Evaluation Task 5 (How did you attract/address your audience?)

How did you attract/address your audience?

It is certainly important for a product to assemble a target audience within the film industry. Furthermore, it is equally important that the film is capable of delivering conventions that the target audience would expect to see, in order for them to be satisfied and therefore spread a good response amongst their piers. Through our surveying process we roughly devised our target audience, which was in fact rather broad. We then have to look at the way in which our thriller can deliver to them what they want. 

A resounding response from our survey (Evaluation task 4) said that they would expect to see suspense in a thriller, which is hardly surprising considering it is a overwhelming aspect of the thriller genre. In terms of addressing this through our project, we included the walking scene leading up to the fight, where our protagonist (Ethan) is trying to make his way home. This section builds suspense as it gives an audience a slight impression that something negative is imminent, but we don't know what. However, it is the nature of this suspense that attracts a certain demographic that falls within the bracket of our target audience. This scene plays with no music, something very rare when trying to evoke these kinds of feelings. Music is a easy tool of making an audience member feel exactly as you want them to. It is direct and obvious. We chose to have no music as it offers a false sense of security and suggests along with the mundanity of the shots, that maybe nothing ominous will happen. This way of building suspense is likely to be more appreciated by a mature audience such as men and women over the age of 40. This technique is perhaps to ambitious for young audience who in some cases need guiding through a film by features such as music.

 

 

Alternatively, we also attract a younger demographic within our wide target audience. Chris (Boy 15-20) mentioned how he would expect to see some form of violence in a thriller. This is not surprising as it is well documented within the media that this exact demographic our interested in watching violence, especially with todays mass production/sale of violent video games. Our thriller addresses this desire, yet strictly within the bounds of the films genre. The violence Chris has in mind probably includes car crashes and explosions. However, we made a drama/thriller based on social realism so our violence must conform to that meaning our protagonist is beaten up by a group of bullies in the final scene of the opening sequence. Anything more than this would look wildly out of place. Nevertheless, the film delivers with a degree of violence that not only attracts a certain gender and age group but is also relevant in terms of the plot. It is certainly not violence for the sake of violence.

 

 

In terms of addressing two different sections of our target audience, we tried to do this through use of interesting characters. James (40+) mentioned how he strongly believed that he would be attracted by "good characters" in a thriller. I believe that this is a point of interest for all audiences as it is these characters that carry the film. There is evidence to support this in films such as The Dark Knight where the diverse and threatening 'Joker' was appealing to all. I believe that good characters and therefore good drama comes from conflict and contrast in character. With our sequence we see diverse personalities with no better example than comparing our timid protagonist (Ethan) to the leading bully of the pack (Elina). It is the stark contrast in personal background and attitude that creates the tension between this pair, with a specific interest in Elina who's ruthless and domineering nature is particularly enthralling and plays a major part in driving the sequence through to its conclusion with vicious energy. 

 

 

Despite have a relatively large target audience as referenced in Evaluation task 4, I feel that each group is addressed and catered for in terms of what they would expect to see in a legitimate thriller.

Evaluation Task 4 (Who would be the audience for your product?)



After actually making our thriller, we thought it would be important and interesting to discover what our target audience would be in the real world. This would be useful in a real environment as it would gave the production company clues as to how they would market the film, and what demographic they would aim the campaign towards. In order to do this I assembled six different age/gender categories, found individuals that fit into these categories and then proceeded to interview them on thrillers in general to obtain some information about what they like and are interested in.

 

The categories were ; Boy 15-20, Girl 15-20, Man 21-39, Woman 21-39, Man 40+, Woman 40+

 

The questions were ;

 

1. How old are you?

 

2.What is your favourite genre of film?

 

3. What do expect to see in a thriller?

 

4. What do you like about thrillers?

 

5. Tell me about your favourite thriller and why?

 

6. Would you go to watch a movie about... (describe plot)?

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

As you can see, all of the individuals responded in a very similar way to questions 3 and 4. A main feature running through is that they thought that all thrillers should have 'suspense', which is positive as I believe ours does. Some mentioned that they would both like and expect to see 'action'. Our thriller of course does have action with the fight scene. There seemed to be a general interest in quality of plot with Chris (Boy 15-20) mentioning a 'plot twist'. This interest in plot and 'good characters' as James (Man 40+) said also suits our thriller. It means that on a wider scale an audience is interested in those things from a thriller instead of high production values, which of course we do not have. Apart from James Bond mentioned by Amber (Girl 21-39) most the films mentioned in response to question five seemed to have a link to drama. Considering our thriller is drama based this is good. Also, everyone but Chris (15-20) showed an interest in the plot of our suggesting that the genre of urban drama is near universally appreciated possibly because of its relateablity. It also suggests that we wouldn't market the film at teenage boys as they would be more interested in seeing a film with either high production values or attractive women. This however, is a shame as the 15-20 Boys is a huge audience in national cinema. However, this exercise showed us that there is a considerable audience that would find our plot enticing. In terms of marketing this means we could be fairly widespread, if not focussing slightly more on older generations due to the seriousness of the film and its themes.

 

Evaluation Task 3 (What kind of media institution would distribute your product and why?)

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

Distribution is an integral part of a film’s success as it is the sector that is largely responsible with getting a film seen. As we now live in a world of technological convergence, the methods of distribution available are numerous. However, not all of these methods accommodate themselves well to certain films.

To assess what kind of institution would realistically distribute the product, we must of course understand what kind of product it is. 'Food Chain' in the real world would be a low budget British Independent film that relies on the performances of its actors for success. It is distinctively low concept with easily constructed locations and no special effects. With this low budget it is also unlikely to be able to attract big acting names in order to sell the film. The aim is uncovering new talent and spring boarding them to bigger projects, benefitting from their work in the process. A perfect example of a film that replicates ours in this criteria is of course This is England. However, this film was made 8 years ago. A more contemporary example that also fits the criteria is Tyrannosaur. Tyrannosaur is a British based drama directed by the up-and-coming Paddy Consindine with a fantastic performance from Olivia Coleman aiding her in her ascent to the 'National Treasure' status she now obtains. Both of these films were created by Warp Films, a Sheffield stationed production company centred around making good quality British products on a low budget. This is realistically the kind of company that would adopt our thriller due to them having success with products of a similar nature. Both films were also produced by Film Four, a sub company of the mainstream Channel 4. This qualifies them for some element of publicity through the television channel as it is in their best interests that the film does well. They were also both distributed by Studio Canal, a distribution company working within the UK and Ireland. It is clear from this that the films were not aiming at International exposure. This type of film may be looking at a gradual rise in popularity and awareness as a big cinema release all around the country is not possible meaning they can’t have an instant impact on the box-office.

 

When looking at our thrillers concept, one would argue that the story it is in fact easily translatable to an American location such as the Bronx, New York. However, this doesn't change the fact that colossal studio's such as Warner Brothers still wouldn't give the film a chance. However, there are studios that would as we can see with films such as Precious (2009), that like ours is similarly based around the life of an unsupported youth who suffers physical and mental abuse. This film was distributed by Lionsgate, an American entertainment company. As of November 2013, Lionsgate is the most commercially successful independent film distributor in North America. There is no denying it is a big company, but a company not in the same league as the likes of Universal. This means it is willing to take a gamble on films such as Precious, a gamble that proved worth it after various Film Festival victories and an 'Best Picture' Oscar Nomination. On a miniature $10 million budget, this film massively overachieved with a good distribution and importantly a quality product behind that. This is potentially what could happen to our film in the real world.

 

Due to the converged world we live in, where a phone can double as a perfectly satisfactory television, there are alternative avenues a distributor can now take. For example, Vertigo's Monsters (2010) was streamed through Xbox Live as means of distribution so teens could watch the film straight from their bedrooms, and then discuss it with their friends on the Xbox itself therefore spreading the word. As the film operated on an extremely low budget like our film, it proved an extremely cheap and effective way of getting Monsters seen. It meant the film could reach places like America which is something Vertigo simply couldn't fund through a traditional marketing campaign. However, this method isn't applicable to every film. Part of the success in this case was that teenage Xbox users were a big part of Monsters target demographic. These same teenagers are likely to be considerably less interested in watching a gritty, urban British drama/thriller, meaning they are unlikely to utilise such a method.

It would be a near impossibility for the type of film we have created to attract a major studio and therefore a big distributor. However, with a good quality product driving the operation through there is no reason why the film couldn't be able to be distributed well enough to achieve commercial success, and therefore enough exposure for some type of acclaim in the form of Film Festival awards. It is this that is likely to catapult a film such as ours more into the mainstream.

 

Evaluation Task 2 (In what way does your media product represent paticular social groups?)

In what ways does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our thriller opening sequence, one of our key aims was to establish both the urban environment and the tough situation we find our protagonist in. A major method in doing this is through exploitation of various different social groups. Much like in most films, these are blunt and obvious stereotypes in order to convey character ideas quickly to an audience.

The first social group we represent within our thriller is Ethan, the boy who is brutally bullied by teens from an opposing school. In order to make this scene realistic we must feature a boy who could realistically be bullied. We chose Jake who standing at 5'5 foot is rather small. He also possesses very young features. In terms of costume, we dressed Jake in a very unflattering yellow/grey/blue school uniform which would be likely to receive some criticism, especially with his shirt tucked into his trousers and the tie fastened to the brim of his collar. Combining these features paints the picture that Ethan is an 'easy target', perhaps with a nervous disposition. This is reinforced by Jake's physicality, as he moved with a distinct lack of confidence and even unrest suggesting that he knew the incident was a possibility, as if it had happened before. However, we still had to hint at the fact that despite his smart exterior that Ethan does come from a working class background. This was in fact was another key reason in hiring Jake for the role as he has a thick Scarborough accent. On reflection, Ethan does not actually speak in the thriller communicating how this type of person that struggles to voice there problems but it was useful to have the option and it is something that would be more prominent later in the film. We also used camera to express Ethan's social group. In a large portion of the walking shots, Jakes presence fills up very little of the frame making him appear isolated reinforcing the fact that he is a social outcast. His attire also makes him stand out largely against the urban location we chose to film these shots in. In the final shot of the sequence we see Ethan lying on the floor injured. As a final image before the beginning of the film it demonstrates to the audience the difficulties of Ethan's life and how he lies at the bottom of the 'Food Chain'.

 

Despite never actually seeing him in the opening sequence, Ethan's father is featured through the texting shot at the beginning and would be an important character in the film being the dad of the lead character. Even though his involvement was minor, there are certain things an audience member can read from this inclusion nevertheless. Stereotypically, it is a mother that would be preparing the dinner for Ethan yet there is no mention of her suggesting that she is no longer attached to the family. This means that Ethan has a single farther who would opt to go for a drink rather than care for his child suggesting that their relationship has perhaps become strained or he is under so much stress that he has been forced into this move. This situation presents a character similar to Jackie from 'Billy Elliot'. A different reading from an audience member could be that he is simply a irresponsible, uncaring and lousy farther creating an image more similar to Frank Gallagher from 'Shameless'. Gallagher is of course a heightened persona for comedic purposes but the social type is definitely existent with a British audience. This would be reinforced by Jake's accent as a British audience would automatically think of these two characters who similarly have northern/working class accents.

The final and most obvious social group reference in our thriller is the bullies. We utilised costume to communicate immediate ideas about this group of youths. The girl at the helm is wearing a Addidas tracksuit top, with hooped earrings and trainers. One boy is wearing a baseball cape and hood while the other is looking untidy with a loose tie identical to the ones the others wear showing how they are from a different school, despite being in the same regional area. This type of aesthetic is very recognisable to a British audience as it is something that our own national media projects onto young people commonly branding them as 'Chavs'. In recent years this look has become iconic and has automatic violent and indecent connotations. The look alone goes some way in communicating to the audience that this group could mean trouble for Ethan. This image of this social group being violent is heavily reinforced by how in the mise en scene we see the girl cross the frame and pass Ethan conveying power. The sudden change in camera-work to something very shaky and erratic also continues this theme. The 'chav' persona is complemented by the girls urban accent and the excessive use of swearing amongst the group. These characters are heightened but they have to be so in order to convey necessary messages to the audience in the short period of time a title credits allow. This means the film need waste no time doing this once it begins and can move on with character development.

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation Task 1 (In what ways does your media production of film use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?)

Evaluation task 1 from harrylawtey

Finished Thriller Opening Sequence - 'Food Chain'

Editing - Final Day

Today's editing session was completely intense, but worthwhile. Within the first ten minutes of the session we managed to sit down and correct the glitches that occurred during the last session. This involved resorting back to our rush bin and re-finding the sound clip that we had somehow misplaced. In the next 20 minutes we managed to entirely finish our thriller. This completion meant we had the picture and sound cut finished along with titles, and it was actually overdue as we realised we had been slightly obsessing over details recently. Now we had to find music. There is a lengthy walking scene in our thriller in which our protagonist makes his way home. Due to the lack of action it was always our intention to combine this with some music. For copyright reasons we had to use unsigned music so myself and Brandon started wading through CD's. This was very tedious. We had something urban yet slow in mind. As we could only find upbeat tracks we tried downloading them onto Final Cut and then slowing them down and even lowering the pitch to make it more serious. However, this made the track sound quite American which isn't what we wanted. After another half an hour of this we were out of ideas, feeling resigned that we wouldn't be able to find a track. For some inspiration on what we could do to resolve the problem we tried just watching over our thriller again. It was here we had a massive realisation that it video was actually 3:13 minutes in length as apposed to the standard 2:30 minutes. We discovered that we were going to have to make some cutting alterations anyway, and believed that if we did make the walking section dramatically shorter then there might not even be a need for music. As it was the end of the lesson we came back and looked at this again in the afternoon. We duplicated the thriller so that we could go back on changes if needed and then started chopping. Doing this wasn't a lengthy process and within 35 minutes we found ourselves with an almost entirely new thriller, that was much shorter. With it at this length we felt that music was not necessary but the walking was still long enough to build tension for the fight, jut as we had hoped. We had to make a few small title alterations as we couldn't be so excessive in who we credited as we didn't have as much space. But this all meant that we were now done!

Editing - Day 6

Today was interesting session in terms of editing our thriller. We are certainly coming to the end of the process with today’s target to finish the sound cut. This for the bulk of the session went really well, we used a variety of cross fades and copying clips to really smooth out and refine the sound and make it seamless between cuts. Ironing out some obvious problems and making them unnoticeable was very rewarding and is what spurred m eon with 5 minutes of the session left to alter one more issue. This lead my downfall as trying to add another sound clip resulted in Apples dreaded 'beach ball' meaning the soft where had staggered and I was unable to do anything. Having not saved the previous issue that I had rectified I was left frustrated. This isn't the end of the world but I have learnt the importance of knowing when to stop and leave something for another day.

Editing - Day 4&5

When reaching our fourth day of allocated time in the edit suite, we within the first 10 minutes of the lesson finished the picture cut for our sequence. This meant that all our shots were edited together in a formation that we were happy to move ahead with. Next came adding other layers to the sequence before it can be completed such as credits. Using the various credit listing that we have collated as a guide, we started assigning credits to many of our shots. This is a tedious process but it has to be done and it dramatically improves the professional aesthetic of the sequence. We noticed how the credits also made some of our walking shots so much more interesting. These were shots that we had previously considered cutting as we felt they didn't add anything to the sequence. The credit list gave these shots a purpose, and also some valuable screen time for the long list of names. By the end of the 5th lesson in the suite we managed to complete our credits and can now swiftly move on with the sound with the hope of having the sequence finalised before the end of the week.