Final cut- "Red Snow"

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Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Since completing my preliminary task I have learnt a lot of new skills which have helped me complete my thriller, an example is editing. When editing my preliminary task I struggled due to lack of experience and practise and developed a basic edit of my preliminary task. However, when editing my thriller after a lot of practise and asking a few questions on how to do particular things (eg: sound bridging) I began to feel a lot more confident with my editing skills. I was able to add special effects to my thriller like cross dissolves and compared to my preliminary tasks the edit was a lot more clear. However, without completing my preliminary task I would not have had basic editing skills which enabled me to improve with practice.
              Another important element of doing my preliminary task which helped me in creating our thriller was shooting, as when shooting our thriller we learnt many things. For example continuity as we filmed different shots on different days we had to make sure that the actors in our thriller wore the same costume each time. This became an issue as on one occasion I wore a slightly different costume which would have ruined the continuity of our thriller. Also since doing our preliminary task my ability to plan effectively has improved as I have learnt how important it is when making our thriller. For example, making storyboards and creating a shot list was vital as it gave us an idea of what our idea will look like, however once filming our plan it didn't work out as expected due to the lack of suspense and tension the shots created. Our first idea for our thriller also didnt work out as we didnt stick to the original storyboard and ended up shooting random scenes. Therefore our final idea for our thriller worked out a lot better due to stronger planning and a shot list that we kept with us when shooting, enabling us to include the shots we wanted which were the most effective.
             Working in a group was something we had to adapt to due to our differences in opinions and when we were all free to complete the shoot. We worked well in creating the idea of our thriller and giving everyone different responsibilities, for example choosing the different actors and deciding on what shot worked best for particular scenes. Some of our group made their own edit and me and another member of my group worked together on our edit to put together both of our ideas of what will look the most effective.


Examples of camera work that I have learned since completely my preliminary task are first of all shot reverse shot which was an important element of our preliminary task to indicate a conversation taking place.Also obeying the 180 degree rule was crucial when filming our preliminary task to avoid confusion for the audience.The opening to Pulp Fiction shows a perfect example of obeying the 180 degree rule when filming. It also shows a shot reverse shot showing that a conversation is happening and as the 180 degree rule is obeyed the audience wont be confused of who is talking. Another example is a tennis or rugby match where the 180 degree rule is abided by so the audience know which side each teams goal is.By following this rule the film maker can be sure that each character is shown in a consistent area of the frame, this helps the audience understand the layout of the scene. Techniques such as eyeline match and match on action enables this. Furthermore, understanding this rule assisted us when making our thriller so we could avoid confusing the audience and allow the viewer to identify with the characters. This is because the closer to the axis the camera is the more the audience's point of view resembles the characters.


I have learned a lot from experimenting with different camera angles and finding out which were the most effective, our original thriller gave us practice and experience on what camera angles work best for this genre and which ones are inadequate. For example we overused mid shots which were dull and mediocre leaving no sense of suspense and tension, they also failed to intensify the action in the scenes. We also learnt the importance of close ups and how much more effective they were than mid shots due to how they position the audience closer with the action and enable them to see the characters emotions.


Here is an example of one of the shots which would have been  more effective with a more adventurous camera angle. Although we had to create another thriller  the making of our first one was a beneficial experience as it taught us the importance of particular camera shots/movement and action which interpret the thriller genre.
Here are various a screen shots from our first thriller, the use of mid shots fail to build tension and intensify the action leaving the scene uninteresting.




















Our original shoot and edit of the opening to a new thriller film was a steep learning curve. We shot too many mid to long shots, the lighting was dreary and the action was unclear making no impact and resembling a home movie rather than a carefully planned professional opening to a thriller film. Due to this I learned the importance of tilt shots to connote a sense of confusion which raises tension which is effective in a thriller film. I also learned the importance of close ups to engage the audience with the action and raise suspense, they also enable the audience to notice the characters emotions.

The recent heavy snowfall was extremely helpful and gave us a great opportunity to film our thriller due to how it increased tension in the mise-en-scene and created visual pleasure for the audience. It allowed us to include dragging scenes of the body which created highly effective diegetic sound meaning we didn't need an overpowering soundtrack. However, after researching soundtrack and learning the importance of how it establishes the genre we finally found a soundtrack which created suspense without overpowering the scene.



After watching our original thriller compared to our final thriller I have found out the importance of the costume and how it enables the audience to identify with the character. For example, our character Blake wearing the hoodie represents him as a working class thug who has no conscience. Whereas the costume of Peter suggests he's from a middle class background due to his black expensive looking coat and suede shoes, however although he is thought as higher up in the capitalist system he's really not much better than Blake. Through this, we have learnt the effect of binary opposites as they communicate dramatic impact and allow the audience to have an aesthetically pleasing experience. Another example of binary opposites shown by the costumes in our thriller is Tiffany's red coat which contrasts with the white snow, this singles her out which could suggest that she is also singled out in society, this contrasts also suggests violation. 




As the use of binary opposites are effective they are also shown in these camera angles. On the right is a high angle shot of the tormented character Peter, this contrasts with the low angle shot of the thug Blake. These opposites show the big difference between the two characters, in costume and class especially.




           An important element of film making that I have learned about since completing my preliminary task is that not all narratives are linear and chronological, so therefore we included the use of flashbacks in our thriller to give a sense of illusion to the scene. Our non-linear narrative enabled the audience to be given further information about the characters state of mind, and find out why the events in the other scenes are happening. We used cross dissolves to inject the mise-en-scene with signify flashbacks and the contrast between illusion and reality.The cross dissolves gives our film a psychological theme as it shows the young man tormented by demons which suddenly cuts to his heavily built partner in crime. This suggests that this character is schizophrenic trapped in his split personality. Also addressing the characters frame of mind through a non linear narrative is a generic convention of psychotic characters, an example is Norman Bates from "Psycho" show shows psychotic behaviour. 
             The use of complex narrative structures have also been shown in other thrillers, for example in the opening to "Once Upon a Time in America" where the film shows a non linear narrative as it begins when Eve is shot, then cuts to Fat Mo being beaten up which then cuts to Noodles in the Opium Den with flashbacks to the slaughter of his friends who are lying dead underneath covers in the dark wet streets of New York. This sequence of gruesome events allows the audience to be transported to Noodle's memories and mindset.Our film Red Snow aims to achieve the same effect due to the border between illusion and reality becoming blurred. The audience are included in the process of finding out who murdered the victim Tiffany as the complex narrative makes them work hard to unravel the truth. Compared to our Preliminary Task which had a chronological narrative our thriller has a more complex narrative meaning we have learned a lot since our first task. Making our thriller taught us how to achieve a more sophisticated narrative through using cross dissolves signifying flashbacks and meaning we have a achieved a film that would impress itself on the imagination and become a success.

I found out that finding a correct title for our thriller that links to the action is important as an over powering font can take over the scene and draw attention away from what's happening. For example we learned that having both words bright red looked too much like a title for a horror film and was too in your face, therefore we decided to change the font to match the thriller genre. I liked the idea of having a subtle font that wouldn't take too much attention away from the scenes.


To conclude, since completing our preliminary task I have learnt that however well we planned our film other variables like the weather can make the shoot more difficult. When filming our thriller there was a heavy downfall of snow which you would think would make filming difficult, however it offered us a golden opportunity to inject the mise-en-scene with an artistic quality. Although, filming in freezing conditions was difficult at times as holding the camera still was slightly harder due to the conditions being so cold. 

Question 6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Before beginning Media Studies I had little knowledge on various technologies which are used to construct a film, for example editing software, digital cameras and camera movement. Therefore the process of constructing the final product was a learning curve for me and taught me a lot. First of all as I had little to no experience with using a digital camera I had to learn some basic skills which with practise made me more confident with using the camera. Due to researching other thriller films and discussing them in class, I learned the importance of different camera angles and what they connote as all camera angles portray a different emotion or sense.

From the process of constructing this product I also learned how to use a digital camera for shooting our thriller and how to transfer the footage onto a computer via the capturing cameras. 

Using the editing software was a challenge for me at first due to lack of experience and practise, however through constructing this product I developed skills in editing that enabled me to make a clear edit. I learned the importance of sequencing shots and how to create a non-linear narrative instead of a chronological narrative through the use of cross dissolves. As our thriller included many flashbacks the use of cross dissolves was vital in achieving that effect so learning  how to use effects on the editing program was crucial. Our film was captured through Premier elements which enabled us to use various effects and widen our editing skills. 


Learning how to effectively use a blog to document my work was something I had to familiarise myself with. I learned how efficient it is in organising my work and adding images,video clips and presentations which I wouldn't be able to do on paper. Learning how to add labels to my blog also helped organise my work efficiently. 


Using the website YouTube was of great importance when researching into the thriller genre due to the many clips I could access from various thrillers. Also, watching particular clips enabled me to study how directors utilise aspects of genre in their films whilst connoting aspects of psychopathic villains. For example in the film Jackie Brown the killing of Melanie where Louis suddenly shoots her in an ordinary car park shows his psychotic personality.  

YouTube was also a very important website to have access to whilst researching into thrillers because it enabled me to identify intertextuality through soundtrack and character types. As being able to watch clips from different films and compare them on YouTube made it easy to do this. An example of two clips that i found through be able to use YouTube are Kill Bill 2 where the bride is buried alive and The Good the Bad and the Ugly. The character types are similar in both films as the Bride from Kill Bill is the good, Bill is the bad and Bud the ugly. Therefore I was able to post both of these clips onto my blog as evidence of intertextuality in films. 

Accessing clips via YouTube also enabled me to access clips from films that taught me the importance of soundtrack to heighten tension and build suspense for the audience. An example from a film which relies on only sound and image is "Heavenly Creatures" where the soundtrack played throughout their walk shows lyricism which counteracts with the brutality of what happens in the finale, this therefore builds up tension of what's about to happen.Also as the location is somewhat glamorous with the sound of birds singing in the background it's suddenly turned into a rather diabolical place with the sounds of the girls screams.

 Our film also relies on sound and image rather than dialogue due to the effective non-diegetic sound of the girl being dragged in the snow with the sound bridge of the phone ringing. 

The website Internet Movie Database has very useful in researching various thrillers and finding information on them, for example the cast, director, plot and also user reviews. You can also access trailers and various clips from the film which was helpful as from that I could get screen shots from the film to add to my blog. Therefore IMDB has been vital part of doing research into thrillers and a useful tool to find out other thrillers as well, as you can search for thrillers and there is a top 50 thrillers list.








When researching into the target audience for our thriller Amazon was helpful in searching for other thrillers our audience would like. This is due to the fact that when you buy a DVD or other product from Amazon it shows what other online consumers would buy which are similar products. 

Here is a clip from the film noir "Gilda" of Rita Hayworth singing Put the Shame on Mame showing an example of a traditional femme fatale. She is shown as a glamorous women who complicates the notion of femme fatale as she is not actually bad but makes her love interest Johnny believe that she is evil and manipulative. 

Whereas, the trailer for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" shows a more progressive representation of gender. The main female character isn't a passive character but is deviant and relies on glamour and a quirky fashion style. Her black clothes and make-up and masculine body represent reverse gender stereotypes.Therefore, Youtube has enabled me to gain more knowledge in generic representations and extend my understanding of the thriller genre.

Question 5- How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract/address your audience? on Prezi

Question 4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product? on Prezi

Question 3- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and Why?

Question 2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

First of all, our thriller shows a traditional representation of gender due to the male characters being in power and dominance leaving the female character as a victim, out of control. So instead of challenging the conventions of gender in thriller films we have conformed to them, showing men as the violent and strong characters and the women as the victim.As the two male characters in our thriller, Blake and Peter are shown as the murderers of Tiffany.Both of the male characters in our thriller whatever class are represented negatively due to the violent and immoral events they are caught up in. Therefore, the female character is shown as their victim,  she is therefore shown as vulnerable and unequal to the men.


This references the dominant and powerful male characters in  "Once Upon a Time in America" where they shoot a female character, leaving her dead. This is also shown in our thriller were the male characters team up to murder the female character, however it is unclear as to who actually murdered her.Therefore, our thriller portrays women as unable to protect themselves showing that they are weak compared to men. This attitude towards women has been challenged in other thrillers, for example "Thelma and Louise" where Louise shoots the rapist red neck Harlem. Ridley Scott therefore challenges the passive representation of women in this thriller,so instead of showing them as unable to protect themselves he shows them as more powerful and just as violent and strong as men.

 The actors in our thriller are made up of only teenagers, representing youth crime and addressing some of the problems associating with the youths of today. The two youths who are thought to be associated with Tiffany's murder both young males ages 16-17. 








The current mood of contemporary Britain is represented clearly in our thriller due to the issue of the youths being out of control and the idea that Britain is becoming unsafe because of this. An example of how our society is becoming out of control is shown in the violent riots that took place in London during the summer of 2011. This shows the young adults of today in desperation showing Britain's current mood as pessimistic and anxious. This is due to the bleak future for the youths and there little hope of getting a job. This anxious and pessimistic mood is similar to those in noir films in post war thrillers showing a bleak future for society.



The BBC news website raised the issue of why these rioters got so out of control, which was due to the lack of opportunities for them in the future, and how the younger generation are suffering from various cuts. The hoodie/yob stereotype is shown in our thriller through Blake who clearly has no conscience and is put at the lower end of the scale.This is evident in Britain today which unfortunately portrays a negative representation of all youths who wear hoodies to be thugs and no better than animals, therefore these dangerous prejudices given from the media dehumanise social groups leading to dangerous outcomes, as shown by the riots. During The Third Reich the media compared the Jews as no different to vermin, which isolated them from society meaning it was easy for them to be targeted and exterminated because they were not seen as equal to humans. So our thriller communicates the deep anxiety and vulnerability of what it is like to be a young man in Britain due to the lack of opportunities and bleak future they may have ahead of them due to that.





       Both characters Blake and Peter represent two different classes, Blake representing social class stereotypes and Peter middle class. This is due to Blake wearing a hoodie showing that he is a anti social working class thug, this is a correct representation due to the events he is involved in. Confirming the youth stereotypes of today Blake is shown as a dangerous thug who you wouldn’t want to get involved with. Whereas the other male character Peter is represented as a middle class young boy who is riddled with guilt about the events that have occurred. His social class is shown through is costume, a smart black coat which looks a lot more expensive than the cheap looking hoody worn by Blake. So therefore Peter’s costume suggests he’s from a wealthy background, as he is wealthy he must come from a well paid job meaning that people of his class are suggested as being more intellectual than working class people. Also throughout the thriller Blake is the one doing the dirty work for Peter, suggesting that Peter may have paid Blake to do it. This shows their lack of morals, also Blake’s anti social behaviour and how far he would go to possibly get money, confirming a working class stereotype of them being the lowest in the capitalist system. Furthermore, working class is shown as being alienated from society.

       


 Whereas Tiffany's costume suggests she is from a middle class background due to her contemporary high street fashion of a bright orange duffel coat which you could buy from high street shops such as Topshop. The red connotes danger signifying the danger she is in, this references to the film "Schindlers List" where the little girl's red coat is the only colour in the scene making her stand out from the crowd. This suggests that Tiffany is singled out from society, this could be why she got to where she is now.

Ambiguity and a sense of enigma is surrounding the two male characters in our thriller due to the question of who really committed the crime? Peter has a spilt personality as at one point he is shown caring for Tiffany and holding her arm as if he does have empathy. However, the fact she is in her bath poses the question of was he behind the whole thing? Peter's psychotic behaviour relates to the murderer Louis from "Jackie Brown" as one minute he is having a fairly normal conversation with a female character Melanie in a car park, then suddenly she is shot dead by him. Also, as it is in a normal environment where anyone can witness what's happening this shows that if he's in the wrong frame of mind he will show murderous behaviour without really thinking about it.

           The binary opposites theory is also shown in the two characters, as Blake is shown as the large, dominant man which contrasts to Peter who is shown as a small troubled young man sinking in distress. The high angle shot of him on the phone shows his vulnerability, although he is not the victim he is failing to face up to the reality of what's happened. His body language shows him clutching onto his hair, stressed and panicking about the consequences of his actions. The aspects of Peter's body language and psychotic personality are similar to those of Norman Bates from Psycho who is a killer with a spilt personality leading him to do horrific things.