Thriller Evaluation

THRILLER EVALUATION.

Before we started to produce our media product (trailer for thriller) we had a couple of lessons showing and demonstrating the typical conventions of thriller openings; this was so we could use, develop and challenge the ideologies of ordinary trailers, so we can learn and expand further our ideas for our trailer. So when we began to produce our media product, we took into account of the possible typical thriller conventions of various thrillers that we had watched. Both professional trailers and trailers made by other students. It helped us as a group to form and structure what our potential thriller would pan out to be. We used typical “thrilling” music; slow and suspenseful to create an eerie and tense atmosphere for the audience to identify the trailer as a thriller. It would be an obvious difference if we decided to use happy music as it would differentiate our supposed “thriller” into another genre; so music for our trailer played a vital role in distinguishing our genre so we complied with the typical media norms. Furthermore our overall plot used some forms of real media products; it was in a stray, dark room, there was an obvious victim and a psychopath and also a twisted storyline within it. The victim is seen in an isolated room, tied up against her will; there are then flashbacks of how the victim got there; images of her being dragged, tied up and then filmed are shown. Eventually to tie the trailer up, the psychopath is then seen in the present time, uploading the video onto the internet. It challenges typical media products as, the storyline isn’t so usual, well not that we saw but at the same time it does follow some conventions as it does include some sort of twisted, psychological storyline. Other things we learnt from other trailers that we applied to our media product was the use of non-diegetic music rather than diegetic sound as we saw it gave our trailer a more thrilling atmosphere and diegetic sound made It sound less realistic as a thriller trailer. Moreover, the use of characters was a vital role to make our trailer more effective. We didn’t want to use a surplus of characters as it would confuse the audience; therefore we limited ourselves to only two characters so our potential audiences could identify them more clearly.

Our thriller doesn’t necessarily pinpoint into one particular social group as it doesn’t specifically discriminate on any race, gender, class or age, though the two actors are young; both who are 16 years old, so, perhaps, the trailer is portrayed for the younger orientated audiences instead of an older one. It also distinguishes both genders, although in stereotypical roles. The female in the trailer is the victim and the male is the killer/ psychopath; roles which are generally adjacent to their gender as the female is seen as the weaker/ fragile character whereas the male is portrayed in a domineering and omnipresent manner. When planning the thriller however, the idea of representing both class and race in a particular way didn’t come to mind as it wasn’t compulsory for our trailer. Sexuality however, is depicted in an ambiguous way; the audience are unsure whether the psychopath has or is going to sexually harass the victim, furthermore creating a tense environment for the audience.
I think, personally, our movie would be distributed by a small independent UK media institute. This Is because it would allow us as the producers to push the boundaries of the film some more, it would allow us more freedom without the required censorship big Hollywood Blockbusters expect from films. It would also allow us to break the idealisms that big films portray to audiences, we wouldn’t glamorize the film, we would get down to the reality and insights of a psychopath and what lies beneath. Furthermore, it being distributed to a small, UK media institute would not give us restrictions, it wouldn’t have to appeal to a set number or type of audience because we wouldn’t have expectations or rules to what our film should look or appeal to. This way it would mean anyone who wanted to watch a “out of the box” film would be welcomed to, without the hyperbolic situations that Hollywood films provide.

Ideally, the kind of audience who would watch our media product, would be of the independent kind; one who enjoys cinema, to the extent where it is not generic, polished by Hollywood directors and typical storylines which appeal to the masses. They would be of the younger generation, late teens to early 20’s with a sense of culture and an open mind to different genre’s and tastes to their cinematic experience. Obviously, it would appeal to both gender’s as it doesn’t exemplify any sexual discrimination nor would we want It to. I’d like it to appeal to a wide range of classes; but more specifically the educated kind, one who would appreciate independent films such as this one; one who would achieve something from the film, whether it be a new found insight or otherwise. Moreover, the idealistic audience would also appreciate modern culture and art, enjoys going to museums, galleries etc. they wouldn’t have any ideal jobs, just interests outside their work. They would have a certain sense of je ne sais quoi to differentiate themselves from the “mainstream”. A trendsetter rather than a follower.

To market our film, our approach would be substantially different to how normal films would be advertised. Instead of traditionally advertising them on TV and big billboards, we’ve opted to have posters and stickers with a link to a site showcasing our trailer, much like the film itself. Although, it wouldn’t be plastered in popular places, it’d be on quiet streets, alleyways random, deserted places to not popularise it so much, to juxtapose from other budding film norms. It’d also be advertised on postcards, displayed free in art galleries and museums, to take away with them. If possible, it’d be graphitised across walls in London; giving it a bit of an avant-garde feel.

The whole film-making process, has taught me and my fellow group much more about technologies from the process of constructing our thriller. Normally, we wouldn’t have the chance to use programmes such as Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro, so producing our thriller gave us a chance to learn and experiment with them both. The filming itself was also, something new that we hadn’t tried full on. We had the opportunity to film off campus, we weren’t guided by our teachers and it gave us a sense of control and also we got to learn more about the camera angles, shooting, positions etc; Now all or most of us now how to operate the filming equipment. The use of the internet was also effective; we had the chance to blog about what we had done in our lessons, we could also note down our filming process, what had gone well, what didn’t go so well. So not only could we track how well we were doing but our teachers and fellow peers could aswell. Furthermore, we were able to release our trailer to the vimeo site, widening our audience range to just about anyone who uses the internet, feeling like we achieved something, a film.

Personally, I think the jump from the match-cut exercises to the real thing was a considerable amount; it was no longer something we could experiment and play with, it was the real thing. It was either, you had to learn how to use it or you would struggle with editing your film especially when you’re under a deadline. I think from this trailer, I’ve learnt a lot about the film making process; that when you’re in a group, it’s a team effort, everyone has to pull their weight and everyone’s opinion most definitely counts. Moreover, the planning of it is also crucial; otherwise your film won’t go to the desired effect you want it to. Thing’s like storyboarding gives you an outline of what your shots should look like, a rough imagery of your overall film. Planning your location, times when your’e going to film, renting out a camera etc is also important as it gives you structure and a rough idea as to how much time you need/have to film. Editing and post-production were, personally, the most prominent because it could either make or break your film. Good editing can make your film look professional (match cut, soundtrack) and poor editing could make your film not look realistic at all; your group’s opinion and contribution towards the editing are crucial as it helps shape your film, with everyone’s personal touch.