1. Matt Jones Title Opening Sequence Evaluation ( THE HOUSE )

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? My group have created a horror/thriller title opening for our media product and have used, developed and challenged forms of real media products. We did meet the key concepts and conventions of a typical horror/thriller. On the other hand, we also challenged some conventions and concepts to make our title sequence unique and our own. This way our audience can have understanding and can relate but also with variation and contrast. My group and I started to watch and research various horror and thriller openings and clips to help us get an understanding of the codes and conventions required in this genre. It involved looking at and analysing in detail: camera, editing, sound and mise- en-scene. This gave me and my group understanding of what was required when making our a horror/thriller title opening. The horror films, The Conjuring and The Devil Inside, gave me and idea of how horror titles typography is used and I noticed that the serif style of font was used regularly which was why we decided to chose a serif style of font for our own title. I also noticed the simplistic colours and the contrast of black and white. This makes the title bold, clear and creates a dark tone to the title and is used in a variety of horror and thriller films. Our group and I then decided this was a convention we should use for our title. By researching the conventions, I noticed that female characters are used in horror and thriller films more than men. I learnt that using a female main character helps the horror within a film as females are stereotypically more frightened and weak compared to men, who are more dominant, powerful and heroic. Our group liked the idea of having a female protagonist and discovered more mise-en-scene research within this horror/thriller convention, including costume and facial expression etc. The female protagonist in our opening is relatable for our audience because of the mise-en-scene (costume). We achieved this by using a everyday and casual clothes: a white jumper and blue jeans. We used this due to the audience relationship, as well as because it is a convention in horror films such as, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as it makes the female protagonist seem pure and innocent. 3. Additionally, we researched a lot about how the four main media film concepts: camera, editing, mise-en-scene and sound, created effects on our audience and meaning within our title sequence. We have used, developed and challenged some forms and conventions of a horror/thriller to ensure we wanted to make sure our film was original, recognisable and relatable as well as creating some variation within the title opening sequence. CAMERA: The use of camera work, angles and techniques in our horror/thriller title opening sequence have been used from research of various real media products. This is a shot of an extreme-close up. We have used this camera angle to create meaning. The camera angle is used to show the clear facial expression the protagonist has when walking into the dark room. The audience then know she is shocked and scared of what she has just witnessed however, this is not shown, which both add to the thrill and horror of our title opening. Therefore, we have developed on the camera work of not showing what is in the room which the protagonist has witnessed, which builds meaning and tension to the opening. Another, commonly used, close up on the protagonist which shows facial expression to help create meaning and tension within our horror/thriller title sequence. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? MISE-EN-SCENE: Within our group product we wanted to make the lighting darker because of our genre of horror and thriller. This meant we had to adjust the lighting in each setting as well as changing the contrast and brightness of the clips. And therefore created an anonymous and dark tone and atmosphere with created tension. In each of the shots we made sure the brightness was low as possible as well as making it clear to film. This made sure it was clear to our audience that the title opening was set during the night time. The setting for our opening was et in a house due to the title of the film and the conventions of horrors and thrillers. We chose a setting with a fireplace which developed and challenged the conventions of a haunted house. It created a old fashioned and tense atmosphere which created meaning within the opening as well as creating a dark and haunted sound. We used a babys room and kitchen to create meaning in our opening but to add to the home feeling the audience get when watching which helps them to understand and relate and also brings the horror to a house which is considered safe and protected. 4. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? EDITING: In our opening we have used editing in our production and film titles. Editing has help us to achieve professional looking titles and effects. I have looked at editing and effects on titles in horror and thriller openings in which we have used and developed on, to achieve our own unique and creative titles. Within our group we have found out that in horror and thriller films, a convention is that the pace of the film starts slow and slowly builds up which creates a tense atmosphere within the film. Therefore, my group and I thought this was a convention in which we would like to include in our title opening. We did this as we started slow and calm in the beginning of the opening when everything was quite, and then as our opening developed the more things happened to build meaning and to create tension. The pace and rhythm of the opening continued to build which is conventional for the opening of a horror/thriller film. This created an effect on our audience by making them worry and makes them intrigued about the storyline which unfolds as they watch, making our audience non-passive and an active audience. In the opening we have centralised our female protagonist throughout the title sequence, so that she is clear and bold and so our audience are introduced and understand the main character. SOUND: In our opening we have used sound to create a dark and anonymous tone while the scenes develop the music becomes slightly louder. This is a convention used in horror and thriller films as a symbol of something about to happen which helps to build tension within our media product. This is a convention of a horror and thriller film and is used in the film Shutter Island for example. We have used the sound of the fireplace which helps with the thrill and horror in our media product, as it creates a cold and dark atmosphere. Throughout the opening we have also used diegetic sound. This makes the audience understand what is happening as well as creating a short amounts of sound in a quite and dark opening which is challenging the conventional horror and thriller opening as diegetic sound unconventional. Finally, we have used a sound effect of the door slamming which expands on the slam sound and helps closure to our title opening sequence. 5. How does your media product represent particular social groups? The one predominant social group we have represented in our media product is a teenage, white, British, female. Our group have represented the teenager female in a stereotypical way by making her seem weak, pure and innocent. We have represented her in this way because of the horror and thriller genre. We wanted our protagonist to look this way, so she is portrayed as a person who would be frightened easily making and developing on our storyline. The mise-en-scene such as the costume helps to represent the protagonist to the audience. The teenage female is wearing a white jumper, and blue jeans which are both light colours which represents her as being pure, calm and innocent. The clothes also represent her womanly style and the casual setting and environment she is in being in a home. She is represented as feminine teenager due to her style, hair and make-up etc. The teenager female social group is also represented as being lazy or maybe unfocused due to the protagonist sleeping while babysitting. This therefore can represent the teenage, white, British, female in a negative way. The mise-en-scene such as the protagonists facial expressions helps to represent the protagonist to the audience as being frightened, scared and weak. This is important to show our audience as it helps to build the tension, thrill and horror to our title opening. Therefore, our group has represented the teenage female in a negative and stereotypical way. Finally, the teenage, white, British female protagonist is represented as being a kind and caring person which is a positive and stereotypical view for a female. This is shown in the opening by the protagonist hearing the baby monitor and reacting by going up stairs to check on the baby which shows she is a caring and thoughtful person. 6. I personally think that if our title opening sequence was to be developed and made into a complete film then it would be distributed as a Hollywood studio film which would then be released into a DVD / Blu-ray format. I believe this would be the distribution method of our media product because our storyline and cliff hanger which could be developed further and modified to expand and become more detailed and creative. This would also increase and engage our target audience to a further extent and make them become more active and non-passive, as within the title opening sequence, the future of the protagonist and her life and consequences is unknown due to a cliff hanger in our media product therefore there is lots of reasons and space for creativity and story to be involved and developed on. Therefore, Hollywood writers, directors and producers could create the storyline to what they think would be the most suitable for the middle and ending of our horror / thriller film. I also believe that if our film was to be developed and made into a Hollywood studio film, the audience would increase and enlarge due to the amount of advertising we would have produced and possible merchandising. This would then lead to our media product becoming more and more popular and eye-catching for our target audience. The camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene are other reasons and aspects which could be developed and used in our title sequence and could therefore be distributed by a Hollywood company. This is because I think we have followed the conventions of horror and thriller, for example, the cold, dark and tense atmosphere and the build up of pace in the editing etc. I personally think that our title openings storyline is unique and has lots of room for development and modifications therefore has a lot of potential which could make it popular and if made into a Hollywood studio film, the audience would be very large. The horror / thriller market is large and I think our product has a place in the market and has a lot of potential to becoming successful as a Hollywood studio film. I personally believe that our product could not be distributed into a TV programme or series or an internet release. The reason why I personally think this, is due to our storyline having a lot of potential and I believe that it is to complex and unique to be made into and by a smaller distribution. Another reason that I think that our media product would not fit the TV distribution method is because our storyline is to complex to be carried out into a TV series. This is due to the audience losing the engagement and would become passive viewers, as I believe the audience would benefit from seeing all the content and story at once in a cinema or DVD / Blu-ray. After looking at various horror and thriller films, which were evidently produced by different companies, I have come to the conclusion that I think DreamWorks and Fox Searchlight Pictures would be the most suitable to distribute our groups media product. I personally think that Fox light Search Pictures would be the best option and method for distribution, because I have looked at a range of horrors and thrillers which the company have created and published / distributed. Films such as Black Swan, stoker and the horror film, 28 days later. Which have all become very successful and have similarities to our own title opening sequence. Who would distribute your media product and why? 7. Who would distribute your media product and why? This is the poster for the thriller film: Black Swan. This has some similarities to our groups media product and therefore, this is important when choosing our distribution method and the distribution company our group would use if produced into a Hollywood studio film. The font is in a serif style of font which creates a horror / thriller affect as well as creating a feminine affect on the title which could give glues to the content of the film. The font is also white, contrasted with a black background which is similar to our media product as we have used the same contrasting colours. The female on the front of the poster is made to look bold and eye-catching, symbolising and connoting she is the main character in this thriller film. This is similar to my groups media product as we have used a female protagonist which is the main character in our title opening sequence. The female in the Black Swan poster is centralised to make her stand out being the main character. This is similar in our title opening sequence and my group and I have centralised our main character in all of the shots and scenes to symbolise her significance in our media product. Finally, the female on the front cover has a red hand connoting blood and horror is in this film which suggests it is the same film genre of our media product being a horror / thriller film. 8. Who would be the audience for your media product? Age: We think that our target audiences age would be between the ages of 15-25. This because our main character in our title opening is between these ages, which therefore the target audience can relate to and understand. Gender: I think our media product is aimed at both genders, male and female. This is because our title openings main character is played by a young female and our sequence includes no male characters. However, from the survey response, males would watch the rest of the film based on the title opening sequence as much as females would. Males are also more interested in horror / thriller films stereotypically due to the scenes of violence and scares. Therefore showing that our opening is targeted at both genders. Race: Our title opening is aimed at white British because of our protagonist being a teenage, white British, female. Therefore, this will relate more to the British people more than any other ethnicity. Age: 25+ Gender: Male I liked the ending the best, as it was dramatic and fast, also unexpected Age: 17 Gender: Male I really liked how professional the opening looked and the use of the camera work was excellent. Age: 20 Gender: Male I thought the camera angles were excellent and the story line was really good. By carrying out a audience response survey, asking people what they think of my media product, I can understand what aspects have been the most successful and what aspects needed improvement and development. Looking at some of the comments made, I can see that my group and I have done the camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene to a high standard, as the aspects have been called excellent and professional. Overall, I think the audience feedback has been very helpful and due to the positive and improvement comments from my target audience. 9. Audience survey and results: Firstly, I asked the audience their gender so I could gain and understating of my target audience and the results said that my media product is target at both genders equally. Secondly, I asked the audience their age so I could gain and understating of my target audience and the results said that my media product is target at the ages of 15-17 year olds. Thirdly, I asked the audience what they would rate my media product out of 5. 1 being terrible and 5 being excellent. The results said that my media product is equally between good and excellent. I asked the audience at the end of the survey if they would watch the rest of the film based only on the opening and the results said the majority of my audience would watch the rest of the film. I then asked my audience what they liked about my title opening sequence and I receive very positive feedback and has comments including word such as excellent and professional I then asked my audience to feedback on the things they did not like about my title opening sequence and they commented on aspects such as the lack of horrors in the opening sequence, the spelling mistakes in the editing and that there could have been more characters in the opening. I then asked them what they would improve: They said they would have more horrors, scares and thrills in the beginning of the opening to build the fright and tension of the opening and they would improve the realism on the characters facial expressions to show more fright and shock. 10. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Throughout the process and development of making my title opening sequence, I feel that I have learnt lots and have gained a understanding and a better knowledge on technologies and effects in which to use, from the process of creating and developing my media product. Personally, I believe I have progressed a vast amount from making our short continuity task to the real title opening sequence. As well as learning from the mistakes my group and I have made during the tasks and stages of development. On the other hand, I think that my group and I had limited quality with the camera and equipment which was provided. I didnt expect film studio quality, however the camera could have been improved for a better finish and higher resolution. At the start of the process I was extremely unfamiliar with the pieces of technology and equipment we were going to use to shoot our tasks. Such as the camera and the tripod. I had never used a tripod before and therefore I needed to learn how to assemble, setup and disassemble the tripod safely and correctly. I have also learnt how different camera angles and techniques can be used to achieve different meanings and effects on the audience. This knowledge really help my and my group with the scenes in our tasks as we used the camera to convey different meanings and effects. Furthermore, because of the practice on the continuity task of using the technologies and equipment, when it came to filming, I had a good understanding and better knowledge which helped my group and I achieve the shots we wanted to achieve. This involved making sure we used the tripod at all times to ensure the shots and scenes were steady and level. This helped us to achieve professional looking shots. We also had to change and adjust the level of height the tripod was at to get more angles and meaning within the shots and scenes. Lastly, the editing stage of production was were I struggled the most and did not have a understanding of what to do. The software in which we used was Adobe Premier Pro on the Apple Macs. However, through practice and time editing with a group member, I have learnt more and have a understanding and a better knowledge about how to edit shots such as cutting and adding effects such as fades and music. 11. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? Looking back at my preliminary task, I personally feel I have made a vast progression from it to the full product and I have learnt lots and have a understanding and a much better knowledge which has helped me with my full product . During the development from the preliminary task to the full product I have also gained more skills such as organisation, teamwork and personal skills such as, learning about editing etc. During the process my organisation skills have improved with the help from my group members and the willingness to complete a task, such as, a blog post or research. I have become more organised and have more understanding of time boundaries and deadlines which need to be met. I have also gained confidence in teamwork and in myself. The two tasks has helped me gain confidence in the use of technologies and equipment and within my team to chose certain shots and scenes as well as putting my point and opinion across to my team members. I think my group and I have developed massively and have created a strong bold which has lead to us to producing a well finished end media product. From the continuity task, I have progressed in my learning in different aspects such as the key concepts of: camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. I think I have learnt a great amount on these key concepts and they have improved vastly from my continuity task to my full media product of our horror / thriller, title opening sequence. The research into genre was extremely important for making and developing my product. This involved lots of research and reflecting on genre to make sure my horror / thriller would meet up to the high standards, and the codes and conventions involved. To do this research effectively, I had to watch and analyse many horrors and thrillers and focused specific parts and aspects of them, to identify what the codes and conventions were. This helped me and gave me a good understanding, when making my media product because I had good knowledge and was inspired to make my media product the best it could be. Another important aspect was storyboarding, and this really helped my group and I achieve the best affects and storyline that we could. We made a detailed storyboard with explanations about each shot / scene with timings and about the key concepts: camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. By creating a detailed storyboard, it helped me and my group visualise and understand what the real product would potentially look like once it had been finished. Furthermore, when coming to the filming stage of production, the storyboard helped the most as it helped us remember what type of shots we wanted, how long for and with the angles and mise-en-scene. This saved us a lot of time as from the start we knew exactly what we had to do to keep on schedule. 12. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? Looking back at the continuity task, I have seen a vast improvement between the shots within the continuity task and the shots in our final real product. The images above so tilt shots from the two tasks. The continuity task was unclear and the camera was not steady which lead to a unprofessional looking shot. On the other hand, the real products tilt shot looks really good and the camera was at consistent pace as well as the camera remaining steady. The images above so a over the shoulder shot from the two tasks. The continuity task was good however it the camera was not at a steady angle which lead a average shot. On the other hand, the real products over the shoulder shot looks really good and the camera was at a steady level using the tripod. This then produced a clear and well taken shot. Finally, the pan shot in the continuity task was poor as it didnt flow and was jolted. This meant it didnt create a professional looking pan and needed improvement. On the other hand, the final media products pan was at a steady pace and flowed brilliantly to achieve the effect we wanted and to create a professional looking scene.