Original shooting schedule

 Below is the initial plan for our shooting schedule.

Casino Royale Poster

Below is a poster we created and annotated with how the opening of Casino Royale uses conventions of the Noir thriller, through the use of it's camera angles, shot types, lighting and general mise-en-scene.

How does Sin City use voice overs to establish the tone of film noir?

The opening of Sin City uses language to immediately set the tone and scene of the film, indicating it's genre, and themes throughout the rest of the film.
The voice over is of an American man, with a masculine husky voice, narrating the scene before the audience in a first person monologue, giving a detailed description of what he is doing, and what he is thinking. These are already heavily saturated in Noir conventions, as usually the character that is first introduced to us, is a man, and we are given some insight into what he has done, what he is thinking, or what he is doing. This is a theme present in older Noir films such as Double Indemnity where the audience are immediately first introduced to a male character, giving a speech about a crime he has committed, and it is through this that the audience are first aware of the immoral nature and ominous tones present within the film.
As well as this, the most important way in which the voice over suggests that it belongs to that of the Noir genre, is through the language and actions of the character. The audience are informed of the sophistication and the males seemingly high intellectual abilities through his well spoken voice, and immaculate grammar, that he is a man belonging to that of a higher class, which is again a common theme of the Noir genre, as it usually features the corruption and criminality within the upper class.
The opening Protagonist uses lines such as "I've been watching you for days" which the audience are aware has an ambiguous underlying tone, that he could simply mean he has taken an interest in her and noticed her recently, or that he has actively been watching her, but she is drawn in by his charm and deceivingly good looks, and as a result killed. This man takes on the features of the femme fatale almost in this clip, using his charm and physical appearance to lure her into a false sense of security, so that she is unaware to the dangers of being in his presence.  
By the use of voice over, it also shows the complex and developed character roles so commonly used within the Noir genre, for example, once engaging in conversation with the woman in a striking red dress, and seeing her vulnerability, he appears a gentleman, offering her cigarettes and an embrace, and then goes greatly in detail describing the woman in a fond manner, using lines such as "Her perfume is sweet promise that she brings tears to my eyes" which gives the audience the impression that he is greatly fond, and infatuated with her, and therefore happy to see the characters passionately involved, and whilst doing so, he kills her. This makes the audience ponder over whether he is an assassin who has a 'kind' way of killing his clients, or if he is simply a twisted man who likes to bring others false hope  before crushing any chance of them having a better life, either way, it certainly reflects the idea of moral ambiguity within characters from the opening sequence.
This event of the killing immediately sends the audience into a sense of confusion, and alarm, realising that they too had fallen for the typical narrative set up that we are so used to seeing in the mainstream box office, such as as the helpless beautiful woman being 'saved' by a masculine heroic man. By doing so, it makes the audience question all of the characters and events they see, speculating their true purpose and cause, setting the feeling of distrust and suspicion up from the beginning, as well as a more complex and real narrative, again all key traits within the Noir genre.

Question 6- What have you learnt about technologies in the process of constructing this product?

Research and Planning
Technology has enabled us access to a wide range of media information, from websites such as IMDB for facts on films, to finding clips of Youtube, to peoples personal film blogs. This has made researching and planning our thriller easier, with the internet allowing us to have almost infinite access of resources for us to use to inspire us and influence our decision making.
For example, with the development of Youtube, when needing evidence of a genre which we were personally unfamiliar with, Youtube gave us suggestions to videos which may be of use, allowing us to find more relevant evidence quicker to support our research as well as introducing us to filming techniques, shot types, narrative or character portrayal that would influence our own media product. As well as this, it enabled us to watch previous students productions through the schools Youtube channel, as well as other small films, uploaded by any member of the general public that was relevant to the thriller genre, to influence our ideas and planning.

Another way in which technology has influenced our process of making our thriller, is through the use of Blogger itself. Blogger is a website which I was before unfamiliar with, and have over the course began to become more familiar and comfortable with using it to express my ideas. It is, in my opinion, an easier, more practical, more reliable way of displaying coursework, rather than the traditional method of writing coursework.
 This is because of many practical issues, such as there is not the problem of loosing the coursework, as all blog posts are kept separate, and so even if one post is accidently deleted, the others would remain secure. 
Also, by using blogger to present coursework,

A print Screen taken from my blog to show the variety
of Media forms I have been able to use on my blog.

 it allows me to use a variety of different visual forms that cannot be shown in other methods, such as simply written, for example, youtube videos can be embedded to support my point. It gave us as media students the ability to use our creativity and give us a free reign on how to express our ideas in a way that suited as individuals. For example, I often when draughting ideas use mind maps to organise concepts, and therefore was able to create and embed Prezi's to display my thought process, or when I wanted to organise my work in a visually different way, would sometimes create and upload slide shows.
As well as this, It gave all media students an opportunity to watch the process of other media students, as we all developed our thriller, meaning that we could use other peoples blogs as a source of guidance if in need.
By having a public blog, it also enabled others to leave feedback on our work so that we could improve it in an quick and easy way to strengthen our points. By having an online blog, it meant that it was easier for me as a student, as I could access it from a multitude of locations, from home, to school, to libraries, so that I had more time to work on my blog as I did not need to pre-plan having to do the work, like I would if I was doing it writtenly, by ensuring I had my notes, and physical coursework, but instead know my blog was readily available to me.

During this process, as well as being introduced to new websites such as Prezi and Scribd, I have learnt how to use HTML to embed other resources, or my own products onto my blog. Previously, this was something I had great difficulty understanding, but once I understood the basic concepts, am now comfortable and confident in using, which is a skill useful and relevant within the media industry.


Production
The progression of technology has changed the way in which we constructed the opening of our thriller. For example, we were able to record our thriller on a Canon HD camera which we borrowed from the school, which was light weight, and was of no expense to us, giving all potential film makers an opportunity to create and film a thriller,and at little expense to the school because of the reasonable price of digital cameras. Because of this, we were able to film our thriller in high quality, adding to the visual aesthetics and clarity of the picture improving our final product.

Because the camera itself was small and lightweight, it meant that it was easy to carry around, as we had to do lots of location scouting and filming in various locations, by having a light weight camera, it physically eased the process for us. As well as this, the digital video cameras we used also had a camera built in, so when we were location scouting, we could take photos on the same camera, which again eased our process as we did not have to carry around two cameras.
During the production stage, we learnt more about how to use the digital cameras from our preliminary task, learning how to angle different shots, to create a variety, such as the various tilt shots used.
Another benefit of using digital cameras in recording our footage, was that they were easy to use, so even those who struggle to get to grips with technology, were able to use them, simply pressing record, photo, or playback, or adjusting the shot itself via the zoom button, which were the only functions we needed to use and therefore made filming easier as everyone was able to film. 
The playback function was extremely useful when filming our thriller, as we learnt the importance of ensuring we had the right shots before finishing, which we learnt from our preliminary task, and therefore when we believed we had the right shots, before moving locations, we would watch some to ensure they were suitable. When shooting the dressing room scene, we watched our footage back, and realised that there was a difference in the colour of the shot, due to the lighting, and therefore had to re-shoot some shots. However, this was easier than not realising until viewing the footage on a computer, and then having to go back and re shoot and re-construct the dressing room again, whereby we would have to re-shoot the entire sequence as it is unlikely we'd be able to get exactly the same lighting again.
The final piece of technology which we used, was the SD card, to record our footage onto. By recording onto an SD card, it had many practical benefits, such as it is small, extremely light, and able to hold a large amount of files, as well as being waterproof and dust-proof  so that even if something happened to the camera, there was still a chance the footage we had we would be able to use. Because they were able to hold such a large capacity of storage, it didn't restrict us to the amount of footage we shot, unlike other previous more restricting methods, such as recording onto tapes did, although we still carried a spare SD card in case, which was not any extra burden because of its small nature, and effortless portability.
SD cards also conveniently slot directly into most computers, so that we were able to easily just transfer our files onto the main computer ready for editing.

Post Production





All of the stages above demonstrate the ways in which technology has influenced every process of film making, and how it has become more easy for the general public to create their own media products, empowering the democracy, as it is no longer only professional film makers, or those with substantial amounts of money who can make and distribute their films, but as the general public now generally carry media recording devices with them, and are able to easily upload them onto sites such as youtube, and then distribute them through social networking sites at no cost, it means that we are able to blur the boundaries between Professionals and Consumers, to become 'prosumers' as the audience are no longer generally passive figures who do not produce and contribute their own media products to the industry.

Changes we made based on feedback of our rough cut

To try to improve our thriller, we thought it was essential to ask other film makers and our potential audience of any improvements that they thought could or should be made to improve our thriller.

Sheet of feedback from our thriller.

By asking for feedback from others it outlined several issues which we did not even recognise as issues of concern, and therefore gave us a fresh insight on how to further improve our thriller.
To gather this feedback, we had others view our thriller and make notes for feedback.
For example, a key theme highlighted in the feedback sheets was the font that was used. Many said that the font didn't quite fit the thriller genre we were after, and based on this, decided to research and find another font. This was useful as I found deciding on a particular font difficult, and by being informed before our final cut was due in, I had time to rectify this.

Font used in our rough cut

 In addition to the font itself not fitting the genre well, many said the title of the film itself was not suited to the genre. For this reason, we decided to abolish the title, as it was not necessarily needed this early on in the film, but like many thriller films, it would be later introduced after an opening sequence, such as in Se7en whereby the titles do not begin until after 4 minutes, giving the audience time to be solely focused on the enigmas set in place.
As well as this, I already noticed from comparing my own thriller, to those of fellow media students that the titles were unevenly placed, varying in length, and did not therefore flow, and so I edited and adjusted the credits accordingly to look more appropriate in the final cut.

Font used in our final cut

The font was changed to Nite Club from the previous font, completely changing the impression of the opening of our film to one I believe more suited. The previous font was hard and stern, and gave the impression of a serious and plain film, compared to the latter font used, which reflects 1930's Hollywood glamour, a distinctive feature of Noir films.


Other changes I made, were the shot lengths of Ray, as in the Rough Cut, it seemed to be unclear to the audience who the man in the photograph was, and who the man who was pursuing Scarlett was. As it was too late to shoot more footage of Ray with Scarlett, we had to make do, by lengthening the time of the clips of Ray to give the audience longer to make the association between her husband and the person following her.

One final change that we felt needed to be made, was the ending of the film, as we didn't feel that we used the most appropriate footage to create enough tension, and therefore changed the last few clips used, as we felt that, especially the final clip whereby a gun shot is sounded, the part of the scene which was supposed to have the highest point of tension, seemed too relaxed. Therefore, we chose to add an ambiguous shape of Scarlett's shadow running up the stairs, rather than herself as we thought it would create another sense of enigma and add unease to the audience. 
We then chose the final shot of Scarlett, to one of a low angle shot, making Scarlett appear powerful and in control with a sense of interest and apprehensiveness, rather than the previous, where Scarlett was concealed within a doorway, looking extremely apprehensive and making her appear vulnerable, which is not how we wanted to portray Scarlett, as it portrays her as more of a victim than the Femme-Fatale bought to moral justice.

Whilst we did rectify accidental errors in our Rough cut, such as deleting accidental clips, when exporting our final cut, a fading transition was accidently deleted during the final few moments of the opening of our film, which was unnoticed, and which resulted in the skewing of the non diagetic sound of the bell, to the fades and final shots ,which was not noted until after our media product had been exported.

Question 5- How did you attract/address your audience?

Audiences consume different media texts for different reasons, which is why it is important when creating a film, to think about what will make the film appeal most to it's audience.

For example, some people consume films because of their style and aesthetic pleasures that they gain from viewing it, such as through costume, sets and props. This is a way in which we have particularly tried to appeal to our audience, as it is highly likely that a large percentage of our audience, are those who enjoy such aesthetics which are so beautiful presented in other similar Noir. We have tried to therefore cater to this section of our audience by choosing glamorous and aesthetically appealing Mise-en-scene, such as the glamorous characters we have created, to the appealing and enriching vintage style locations. As well as this, it is filmed in a stylish authentic Noir like way, using lighting and camera angles in an interesting way that appeals to our audience.

 For example, the composition of the shot when Scarlett is applying lipstick,uses the rule of thirds, allowing the audience to recognise that it is well shot and follows the genereal guidelines of film making. In addition, it produces a secondary reflection image that will appeal to those members of the audience who gain pleasure from such aestheticly pleasing shots, as it is visually engaging and glamorous to view.

All of the locations that we chose to use were also ones which we felt would appeal to those who viewed films because of their aesthetics. For example, all locations we chose were visually rich and interesting for the audience to consume, so that those looking for aesthetics would be satisfied by the content within the shot. For example, the shots where Scarlett leaves the house do not just close in on Scarlett, but allow the audience to explore her environment, and take in the interesting setting in which she is placed in, the deserted and aspiring spotless urban setting.

Another example of when we have used locations which we felt would appeal to our audience interested in the visual aspects of thrillers, were the shots by City Hall, which includes a prominent and dominating Vintage feeling building, with columns  street lamps, and a statement making stair case, all of which projected grandeur and elegance which are not so commonly featured in modern day thrillers, and may explain why our thriller would appeal to that kind of audience.

One exception to this is when we had to use a seemingly plain location, where we had to shoot the dressing room scene, however we tried to over come this, by using tight shots, which did not expose the plain and dull setting into which she actually is placed in, and fill the shots, mainly with Scarlett, the enigmatic, bold character, and make the audience focus on the establishment of character rather than the necessary visuals at this point.

Another element that we had to consider when planning our thriller, were the narrative pleasures that our audience would gain from watching our film, as one main reason that audiences consume a media text, is because of the interesting narratives, and without that, it risks loosing a large percentage of its audience.

This is where we had to carefully consider the narrative structure of our thriller, as we had to hold the audiences attention, set up and establish characters, settings, and story lines in just under two minutes. We decided from the offset that establishing character was always going to be the main aspect of importance within our thriller, but in order to maintain the audiences attention, we would have to use enigmas and build suspense to keep the audience focused and hooked into our thriller.

One of the ways in which we created enigmatic codes, is by not choosing to reveal Scarlett's entire face for half of the establishing sequence, which although does not seem long, is frustrating and puzzling to the audience, as it makes them want to find out who this person they are so carefully watching is, and why she is so steadily getting ready. We then drop more enigmatic elements into the scene, by showing the image with her husband, her caressing the photo as if in fondness, her reflecting emotions, and then her drastic slamming of the jewellery box, which once again makes the audience question

why she seems to feel guilty, and then what memory spurs such an emotion that makes her slam the jewellery box shut so drastically. The audience are constantly given more questions within the opening clip, such as where she is leaving, why she is going, who is following her, why is he following her, who is she meeting, but are not given any of the answers. These enigmatic hooks keep the audience involved, as they wish to carry on viewing the film to discover the answers to the questions they keep asking.

The cliffhanger at the end of the opening of the sequence is rather ambiguous as it is not entirely clear what happens to her, although the audience can presume that she was eventually shot and killed by her husband, but what happens after the cliff hanger, is a question that our target audience are bound to ask, and by using a cliffhanger within our opening clip, it made audience dwell on the ending, and contemplate theories to answer their own questions, meaning that our media product is not one so easily forgotten, impacting the audience for longer.

Some audiences also watch films because of Genre pleasures, choosing to specifically enjoy certain aspects of genres, and therefore take an interest and watch films because they are of the same genre to each other. For this reason, we decided to conform to the majority of Noir conventions to address our audience, as it is likely that our audience were choosing to watch our thriller, because it is a Noir film, which are a limited and narrow genre type, with few set conventions, meaning that it was likely that audiences were expecting certain Noir criteria when viewing our film, such as the most obvious, although not essential, characteristic as being put in black and white, which immediately gives the impression of an older Noir like film. As well as this, we used quirky camera angles, as expected, subverting stereo-types of characters, such as the stereo-typical passive damsel in distress women, and replacing them with roles such as the Femme-Fatale, along with the idea and theme of deceit and betrayal which are essential within Noir films.

When viewing a film, some audiences seek aid and comfort through being able to relate and share experiences with characters, gaining Representational pleasure from viewing a media text. However, because of our characters being in such unique circumstances, such as the fact they live in such a different society, are of the upper class, and living such a glamorous life, along with such extreme and dangerous intentions, it is highly unlikely that the audience are going to be able to relate to the characters much, meaning that it had potential to lack representational pleasure for the audience.

 However, in some aspects of our thriller we created characters that our audience aspired to be, through this high class society life style they seem to lead, in a beautiful house, in a beautiful area, and especially through the elegance , beauty, possessions, and seeming power (at the beginning) that Scarlett possesses makes the audience envy her, and her lifestyle. 

Having said that the audience may find it difficult to relate to the characters, the audience can draw real life concerns that they have which can be applied and drawn from our thriller, such as fears that our female audience can relate to, as being chased, or indeed hunted by men, which is a fear still very applicable in modern day society, which the audience can relate to. Another example of concerns that the audience may have, are that of men being lured by beautiful women, who will eventually cause him trauma and emotional distress, such as the character of Ray, who the audience see destroyed by the works of a woman, and again is a relevant modern day concern within some men, that a woman could lead to his downfall. It also means that those who were betrayed and are the victims of a broken marriage, can identify with the characters on some level, and begin to establish a strong personal connection between the characters and the audience, again making the impact of the film greater, as well as giving the audience the representational pleasures so many desire.

 By drawing on the audiences own personal fears and concerns, it makes the audience feel as if they are being directly approached and gives the film a more personal feel to the individual viewing the film.

Question 2- How does your media product represent particular social gFroups?

In our thriller we have both heavily conformed and subverted from the stereo-types of both men and women, choosing to portray them in a complex and subjective way to the audience. For example, we have played on the typical archetype and manipulated them in a way that is both similar and new to the audience.

The character of Scarlett is represented to the audience as the typical 1940's upper class woman, who is beautiful, extremely feminine, glamerous, and an object to the male gaze. This idea of the typical upper class 1940's women was extracted from our research into other such film Noirs, such as the 1946 Noir Gilda where the main character is presented as beautiful, desireable and enormously feministic.

We used this idea as a template for our own character, portraying similar characteristics to the audience through her costume, such as by wearing a striking red lace dress, fur coat, and make up to enhance her femininity all of which connote sophistication, and luxuriousness.

However, she seems to rely on her husband for financial support who flourishes her with gifts, such as those we see Scarlett wearing, and therefore presents Scarlett as a woman who has a trapped in limited role within her life, and is seen as merely an object of beauty to a man.This was the real representation of women during the time era in which this was set, as she is seen as merely a housewife of a rich and successful businessman. 

This portrays women as being weak and simplistic, finding pleasure in only materialistic matters in life, appearing perfectly happy as long as they are being spoilt with gifts.



Scarlett at a vulnerability because of her
husband.

Scarlett is also the woman who is the victim of the piece being followed and eventually killed by her husband, presenting women as eventually always the weaker and more vulnerable gender who if want to remain protected, should remain oppressed and subordinate to men.

Scarlett taking an active
role in her fate.

However, Scarlett does not conform to the role of victim, as she possesses several qualities which transform her into the Femme-Fatale, such as her deviant, secretive nature, and her double life as an attempt to escape the oppression and give her power within her situation. Although these divert from the typical stereo-types of women, they do perfectly conform to the Femme-Fatale role featured within so many Film Noir's. By presenting women in this way,it reminds the audience of the human nature that also occurs within women, to become powerful, independent, and rebelling, presenting them as more real meaning that the audience can relate to her as a character, rather than this stereo-typical idea which we are so used to consuming. Scarlett is also seen as the obviously more important character, as the opening slowly introduces this enigmatic, exciting woman whom all shots focus around, and she seems happy and comfortable taking centre stage, taking control of situations, such as taking an active role in deciding her fate by choosing to rebel and break out from what is expected from her and her stereo-type. This highlights her importance, as although Ray is the character who overall seems to be the most powerful, is featured very little in the opening of the thriller, taking time instead to establish Scarlett's character, suggesting that she is the character of main importance.



Ray appearing the loving husband.

Ray however is presented as a stereo-typical male, living in a patriarchal society, asserting his power over his wife, and punishing her when she does not follow his orders. However, we reveal the loving husband that he seems to be at the start of the clip, through the photo whereby the couple embraces, appearing to be happy and in love, resulting in the audience sympathising with Ray, and therefore do not see him as the villain because they understand that the actions of Scarlett are what drove him to committing such an atrocity. This therefore presents him as more human and in one perspective, weak, as he is so drastically affected by the notions of a woman, following her to try to prove to himself that she is the loyal and innocent wife who loves him, implying he truly did love and care about her and hurt her because of pure jealousy and the hurt that she has caused him, subverting from the previous idea that men only objectified women. It is also not stereo-typical as it does not present men to be continuously violent and careless, like shown in so many thriller films whereby they seem driven by an enjoyment for violence, and cause harm purely because of their own selfish power, or money, such as in Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels whereby men are driven by money, to commit what they regard as 'necessary evil.'

Class is another social group which we have consequently represented in our thriller through Scarlett and Ray, in their luxurious life style through the glamorous Mise-en-scene, presenting the white middle upper class as corrupt and immoral.

 This is an idea featured in many Noir films such as Laura a 1944 Noir film presenting the morally corrupt group of higher class society types, proving that lower classes weren't the only ones behind crime, as so commonly stereo-typed, but that the upper class whom many expect better of, are equally (if not more so) dangerous and untrustworthy. It presents class in another light to the audience, suggesting that the material matters are all just a front, to cover the unhappiness and un-fulfilment of many (especially women's) lives at the time.

Question 3- What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

What cinema would be most likely to exhibit our film?
As our film is a very art house styled Film Noir aimed at a  more artistic, stylised and matured audience we would not try to exhibit our film to a mainstream chain such as Vue or Odeon, as it is not a film that would interest the majority of its audience, and they would therefore be unlikely to distribute it, as they aim their films at the wider population with block buster movies such as Harry Potter which has a huge demographic audience, and is likely to sell tickets and make them a large profit. Where as Cinema City have distributed many art-house styled productions, tailored to its target audience  For example, many of the productions that they have shown have been the works of Working Title 2 and other such independent production companies which aim their films at a very independent and niche audience. For example, Cinema City are currently showing Alois Nebel which is a post-war German film, which is shown in Czech with subtitles, and is based on a graphic novel. This is a prime example of a film that is going to have a very small and particular audience, similar to our own thriller, and therefore it is likely that they may exhibit our thriller.
 Ways in which they do this is by targeting smaller groups directly, such as their 'Silver Screens' promotion which targets the over 60's by showing them a film that the cinema think will be of their interest and offering them free refreshments.

Gross profit by country of the film
'A fond Kiss'

 'A fond kiss' and 'Once' are good examples  to show independent niche films and their success internationally. Although they are not of the same genre, they are unique and shot to appeal to a small demographic audience similarly to our own. Both of these films were distributed by icon, and were both shown to be more successful in European countries than the UK and America. This would suggest that our own unique film will also be more successful and appeal more to a European market, focusing on distributing to countries such as France and Germany.

Gross profit by country of 'Once'

How could digital technologies offer new distribution opportunities?
With the rapid growth of the internet, it has bought with it a variety of new and arguably more effective way to distribute media products to its audience.
For example, social networking sites can now track at what else the user has been viewing, such as what websites they have been on, and what products they have viewed; this means that adverts and clips can be tailored to the individual, so that our thriller would reach the intended film enthusiasts, meaning that it is an effective way to distribute our product. In a similar way to this, Youtube find suggestions for the audience with regards to what to watch, based on what they have previously watched, so our audience of our thriller will be more likely to find our film because of they're personal taste in the specific genre Noir. In addition, online television and film streaming sites such as Love Film have set up an exclusive partnership with studio-canal, so that Love Film can distribute studio-canal films first through their online website. This would be an advantage to our thriller, as if it was to be distributed by Studio-Canal it would be an additional method used to distribute our film without any additional cost as the deal is already established. Because of this distribution deal, it would mean that it is more likely for our thriller to reach a larger percentage of our audience, as it is an international website which is appropriate and easily accessible for the majority of our audience , and as films are categorised, those looking for Noir, or independent Niche films will easily be able to do so, and with it our thriller.

Would your status as a student film-maker offer opportunities for distribution?
Being a student film-maker gives us the opportunity to enter student targeted film festivals, which are attended by bigger names within the film industry looking for new talent. Along with film festivals, comes a high level of publicity aimed at independent film makers who may be looking for inspiration, or to aspire to new pieces of work meaning that our target audience especially, are given another opportunity to find out about or film. Along with the press, comes the thousands of passionate film makers and viewers who want to find unique and refreshing independent films, such as our own.
An example of this is the Borderlines film festival, which targets the 250,000 people living within the area, as well as the 20,000 who travel to the film festival, showing previously on average 230 screenings of short films, again meaning a great opportunity to distribute our film to the audience as feed back can be gathered and received  and information about the target audience can be used to then distribute the product on a wider scale most effectively.

Question 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

To determine the target audience is a crucial stage in film planning, as it affects all processes within the stages between filming and exhibition. For example, depending on the target audience of the film, whether it will appeal to the mass market, or to a minority, will affect which distribution company is likely to distribute it and where (for more on this, look at my blog post on possible distribution companies http://madisonsmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/question-3-what-kind-of-media.html ) In order to determine our target audience, we researched other films similar to our own, because it was likely that we would share the same audience. During this research we began to notice several trends and patterns between the type of film, and it's main audience. For example, many Noirs and thrillers which presented women in an objectified manner were usually higher rated by men than women. We used these assumptions and interpretations from other research to begin to speculate the demographics of our own audience.

From the research and speculations we had about our target audience, we further embellished on the key points, such as that it would be a mainly male audience, due to the glamorous woman, and thriller nature of the film stereo-typically being a male targeted genre, to then further look at trends and patterns in other Noir thrillers to establish the age, as well as taking into account factors within our own thriller which could change this, and finally the type of characteristics we thought the audience that would view our thriller would be most likely to posses.

Question 1-In what ways does your product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The main way in which the opening of our thriller challenges the typical conventions of a thriller, is through the use of soundtrack. The soundtrack we have decided to use is not one typically expected of the genre, but one expected to be featured in an action or adventure film. 

However, we were limited on the choice of sound track due to copy right laws, and found difficulty finding appropriate music for a 1930's/ 1940's Noir thriller, as music from the time,(which we could have used as it was free from copyright laws) did not seem fitting for our film, as it was mainly upbeat with the theme of jazz as the main genre of music during this time.
However, when we found this soundtrack, although it does not necessarily entirely align with the genre of thriller, it does create and build suspense and a pace quickly through the use of stringed instruments, which were the qualities we were looking for in a soundtrack, and essentially qualities of a thriller soundtrack.

When discussing whether we could break away from the typical thriller soundtrack conventions, we researched other Noir thrillers for inspiration, and found that other films such as The Third Man , a hugely well known Noir thriller of its time, had heavily rebelled against the thriller conventions, by using music which was relaxed and optimistic, for a dark and pessimistic scene. This created a juxtaposed affect which was highly effective in making the scene appear more tense and adding to the unease of the audience. 
Through researching other thrillers, and the success of unconventional soundtracks, we decided we would add a soundtrack that we believed would help build suspense, tension, and a sense of apprehensiveness upon the audience, regardless of whether it conformed to the stereo-typical convention or not.

The most dominant way in which our thriller has conformed to the generic conventions of a Noir thriller, is through the carefully constructed Mise-en-scene.

The locations which we used were very much inspired by other Noir style thrillers which would help establish the eerie tense atmosphere that we were going for. For example, in the opening of Casino Royale, (which although is not a film Noir, is shot in a remarkably similar stylised way) it is able to turn a perfectly ordinary setting, into an undesirable threatening environment. It did this by using a usually bustling location, and leaving it deserted, only partially lit, and with the raw contrasting street lamp lighting.

Therefore, we wanted to develop this idea and use it in our own thriller, by selecting a large scale building in a clearly urban setting to create the juxtaposed idea of an unpleasant situation in a perfectly pleasant location. 

We also chose this location because it had a severe lack of lighting, so that half of the building was exposed to darkness like the shot above of the opening of Casino Royale, it uses street lights to give the building an ominous glow to make  the audience apprehensive about Scarlett's fate, waiting near this deserted, dark, large building.



Location shot taken from 'Essex Boys' in an undesirable location

However, it challenges typical thriller convention by using a glamorous and desirable location, not the typical setting expected from a thriller, as it does not connote ideas of misery or appending doom, a convention which is still a common main feature in thriller, such as from the film 'Essex Boys' where the scene is immediately set in a run down, unappealing urban area, unlike the glamorous and attractive locations we have placed Scarlett in.

Example of Symbolism

One way in which we have conformed to the thriller genre is through the use of symbolism through symbolic codes to build up an idea about Scarlett which the audience have personally looked into, and interpreted through the obvious connotations which we had placed within the shot. An example of this is when Scarlett leans forward to blow the candle out. This candle is the only visible light emanating from the shot, and by blowing it out herself it is to become a symbol of how she is plummeting herself into the dark depths of danger. The flame of the candle is also a symbol of the flame of love and passion between her and her husband, and how she is so quickly choosing to extinguish the flame shows the disregard that she has for her marriage. This use of extinguishing flames as a symbol of upcoming threat is often shown in films, such as Pirates Of The Caribbean Where darkness ascends to indicate the arrival of pirates, and many other thrillers use this feature to build suspense and tension about the upcoming events.


Example of Symbolism

 For example, when establishing Scarlett's character, one of the first few sequences that is revealed of her, is one in which she is applying lipstick in the mirror. By shooting it in this way, it created another reflection to the right hand side of Scarlett so that two reflections of her are revealed to the audience. This give the audience the immediate idea that she has a fragmented and split personality, as if there is herself, and then a small underlying strip of her (as shown in the small stripped reflection in the mirror) that is dark and fatal, giving the audience a clue that she is dangerous. 
Another way in which we have used symbolism within the opening to our thriller is through the use of the striking colour red, which immediately connotes danger and warning, and although by using this colour it makes her appear incredibly glamorous, it also makes her appear more fatal as she is able to lull others into a false sense of security through this glamour.

 This idea of changing the stereo-typical role of women from the damsel in distress and turning them into a deviant woman who is in fact aware of their charms and femininity, and uses this to appeal to others to give them the upper hand, is a concept played with more in modern day media texts.
 For example, inspiration from our character Scarlett was heavily influenced by the role of Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes, who is a beautiful woman who at first glance, appears vulnerable, and so the audience immediately sympathise and feel at ease in her presence  until we realise what she is capable of, and the tactics she is constantly using to manipulate others into allowing herself to succeed. 

Although it challenges the typical stereo-typical role of women, who are usually the victims in any genre, especially the thriller genre, it is a concept which is becoming more popular in modern day media texts, such as video games of the likes of Tomb Raider, with the strong female gamer, or in thriller films such as 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.'
However, this idea of a strong dominating female character comes from the role of the 'Femme Fatale' which dates back to the 1940's, proving that this role within media texts were although not as common, but 
still present.

Moral ambiguity is an aspect which we tried to portray through lighting in our thriller, so that the audience could explore Ray's personality through the connotations of contrasting black and white, the shadows and black representing the darkness that he has within him, and the contrasting white the idea that he truly loves his wife, and was once a good man, with strong morals, but this side is buried beneath the overcasting shadows that now hang over him.

This is an idea which we incorporated from other media texts such as Casino Royale, where by the chiaroscuro lighting reveals the characters contrasting personalities that he has within him, the extreme good, and the extreme bad, although in this example, the majority of his face is cast in the light, whilst he is aiming a gun, which makes the audience feel as if he is trying to promote justice, and is not committing this sin for evil intentions.

Another way in which we portrayed this ambiguity is through the shot of Scarlett looking and reminiscing over an old photograph of her and her husband, caressing her husbands face with a pained expression as if she has some remorse over what she is about to do, but then stops to slam the jewellery box shut, as if ridding herself of any guilt and feelings she has for her husband. This is also re-inforced by the sound of the jewellery box, which is the only sound during the opening sequence, implying a childish and innocence associated with the owner of the jewellery box (Scarlett) however by slamming the jewellery box, and such an innocent tune so abruptly and harshly, it shows her ruthless and drastic side within her. These two contrasting ideas give Scarlett as a character more depth, rather than the predictable polaroid character so frequently used in media texts and more frequently used in romantic comedies such as 'Leap Year' whereby every striking or important emotion is 

Leap Year example

 revealed to the audience through a constant tracking of the characters emotions through close up camera shots, so that no secrets can be kept from the audience and they feel confident that they know and understand the characters. By not conforming to this and breaking this convention, it isolates the character from the audience, and consequently makes them feel threatened and anxious as they are never truly sure of what they are thinking, which is why we have chosen a complex character type, to make our Femme-Fatale more intimidating.

The camera angles that we used were quite extreme, for example, using extreme tilt shots, makes the audience feel disorientated and uncomfortable viewing the scene, as if it is unnatural to view a shot in this way, creating an unnerving experience for the audience.  By doing this it creates and builds tension as the audience cannot relax whilst viewing the film in this way, and it makes the audience feel powerless as they cannot change the viewpoint of the camera angle, and almost makes them feel trapped. Extreme angles like this are used in old Noir Thrillers such as 'The Third Man' whereby a series of fast paced unique tilt shots are changed by fast cutting, for exactly the same purpose, to make the audience feel disorientated and overwhelmed by the scenario, making the scene much more dramatic and impacting than if these camera angles had not been used.

Another example of extreme camera angles that we used were Birds Eye Shots, not only because they were able to clearly display important events within the shot by focusing in on only the event itself, without the rest of the character which could distract the audiences attention away from what is happening. It also makes the audience take a step back away from the scene so that they have a chance to look at, and reflect on what is happening without the emotional attachment to the character influencing what they think and see is happening within the shot.

Birds Eye example from Coffee And Cigarettes

 Although it is not a commonly wide spread camera angle, it is used in older styled media texts, such as 'Coffee and Cigarettes' to show the distance and space between characters, and create a sense of awkwardness and isolation  not only between the characters, but between the audience and the characters, as a distant onlooker. It is also used in more contemporary films, such as the opening scene of 'Sin City' although now it is more commonly used for long shots over cities, to establish a setting, and the relationship between a character and their geographical location, and so by using these camera angles it both conforms and challenges conventions of media products.

Towards the climax of our opening, we decided to use a shot which only revealed the character of Scarlett's shadow running up the stairs, as it makes the scene more enigmatic and exciting. Using the outcast of a human shadow is an exceedingly conforming aspect of the thriller genre, especially those which are partially of the horror genre, as it is an excellent way to inform the audience of ones presence in a subtle way. It de-humanises the character, and we do not think of them as the character the audience has become associated with, but a new stranger infringing on the scene, and as it is not immediately obvious to the viewer, they have to almost look for the focal point of the shot, which makes the audience apprehensive about what they could find within the shot. By using this strong shadow to follow Scarlett's fast paced movement up the stairs, it does not cast the simple outline of a normal shadow, but instead a distorted and jagged shadow,  which again connotes Scarlett's complexity of her character, as not even her

Example from 'The Big Combo'

 shadow is a simple outline of a human shadow, but this disfigured shape that we see running up the steps representing her emotions and inner personality, about the events she is about to commit.

 Examples within other media texts that use human shadows is the Noir thriller 'The Big Combo' whereby the man himself is not the centre focus of the frame, but his long overcast shadow which stretches dauntingly across the road, giving the impression that he is powerful and immense.

 Scarlett's background is one which we clearly try to inform the audience of, through the use of her glamorous clothing, make up, and her home. This shot is an example of how we tried to make it clear to the audience of her wealthy background and home life as this simple shot which is held for only a few seconds makes the audience aware of her luxurious upper class large 4 storied town house, in a pleasant and urban area,  whilst she is dressed in such elaborate clothing immediately gives the audience an impression of her upper class background. This surprises the audience as it is not a typical thriller convention, where we expect any kind of criminal activity to take place, or indeed, any criminals or people of corruption to live in.

 This subverts from the typical conventions of the thriller genre whereby the audience usually expect some kind of dangerous events to take place, such as classic Alfred Hitchock's thriller 'Psycho', is an unnerving, isolated and old fashioned styled house. This is used in thriller films to build a sense of apprehensiveness and suspense at the events that are about to take place, due to the obvious negative connotations of the setting.

However, this idea of corruption in high class areas in thriller films is one that is used in other media texts, such as 'Layer Cake' where a well spoken, well dressed apparently respectable man is in an upmarket urban location to prepare for a drug deal. As you can see from the print screened example from Layer Cake, the setting is one very similar to the location of Scarlett, but by doing this, it makes the audience think of the real life corruption behind closed doors, and by doing so, adds a sense of realism to the scene.

However, our print screened example taken from our thriller does embed within it clues to the audience of some impending doom through the inclusion of the three drains which is a well regarded and well known symbol for bad luck, that many people still believe in today, and consequently feel concerned for Scarlett.

Another dominant feature of the shot that portrays the fall of power and dangerous position  that Scarlett is entering into is through the descending of the stairs that we see Scarlett running down on the way to meet her secret lover. This is a symbol of not only her decreasing power, but of her eagerness to take this course of action, and descend the stairs to meet her lover, knowing it could so easily destroy her life and her marriage and consequently lead to her downfall. This idea of using stair cases as a symbol for power, is one frequently used in Noir films such as Double Indemnity, whereby the woman is shown to be in a position of power above the man. Staircases can also represent not only a characters downfall, but of the uphill struggle a character may have to face, for example in Gone With The Wind the stairs are a symbol of the male protagonists power, and his struggle as he carries the character, ironically also named 'Scarlet' up the stairs, representing his strength, power, love for Scarlett, as well as the uphill struggle that they both must face together.

 

The composition of the shots within our thriller were carefully constructed to build a sense of claustrophobia  and entrapment, for example, by placing the characters in a physically tight space, at the edge of the frame gives the audience the impression of a pressure forced upon the character and the possibility of no escape. This screen shot shows how Scarlett has a limited option for escape, with the small staircase out of the alleyway only barely visible to the audience in the distance, with her husband trapping her from behind, and the tall buildings either side creating a very compact and unsettling scene. The way in which the camera is positioned also puts the audience in a position of unease, as it forces the audiences vision into a small direct path, as the iron gate slants in from the left, and the alleyway wall creeps in from the right. This means that although the shot itself is quite wide, the audience are very restricted on what they can view within this frame.

This is a typical convention of a thriller, as it puts the audience in a position of weakness by restricting what they can see through the camera and composition of the shot, and consequently arises panic within the audience.

The artistically lit street lighting also adds to the stylistic glamour of the time era we were aiming for, and is a typical feature of film Noir representing limiting light, and the sheer white light itself wrapped in a black casing connotes the idea that everything is confined by evil. The idea that old fashioned street lights are also just out of the characters reach represents how they are unable to reach safety, and although the lighting is close to them, it is in fact always going to be further away from their grasp.

Street lamps also represent the false sense of security that the character feels when nearby, as although the light is seen as a source of goodness and reassurance, it only illuminates them to any nearby villains, making them in fact more vulnerable.
An example of the use of street lamps in other media products is in 'Scarlett Street' whereby we see a very similar shot to the one taken from our thriller, with Scarlett standing beside the street light  grasping the light for support, in the same way in which the character from Scarlett Street, is leaning against the post for support, illuminated by the light. This shot also is similar to the screen shot from our thriller, as it is very restricting as to what the audience can see, as only her face is visible within the frame, with the lamp consisting of the majority of the shot. It torments the audience by not letting them view what is naturally more interesting and enigmatic to them (the woman) and instead focuses on something that is not of particular interest to the viewer (the street light.) As it uses a tight shot, it also adds further to the sense of claustrophobia, as if the shot is cluttered although there is in fact only two objects of focus within the frame.

The director of Scarlet Street Fritz Lang also has a similar portrayal of women as to our own character Scarlett. We can see this from the image that she is portrayed as glamorous and beautiful with a great deal of elegance, like the qualities of Scarlett. As well as her physical portrayal, she also has similar personality traits, such as her deviant nature, and ability to manipulate and lie to men, as this was a common portrayal in Noir films at this time, when women wanted a more powerful role in society, and thus the creation of the Femme-Fatale whereby powerful women are in control and take on a dominant role, but usually meet the consequences of their actions, such as typically death to enforce the idea at the time that women should stay in their place. Furthermore, she also meets a similar fate to Scarlett, when she is stabbed to death and murdered at the end of the film by her husband, rather similarly to our own ending. This is an example of how we have conformed to the Film Noir thriller genre, through the use of character types, composition, camera  angles, and props such as street lighting.