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.