Evaluation Activity 7

Evaluation Activity 1

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

The title of the film
The title of our media production is twelve, this is because there is an ongoing theme throughout the media production of the main character looking back at his watch as the time draws ever nearer to twelve o clock where he begins to get flashbacks of the terrible crimes in which he has committed. The title twelve goes along with the theme that the film is a race against time thriller, this can be compared with other thrillers where there is a race against time such as "Taken" and "Phone Booth" from this you can see that the title goes against the conventions of the normal titles that thrillers are given, as there are few thrillers that are given titles that are just a number, normally the title is based around the setting of the thriller or the main action that takes place in the thriller.

The setting/location of the film
The majority of the media production was filmed in a derelict building in a field in Ongar. The derelict building has obviously been worn and torn and it already had alot of mise en scene inside it, such as graffiti and broken roof beams and smashed up bricks. This was why it was a very good location because it fits in with the codes and conventions of a thriller and made the whole feeling of the film a lot more intense and scary to watch.

Costumes and Props
Costumes and props were an extremely important part of our media production and took a lot of perfecting, at first we decided upon a plain costume which was just a white shirt/t-shirt with blue jeans, and we were using red acrylic paint as a prop for blood. However we found that this costume did not suit the codes and conventions of a thriller and that the red acrylic paints looked extremely fake as a substitute for blood, therefore we decided upon changing the costume to a more gangster like look, with dark jeans and a dark smart jacket, also we decided not to use the acrylic paints as blood. We also found out that props were very important to use in order to make the thriller more scary so when filming in the derelict building we made our own Polaroid photos out of laminated paper and put them onto a washing line with pegs, this gave a very good effect and made the thriller a lot more scary and intense in this scene.



This is a picture of the final costume.

This is a picture of the props we used as polaroid photos on a washing line.









Camera work and Editing
Throughout out media production we used a lot of very innovative shots in order to enhance the professionalism of our thriller. Because we decided upon re-shooting after our first day of filming, we decided to make a very detailed storyboard with a lot of very different yet effective shots.


This is a picture of Christian taking a low angle shot of me.

This is the result of the low angle shot.

This is a picture of Christian taking a very innovative shot between the feet of Charlie.

This is the result of the shot between Charlie's feet.






Title font and Style
The title of our thriller is twelve, this is because the thriller is a race against time thriller and throughout the thriller there is a consistent reference back to the characters watch in order to check the time which is drawing ever closer to twelve o clock. The font of our title is very stereotypical of that of a thriller, there is a dark background and then large bold writing which has a slight blur to it in order to give it a tense and scary effect.


Here is the picture of our opening sequence, this is the font of our title.










Genre and how the opening suggests It
Obviously the genre of our production is a thriller, however it is extremely important that you get this across in the opening few seconds of the production in order to make sure that you capture your audience and that they  know what genre they are watching. In our thriller we done this by having the opening scene of our thriller in a dark woodland alley, this is the stereotypical setting for a thriller, a dark place with bushes and trees overhead. This meant that as soon as viewers watched our production they new straight away that it was a thriller.

This is a picture of the setting in the opening scene that really establishes what the genre of the production is.














By  George Hick 

Final Cut of our Film "Twelve"

Diary of the Re-Shoot

For the re-shoot we decided that we had to be alot more organised as before in the first shooting we were not very organised and spent alot of time deciding what shots we were going to use. In order to be more organised Christian had a very detailed storyboard that told us exactly what shots we were going to use and exactly what mise en scene was needed in the shot. This helped greatly and after meeting at the Two Brewers pub in Ongar at 4 o clock we started walking to our location knowing exactly what we were going to do.

We used our story board and starting shooting straight away we were using the same locations so we knew how to set things up this was apparent all throughout the first shot on the story board. We then went onto the second shot on the story board and so on, and as a result of such a detailed story board we managed to complete the whole re-shoot in just over four hours. This was very good and shows how planning is key when shooting.


Here are some pictures of the various things done throughout the entire filming process in order to make the film as good as possible. 

Here is a picture of Christian filming a low angle shot  of the main character, this is to show that the character is in a dominating position and should be feared.

Here is a picture of Christian filming a high angle shot whilst the main character is on the floor just regaining consciousness, this is used to show that the character is in a vulnerable position after just passing out. 

Here is a picture of Christian and Charlie setting up the camera in order to make sure it is in the right position.

Here is a picture of the setting where we filmed one of the main scenes in our production. You can also see the props that we set up with the cloths line with hanging pictures in it in order to make the building feel scary and as though a crime has been committed. 

Here is a picture of Christian aligning a very innovative low angle shot between  the feet of Charlie in order to capture a low angle image of another character but with Charlie's feet in the shot. The reason for this shot was to give the point of view from behind Charlie to get a different aspect of the situation, also the fact that Charlie is in the shot makes the atmosphere alot more intense as you know he is a victim.   

This is a picture taken from the same place as the recording camera was situated in order to show how the high angle shot was used in order to make the victim look vulnerable when laying in a ditch unconscious. 


By George Hick

Character Profile

Name: Daniel Sheen


Age: 22


Occupation: Works in a local bar mixing drinks and cocktails.

Bio: A very quiet man who is very socially inept, he suffers from nightmares and bad dreams and he doesn't know why.


Family: He has no recollection of his mother or father as they died when he was young, however he knows that he has an uncle that lives in Australia.


Criminal Record: Conviction of shoplifting at the age of 15.

Interests: Very interested in computer games. 

By George Hick

Changing The Costumes for the Second Shooting

After the first days filming we took our footage back to school and had a look at it before the editing process. However we decided upon reflection that the footage was not of a satisfactory standard, and as a result of this we decided that we are going to re-shoot the film entirely in order to improve it.


One of the main improvements that we thought would help would be to change the costume because it was also very basic and not very interesting and didn't make the thriller any better, so as a result of this we decided to change the costume.


The changes that we are going to make are not going to be to drastic however we have decided that a smarter approach will be better. The initial costume for most of the characters is a blue pair of jeans with a white shirt untucked and with the top button undone and also after the death scene we used an acrylic paint in order to replicate blood, however when we looked at this on the camera it looked very tacky and fake.


Because of this we decided to change the costume of the main character to a pair of smart black jeans and a smart jacket and this will make the character look smarter and have more of a sense of authority as the person is eventually going to be in the commanding role when he is killing people. we also decided not to use blood in the re-shoot.



Here is a picture of Charlie wearing what we decided the costumes should initially look like with the fake blood. 













Here is a picture of me wearing the changed costume which is a much more smart look and you can see that we do not use fake blood here as it looked tacky, and this more smart approach makes the main character look a lot more threatening.  










By George Hick

Actual Locations

Photos of Actual Locations

 Derelict Barn 

The reason i thought it would be a good idea  to use a derelict barn as a location is because it is a very original location and something that is not easy to come by. It will be very suited to a thriller becuause it is a dark scary place with a solitary atmosphere.

Empty Moat/ Forest

The reason we decided upon using an empty moat as a location is because it is also a very original location with many different aspects to it. It is also very suited to a thriller because it is a dark quiet place with alot of coverings that make it a very eery place.  

Derelict Swimming Pool

A derelict swimming pool is also another very original location. It is somewhere that is always known as a very active place, so when it is empty it is a very eery place. It is full of dirt and graffiti and has broken walls in some places so it makes it very scary and make it a very good location for the thriller.

Swamp

A swamp is not a very original location, however it is a very good place to film a thriller. I think it will be a very good place to film a thriller because it is very well known as a place of danger. It is very overgrown and has alot of sticky mud in and around it, therefore if anyone was to fall in it would be very dangerous. Therefore it is a good place to film a thriller because of this.

Desolate Fields

A desolate field is also not a very orginal location, however we feel that it would be a very good location to use a long shot on. If someone is filmed walking or running through an empty field then it creates a feeling of loneliness and this is something that is scary in many thrillers the thought of someone being alone as it creates a feeling of isolation.  

By George Hick

Questions for Different Focus Groups

For our opening to a thriller our target audience ranges from young people such as teenagers, to middle aged people in their forties and fifties . In order to find out what my audience will expect I am going to run a focus group and ask questions and have them answer these questions on camera to show what they will be expecting in a thriller.

Question 1.

What sort of sounds do you think would be most effective for thriller? Question 2.

What sort of costumes do you think are best for a thriller?

Question 3.

What sort of sets do you think are the best place to film a thriller?

Question 4.

What sort of editing do you think works best for a thriller?

I am going to present a range of different people within these age ranges in order to find out what people think will be best in the opening to a thriller.

By George Hick

Health and Safety Risk Assessment

·         The first place that we may be filming is a wet part of the forest with some very steep hills with lots of wet mud and leaves. Obviously there is a risk of slipping over when filming in this area; therefore we will have to take precautions. The precautions that we will be taking are to wear the correct footwear for these conditions such as walking boots and studded trainers.  When filming, if the person is moving such as running in the scene then make sure that there are no obstacles in the way.  Also when someone is taking a shot of someone, they need to make sure that they are on steady ground so there is no chance of the camera falling.

·         The second place that we may be filming is in a large field, there is a possibility of there being bumps and pot holes in this field, and therefore we will have to make sure that there is a flat piece of ground in order to put the tripod to prevent the camera from falling over. Also we will need to make sure that there is no uneven ground or potholes when actors are running or walking in a scene as this could also be potentially dangerous.  

·         The third place that we may be filming is a derelict empty swimming pool; there are many obstacles that pose a threat in this particular area. For example any broken tiles or glass will have to be moved as they may cause an injury to one of the actors. Also this area may be slippery as wet tiles can form a very slippery surface, therefore we will have to make sure that the actors and film crew are wearing the correct footwear to make sure that they do not slip over.  Also the edge of the swimming pool is a potential risk as people may fall over the edge and into the empty swimming pool; therefore we need to make sure that the people filming and the actors, are not too close to the edge.

·         Another risk is when we are moving between sets we will be crossing roads when holding lots of equipment such as costumes and tripods, therefore we will have to make sure that we use zebra crossings and pedestrian crossings when they are available so that we are safe from traffic and stop the risk of any injuries.


By George Hick

Initial Ideas

Preliminary Storyboard

Mood Board

These codes and conventions of a thriller that we thought up as a group, we feel are represented in the following films in our mood board.

·         A thriller is always dark

·         People hurt or killed

·         Guns or weapons are often used

·         There are often injuries

·         There is always a cold dark place

·         The weather is always bad cold dark and often raining

·         It is often set in a rough place with poor living conditions

·         People are often scared and unhappy 

·         Crimes are often committed therefore there are :

-          Police

-          Ambulances

-          Detectives

-          Forensics

-          Fire brigade

-          Prisons

-          Criminals 

·         Sometimes illness

·         Costumes often dirty and ripped tattered and torn clothing

·         Often  suffering  for  family and friends

By George Hick and Christian Sheen