Final Product

Looking back at our preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt on the progression from it to the full product?

Issues with our preliminary task

• Shot goes back in time - The foot being further than it was before (0:04)
• Silence before dialogue - Poor editing (0:15)
• Too short overall
• Poor font for titles - Bad use of editing and decision making at the time of editing (0:00-0:04)
• Shot-Reverse-Shot - Lacked continuity and didn't quite flow (0:10-0:13)

'Interline Industries' - Examples of Improvement

• Good continuity - Chase Scene flowed well (1:05-1:15)
• Good use of transitions - Smooth transitions in the cross cutting from the woods to the office (1:40-2:00)
• Good font for titles - Formal, minimalist font used for titled (0:39-0:42)

Skills we have improved on:

• Throughout this process, I have developed on working in team better. This is through dedicating different members of the team to different task in order to complete the objective more quicker and more effectively.
• We have improved on putting our ideas and thoughts into reality. This seen through our existing product being very similar to our storyboard that we produced.
• Various shot types. In the preliminary task, we used a low amount of different shot types, however, in this task we have succeeded to used various different shot types that we didn't use before.

What have I learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

To record the footage for our opening sequence, we used a Sony SLT A35. This left the footage being crisp with a high frame-rate, making the footage easier to edit. Whilst using the camera for our footage, I learnt that it is best to record approximately 2 seconds before the action and record for 2 seconds after the cut. This allows there to be no footage missed, allowing the full amount of footage to be in the cut.

For the editing process, we used Final Cut Pro where edited the entirety of our opening scene. Whilst using this software, I've picked up various techniques like fades and transitions whilst adding 'key frames' to improve our overall product.

For the overall computer, we used the Macintosh' as school as that is where we had our media lessons and the best opportunity to be together whilst editing. Throughout this process on the Macs, I've learnt how to extract footage of SD cards with and without an SD card reader.

How did we attract/address our audience?

This mid-shot shows the protagonist running away which would attract our target audience. It would attract our target audience because males aged 15-18 would, stereotypically, be attracted by the adrenaline built up by the intense scene. They could also engage with the location being a woods, connoting the unknown, which would intrigue the audience.

This over the shoulder shot of the protagonist looking over his shoulder towards the antagonist would attract the target audience as it build anxiety for what is about to happen next. As you can, the antagonist is walking towards the protagonist whilst he is struggling, suggesting that there is going to be violence. This would attract our target audience because males aged 15-18 are, stereotypically, engaged with violence.

This establishing shot of the New York City skyline would attract our male target audience, aged 15-18, as it has massive potential for mass destruction. This would attract our target audience as, stereotypically, they would find mass destruction appealing and interesting. However, the New York City skyline is a common and well known skyline throughout the world, letting the audience be familiar with the location which they would be attracted to. 

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Who would be the audience for our media product and why?

Film Certification

For our opening sequence, 'Interline Industries', the film certification would be a 15+ as it containing moderate violence which is suitable for audiences above age 15 as they are mature enough to deal with mature themes. 

Research into Similar Products

As there are hundreds of thriller films rated 15+, it is obvious that there is a pre-existing audience. Stereotypically, males are more interested in themes of violence than females. Also, 'Limitless', rated 15+, also uses themes of drugs to a reasonable and similar standard to our product hence why we went with a similar film certification to cater for a similar audience. However, films like 'The Glass House' deals with moderate use of family friendly language leaving certain audience annoyed with the unrealistic factor. Although, 18A rated films like 'A Dangerous Method' deals with mature themes of like foul language with gore which certain target audiences might find crude.

Questionnaire

To come up with a verdict for which film certification our product should be, I created a list of open questions like 'What would you expect to see in a 12/15/18b rated thriller?' to which the replies varied. The most common answer was that the 18 rated film to include mature themes and blood and gore but 15 rated film to include cruder language than the 12 rated films but less crude than 18 rated films. However, a common answer for the 12 rated films was to include immature themes whilst being reserved with violence, a convention of the thriller genre. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, our target audience will be a primarily male audience aged from 15-20 as they are stereotypically interested in violence, which is featured in our product.

How does our media product represent particular social groups?

For our opening sequence, ' Interline Industries', there are many representations portrayed through various examples of media language, all of which I will be discussing in this summary.

In our opening, certain social groups are represented in different ways, being both stereotypical and anti-stereotypical. For example, drug dealers are represented as being the victims whereas they are stereotypically the people who pray on victims. You can see this throughout the extract when the drug dealer is being chased by 2 antagonists leaving the audience thinking that the drug dealer is vulnerable. However, this also reinforced the common ideology of the drug industry being dangerous as chase scene becomes intense. Also, drug lords are also represented as professional throughout the opening scene through the use of props. An example of props being used to create the representation of drug lords being professional were the use of an office. The creates this representation as offices connote professionalism and business' where as, in this case, is being used to run a drug lord.

Also in the opening scene, you can see the drug dealer wearing a hood, connoting that he has something to hide as it is covering the majority of his face. This represents men as being mysterious as he is covering the majority of his face which could be a metaphor for him having something to hide. However, this agrees with the stereotype of men in the media as they  are regularly represented as hiding something and being mysterious. This representation is also similar to the one used in 'Limitless' when there is confusion and curiosity for how the main protagonist is so smart and what is his story. This method and representation intrigues the audience to wanting them to find out more about the characters past.

Only men are seen in the opening sequence throughout. This creates the representation that men are constantly in power as men are seen as being the powerful in todays media. However, this does not reinforces todays ideology but it does in fact reinforced the ideology from 20 years ago. Also, the representation of men being powerful is also reinforced by the use of costume where the audience can see Mr. Faulkner wearing a suit, connoting power and authority, which agrees with the stereotype. This is also represented through there being no female in the extract, portraying men as being more dominant than females - a common stereotype in todays society.

To conclude, there are various use of both stereotypes and anti-stereotypes throughout the opening sequence allowing the audience to be intrigued with the unexpected representations whilst keeping it realistic with common representations uses throughout todays media. 

    

9 Frame Analysis for 'Interline Industries'

1) This frame is our first ident for the opening sequence. The ident, 'Bates Motel Production', links to the thriller genre as it was the motel in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' giving the production company relevance to the thriller genre like other existing products.

2) This establishing shot is of New York City, leaving potential for mass destruction (another convention of the thriller genre). The frame is also in black and white to remove all pretentiousness whilst allowing the audience to realise that some isn't right.

3) In this extreme close up shot, you can see Mr. Faulkner's name tag. This shot is used to establish Mr. Faulkner to the audience as he is one of the main antagonists in the opening scene. This shot also d0emonstrates good use of shot composition as the name tag is to the left of centre.

4) In this shot, you can see title frame for the opening scene. The colour scheme and font is kept minimalistic to connote formality and business as they are main themes through out the extract.

5) In this mid-shot, you can see Mr. Faulkner's back as he proceeds to work. In the shot, you can Mr. Faulkner's costume being a suit giving him connotations of formality. However, this also allows the audience to realise that Mr. Faulkner is in charge of some business because of the individual office.

6) In this mid-shot, you can see the drug dealer running away, leaving the audience to believe that he is in trouble. However, the colour of his coat leaves the audience to believe that he is the protagonist as the colour purple connotes happiness.

7) This title shot also features the use of an establishing shot of New York City, giving the shot a slick connotation. Also, the use of the of the simplistic font also reinforces the 3rd frame analysis, being that the font gives the product formal connotations.

8) This close-up of a clock ticking creates emphasis and focus on time which links with the business term 'time is money'. This colour scheme also connotes formality, with is a theme throughout the whole product.

9)  This over the shoulder shot of the drug dealer looking over his shoulder suggests that the man in the black coat is an antagonist, as the colour black suggests evil connotations.