EVALUATION 1

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







When analysing the title of our Psychological Thriller, I collectively feel that such a name mirrors the conventions of an authentic media product. When contemplating the name, I feel it single-handedly anchors the themes, messages and values suggested, but with it comes a resounding sense of ambiguity which we were trying to convey throughout the two-minute sequence.



After some light research, I have accumulated a variety of films that belong within such a hybrid. Some examples would include Memento (Christopher Nolan 2000), Seven (David Fincher 1995), Psycho and Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock- 1960, 1954). Pre-conceived notions instantly imply that all 4 films offer something deeper that what is seen on the surface, which can be explored and ultimately broken down, until the viewer has a refined perception of the themes messages and values.

After considering if our title mirrors or challenges forms and conventions of real media products, I decided to move on to setting and location. Initially when reviewing the raw footage on camera, I wasn’t too confident whether the metropolitan scenes would reflect a psychological thriller, as all looming and pending danger would be silenced by the sheer amount of people. However, If anything, I felt this blemish eventually worked to our advantage when teamed up with the non-diegetic sound, and could thereby be seen as contrapuntal, as the musical score almost strips the safety and security from London that the audience would naturally expect.

However, the following scenes in the Brentwood suburbs particularly anchored the sense of grim trepidation and hopelessness you would see in the conventional psychological thriller. The sparse amount of people, juxtaposed to the previous scene seemed to work well, as the varied setting almost signifies the mind lapse that you see within Tom.

Although thoroughly stated within other Blog posts, the group has spent a significant amount of time developing the forms and conventions of real media products in terms of Costume and Iconography. Fundamentally, we based our protagonists clothing around Bill Foster, the fictional protagonist featured in Falling Down (1993, Joel Schumacher). This form of intertexuality I feel worked well, as Michael Douglas’ renowned role means that audiences should instantly recognise and appreciate our Thrillers forms and conventions, and thereby tackle it as a real media product.


Iconography similarly develops forms and conventions of real media products, especially within our chosen hybrid. The conventional psychological thriller typically centers around the human psyche, which is usually perceived as the metaphorical weapon at hand, however, we do use knifes, glasses and a briefcase. Such examples would include Christian Bales fictional character in American Psycho (Mary Harron 2000). On the surface, he is deemed a perfectly acceptable member of society, ultimately affluent, resourceful and intellectual (coincidentally, he does carry a briefcase). However, when the malevolent side becomes more prominent, he uses all these positive traits above, along with a similar assortment of weapons to commit crime successfully, all traits which are encapsulated in our thriller.

Cinematography and Editing was most definitely the most difficult factor to develop forms and conventions of real media products. Being that all four members of our group were still relatively unfamiliar with the shooting software and cameras, we strived to produce our thriller with innovative shots and editing. It doesn’t seem that we challenged the forms and conventions of a psychological Thriller either, as the general scheme was to execute shots that wouldn’t be too taxing, so they are fairly predictable within the genre. One shot I am particularly proud of was Taylor’s point of view shot with the hand-held camera, which was partly influenced by Jason Voorhees mode of action in the original Friday 13th (Sean Cunningham 1980). So in this case, the film does mirror a real media product, outside a different genre I would add.

Among other factors, I am extremely happy with the way our title font develops forms and conventions of real media products. The titles were merely a way of breaking up the course of the sequence, in fragmented states to possibly mirror the protagonist’s chaotic mind. The black backdrop is ultimately typical of a hybrid such as this as it connotes evil, however, the cold white, rigid serif font could convey something more innocent, and possibly how the protagonist wants to be perceived by those around him. Though, as the black mostly envelops the screen, pre-conceived notions should hint to the audience that this is a real media product, where psychological malevolence will consume.

When analysing how the typical real media director executes a story through the opening credits is vague, as within the psychological Thriller, the choice is so substantial it seems hard to narrow down what would develop or challenge forms and conventions. In a variety of aspects, we do challenge the conventional opening, as many directors try to maintain the ambiguity throughout their film until the climatic scenes towards the end. Some films use the opening as a catalyst to spur on action while others convey the notion instantly, similar to our sequence, so it really does seem to depend on the film. David Fincher’s 1995 Thriller Seven follows a similar format to unfolding the story as our psychological, as by the end of the opening sequence, the audience are aware there is a killer on the loose, with two detectives with reason to stop him. It does seem though, that both our thriller and David Fincher’s still remain ultimately ambiguous, raising questions from the start. So in this sense, our psychological thriller does develop forms and conventions of real media products.

In terms of genre, I feel the group has successfully mirrored the psychological Thriller throughout the two minute sequence, in a way that should reflect a real media product. We executed a variety of close ups, mid shots, and a master shot to introduce the protagonist, in a way where he looks formidable, slightly constricted and claustrophobic. Close ups ultimately promote Tom as an influential character, but concentration on the face should ultimate connote there is something wrong internally. This is also anchored by his very methodical, intricate and rigid non verbal communication, which is reflected within Falling Down’s main protagonist Bill Foster, who looks somewhat seized up throughout the film, to constrict interaction with the low-lives enveloping him.

Disposition - The Final Cut

Poster Analysis

Here in the top of the poster we have established what actors are starring in out thriller (Tom Vale and Taylor Gladwin). The font has been chosen to be put in black, which connotations resemble death or darkness, the font used does not join the letters. This makes it easier for people to read but it also has an element of creepiness. Tom Vales name also has a red background of blood whilst Taylor’s is in white. This could infer that Tom is playing the character who has danger centered around him, maybe meaning he is the villain. This come from the connotations of the colour red.

We have used an image of a knife to show the type of film that it is. It also suggests what props we have used in the making of the film and that it has some significance to the movie. As well as this, in the reflection of the knife the reflection of a person can be seen. This leads the audience to create their own enigmas to whether he is the villain or innocent.

This states the name of the film, again the colour of the font is red which represents danger and worry but also keeps with the theme of blood. Secondly the font it different, it doesn’t have the appearance to something that would be on a Disney film. It is plain, to the point and used in everyday life which is what most thrillers are set about.

The definition to the word disposition we found to be quite creepy, again this was used on the poster to suggest what the film is about, especially the last word ’torture’.

The colour scheme of the poster consists of whites, reds and blacks. We used white as it connotates innocence, isolation and perhaps a degree of psychological craziness. We wanted to contrast this with the use of red, which means danger, suggesting there is a fight between the innocent and guilty.

Lastly, at the bottom is shown the credits of who was in the making of the film. This includes the directors, editors, scripts and names of institutions and distributors.

Poster

The post production process

Once filming was finished, we uploaded all of our footage onto the computer. Although the thriller was supposed to be only two minutes, the total footage which we had filmed had come to about an hour, as it included a lot of shots which had been messed up (very common when filming in a public area), as well as lots of alternative shots and multiple takes just to make sure we had everything and there were no mistakes.

My job was to sift through all of this footage and find the most appropriate and effective shots, ignoring duplicated shots and any shots with mistakes. I was extremely glad that we had performed multiple takes of every shot, however; as it meant we did not have to go back and do any filming again.

Our storyboarding played an important role in the editing process as it helped me to put each shot in order without too much hassle. Alongside this, it was also helpful that we had found an appropriate soundtrack for our thriller beforehand. This meant that while editing, I was able to make sure that the stings in the soundtrack coincided with what was happening on screen. This added a lot to the overall atmosphere of the thriller.

We decided that the best way of showing the scenes on public transport without losing the interest of the viewer, was to use fades and dissolves to represent time passing but without having to show every second of him being on the train. We then integrated the credits into the opening minute of the film by fading to black and showing the credits, before fading back to another shot. This creates the illusion of time passing and also adds to the atmosphere of the thriller.

The font used in the credits (courier new) was chosen because it is a regular font similar to that used by a typewriter, for example. This represents the apparant normality of our lead character, which is the idea we were trying to put across with the shots of him getting on the train. We spent a lot of time considering how we should show the credits, as if we had simply slapped some credits over the top without thinking it through, it would have completely ruined the atmosphere of the thriller and made the whole thing look unprofessional.

Continuity is also paramount to creating a believeable scenario within our thriller. Therefore, I had to make sure that Tom's appearance did not change from shot to shot, and also that continuity was maintained with the editing. For example, if there is a cut between two shots where he is walking, it is important that his actions match up so that he doees not appear to 'jump'. Overall, I feel that I achieved this successfully.

Third Day of Filming

Third day of filming

Our third day of filming consisted of shooting at Tom Vales house and at Shenfield station. We shot at the house as it was very deceiving, from the outside it looks well maintained and normal, however the inside contrasts with turned up carpet, abandoned and run down. At the station, we needed shots of him coming out and starting his journey to what the audience should think home.


We left from school early in the morning to have time to film; we had to fit in filming in the house and station. The first shots we got once got to the location were of tom entering the house, however we had some problems with cars and people in the background also when shooting the match on action of the opening of the door, the key kept getting stuck. Apart from this we got a variety of shots to save us from having to come back and re-film, with shots that included panning we got a few takes so that we had a choice to be able to select the best one.

Once inside the house we had to sort out the costumes and placing of the torture scene. We improvised with old phone cables to tie Taylor to a old chandler hook on the ceiling, we then used this to bind his feet and used a tie to gag his mouth. A black plastic bag was placed over his head to give the impression he had been then for a while. To shoot the torture seen we used a mixture of handheld shots, point of view and mid with the tripod. We also had to shoot when Tom entered the room and laid out his torturous devices. We shot this from a different room through a whole in the wall in a low angle shot to show that Tom was in control. We had problems getting this angle as the tripod was to small so we had to improvise and use bits of old tiles and wood to make it higher to tom was in the camera lens.

Once we had completed the shooting at the house we left and made our way to Shenfield station. He we got shots of tom walking through the barriers at the, and then coming out of the station. We again got a variety of shots, changing the angle and the place of shooting to have more to work with. We had to take some multiple shots were work men in bring florescent jackets walked through, this would have been no good as footage as it distracts the viewer away from Tom.




Finally, when all the shooting was completed we made our way back to school, uploaded what we had filmed and started the process of editing.

Second Day of Filming

With the travelling montage complete and edited, we pressed on with the warehouse torture sequence on the 30th March 2010. With all the props summed up together within the briefcase, we travelled to the suburbs of Brentwood to locate the warehouse. With us, was main antagonist actor Tom Vale and torture victim Taylor Gladwin. After a reasonably long walk, we finally located the warehouse, which is positioned within the Brentwood industrial estate.

Informed by others that it was abandoned, we made our way in through a broken window, familiarising ourselves with the surroundings. Primarily, the rooms were excessively dark, making the shooting almost impossible. However, after some time, we found our way into a considerably substantial room, which almost resembled a plane hanger.

Initially, the process was running extremely smooth. High angle establishing shots of the interior had been perfected, and the props we’re fundamentally set out for filming. However, just as Taylor had prepared the costume, law enforcements interrupted the session. They were extremely cooperative and understanding once we had informed them of our perception upon the matter, as well as the job in hand.

They explained to us that under the circumstance of danger, we would not be insured, due to the fact that the establishment was dangerous. They further elaborated by stating that the building was in hiatus of being bought, and if we actually wanted to shoot there, we would have to contact DHL, fill out permission paperwork etc.
Somewhat disheartened about the current situation, our group left the site, along with Tom Vale and Taylor Gladwin, and travelled back to the train station. Under a moment of reflection, we analysed the footage at the warehouse, and decided that the amount of recording was unsatisfactory.

Fundamentally, this dilemma had caused a variety of problems, as we literally had nowhere to shoot the second sequence. Lending us a helping hand once again, Tom Vale offered to lend us his dilapidated house upon Hutton Mount, stating that it was ok to shoot there if we want. So therefore, it appears that we will probably pursue this tangent. Once reflecting upon the matter, it would seem that all the Blog work on warehouses would go to waste, however, as long as the house is spacious and derelict, all the theory work we have done would still be relevant and fundamentally apply.

On the other hand, we could also follow the variable option of contacting DHL and requesting permission for the warehouse usage. However, time is extremely precious. So unless we can extend the deadline, Tom Vale’s house is the only option we have left.

First Day of Filming

Despite the minor hindrance here and there, I feel on the whole that the days shooting was fairly successful. Once sorting out authorization to leave school, the group, as well as Tom Vale (our actor) travelled to Liverpool Street Station, where we planned to shoot the opening minute of our thriller.

Once departing the train, we took our first sequence of shots from the platform, away from the public eye. Encapsulating both examples of match-on-action, and shot reverse shot, the process was running efficiently. Occasionally we did however stray away from our storyboard, as we were lucky enough to catch footage of a train pulling into the platform bay.

However, we reached our first hurdle as the group prepared from a high angle establishing shot of Liverpool Street Station. Before even placing the camera upon the tripod the group was consulted by a Liverpool Street employee, who suggested that we should consult the Liverpool Street information office before shooting. It was here that we were informed that shooting inside Liverpool Street was strictly forbidden, unless prior to the shooting, permission forms were signed. So therefore, we followed a variable tangent, where we took an establishing shot from outside Liverpool Street.

To insure that we had enough footage to stretch out for a complete minute, the group then passed through Stratford Station, merely as a back up in case the Liverpool Street footage was insufficient. We followed the same format to the Liverpool Street storyboard, with slight variations here and there. However, one predominant factor that we faced was the timing for trains. The fact that the vast majority of trains terminate at Liverpool Street meant we could perfect the shot-reverse-shot and match on action. However, the unfortunate train timings at Stratford meant we would have sparse time to take any shot whatsoever, as the platform is more compact, and therefore, more and more people would just walk into the shot.

On our journeys back home, we decided that taking a shot of Tom reading the paper would be an effective idea to ground the thriller and enhance reality. However, thinking that the shot had been taken successfully, it was to our surprise in the editing suite that the sequence had been recorded over, which unfortunately meant that we had to sacrifice a shot.

So, despite the trials and tribulations we faced through our transport montage, I still think we managed to accumulate a reasonable amount of footage in the process. Left now was merely the torture sequence, which proved much more demanding than we hoped…

The Soundtrack

We chose the non diegetic sound extremely carefully. Using the webside www.freeplaymusic.com we listened to many different pieces of music until we found one which suited the mood of our thriller. Eventually, we settled on two separate pieces of music. The first one would be used until the end of the credits and was fairly calm, with stings and changes which could be used to highlight certain points in the film. The second one would be used more as a soundscape to represent a change in mood when our character enters the house, as he suddenly transforms from an ordinary person to a twisted, sadistic torturer.

Here are the two pieces of music we used:

Costume- Following Disposition

Now the rough version of disposition was deemed complete, I began to recall a preceding blog post concerning attire for our antagonist. After careful deliberation, I universally consider that the clothing we clothed Tom in reflects our Hybrid Thriller, as well as the themes and messages we are trying to convey.
As I have already said, we summoned most of our attire influence from Michael Douglas’ fictional character in Falling Dawn, as we are using Tom’s exterior shell as a metaphor, to convey the theme of distrust, and an overall sense of trepidation that hopefully looms throughout the two minute sequence.

To anchor the theme deceiving normality, we supported our initial instincts of the predictable white shirt, black tie and formal trousers. I universally feel this unfolded really well, as his intended image fell between a happy medium that conveyed both normality, as well as a somewhat foreboding, quirky zest that really becomes prominent towards the latter end of the sequence.

However, with this meagre success, we suffered a handful of problems. For example, we devised an idea where Tom loosens his tie at the station. This shot was perfected at Brentwood, however, as our location dramatically changed, the continuity would suffer. Therefore, we had to convey this degeneration as he places the knifes, rolling up his sleeves to commit the deed.

When analysing the social grades (target audience), I genuinely believe the Tom is someone they can relate to. I really think that his angst of the mundane commute is conveyed by his lack of general emotion, even when he reaches the house. This form of firm, ridged Non Verbal Communication, accompanied by his fairly standard shirt, tie and glasses fundamentally grounds the film, conjuring up something that is legitimately believable.

To some extent his attire resembles the fellow inspiration of Jack Torrance from the Shining. However, I feel we have replaced this frenetic role with something more resourceful and practical. The fact Jack’s jumper is red subconsciously symbolises danger merely through mise en scene. However, Tom’s attire if anything symbolises innocence with the white shirt, which once again follows the deceptive route we are trying to convey.

Overall, I think the costume was a complete success, and effectively anchored the intending themes and messages we were trying to propose.