Final Edit

This is our final edit for our Thriller Opening Scene.

Evaluation Question 1

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

This is my first evaluation question, I displayed my answer on a website called www.spicynodes.org

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For my second evaluation question, I used Prezi.

Evaluation Question 3

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

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product? 

For my fourth evaluation question, I used Emaze.

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of 

constructing this product? 

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have 

learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 

Inception Thriller Research

Inception Credits:

• Warner Bros Pictures
•  Legendary Pictures
• Syncopy

The first camera angle is an establishing shot of the ocean crashing against the rocks at the shore, the camera is low and not focused which straight away suggests a slightly hectic or dangerous atmosphere to the audience. The second camera angle is a high angle shot looking down on the protagonist in the sea, the shot is a close up of the protagonist and shows his confused and frightened expression, this suggests that he is in danger and is not sure where he is. The third shot is an eye line match of the protagonist, it shows children playing on the beach, however the shot isn’t focused and looks like a dream, this leads the audience to believe that maybe the protagonist is hallucinating and that there is a sense of surrealism surrounding the scene. The scene continues with transitions between the protagonist lying on the beach and the children he is imagining. The next shot is a high angle shot looking down on the protagonists back, the shot shows a rifle prodding him, this instantly shows the audience that the scene is not as innocent as the imaginary children suggest and could potentially be quite dangerous.

The very beginning of the opening credits are accompanied by heavy, low pitch music to instantly tell the audience that the mood of this film will be dark and thrilling. This also suggests that the film may be filled with confusion and suspense.

The shots in this opening sequence all use natural lighting, this breaks the stereotype of the thriller genre using low key lighting to build an atmosphere. This fills the audience with confusion as to what will actually happen in the film. Each shot is filled with questions to draw the audience’s attention.

The clips in the opening sequence are not shown for a lengthy amount of time which suggests that they are not completely vital to the movie but they give the audience and inclination as to what has happened beforehand and what might be happening in the movie.

Pulp Fiction Thriller Research

  Pulp Fiction Credits:

• Miramax Films Presents
• A BAND APART
• Jersey Films Production
• A Film By Quentin Tarantino
• PULP FICTION
• John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria De Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis
• Co- Starring - Paul Caulderon, Bronagh Gallagher, Peter Greene, Stephen Hibbert, Angela Jones, Phil LaMarr, Robert Ruth, Julia Sweeney, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Whaley, Duane Whitaker
• Casting By - Ronnie Yeskel C.S.A and Gary M. Zuckerbrod C.S.A
• Music Supervisor - Karyn Rachtman
• Costume Designer - Betsy Heiman
• Production Designer - David Wasco
• Editor - Sally Menke
• Director of Photography - Andrzej Sekula
• Co-Executive Producers - Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein and Richard N. Gladstein
• Executive Producers - Danny Devito, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher
• Stories By - Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
• Produced By - Laurence Bender

The opening sequence of Pulp Fiction shows two characters in a diner. The first shot is a two shot of the characters, to show their casual outfits and posture. The male character has his feet up on the diner chair, showing that he is relaxed and nonchalant, he is wearing a hawaiin shirt and jeans, this adds to his casual attitude. The female character is sitting more appropriately with both feet on the floor and her hands on the table, she is wearing a long skirt and a casual, long sleeved top, this suggests that the woman is less relaxed than the man and is not comfortable in the current environment. There are close ups of both characters as they continue their conversation. The close up of the female character shows her expression of confusion and slight annoyance, this suggests that she isn't happy with what the male character is suggesting. In contrast, the close up of the male character shows his open expression and his suggestive eyebrow expression, this shows that he is giving the female character an idea that is potentially dangerous.

The male characters body language is very expressive with arm movements and leaning forward, this shows his enthusiasm in his own idea. The female characters body language contrasts completely, she barely moves other than to lift her mug and drink from it. This shows that she is not open to his idea and is not comfortable with it.

Editing Final Piece

Editing

In the draft edit of our original idea 'Into The Fire' we didn't have succesful credits or a title credit for the film. However, in our final edit 'Live Online. Die Online.' We created titles using after effects and adobe premier pro. These gave the opening scene a much more professional look and work towards engaging the audience and making them feel like they are in the film. This is due to the titles that we created in after effects, because they make the audience feel like somebody is talking to them on the internet, which is very relatable in this generation because of constant use of technology.

Planning the new costumes for the final edit

As we have decided to change the idea for our final edit, we have had to adapt the costume of the actress playing the young girl featured in our clip. Originally she was planned to wear active/running gear to show that she was a jogger, whereas now the idea is that she has been out for the day with family or friends. Therefore, she needed to be in a more casual day-to-day costume. Now, we have decided on a simple black skirt, black tights, boots and a rugby top which suggests her youth.

Also, for the last two shots, the character is shown in her pyjamas as she is getting into bed.

The stalker, which is me, will be wearing the same costume as we previously decided as his character is the same. He will still be playing the stalker and will be hiding in the shadows outside the window, which is why black clothing is essential.

Filming Location Change

Location Change

In our draft edit, our jogger is seen leaving her house and starting to jog towards the park, however in our final edit we have decided to film the entire opening scene inside the house at night. The location of the park was very impractical due to bad weather conditions and poor lighting. In the house however, the lighting can be controlled and shots are much easier to complete successfully. 

 

Editing (December 17th)

In today's lesson, we began editing our new footage which will replace our draft edit. This edit will be much better than the original because we have used more effective camera angles and have experience with editing already.

Draft Edit

Actors/Costume/Location Planning

Actors/Actresses:
Jogger: Alice Hobson
Mystery Man: Myself 

Alice is appropriate for the part we have given her because she's a young woman so she will be able to jog much easier than an older woman. Also Alice is an active sporty person so she will look more natural while running. These two features will make the scene more believable.
I am suitable for the part of the man because I am tall and have the ability to make my hair neat. I will not need to act much other than a close up of my hands, an over the shoulder shot and a close up of my mouth.

Costume:
Jogger: Casual/Running clothes (leggings, tshirt, trainers, earphones, messy hair/bun)
Mystery Man: Dark Clothes (Black Jacket, Black Jeans, Black Shoes and neat hair)
The costume for the Jogger needs to be simple because she is only a runner and would not be dressed up. 

The costume for the man needs to be dark to create a sense of mystery and suspense as to who the man is.

Location:
Bedroom
Park
We are using the bedroom for the opening shots such as shots of the jogger putting shoes on or putting on music and headphones and looking out the window.
We are using the park for the jogging scenes to suit the stereotypical idea of people jogging in parks.

Thriller Opening Scene Research (Part 2) - Audience Research

Survey Research

 We conducted an online survey for our thriller research to give us an idea as to what would appeal to a thriller audience. A psychological thriller was the most popular choice for type of thriller, this means we will have to include some emotionally unstable dialogue for our killer in the thriller opening scene. 
The Usual Suspects was the most popular response for all time favourite thrillers, therefore we should analyse The Usual Suspects opening scene to give some sort of guidance for our own thriller. Also, from our survey we discovered that the most popular protagonist would be a detective whose partner had been killed, however we are still going to carry on with the idea of a woman jogging. We also found out that people are most scared while watching thrillers if the bad guy is mentally deranged, we can try to incorporate this into our own thriller opening. Finally we gave a list of suggested film names to choose from and the most popular answer was 'Into The Fire' this is a relevant title to our thriller opening because there is a lot of focus on fire and items being burnt.