Evaluation - Q1 - DVD Commentary - Ben Rogers and Luke Thompson

Commentary

Evaluation - Q2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social groups our media product represents are; single parents – There are some divorce letters on the side table, at the beginning of the film, (these would have been explained later in the film) and a great sense that she is alone. The middle class – The house or flat is very modern and big, there are some antiques, paintings, a good stereo system etc. A businesswomen – she is wearing smart clothes and her desk is very organised with books a printer and computer etc. Family’s – there are pictures of her and her family all over the house, some on a table, more on the fridge, the place is tidy but slightly cluttered with usual family household objects. She also represents an outsider, coming from a foreign country to England and not feeling entirely at home all the time, this also makes her more vulnerable. We also used the stereotype of the single woman – isolated and in danger, typical in horror/thrillers.

Evaluation - Q3

What kind of Media Institution might distribute your media product and why?

Working Title.

We chose Working Title because the Company specialize in similar films to ours: A British film, financed by an Anglo-American company. Working Title has, in the past, made films that are transatlantic with British-American crew and casts, much like our film. Working Title also tend to provide money for more independent and low-budget features, again similar to the conceptual style that we are going for. A Working Title feature often also portrays the ideas of British culture to American viewers and our film is shot in London, the capital of England, with an American actress. We intend to make a thriller that has something that reflects Britain.

Evaluation - Q4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

One of the reasons that we think the movie we have created is an appealing choice is the fact it is accessible to a wide audience. The horror market has become one of the most successful and it is a genre that many of the greatest film-makers of all-time have tapped into; Hitchcock, Kubrick, Spielberg and Coppola, and many other great film-makers have used techniques from horror to make their films great. The horror film allows the film-maker to appeal to a main audience of 'thrill-seeking' under 30s and at the same time, show their talents for directing, the horror film is a film that allows the writer and director to truly be creative. I think as well as the younger audience who come to be scared, older audiences will come for the intriguing plot and what we hope to be an interesting film, as well as this, we intend to appeal to other audiences by having an emotionally complex '3-dimensional' heroine. Pre-release, we showed the opening scene to several people in order to determine whether our target audience would be enthralled by the film, and the audience really enjoyed it.

Evaluation - Q5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Because of the use of an American actress, we’re hoping it will attract an American audience. This fits in with the traditional tarns-Atlantic audience of Working Title films. The actress is around late 20’s and she will appeal to people of a similar age. Because of the location and film, a large number of British people will be attracted to the film. So we aim to attract quite a large multicultural audience irrespective of gender or age within the boundaries of the film’s classification. The other characters will be of similar age, perhaps even older. This could also attract an older generation, interested in conflicts between people of their age.

Why an 18 certificate?

We decided for the film to be an 18 certificate because we think it will be too scary and gory for anyone under this age. If it is an 18 certificate than it is also more likely to attract our preferred audience, those who love being scared and are horror-film-goers. Since the film is slightly appealing to a younger market, (a market just discovering horror) for instance, under 18’s, this certificate will help increase DVD sales because they will be aloud, with parental consent, to finally see it.

Evaluation Q6

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

I had used final cut before, so I had some idea of the things you can do, and the technology, but I had never used it to make something that was final and finished, so it was interesting polishing it to make it as good as my technical abilities could let me. I learnt to be selective with filters and effects in mind of how the film should look. We learnt how to use the camera effectively in getting the right result on the audience, for example, to scare them; we would use a tracking shot and slowly ease in towards the actress, from behind, as if someone was creeping up on her. We also learnt how to build up sound effectively in order to create tension and suspense.

Evaluation - Q7

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

I have learnt many new skills and techniques since doing the preliminary task. I learnt how to use lighting more effectively, for example different colours and playing with shadows/silhouettes. For example, in the first shot, we positioned the light outside the house, so we could get some nice shadows on the wall. My preliminary task was very dark, so you couldn’t see much, so I tried to retain a sense of the same level of darkness, but to also allow the viewer to see precisely what we needed them to. Contrasting to the preliminary tasks which were rushed and not considered fully, we tried to focus on making this film quite serious and real, rather than comedic. We thought about the script for a long time, editing and polishing it, until we were completely happy. As apposed to our preliminary tasks, we also tried to focus on every tiny detail; the actress’s costume was that of a stylish businesswoman’s, as well as remaining reserved – because of her being a mother. Props, there were pictures surrounding the house, of her, her husband, children. Dialogue, we tried to make it as real as possible and took inspiration from our own homes. These were all considered in order to get the right Mise en scene. We asked the actress to bring in photos of her, which would suit her role in the film. Because we couldn’t find the dolly, we had to create our own using a skateboard and two planks of wood, so we have learnt how to replicate certain equipment in order to get the right effect. I have also learnt how to use music and sound effects more effectively, concentrating on the build up of sound to create tension and melodic music to accompany the action on screen. I made some sound effects by slowing down various violin sounds to 10% of their original speed. I also did this with various horns and pipes. I also decided to reverse the dramatic Beethoven music, because it sounded more sinister and disconcerting and wasn’t as obvious or overly dramatic as the original, in the end however, we didn’t use it, and instead used a fuzzy noise that sounded like the end of a tape of film, to go with the main title.

Editing the piece was probably the lengthiest part of the project. This is because I found it difficult to fit the film into two minutes. It was most difficult with the end, and after many different drafts we decided that the end didn’t work, (originally screams from the actress than a shot of the door closing.) It seemed too melodramatic and possibly almost comedic, and we didn’t want that at all. So instead we cut for the title as soon as the actress turns the light on. This left the audience on a cliff-hanger and it was very eerie with distant screams from the actress in the background, we tried to leave the audience wanting to know what would happen next.