Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

1. Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? • Our opening sequence is for a Thriller, we show this using classic thriller conventions like a kidnapping, flashbacks, an ordinary character, the music adds tension- we use diegetic and non diegetic sound and the basement scene is a classic setting for a hostage to be held. We were inspired by the films Disturbia and Taken as they are both thrillers with similar aspects- both films were very successful so they were good to compare things too. We use a font called moms typewriter for our titles as it adds a creepy but simplistic effect, as we didn’t want the titles to take over the film. I think the titles worked well and we used an effect where they disappeared before the next one came in which can relate to the film. The film Disturbia uses a basement where there hostages are held. The film Paranormal activity use the night vision effect like we do, it adds a creepy distorted effect and compliments the genre. We used point of view shots so the audience got the feeling they were in the characters position, one example of this was when Alex was being held hostage and the bag was removed from her head and she was looking around where she had been taken too.

2. Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? • Our main characters are a 17 year old girl names Alex and her dad- the kidnapper, a middle aged man. Alex is a typical character the in a Thriller film, as she is an everyday innocent girl. The kidnapper is also a typical character as he has a history of drugs violence and mental health problems, it also adds a twist to the film die to the fact that he is her father. In the basement footage Alex comes across as helpless as she is tied up, has a bag over her head and she is hysterically crying and screaming. Her dad is dressed in all black and has a hood to add mystery to the character. The bag is the main prop used for the kidnapping and when it is shown to the audience when Alex is being followed is gives the audience the idea that she is going to be taken. Our character Alex reflects to the teenage girl in Taken that was abducted- young, attractive and helpless. Actress Maggie Grace

3. Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? • Our film stars big Hollywood actors like Kristen Stuart and David Morse, therefore I think a company like Buena Vista would be best suited to distribute it as they have produced many horrors and thrillers. It will be released and advertised in the USA and the UK as it will appeal to both Countries and therefore will get the greatest profit if it is shown in both places. The films will be shown in major cinemas and the London premier will be held in the main ODEON in Lestire Square, this is where all big films premier in London. Most of the tickets to the premier will be invite only – celebrities, actors in the film, and main people to do with the film, there will be a few tickets that can be won in radio completions etc. The film Taken made a worldwide box office gross of $226,830,568 and this is a target sum of money we wish to make from our film. Actress Kristen Stuart

4. Q4: Who would be the audience for your media product? • The age group our project is targeted at is roughly 15-40. The age certificate is 15 which allows a wider range of ages to view it rather than if it was an 18, also being a 15 it will appeal to adults more than if it was a U or PG, this is because it is more likely to cover issues which relate to them. Alex, our main character would ideally be played by Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart. She is best known for her incredibly successful main role in the Twilight saga films. The film Twilight had a budget of $37,000,000 and made a huge $191,465,414, therefore we already have a fan bass that will want to see Kristen Stuart so will automatically want to see the film. She is an iconic teenage actress and her alone being in the film would be a huge attraction as she has such a huge fan base. Thrillers usually appeal to men and having Kristen as the main character will attract a whole new audience, as well as the traditional thriller audience. Alex’s dad would ideally be played by David Morse, a typical and recognisable ‘bad guy’ in films. He is most iconic to the Thriller/Horror genre and having him play the father character will keep the film classic and not upset the viewers by him changing from his strongest assets. Adverts will be broadcasted on channels like Film 4, Sky Movies Action + Thriller and Sky Movies Sci-fi + Horror, this is because people watching these channels are going to be watching something of the similar genre and therefore are more likely to be attracted to this film than someone watching The Disney Channel for example. Adverts will also be shown on MTV after 6pm, as viewers are highly likely to be Kristen Stewart fans and all viewers at this time will be suitable to watch the film as most children under the age of 15 will be going to bed. We will also use magazines like OK and Heat to promote our film as girls reading this are likely to be fans of Kristen Stuart and also be interested in the genre of film. We will have posters and interviews of actors so viewers will have something visual to look at about the film, and also be able to read about it in more detail. We will do the same in magazines like FHM and GQ to target the male viewers, male viewers will be attracted to the thriller conventions of the film, they are also likely to be fans of Kristen Stewart. Actor David Morse

5. Q5: How did we attract our audience? • We will use missing posters of Kristen around the UK and USA to create a buzz, and a word of mouth publicity. We will also create fake new footage of the kidnapping and have them showing on youtube and during advertisement breaks on channels like MTV as this channel is notorious for pranks and more creative methods of advertisement. We will be hosting a launch party at one of the most popular trendy venues in London and Hollywood. Top celebrities will be invited and it will be one of the biggest events of the year. There will be a catwalk organised with well known models, they will have bags over their heads and re-veal themselves at the end of the catwalk, the bag idea is iconic to our film. The location will be decorated like a scary basement as we want the event to represent our film as best possible. We will be having performances from Eminem and Paramore as they are the acts on the soundtrack, and they will be doing an exclusive performance of the song they did together ‘possession’. We want to create controversy with these ideas and spread word of mouth promotion. Viral marketing through the web is a main way of spreading the word of our movie especially as our target audience of 15-40 are most likely to be using the internet and watching TV. Our opening sequence attracts the audience as it creates mystery and entices you to watch the rest of the film, the flash backs create this mystery.

6. Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your product?? • I learnt a lot about the technology used to construct our project, when filming our footage we were taught how to have the correct exposure on the camera, we also learnt how to make sure the white balance was correct on the camera to give a clear picture and not a tinted one. We were taught to use the tripod while filming to give a still professional shot. I was also taught how to use Adobe Premiere 7, which we used to edit our sequence. I leant how to batch capture the footage, and cut it down so it all fitted together and ran smoothly. We were taught how to add titles and we used special effects when they appeared on screen and disappeared. I found the programme complicated at first however after using it enough i was confident using it. I have learnt that editing is a long and precise process and it takes time and perfection to be completed well, we also learnt to make sure out title fonts and effects fitted with the genre and pace of the film. We learnt how to create the correct atmosphere for our film by watching clips from films with the same genre. We created atmosphere by using the night vision mode on the camera for part of our filming, we also made sure our settings were appropriate- scary and mysterious. We learnt how to use camera shots and angles that would make the film more deep and give the audience a feel that they are watching what is happening there and then.

7. Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? • This task has taught me how to use a Video Camera to its best ability, and also how to use Adobe Premiere 7 to edit my footage. It was also good experience working in a group of people and learning how to involve and adapt all of our ideas to come up with the best possible outcome. We learnt when filming to always have more takes and more footage that you need as if things don't go to plan you always have backups and other things you can take from. I also learned to consider the views of others who wern’t making my film with me as final changes we made were inspired from other inputs and I think our film benefited highly from it. All of our pre-planning we did in class was very useful as we knew where we were going to be filming, what shots we were doing- because of the story board and which props and make-up and costume we would need. Without this preplanning the filming would not have been as successful and would of added to the stress of the group. We also learnt the basic rules of film making which were the 180 degree rule, and how to use match on match action when editing- we made sure we stuck to these rules when making our final product to make it look as professional as possible.