Our product largely adheres to the conventions of real media products, following the high production values however crosses to the traditional medical television drama. However our media product does not demonstrate or present the high production values, high budget to spend on elaborate mise-en-scene and casting. Instead we used what we were able to achieve, mimicking the use of lighting and creating an authentic mise-en-scene. Our thriller follows the conventions of a real media product as it focuses upon a complex and unravelling narrative in which through the use of cross-cutting, the audience has privileged knowledge and awareness of the conclusion. Unlike real media products our media product is in isolation as we do not produce the following scene and therefore differing in style, content and structure to a real media product
(See blog post 'Overview and evaluation of the finished product')
2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In our media product we present stereotypes of different social groups. We present the elderly people within the retirement as vulnerable and helpless against the doctor. This is a negative predictable stereotype which we have focused upon to emphasise them as being defenceless. We also explored gender issues, by using a male figure as the powerful doctor and a female as our main victim. As the doctor was a male, this portrayed the stereotype that men have more power over women and are physically stronger that they are able to take their life, as women being less equal and powerful to men. By using the role of the doctor, we portrayed that doctors, we have significant trust in them that they are able to take the lives of the patients/victims without them comprehending.
3. What kind of media instituion might distribute your media product and why?
A media institution that might distribute our media product, I believe would be either a British film maker or a television drama series distributed over a series of weeks. We decided that our film would not be produced by Hollywood, because we did not use a big budget and neither used professional a list actors. Our mise-en-scene was neither elaborately decorated, but was dressed to make our thriller product appear authentic. Either a British Film Industry or Television Drama would distribute our media product because we do not fulfil the grand spectacle which is expected by the Hollywood film industry.
(See blog post 'Evaluation of the institution producing the thriller'.)
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for any media product would need to be carefully considered to ensure the commercial success of the project. Our thriller sequence would most likely to appeal to a television drama audience who would respond to the authentic mise-en-scene and the believability of the actors. Our audience would be traditionally middle aged, predominately male accessing the media product terrestrially during peak time, after watershed hours of 9pm. Our audience would also enjoy having a voyeristic view-point, overlooking the pain of the victims.
(See blog post 'Evaluation of Target Audience')
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
We evaluated our audience's expectations and delivered a production style that fulfilled and gratified this through the conventions of film.
(See blog post 'Account of what is a thriller', 'Evaluation of Target Audience')
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout this course i have learnt about the importance of accurate technical excution and the following of important audio-visual conventions that have been employed by film makers to ensure continuity and a adherence to moderately high production values. I have also learnt about modern film making's dependance upon digitgal technologies at both the shooting and the editing process.
(See blog posts 'Evaluation of our Pre-production process', 'Account of Shooting our Preliminay Task', 'Account of Editing our Preliminary Task' and 'Reviewing our Shoot')
7.Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product.
For our premilinary task our objective was to produce a basic sequence that employed continuity editing principles, ignoring the need to carefully dress the mise-en-scene, brief the actors and light the space effectively, but we just followed a script and edited the scene accordingly learn the technicalities of the camera and process of editing. This premilinary task was very one dimensional. However, when shooting our media product we were very organised following as closely as possible the high professional practices employed by television and film in each stage of production, which we had built up over the duration of our course. This involved a significant extra planning and organisation well in advance of the shooting day. We produced a shooting schedule to ensure that we captured all shots, prior to shooting we went on a reccy of our location to ensure the retirement lounge was authentic, used appropriate costume for the doctor and the nurses and props, such as tea pots and medical equipment to make the product have a significant degree of believibility.
I feel that between the course of shooting and editing my preliminary task to the media product, i have learnt the necessity of organisation, to ensure that on the shoot day, there was no difficulty in capturing all the shots and that the whole day was to run smoothly.
(See blog posts 'Evaluation of our Pre-production process', 'Reviewing our shoot', 'Overview and Evaluation of Final Product', 'Account of shooting preliminary task' 'Account of Editing Preliminary task')
The audience feedback on you-tube of our final product has been generally been quite positive. I agree with some elements of the construction criticism but believe that our final product was successful and I am very proud of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRWVeCeXJA&feature=channel_page
Several critical comments were made about our choice in the music in our final product:-
“The music dosent suit the actual piece.”
“…not sure the music really goes with it very well.”
We initially thought that the music over our product should be classical as though it represented the music that the doctor would listen to, however, we changed this decision in which I believe works because it heightens the unusual aspect of the film. However, one critic believed that the music “seems quite an wiered chose but it works really well.” This is what we intended from this choice of music, we wanted to unnerve the audience to generate fear and surprise from the piece.
I am pleased with the positive feedback from the audience about our wash-over after effects.
“.. the after effects are really effective.”
“i really liked the wash effect all though it did make it a little unclear as to what the story line was.”
Hurtwoodhousemedia
“i like the water effect over the footage.”
I am encouraged by the positive response because I also think that this works well in the piece because like the music it generates tension as it does not make it completely clear what is occurring. I agree that it does make it “a little unclear”, but however, I foresee this as being positive, because we, the audience, have close proximity and sympathise with the eldery as patients, to whom are also unaware of what is happening.
