Written Evaluation of Opening Sequence

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

We decided to create a Thriller, as we thought that it would appeal to more people our age. Thinking about the key convention of a Thriller, we included the use of shadows on black and white shots, (a Film Noir style) with music that creates tension. There's changes in the angle of the camera shots that give the viewers different perspectives of both characters. We challenged the conventions by having a homosexual male antagonist, however his identity was known in the opening sequence, which follows the conventions of a thriller, as it shows the connection between both the antagonist and the protagonist- a stereotypical white male American. We added the Threshold video effect to our opening sequence so we could not fully reveal the identity of the characters which would then add mystery to the plot of our film.

How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

Our opening sequence represents particular social groups in the style of Regional identity and Sexuality. The protagonist is American which is noticeable by his accent, whereas the antagonist who follows the name 'Malcolm', is British. This challenges the stereotypical conventions of a thriller, because they are normally either American or British, not a mixture of them both. The social class of  the Antagonist, and Protagonist is unknown to the viewer as we haven't made it obvious as to what class they are, however looking at the mise-en-scene within the opening scene, it could be suggesting that both characters are middle class from the clothing that they wear. Additionally the social status of both roles could be told through their characters as the protagonist is an agent of some kind therefore this suggests that he is middle to upper class.

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

In the UK, thrillers could be distributed by companies such as Metrodome which uses the microwave scheme, which gives small British films a chance to be produced with a budget of one hundred thousand pounds In addition to the budget the film has to be made within a space of eighteen days. This would be ideal for our thriller as it is made within the UK with low funds. This would also be good advertisement as the company is known in the media industry which would further give our media product recognition.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our media production appeals to teenagers and young adults of all genders. We think it would appeal to the younger generation because they seek adrenaline through things like movies and TV pro gramme's. Thrillers are normally viewed by teenagers as its almost like a sense of 'rebellion'. The mystery in Thrillers drives younger audiences to pursue answers, which are revealed either later in the film or at the end. The opening sequence doesn't explicitly contain scenes of foul language, or adult scenes, so it wouldn't be rated an eighteen. It would have an age rating, however it wouldn't be a U, because it could be seen as too graphic for younger children for example the gun shots. We think that the age rating would range between a PG and twelve.

 

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract our target audience, teenagers and young adults, we had to produce a opening sequence which would keep the target audience engaged. As we are teenagers as well, we know first hand what teenagers like in a thriller film, everyone enjoys different features, so we know we have to incorporate the stereotypical conventions of a thriller to keep them hooked. However to make our film unique to draw the target audience in, we used the Threshold filter to make our film different to the stereotypical conventions of a Thriller. By changing the conventions, and having a homosexual male antagonist, this could appeal to more people as it shows variety in the opening sequence to extend our target audience. In terms of marketing, we would advertise the film on social media as it is widely used by teenagers and younger adults around the world. This meaning the film would be shared globally. Another idea would be to advertise on TV and on billboards or even radio stations to vary the audience, as some adults could be interested in our media product too.

 

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

Whilst filming our opening sequence we further understood how variety in camera angles within shots made a big difference in quality to the final product. We used SONY HD cameras to film our work.  To edit the opening sequence we used Adobe Premiere CS5 which allowed us to experiment with different editing tools to improve our outcome. By having the freedom to edit, we decided to use the Threshold filter, which transformed our film into a black and white sequence, which now has the characteristics of a Film Noir. Previously we were aware of the Adobe Premiere functions, but we can now use it more confidently.  However in some of the shots that we took, we did break some of the camera rules , like the 180 degree rule, which we had to cut, so in future media products, we have learnt that we need to improve our camera skills. 

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

When looking back at our preliminary task, we feel like we have became more confident in Adobe Premiere CS5, and using the Sony HD Camera's. We've also became more aware of the rules when it comes to recording a sequence and the range of vantage points and angle we can use when filming. We have also took the acting more seriously as we saw the impact it has in the quality of the film. After completing the preliminary task, we also realized that we tried to complicate storylines and that the best outcomes are storylines that are simplistic.

Title Sequence.

 

This title sequence shows the correct order in which it should occur in. We will use this sequence within our opening to make sure we have the correct order in which we feature our director and who we are starring.

Role Allocations (Opening sequence)

Making Our Opening Sequence:

The first role we had to allocate was the screen writer, this is because we needed script which then we could further into allocating a director, and starring actors.

The script was written as a group however I personally worked on it to improve and change areas, whilst I was doing this the other members from our group was creating a storyboard which is when we also decide who was going to star in the opening sequence.

Only one member from our group actually starred in the sequence but we used another actor to play our antagonist. This meant finding a person who could play the character exactly how we wanted. Luckily this wasn't a complicated process as we had a person in mind who would be willing to act for us and whilst filming we kept building on his character.

Two members from our group directed the media product and all three members had input in the editing. This proves that all members of our group got chance to input their individual thoughts into the opening and that we all had experience using Adobe Premiere to develop our skills individually.

Audience Research.

 All media texts are made to be consumed by an audience. Media can influence people to believe anything, it was used by Hitler as he used films as a form of propaganda. Additionally throughout time media has been used to confuse, entertain and convince audiences.

Teenager pacifically turn to watch films made in the Horror or Thriller genre. Teen horrors follow conventions such as the Last Girl theory, a female who is usually worried about stepping out into adult hood, set in the suburbs in a stereotypical ideal American house (detached, large space around the house). The female starring in the film is usually rebellious, but when something goes wrong, fears leaving home.

In the early 1900's the media industry was radio, newspapers. Eventually the television was invented by British creator John Logie Baird. Silent films were popular in the 1920's- 1930's, however in 1929 the first film featuring speech, Jazz Hands hit theatres which then  followed by the first colour film The Wizard Of OZ.

After World War Two people saw how media could be used to persuade audiences. People began to worry about media and its effects, they realised how dangerous media can be.

There is a theory called the Hypodermic Passive, this is where the message is the drug (in a hypodermic needle so to say). The media was getting 'injected into peoples bloodstreams', this created people to be passive, they believed everything people believed.

"The medium is the message"- Mcluhan. 

Orson Welles is well-know for his master piece Citizen Kane in the 1940s. Before his well known media product he did a play in the 1930s for the radio. This now in present day has been produced into a film, War of the Worlds. When it was first heard on the radio in the 1930s people panicked as whatever they heard on the radio was true. People actually believed that the world was heading into an apocalypse this is additional proof that audiences believed whatever they heard. This additionally shows the effects of media can have on its audiences.

Movie logos

 Looking at Twentieth Century Fox we can clearly see that the name of the company is clear and bold so the audience can see who produced or made the film. The logo itself is unique, the gold could represent strength and power. The colour scheme is very similar to other Television companies such as TriStar, Columbia and Warner Bro's as they all follow the theme of using a sky as there background.

The television company TriStar has an uncanny resemblance to the Columbia productions logo. The positioning of both the logo subjects are central and they both

have a very similar background when looking at the clouds and colour scheme. When looking into both the logos they are both produced by SONY as in both images and on both logos they have 'a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY'. Furthermore, like the Twentieth Century Fox, each production company title is clear and bold which is what the companies aimed to do. They want people around the globe to recognise their company. This could be why the logos are simplistic. Each logo has a main subject for example Columbia has the statue of a women (which is extremely similar to the famous Statue Of Liberty), TriStar has a horse with wings. The TriStar horse is unique as it has wings and because of its mythical features people remember this.

Warner Bro's pictures is extremely popular in the television industry, it is remembered by its very unique and significant gold WB logo. This is a very simple design for a logo, but it could be considered to be more effective them the more complex designs. Logos for Television companies are to promote or give recognition to the company itself. However similarly to the other TV logos they all have the a common theme of using the sky as their background.
 

Opening Sequence

Maltese Falcon Analysis

Maltese Falcon Film:

The film Maltese Falcon was released in the year 1941. The film uses traditional black and white and has low key lighting which follow the conventions of a Film Noir. The traditional black and white effect shows the audience that the film is a film noir as at this time in the film industry colour film was popular.  

The film features a detective called Sam Spade who is visited at his office By Mrs Wonderly. She claims that she is looking for her sister who appears to be with a man called Floyd Thursby. There are rumours that this man is supposed to be dangerous. When Mrs Wonderly says that she is supposed to go and meet Thursby, another detective, Miles Archer, says that he will shadow them so that he can find the missing girl.

Film noirs were very popular in the 1900s because audiences enjoyed this genre. They were interested and enjoyed it because they all follow the same story line which is what most people like to watch. It was simple and the film studios knew that the audience would pay to watch them, so the studios would make a profit. It allowed people to escape the war and depression that was going around at the time.

 It is obvious that this is a film noir because of the certain features it has that will be discussed throughout. One of these features is the spider and the fly theory. This is when the main male actor is infatuated by the femme fatal who draws the male character into her web of lies. This emphasises that the female character is these films is quite a dangerous and very manipulative character. The manipulation is shown through the opening scene of the film, where the female character explains what she needs help with. The two detectives involve themselves so much to the point where they are leaning towards her, which proves that they are interested in what she has to say. However, it also shows that they are trying to get close to her because they find her attractive. This results in them both being drawn into her web of lies.

The narration of the film is very restricted. As the audience, we only see and know as much as the detective does because we are seeing and hearing the film from his point of view. We end up finding things out throughout the film along with the detective. This keeps the audience hooked.

In any film noir, there is an enigma, also known as a hook. In this film, the hook is when Miles, the partner detective, gets shot when he goes out to shadow Thursby. This is what draws the audience in because they want to know who shot the detective and what happens with the case itself.

There is gender equality in the film which is shown in the opening scene. There are two different opinions on how the femme fatal is represented. In any traditional film noir, the femme fatal gets herself into trouble with the detective and either dies at the end or has some other negative ending. This shows how women can be negatively represented in films. On the other hand, she can be represented as powerful, which is a positive representation of women. It is usually up to the audience to determine which opinion they want to have on the femme fatal.

Within the opening scene of this film, few camera shots are used. One of these being an establishing shot. This is also used when the audience sees where the film is set, which is in San Francisco. This is a very typical location for film noirs, as most are set in an American city. Within this, there is an office which is where the film will be set first. By setting the scene, the audience can relate to the setting the scenes. Another shot that was used is a medium shot. This was used when the femme fatal was explaining her problem to the detective. It showed the facial expressions of the woman which meant that the audience could see how she felt whilst she was speaking. The audience could then sympathise with the character since they knew how she was feeling. Another shot that was used in the opening was a three shot. Within this shot, the camera focused on the two detectives and the femme fatal. This allowed the audience to see what the characters were wearing to get a sense of what they wore in the 1900s. This also showed how the detectives were leaning into the woman due to her attractiveness. This meant that the audience understand why the men were attracted to her which foreshadows tragedy at a later point in the film. We know this by the way the detective is acting, he should be acting professional however he expresses his attraction to his client which is unprofessional.

Sound was used at the beginning of the scene. The music was used when the establishing shot is shown. The soundtrack is incidental music because it fits the scene when it is being played. The music playing portrays a pleasant atmosphere as there are clips being shown of San Francisco.  . The instruments used within the music are strings, mainly trumpets and xylophones. Furthermore when you put these instruments together they create an upbeat soundtrack which represents the city as a joyful place to be. The backing track can only be heard when there is no dialogue because it is so quiet which also creates a positive atmosphere for the audience. Because of this, the audience do not expect the tragic events that happen later when the detective’s partner gets shot. The music doesn’t foreshadow what happens later in the film.

In any film editing has to be used to ensure that the film flows properly between the scenes. At the beginning of this film, the scene fades as it is showing pictures of the city. These fades make the film go a lot more seamlessly even though they are noticeable in the film. For the rest of the opening scene, the editing has continuity put in. This is when there are cuts between shots that are barely noticeable unless you edited it yourself. This means that the audience continue to be interested in the film as it flows from scene to scene.

Mise-en-scene is important in any film like this one because it keeps the audience interested. In the opening scene of this film, the costumes of the characters are extremely important. As with any typical film noir, the detective wears a suit which is always neat looking. As well as this, when the detective is outside, he wears a coat and a hat which adds to the smartness of the outfit. In the opening scene, the detective wears this outfit. This lets the audience know that it is a film noir because of the custom of the characters. It also tells the audience that the detective is tidy person who likes to present himself well. The femme fatal wears a very specific kind of audience which is usually a flattering dress. This gives the impression that she is dangerous. In a colour film, the dress would be red which symbolises the ‘Scarlett Women’. This woman is known for having little to no morals and reveals that she is a wild person. In the opening of the film, the femme fatal wears an expensive looking outfit.  This is because she wore fur which usually symbolises wealth due to the fact that real fur is an expensive type of material due to the way is made into clothing items. There is also a prop that is used in the opening scene of the film. This prop is a cigarette. The detective was seen rolling a cigarette in the beginning of the film. This represents danger which could foreshadow an event later in the film. Another prop that was used was the Falcon at the start of the film. This shows many things. It tells the audience where the location of the film is before they find out with the establishing shot. It shows that the film is set in America because the Falcon is considered to be connected to high authority within America. It also foreshadows treasure. This is because at the start of the film, the falcon is described and it is said that it is valuable. This could foreshadow Mrs Wonderly wanting to use the detective in order to find this falcon. This gives the audience a feeling of suspense and mystery.