In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
¨ Because of my films thriller genre, it was important to use some of these conventions so that my audience can identify with the media product. However, using different techniques i.e. Camera work and range of shots to explore the conventions or forms usually associated with this particular genre. ¨ To make the production look real and professional, techniques such as: using a tripod to keep shots still and steady; using
camera technologies such as the zoom feature; using realistic transition settings so that it doesn't make the film look amateur.
All of these things are important to make it look like a real production.
¨ However, I challenged this slightly by employing a Point-Of-View shot that aimed to be a little more shaky then the other
shots. This however, didn’t go down too well as it was too shaky for the audience to get a good view as to what was going on.
¨ Overall, the production played very stereotypically and conventionally in the theme of a thriller film as I felt that this is
what the audience wanted and were used to.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
¨In the film, a young girl has been cast as the victim. She is alone and looks vulnerable, making her a very stereotypical
victim. Women are usually represented in this way by films. Gender plays a big part, particularly in horror films, as men are
cast as the villains, women the victims.
¨ In my production I have continued this convention as the audience is used to this happening and can work out which
character is who and what role they take on in the film. For example, the male with a hood up is playing the villain
and this is very easy for the audience to work out that he will have the villainous role in the film. This helps get the narrative
and plot across easier.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
¨To catch the eye of my target audience, I will need to find a means of distribution to get it out to them. This means I am
looking for a well established media institution with a very good reputation, especially in the Horror/Thriller industry. Also,
another thing to look at when searching for this institution, is to make sure that the company have produced films that are
aimed at teenagers, which is my specific target market.
¨A film company that I would like to use and think would be perfect for my media production is New Line Cinema. They have
a wide range of films, however, recently have distributed and released many horror films, including the very popular
Nightmare on Elm street remake that came out in 2010 and the iconic Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This means that the company
are still producing big name films. Also, they released films such as the Final Destination Series which were highly successful
Physcological-Thrillers. This is my particular choice of genre. These films have also been aimed at teenagers which backs up my
choice.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
¨My audience will be teenagers as it was originally going to be aimed at them. Firstly, I made it a 15 certificate as I felt it
would attract more people, however when we received feedback it was clear that people felt it was a teenage thriller.
¨No extensive physical violence is used but also, based on the genre being phycological thriller, I felt that a physical element
would take away from the phycological theme.
¨Shouldn’t be a 12 because of the horror part of the film, and I don’t want to break any laws, meaning no risk involved with
actual filming and editing.
¨Overall this is why I decided that the 15 certificate would be perfect for this film
How did you attract/address your audience?
¨Firstly, I used a teenage actress so that the people watching the film could identify with the representation of their
age.
¨Also, as this age group are just coming into this genre of horror, then they are just looking for a thrill. The opening
builds suspense and excitement before a quick, fast paced edited clip kicks into action. This is where the thrill is created.
¨On top of this, music builds suspense and creates the sort of atmosphere that attracts young people to watch a
thriller/horror film
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
¨The technology that I used during the production has all been very new to me
¨Firstly, I hadn’t worked with the sort of camera we had and had never used a tripod. I found this process much
easier because of this and the stillness of the shots shows more professionalism
¨Then, I used Imovie, an editing device that I have never seen or used before. I found the transitional effects and
editing techniques to be very user friendly and really helped with making the media a much better finished
production
¨Technology is always important in the productional stage only if you know how to use it. Good tutorials and
easy to use programs made the process much easier, even for a computer novice that I am
Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
¨The preliminary task was very helpful in relation to the overall production
¨I got to experience the cameras and tripods, which was very important and gave me the confidence to
use a variety of shots in my overall production
¨The shot-reverse-shot was very insightful as it gave me a new type of shot that if required I could have
used
¨ However, an over the shoulder shot that I used in the preliminary task was used in the main task, so I
definitely learned new shots that helped create the media production and make the media production what
it is as a finished article
