2012 | Found Prod - Oliver McGregor, James, Peter and Claire

The character we have chosen to compare Claire to is the possessed girl from the last exorcism. You can see the similarities between Claire and the girl by their costumes and the way in which they behave. Claire and the girl both wear dresses that are stained with blood that shows they are dangerous and have done something wrong, the fact that they have blood stains down their tops must be that they have killed or hurt someone. This goes against the stereotype of a young innocent girl. Another way in which the two characters are similar is the ways in which they actually behave they both have the same characteristics of which they are both possessed.

Both characters are both very silent when in their possessed state which gives a chilling and sinister feeling to the audience as it doesn’t seem normal. Throughout the thrillers both characters show limited expressions showing something isn’t quite right and also shows that the character is detached from reality and what’s happening around them.

There is one difference between the two characters, Claire actually wears make up which can be seen below. The make up is used to dehumanize Claire’s character and fits in well with the style of the film. The make up is applied to make it look as if its running down her face and smeared which gives off the impression that her character has been upset and angry, the blood emphasis's that the both the girls have hurt people or done something bad.

Evaluation Activity 1

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

The title of the film

As our film focuses on the two main antagonists Victoria and Elizabeth, two Victorian girls who had previously been murdered who lived in the house, they take on the role of hurting anyone who dare enters their home because they want revenge on innocent people once like their selves. This is the reason we decided to call the thriller Through The Window as the title creates suspense as the audience are left not knowing what is through the window, this automatically creates tension to the opening of the thriller. Also the title is the very first shot to come up, this is why we decided to use a background which looks like a rundown, old, gritty piece of paper. This again highlights the type of film it is (thriller) and shows the usual conventions of what is to be expected in a thriller film.

Setting/Location

For the setting/location of our thriller we wanted to find somewhere deserted, creepy, eerie and dark. We wanted this as the location as it plays a huge part of how our thriller will come across to the audience. We wanted to be able to create tension, pressure and a nerviness feel for both the characters and the audience and we feel with this derelict house we were definitely able to do so. This establishing shot is one of the very first shots into our thriller. It’s quite a scary image as it’s obvious to see that the property has been deserted for many years and now our 3 protagonists are entering a place which doesn’t seem safe. The overgrown vegetation adds to the uneasy atmosphere.

Costume and props

When deciding costumes, as a group we decided on plain white dresses for the girls, we made some fake blood and put it over the dresses to show the girls weren’t maybe as innocent as young girls would seem. Also it suggests that they’ve been abused as their make-up is smeared all down their faces and we can then assume they’ve been crying. We felt this was a common stereotype for young girls in thriller films as when there possessed they usually subvert the stereotype of a normal child. We felt these costumes very much fitted in with the chosen topic. The boys on the other hand, wore casual modern day clothing. They appear normal and it’s easy to identify that they’re the protagonists. We had Pete wearing a brightly coloured striped t-shirt to try and suggest that bright colours symbolize life and purity. Again, demonstrating to the audience that these boys are normal and are only here out of curiosity to see if the location is appropriate to shoot their movie.

Camera work and editing

When we filmed our thriller we used a variety of different shots to keep the audience interested and concerned to what was going on. We felt this was important as we didn’t want the audience to become bored and uninterested. For the long shot of me and Amy playing ‘ring around the roses’ we used the software Final Cut Pro to make us become more ‘ghost like’. We changed the tone and the brightness of the shot and this made us look more faded, this made the characters look dehumanised and created the idea that we had come from the past. To create this effect and still having the background a brighter colour we first did the shot of me and Amy running around. After, we ran out the shot and then let the camera film for an extra 20seconds. When editing the clips we placed the two shots over one another, and changed the settings of the shot with us in it. This then created the characters to appear faded and ghost like.

Title font and style

When deciding the font the whole group agreed easily on which font was the best out of the 3 fonts we put forward to see which one suited the thriller best. We wanted something that complimented the style we were going for. With this Victorian theme we found that this font suited the thriller perfectly. We were able to find this font easily and it was a quick process to get it onto the thriller. We feel it’s a smart font and this suits the style of the two Victorian girls well. The only problem we found was where to put the fonts to show what names were involved in the making of the film. We wanted to have each name on an individual shot to give importance to each group member, once we’d agreed on where to place the names we all agreed the titles were the finishing touches to the film making it look more professional and it finally looked like a finished product.

Story and how the opening sets it up

The story begins with an establishing shot of the location followed by a mid-shot of the 3 boys talking about how they feel. There is little dialogue so, still the audience are in suspense as there not really able to identify why they are there. We did this purposely to allow the audience to interpret for themselves reasons to why they may be there. Also the audience have no clue to where the house is located, again creating tension of the unknown. Hopefully this interests the audience to want to watch more to find out the answers to the questions.

Genre and how the opening suggests it

The genre of our film is a thriller; one of the main conventions associated with a thriller is the element of surprise. The group really wanted to make sure we had this in our thriller. We wanted our audience to feel confused and nervous because they didn’t know what was going to happen next. The way we filmed our shots was as though the audience were able to follow the story and get a feel for what the characters couldn’t see at the time. This shot especially demonstrates what our film is, a thriller. This shot showed a quick match on action transition from Pete and Olly to the two possessed girls. A sharp sting was played at the same time as when the girls appear. This hopefully makes the audience jump and makes them aware that the boys are not alone. This helped Indicate what type of film we were offering.

How characters are introduced

There are 5 characters in the opening to our thriller, we wanted to introduce the three boys first as they were the protagonists and usually in horrors and thrillers the protagonists are introduced first and the element of surprise or horror comes after (the two girls). Each of the boys split up and the camera follows each individual character with Victoria and Elizabeth appearing in each of their frames. Showing to the audience that there not safe. This follows the conventions of a common thriller.

The Script

Final BBFC rating

We feel our final 2 minute product should be classed as a 12 A due to the fact that throughout the opening 2 minutes there is no use of strong language, nudity, violence and not a strong enough menace and threat to be classed as a 15. A 12A classification states that the horror must be 'Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.' We felt that our thriller is at a moderate level of horror.

Even though the opening 2 minutes we are classing as a 12A we thought beyond the opening 2 minutes into what we thought the whole film would actually be classes and we decided that it would be a 15 classification. This is because as the film would progress the horror would become a strong threat and menace, some nudity may occur, more strong language for example 'Fuck' and it would contain 'strong violence but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury'.

Audience feedback

Character Profiles

Changes we made to our thriller

At the very beginning of this coursework are original idea was roughly the same idea we've produced. However the basic script was going to be performed as if the boys were just going to the deserted house to check it out out of curiosity. However, we felt it would be more realistic if the story line was that the boys were going to the house as they wanted to check it out for their media location.

This turned out to be a good decision and we felt we were able to produce a realistic story line which fits the target audience well.

Another change was to our poster designs. We took a series of photo's and carefully picked out a favourite two, we then developed each photo into a poster style and asked people which they preferred and then made a group decision of which one to use. We then further developed this with the help from the software Gimp.

Marking someone elses work

This video was made by Inferno productions who filmed this for a piece of media coursework. The scene starts very effectively with a zoom out from a fireplace at which point the soft music kicks in and we notice a girl rocking backwards and forwards in the corner of the shot. The shots that were used in the filming of this media are very effective and I'm sure the group received a high mark and grade. One of the most effective shots is the one of the girl in front of the cork board which contains photos on it of the lost girl. The group use many of the more effective shots which probably gained them the best marks. The group clearly have a good bond and they were obviously all organized. The group used a high number of props all to their full potential. Overall i believe that the group received an A grade for their video. My guess would be 52/60.

Focus Group

Planning a focus group

For our thriller we think its important to make sure we plan and use a focus group. We feel that this research can help us establish exactly what are target audience expect in a good thriller. We will plan our focus group around the target audience age, that being 15. We will also include a few ages above and below this. Roughly ranging from ages 13-18 this will help us see what the majority of young people are interested in.

Were going to set certain questions we can use to prompt some detailed and explanatory answers.

But also add in closed question so were able to establish definite answers when we require them. If this is proven to be successful it'll help the group establish what exactly we should have in our thriller.

We will also create our focus group through a film video and explain the findings to the audience what key specific research we have found.

Continuity error

Throughout our filming process one of our cast members had a hair cut, she got it cut short so you can tell that there is a difference which affects the shots that were previously taken. To overcome this we re-shot the previous scenes in which this cast member appeared in. We should of really thought about it but it didn't cross our minds, meaning it took up extra time re-shooting these scenes.

Another continuity error that we came across whilst filming the final shots was the tissue that wrapped around Amy's hand. This is noticeable as she has a bracelet on. We tried to work around this by keeping her hands out of the last shot.

The 180 Degree Rule

The 180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule is put in place when two or more characters or items are in the same shot. It is used to ensure that the characters or whatever is in shot stays on the same side of the shot. If anything is filmed the other way then this is known as crossing the line. This would be a whole different shot and would be called a reverse angle. When 2 characters are in the same scene/shot they must stay on the same side, looking the same way otherwise it will leave the audience disorientated.

Advertising Our Thriller

To advertise our thriller were creating a Twitter and Facebook page, were doing this as its a great way to publicize our film to a wide audience. Also because we ourselves fit into the target audience for our thriller, many of our friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter are at a similar age to ourselves therefore this is attracting the suitable target audience for our film.

Our twitter page to follow will be called @ChopProductions

and our Facebook page will be called 'Through The Window' Here are some screen grabs of the advertisement we created for our thriller. This was good, as it allowed us to appeal to a wider audience, from doing this now we feel that more people know about our film and this helps promote it. Fans and friends were able to see what the group were doing and could follow us by keeping up to date with when the release of the thriller would be etc.

Fro m using these social networking sites we've gained a larger audience, if in the future the same opportunity to advertise a company or product presented itself again, we would definitely uses these two sites to advertise.

Diary Of A Day Shooting

Day 1

We began shooting on Sunday the 11th of March. The group decided to shoot early in the day, we did this to try and fit in as much filming as possible and less cars would be on the road near the house so there wasn't any interfering noises.

First of all we met up at James' house in Doddinghurst at around 10 o'clock. Myself and Amy got changed into our costumes and put on our make-up. The boys were in charge of getting the required equipment ready. This was making sure the camera was charged and bringing the tripod. We set off walking at quarter past 10 and arrived at the location at about quarter to 11. We set up immediately and began to run through different shots, using the story board to refer back to.

Firstly, we briefed everyone and all said a variety of different ideas we could use for different shots to come up with the best idea for that specific shot. We were able to work well as a team and get things done productively. Also, the majority of the time we made valid and serious decisions. We decided previously not to write a script until after filming, we felt it was better to freestyle and talk as a group about what words could be said. This was a wise decision as we were able to come up with an easy-flowing natural conversational tone in the film.

I was in charge for filming the shots which James Pete and Olly were in. This included the establishing shot at the beginning and multiple mid shots of the characters talking. James was in charge of filming the characters individually, he did close ups of Olly and Pete and filmed myself and Amy.

For each shot we made sure we filmed for about an extra 6-10 seconds. We did this so we could edit out what we didn't need at the end. We also filmed multiple shots from different angels this allowed us to then pick the best shot for the particular scene.

Problems we had whilst filming were due to the overgrown vegetation. As the house has been deserted for many years we found a few places we'd ideally like to place the camera we couldn't, as parts of plants and weeds were in the way.

Another problem we had whilst filming was having to make safe pathways which we could run and walk through, this was time consuming and now we know next time we go to film we will have to have extra time for certain shots to have safe places to move in etc.

We were there for around an hour as some of the members of the group had arrangements, in this time we were able to film about a third of the film. This was productive work and we got what we needed to get done.

Day 2

On the second day of shooting we arrived at the location at around 1 o'clock to start filming. We firstly, got dropped to james' house where we made some fresh new fake blood and myself and Amy got changed into our costumes, we were also very aware that the boys were wearing the exact same costumes on the previous days of filming to make sure no continuity errors were made.

We ran through shot after shot perfectly, re taking them a couple of times so we could select the best shot available. We also tried shots in different compositions so when we began editing we could again choose the shot most suited for the thriller.

Problems which occurred this day of shooting were placements of the camera, because the house has been deserted for a long time parts of floor in the roof were missing and there were dangerous bits of sharp flooring and bricks around, therefore it made it harder for us to place the tripod onto a stable surface.

Positively most actions went to plan, we were able to shoot the shots we wanted and we got it done in a reasonable amount of time, we had no errors of fault with equipment and everything went smoothly. We've now finished all of the shots we had planned for our thriller, but we need to see how much time we have for the thriller, if we are a little short we may have to go back to the location and add in a few more shots. Vise verse if its too long we will have to shortened some shots.