packing scene was altered after I was advised that diegetic sound would make the thriller’s suspense and tension increase. However, despite these three queries the feedback I received about sound, lighting, camera angles camera shots and everything else was quite positive.
Another more implicit way that I attracted the audience was through the unsteady extreme close up shots of the newspaper. I thought that having random words like “single stab”, “devastating” and “Efa, 17” would help build the narrative further and help the flow of the opening. This attracts the audience by making them curious as to what happened to Efa and therefore raise their feeling of suspense.
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