Evaluation - Question Seven

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


Before planning and filming our thriller sequence we decided to carry out a preliminary task whereby we filmed a very short and simple clip. We decided on a simple narrative , a piano lesson and with two class members acting we filmed a short clip whereby we tried to include as many cinematography techniques as possible before editing the clip on the software we would use for our media product.

The aim of the preliminary task was to become familiar with the camera and settings on it such as the zoom, delete and play buttons. The task would also allow us to get used to using the tripod and filming several different camera shots and angles that we had never attempted to film before and would look effective in our thriller sequence. The task was important to carry out because we had not worked with any of the equipment that we would later use to film before. We needed to learn how to before we created the final product so we would be prepared and be able to prevent some problems that may occur. We learned how to operate the camera on a tripod, how to create certain cinematography techniques such as a long close up and midshot. We also learned what was easy and what was hard about filming so we discovered what we would have to consider when filming our sequence such as the camera being blurry or out of focus. We overcame this by holding a blank piece of paper in front of the lense which helped the camera to focus so we know to do this if we are faced with the same problem when filming our opening sequence.

We learned that the camera picks up the sounds of surroundings easily so when filming we would have to remain silent except for sound that we intend on including. For example, we will try not to film near a busy road or talk when filming to avoid hearing cars or voices in our shots. In terms of the narrative and characters, the actors should not look into the camera lense when filming because it can look unprofessional and unnatural so we made sure to let our actors know not to look at us when we filmed out thriller sequence. A main idea we got from filming the preliminary task was that we should use as many cinematography techniques as possible as it would compliment our narrative most effectively and make the sequence appear more interesting.


In terms of skills to use when creating the full product, we learned how to record and edit using a specific camera and editing software which made creating our media product easier because we were able to reach our desired effects for our sequence without a software or camera that made editing or filming too time consuming. This is because both the camera and Final Cut Pro X are relatively simple and easy to operate so we were able to use them both easily quite quickly after practising with the preliminary task.  Learning how to use a tripod and secure the camera to it was useful because it kept the camera steady during shots.


We also learned how to film a variety of different cinematography shots and angles that we could use to create certain effects in our opening sequence such as an over the shoulder shot which is effective in showing the audience clearly who is speaking and who they are talking to. We created this shot by positioning the camera on the tripod just behind one of our characters shoulders and pointing to the other character. This showed some of the back of one character and most of the front of the other so the audience can view the conversation between them.

Another example would be creating a close up shot. We pointed the camera towards the actors hands as she played the piano and then used a button on the camera to zoom in and focus. We made sure this shot was steady by slowly using the zooming in button to focus on one particular object or person. A panning shot was given height by attaching the camera to the tripod and adjusting the settings so that the camera was sat high. We then filmed very slowly and steadily in order to make sure that the shot would not turn out 'jerky'. After filming we learned how to cut and crop each shot correctly before adding transitions to it so that the sequence as a whole ran smoothly as if it was one shot.

I found it hard to film a panning shot at first because it kept appearing unsteady but we continued to practise and filmed the panning shots slowly with the tripod which worked well and improved the steadiness. Another angle that was difficult to film was a long shot because we did not have much room. This made us consider the amount of space we would need to give ourselves when filming our product.

 Overall, the preliminary task proved to be helpful in preparation with filming our sequence because it let us practise using the equipment and test camera techniques. We could also discover problems or issues that we may have encountered in filming our final media product and therefore we could prepare and decide how to overcome or prevent them.

Evaluation - Question Six

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

Evaluation - Question Five

How did you attract/address your audience?



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To produce my opening thriller sequence, I first had to carry out a lot of primary and secondary research. Primary research such as questionnaires and vox pops are important because they allow you to see what your target audience finds to be successful and unsuccessful in a thriller film. This helps you to consider what to include in your own.


Secondary research was carried out first. I started off by researching and analysing previous thriller products so I could see what worked well in all of them, get inspiration and ideas for my own and outline the strengths and weaknesses in each thriller. I also looked into age certificates to figure out what my target audience would be. This helped my group because it let us know who our product would be aimed at.




Then I researched narrative theory before completing questionnaires. We decided to follow Aristotle's narrative theory which states that a sequence should focus on themes which include an inciting incident, a dramatic question, a character goal, a protagonist and antagonist, stakes, a resolution and elements of sympathy and empathy. We planned to include as many of these in our sequence as possible. The inciting incident is that the antagonist was abused because it shows the audience why he is mentally unstable. Dramatic questions include: will the victim escape and why is the antagonist doing what he is doing? Character goals vary for the different characters; for the antagonist the character goal is to relive the anger and pain that his mother has caused for him by killing victims that resemble her appearance. The victims goal is simply to escape and survive.


The antagonist in the sequence is a psychological serial killer and the protagonist is the victim. Stakes that our sequence will explore are the young victims lives and how many the killer kills before he gets caught. The audience feels sympathy and empathy for the victim because they know that they are innocent and doubt that they will escape.  Sympathy is further felt but for the antagonist. As the audience discovers the reasons of his murders and the truth of his upbringing they begin to feel sorry for him. My group has decided to follow this theory because it is the most conventional to a thriller film and our opening sequence includes all of the points that the theory highlights. The narrative theory showed us what aspects of a narrative are successful in a thriller and gave us some guidelines to follow when creating our own narrative.


Once we decided on a narrative theory we started to create a questionnaire and present it to members of our target audience. We started off asking questions regarding their age and gender so we had an idea of who our target audience would be. Most of the sample we questioned were aged 18+ and we had an equal number of males and females. We then went on to ask questions that could inspire our opening sequence. We asked them what their favourite thriller film was so we could analyse it for inspiration. We found that the most popular thriller film was The Conjuring.


We also asked our sample what sub genre of thrillers they prefer and most answered with psychological thrillers. This is why we chose to base our media product in that sub genre.





The questionnaires were filled out by members of our target audience. This was useful because we could now see what our audience would expect and want to see from a thriller sequence, also giving us guidelines to follow. We created vox pops by filming members of our target audience as we presented them with the questionnaire and they gave us answers. This was useful as it gave us informative and qualitive data.


After analysing and annotating other media products, I decided to begin to plan my own with my group. We planned micro-elements like the sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene and editing.

When planning we thought about the previous research we had carried out in order to make our thriller as successful as possible. Research helped me plan my media products because it outlined useful conventions to use, strengths and weaknesses to consider and me ideas and inspirations to use for the narrative or costumes for example. Ideas and inspirations I received from research include hiding the identity of the antagonist, using an isolated setting, presenting gender roles in a stereotypical way and using sound, lighting or cinematography to create suspense, shock and surprise.

Evaluation - Question Four

Who would be the audience for your media product?

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Target audience is important to consider when creating a media product because you need to understand who you are creating the product for in order for it to be percieved most effectively. For example, a thriller film should not be advertised for young children as it would be too frightening for them.
The BBFC rates a film either a U, PG, 12, 12A, 15 or 18. My group chose to rate our film a 15 as anyone under the age of 15 may find the content of our sequence unsettling or disturbing. The media product we created features violence and frightening scenes that could be too scary for a younger audience.This is because the sequence includes strong violence and discrimitary behaviour as the narrative is based on an aggressive serial killer and his victims are all female and similar in appearance. However, our sequence has no references to drugs or sex and the violence is not very strong or sadistic. Also the infliction of pain  is not dwelled on. Because of these reasons, the film should not be rated higher than a 15 because it is not too disturbing for that age group but it should not be shown to those under that age.
Having an idea of the age of your audience helps you to create content that will be successful for that audience in particular.The rating of  a film allows potential viewers to decide whether or not they will watch the film or allow their children to. My sequence appeals to my target audience because the victim may be similar to them in terms of age and innocence. Also the narrative may appeal to them because it is suspenseful and shocking.
We planned to use certain micro-elements in our sequence in order for it to appeal to our target audience and keep them interested. There was sound throughout our entire sequence, meaning although there were parts of it that were quieter than others, it was never silent. This was successful in creating different effects and atmospheres for the audience. We used underlying childlike music to create a creepy and disturbed atmosphere surrounding the media product and a loud sudden bang when the antagonist turned round to shock and frighten the viewer.
We tried to use as many cinematography techniques as possible. These include low angle shots which make the antagonist appear threatening to the audience and high angle shots which make the victim appear vulnerable and weak. Close-ups are also used to focus on iconography or an action etc. For example, when the victim is untying her hands or when objects in the house are introduced,
The most successful editing technique we used would be the reaction shot of the antagonist. He is circling pictures on his wall when he hears the door slam as his victim escapes. The slamming of the door causes him to hastily turn around and face the camera in a sudden movement. This could make the audience jump as it is a sudden and slightly unexpected movement.
We considered all elements of mise-en-scene in order to make our sequence as effective as possible. In terms of costume and makeup, we dressed the victim in white and antagonist in black which highlighted her innocence and vulnerability and his dark and evilness. However he was wearing a white mask which signified his innocence during childhood. We used setting and iconography also. The sequence was located in a dark and abandoned setting which created suspense and elements of danger and panic because it made it less likely that the victim would escape or find help. An example of iconography featured would be the photographs that were stuck on a wall in the antagonists house. They were of his previous victims which were all crossed out but one, which was being circled. This told the narrative to the audience so they understood that he was a serial killer, those were his previous victim and the last circled picture was his next victim.
The body language of the antagonist was kept strong and bold throughout to portray him as confident and strong while his facial expressions were hidden behind his mask. This made him appear emotionless and unsympathetic which further portrays him as a psychopath. It also makes the audience wonder what he looks like and what he is thinking. On the other hand, the victims body language and facial expressions appear desperate, weak and overall frightened.
The lighting and colours were used to create various effects. The low-key lighting creates a sharp contrast between the light and dark areas. This creates shadows which portray mystery and danger as well as framing the facial expressions of the victim and therefore emphasising on her fear. The dark tones of the lighting create a mysterious, somber and dramatic mood. Further connotations are created by the colours of the clothes. The black and white of the contrasting characters costumes portray good and evil and life and death. The red that is seen on the antagonist shoes is also effective as it suggests blood and danger which foreshadows what will happen to the victim, suggesting she is going to be killed.

Evaluation - Question Three

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

Evaluation - Question Two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The old family photograph

There are only two main characters present in my thriller sequence; the antagonist and the victim. The antagonist is played by a male friend Eddie Woodley while the victim was played by one of my group members Kerry Boyne. The antagonist is a young male who has experienced a traumatising childhood that has left him psychologically damaged and led him to become a serial killer. Our narrative explains that the killer murders young girls with dark hair because they remind him of his mother who also had dark hair. We portrayed this by creating a mid shot of an old family photograph of a mother with a child and the mother had very dark hair.

The antagonist

The abandoned house

The antagonist wears dark, scruffy clothing and a plain white mask to conceal his face. The dark colours of his clothes represents the evil in him while the whiteness of his mask represents his innocence as a child. Similarily, the victim wears a white dress to portray her innocence and vulnerability. Her hair is dark like all of the killers previous victims and she is younger than him which further highlights her vulnerability. He lives in an abandoned house located in an isolated forest and has become twisted and psychopathic due to his disturbing childhood. It is made clear that the mother is behind the reason of his unsettling childhood due to the eerie old photograph of her that is shown near the beginning of the opening sequence. The audience can then see that he must have a hatred for women who resemble his mother as all of his previous victims have had dark hair like hers. We know this because there are five images of each of his victim hung on a wall in the abandoned house. Four of the pictures are crossed out which suggests that they have already been killed previously yet there is one image that is being circled which suggests she is next.

The victim

The image being circled is of Kerry, who plays the most recent of the serial killers victims in our media product. She is an average girl with no relation to the killer. She is young an innocent and has been targeted, stalked and captured by the antagonist purely because of her hair colour that represents his mother. She has been kidnapped and tied up by the serial killer and is left to wake up in the abandoned house. She becomes aware other surroundings and understands that she will not survive if she does not attempt to escape so she unties herself and runs away.

Strong body language

Frightened facial expressions

While the antagonist shows no facial expressions, the victim portrays exaggerated frightened ones to show her fear and anxiety. This is also conveyed by her body language which is feeble and scared. However, the antagonists body language is strong and bold to represent his confidence and knowledge that he will eventually capture her. We chose these two characters because we believe that it is most effective when two characters heavily contrast each other. One is male, dominant, emotionless, confident and wears dark clothing while the other is female, vulnerable, scared, innocent and wears white clothing. The white clothing has connotations of innocence and childhood which induces that the victim has done nothing wrong in order to get where she is. It was purely bad luck and determination from the antagonist that caused her to be kidnapped.  The representation of innocence is emphasised further when the victim is shown tiptoeing through the house and out of the door before escaping. The child-like mannerisms portray her fear as she is walking very slowly in order to stay quiet and undetected by the antagonist.

High angle shot of the victim 

The victim possesses representations such as vulnerability which is due to the fact that she is an average naive girl who has found herself in danger. She is confused and frightened by her new surroundings and situation and knows that all she wants is to escape. The audience know that the antagonist is a serial killer and therefore has killed several times before which suggests that he is likely to achieve in killing this victim just like the others. The use of cinematography represents the victim as inferior and weak compared to the killer. This is shown through a high angle shot that represents her as vulnerable and small.

Furthermore, the victim is represented as alone and isolated. This is portrayed by showing the abandoned house in the middle of the forest at the start of the scene using a panning shot before the victim is introduced. This reveals to the audience that no one else is around to see, hear or help her and that she has been isolated with the killer. The victim being a female  has representations of her being weaker and less able than the antagonist who is a male. This suggests she is likely to get killed. We portrayed this representation by creating a steadicam of her panicked running through the forest and juxtaposing it with a long shot of the antagonists bold powerful walk.

The antagonist is represented as dominant as he is portrayed as in control of the situation throughout. For example, when the victim escapes he is confident in himself that he will catch her and bring her back to the house. We can tell this because of his slow powerful walk that follows her as she runs away desperately. Another representation of the character is manipulative and obsessive which are both characteristics of a psychopath and conventional to the psychological thriller sub-genre. The audience can see he is obsessive due to the fact that he has several photographs of his victims on the wall. This proves that he is obsessed with the idea of killing to release the hatred he has for his mother. It also proves that he is a serial killer and has killed several times before; stalking, taking pictures and planning carefully the murder of each victim.

The antagonist is portrayed as powerful also which was achieved my an over the shoulder shot of him circling an image of his next victim. This shows him controlling the situation and planning what he will do to the next victim while she has no choice as he is more dominant and powerful. Furthermore, the killer is represented as frightening and scary as both the victim and audience are afraid of him and threatened by him. This is demonstrated by an over the shoulder shot of the victim running from the antagonist in the forest. The shot shows fearful facial expressions on the victims face which is paired with  the non diegetic heart beat which represents the fear of the audience and the victim.

The gender roles are presented in a stereotypical way because they are conventional to a thriller because women or child victims are found to be more effective when used in a thriller film as they seem more weak and vulnerable which makes it less likely that they will escape and the audience understands this which make them feel more sympathetic and stressful. This tells us it would be less threatening to use a male as a victim because there is a higher chance that he would escape as he would be portrayed as less vulnerable. Because of this we decided to use a male as the antagonist as they are generally perceived as more threatening killers.

The target audience for my thriller is teenagers and young adults which is why my sequence is rated an  age certificate of fifteen. The victim appeals to the target audience because she is in the same age group. This makes the audience believe that she is similar to them and therefore they put themselves in her position because they feel like it could be them. As a result this makes them feel more empathetic towards her because they feel as though she is similar to them and that they could be in her position one day. The antagonist is slightly older than most of the target audience which will instantly make him more threatening and dominant to them as he has authority in terms of age. this makes the audience believe he is stronger and more powerful than them which therefore makes them feel more frightened of him.

I decided to include these representations in my media product because I believed that they made it conventional to the thriller genre. This means the opening sequence would be more successful in provoking shock, suspense and surprise in the audience as well as creating elements of enigma. In terms of the victim and her representation of innocence, I believed it would allow the audience to relate to her and the opening sequence overall as innocence is a strong theme represented throughout in both characters. The fear and worry of the audience is increased as they wonder whether she will escape and hope that she will as they know she has doing nothing wrong to be in the situation she is in. The victim's representation of vulnerability helps the audience to build a relationship with her as they feel sympathetic towards her and want to be able to help her escape but know they cannot. This is mostly because they either feel they themselves can relate to her or they believe someone they know can relate to her. Both of these representations engage the audience as they want to know is she will escape.

The victim is a female and the representations that come with this stereotype (vulnerable, weak, inferior etc.) are conventional to a thriller film. This is because it is stereotypical for a girl to be weaker and slower than a male and this therefore makes it more difficult for her to
overpower him or escape from him. The audience knows this and therefore becomes more fearful on the victims behalf. I decided to include my representations of the antagonist for several reasons also. Dominance as a representation, allowed the audience to feel threatened and inferior compared to the antagonist and so they would therefore relate to the victim more as they would feel sympathetic and build a relationship with her. This makes them more fearful and anxious as they wait for the outcome of the opening sequence; they are frightened that the antagonist will kill the victim and want her to escape. The representations of manipulation and power were included because they both inform the audience that the antagonist is in control which in turn makes them more fearful of him. This makes him appear stronger and superior so he is likely  able to hurt and kill the victim which is what the audience is scared will happen.

Representing the antagonist as frightening worked well because it would allow the audience to relate to the victim in terms of fear felt. Because the viewer would feel similar to the victim they would put themselves in her shoes which further increases their fear of the antagonist and makes the sequence more suspenseful, shocking and surprising to watch overall.

Evaluation - Question One

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

Antagonist from Scream

Antagonist from my media product

My media product uses conventions of real media products such as 'Scream', a 1996 thriller film. In 'Scream', the antagonist wears a mask to conceal his identity. Hidden identity is conventional to a thriller film for several reasons; it means the antagonists emotions are hidden from the audience, disallowing them to form a relationship with them. This creates enigma as they do not know much about the killer, what he looks like, his emotions or intentions and they are therefore led to wonder what he is thinking and what he will do next. Also, the identity being hidden by a mask creates suspense. This is because the mask suggests that the antagonist is a serial killer who is likely to kill again and again. This is supported by the fact that 'Scream' has several sequels.

Hannibal Lecter

 Conventions from my media product 'Targeted.' can relate and be compared with convention from a series of thriller films about Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer. One film from this series goes by the name of 'Silence of The Lambs'. Both 'Silence of The Lambs' and 'Targeted.' feature a serial killer who is twisted, psychologically damaged and unpredictable. This appears frightening to the audience as the unpredictability and ruthlessness of the antagonist makes them wonder what will happen and what the killer will do next. This is because the disturbed behaviour of the killer is unusual and therefore uncomfortable for the audience to watch.

My antagonist with pictures of his victims

A shot designed to frighten the audience

In my sequence, the antagonist is shown to be pychologically damaged when childhood photographs appear on the screen of his mother with an aged film filter. This added a dark and slightly twisted feeling to the photograph that was of a mother and a child. The audience will notice that the mothers hair is the same colour as the serial killers victims. This shows him to be twisted and disturbed which is further highlighted when photographs of victims are shown on a wall as the antagonist has crossed them off and is circling one. This unravels part of the narrative; the man is a serial killer and has murdered several victims in the past and is about to kill again. This creates suspense as the audience know what he is about to do next.  At the end of this scene the killer turns his had sharply to suddenly face the camera. This will surprise and frighten them.

However, unlike 'Silence of The Lambs', my opening sequence features the antagonist regularly. In 'Silence of The Lambs', Hannibal Lector is only shown for sixteen minutes throughout the entire film despite the character proving to be successful and conventional to the genre, provoking fear in the audience. The film could have been a lot more effective if the serial killer was featured more regularly to frighten the audience. Because of this I focused my narrative and opening sequence mostly on the serial killer, his life and his background story rather than making him a secondary character like Hannibal in 'Silence of The lambs'. As a result, more creepy and disturbed characteristics of my antagonist is shown to the audience which makes the media product more dramatic and scary for the viewer.

Other conventions in my thriller include the location it was filmed in. My group decided to set our media product in an abandoned house in the middle of a forest because we believed this would appear more frightening to the audience. Feedback from our target audience proved this to be true as they thought that it was conventional for a thriller to take place in an abandoned or isolated location because it makes them believe that the victim has less chance of escaping if no one else is present or nearby. This makes the victim appear more vulnerable and the audience fears more for them which as a result increases the suspense.

In 'Targeted.' the victim is portrayed as isolated throughout. Besides the fact that the only other character in the sequence is the antagonist, she is first shown tied up alone in an abandoned house. She escapes from the house but then finds herself alone ina  forest before the antagonist catches up and again she is in a place with seemingly no one else but the killer.

The victim in my thriller sequence is female and the antagonist is male. This is conventional to a thriller film because a female victim is perceived to be a lot more vulnerable compared to a male victim. This is especially true when the antagonist is a male as they are portrayed as more dominant and threatening killers than female antagonists. This helps the audience build a relationship with the female victim because they feel more sympathetic towards them when they are shown as more vulnerable. Also, the viewer feels more sympathetic towards the victim when they disbelieve that she will escape. This makes them want her to escape even more, building tension and suspense and then provoking pathos when she does not escape.

I provoked this feeling of sympathy from the audience in my thriller in several different ways. The strong and bold mannerisms of the antagonist suggest that he knows he will eventually capture the victim as he always does, making the audience believe that he is too strong and fast for the victim to escape. All of the antagonist victims have been female which adds to the fact that he is more dominant and powerful than them because none of them have escaped.

Another way we decided to portray vulnerability and dominance in the characters through conventions was to use cinematography techniques. Using a high angle shot looking down on the victim made her appear more vulnerable and innocent while using a low angle shot looking up at the antagonist made him appear more dominant and threatening. Again, this allows the audience to feel more sympathetic towards the victim and suspenseful about her safety while they feel more frightened and vulnerable themselves compared to the antagonist. The vulnerability created in the audience also helps them relate and put themselves in her point of view.

Low key lighting is conventional to the thriller genre which is why we decided to use it throughout the sequence. It highlights the shadows and exaggerates frightened facial expressions of the victim while conotating that the antagonist is hidden in the darkness or that he has secrets that are hidden.Low-key lighting is used mainly in the forest as the antagonist chases the vicitm.