Mini Music Video

Evaluation - Question Three

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

We think that 'Vertigo Films' would distribute our film because Vertigo films often deal with serious issues and deeper subject matters that tend to disturb the audience. We are also an independant film, made in a very british style and the atmosphere of our piece is very in keeping with the  types of films that Vertigo produces. My group felt that the gritty nature of our piece would work well with Vertigo because it is very similar to films that Vertigo distribute such as 'The Sweeney' as it is very realistic and causes their audience to feel as if the events taking place could really happen somewhere close to them. We also felt that after researching the target audiences for most of the films from Vertigo that are targeted at a more mature male audience of around 18 - 30. The audience is more interested in our type of opening because its more of a serious type of film.

Another institution that we thought might distribute our media product could be 'Artificial Eye' as they also produce very independant films aimed at a more mature audience. The films from Artificial Eye such as 'Lore', 'What richard Did' and 'McCullin' are also come across as more deeper issue based films as they deal with more serious issues so the audience are much more knowledgeable and able to deal with the storylines that are more difficult to understand. The people who watch these films would also be more avid movie fans as they are much less advertised to the mainstream audience. Their targeted audience is normally males and females who prefer more independant and less well known films around the ages of 25 - 35. We thought that this was a relevant distributor but that Vertigo films would be more relevant because they are generally aimed at a younger audience and more at males too which is more relevant to our opening. We feel that our film is also aimed at a more mainstream audience than that of artificial eye because it will be more widely advertised to a larger audience to gain more interest.

Evaluation - Question Two

Question Two - The conventions of a thriller movie are; fast pace editing, tension building soundtrack that causes the audiences' hearts to beat faster, locations specifically chosen to make characters seem vulnerable, cinematography usually would be very erratic and lots of quick cuts are used, lighting is also very imperative. For example, shadows can cause a scene to become more sinister and daunting than if the lighting was very high key, so low key lighting is used to create more of an eerie ambience. Additionally, we see characters stereotyped to be on a 'bad' and 'good' side.

Fast pace editing is crucial in thriller films to build tension at the right moment. In movies such as 'Se7en' the pace of the editing noticeably increases towards the end of the film as the ending becomes closer to build the tensions to a point.

We have used fast pace editing throughout our sequence and this includes cutaways which cause there to be two perspectives. Giving the audience the 'killer's' perspective is a common convention in thrillers as it helps the audience get enough evidence to come to a conclusion as to who the good person is; keeping the 'killer's' identity a secret using low angle shots that cut off their face is also apart of this foreshadowing to create mystery.

Soundtrack is used in thrillers to build pace and tension. Music adds to the atmosphere by speeding up and slowing down in accordance with the editing. Non-digetic sound gives the audience an extra indication about the story and tells us how we should be feeling. Sound effects such as gasps, shrieking and gun shots can have a high impact on the audience.

In our opening we have used music that builds up to create a sense of excitement in a nervous sense, leaving the audience in a state of confusion as they don't fully comprehend the small details that are being given away.

Locations used in thrillers are often linked to the status of the characters in the shot. If characters are supposed to appear vulnerable, for example in 'The Silence of the Lambs', the long shot shows the location is very empty and big, this causes the female character to appear more in danger. The locations of thrillers are often forests, abandoned buldings or places that people do not feel safe in or do not generally go to. These empty locations build an atmosphere, we chose an empty car park to film in and also an alley to give a sense of isolation and danger, causing the audience to become even more nervous about what will happen to the victim.

Cinematography is also important when adding mystery in thrillers. Establishing shots are key for setting the scene, they can also give a sense of vulnerability. Extreme close-ups and close-ups are important in showing the reactions and identities of the characters. Tracking shots and pan shots may be used also to show movement such as someone being chased or running. In 'cabin in the woods' tracking shots are used effectively to show someone running which makes us as an audience feel very scared and on edge. We used all of these shots in our sequence to add to the effect of the overall thriller atmosphere.

My group chose to cast a female as a villain because it challenges the normal stereotype that females are the victims in most thrillers. We felt that this would also make the thriller more relate-able to females and feminists as they would be able to appreciate the fact that we have brought in a stronger female character who unconventionally overpowers the male counterparts. The new representation of females in our opening brings a new idea that women can be equally as dangerous as men and I feel that this gave our opening a unique change compared to the usual idea of females appearing very weak and vulnerable in thrillers.

We are doing a different thriller compared to 'Cabin in the Woods' which shows a female character being very weak and overpowered by a male 'villain'.

In our opening we also used the idea that ordinary people can be apart of events such as murders, unexpected but this sort of thing can happen, this would also break the stereotype that people don't need to look dangerous to actually be apart of a crime. The victim here is dressed as a normal person without any distinguishing features that will cause them to be presented as a person who gets involved in dangerous situations.