thriller evaluation

Before making our thriller there was a long process of planning and practicing before we could create the final project. Although the planning did take quite some time without is we wouldn’t have known what to do when it came to filming the thriller. Before we went straight into making the thriller our first task was to watch some documentaries and take notes on things such as edits, sound and camera shots. Although it may seem fun to be spending our media lesson watching television it was also very hard as there was a lot of paperwork and written work to do. Even watching the documentaries was sometimes tricky as we were not actually watching them; we were observing them and having to take notes constantly. Apart from watching documentaries we also watched thrillers such as ‘The Shining’ which helped us to understand thrillers a little more easily.

We learned many different types of thrillers such as action thrillers, crime thrillers, horror thrillers etc. By learning that there were many different types of thrillers it helped us to decide what kind of thriller ours would be. Once we knew what kind of thriller it was going to be it was time to start planning it. Firstly we had to practice using the cameras. To get this practice we made a couple short films. The first one was with cards in which we focused on different camera shots used to get the best effect. In this lesson we also learned how to edit. The second film was about opening a door and walking into a room. In this filming we focused more on ‘match cuts’. These short films were a success. They even helped us to understand the Apple Mac computers a little more as these computers are a bit more advanced to what I am normally used to.

Before making the thriller we had to pitch our ideas to the class first and get their feedback on what they thought of it. To film the thriller we had to use two locations, but when looking at the thriller it looks like one. This was done by editing. Without learning the basic skills on the practice films we would have not been able to make the thriller.

Before the thriller was made we also had to think about the basic things such as mise- en – scene. We decided to film the thriller in a park. To make the park more intense it had to look neglected therefore we had to film early in the morning when nobody was there. Having an empty park really helped with the camera shots. Because it was empty we could have long shots of the park showing that is was neglected. Even when doing close ups it was good to not have any random people walking behind or in front of the camera.

Using things such as final cut pro, live type and soundtrack seemed really hard at first because we had never used them before, however by using them when making the other films we had a basic idea of how to use them and it progressed from there. Once the editing was done the thriller had to be put onto a ‘blog’, which is also new to me as I have never used it before, however it was very simple to use. By doing this thriller I have learnt how to film edit and blog, which to me before all seemed quite challenging.
Our thriller also represents social groups. There is a stalker who we immediately assume is male, stereotyping men as stalkers. The other representation is the sister and the boy. Most people would see it as a young teenage mother and child. The audience will obviously see it differently to what I see it because they immediately want to stereotype everyone they see.

The ideal audience for this thriller would be for anyone really, preferably for people over the age of 18 though as the may be some scenes in the thriller that may not be suitable for younger viewers. Anyone over the age of 60 I think would not really enjoy this type of film, the ideal age would be someone in there early to mid twenties. A typical person who fits into our target audience would be ‘Claire 20 is at university studying to be a primary school teacher and loves adding new DVD’s to her collection. Rather than being out every night she would rather snuggle up at home with some popcorn and watch a good movie.’ Or possibly ‘ Dave 26, works in retail and enjoys playing football on Saturdays, but also likes going to the cinema and watching a good scary film, his favorite type of films are horror thrillers. These kind of ideal people who fit our target audience seem more like working class to middle class people rather than upper class.

If this thriller was to be distributed, I do not think it would be a big Hollywood blockbuster. I think it would only be seen and heard of is if it went straight to DVD release. If it was a big movie it would be in the cinema at least however films do not have to be shown in the cinema to be big hits. Films such as football factory proved this theory, as this film went straight to DVD release and is still a very popular film today. Rather than be a well known film all over the world and in Hollywood I think that this type of film will only be well known over in Britain.

To attract our target audience rather than have a big Hollywood star I think just having a famous British actor will suite the film nicely. To advertise the thriller I think it would most likely be advertised on television and on billboards. As its not a big Hollywood blockbuster there would be no need for it to be advertised in the cinema, it will not be known worldwide because of the advertising we
would be using however it would still be known.

Overall I think that making the thriller was a big success and went really well. Watching other thrillers such as ‘The shining’ really helped as well. When watching this film we focused on the things that would keep us on the edge of our seats buzzing with anticipation. These things were things such as chilling music, close ups of the face, extreme close ups of eyes and extreme long shots to show that the characters in the film are alone as there is no one else around them. By learning about these aspects and what affect they have on the audience it helped us to decided which ones to put in our thriller. Just like ‘The shining’ our thriller had the chilling music and the close ups that keep you on the edge of your seat and asking for more. Without having studied other thrillers and taken a closer look into what a thriller must include I do not think that making our thriller would have been achievable.