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

Above, you can see the film my group produced for the preliminary task.
As a result of progressing to filming our more in-depth main task, i have found that research and planning is very important before trying to just jump into any of the filming for instance and then ending up with unorganised filming.
After looking back at our preliminary task I also think that we were able to establish more flowing and consistent shots in our main task without any jumpy edits.
I also think we were successful in establishing a genre to our film more effectively in the main task by including a lot of devices which would attract our target audience.
Therefore, i think the research carried out beforehand on the type of film we were planning on constructing, the actual filming skills; the different angles used for different effects and using a dolly for instance, also the editing in particular has improved and the sound track choices; used throughout the film to gain larger effects in our main task film. We also learnt to take particular care in location choices as they can influence the film and what impression it gives to the audience, as well as having obstacles to look out for such as reflective door panels or windows; which we took into great consideration this time.
Our team work for the main task was very effective too, for instance we all out ideas in for the film plot itself and used some of every body's ideas in order to make the best film possible, we helped with who brought different props in to use and ensured we had everything we wanted and how we wanted it before filming. My main idea for the film was having the opening scene of newspapers and a serial killer focus and for the props; i made the book of the dead girls; with help of creating the oozing blood effect on the girls before taking the girls photos. Our roles developed from the preliminary task in the filming process as we all shared more of the filming and each did scenes where we took it in turn to direct or film etc. I felt this worked really well within our group. We also made editing decisions, including the soundtracks, together.

Evaluation: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout the construction of our film I feel there is a lot I have learnt about technologies which can be of great help in this area of media.
For instance, being able to use digital storyboarding instead of drawing it all out proves a lot quicker and is also far easier to change anything afterwards if needed.
Using the storyboarding software helped us in the way that we went and took pictures of what each shot would look like in our film instead of using the locations included on the software already for instance.

I now know that having access to the right types of software is essential in order to make a successful product. For example the DV cameras we used and the apple macs were very important in ways such as being able to see what footage we were actually filming at the time and then being able to put it onto the macs and use the various software applications in order to improve our film, by editing for instance. As i had never used a mac previously, i learnt a lot about what they were capable of doing to improve the film quality and how to use them in general.
By using soundtrack pro and being able to have the film next to the sound tracks we chose was extremely useful in being able to match up the sound to the desired points in the film, creating the successful effects and a flowing film sequence; otherwise the film would seem unprofessional. This also meant that we were able to experiment with different sounds and see which one we felt best fit with the happenings in our film. We were also able to make use of the editing software in final cut by using different aspects such as freeze frames and transitions to name but a few. Whilst doing editing in final cut I learnt how to create a freeze frame from our film footage and so not only were we able to create the effective opening scene of the newspaper articles, but this enabled us to create the shot to make it look as if a picture had been taken by a camera and so we made it so that it just came up as a flash and then we faded it back into the film footage.
Throughout this process I also learnt that you must ensure you keep the pace of the dolly steady whilst filming otherwise you will get a jumpy film.

Another very useful aspect before producing our film was being able to use the scripting software to create the script and then give this to the actors beforehand so that they felt prepared and knew what to expect before they filmed as well. Using this script software also meant that we were able to match up shots with actors and scenes; making it more organised and changeable if needed. This is the example of our script:

Alongside the script, i felt that the animatic was very helpful in the way that we had an idea of camera angles and shots to film beforehand. After creating our animatic, we were able to see a visual, rough outline of what our film would look like, how it would all fit together and how we would fit the sound in with the action as well. This also gave us an approximate running time for our film.



Using blogger we found was very helpful in the way that we could keep a chronolgical track record of exactly what we did as we went along. It also enabled us to upload videos for the examples of conventions used in our film and real films for instance. I have also been able to include images from points in our film and other films to support our ideas; such as including pictures of costume examples.

YouTube was also of high importance throughout the whole process of creating our film. This is as it enabled us to find inspirations from different films for the opening scenes, titles, soundtracks, effects used, and examples of these conventions used in other films.

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

After establishing who we wanted our target audience to be, we could ensure we incorporated several ways in order to attract our target audience, for instance;
- The titles written in a 'bloody' font would immediately attract people interested in thriller films in general.
- Having the opening shot of the newspapers with articles of the killings may also attract people who have an interest in keeping up to date with news and who want to learn more about the situations which occur in our world today.
- During the editing stages we also ensured the sound track choices were appropriate to our film; therefore suspenseful and also that they fit in time with the happenings in our film. For example, we ensured there was an intense build up in the music up to the knife and then seeing the picture being put into the book; which gives the audience the tense feeling as if they were witnessing the situation for real and so builds it all up inside for them by hearing the beat of the music and pace quicken.
- The lighting used in our film; dark and mysterious, adds to the effect the audience gains from watching our film because it makes it seem more exciting of the unknown and so engages the audience to continue watching our film. Everything in real life always appears more frightening too and so the audience can relate to this feeling by watching our film and will therefore have a more dramatic effect on them.
- The actors and how they appear to the audience are also effective in communicating the differences and relating to the audience because they look like two everyday females who you could easily pass in the street and so has a larger effect that the young girl is just an innocent victim; enhanced by white clothing, for example.
- I also think the mise-en-scene used would attract our desired audience as they would be intrigued by the mysteriousness and by the helplessness of the tied up victim. The mise-en-scene such as the candles also has a dramatic effect as it provides the dark lighting however they can also be used as in a positive way and so leaves the audience in suspense again as to what the happenings to come might be. Use of the knife is very important in attracting our audience too because it is highly appropriate for our film and its genre; which is what our audience are interested in and so would immediately gain there attention.

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The typical audience for our media product 'The Bloody Copycat' would be teenagers-late 40 year olds interested in crime, thrillers and drama. I think it would be a predominantly male audience as i have looked at a few crime thriller films on the Internet and the comments have been largely from males enjoying the clips. However, our film may also attract a female audience as well due to the fact that it is based around female characters. I can also gather that our audience would mainly be males by the fact that i carried out a survey on some friends and family and from the fifteen females i asked only two of them said that they might choose a crime thriller to go and watch at the cinema, whereas the other females informed me they would prefer to pay to watch a comedy/ rom-com or chick-flick. The fifteen males who i asked all agreed that they would pay to go to the cinema to see a crime thriller quite willingly and so this shows the majority target audience for our film would be males. Out of the fifteen females and fifteen males of whom i asked whether they would choose to go and pay to see a crime thriller at the cinema, the age ranged from 10 - 48; supporting the target age range we have chosen for our film which we have decided upon a 15 age certificate.

Evaluation: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The media institution which comes to mind when thinking about who might be able to distribute our film effectively is Working Title Films; as you can see from the logo i have included above. I personally think this seems to be a good choice of distributor because Working Title Films is a highly British company who are becoming more and more well known as they continue to add countless names of films of which they have helped in the distribution process. The fact that Working Title Films is a highly British company also suits our film because we have set it in Britain and have used British actors within it. Alongside this, we know that Working Title Films have previously distributed crime thrillers like our film 'The Bloody Copycat' and so they would be familiar and confident with how to successfully distribute a film like ours. A few of the crime thrillers i have found Working Title Films have previously distributed are; Thirteen, Gone, Elizabeth, Chicago Joe and the Showgirl and Middle of Nowhere Wraps. Possible ways for this distribution may be to have trailers of our film on their website, include photos from within the film, and advertise it through adverts on different sites which can link back to the original site with a lot more information about our film on. Spreading it over the Internet is a highly effective way to communicate to your audience as it is so widely used all over the world and then people talk and it becomes word of mouth which can influence a lot of people's decisions about a film. Working Title Films also includes competitions for different films to attract a larger audience. They include and give details of films which are currently being produced as well and so they can interest the audience before the film is even released. There are also different features available for download on their website such as screen savers, wallpapers, comics and games to entice the audience into the film; which will then be spoken about to friends no doubt and they will want to go and see the film if they have already had different teasers before the actual film.

Evaluation: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

One typical social group represented in our film is;
- the young, innocent, naive school girls who are so easily caught in traps by strangers and possibly murderers, every year. They are represented in our film through the use of white clothing to create an even purer, innocent victim appearance. It also shows how easily they can be controlled and find themselves in those sorts of situations and then find themselves completely helpless even though they each think it will never happen to them.
- The other social group represented in our film is the stranger; female murderer, which shows that it can be anyone unexpected; not only males. I think it puts a message across that there are people in the world who you have to be careful about and cannot always predict who they may be and so you need to protect yourself as much as possible from those situations. It shows that there is unfortunately a group of people who are female murderers and we have tried to portray this powerful, murderous and dangerous side by having the female murderer wearing a red jacket which carries those associations with the colour. We have also got the opening scene to introduce our crime thriller as a selection of newspaper cuttings which our female murderer admires and aspires to; showing how murderers minds can work and how they have dramatic influences.

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

As you can see from the above comparison grids, our media product uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products in the way that;
- Our film uses red titles in order to introduce our 'bloody' theme for the plot and so gives an insight that the audience is about to see a thriller film, instead of a frilly, girly chick flick for instance. It is also a very dramatic introduction and so will grab the audience's attention. I think the title is intriguing in itself because it leaves the reader in suspense as to what the 'copy cat' is and why it has been given the name; 'the bloody copy cat.' The font in which our title is done in goes along with our theme very effectively as they are in red and also look very blood like; as if they have got blood dripping off them, which is highly appropriate for the happenings in our film. Examples to support our use of titles for a thriller film can be found in Sorority Row and Drag me to Hell. This is as in Sorority Row; red is used to underline the titles and in Drag me to Hell the titles have got an effect on them which give the effect of blood being almost 'dragged' out of the letters. Both of these are incorporated into our film titles in slightly different ways, ensuring our titles are highly appropriate for a thriller film and that they give the desired suspenseful introduction. A very close example of the titles to our film are from 'Blood Simple,' which are in bold red and look as if some of the corners of the letters have blood dripping off them.

- A further convention we have incorporated is the claustrophobic setting, which was one of the ideas suggested to us through our evaluation. Our peers suggested we could use close-up shots to intensify the claustrophobic setting in our film.
Enhancing the feeling of a claustrophobic setting means that it highlights the fact that it is a likely to be a highly dangerous situation to be in.The extreme close up shot of the young hostage girl in our film also emphasises that she is distressed and unknowing; supported by the fact that she is tied up and blindfolded. There is an example of a claustrophobic setting in the film 'Curiosity.' This example shows a man walking through a tight, narrow, corridor, enclosed by a door at the end; this enhances the feeling of no escaping whatever happenings are to come; likewise with our film as the young girl is completely helpless.

- Another convention which follows on from our setting is the location; being a dark room and there is also an example of this in the film 'Curiosity.' Having a purposeful lack of light ensures the feeling of dark, gloominess associated with something bad to come; very gothically. Darkness also represents the unknown as you cannot see everything in the dark and so it relates to the saying 'being kept in the dark;' meaning you do not know everything and this is true for our film too, because the young girl is completely innocent to the upcoming events in our film.

- Usually, you would expect to find the murderer as a male character, dominantly, however, in our film we have challenged this typical convention by using a female actress to play the part of a murderer. An example from a film which supports that the murderer is often a male in thrillers is in 'Blood Simple.' In Blood Simple, a rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man; it is always the man shown digging the grave and holding the gun for instance. However, for our film we wanted to challenge this to put a twist on the plot; making it more interesting; like in the film 'Monster' (2003) where a female character turned out to be a serial killer.

- The significance of the red and white clothing we chose, being; red for the murderer and white for the victim is that white is essentially associated with being pure and innocent, very much like a victim. On the other hand, red symbolises blood, murderous and danger etc. There is an example of a victim in white in the film 'Se7en' where a female is lay on a white bed in white clothing; as innocent as you will find.

- Similarly, the film Curiosity also uses a knife as part of its plot, as like our film. I think a knife is a good choice for a thriller film because it could just very well be an ordinary kitchen knife which would be harmlessly used for food, however, can also come in very useful for use as a murderous weapon. We have also used a 'scrap book' of dead bodies in our film and so to emphasise this, i splattered red paint all over the white pages as if to show the blood from the bodies after being murdered with the knife. This has similarities to 'Curiosity' where a man in a white top is carrying an axe and the top is splattered with red 'blood.' Having the blood splattered on top of white shows that it was once pure but is now associated with danger, solely due to having the blood on it.

- Many films incorporate an ident at the start of their film and so we decided to take this typical convention and put one into our film to make it seem more professional. One of countless examples of where this is used is in 'Drag Me To Hell.'

- What makes films different to each other, except from the plot for instance, is what effects they use. For example, a chick flick wouldn't be likely to use a flash of colour and then fade back into the picture so that they don't have to show a brutal murder. Whereas in our thriller film and in Blood Simple, we have both used a build up to a flash of colour over the whole screen and then faded back to the happenings in the film. In our film, we used a white flash because we wanted a camera flash effect for the picture she continues to stick into the book of the dead body and in Blood Simple they use a red flash after holding a gun up, indicating a death.

- The introduction of our film, i personally think introduces it fairly well; as the audience is able to read some main headlines about the plot, giving them a very slight insight, and also the fact that we use a soundtrack at the same time, which puts a constant 'creepy feeling' thought at the back of the audiences mind throughout the piece. I also feel it builds up anxiety as to who the paper cuttings are about and where it is located because it doesn't immediately give anything away. Many films use great sound editing and one example of this where i found a very dramatic effect was in Sleepy Hollow, which is similar to what our film uses towards the end when the murderer sticks the picture in the book; a build up of tension into a sudden loud noise, causing the audience to jump a little.

In this clip of Sleepy Hollow one can hear the use of soundtracks in order to build up suspense in the film for example. It also incorporates the many other devices such as; idents at the beginning of the film, effective transitions between shots, purposeful lighting, white, innocent clothing on the female; and these are all aspects we have used within our film in order to enhance the thriller effect.

Construction.

This is the final construction of our film after re-editing and trying to incorporate the suggestions from our audience feedback of which we received.

rough cut of our film

Once we were happy with our film we showed the rough cut to our media class to receive audience feedback and the following are the ideas they suggested to us;
- Make use of close-up shots; in order to highly establish the claustrophobic feeling.
- Leave the audience curious of who the other person in the room is, however, drop a hint that it is a female character, unexpectedly, by her wearing high heels and then later on she is also seen wearing rings before we see her face and so it adds to the mysteriousness of the thriller.
- A suggestion was made for the font of the titles to be more in line with our theme by not only being red in colour but being in a 'bloody' font as well, which portrays the story better.
- Ensure the atmosphere sound could not be heard coming in and out.
- Try to make the fade of the first soundtrack in and out softer, as it was a little loud, however; they informed us that they thought it was a good choice of soundtrack to use for our film.
- Try to get rid of the part where the female murderer looks away on our film to make it more flowing, believable and professional.
- Have an instant flash of colour covering the whole screen, possibly accompanied by a stabbing sound, and then fade back into the film where she puts the photo in the book.