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

Q7 Evaluation

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

Before I started to study media my idea about software and technologies that were used was very limited, I lacked an in depth understanding of the various pieces of equipment that was available to use. However, the first thing i had to official tackle was the blogs. I found myself full of worry and dread but once I had set up the account and posted my first blog; a huge weight was released from my shoulders. I found it such a breeze, being about to publish and experiment with how I wanted by blog to look, I could speak to people in a way that didn't require my speaking voice to be heard, but my ideas to come to life. It allowed me to portray a story and journey without having to put pen to paper, without having a long-winded novel, I can say exactly what I want in a straight forward process. But, one major area and aspect I enjoyed the most was being part of the media community, showing and experimenting to those who have a particular interest in media itself, but I can also target those who are also first timers to a blog, just showing how easy it is to voice your opinion. It's also a great way to stay in touch with the world of technologies as within media new and upcoming technology is used all of the time, internet is now the main source of information to actually be published so using a blog was exactly the right way to go. Its so more effective and efficient compared to a book that can't be updated easily, where as a blog can do that. Its helped to keep my work current to right now and with a few clicks a blog can be changed to make it current to that present time. 

When I first begun I started off with the simple elements of transferring in images and writing text but slowly I progressed into adding in links to YouTube and eventually adding in the clips from YouTube onto the blog. However, my the end of the blog I was importing my own videos that I had created onto my YouTube channel and importing them onto my blog, which was such great achievement that with time and effort I had grow from a beginner to practically an expert. Along the way I have used various internet programs and sites within my blog which include: Dafont.com, Surveymonkey.com, scribd.com, Prezi.com and YouTube.com. Alongside this I have also used other computer software programs that include PowerPoint and IMovie, for which was the program used that created our final opening outcome and the behind the scenes videos that I created. 

The two sites in which I have used the most was YouTube and IMovie. YouTube I found to be great source to explore allowing me to hear possible copyright free tracks to use, others AS media thriller openings and real-life thrillers, in order to gain ideas and what thrillers are actually on the market. YouTube was very straight forward as I am very familiar to the site as I often listen to the latest tracks on there. However, I decided to explore YouTube further in creating my own YouTube channel that is dedicated to showing my Media videos and clips. This way I can receive real-life feedback and publish my opening beyond my friendship group or class. It was also great for looking at other examples of work in order to produce something that was original and unique to simple ideas mainly involving stalker related themes.We wanted to create something which was more complex and required real thought to understand. YouTube was very easy to use with typing in the tool bar the description that I wanted and scrolling through selecting items that were relevant. However, it always took time trying to find just the right thing that fits well alongside the footage in the opening or we could use as inspiration in order to spark our own ideas. 

In contrast, IMovie was the complete opposite I had never used this software before, so I had to learn how the use the program along the way, was slightly scary but exciting at the same time. IMovie is defiantly a great software as it allowed me to create our thriller opening alongside the behind the scenes videos that I created. It was a little hard to settle into but once I gained some experience it was very easy to use by clicking and dragging the footage or track into the desired area. For transitions, they could be added in between the footage to transition form one shot to the next, but we decided not to use many of them as they seemed outdated and didn't create the clear, sharp cuts that we wanted and is often found within thrillers. To conclude, With time I became confident with IMovie as it became the main source for creating our thriller and all our final choices were collaborated on this program to reach a final outcome. 

Q6- what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Music Video-

Me, Myself and I- 

The way in which that this video links heavily to our music is the fact that for the second half of the sequence we were actually inspired by the video itself rather than the music side. We used the video to spark ideas about the fact that we wanted to show the character’s variety of personalities and voices that she is experiencing from the condition. Within the video it shows 3 people of one person, who is the rapper, rapping his words within the video. We took a little inspiration from this to create a range of personalities that are conflicting her mind with negative thoughts, we trying to create two of the character having a argument with herself by filming her back and forth but as two different personalities although she is the same person. Therefore, giving her two personas, and the effect of her emotions, the sins taking over. I feel that this idea is very effective as it provides the idea of how her emotions are in control, however this was the easiest way to capture the idea as we didn't have the technology to provide us , with her twice and merge the characters into one scene. We did however create it to look like a conversation, giving the same idea but with our creative twist and perceiving the idea in our own interpretation, only using the video as a guideline and idea for the footage that we actually captured. To conclude, we used the video as inspiration with subtle differences to make ours a little less like a music video and something that is much more film worthy. 

Music-

The Way-

The music I which I feel links heavily to our track in which we incorporated is 'The Way'. The track itself replicates some similar movements and motions within the track itself. The track itself shows a gradually build in the sense of the track being soft and increasing in pitch, becoming louder as the track progresses on, which is very similar to way that our track within our thriller works. The track increasing a steady and gradual pace, which builds enough tension for them to remain watching the sequence and makes the outcome less predictable. Areas of the track however do peek, displays sparks of heightened areas which are at points were information is released allowing control over what is revealed to the audience. The overall feel of the track is very soft and elegant which would fit perfectly to psychological thriller as big music would overpower the story line and ruin the whole effect. The peeks however enhance the sound as they grip the audience enough for them to stay focused, but so loud it ruins the feel and effect. The instruments in which were the main sources was a piano and drums. The piano could be heard throughout but the drums mainly within the lower base areas, adding tone to the sound and increasing the drama within the music. The areas in which the beat becomes deeper, it also becomes faster and louder, increasing the panic factor and also increasing the tension. In parts of the music there is also a violin, which represents the an eerie quality, that makes the track slightly strange and sinister, which works well alongside the depth within the drums and the height within the keys of the piano, working as a unit and in harmony to create a great piece of music. At the later part of the track the a siren like noise appears giving the effect of a police siren, creating an element of danger in the track. Finally, the way that the track begins, the track also finishes the same way, giving the track a feeling of repetition, but also an order like our sequence has a specific order, linking the track to our thriller in that sense. Overall, I feel that this track is very similar to our track we used.

Location-

Bathroom- 

The inspiration for the bath scene came from two main sources which are ‘psycho’ and ‘what lies beneath’. They are thriller films which base their killings within a bathroom. However, ours is more self –inflicted but the idea of being scared of the unknown is still gained, from both scenes to inspire the feelings and emotions on the character.  The idea of using a bathroom was great as it implies a simple routine task but with a sinister twist, which is much unexpected. A bathroom is also enclosed, showing no escape routes and sense of entrapment for the character.  A bathroom can also show innocence as there isn't really anything that can kill, the only way is if someone intrudes on the victim or the victim kills themselves.  A bathroom was great as it was convenient but the colours showed innocence and purity, even though the effect is dark and sinister, hiding the true outcome. In conclusion, the location was great and captured the idea of being isolated and lonely perfectly.  

Psycho

 What lies beneath

Green screen- 

This location really allowed us to play with the software and try to achieve an effect that makes it really look like that the only enemy that  truly has is herself. The idea of linking the second half of the sequence around the 'Me, myself and I' video was to capture the emotions and the way her personalities are different to each other, as if they are different people when in fact it is only herself which is the true enemy. the idea of the green screen shows no location really, but more isolation and being hidden from society. The idea also of placing the illusion images to also imply the idea of deception with the images showing two different things, depending on the way that the audience interpret  the image, meaning one thing to one but another to somebody different. This way we get across the hat we are trying to achieve the idea of emotions but sometimes there is also two personalities to one person if you dig beyond the surface. the idea of having in front of the green screen also creates questions to the audience as the location is virtually unidentifiable. Also, being on the single wall, suggests trapped and closed off from the rest of society, clearing linking heavily to the first location of being isolated but also what thrillers mainly do of using isolation as a way to show being trapped by whoever is targeting them. Overall, The green screen made a great place to solely focus the character and maintain the idea of entrapment.    

Me, myself and I 

Titles-

   

                                                          

          

                                                          

                          

The hunger games of opening titles I  feel is very different to the titles that we have used, with special effects and its own logo to assist the film, is nothing like ours. The opening title show a clear link between the story line with it being set in a Forrest and the story line being about hunting and killing each other. However, ours is much simplistic with a simple font style that doesn't take over the whole sequence, but instead sits nicely along the bottom of the screen and doesn't dominant the scene, making it enough to be noticeable, but not enough to spoil the footage, and interfere with the story line. In contrast, the 'Alien' opening sequence I feel fits with the idea that we were trying to portray, the font style is simple and easy to read, with the colour matching the colour choice that we made. Although, the fact that the text takes centre stage of the screen is very different to way we presented tour titles. Overall, I feel our titles link more to 'Alien' than they do to 'The hunger games'. Therefore, showing a more traditional approach to displaying titles rather than a modern, CGI effect.  

Costume and props- 

The protagonist within our thriller had two main costumes which were both very similar in colour and style. The first costume consisted of black jeans, a black top with lace detail and a black checked, fleece shirt. The idea of surrounding the character with black, contrast against the white of the bathroom. However, also reflects the way her mind thinks as when buying clothes the decision is often made with the way that you perceive colour and though your eyes, therefore showing she perceives the world in a dark way and uses her clothing to suggest this. The colour black would suggest to the audience that the character sees the world around her in a negative way, and sadness that she carries around with her. But, they may also think that she is trying to fit in and follow the crowd, as many teenagers now were black quite often, as it’s a colour which suits all, for any occasion. The colour black is also a shade, instead of colour showing she is trying to be a shadow of herself, hiding and blending into the background, which those with mental health issues tend to do to drawn attention away from them and gradually fade out of society altogether. However, the black keeps the character as one unit rather than having colours which clash as this wouldn't be something that people would wear and would not create a real-life realistic ideal of a teenager. The clashing colours would also bring attention to the character but we want her to look normal, but also a shadow of her real self. Clashing colours however may have worked to give the character a strangeness and sense of something not being quite right. Overall, i feel that the audience would relate the type of clothing the character is wearing, giving the attentions normality but a essence of the unknown, making the audience unaware, but building tension and putting them on edge, makes the basis of a great thriller.

Before

 After

The way in which I have created the masks was through using acrylic paint, by allowing the paint to run in areas that I wanted to create drip motions. The masks are each unique to their own, showing the difference between each emotion. All of the masks I created myself, but I found that the yellow didn't show up the way that I wanted it to show, therefore I used a Biro to add an etching effect to the text. Making it much more visible of what it says. The lust and Anger masks represent the idea of bloodshed and the lust as if a gun has been shot, leaving splatters of blood, increasing the level of danger and uncertainty for the character. Overall, each mask is different to represent their own, individual mark within the thriller opening.

The red bubble bath was used to bring colour into the scene in order to attract the audience’s attention and keep their eyes on the significance of the colour. The red symbolizes the idea of blood and danger, implying a sense of blood shed going to happening, misleading the audience away from the direction we are taking them in, tricking and deceiving them, giving them part here and there for them to make their own prediction and conclusion about the scene, this way when the truth is revealed they gain a scene of surprise. What will make a great thriller is revealing elements where we want them and not giving everything away all at the beginning in order to take them on a journey and reveal the truth at the end, this way it creates drama, keeps the audience gripped to the edge of their seat and makes them want more. The colour can suggest a number of things including love or lust, death or blood and even anger. Showing a hint, but not a full answer that determines the use of the red bubble bath. To conclude, the bubble bath being red puts more of a sinister idea of the fact that this is a thriller onto the audience, which builds tension and suspense.

Key characters- audience identity with

Theses characters both represent the character in which we have exploring in our thriller opening. They linking heavily to our character that is schizophrenic like the characters both displayed at hand. From there expressions within the pictures, it is clear to see they have taken the role to a new level, portraying the condition an illness, there expressions represent the expression of our character too, showing that the illness doesn’t just mental effects, but can take a physical toil on your body also. However, their clothes that they were wearing  are very bland, with mainly grey, using this as inspiration we dressed our character in black and greys to replicate the idea and feeling of being empty and lacking happiness, related to big and bright colours. Grey and blacks also create a sense of blending in, trying to hide from the feelings and thoughts, rather than confronting them. Their hair also falls naturally across their face, suggesting that they are using the hair to also cover and disguise their face. The fact that her hair is naturally also implies the lack of care to appearance, and just purely giving up as the emotions are taking over and are being the main control. To conclude, the greys clothing and both characters having dark hair shows the darkness taking control over their body and trying to blend in to take away attention from them; as if the emotions are draining the person of their personality and their whole persona.

Emily Taylor

The Side Effect- (2013)

Tess Doerner

The 4400 (US TV Series)