Evaluative Report

My project was to create an opening three minutes for a thriller film. It will have a sub-genre of our choice. I am working in a group of three to create our project, with all different jobs to work on. When looking at different sub-genre of crime thriller I carried out some research to see what conventions this sub-genre has and what audience they target and which ones we should. Our project will include an ident that we have creates and film titles, as these are conventions of an opening of a movie.

During class we carried out many exercises when learning about thrillers.  We went to go and see L.A confidential, which is a well-known thriller. We did this so we could look at and notice thriller conventions, such as a main female character, suspense, mystery, a hero and also film noir. We also created a list of the characteristics of a thriller. We then individually created a short storyboard for initial ideas for our project. We used iconography to do so. We looked at and included different shot types and shot durations in this.

I then watched a few opening sequences to crime thrillers. This was to compare the openings and to see if they had the expected conventions that I thought they would have. I watched the opening to Skyfall- James bond and also Taken. I chose these films as they are both successful films and well known thriller movies. When analyzing these films I found that it helped as I learnt a lot and how they used their conventions within the editing and opening. We also wrote a essay looking at how different shots and lighting represented and portrayed characters. For example, low lighting with a lot of shadowing would show that the character is bad and more serious, rather than light lighting will show that something good is happening and the person is good/happy.

I would want to make my movie/project successful and to do so I will have to have the correct target audience. For my chosen audience I have chosen teenagers (from the age 15+) and above. I have chosen these as the film may involve violence so the film becomes more exciting and involve more action. When asking people of the same age as my intended audience, I found out that they like tense music, dramatic build up, the movie to include a lot of suspense and good lighting to make the movie worth watching and successful.

I have found all of my research helpful as it allowed me to realize the best conventions, which are used in a successful thriller, which I then will consider to use in my project.  When I found out what my target audience prefer in a thriller it then allowed me to work out which ones I will include in my final product. My research has allowed me to understand the conventions of a thriller, which will then hopefully help me to create a successful project. It helped me to develop my ideas and make them better. My plan is for a young girl to go missing or taken. I chose this idea as it includes the conventions of a thriller movie and would also have the same target audience, which most thriller movies have. It will create suspense and the atmosphere of a thriller movie. A flashback may be used in the opening of my film, as this is also a common thriller convention, creating mystery and more suspense, to emphasis this I will include a lot of low lighting and shadowing to represent that something bad is happening.

Final Evaluative Report

Section 1
For my project the brief was to film an opening sequence to a thriller which will last around 3 minutes and will include film titles and an ident at the beginning. This will be done in a small group of 3 people and the thriller will be specified to a sub-genre of our choice. As part of my pre-production task, I chose a sub-genre of crime thriller and carried out some primary and secondary research to establish the conventions of this sub-genre and what kind of audience this sub-genre will appeal to.

In class we carried out various exercises into looking at thrillers and thriller subgenres before starting our project. At first we made a list of all of the characteristics of a thriller which included suspense, mystery, film noir, tension and a hero with a flaw or secret past. We also looked at the iconography used in thrillers and created a short storyboard for a thriller opening sequence to help us practice for our project. As a class we watched L.A confidential as this is a well-known thriller which includes many typical thriller conventions as well as the use of film noir including femme fatale within the main female character.

As part of my secondary research, I watched the opening sequences of two crime thrillers to see how they meet or contrast the expected conventions of this sub-genre. I chose to look at The Godfather as it was a highly successful film in its time, winning a great amount of awards such as 3 Academy awards and 5 Golden Globe awards such as Best Motion Picture and Best Director. I also used Heat as an example as it is another classic crime thriller which was released 20 years later than the Godfather so I thought it would be interesting to look at two opening sequences from different eras to see how they compared and contrasted. I carried out this secondary research to look at the uses of crime thriller conventions to see how well they represented the genre and to help me decide what elements I should use in my product which will represent my sub-genre well.

For my primary research, I asked 5 people from my target market which aspects of crime thrillers they most enjoy. I carried out this to gain some understanding of what kind of features appeal to my target market in a crime thriller as well as what they will hope for in my product and which elements I should use to ensure that my product is as successful as possible. I decided that my target audience should be people aged 15 years and above as this allows my group to use more thrilling elements in our product which will enable our product to excite the audience as it will not be restricted to the themes only suitable for young children, however it will still be suitable for most teenagers.

Section 2
I think that watching L.A confidential was very useful for my research as it allowed me to discover popular conventions used in a highly successful thriller, which I can consider using when creating ideas for my project. Finding out what aspects of crime thrillers my target audience enjoy the most was also very useful in informing the pre-production process of my thriller opening. This is because it allowed me to work out which elements I will need to include in my final product in order for it to be as successful as possible and in order for it to appeal to my target audience. Also, looking at all of the different features and conventions used in the opening sequences of two different successful crime thrillers was useful as it helped me to have an understanding of what kind of conventions I will need to include for my product to represent my sub-genre well.

I received useful feedback from my market testing as my target audience identified specific features of crime thrillers in which they enjoy the most and so this allowed me to discover what interests and excites my target audience and what attracts their attention the most. From this research I learned that my target market enjoy interesting storylines with a surprising twist, the build-up of tension, the amount of action which is used in the film, a hidden story between characters and they also enjoy the way the scenes excite them and draw their attention. From this research I gathered a variety of responses and so this gives me a range of elements which I should consider when creating ideas for my product. I can use this reliable evidence to make a successful opening scene which will intrigue my target audience and it will draw them in and so they will want to know what will happen next.

The research which I carried out influenced the development to my ideas by allowing me to create ideas of an opening scene involving a victim of a young girl which follows the conventions of a lot of thrillers of involving a young, vulnerable victim. When thinking of ideas to use for my product, I followed the feedback which I received from my market testing and decided that my opening sequence should involve the disappearance of this victim as this will create suspense and should draw the attention of my audience into wanting to find out where and how she disappeared. I decided that I should also use the typical convention specifically used in Heat and The Godfather of dark lighting to create an uneasy atmosphere and this should represent a crime thriller well. My ideas also involve using flashbacks to the scenes of the events which led to the disappearance of the young girl and also flashbacks of her getting ready to leave her house in a happy lighting, with tense music, to show that something bad is going to happen to her. Much like the opening sequence of Heat, there could be quiet, mysterious music playing in the background to add to the suspense.

Section 3
I think that my role of the camera operator was carried out successfully as I followed the aims of each camera shot on our storyboard. A good variety of camera shots were used to create an exciting thriller opening such as the panning shot at the beginning, which sets the scene well by showing a gloomy day in a quiet village and has a slow pace to create a mysterious atmosphere. The shots leading up to the victim’s bedroom were made to take the audience on an intriguing journey to find out what happened to the victim, i.e. the point of view shot of the stairs was used to look as though the audience were walking up the stairs to the bedroom. The other roles of editing and sound were performed well as the transitions to each shot were smooth, the lighting clearly revealed the flashback used and the music helped to build up tension. The voice recording of the interview between the detective and the victim’s mother also fitted in well with the product as it helped explained the mystery of the victim’s disappearance so this can lead up to a good story which will appeal to the audience.

Although most of our opening sequence was successful, there were several elements of our first cut which weren’t very effective and needed improvements, such as the camera shot lengths and some of the editing. The feedback from our first cut explained that some shots were too long and a few had continuity errors, for example in one shot the girl picks up her bag before she leaves her bedroom however she isn’t carrying anything as she goes downstairs, so we then cut the shot so there was no longer a continuity error. Other comments from our feedback were that some shots were quite boring, so we improved the editing by including more effective transitions into each shot and increased the brightness to highlight the flashback which made the sequence more interesting and added variety. Also there was no sound on our first cut because the soundtrack and interview recording weren’t uploaded on time, which was another improvement we were able to make.

I think that our product is similar to the opening of Heat as they both use similar elements to set the scene such as slow panning shots, and other typical thriller conventions such as gloomy lighting and mysterious music, which create a tense atmosphere. My groups opening soundtrack is similar to that of Heat’s as they are both quite edgy and create slight anxiety for the audience. On the other hand, the openings are of a rather different storyline as the opening of Heat includes a detective as the main character whereas our opening includes the victim who is a young girl on her way to a party. However in both openings, a variety of different camera shots and angles are used to create an interesting opening which attracts the audience’s attention.

In conclusion, our opening should appeal to our target audience as the camera shots and music used build up tension for the audience, and there’s a hidden story between the characters as our opening suggests that there’s a link between the person in the nearby car and the girl’s disappearance. Before filming, I had to remove some shots from our storyboard as they weren’t achievable to film such as the bird’s eye view shot of the girl’s bed. I also included a close up of the girl replying to a text which shows where the girl is going so our audience are able to understand the opening sequence. Once we received the feedback from our first cut, we made improvements including making some shots shorter, adding more brightness to the flashback and finally adding the interview recording. After making these necessary improvements to finish our final cut, our target audience said that the music and voice recording fitted in well as they explained the story and added to the tense atmosphere. They liked our flashback as the editing was soft so it was clear that this was a flashback. The only negative comments about our final product were that the lighting in some shots was too bright and a few transitions between shots were too quick. Overall I think I have fulfilled my role as the final shots link well together and successfully introduce an effective thriller story.

Gemma Barham

Section 3 Evaluation

Evaluation section 3

My job role was being in charge of sound for our product. I also helped with some of the editing, and made our storyboard.
I added a voice over to our opening by writing a script between a police officer/detective and the mum of the missing girl in the shots. I then got two people to read out the script whilst I recorded it. I also added foley sounds during the talking when the mum rummages in her bag for an address. I did this by using a crisp packet and recording the sound of it crumpling. I also added music over the opening. I searched online for one and found a very eery and tense piece that I liked a lot and thought suited the genre and our opening. 
My favourite thing about the music was probably the fact that it really set the scene for the opening and was very mysterious. Feedback from my classmates also confirmed that the music worked well with what was happening, for example, when the door slowly swings open the music matches very well. However, someone did say that when the shot of someone going up the stairs is on the music could have changed to something more tense and fast to suggest something bad or different is happening. It could also have changed during the flashback.
I also liked the voice over as it explained the storyline to the audience and made it a lot more clear what was going on. However, it could have been improved as I had very little time to record it and my actors had a few problems, so next time I need to make sure I do more than 1 take. 
The music and voice over both stop very abruptly also but this could probably have been improved when editing.

A similar product to ours would be a film like Taken. This film is also about a missing person and is a thriller too. The opening scene of Taken is a flashback of a girl on her birthday. This is similar to ours as we also use a flashback. You can tell that its a flashback due to the effect of the shot, it looks like it's been recorded and is very old-fashioned looking. The music starts off quite happy but slowly gets quite tense and almost frightening. They are also sound effects used such as a child laughing which makes it seem quite creepy.

Evaluation section 3- 600 words

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your final product. This must be in relation to your job role e.g sound
Which elements of the product are effective and why?
Which are not as effective and why?
Compare your product with a similar professional product (conventions, locations, characters, editing, filming, sound, etc)

Include reference to

• Terminology
• Rough cut feedback and final cut feedback
• Any changes on the storyboard
• Your initial research e.g have you remained conventional? Have you reflected on genre?
• Have you successfully stuck to your target audience?

Evaluative Report

Our brief was to plan and film an opening sequence to a thriller film in small groups of about 3 or 4. We were allowed to choose a sub-genre of our choice. The planning included making a storyboard and planning things such as shot types and duration and camera angles.
The research we did was doing things such as looking at several different crime thriller openings (such as Taken) and stating how they use the usual thriller conventions and/or how they used their own original effects. When researching these thriller openings I also paid attention to things such as the age ratings on the films to see what the age of the audience is meant to be. From research I have also discovered that some thrillers make it quite difficult to recognise the sub-genre of a film in the opening scene, and it's possible that (for example) they may be a crime thriller, or a psychological thriller, but you can't tell until you watch further into the film. The two film openings I looked at were James Bond-Skyfall and Sherlock Holmes. I chose these because they are both very well known thriller films and they have won many awards so I felt like I could learn a lot from analysing their techniques they have used. In class we also watched the first 15 minutes to a thriller film to identify what usual thriller conventions were being used and how the thriller was different. This all developed on how we can start our own thriller and make it clear that it is a thriller but also make it original at the same time. We also had a trip to the cinema to watch 'LA Confidential' a classic thriller film that involves a detective/detectives looking into different crimes such as murders and prostitution. We then wrote a 500 word essay on the way the scenes have been shot and different characters have been presented and lighting has been used to create the different effects (for example, low key lighting and shadows may create a serious and tense mood for the audience and a high key scene may be used to make a face look softer and more attractive and present a character in a good way).
I would say that my target audience would probably be teenagers and above. This is because to make the product more interesting, if it was a real film, it may involve things such as violence to build up tension and make it more action packed. After I decided on this age group I then asked a different range of people in that specific group to answer some questions on what they like the most about crime thrillers. I think I have attracted them to my product by using interesting features such as tense music and sophisticated lighting to make the production seem a lot more professional and worth watching. I also think that as there may be a hint of mystery and someone being taken it may attract them as it is very unclear what has happened and they may want to find out what happens next.
The elements of my research that were useful in forming the pre-production process were definitely reflecting on other crime thrillers and watching their openings and seeing how they all differ yet all use the same kind of techniques to create the tense and dramatic mood that thrillers are meant to have. It also helped a lot asking my target audience what they most enjoy about thrillers as that way I got to see what people like and what I should include in my own to keep it interesting and enjoyable for the audience. Watching 'LA Confidential' also helped me a lot, mainly because it uses such a variety of different techniques yet still is a very classic and clear thriller. For example, it taught me about how you can use it to make two characters appear very different to the audience just by using a harsher or softer lighting on them.

Evaluative Report

Section 1
For my project the brief was to film an opening sequence to a thriller which will last around 3 minutes and will include film titles and an ident at the beginning. This will be done in a small group of 3 people and the thriller will be specified to a sub-genre of our choice. As part of my pre-production task, I chose a sub-genre of crime thriller and carried out some primary and secondary research to establish the conventions of this sub-genre and what kind of audience this sub-genre will appeal to.

In class we carried out various exercises into looking at thrillers and thriller subgenres before starting our project. At first we made a list of all of the characteristics of a thriller which included suspense, mystery, film noir, tension and a hero with a flaw or secret past. We also looked at the iconography used in thrillers and created a short storyboard for a thriller opening sequence to help us practice for our project. As a class we watched L.A confidential as this is a well-known thriller which includes many typical thriller conventions as well as the use of film noir including femme fatale within the main female character.

As part of my secondary research, I watched the opening sequences of two crime thrillers to see how they meet or contrast the expected conventions of this sub-genre. I chose to look at The Godfather as it was a highly successful film in its time, winning a great amount of awards such as 3 Academy awards and 5 Golden Globe awards such as Best Motion Picture and Best Director. I also used Heat as an example as it is another classic crime thriller which was released 20 years later than the Godfather so I thought it would be interesting to look at two opening sequences from different eras to see how they compared and contrasted. I carried out this secondary research to look at the uses of crime thriller conventions to see how well they represented the genre and to help me decide what elements I should use in my product which will represent my sub-genre well.

For my primary research, I asked 5 people from my target market which aspects of crime thrillers they most enjoy. I carried out this to gain some understanding of what kind of features appeal to my target market in a crime thriller as well as what they will hope for in my product and which elements I should use to ensure that my product is as successful as possible. I decided that my target audience should be people aged 15 years and above as this allows my group to use more thrilling elements in our product which will enable our product to excite the audience as it will not be restricted to the themes only suitable for young children, however it will still be suitable for most teenagers.

Section 2

I think that watching L.A confidential was very useful for my research as it allowed me to discover popular conventions used in a highly successful thriller, which I can consider using when creating ideas for my project. Finding out what aspects of crime thrillers my target audience enjoy the most was also very useful in informing the pre-production process of my thriller opening. This is because it allowed me to work out which elements I will need to include in my final product in order for it to be as successful as possible and in order for it to appeal to my target audience. Also, looking at all of the different features and conventions used in the opening sequences of two different successful crime thrillers was useful as it helped me to have an understanding of what kind of conventions I will need to include for my product to represent my sub-genre well.

I received useful feedback from my market testing as my target audience identified specific features of crime thrillers in which they enjoy the most and so this allowed me to discover what interests and excites my target audience and what attracts their attention the most. From this research I learned that my target market enjoy interesting storylines with a surprising twist, the build-up of tension, the amount of action which is used in the film, a hidden story between characters and they also enjoy the way the scenes excite them and draw their attention. From this research I gathered a variety of responses and so this gives me a range of elements which I should consider when creating ideas for my product. I can use this reliable evidence to make a successful opening scene which will intrigue my target audience and it will draw them in and so they will want to know what will happen next.

The research which I carried out influenced the development to my ideas by allowing me to create ideas of an opening scene involving a victim of a young girl which follows the conventions of a lot of thrillers of involving a young, vulnerable victim. When thinking of ideas to use for my product, I followed the feedback which I received from my market testing and decided that my opening sequence should involve the disappearance of this victim as this will create suspense and should draw the attention of my audience into wanting to find out where and how she disappeared. I decided that I should also use the typical convention specifically used in Heat and The Godfather of dark lighting to create an uneasy atmosphere and this should represent a crime thriller well. My ideas also involve using flashbacks to the scenes of the events which led to the disappearance of the young girl and also flashbacks of her getting ready to leave her house in a happy lighting, with tense music, to show that something bad is going to happen to her. Much like the opening sequence of Heat, there could be quiet, mysterious music playing in the background to add to the suspense.

Gemma Barham

Test shots

During one of our lessons we decided to test out some camera shots which we were planning on using for our opening sequence to make sure we are able to film our shots as well as we can for our final piece.

This is a mid shot of the main character (victim) looking in the mirror which will be set in a bedroom and will show that she is getting ready to go out. It will be a flashback of before she disappeared.

This is a long shot of a car driving past from the distance.

This is a panning shot which pans across the corridor from one end to the other which we will include but instead it will be set in the street in which the victim lives, of the houses around  hers.

This is another panning shot of houses down a road which is more realistic to how the final shot will look.

This is a tracking point of view shot of going up the stairs, which will be used in the victims house leading up to her bedroom before we discover that she has disappeared.

This is a tracking shot of doors opening which we will use near the start of our opening sequence of the front door of the victim's house.