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

Both of our tasks began with a rule of thirds shot. They help us to focus on the character and the surroundings within the shot, they help the audience to quickly understand the situation and what is going to potentially happen in the next couple seconds. I think we have progressed to more interesting rule of third shots throughout this process, the preliminary task featured the shot throughout and opened with it, which was impressive. We also started the opening to our thriller with the shot, however we included much more of the scene and by comparing you can see how we have progressed. 

We used the rule of thirds throughout our tasks, it was the best shot along with the wide shot, to show what was happening. In both tasks we either followed Arthur or he came from behind the camera, this makes the audience feel like they are following or within the action themselves, however in the preliminary we should've used a dolly to get a steady following. So we learnt from it, and made Arthur walk out from behind the camera instead of move the camera.

Here we used a wide shot to show the two characters, I think that with our progression we have started to film with more interesting camera angles. In the preliminary we panned the rest of this shot, which looked good, however with the tasks we learnt how to edit better and so in the opening, we edited to show the characters going through the train door. This looked much better, and less amateur. I think without other tasks, our progression would not have been as good and thus we wouldn't have achieved a successful opening.

In this shot we can compare how far along we have come since the preliminary task. In the shot of The Job we can hardly see Aaron due to bad lighting. Even though it was meant to be dark, it was too dark and thus had to lead to us trying to fix it with contrast in editing. In Station 43 you can see that we picked a good time of day to film, but it’s also a good shot because of the shadows cast by the light. 

Lastly, our credits have improved. For the preliminary task we placed all the names at the end, not making the title stand out. So for Station 43, we made sure the title stood out and was by itself. All our fonts matched throughout from the countdown to the ‘6 months earlier’.This gave it a polished look, and looks much better. We also filtered the cast names throughout so that they were not all bundled together, this looked more like other thrillers. 

I think that our editing has been quite good from the start; our whole group grasped the concept of continuous editing and match on action really well. For example, for the preliminary task we had to come through a door and show the character both sides of the door to show how we can use match on action and continuous editing, we did this well and transferred what we learnt from the preliminary task to our actual opening. The couple went through train doors in the opening, and I think our editing was best here. 

We made sure to follow the 180-degree rule, we did this in both The Job and Station 43 and thought it was really important to not mess it up otherwise the audience will feel disorientated and confused about where the actors are. 

Moreover, neither of our tasks show any extreme close ups of the face, I think this would've added tension to the scene however we didn't really think about doing it. I think that it adds mystery to the opening, as the audience don't know how the characters feeling. In The Job we do a reverse shot, we don't do this in our full opening and perhaps it would've worked if we could see the stalker approaching Eryk, although not seeing the stalker adds thrill to the opening. 

In conclusion, from the preliminary task I have learnt lot about how to edit and how to continuously edit, it made me realise just how important it is in a movie to film from different angles to make it look professional and real; and if you don't use jump cuts in editing it is hard to make it work. We have come along way in terms of filming our product, as we thought about the process; we learnt it would be a bad idea to film somewhere really dark as we struggled in the editing process of The Job. Also, our preliminary task made us aware of what camera shots look good, and made us want to use the Rule of Thirds throughout our opening. 

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

• In this process I have learnt a lot about different types of technologies, that will help me in future filming and editing. Some things like editing, where much harder than the actual shooting but we became much better at it. 
• When filming we used a Canon 650D, (even though I am holding a Nikon in the photo). I do Photography AS too which is what I use the Nikon D3200 for, however it was fun to use a different brand of camera as I was able to gain some new knowledge about it. A pro of using the Canon is that it is much less technically challenging, and things like the exposure or aperture are much easier to amend. However, it was challenging to use a different format of camera at first.
• We also used laptops and macs to edit, we used FinalCut Pro. I've used apps like imovie and splice on my phone to make movies before, so I really enjoyed trying a professional movie maker. It was fun to mess around with it, and discover things such as sound effects. I want to take what I have learnt from the preliminary and opening into future media works. A con of using FinalCut Pro is that it was hard to get used to, and some of the controls aren't easy to find. So it would take extra time to find where the controls were. But once we were used to the programme, it was quite easy to edit and was the main contributor to our final product.
• Moreover, we used programs like Photoshop and even PowerPoint to make the logo, using different fonts and our own photos as the background. We started to create a logo using images of the internet, however we found a much better alternative using one of Eryk's photography pictures and on top placing our names for our distribution companies and producer. 
• Finally, we used a tripod. Even though it does not seem important at the start, it was really important to keep a shot steady and look professional. We also made sure we used the rule of thirds grid to get more advanced looking shots. A pro to using the tri-pod was that it gave us very professional looking shots as they were steady and we could re-film something and recreate it, really well. Even though it was heavy, it was definitely worth carrying.

How did you attract/ address your audience? EVALUATION 5

To attract my audience we made a poster stating the title, age rating and some stills from it. Posters are a huge factor in attracting the audience, as well as trailers and the radio. Using posters you can state all the key things the target audience will want to know, I used the poster for Taken to inspire my own. 

• This poster for Taken, we see the large writing in red, a quote in the middle connotes what the movie is based around for the audience. 
• We also see Liam Neeson in the middle, holding a gun. Firstly, we imply that he is the main actor, his face looks cross and tense. Then, we see him holding a gun which suggests an action/ thriller based movie. 
• There's two quotes on either side of the poster, 'They've taken his daughter. Now, he's taking them down'. This adds to the audience knowing the plot. 
• The poster is dark, this signifies a dark plot and adds to the drama of the movie, 
• Lastly, underneath the title we see 'From the writers and producers of "The Transporter"- this connotes that fans of 'The Transporter' will enjoy Taken, and that based on the profit made of Transporter, Taken is predicted to be on the same level.

I used Taken and other posters I have seen to make mine, I placed some pictures of the main actors in the opening, this is so the target audience can see if they like the actors and if they would want to pay to go and see it in the cinema. Moreover, there are some stills from the movie on the poster so that people can get the gist of what it will look like. Also on the poster is the age rating, this is key as it allows the audience to know what may be featured in the movie and can judge how thrilling it may be. The title, 'Station 43' is quite ambiguous and people are unsure of what it might be about. Lastly I was inspired to write 'from the writers and producers of  'Their Here' so that people can link how good the movie may be, based upon watching that film. Posters attracted a target audience because people want to know why the train is there and who the mysterious black figure is.

On the left are some screenshots of where I advertised my film, placing it on Facebook people can share and like it- this will gain a larger audience because there are more than one billion active people on facebook. I would also create an event and invite people to different events such as a party inspired by the film, or a red carpet event. Also, I posted the poster on Instagram because there are more young people and more teens all over instagram; teenagers are our target audience and so by posting on instagram it's more likely teenagers will see the poster. Also, accounts of our actors could post the poster to draw in their audience, and make people want to watch it. 

Who would be the audience for your media product? EVALUATION 4

Our audience research showed that thrillers are still a really popular genre, The Revenant (Inarritu, 2016) proved this by having an 85% 'liked' on rotten tomato and has 8.2 stars on IMDb. Also, London has Fallen (Najafi, 2016) had 97% of people who wanted to see it. Our audience research also showed us that people liked a fast paced movie, in order for it to be a good thriller. Breakdown (Malachi, 2016) was criticized as too slow and so only got 5.3 stars on IMBd. 

This audience research urged us to do something fast paced, therefore we added sound effects from the start and not much back story was revealed at the beginning. Without doing audience research, I think our opening would've been slow and not appealed to our target audience. 

We've targeted at teens and so we pitched to our class of 16-17 year old's. (Older posts on our blog show this interview), and thus I think our opening is successful in attracting the right audience. 

Here I have drawn what I think someone in our target audience would look like- 

Firstly, I think they would wear normal maybe more alternative clothes such as jeans and a gig t-shirt. I drew them as a girl because, I watch a lot of thrillers myself and a lot of my girl- friends do too although, a lot of boys like thrillers too such as I am Legend (2007). 

I think that thrillers are a mix of action and horrors and that people are attracted to less gore and more thrill. I think a our audience members would have an exiting life, and that thrill is included in every aspect of it.

My drawn target audience is listening to music such as The Wombats or Two Door Cinema Club, they are both upbeat artists which again translates into the films they like.

A song would be - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayuooyWPEUc .

The age certificate is 15, this is because we want to draw in as many teens as possible but also want it to be appropriate for our audience therefore we would want to include swear words etc, so the age certificate couldn't be any lower.

To conclude, the audience for our media product would be a teenager into gigs and genres such as action and horrors as well as thrillers. They would be quite alternative and "cool", and ages above 15 would be interested in the film as well. 

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? EVALUATION 3

A media institution is an organisation or company that distributes media products. An Institution that might distribute our media product would be Spy Glass Entertainment, Universal Studios or Summit Entertainment.

 Spy Glass entertainment have distributed Thrillers such as ‘Stay Alive’ and ‘The Sixth Sense’. The Sixth Sense (1999) was distributed by Spy Glass entertainment as well as Hollywood Pictures and Blinding Edge Pictures. I think Spy Glass would be the type of company to produce our media product because in Sixth Sense there are a lot of interesting camera angles, such as behind the wine rack. In our thriller we have an interesting shot through the window of the train in-between our heads, it really looks as if someone is watching/ stalking us. This would intrigue Spy Glass Entertainment as they seem to look for rarer camera shots that are confusing and appealing to the audience.

Universal Studios have produced thrillers such as ‘Fast and Furious 7’ (2015) and ‘Jaws’ (1975), both of these films are really fast paced. I think because we shot on a train, it automatically links to a fast paced movie. Also, 1 minute into the film and we have already taken the boy which really adds to the pace of the movie. Moreover, the music added in the background in editing adds to the tension; almost like the famous incidental music in Jaws which is associated with Thrillers and tension  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCI-gNK_y4 . Therefore, I think Universal Studios would distribute our opening to a Thriller due to the pace and music within the opening.

Finally, Summit Entertainment has distributed ‘Gone’ (2012), it is a movie in which the girl gets taken; but the sister goes looking for her which does not conform to the ‘damsel in distress’ stereotype. So, I think Summit Entertainment would distribute our opening because it is not like every other thriller and it is different.

I think that our movie would be distributed across all media platforms, such as the cinema, Netflix and other online movie websites, and TV. We would do this because it will reach a wider audience and will increase the gross on the film. However, we will ban it from illegal streaming websites because here we will lose the most amount of profit. We could also make a game out of the movie to make an even larger profit, films and TV series such as The Walking Dead and Twilight have done this. Calling the game ‘Station 43’ links to our actual movie, and we would place the characters in the same situations as our own characters throughout the move; giving them tasks and missions to do.

We would market our movie through trailers, billboards, posters, adverts, radio adverts, websites and more. Like www.007.com, we would have our own website to sell branded things relevant to our movie. On the 007 website we see items for sale, news about premiers and actors and this really keeps the audience in touch with the film and always wanting to know more. I thought that this was a really successful way in which Spectre gained popularity in 2015. I also think trailers are very important for making the audience want to know more, if you do not have a trailer it is hard to grasp what the concept of the movie is and so people do not want to spend their money to go and see it.  I also think putting toys in McDonalds happy meals is a really good way to distribute your film across all age ranges; although, this only works with films that are child friendly and that is not our target audience, perhaps toys could come with adult meals.

I think the thriller would be screened in Regent Street Cinema because of it is old and very atmospheric; it adds to the complete vibe of the thriller. Having people comfy and close to one another definitely adds to the tension. Also, I would screen it during the summer holidays, teenagers are usually looking for a motive during the day and so giving them a movie to watch will draw them in. 

Our production company is AE Studios, we named it this because of Arthur and Aaron- A and Eryk and myself, Emily- E). In the back of the photo is one of Eryk's architectural photography pictures, and so everything was done by us. I think that it looks really clean and polished, and would be appropriate for any genre of film.

How does your media product represent particular social groups? EVALUATION 2

Evaluation 2 from emilywillmer

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Evaluation 2 from emilywillmer

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real products? EVALUATION 1

Our Opening to a Thriller- Station 43

3 Point Lighting Technique

From the three point lighting technique we were able to find out what kind of lighting we would like to use for our thriller introduction. The fill light made the face full of shadows and made the character more mysterious which is the kind of light we would like to use. The back light also created a silhouette like character which is a motif of the thriller genre, another kind of light our group would like to use.

storyboard

3 point lighting

Timeline and Health and Saftey

11th March (Friday): 7.00pm meet up to film on a train at Waterloo, trains are stationary there for a while and we will avoid huge costs of time and money.
12th March (Saturday): 7.00pm same plan incase we don't get all our filming done. 
15th March (Tuesday): edit what has been filmed, do the cutting and ordering of the filming (look at story board for reference).
16th March (Wednesday): edit during break and lunch, do transitions and maybe fix lightings and other factors that maybe be affecting the film.
17th March (Thursday):carry on the editing process. 
18th March (Friday):  finish off with the credits and other texts like the title, try and add a cool effect such as the letters entering one by one as a train goes past.

IF WE FILM OVER TWO DAYS:

• use the same actor
• same outfits
• near same carriage and location should be almost exact

EQUIPMENT:

• tripod and camera
• same outfits
• lighting 
• microphones

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

• mind the gap between the train and the platform
• weird people at night, stay together
• make sure someones with equipment at all time so that it is not stolen

WHO IS DOING WHAT?:

• Arthur - Playing the bad guy, should dress in all black helping with filming and lighting
• Aaron- Filming and lighting
• Emily -Playing The Girlfriend, also helping with some filming and lighting
• Eryk- Playing The Boyfriend- also helping with doing filming and lighting

Logo

When researching a logo for our own 'Company Logo' I found that they were all quite dark, very simple and clear as to who the company was. These were three that really stood out to me, Blumhouse I thought was quite obvious as to producing thrillers; I thought this because it is backed onto a stereotypical creepy wall and the 'H' is in a house which is also very stereotypical. Also, the font stands out and I think we should be careful when picking out a font for out logo. New Line Cinema is a unit of Warner Bros and I think this is made clear in the logo which is really good and perhaps we should incorporate something like the mentioning of another producer in out title because there is four of us and again, the image is very simple but clear to what it is. Lastly, Red Letter Studios I think is clearly obvious to it being a thriller based producer, the red indicates this as it remind the viewer of blood and danger and the cross makes us think of something quite scary. Moreover, the font is representative of a thriller as it is almost like blood written on a wall or typed in an old type writer, this is the most obvious logo of a thriller producer.
From researching logos I think including a good font and a good colour is highly important, I also think that having a simple indication such as the creepy house quietly shown within the logo is important as it is a clear indication to a thriller based producer.

Response to Audience Feedback

From our rough idea that we pitched to the group, I think that we got some very positive feedback. The audience seemed to really like the idea and it appealed to them, this is good as we want to aim our movie at teenagers and some of the feedback was accurate to what we wanted to know.

Things that we were not sure of such as the title we were able to here back from, and Station 43 as a title was liked. However, the audience alerted us that it will be hard to get an almost empty train and they also made us aware that we will have to travel back and forth on the train which is very time consuming. These are some of the things we must think about when filming, and perhaps we may have to change the setting. 

Also, we were struggling as a group to think of an ending. The audience said that it should end on a cliffhanger rather than a fight scene and so this is something else that as a group we must think of. One of the audiences idea was the scene to finish with a hand on the boys shoulder, this will create a cliff hanger and a mysterious vibe about the movie making people wanting more.

All in all, the audience feedback was really helpful and we were able to gain new ideas and new thoughts into the development of our opening and hopefully now we will be able to make an opening that is appealing and something that our target audience wants to see.

Station 43 from emilywillmer

Audience Research

For my Audience Research I wanted to talk to some people I knew so that I could grasp what the audience want to see in a Thriller. 

First I asked my sister;

Q.What is your favorite Thriller? Why?
A. My favorite is probably Gone Girl, I like the psychology behind the movie it is interesting and keeps me hooked. I also think that the twists and the unpredictability keeps me guessing and therefore intrigued, so I think that's why it is my favorite.

Q. What do you think generally makes a thriller?
A. A good story line and a good ending, preferably with a twist makes a good thriller. Again, if the movie keeps me guessing it's always better.

Q. What do you suggest I include in my opening to make it a Thriller?
A. Really good music, suspense and subtle hints implying what is going to happen in the rest of the movie. Also, I like the grainy sort of texture to the camera in Thrillers and Horrors it makes it more exciting and eerie.

Q. Is the setting and lighting a big part of setting the scene? How could I achieve this?
A. These are massive, with lighting you could use shadows and make sure it's not too dim therefore you still can see and it becomes a lot more gripping. The setting depends mostly on the story line, but a creepy house is always a good starter for a thriller. 

Then I asked a friend; 

Q. What is your favorite Thriller? Why?
A. My favorite thriller is insidious, it wasn't very bloody and in some ways this made it scarier. I liked not having blood in it, in some ways it made the audience larger because it was more appealing to some and was exciting for everyone.  

Q. What do you think generally makes a Thriller?
A. A movie that can make you jump is a good thriller, it has to be unexpected making it a good Thriller.

Q. What do you suggest I include in my opening to make it a Thriller?
A. Intense sound effects will start to build up tension in the opening, you should definitely include them to open the thriller.

Q. Is the setting and lighting a big part of setting the scene? How could I achieve this?
A. it's very important because it sets the scene for the whole movie and also creates the mood.

Therefore, by doing my audience research I have found in the opening of the Thriller we must include really good setting and lighting because without these the mood and atmosphere is lost. We also must include good sound at the beginning because both my interviewees said sound effects and the music were really important for getting in the mood of the film. I think we should definitely include hints to the story line in the beginning, and foreshadowing as well as this seemed quiet important. Thus, I have found some very important factors that we should include in the opening to our Thriller that perhaps I hadn't thought about before.

The Opening to Mission Impossible 3- Emily 6193

The Opening to a Thriller from emilywillmer

Thriller Survey

For A Starter, A Quick Survey To Help Us Make Something Better, For You!

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/XXSVSB2

Eryk Wiszenko

Profile- Typical Audience Member

I think that the typical audience member for thrillers is a teenager, perhaps more a teenage girl would be more likely to watch a thriller because they like a more toned down action. I think that they would like to shop at urban outfitters and go to Camden because these are more alternative places, and they would go to plenty gigs and concerts because this is where the most exciting things happen. They like to watch thrillers because they're exciting and this translates into every aspect of their life.  

By Emily Willmer 6193

Audience Research- FDA

The FDA, Film Distributors' Association

On the 15th of January Breakdown (Malachi, 2016) came out, it's a 15  and has been given some negative audience feedback. Two main film websites, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes gave the film some bad reviews and low ratings. This tells us that perhaps Thrillers are becoming less popular as they're being over done, or are too extreme.

However, The Revenant (Gonzalez Inarritu, 2016) is completely different and is very popular it's an age 15 and had a budget of £135,000,000 and has so far made $149,543,198 in America. It also has received many good critical views, which contrasts with Breakdown and shows us that audiences still want to see Thrillers.

On the 3rd March, London has Fallen is coming out and this is a widely anticipated movie with the age certificate of 12 it is expected to have a wider audience. The trailer for this is ishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQhX4JxGHtw .

Therefore we can see that our target audience is more teenagers, and that Thrillers are still popular however it greatly depends on the pace, and the type of action. Many thought Breakdown was very slow and didn't have the right type of action, whereas the other two movies are expected and are brilliantly done.