This is our focus group interviews. We created a set of questions about psychological crime thrillers to ask our



OUR FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS

Evaluation question 7

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

After finishing our final product, we learnt to smoothly edit a match on action, which very much helped create verisimilitude. The match on action in our preliminary is quite smooth but does not entirely match the next shot. However in our final product the match on action appears seamless. We also learnt how to properly use the 180-degree rule. We did use it properly in our preliminary but the focus on characters was different for each, whereas in our final product the rule is used effectively and accurately.

In our preliminary the camera is quite shaky and unstable, which took away from the professional look of our piece. However in our final piece we learnt from our mistake and made sure the camera was stable the whole way through, especially for the movement shots like the tracking shot in the park.

In our final piece we used a great variation of camera shots and movements, which in contrast to our preliminary, has improved a lot. In our preliminary we lacked varying shots, and even the movement was either shaky or rough which can be seen by our shaky hands when attempted to do a tilt. In our final piece however we used different shots to connote different messages and meanings to truly conform to the genre and set up a proper film opening whilst still conducting a professional feel to our film.

Our editing for our final piece is far better than the editing for our preliminary, with seamless continuity editing and able to control the pace and rhythm. The editing in our preliminary is disjointed and rough, extracting the verisimilitude. The editing in our final piece helps create enigma and truly sets up the pace of the film, whereas the editing in our preliminary just seemed adequate and almost meaningless. 

Evaluation question 6

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

In this task we used many different forms of technology and learnt skills about each one to increase our understanding of how to use certain techniques to improve our production overall.

The first piece of technology we used was the Internet; we used the Internet for the majority of this production, as we needed it for all of our research via safari. We used the Internet for websites such as blogger slide share etc and therefore without the Internet none of this production could be possible. As we have used the Internet many times before we didn’t have that many limitations using it or difficulties. The only problem that may have occurred is if safari was slow or crashed.

Slideshare is the next form of technology that we used; we needed this to convert our word documents so that they were visible to those viewing our blogs. Slideshare was very useful and extremely convenient to use so that the presentation of our blogs was professional, easy to read but also different/unique compared to just simply typing out our responses on the blog. There were some problems with slideshare for example some of our work wouldn’t upload on slideshare and this made it difficult for us to produce it onto the blogs before the deadline.

To conduct our surveys at the beginning of our research and planning we used google forums, this was quick and easy as the layout was simple to follow. We only used it once throughout our production, however, we are confident to use it again as it was quick to use and gave clear responses so we could do many things with the results. The only problem was that unlike other survey websites e.g. survey monkey, google forums doesn’t produce charts at the end to show the results in the form of charts and graphs. However, we made our own so we overcame this problem.

Clip converter is another form of technology that we used, we used this for our music e.g. the dark knight music. We used this to get music from Youtube and then used clip converted to convert the music into a MOV file that we could upload to imovie. Yet again, clip converter is very simple and easy to use so there were little difficulties, we didn’t use it that often but when we did we found it easy to use.

Two of our evaluation questions are in the style of powtoon’s so we had to become familiar with the site in order to do our evaluation effectively. Powtoon can be confusing to use at first but when you get the hang of it, it makes work very easy and looks very creative and unique. Powtoon is a more creative and fun version of a standard power point and it shows we can use other platforms of technology.

We used a camera to film all of our footage for the prelimary task and our actual film. We also used it take our pictures for a storyboard. We learnt to smoothly film camera movements such as zoom in and outs. Problems we faced were not being able to get the right angles and things like using sd cards and card readers. Also because we did not use a tripod all our filming was handheld causing some unnecessary movement.

We used a website called blogspot to upload all of our coursework to document it. Blogspot was really helpful as we could upload all our videos and word documents straight onto it the only problems we faced were that sometimes the internet was very slow and crashed.

Imovie was what we used to edit all of our footage, our prelimary and to make our documentary and answer evaluation questions one and two. We learnt lots on imovie such as how to edit clips down, add transitions and non-diegetic audio. When we edited our prelimary that was when we learnt how to edit it so that was our opportunity to explore imovie. Problems we faced with imovie were that it took a while to upload our footage and there was sometimes a delay in uploading audio on top.

make our title sequence we used live type. This is a new piece of software you can use to make titles and texts. We were very new to live-type and therefore needed lots of help from our teacher with getting started. Once we got started and downloaded our font off the Internet, using live-type was pretty straightforward. We simply would type in our text, add the font and add our transitions and movement. Problems we faced were getting started and sorting our fonts out but other than that it was fine.

To write our script we used the programme Celtx a programme that specialises in script writing. It was extremely useful as it structured the script perfectly and benefited our needs.             It was straightforward and easy to use, especially due to the fact that one member of our group had used it before.  This ensured that difficulties were kept to a minimum and we used it to the best of our ability. 

Evaluation question 5

5. How did you attract your audience?

Evaluation question 4

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

Evaluation question 3

3. What media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation questions 1&2

1. How does your project use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

Our own film opening - incrimination

We have now finished our final product, here is our finished film opening for our film 'Incrimination':

Preliminary Task

Here is our preliminary task showing match on action and the 180 degree rule:

Time lines

We created a timeline to intricately observe how exactly our opening will play out and all the specific timings of actions and camera shots. By doing this we can stay organised and ensure we do not go over or below our time limit

Shot lists

Here are our two shot lists we planned for filming. By doing these shot lists we can make the filming process faster as we now have a clear idea of what camera shots to use and when.

Character Profiles, Casting Ideas, Location Scout and Rehearsal Schedule

The next task we did was our character profiles, casting ideas, location scouting and rehearsal schedule. Doing this enables us to be organised and clearly see the structure of the filming process to limit any unrealistic goals/disruptions.

Characters profiles from flubdub135

Script

Here is our script we created for our opening, this will help our cast and crew identify the roles and characteristics the characters portray as well as the structure of our opening/narrative.

Screenplay 2015 from flubdub135

Planning synopsis

These are our planning synopsis' and our original ideas.  They include our narrative ideas and codes and conventions, we also have detailed descriptions of our characters and what we have represented them as and why. From these ideas we can get a broader idea of what our characters personality will be like and also how they are involved in the narrative and the equilibrium/disruption.

Survey responses

Here are our survey results in graph form;

These results help us draw conclusions that we can take on board and use for our own film opening to ensure it attracts our target audience and therefore this survey was very useful.

Mindmap of our opening

The next task we had to do is create a mind-map of our opening including codes and conventions such as stock characters and settings alongside themes and narrative ideas. We used Bubbl.us to create our mind-map and doing this task was helpful as it means we can clearly see the ideas we have and this will make it easier to incorporate them into our opening along with other research/ideas.
Here is our mind-map;

This is a moodboard we made to represent our age group, their hobbies, preferences and interests.

Psychological Crime Thriller Documentary

Psychological Crime Thriller Documentary

To display and practice our knowledge and research of our chosen genre, we put together a documentary on Psychological Crime Thrillers that also includes our audience interviews.

OUR DOCUMENTARY

To further research our audience, we interviewed three people who would fit into our target audience and asked them questions about Psychological Crime Thrillers.

INTERVIEWS

Here is our group summary of things we have found out about so far into our research of  the 'psyschological crime thriller' genre, including codes and conventions of this genre, and relevant openings that we have found;

Summary

For psychological crime thrillers, stock settings were not anything out of the ordinary or generally precise, in fact they seemed to be what would appear normal. This in itself is specific to the genre however as the genre appears to include lots of realism and verisimilitude so to have settings that are recognisable and realistic not only provide anchorage but also conform to the genre.  Physiological crime thrillers tend to be grounded in reality somehow so it only makes sense for the setting to conform to that aspect. The best example for this would have to be ‘The Departed’ opening as it included settings such as garages and cafes, which are both everyday places that everyone knows and can relate to. The main ways they create enigma and interest is through the generally low key lighting.

Certain stock characters were extremely prominent in all extracts. The two stock characters that overpowered the rest though were heroes and villains. The heroes tend to be linked to police or detective work and also tend to start off at the bottom of the league and end coming out on top. An example of this would be Clarice Starling in ‘Silence of the lambs’, as in the opening of the film she is told what to do by another officer but at the end of the film she resolves the case overall. The heroes do tend to have some kind of weakness that can bring them down however. Clarice Starling has her father’s death, Bruce Wayne has his parent’s death and Somerset from ‘Se7en’ finds it hard to connect with people. Villains however are very mysterious and tend to be hidden away. This is done through the use of a mask prop in ‘The Dark Knight’ opening and in ‘Se7en’ the opening titles tease the villain through the use of fast paced editing and extreme close ups. This is because one of the genres common plot devices is finding out exactly who the villain is.

Themes in psychological tend to be either death, crime, madness or the unknown. This is usually to create enigma and also grounds the genre as they are all very serious and thought provoking themes. For example the killer in ‘Se7en’ is unknown for the majority of the film, ‘The Departed’ opening focuses on a crime lord and his doings of death and manipulation, and some prominent characters in ‘Silence of the lambs’ are most definitely insane.

In terms of narrative, this genre tends to open up with the disequilibrium straight away, whether it be a murder or just any crime, and then the rest concentrates on chasing the culprit of the crime and bringing them to justice. For example in ‘The Dark Knight’ the opening is a bank heist which the villain leads and then the rest of the film focuses on the hero chasing down the villain.

Enigma is created particularly through low key lighting, extreme close ups and props in this genre. Enigma plays a big part also in the narrative as the unknown is a key theme and is often the drives the narrative forward for the resolve of enigma. ‘Se7en’ is yet again a prime example of this.

Camera shots tend to focus on the enigmatic aspect of the genre, with extreme close ups on certain props or to tease something so that even more enigma is created. Close ups allow the audience to see a characters facial features to signify the atmosphere or emotion, like in ‘Se7en’ there is a close up on one of the detectives faces to see his concern before the audience sees the crime scene.

Props are often key to the plot and also link to the iconography of the genre. Weapons are often used, such as guns in ‘The Dark Knight’ so that a crime can be committed and disequilibrium can occur. Props can also signify aspects of a character like in ‘Now you see me’ with the cards which not only creates enigma but also signifies the characters lifestyle and career.

Here are my four analysis' of crime drama openings, these being Now You see me, Se7en, The Dark Knight, and Pulp Fiction. We conducted these to investigate introducing characters, plots, pace and rhythm, Editing, Mise En Scene, camera shots and movements, and music (diegetic and non-diegetic).

Here is my analysis to the opening of Now You See Me, also with the opening clip I analysed;

OPENING TO NOW YOU SEE ME

Here is my analysis to the opening of Se7en, also with the link to the clip I watched to analyse;


 SE7EN TITLE SEQUENCE

Here is my analysis to the opening of The Dark Knight including the clip i used;

THE DARK KNIGHT OPENING SCENE

 Here is my analysis of Pulp Fiction, including the clip I used online.

PULP FICTION OPENING

Here is the link to the survey we created last lesson. This was so we could find out about audiences of the pyscological crime drama genre, and their idea's about what should be included in this genre.

OUR SURVEY ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIME THRILLERS

Welcome

Welcome to Blogger!  Make sure you keep on top of your blogs and do it as you go, this will make the process easier to manage.

19th January - Research & Planning

19th January - Research & Planning

 

Research

In today's lesson we did a mind map on research into different aspects we need to research to give us an understanding of the fields we will need to consider throughout the coursework. We split it into three areas- Comparable Products (Genres), Institutions and Target Audience. For the second mind map, we focused on our chosen genre (Crime Thriller), we noted what we felt we already knew about the genre, meaning we know where we need to expand, for example, in audiences. We noted down codes and conventions, plot devices and examples of the genre alongside our audience market.