Evaluation

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

We conformed to the typical aspects of the thriller genre in several ways. We have begun the process of the many twists and turns that you find in a thriller by throwing a murder in straight away which will shock the audience, and encourage them to watch on to find out why it happened and who it was done by. We also chose music that matched the feel of the genre; dark and mysterious music is typically found in many media products of this form. In my opinion, the music is what made it and really did add to the tension we wanted to portray. Another way in which we followed the expected conventions is by keeping the murderer anonymous. There are many films that do this simply because it is an ideal way of ensuring there is continuous mystery throughout the film which keeps an audience gripped. Although our thriller does develop many of the forms and conventions expected, it does challenge them also. We have done this by creating a contrast between the unsuspecting opening and the chase scene and murder that follows. The music and the whole mood changes in a short space of time, keeping the audience attentive.



How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The voiceover at the beginning represents the type of person who lives in the town of our thriller. You assume that she is fairly old and wise as she clearly knows a lot about the area and says "I've lived in this town my whole life." The context of what is said in the voiceover implies that the people who live there are good innocent, and happy with a simple life. This is a social group that many can relate to. Our film also represents teenagers through the characters of the victim and the hikers. It shows the vunerability teenage girls have now and how they can be more susceptible to murder. Through the hikers, we're representing responsibility and initiative as they act quickly when they see the body. Also a genuine interest for the outdoors, which it could be argued is rare to see in modern teenagers.



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

Our film may possible be shown on channels such as Film4 or Skymovies. Both of these are companies known for creating and playing home-grown British films with British directors and actors. Although they play many mainstream films, they also show some that often weren't shown in cinemas often because of tight budgets compared to those of the popular hollywood films. This would fit our product well as ours relies more on realism and strength of story rather than impressive special effects and complex action scenes. These channels are also consumed by that of a younger audience which is who our film mainly targets.



How did you attract/address your audience?

We attracted our audience by creating a contrasting and exciting opening to what would be an engaging film. We created role models in our characters (the hikers), representing them to be mature and responsible. Our film also portrays a mature subject matter, this attracts both teenagers and young adults.



What have you learnt about technologies from the process of contructing this product?

Before taking this course I had no idea about the amount of work that goes in to create a media product and never truly noticed how much actually goes on on-screen. I now know how many technologies are taken advantage of by the media industry to make their work the best it can be. I understand and experienced the lengthly process that is editing with all its cuts, trying to match the camera shots so there is perfect continuity. I have learnt how to set up and use a camera and tripod. I have more knowledge about how to use Imovie and all the effects it can deliver such as the dream effect we used on our scenic shots at the beginning. I know how to embed a video and upload one onto Youtube and how to get a video from a camcorder to the computer. Also how to add text to a video, import music from Itunes and create a voiceover with a microphone.



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

I think myself and the group have come along way since the first task we created in terms of knowledge about camera shots, continuity, editing and more. In the first task, there was a limited amount of editing needed and there was no where near as much planning and work needed as there was in the thriller opening. I have learnt to plan my time as well as my work and also to make the most out of filming time available.