Positives

I very much enjoyed this whole experience, I have learnt so much and am amazed by how easy and effective it is to use simple software to make professional films.
Even though I found the making of my composition tricky, I am pleased with how it turned out in the end.
This whole process has shown me how much I enjoy media and now that I am comfortable with the concept I cannot wait to do it all over again for A2.

Problems

The overall problems I faced seem minute now, but at the time were really major as i just started media and did not know what to do.
The first problem I had was actually coming up with an idea for my thriller, I found this difficult as I wanted something different yet effective. When I did come up with an idea, I was very pleased and in the making of my film this idea was very effective.
The second problem was using the editing software, when I had gathered all my shots and was ready to edit I went on to Final Cut Pro to do my editing, I opened it and thought 'Wow, this is going to be difficult' but after the first time you learn it, you pick it up very quickly. Now that I have used it many times I am very comfortable with it.
The third and final problem was using the title software, my initial edits were ready and I needed to add titles before I went any further. I used Motion and it took me quite a while to get used to, as there was a lot to take in, but just like Final Cut I got used to it in the end.

Evaluation: Question 7

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

Evaluation; Question 6

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

                                             

Evaluation; Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation; Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience is teenagers because my main characters are teenagers so this makes it more relatable and will draw them in. I tried to add tension to make the audience feel what Sarah was feeling this makes it more realistic . 

 

Evaluation; Question 3

Slideshare

I really like slideshare as is it more professional than a word powerpoint, it is easy to access as it is on the internet, therefore you do not ave to download it which is a hassle.

Evaluation; Question 2

How does your media product represent social groups?

Xtranormal

I used Xtranormal to answer question 2, I really like it as it is really different and interesting to use.
It is also very easy as it shows you in a step-by-step guide.

Evaluation; Question 1

http://prezi.com/istlr5wmtfkg/copy-of-untitled-prezi/?kw=view-istlr5wmtfkg&rc=ref-35892899

Prezi

To answer my first question in my evaluation I am going to use Prezi, this software is a new innovate way to make a presentation fun and simple:
It is easy to access on the internet, and is also easy to use, all you need to do is choose your template and just add your information on, I like to use it as it makes your work look more professional than a powerpoint presentation.

Finished!

On the 15th of March, I finished all the work on my video. It is called  Separate Minds.
Now that my film is finished, I am now working on my evaluation (worth 20% of the marks), this involves me answering 7 questions presented in 7 different media forms.
In doing this i have made out a plan on how I am going to answer each question, then I will put it on different types, then finally I will post it on my blog.

Titles; Motion

To produce my titles I am using the software Motion, it took me a while to get used to it, but once you do it is very useful. It has lots of effects and styles to choose from which made my titles look perfect for the theme of my thriller.

Soundtrack; GarageBand

I am using GarageBand for my composition, I find it very useful, as even if your not very into music you can still use it as it gives you samples to work from.

Editing; Final Cut Pro

I am using the software Final Cut Pro to do all my editing of my filming, it is very easy to use and to learn its features very quickly, I like the range of options it gives and it really allows me to make my thriller look professional.

Filming

I have done all my filming over half-term (15th-25th February). This is because all of my actors were free then and it was the best time to film and get it sorted.

In the process of filming I found that certain areas I put down in my draft did not work; such as the music box and production title-as they did not go with the plot and seemed irrelevant, the window scene-as it did not seem to look as effective when filming, the blood drips-as there was not enough space in the kitchen, the position of the alter ego-as the position of the mirror was not suitable for the shooting angle of the alter ego being reflected from behind in the mirror.

Permission Form

For my thriller i need to have a permission form for the actors i am going to use. 

I _________________________________ agree to take part in helping film for public viewing for Ceyda Ayten Tabak's media studies project, she may post her thriller on her blog.

Signed
_________________________________

Once this have been given, I am allowed to start filming.

Story Board; Drawn Draft

Story Board; Written Draft

Title= Separate Minds

Plot, Camera shots & Layout
. Black screen start off with creepy music box sounds similar to quiet slumber ( A,C,E,F,C,E).
. Fade in Music Box Productions (in distorted ghost grey font)
. Scene starts with distorted girly music box in black-and-white with the titles fading in & out in blood red.
. Silence, then a scary giggle from a little girl is heard, then fades into colour (kitchen window) which is a close up and blurry.
. Zoom out to get a clear image of the outside in mid shot, while electronic sounds are played. Then the camera moves down to focus on the kitchen floor with blood drips in a close up. Then the camera follows the blood drips which will lead to a dead mans body (Robert).
. Jumps cuts to Sarah sitting on the floor, zooms in slowly as she rocks back & forth frightened.
. Close up on sarah's face to show her emotion (heart-beat in the background)
. Next scene, shows a close up in a bloody knife, then jump cuts to Sarah running to the stairs.
. She runs upstairs into the bathroom.
. Shows Sarah standing in-front of the mirror.
. She washes the blood off her hands (on close-up, water running sound, ambient)
. Washes face and looks down.
. Close-up on the side of her face to show her fear (deep breathing sounds)
. Music box sound reappears, she looks up to find her alter-ego behind her.
. She cries 'Just leave me alone!', looks up and a.e. is gone.
. Music box closes.
. Title is shown. 

Idea's for my Thriller

I have planned a draft idea and there will be three main characters, these will be:

1. A man who will be the victim named Robert.
2. An innocent girl named Sarah.
3. Sarah's evil alter-ego named Eve.

The plot is about a school girl named Sarah who has a split personality or alter-ego called Eve, she is very evil and makes Sarah do things she doesn't want to. Eve tests Sarah when she makes her kill a salesman Robert.
Sarah has had enough of Eve and the fear of Killing Robert is haunting her, she wants to get rid of Eve forever.

The key props i will be using are:

1. Blood- Ketchup
2. Bloody Knife

Art of the Title; The Shining (1980)

01:07- 01:12; A Stanley Kubrick Film

01:12- 01:17; Jack Nicholson

01:17- 01:22; Shelly Duvall

01:22-  01:28; The Shining

01:28- 01:33; Featuring Danny Lloyd

01:33- 01:38; Scatman Crothers

01:38- 01:43; Barry Nelson

01:43- 01:49; Phillip Stone

01:49- 01:54; Joe Turkel

01:54- 01:59; Anne Jackson

01:59- 02:05; Tony Burton

02:05- 02:09; Executive producer Jan Harlan

02:09- 02:15; Based upon a novel by Stephen King

02:15- 02:20; Produced in association with The Producer Circle Company

                         Robert Fryer

                         Martin Richards

                         Mary Lea Johnson 

02:20- 02:25; Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson

02:25- 02:30; Produced & Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Art of the Title; Signs

This is an analysis of Signs (2002)
http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/signs/
The main area I will be looking at is how the titles are presented in the opening sequence of Signs.
These aspects are important to my needs in making my triller as I shall understand how to lay the titles out.
I will be creating my own production for my thriller which will be shown in my opening sequence as well.

Signs starts off with the production name (Touchstone Pıctures) this informs the audience who has produced this film.
It then states the actors names, this is useful as it enables the audience to know who is in the film. These are all shown fading in and out.
Then the title is shown and the soundtrack starts, this gives a sense of tension to the audience.
Then it continues to state names, this shows the audience that they play a part of importance in creating or being a part of the film.

In my opinion the opening scene of Signs has not got much going on and therefore does not explain much to the viewers, in my openin scene I want a clear view of what is going on.

Inspiration; Comic Book Heroes

The archetypall comic book hero, Superman, assumes the identity of the "mild-mannered" newspaper reporter Clark Kent in order to live among the citizens of Metropolis without arousing suspicion. Whereas Clark Kent's true self is Superman (or rather the Kryptonian Kal-El), Batman is a character created by Bruce Wayne in order to disguise himself for the purposes of fighting crime. The Batman comics and movies such as Batman Begins have also explored the theme of the true self (Wayne) becoming lost in or giving himself over to the alter ego, much like the plot of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Post-Crisis comics flip this idea around for both superheroes. Superman becomes the persona that Clark Kent adopts in order to freely use his gifts to help the world without jeopardizing his friends, family and personal life. Conversely, carefree playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes the alter ego necessary to hide the true persona of the crime-fighting Batman. The Incredible Hulk comic book series further complicates this theme, as Bruce Banner loses control to the Hyde-like Hulk whenever he becomes angry, yet also depends upon the Hulk's super powers in order to combat villains. Also the Batman villain Two-Face seems to split his alter-ego from Harvey Dent, whose personality changes from being judge-like to changing back to his Two-Face persona and being ruthless using his two-faced coin to determine life and death.
Source from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alter_ego

I think the idea of an alter ego hiding a persons true identity is very interessting and it will drag the audience in, this is why Superheroes have inspired me in the making of my thriller.

Inspiration; Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The work is commonly known today as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or simply Jekyll & Hyde.
It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.

The work is commonly associated with the rare mental condition often spuriously called "split personality", referred to in psychiatry as dissociative identity disorder, where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality. In this case, there are two personalities within Dr Jekyll, one apparently good and the other evil; completely opposite levels of morality. The novella's impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next.
Source from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde

The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde inspired me, because when I heard about it, it gave me a chill down my spine and this is the reaction I want to get from my viewers. It fits in a thriller in the way it has a protagonist and an antagonist, the contrast of a split personality makes this a psychological thriller which is what I gained to be the favourite sub-genre in my questionnaire, moreover it is very interessting to the viewers as generally the protagonist and antagonist are seperate people, whereas in an alter ego it is in one.

This is a scene from the film made in 1931:

Thriller Questionnaire; Answers

1) 3 of the participants I asked were between the ages of 15-18, 2 of the participants I asked were between the ages of 19-24, No-one I asked was in the age range of 25-30.  From my results I have gathered that the opening for my thirller should be targeted to a younger audeince. I will appeal to the younger audience by using younger actors. 

2) 3 of the participants I asked were female and 2 of the participants I asked were male. From my results I have gathered that for opening of my thriller, the main character should be a female. As a feminine role is more appealing to watch, and shows more innocence.

3) 4 of the participants I asked said that they roughly watch 1-3 films in a month, only one participant said that they roughly watch 4-6 films in a month. From my results I have gathered that people do not really watch that many films, this means that for the opening of my thriller I need to make it very interesting and exciting so they will never forget it.

4) All of the participants I asked said that their most preferred thriller sub-genre is Psychological. From my results I have gathered that people most like psychological thrillers, therefore that is what i will base my thriller on.

5) Most of the participants I asked said that they expect to see a murder and blood; they also expect to see a scary character. From these results I have gathered that in my thriller I need to imput a murder.

6) All of my participants said that the colours they would expect to see are black, grey and red. 3 said white, and 2 said brown. This allows me to focus on these key colours when filming.

7) My chosen answer that I would most likely use was Secret Window.

8) All my participants said that they would prefer my thriller to end with a cliff hanger. One girl said that; " It would add more suspense with a cliff hanger as you do not know what will happen".

9) One key answer that I will take on board is that one of my participants said that they would like to see a murder in the beginning.

10) 100% of my participants said that they would prefer to see the film in colour.

Peliminary Task

The preliminary task is relatively simple, made up of 11 shots.
1)  is a LS

2) There is then a CUT to a CU

3) There is a CUT to, a MLS.
4) There is a CUT to a MS

5) The next CUT is to a 2-shot, LS of the 2 people in the room.
6) CUT to OS MCU + dialogue

7) CUT to an OS

8) CUT to the original OS shot.
9) CUT back to the 2nd OS shot.
10) CUT back to the original OS shot.
11) CUT back to the 2nd OS shot.  Fade out, and end.

Thriller Questionnaire; Questions

Please write a tick next to the appropriate answers provided.

1) What age range are you?

       15-18

       19-24

       25-30

2) Are you Male or Female?

       Male

       Female

3) Roughly how many films do you watch in a month?

       None

       1-3 films

       4-6 films

       7-9 films

       10+

4) Which is your most preferred thriller sub-genre?

       Action

       Crime

       Film-Noir (This is portrayed in black-and-white style with stark lighting)

       Psychological

       Science-Fiction

       Religious

5) What do you expect to see when watching a thriller film? (Please fill in the spaces provided)

1).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6) What type of colours do you expect to see in a thriller film? (Please tick as many as apply)

       Black

       Grey

       White

       Red

       Green

       Yellow

       Blue

       Purple

       Brown

7) Which thriller film is your favourite and why? (Please fill in the spaces provided)

1).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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4).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8) Do you prefer a thriller to end in a cliff hanger or end resolved? Why? (Please fill in the spaces provided)

1).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9) What do you think an intro of a good thriller film should look like? (Please fill in the spaces provided)

1).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5).………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10) Do you prefer films in colour, black-and-white or both?

       Colour

       Black-and-white

       Both