Evaluation 1:

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

Frame 1: The story and how the opening sets it up

In our thriller video we used the sub genre ‘innocent on the run’. This genre is mainly to create tension and suspense throughout the video. As a group we came to an idea of using our main opening to be on CCTV footage. Our first scene introduces the protagonist and we make our audience emphasise and feel for our character and create suspense to the opening sequence as in my final cut I have edited quick cuts of the antagonist and location which will grab the audience's attentions to the opening scene, this is very important is it will make the audience want to carry on watching the movie. The first shot taken for our film was an medium shot which the camera is put in one constant place, but the character would be moving around, so when this was edited i cut few bits of the first shot to show the audience that he has spend time looking for what he wanted to buy. By using this particular shot, it would give the audience the opportunity to understand the location and the surroundings that the character was in. As a group we decided to use a high median shot for this first shot so the audience can capture the main character of being vulnerable, powerless and innocent.  To add more suspense and tension for our thriller opening sequence, I have added a suspense music which would make the audience think something is going to happen. I think as a group we were able to create a successful thriller opening sequence as the scenes built up suspense and tension which encourages the audience to believe that something unexpected is going to happen.

Frame 2: Camera Work and Editing

The second frame in the storyboard provides valid information to the audience about the main characters in the film. As the villain is shown on screen it shows the audience that something is going to happen to the protagonist. The different shots from different high angles show the audience that it is CCTV footage with the time code added at the bottom of the screen. As a group we decided to have some shots to be black and white which indicates the CCTV footages and some shots to be in colour which shows what’s happening at that particular time, also making the audience have a feel that they are inside the movie. The quick shot of different angles show that the incident took place very quickly and at first the audience wouldn’t understand what actually happened. However through intelligent editing i have zoomed into the incident and reversed the shots to show the audience what happened in a slower motion

Frame 3: The title of the film

The third frame in the storyboard is the main title of the film 'Dream Chaser' which appears in white with yellow glow as each letter enlarges to the screen on a black background. After the enlargement of the single letters it goes back to one size as the audience can read the title easier, the letters fade away from the frame leading into a different location. The use of capital letters throughout the title of the film is because it adds boldness to capture the audience’s attention, and the glowing effect to make the title stand out even more. The main reasons for using a dark background, was because the audience wouldn’t struggle reading the title and wouldn’t lose concentration on the scene itself, this is why I have faded in the shot of the character walking towards the checkout under the title of the movie towards the ending.  The title our movie will provide the audience with an idea of the genre in the film without revealing the plot .The title in our film opening fits the successful thriller opening as we provided the audience with the names of actors, directors and producers.

Frame 4: How the characters are introduced

As a group we decided that the first shot we should reveal our main character that was immediately introduced to the audience inside a shop. However it wasn’t a close up of the characters face as it was a medium constant shot, but through editing the audience get to see the character as he moves around. We only had a clear shot of the characters face towards the end of the opening as the camera zooms out from the protagonist’s face, which clearly shows his innocence. However on the other hand the antagonist was introduced as a shady character, this was achieved by the character wearing dark clothing and wearing a hat. This way the audience don’t really see this character as he the villain in this movie. A very quick snap of the shady characters face was made very quickly using cross cutting as the lift doors closes. The casual clothing worn by the protagonist shows man is an everyday ordinary man, whereas the shady character was wearing black clothing which indicates tension towards the audience.

Frame 5: Lighting

In this frame of the storyboard lighting is a major feature which is used in this particular camera shots. As a group we have used very good lighting as we can exactly see without any difficulty on what’s happening on screen. We used high key lighting in this frame it aims to reduce the lighting ratio presented in the scene. The lighting throughout our film opening was same, however on the CCTV footages the lighting was reduced due to the effects used in the process of editing to show it was CCTV footage. However when the antagonist was shown the lighting decreased a very little but to show the audience that he was the shady character in the movie, whereas for the main character we used good lighting to show the innocence.  In our lighting as well as having the high key lighting, we also showed there was a shady part in the movie, which makes it easier for the audience to identify the characters immediately.

Frame 6: Setting and Location

In this frame the scene focuses on the elevator as that where the main incident takes place. We chose this location as it has CCTV and the audience wouldn’t expect something like this happen. Using this location made the CCTV look more realistic as it had many different CCTV angles. Another reason why we chose this location is because the audience might assume that something else is going to happen but not to the character and is a ordinary day at the shopping centre which looks like an accident and not suppose to happen. But the audience will figure out the something is going to happen to our protagonist.

Frame 7: Genre and how the opening suggests it

This frame in the storyboard clearly shows that the genre of the film is a thriller and a sub genre of ‘innocent on the run’ as the opening sequence shows. The innocent character is shown buying something special for his wife/girlfriend who shows the innocence of this character.  When the CCTV footages and the incident happen the audience can tell it is going to be a thriller movie. This is a successful film opening as the scenes create tension and suspense and also questions to the audience on what is going to happen next.

Frame 8: Special Effects

This frame illustrates the use of special effects that I have tried to create in our thriller opening sequence.  One particular scene in the film which had good effects added was when the CCTV footage was rewinded and had close ups of the tape falling over, the quick shots of different angles of the tape falling over. The zooming of the CCTV was made by a software I have used throughout my edits was Sony Vegas pro 11. I have had the opportunity to use a variety of different effects that was very helpful for the CCTV footages, for example the time code I have used at the bottom of the video showing the time – which added more thrill to the footage as the audience can figure out its a CCTV and someone is operating the video.  By making the video black and white and then changing to colour showed a great comparison of different angles used and making it clearer to the audience to see in colour what’s happening. When the camera zooms out from our protagonist it shows his innocence and tells the audience that something is going to go wrong.

Frame 9: How the suspense is created

The final frame in the storyboard is when the camera zooms out from the character and the camera zooms backwards inside the closing lift – showing the character in a very close up with his facial expression we can tell that he has no clue on what is happening. As the lift door closes, I have added a flash transition which creates the tension towards the audience in what is going to happen next. This final shot in a film creates tension to the audience, where they are going to question what events could occur throughout the remainder of the film. The music used in my opening video also contributed a lot to create the suspense to the movie. The camera angles changing to the beat of the music shows that it is happening at a very fast pace. The different quick angles of the camera and the music made the build up of suspense and tension towards the audience which draws the audience's attention to the film and encourages them to continue watching it in order to see the outcome.