Evaluation Question 1) In what does your media product use, develop or develop or challenge forms and conventions or real media products

Evaluation: Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? - Mrs Quinlan

Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

 What was the preliminary task and what where it main aims.

The main aim of the task was to create a short 30 sec video, this was to find out how good we were with our camera handling skills and Editing. We made a lot of mistakes when doing the preliminary task including break 180-degree rule and shaking the camera however this was before we started filming our final product. We didn't have much time to plan the preliminary task compared to the final product which we planned for several weeks.

Preliminary Task Video

 Identify 4 things you are now better with and more confident with doing in terms of filming and editing

Filming: The first thing that we more confident in was camera handling. At first, it was me who filming, however, didn’t have the tripod, therefore, I was shaking the camera. Then we decide after we filmed the preliminary task we decided that Baris and Shakil should hold the camera instead was because they could hold the camera stabled compared to me. However, I was still in charge of technical operations for the camera since I knew how to use a camera and what setting we would need for filming.

Filming: Planning is another thing that we are more confident. During the preliminary task, we filmed at several locations before deciding to film at a location that was suitable. This has now dramatically improved since when we filmed the opening scene in one location and that we made a plan on how we were going to film some shots as well as spotting problems and fixing them before we started filming. This has meant the quality of the final product would have gone up.

Editing: The use of transitions has improved since the preliminary task. We used more appropriate transitions for our final production this includes fades and fade to blacks. We also made sure that when we added these weren't going to overwrite that part of the video. Because this mistake happened in our preliminary task, therefore, we need to avoid this from happening in the final video.

Editing: Use of more correction tools. When we originally made the preliminary task we didn't use any video correction tools since it was a basic video. In our final video, we used a variety a stabilized video tool for some scenes since we didn't use a tripod for these scenes and would be best to make sure the clip was quite a stabilized. We also used the colour correction tools to correct some lighting issues such as some scenes had different colours of lighting and this was because of the TV changing scenes which had different brightness levels and colours.

Comparison from our Preliminary task to our final production.

Preliminary Task                                                                                       Final Task.

The main difference is that the shots are more stable compared to our preliminary task. This was because we had access to a tripod tools as well as video correction tools such as video stabilizing. Which helped in evening out the film.

Another difference is that way we planned on doing the final task

Compared to the preliminary we made sure that there was enough space for me baris and shakil could film therefore this improved the quality of the video. This also meant I didn't break the 180-degree rule because of the issues of space. Therefore, we had improved shots in the final task compared to the preliminary. For example, these two scenes both requiring over the shoulder shots as you can see one of them I didn't have access to the tripod as well as limited clearance however with the other shot when we plan the film we made sure there was space for filming these shots.

Editing is another important factor that has improved since our last film.

Previously the editing was rushed and we didn't use a wide variety of tools to improve the preliminary task and this led to some mistakes occurring. However with the final video we use a variety of tools to help us and as well as watching the video several times to make sure that we correct any mistakes and if we had to re-film it then we would put it on a list and then when we got a chance to we would re-film that scene. As you can see from the before and after images there were not any mistakes that could affect the public perception of the film compared to our preliminary task.

Video

Did you make a successful thriller and why?

The thriller production was successful albeit there would be a few changes I would cover later on. We used various techniques and common convection's that were a scene in other thrillers such as scream and Halloween. Moreover, we had a very good story line and the ending was quite good. We used a variety of software such as "Final Cut Pro" and "Logic" which are the industry standard. This meant we could add effects as well as the backing track. The purpose of this was to add suspense and mystery to the thriller.

What did you most enjoy?

Filming and working as a team- At the beginning when we started, we were enthusiastic and optimistic about what we could have achieved and at the end after seen what we enthusiastic and quite happy that what we achieved was a thriller opening. The filming was the most fun part of the course because we're finally started making our thriller and we could finally show some of the skills we learnt while researching about thrillers and camera techniques.

What could be improved?

There are many things we could have improved at doing some more practical than others. The first thing was we shouldn't have used Ahmet since he wasn't scary enough however he did things better than others instead we should have used a girl since they would be better as a victim because the audience would have more sympathy for someone else then Ahmet. Some of the television scenes should have been re-done this was because that the amount of colour correction we did just so the scenes were suitable and the colour didn't suddenly change per scene. To improve these scenes, we would have used better lighting and made sure that the television would stick to one colour scheme instead 12 different colours. And a couple scenes could also be moved about and changed to make the film more fluid and more natural.

What are the main things you have learned over the whole process?

The biggest one was Teamwork. At the beginning were arguing over basic things such as would the current camera positions work or we may need to change parts of the storyboard to make the thriller more fluid. However, I think we improved over time this has meant that we were able to produce a great thriller ending. Teamwork was a very important skill we learnt since we had many different ideas and we had to use them to get a good media project. Another thing we learnt throughout the course was various techniques of handling a camera equipment and software. We learnt how to use final cut pro and other software's which industry standard software are. This allowed us to create the final production and learn new skills and techniques that we can use into A2 or for other work. And the final would be patience. Because you need a lot of it because it takes a long time for footage to render and sometimes frustrate us when we rendering our work moreover patience with other people especially were been doing it for a few weeks trying to film and edit the work.

Final Product

Final Product

My Name is Elliot Kinkead | 7081

I was working with

Shakil Gahzi | 7907

Baris Yildram | 7158

Evaluation: Question 5) How did you attract/address your target audience? - Miss Begum

Question 5) How did you attract/address your target audience?Target Audience.

Secondary research was an important factor when making  our final product. We needed to research into existing films was important because our group needed to research and to find which age group was mostly likely to watch thrillers as well as our target audience and needed to identify the demographics for the film. Doing secondary research allowed us to get opinions and responses from our target audience.

The target audience we were trying to attract:
From the research we had we thought our film will be targeting the audience below.
• Age: 15-45
• Gender: Unisex
• Ethnicity: ALL
• Occupation: Students (Secondary and University)
• Hobbies and interests.

The audience we wanted to attract after carrying out the research and checking the BBFC Guidelines was of an 15+ Audience. We also wanted to attract various ethnic groups as well as males and females to the film. The reason why was because of our research suggested that young adults prefer thrillers because of the suspense and tension that is created in an thriller film.

Our target audience would usually enjoy the common convection's in the thriller genre because how highly popular thrillers films are towards teenagers and young adults. And the excitement of an thriller compared to the older generation who may think that thrillers may not be representative of them and may have an difference of an opinion or may not like the plots of thrillers compared to other genres. The audience would be able to relate with the main characters because of their young age. However we used character from various different ethnicity to portray some of the characters within the film.

Some conventions we used to attract our audience:
During the opening scene the audience may likely to experience is psychological. This is because towards the end of the opening scene there is scene at the end before the credits that is “cringeworthily” it is a fast moving thriller at times especially towards the end of the opening scene were the opening was building up to the first plot point of the opening scene/ The use conventional characters were also pleased our audience and the use of characters from different ethnic characters also excited our audience since it wasn't conventional like with most other thrillers. In some scenes we created tension because the use of lighting and sound throughout the opening scene.

Ensuring that I was addressing and attracting my target audience: 
Primary Research was another important factor when researching our final product. An example of our primary research was the questionnaires we did when planning our thrillers. It was important to do this type of research because we needed to find out what the audience like or enjoyed about thrillers. As well as response they would get from thrillers and experiences from watching other thrillers.

Questionnaire

While researching into thrillers I carried out a questionnaire in order to gain valuable feedback from those I was trying to directly address. The purpose of this questionnaire was to find out what their opinions were about thrillers in order for me to represent them into my work. I ensure that the people I asked to fill this out were people who would most likely watch my work in the real world.

Here are 4 key questions that helped me making key decisions about my thriller.

Question 4: What do you expect from a thriller?
Question 9: Where do you think where the film should take place?
Question 15: What object scares you the most in a thriller.?
Question 20: Do you fast paced thriller or a slower paced thriller?
The questions i asked allowed me ensure that i can attract my target audiences beacause the question are related to the thriller i was planning and this allowed me to find out what my target audince oppions were about thrillers.

I also had open-ended questions with in my questionnaire. I received feedback and there were two quote that also help make decision what I should do with my current thriller.

Open ended questions

• What your favorite types of thriller of all time

Quotes from open ended questions

• What your favorite types of thriller of all time

Ant Cook-"To be honest i like a lot of thrillers however the best one thrllers i watched were the that was psychlogical. An example would the scream"

Mathias D -"I Prefer mystrey type thrillers beacause they always had an enjoyable plot lines"

These questions has helped me plan my final product, we found what type thrillers that our target audience enjoyed the most.

Images of questionnaire

Results from Key Graphs to ensure my audiences needs were met:

The importance of Primary Research

Primary Research is important to carry out, this allowed us to find our what our audience was expecting from an thriller film. We needed to make sure that we understood what our audience would expect form us. If we didn't do this primary research we wouldn't be able to find out what our audience expect from the audience therefore we wouldn't make an film that would be popular with our target audience and wouldn't understand what our target audience. Carrying out primary research allowed us to find out what people expect about thrillers and what our target audience wanted in an thriller and this also helped us in receiving feedback about thriller products. 

Audience Feedback.

After our group finished producing a rough cut of the thriller opening, we held a focus group to get opinions of our audience in case we needed to make any last minute changes in order to appeal to them better. The purpose the of the focus group was to get feedback about our thriller opening and to find out what improvements what we should do. The focus group was also made up of our target audience and this means we could get an informed and constructive criticism about the thriller product. The majority of the students we invited were AS and A2 Film and Media students as their knowledge on film is better. 

Focus group images

Below are some verbal feedback we received from the focus group.



This was some Positive feedback from the members of the focus group. This meant that the target audience did like the thriller opening scene.


Another member of the audience gave us some feedback and what can we do to improve the final product.

Addressing my target audience has allowed us to gain valuable feedback about our final product. This meant that we knew our audience views on thrillers, and what they were expecting from the film. Also receiving feedback from our focus group and questionnaire allowed us to make any changes that were necessary changes.

Evaluation: Question 6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this media product? - Mrs Quinlan

Evaluation: Question 2) How does your media product represent particular social groups? - Miss Begum

Transcript

Evaluation: Question 3) What kind of media institution might distribute you media product and why? - Mrs Quinlan