Question 7: Looking back on your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

When we first started our preliminary task, we were just learning the basics on how to create a film effectively. Our preliminary task wasn’t very interesting as it was just showing that we had basic knowledge on how to use a camera, how to use a few different shots and how to edit.

After finishing our preliminary task, we then learnt that to make a film we actually needed to plan for our film which was something that we didn’t do for our preliminary task. Planning included making a storyboard, a rough script, a rough opening synopsis, filming schedule, costume/prop planning and location planning, etc. We also found out that it is important to schedule time for reshoots in our filming schedule in case we had to redo some shoots. We also had to make sure that our actual film was of good quality and was of a good standard.

For our actual film, we had to think carefully about mise-en-scene whereas in our preliminary task this wasn’t as important. We had to do a lot of research to become familiar with the horror genre and horror conventions. This allowed us to know what to include in our film. Learning the horror conventions made it easier for us to choose a location as an isolated setting is a convention. It also made it easier for us to know what props and costume would be appropriate to use.

Learning the conventions also helped us with the editing as we knew what kind of sounds to use to create tension and what kind of transitions to use to build suspense. Even though I already knew how to use our editing software, my editing skills have still improved as I now know things that I didn’t know in the past. 

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

YouTube

YouTube is an online vide sharing website. We used YouTube to upload our film and preliminary task once we had finished editing it. YouTube is good as it will enable us to get feedback. Using YouTube is also good as teenagers/young adults are more likely to use YouTube than anyone else, so they are more likely to see our film than anyone else. This is good because it is easier to get feedback from our target audience. We already knew how to use and upload videos to YouTube so we had no problems with this.

Adobe premiere pro cs4

Adobe Premiere Prop CS4 is what we used to edit our film.  Because we had used Adobe Premiere Prop before, we were comfortable when using it. We used Premiere Pro to edit the footage together and make it run smoothly. It also allowed us to add opening credits to our film and add sound to in the appropriate places to create tension. Although we had used this software before, I feel that we have all learnt something new and improved our editing skills.

Advantages: -

-          Our editing skills improved

-          We could create titles and credits easily for our film

-          It allowed us to edit our film and make it look more professional

Disadvantages: -

-          The exporting took ages and sometimes it froze half way through so we had to start again

-          The fonts were very basic

Freesound

For our horror film, we needed appropriate music to create tension. We heard about the website freesounds.com so we used Freesound because it’s free and also nothing is copyrighted so we could download the sounds and use them legally. Freesound is easy to use and helped us find the sounds that we were looking for.  From using Freesound, I learnt how to download sounds. Also, I learnt how to import the sounds onto Premiere Pro.

Advantages:

-          It’s free

-          It’s not copyrighted

-          Most of them were appropriate and relevant which allowed us to have a choice of music to use

Disadvantages

-          Some of the sounds weren’t always relevant and at times it was hard to find a sound that we needed for a particular part of our film.

Blogger.com

Blogger is a blogging side that we used to write up everything.  To show our progress during the production of our film, we used Blogger as a place to upload everything to. It helped us share ideas, post pieces of work for others to see our progress. Blogger was easy and simple to use and it helped us keep all of our work organised and well-kept together.

Advantages: -

-          It helped us stay organised

-          We could share ideas

-          It helped us keep up with everything

-          Our progress is recorded

-          It’s easy and simple to use

Samsung NX100

This is the camera that we used in our production.

Advantages:-

-          The tripod allowed us to have steady shots which made it a lot easier for us to create a good panning shot

-          The shots that we got were in high definition and this improved the quality of our footage. This enabled our film to look more professional.

Disadvantages:-

-          The tripod took a long time to set up

-          Sometimes when we wanted to film something new, the camera would not record and sometimes it turned off by itself and would not turn back on.

From this, I feel more confident when using cameras and deciding what shot would be appropriate to use. I also feel I have improved my editing skills.

Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

First of all, we used questionnaires and gave them to our target audience so we knew what they would expect to see in a horror film and what they would want to see in a horror film. This was a successful method because we could find out our target audiences opinions. After giving our questionnaire out, the main feedback we got back said that they would want to see blood, they’d rather it to be set in the woods/forest and they’d rather see a psychological horror. We took this into consideration and decided to include blood and have it set in the woods.

We made sure that we included the conventions that our target audience would be expecting. Such as, an isolated setting, tense non-diegetic sound, blood etc. We also included the characters that would be expected. Even though we had a final girl, we challenged the conventions in a way as Amelia is blond when usually the blond girl is the girl that is irresponsible and dies first. Even though you could not see the killer, we still had a killer and it was suggested that there was a killer when you see the hand on Amelia’s shoulder and she gasps.

People watch horror films because they expect to be scared and worried as to what will happen next. We left our film on a cliff-hanger to leave the audience wondering what will happen next and keep them wanting more. We also did not show the murderer which will keep the audience guessing.

We also appealed to our audience through our production and post-production. We used shots that would catch the audiences’ eye like the shot of Amelia touching the blood on the tree which not only looks effective but creates a sense of danger as the audience do not know where the blood came from or how it got there.

Question 4: Who would be the audience of our media product?

Before creating our horror film, we looked at target audiences of similar films and we also did a survey to find out what age group is more likely to watch horror film. We found out that 15 to 25s are more likely to watch horror films.

Our target audience for our film are teenagers/young adults aged 15 to 25. Our film is aimed at both male and females but primarily males. We are aiming our film at people that are interested in the horror genre and seeking thrill. We are aiming at people that are interested in the horror genre because our film is a horror and it would only seem appropriate to aim it at these people.

One of the main reasons we chose to target a teenage/young adult age groups is because most of our questionnaires were answered by this age group. Even though we have a set target audience, we want our film to be available to as many people as possible so we decided to certify our film a 15. This allows more people to watch our horror and also allows us to make it a bit scarier than it would be if we’d have certified it a 12.

Our target audience are likely to shop at places such as ‘Hollister’, ‘Topman’/’Topshop’, ‘New look’ and enjoy finding bargains in Primark. They are likely to shop there because their target audience is teenagers/young adults so they are more likely to like the clothes that they have in those stores and therefore want to shop there. Our target audience are likely to enjoy teen horrors because they can relate to them and comedy horrors as it can take away some of the fear. Our target audience are also likely to enjoy socialising and watching team sports such as football.

After we decided on a target audience, we looked at the main themes and issues in similar films and what would interest our target audience. We did another survey to find out what people would expect to see in a horror film and what they like to see in a horror film. Because our target audience are a similar age to us, we found it easier to research our target audience’s opinions.

We felt that a younger audience was better to aim for as we already had a rough idea of what teenagers/young adults would like to watch. Although a more mature audience may be more creditable when analysing a horror opening, we felt that a younger audience would also have a more constructive say towards our film as horror films are usually watched by the younger generation and it would appeal to them more than it would to an older audience.

Question 3: What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why?

Film distribution

We found three film distribution companies that we could use to distribute our film. These were ‘RedBus Film Distributors’, ‘Pathé’ and ‘Momentum Pictures’. All three of these film distribution companies are British, this would be appropriate as we want to distribute out film in the United Kingdom.  We chose these film distribution companies because they have released similar films. Momentum Pictures have released ‘Insidious’, ‘The Woman in Black’, ‘Insidious chapter 2’ and ‘House at the End of the Street’. Pathé have released ‘Blood: The Last Vampire’ and ‘The Cottage’. RedBus Film Distributors have released ‘Jeepers Creepers ‘and ‘Cabin Fever’.

Online Distribution

We decided to distribute our film on websites such as Netflix and LoveFilm. Netflix is an online service that for a fee of around £6, allows you to watch films and television programmes. We decided to use Netflix because it has become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. We know this because we conducted a survey in our media group and we found out that 50% of the class use Netflix. Netflix is mainly used by teenagers as it is available on different platforms; this is convenient and flexible as teenagers are using newer technologies. Older people are more likely to watch films traditionally. Netflix’s   target audience is male and females that are 17-60 years old. We also decided to upload our film trailer onto YouTube. We’re not uploading our whole film to stop piracy. An advantage of this is that YouTube is very popular and uploading the trailer can gain us recognition and is another way of advertising our film.  LoveFilm has a target audience of male and females of 30+. We decided to use LoveFilm as well as Netflix because even though our target audience is teenagers, it will still enable more people to watch our film.

Cinema Distribution

We looked at the most popular cinemas in the UK. We found that the most popular cinemas in the UK are Odeon and Vue. Odeon and Vue both screen the major blockbuster films which could be why they are most popular. Because of this, we decided to screen our film at Odeon and Vue. Odeon and Vue both have the same target audience, which is 18-65. This is good because if we distribute our film here, then more people are likely to see it. Mainstream horror films follow all of the horror conventions. In this sense, our film would be seen as a mainstream horror as follow the conventions. For example, it is set in an isolated location which is good for a killer, we also have a final girl, even though she is blond, she still has all of the assets of the final girl. We also have appropriate non-diegetic sound that creates tensions and suspense.

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our film, we only have one character that is seen. This would be Amelia who is the main character throughout the whole film. However, there is one more character that isn’t seen. However, we do see the hand and this suggests that this character is about to kill Amelia.

Women: Our film represents women in a positive way as our main character is a female and she is also the protagonist. But, we is also shown to be vulnerable and weak due to the isolated setting and the unknown calls she is receiving. The isolated setting suggests that something bad is about to happen as an isolated setting is a horror convention. The unknown calls also suggest that something bad is about to happen. We got the unknown call idea from ‘Scream’. In ‘Scream’, Casey is shown in the kitchen when the phone starts ringing, at first she thinks that someone is playing a prank on her but she soon realises that this could be the end for her. We aimed to make Amelia look vulnerable and weak but show that she is the protagonist by our use of mise-en-scene. The costume shows that Amelia is in further education so she needs to be dressed formally. Because Amelia is dressed respectively, it shows that she is not hypersexual like a stereotypical teenager.

Youths: In our film, we represented youths at vulnerable, clumsy, yet independent. We also aimed to achieve this by our use of mise-en-scene. For Amelia’s phone, we used an iPhone 3gs with a cracked screen. This suggests that she is clumsy and perhaps careless about certain things. The audience can also tell that Amelia is independent as she is seen walking through an isolated woods by herself, this goes against the horror conventions as lead characters are mostly seen with a group of friends or a sexual partner. The fact that Amelia is walking alone through the woods and notices the blood on the trees suggests that she is vulnerable and something may happen to her.

Question 1: In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 Characters:

In our film, there are only two characters; the protagonist and the antagonist.  You can only see the antagonists hand in our film, which would create tension as it leaves the audience wondering who it is. A convention of horror is .Our film challenges the horror conventions as Amelia is alone and doesn’t have a male to protect her.

Fears:

We used specific shots to show the main conventions of horror. The close-up and point of view shot shows the fear. In our film, there is a teenage girl walking through the woods by herself. She then starts to hear noises such as rustling. She then starts to fear the woods and she thinks that someone is following her. Our film covers some of the main characteristics of fear because Amelia seems vulnerable when she is walking through the woods by herself. Also, the unknown is when Amelia gets a call from and unknown caller. And we left death open for interpretation, no one known whether Amelia was killed or not.

The title of my film and font:

The title of our film is ‘Amelia’. We decided to call it Amelia as that is the name of the main character. Even though it looks as though Amelia is about to be killer, this gets the audience wondering whether she was actually killed or whether she comes back from the dead. The title is shown at the end of the two minutes and we put the title just as Amelia turns around and gasps. We did this purposely to create tensions and suspense. In our film, all of the titles are the same font. We did this because we wanted to continue with the whole theme but we also wanted to keep with the flow of the titles appealing to the audience. This was also done because we wanted to keep it professional. The title of ‘Amelia’ appears just as Amelia gasps and it fades into the centre of the screen because it grabs the audience’s attention but is also focuses that the film is purely based on Amelia. Even though the font is the same throughout the whole film, the credits at the start of the film are in white which shows Amelia’s innocence, but at the end of the two minutes, ‘Amelia’ is in red which suggests danger and blood which suggests that she is either in danger or no longer innocent.

Setting/location:

Our film is set in the school and in the woods outside of the school. We chose these locations as they were fairly isolated at the time which is a convention of horror. We also wanted Amelia to be portrayed as vulnerable and this was easily done as she was alone in an isolated classroom and woods. In a lot of horror films, they seem to use small, compact spaces such as cupboards/small rooms to make them feel trapped.  We wanted to go against this by having a wider space which stops her from being trapped and the impression that anything could be out there.

Costume and props:

In all horror films, the costume and props create the atmosphere and tells the audience a lot about the film. The costume we used was a long-sleeved blue shirt and black trousers. We decided to have this as the costume to show that Amelia has been at sixth form all day. Amelia is fairly covered up which suggests that she is innocent and not hypersexual. In our film, we didn’t use many props but the main prop we did use was the cracked phone. This suggests that Amelia is careless which could also suggest that Amelia is vulnerable. To begin with, our main character was brunette which went along with the conventions. But now we go against the conventions as the main character is blonde.

AS Media Studies Horror Film: Amelia

Props

The phone used in our film is the main prop, it is a major part of iconography. At the beginning of our film, we see Amelia pick up her phone but the audience aren't aware that an unknown number is calling her. Later, when Amelia is walking home by herself and the audience see the call from the unknown number. This starts to raise suspicion. The crack on the screen suggests that Amelia is careless and vulnerable.

We got inspiration from the film 'Scream'. In 'Scream', the phone ringing suggests that something bad is about to happen, so we used this idea in our own film. Also in 'Scream', Casey picks up the phone and starts talking to the killer but she doesn't realise that she is about to be killed as she is naive and immature.

To create the fake blood we needed for the trees, we used gelatine for the thickness and red and blue food colouring for the colour. This made the blood look more realistic. It also made our film more unnerving.

Storyboard

Sound

For our horror film, we used sounds from freesounds.com. This website allowed us to use appropriate sounds for our film for free without any copyright issues. The main song we used started out quiet but it was also eery which we thought would be good to set the atmosphere. But as the film goes on, the song gets louder and spookier which creates tension and hints that something is about to happen.