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

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

Looking back at the preliminary task I did I feel that I have improved hugely.  The main reason for this was because I rarely use 'Adobe Premier Pro' to edit videos so editing the preliminary task was the first chance I had to do so in a couple for years. The footage and editing in the preliminary task is still raw compared to the opening of my horror film, but we just needed to get usedd to using the basics of the programme again.  I have learnt that you have to think carefully about where to place your shots as well as what shots to use as this could affect the genre and mood of your film. Planning the sound and light is a key factor as you have to make sure that there is enough light and that things such as wind and traffic do not effect your desired sound if you are filming outside. Overall, i feel that if enough planning and research into the production and editing of the film has been made then it will run smoothly and the way you want it to go.

  I also learn thow to do things like adding effects, transitions as well as adding sound effects and music.
One thing which I learnt from the preliminary task was the '180 degree rule'.  You have to make sure you stick to this otherwise the continuity of your film will be effected.  For our opening this wasn't too much of an issue as it was deliberatly very choppy and changed directions a lot as for most of it we were aiming for it to create a state of confusion for the audience as well as a sense of being lost for the two main characters. We also learnt match on action in the preliminary task, however, this was also wasn't needed as there is no speech in my opening.

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

Evaluation: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot about technologies from the process of constructing my horror film opening. I learnt how to use Adobe Premier Pro to edit and add effects to my horror film opening including transitions, titles, special effects such as ghosting and sound effects and music. I also used Adobe Photoshop to edit photos of danger signs and the trees through changing the colour contrast of photographs, the brightness, shadows, sharpness and tints. I have also learnt how to use the 'magnetic lasso tool' which cuts out part of the image creating a better effect.

During the process of filming we had to learn to adapt our equipment to the darkness as well as filming on the move and in different locations. This involved changing the angle of the camera to high angle shots, close ups, tracking shots and tilt shots as well as adjusting the tripod. We used a digital camera to take photographs for our title sequence, which potrayed the sense of danger throughout the film, a video camera to film our footage and a tripod to place the video camera on, which also secured the camera in place and enabled us to film the footage steadily and easily.

As we filmed i took photographs on my phone as it is good quality of 12.1 megapixles. In order to share these photographs with the rest of my group i uploaded the photo's onto my laptop using a USB cable and then uploaded them onto facebook.

As well as all this technology i used google and YouTube for researching horror films in planning and research and obviously blogger to show all of this.

Overall, the main thing i learnt was how much we rely on technology in the twenty first century. If we didn't have this type of technology then the production of our horror film opening would not have been possible, and we would have been very limited in the resources in which we used.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w6y5mTaDYw

This link takes you to the video of my horror film opening 'Nightmares in the Wilderness' which is now uploaded on YouTube. I used speech bubbles and notes on my video to highlight the ways in which my film opening links to other similar films in order to attract the particular audiences that i have previously studied. I referred to genre conventions, use of music and similarities with other movies.

Overall, i think that the main attraction for my target audience is the obvious genre of horror from the beginning if the horror film opening. The use of red, fonts, music and general acting convey the suspense and tension of my film. This appeals to my target audience as they often watch horror films and relates to their general age group.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

To determine the target audience for my film I distributed a small survey to a group of 10 people of different ages, background and gender. Half were male and half female. The questions were based on preferred film genre types and what they enjoy about it, what makes them want to watch it. All of the people who took my survey were between the age of 15 and 25 as this was the age group I wanted to target my film at.

The film would be age certificate 15 due to the fact that it may be unsuitable for under 15's.  As well as this, the characters in the film were between this age range, meaning that the target audience could relate to them on a more personal level.

Based on our feedback I would say that our film was more targeted towards females as, instead of being a thriller, our film was more psychological.  We felt, that from our feedback, it appealed to girls slightly more although the males seemed interested also.
We were told by the group that to create an effective horror opening things such as building of tension through the use of music and pace are key to keeping them engaged and wanting more.

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

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

For this question, i did a directors style commentary voice over explaining some of the key features of my opening. I scripted a voice over that dealt with the institutional issues:

• discussion of my production company logo and name and role of such companies.
• what a production company may do.
• the distributor's job and role.
• where the money may come from to support the film.
• various people named in the titles and in what order.
• what my film is similar to institutionally.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Scene One

My main character is being compared to the main character in 'When a Stranger Calls'. Both characters appear to be being watched by something/someone. They both look as though they are in danger. They are wearing similar clothes; everyday clothing to give the sense of familiarity so the audience can relate to the characters more as they appear realistic. This promotes the genre of horror more as the audience will be more scared. Both characters appear to be in a secluded typically safe environment, however the genre of horror takes these places and twists them into places that are dangerous and not what you expect them to be. Lastly, the two characters are young and female. Following the trend of 'damsel in distress' type main characters and the stereo typical views of women in danger. One difference between the characters is that the one from my horror film appears to be in a light area whereas the other contrasts to this and is a dark location. My character is still in the opening of my film unknown of the danger before her whereas the main character form 'When a Stranger Calls' is obviously in the climax of her dangerous situation.

Scene Two

In this comparison i am also comparing my character with the main character from 'Creep'. Both characters are in a derelict/ dirty setting and appear to have blood/mud all over them. They also both appear to have a look of fear on their face as if they are being chased, they both also appear as if they are on their own. However, my main character is running whereas the main character from 'Creep' is stationary. Once again both characters follow the stereotype of young female victims n a horrific storyline.

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

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

These are my 9 frames:

1. The Title of the Film

The title of my film is "Nightmares in the Wilderness". I chose this name as it stands out and i think that it can be easily remembered. The colour of my title is red; a typical colour for the horror movie genre as it connotes blood and danger. I chose to place my red title onto a plain black background as this exaggerates the word 'nightmares' in my title and signifies a sense of unknown or darkness. It also makes the title appear bold and stand out more.

2. Setting/Location
The setting of my horror film is in the woods. This is also a typical place for a horror movie to be set as it may remind the audience of a place that they know creating a sense of familiarity. This makes my film opening appear more realistic to the audience as it could happen to anyone. I took the idea of taking an everyday place and representing it as somewhere dangerous and unsettling.

3. Costumes and Props
The characters in my horror film opening are wearing everyday clothes furthermore representing the familiarity in my film. However the clothes look scruffy and appear to have mud and blood smothered all over them. We created the blood using ketchup and BBQ sauce, smudging it all the clothes. We also put mud, twigs and leaves in the hair as well as back combing it to create a look of struggle. The audience can recognise that the characeters have been through an ordeal and are obviously running away from something dangerous.

4. Camerawork and Editing
Shot humber 4 is a screenshot from a high angle shot with a red filter over the lens. I thought it would be a good idea to use a red filter as is connotes a snese of blood lust and a horror effect. It is also as if a predator is looking down on it's prey. We chose to use the high angle shot as it also relates to the stalkerish effect as well as making the characters appear like they have nowhere to run.

5. Title Font and Style

I used the fint 'chiller' in my titles and credits throughout the opening. This font is typical of the horror genre as it looks like blood dripping or as if it has been written in blood. I used white writing in shot 5 as it has been placed on a red background with some trees. The shot appears to have been blended as i used a transition to make it appear more sinister and dangerous.

6. Story and how the Opening sets it up

The story of my horror film opening is a girl appears to have flashforwards or visions of things that are going to hapen. Later on that day she is seen running through the woods and then being dragged of my someone/something mysterious. The opening sets this up as the girl is constantly paranoid, looking around her all the time as if something is following her. I created the flashbacks by blending title sequence photographs with random bits of footage using transitions and speeding up and slowing down certain parts.

7. How Characters are Introduced

The two main characters are introduced in the more dark scene by running across a bridge as if they are running away from something. The audience know this as they look behind them. They appear to have mud and blood all over their clothes which suggests they have already been in danger and something more sinister is about to happen. The camera shot is at an angle, this connotes a sense of helplessness or confusion.

8. Genre and how the Opening suggests it

Shot 8 is from one of the flashbacks at the very beginning of my horror film opening. This shot suggests the genre of horror as it shows a blurred character running across the screen in apparent danger as well as black shadows of trees flickering across the screen. This shot creates a mood of danger and horror.

9. Special Effects
The special effect i used in my horror film opening is ghosting. I used this effect to blur the main character being dragged across the mud awaiting something dark. However, the audience is left on a cliff-hanger as they don't find out what happened to her. I think that  ghosting relates to the horror genre and is well suited in my opening as it adds to the sense of unknown and makes the 'predator' appear more scary.