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

Looking back on my preliminary task which we were set in November, my skills and knowledge in filming and editing have improved greatly. Things that I have improved upon since November include things such as Editing, Camera work and Mise-en-scene. Since we have learnt more about these topics since our preliminary task, I feel that I now know how to use each of these correctly and to their full effect. This has become useful as I have had to use each of these in making our own horror film. I feel as if I now know how to create a suspenseful horror opening

Mise-en-scene was something that was criticized in our preliminary task as we had objects such as a fan which was right in the center of the frame. From feedback we discovered that this distracted the viewers attention. As our preliminary task was filmed within the school we presumed that we did not need to change much and we filmed regardless of the setting. When it came to filming "Intruder" I made sure to keep an eye on what was captured in each frame.When we were filming indoors we made sure that only essential items were kept within the frame. We chose to do this so we could make our set look like a stereotypical family home. Since our film makes use of a CCTV style of filming, it will result in there being four separate pieces of footage appearing on screen at the same time. This means that each shot will need careful attention to make sure only the required props are captured within these shots. When we were filming the opening part which made use of our props we had to make sure not to capture anything that would ruin the shot. For example our police file was filmed at school in an office, in order to make it look realistic we had to move any objects relating to school out of the frame, these objects included textbooks, general pieces of school work and school letters.

Another factor that falls under Mise-en-scene is costumes, in our preliminary task we didn't focus on costumes as we could were our everyday clothes and we were not required to wear anything in particular. Yet when it came to filming "Intruder" we quickly found out that costumes would play a big part of the film as they help create atmosphere and give the characters some depth and personality. Since the majority of our film takes place at night, we chose to make the actors wear dark clothing. This helps to link the film to the horror genre. The only opposition to this was Susi she was wearing bright coloured clothes as this connotes pureness and innocence. George on the other hand was wearing dark clothes which reinforces his role as antagonist. The dark clothes connotes evil to the audience.

For the props we used in "Intruder" we decided to use the real thing. For example we wanted to use police crime scene tape and a witness report. Instead of making our own we decided to use actual police reports and witness statements. This made our film appear more professional and gave it that extra sense of realism. It also made it easier for the audience to become immersed in our film. The only prop which we had to make ourselves was the police folder.

One last factor that falls under Mise-en-scene is lighting. In our preliminary task this was not a big concern as we filmed in an office during broad daylight because of this we had a sufficient amount of light to film in. However our film was filmed in the evening. This is a juxtapose as our preliminary was filmed during the day, whereas "Intruder" was filmed in the evening. When filming in the evening we had to make sure that it was not so dark that the audience cant see whats happening. To get around this we used the cameras built in light whilst we were filming. This added some brightness to it but at the same time still kept it dark enough to appear as if it were filmed in the dead of night. 

One thing I found out about my editing in my preliminary was that it was not tight enough. As a result this made the flow of it feel unnatural and at one point broke the continuity. During the editing stages of our horror film I have made sure to pay more attention to editing so that it flows more smoothly and keeps the continuity. I had to incorporate editing techniques such as shot reverse shot which I then incorporated into my horror film. I feel that I have improved in my editing during these two tasks.

Mode of address was something we did not pay much attention to in the preliminary task. This was because we only had to say two lines worth of words and it didn't seem worth it. When we filmed "Intruder" we made sure to focus on mode of address. The mode of address determines how someone speaks to someone else. This was important in "Intruder" as it made our character appear more real to audience as well as giving them personality as opposed to making the acting seem wooden and unrealistic.

 The next thing I had to look at was camera movement, during my preliminary task the camera remained static and there was no movement to it. We simply had to change the position of the camera when we needed it to change. Since the nature of the task was very simple we were not required to have that  much camera movement. However since we begun the filming of "Intruder" I have had to make more use of camera movement. I used a variety of different camera movements, an example can be seen during our opening we used a tracking shot across our police tape to reinforce the idea that a crime has occurred. When we were filming the indoor scenes to "Intruder" we were trying to keep the camera as static as possible as it was to be perceived as CCTV footage, however we also wanted slight movement in this to make it appear as if the camera was changing its position.

Lastly the camera angles used in my preliminary task were very basic angles such as a close up and extreme close up. Due to feedback I discovered that the filming was rather unsteady at a certain point as I had to film it without a tripod. When my preliminary task is compared to "Intruder" it can be seen that there is a great change in the amount of angles that are used. In the film I used a wider variety of angles which are much more advanced when compared to close ups. These new shots included low angles and high angles and panning shots, I used these as they can have a greater effect on the audience as opposed to a normal shot. We used both high and low angles on the intruder in the film. This was purposely done as it makes him appear vulnerable one minute and powerful the next. This makes it hard for the audience to distinguish if he's a victim or threat as the shot is always changing. It also makes hard for viewers to establish any connection between the intruder as the way he is portrayed is always changing.

Evaluation Task Six- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

When we filmed our horror film we had use a range of different equipment, the equipment we used is as follows:

To film our movie we use a "Panasonic HDC-SD80". We found that the camera was easy to use as everything was easy to locate on it. We did not have any troubles whilst using it. Whilst I was filming with it, I learnt how to film in different environments, for example we had film within a dark house to give the impression that it was night time. To combat this we were originally going to film in a night vision filter but our camera did not have one, so as a result we improvised and used the built in flashlight to make the scene brighter but still matching the required darkness.

When it came to editing our film, we used a mac book pro and a program called final cut pro. I found that this program was very easy to use as I've had previous experience in using it. However I have learnt more skills since using the macs again. I have learnt how to divide the screen into segments in order to fit more than one video on screen at a time. This was crucial for our CCTV style of filming. I also learnt how to remove audio from the video and replace it with another audio piece so that it looks like a voice over is happening on screen. The screenshot shows our film during its editing stages.




We used mobile phones during the production of our films as we used them as voice recorders in our film to reenact a 999 call.
We also downloaded a blogger app so that we could edit our blogs wherever we were.This proved to be useful as we didn't need a laptop or computer in order to edit our blogs. The app was very easy to use and it laid out exactly as it does on a computer.
From doing this I learnt how to extract an audio clip from my phone and upload it onto the computer, it was simial to uploading a clip of the voice recorder.




For evaluation task 3 we had to create a commentary voice over to play with our film. We used a voice recorder to record our commentary. We then imported our film into a program called movie maker and imported the voice-over and muted the films volume so we could hear the voice recording. From this I have learnt how to import recordings onto the computer and then into the actual editing software. after this process I learnt how to de-sync the audio and link up the voice recording to the footage.

In some scenes of our film we had to use a tripod so that the camera would remain steady. The tripod was a great help as it made sure everything we needed stayed within the shot. Due to already using a tri-pod in previous filming I was already familiar in using one, but using one for the filming of "Intruder" proved harder than expected due to the angle of our camera shots. I found that this made good experience and I learnt how to place the tri-pod in different places in order to create different filming styles. 

Finally we used an old TV and switched it to an AV outlet so that some static would play, we then used the camera to video record this and incorporated it into our film.











Blogger is a website that allows people to publish posts to an online blog for people to view all over the world. In my case it allowed me to keep all my A level work in one place and organize it in a neat fashion which makes it appealing for someone to read. While using blogger I have learnt how to create blog posts which feature a variety of things such as video links to YouTube.











We used YouTube to upload and publish our videos so people could view them. As I have never uploaded to YouTube before I was unsure of how to upload. Whilst using this however I became more skilled and families with the layout and what all the video editing tools did. The process turned out to be rather simple as all you do is click upload and then find your video, which then begins to process before being uploaded.

Evaluation Task Five- How did you attract/address your audience?

For evaluation task 5 we had to use Youtube's annotation tool to say how we attracted our target audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjkegfs2Dp8

Evaluation Task Four- Who would be the audience for your media product?

Demographics

Age:
The target age for our film is 25-35 years because the age certificate of our film is a 15. We feel that this age is suitable because at this age people have a job and therefore a sustainable income and can afford to go to the cinema.
Location:
Since we are based in St.Neots, our target audience is very local. Due to this we are a very suitable from both London and Cambridge. Both of these towns are very large and both easily accessible. These town also have a high proportion of our target audience.
Gender:
The gender that our film would most apply to is males as the genre of our film is horror. This genre of film stereo typically apply to males rather than women. So our mainly priorities our film at men. However our film features a women as one of the main roles, because of this it may appeal more to women than men. This may still attract men to the film as they inclined to see a film with women in it.
Income+Education
Since our film is aimed at 25-35 year olds, the chances are that the people who view our film will be in full time work or continuing their studies at university, because of this they are likely to receive a medium to high income. The income bracket which would apply to our audience is E - C2. We think that the education level of our target audience would be that they are either in full time work or at university. 
Ethnicity:
As our film is an all white cast we feel that it would be more appealing to this ethnicity group, however people of different ethnicity may still wish to view this film.
Marital Status:
The marital and family status of our target audience would be primarily single adults with no children. As a result of this they will have a larger disposable income which means they will have more money to spend on themselves.

Psychographics

Personalities:
We would think that the personalities of our target audience would be people who are fun and would enjoy watching films with their friends. They would be a fan of the horror genre and wouldn't be afraid to watch horror films.
Hobbies:
The main hobbies that our target audience would have would include them being more of a thrill seeker as opposed to someone shy and quite. This is because a typical horror film would be designed to put people on edge and give them a thrill. As a result of this it would attract people who posses this kind of characteristic.
Lifestyle:
The lifestyle that our target audience would have would involve them being very social-able and spending allot of time with friends. These are the kind of people who are more likely to visit the cinema and spend more money as its what they enjoy doing, as opposed to people who prefer to stay indoors and would not like to spend money at the cinema.
Behavior:
The behavior of our target audience would be those who enjoy being scared in front of other people as they enjoy horror films. They would also enjoy other peoples company as we expect them to visit the cinema on a regular basis. However we do feel it would be more appropriate at the older audience (25-35) as they can fully appreciate the film as opposed to a younger audience (Teenagers) as they may lose attention during the film. 

Evaluate Your Decision

I think there would be enough people to view my film as most adult males are interested in the thriller genre. I understand that decisions are often based on what other people suggest. I think our target audience would more than likely be able to watch our film as its expected that they would have a full time job and earn a sustainable source of income, meaning they would be able to visit the cinema regularly if they wanted to. If viewers of our film were to give it a good review and have a good opinion on it then they will likely recommend it to their friends and family, resulting in them spending more money watching it. We think our film would be considered by the public as its similar to other films using this style of filming. These films have proved to be successful, so we hope our film would be something the public wants to see. However they may also grow tired of films that use this style of filming and as a result may choose to overlook this film. The public's decision is usually influenced by what they see, this could be done through advertising using methods such as trailers and billboards. This would help to distribute our film to a wider audience.

Evaluation Task Three- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

For evaluation task 3 we had to record a commentary voice-over and play it over our original film. To do this we used a voice recorder of us disscussing what kind of company would distribute our film. We then removed the audio from our original film and inserted the voice-over in its place.

Evaluation Task Two- How does your media product represent particularsocial groups?

                                Susi Cracroft- Single Mother                Lenore- Taken 


Both of these characters belong to the social group of single parents.

Both of these characters have similarities and their differences. They are similar in they way that they both have dark hair, they are both well groomed, wear make up and clearly look after themselves. This shows that they may be looking for a partner. Both of these people are easily identified as single parents as they have no ring on their ring finger. These two support the role of single mother as they are very stereotypical in the way they are presented. They are both portrayed to be very vulnerable people, this is stereotypical as women are normally shown to be more vulnerable compared to men who normally play the more dominant role. They are both bringing up their children by themselves showing that they care deeply for them. This also shows they would be willing to do anything for their children even if it means putting themselves at risk. In both films they appear in something happens to their child and they helpless in defending them. This is stereotypical as its usually a male who does the rescuing. In both of these films they play scared people which fits the stereotypical role of a women.

However these two characters do have some differences, an example of this is the fact that they are both of different age. Susi is 38, whereas the actor who plays Lenore is aged 49. Another way in which they are different is the genre of film they appear in meaning some aspects of their personality will be different. This also shows that the role of women is the same across genres as they often play the role of a distressed women.

                           George Marshall- Possessed Boy      Dalton Lambert- Insidious


The second group of people that is represented in our film is young children.

Like before both of these characters have similarities and differences. They are very similar due to the fact that they are both possessed in the film they appear in meaning they have no control over their own actions. Both of these young children are extremely vulnerable and unable to fend for themselves  resulting in them having to rely on their parents to save or rescue them. This is stereotypical as younger children normally don't know how to fend for themselves and always look to their elders for help. They both appear within the same genre of film, this helps to show that possession is a common plot element used within horror films.

However they both have their own differences. George is a younger age than Dalton from Insidious. This portrays George as a more vulnerable character than Dalton. The circumstances of Georges possession is left ambiguous to the audience as its is never revealed not even at the end of the film. This challenges normal stereotypes as reasons for possession are normally revealed at the end of films. This portrays Georges as an even more mysterious individual than he already is, as the audience does not learn much about him. On the other hand we find out about the circumstances involving Dalton's possession at the end of Insidious. This sticks to normal conventions of a horror film.

Evaluation Task One - In what ways does use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

Frame 1- The Title of the Film
  In frame 1 a close up of our title "Intruder". We chose the name "Intruder" because it connotes the idea of danger, threat and someone who shouldn't be there. The idea behind this is that it should make the audience feel uneasy and unnerved. The title appears in one letter at a time until the full title appears. It comes into an empty black screen then disappears, this creates an eerie sense among the audience. This is very stereotypical among horror films as they aim to create creepy atmospheres to put the audience on edge and unnerve them.

Frame 2- Setting and Location
 Frame 2 shows where our film is set. It is set in a stereotypical family home, the areas in which our film is set is the kitchen, the living room, the upstairs landing and at the bottom of the staircase. We decided to film it in a CCTV style as we felt this would make it more effective. This is most notably linked to another horror film which uses the CCTV style of filming, this film is "Paranormal Activity"

Frame 3- Costumes and Props
 Frame 3 shows one of the props we chose to use for our film. The prop in the screen shot is our police file. Our props are used during the films opening as a way to incorporate the actors names into the film.

Frame 4- Camera Work and Editing
Frame 4 shows an over the shoulder style camera shot being used, we chose to use this style of filming during the conversations as it shows the characters point of view and gives another perspective on the conversation. This would be effective as it makes viewers feel like they are part of the film itself, creating a sense of immersion.

Frame 5-  Title Font and Style
 Frame 5 shows the style of font we used for our title "Intruder". We chose to keep it simple using large white block capitals as we felt this made it effective. This can emphasize it further due to the fact that it is placed on a black background. The white font contrasts the dark background which helps make it stand out amongst the audience and makes it the center of attention.

Frame 6- Story and How The Opening Sets its up
  Frame 6 shows part of our opening title sequence. In the shot we see a picture of some police tape. This immediately tells the audience that some sort of crime incidence has happened. This was done to try and put them out of there comfort zones and make them feel uneasy and unsure as to what may happen. During our opening we toned down the brightness of these scenes to a darker colour so that it suited the dark theme of our film. This is related to typical horror films as most horrors are filmed in dark locations to immerse their viewers and make them easier to scare.

Frame 7- Genre and How The Opening Sets It Up
 Our 7th frame goes back to our CCTV style of filming, but shows our actor George Marshall standing in the bottom left screen staring directly at the camera. This has a great effect on the audience as they would feel like they are watching him because of the CCTV effect, however since our actor is staring directly into the camera it could imply that hes the one watching the audience. This creates suspense among the viewers. Due to this it helps to establish itself as a horror themed film.

Frame 8- How Characters are Introduced
In our 8th frame we see a police witness report on a table with our actors name wrote on it. We decided to add in our actors names through the use of our props. By doing this it helps add a sense of realism to it.

Frame 9- Special Effects
 Our 9th frame shows one of our films main themes which is the use of static, this was done using a transition called "Static". This is a recurring theme throughout our film and is seen a few other times during our film. Since our films footage is shot as if it were through the use of CCTV footage, the static makes seem as if someone or something could be interfering with it. This helps create suspense for the viewers as they will be unsure of what is happening. This links in with the horror genre as they usually play on the audiences fear of the unknown, so they are never quite sure of whats happening.

Group Roles

When it came to making our film we designated each other group roles so that we would be more efficient and each have a specific role. I was the director when we were in the progress of making our film. As director I over looked what everyone else was doing and made sure they were safe whilst doing their jobs. I also had the task of making sure people were in the right place when filming was in progress. Overall I found this task quite easy but challenging at the same time. The challenge in this job was supervising a group of people all at the same time, this was difficult as they were all doing different things and I had to watch out for they were doing.

The producer in our group was Charlie Marshall. As producer she was in charge of making sure all the conditions were right when we were filming, this means she had to make sure aspects such as the lighting and framing was all correct.

The editor in our group was Laura Dawson. As an editor she was in charge of putting the film together in the editing stages. She was the primary editor in the group however me and Charlie both helped in these stages.

We all took part as the cameraman. This part was particularly difficult as the we had to place the camera in a difficult position in order to give it a CCTV effect. 

"Intruder" Final Version

This is the final version of "Intruder" after we made all the changes that were suggested from the feedback we revived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjkegfs2Dp8

"Intruder" Draft Version

This is the draft version of "Intruder" before we made all the adjustments to it.

Independent Research- Horror Film Settings

The Overlook Hotel from "The Shining"

A stereotypical horror film will usually take place in one location as it creates the sense of isolation and the fact that there is no escape. This makes the audience feel that there is no hope left for the people in the film which will ultimately lead to their demise. Stereotypical locations in horror films will be place such as churches as they are linked in with the dead and may possibly be haunted. Graveyards are also are common setting as they feature gravestones and are often shown at night to create a dark atmosphere. They often connote the idea of the dead rising from their graves which is a stereotypical plot device used in horror films.

An example of a stereotypical setting is the Overlook Hotel from the film "The Shining". This is a stereotypical setting as its isolated from society as its located in the mountains, making it difficult to get to or get away from. This is effective as the audience knows escape is inevitable. 

Independent Research- Typical Plot in a Horror Film

In the horror genre there is often a typical plot which involves one of three key elements, these key elements are Murderers, the Super Natural and Creatures/Beasts.

Murderers

A typical plot involving murderers within the horror genre usually consists of a normal person committing a string of murders most typically on a group of teenagers. The killer will usually wear dark clothes whilst making the murders and often kill their victims in a gruesome manner. Its often shown that the killer will have escaped from somewhere and may have some mental health issues, which makes them even more intimidating as they are unpredictable. One person is killed off at a time until the end of the film where the motive of the killer is finally revealed to the audience. A stereotypical motive for the killings within these films is revenge. The killer is usually revealed at the end of the film as it keeps the audience guessing until the very end and allows them to make their own theory's on who it might be.

Horror Films Which Use The Killer Element

Scream, Hostel, Saw, Wolf Creek, Halloween

The Super Natural

The super natural is a plot device used in horror films as they provide an easy scare towards the audience. A typical plot involving the super natural would include people mysteriously disappearing for no reason. It may also involve something or someone being haunted by an evil spirit. This plays on the audiences fear of the unknown as they question whether the spirit was even there at all and the fact that no one really knows whats going on. Ghosts are often put into a film to provide a quick scare for the audience as they wont be expecting it.

Horror Films Which Use The Super Natural Element

The Ring, Final Destination, Insidious, Sinister

Creatures, Beasts Or Aliens

The last plot device used in films is a creature or beast of some kind. This creature will usually be massive in size and will posses intelligence making them scarier than they actually are. The typical plot involving a creature will involve people being killed or eaten by this creature, then a group of people attempting to take down said creature. Its stereotypical that people will run away from the creature as they cant match its strength  Both men and women are powerless when it comes to fighting creatures or beasts. Aliens are often used within films as the audience always knows that they will be difficult kill as they are different to humans. Aliens are often used as no ones knows where they come from or what they will do which puts the audience on edge. Its stereotypical that the alien will result in killing most people in the film as people dont know how to deal with it or fight it.

Horror Films Which Use The Creatures, Beasts Or Aliens Elements

Jaws, Alien, The Howling, The Thing

Independent Research- Props In A Horror Film

Props play a key role within horror films as they are what makes the film memorable. This is what brings the film to life and makes it scary for the audience to watch. If a film were not to have props the actors would not be able to act properly as they can only do so much. A prop allows extra information to be added to a character as we can learn more about them depending on what the prop is. Props can also be added to characters clothing to give them that little extra detail. Stereotypical props suited to the horror genre include things such as knifes, masks and dark clothes.

Its typical for horror films to have a signature weapon that the killer would be using. This is normally there trademark weapon and is recognisable throughout their series of films. It normally becomes a famous piece of iconography. These signature weapons make any killer within horror films instantly recognisable due to how famous they are. These props help to make the films stand out in the horror genre as they are normally simple everyday items such as a mask or a blade, however due to how they are being used within the film they establish themselves within the horror genre as they make the audience nervous or put them on edge whenever they appear on screen. When these props appear on screen the audience can be certain that the killer is about to make their move.

Ghostface Mask from the "Scream" films

Freddy Krueger's Glove from the "Nightmare On Elm Street" films