Who would be the audience for your media product?

The typical audience member for our media product would be someone between the age of 16-25. We decided this because a lot of young people enjoy watching horror/thriller films as they like the tension in the scenes and the shock twist at the end. The added aspect of "Jack the Ripper" being based on a real life person, would also interest a young person, as they are very curious and would enjoy speculating on what could happen in the end. As a group we decided that there was no particular gender that would be our target audience, this is because both girls and boys enjoy watching horrors/thrillers and the story lines appeal to both. If our film was in the cinema, it would very popular within young people, this is because a lot of young people enjoy going to the cinema with friends, and in most cases horror/thriller films are successful as people enjoy being scared with friends. When researching horror/thriller films for ideas, we noticed that a lot of popular horror/thriller films are liked by young people. We got this from reviews from young people and comments on YouTube. This supported our decision to aim our film at 16-25 years, as it is well known that young people enjoy them. A lot of young people enjoy a film having a simple storyline, but with complex characters. An example of this is films like "Paranormal Activity". This is because although this film is quite basic, the idea of possession and ghosts scare people. Having a target audience was effective because it allowed us to focus more on what we wanted our opening scene to turn out like. This is because we had to think whether certain things would appeal to a young person.

Refer to the wider reserach. e.g. there has been a trend over the last few years for horrors/thrillers to be based upon true stories. Link to similar films like this. Research articles based upon this idea. 

Don’t use words like ‘basic’. Use media terminology, e.g. the essential premise of the film is that someone/something is haunted by the supernatural, something that has been a popular trend over the last fews years.

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

Looking back at the preliminary task, I can easily see how my skills in different areas have developed, which helped in the creation of our opening scene. At the beginning of the process I had no knowledge on the different types of camera shots, but since filming our own opening scene, I was able to grasp the different camera shots in order to use them in the film. I am now very comfortable when discussing the main types of camera shots; shot reverse shot, 180 rule and match on action, which is effective as it shows how my knowledge has developed. When planning our preliminary task we did not spend much time planning, this may have shown as our speech does not sound fluent at some points. However, I learnt from this and when it came down to planning our opening scene, I took the opportunity of using a storyboard to great effect. Using a storyboard was really effective as it enabled me to clearly plan out what we was going to do, and what shots we were going to use. This was useful as when it came down to filming we was very organised which saved time.

In the preliminary task our shots are very basic and it shows that we were not very experienced using a camera. Since the preliminary task, and filming our opening scene, I believe that I have developed when using a camera. This is because when I was filming I had much more control over the camera, and was able to identify which shots would work best in which situations. This was effective as it made our opening scene look much more professional. 

When it came down to editing the preliminary task, although I have my suggestions, I gave more contribution to the filming aspects. This is because I was not confident using imovie, as I was not familiar with the software. Since the preliminary task, I am much more confident using editing programmes such as imovie, as I took on a much more hands on approach. At first it was slightly daunting as there were a lot of different tools and ways to edit shots, however if I didn't understand something, I simply asked a friend or teacher and soon picked it up. This was effective as it meant that I could contribute a lot more to the editing process, which at the end made me feel like I had achieved something. 

We used no music in our preliminary task which showed our lack of knowledge at the beginning of the process. Since the preliminary task, I took a big part in the creation of the music, as my role was too create the soundtrack. I had never come across garage band before, and found it quite tricky to use at the beginning. During the making of our preliminary task, I did have a look at garage band, and the different things you could do on it. However, I could not pick up the editing techniques, which put me off using it. When it came down to making the music for our opening scene, I knew that I would have to use garage band as that is the most effective way to make a track. Using help from the teacher and the internet, I was able to learn the basics and began playing around with different techniques. I spent a lot of time researching different loops on garage band, and in the end I was able to create a track that was suitable for our film genre, and a track that our group agreed on. Being able to create a track on garage band really shows how my skills have developed, and how my ability has grown. 

During the creation of the preliminary task, we took no consideration to the mise en scene of the shots. However when it came down to filming our opening scene, we took a lot of time planning our costumes, setting and props. Having planned all the elements and small details of our scene, we were able to emphasise certain scenes and characters. This was effective as it created a bigger impact, and appealed to the audience.

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

A film institution is a company which disperses all genres of films for audience consumption. After a film has been funded and produced, it would be shown in cinemas and then made onto DVD's for people to buy. Film institutions are very important because not only do they promote the film, they provide funding which helps the film to be produced. There are many different types of film institutions, which are linked to different types of films. If our film was to be produced it would be a "Hollywood" film, this is because our film would appeal to different age groups, which would make sales large. Many "Hollywood" films have a clear but thorough storyline, which relates to our film, as the storyline focuses on "Jack the Rippers" life, and the murders he committed.

As a group we decided to chose "Lionsgate" as our film institution. After discussion, we decided to choose this because "Lionsgate" is well known for producing horror/thriller films. It is important that we chose the right film institution, as this would be the company that would promote our film, and as all institutions have specialities, you would need to make sure that they are the right institution for your genre. Lionsgate has funded and distributed films such as saw, The Possession and Abduction. All of these films are comparable to ours as they all portray the typical conventions of a horror/thriller film. For example, Saw portrays the typical horror villain, which in many cases scares the audience. Another example is the film "The Possession" which contains very slow, eerie music,which  makes the scenes very tense. As a group, we are glad that we chose "Lionsgate" as it is a very popular film institution which is recognisable to a lot of people. For a film to be classed as a "Hollywood" film, in needs a well known film institution, in order to gain high funding. This is because many "Hollywood" films need a lot off funding, due to expensive sets, stars and props. Also, with a well known film institution people are more likely to see the film, as they are expecting a lot from it.

The film "The Possession" was produced and funded by "Lionsgate". Although the storyline is not similar to our film, there still is some similarity between the conventions used. One example of this is the music, this is because the music used is very eerie, but at some points is fast paced to cause tension for the audience. Another way this film is similar to ours is the focus on the villain in the film. This is because throughout "The Possession" there is constant reference to the villain of the film, and when they do show themselves, it causes fear for the audience, like when they see "Jack the Ripper".



When it came down to choosing which film institution we would use, our group did lots of research to make sure that we chose a suitable one. We all worked well as a team and had no disagreements on our final decision.

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

One way in which we kept to the typical conventions of a horror/thriller is the setting. This is because we decided to film in a dark alley, which would create tension for the audience. As a group we decided to keep this convention the same, as we believed that the setting of a horror/thriller should be scary as that basis creates the atmosphere and mood of the film. Having a scary setting is effective as it fits in well with the storyline, and really emphasises the characters. Another way in which we kept to the typical conventions of a horror/thriller film was the type of characters we created. In a typical horror/thriller the main character is usually the villain, in our film, the character "Jack the Ripper" portrays most of the traits which would be visible in a horror/thriller. This is because he is very sly and psychopathic, and kills many people, which shows his gruesome ways.

This film inspired our opening scene, because as a group we saw the impact that the main character had, due to his psychopathic traits. We knew that we wanted our character "The Ripper" to be feared by the audience, as this would make the scenes more effective. Also, because our character is based on a real person, we needed to make sure that our portrayal of the Ripper lived up to expectation.

In some ways we have challenged the typical conventions of a horror/thriller film. One way we did this was with the music, we spent a lot of time discussing how we wanted our music to sound as we knew that this would be a vital part of our opening scene. Nearer the beginning of the process, our group had decided to create a soundtrack which was quite slow and eerie, however when it came down to creating the track, we believed it would be more effective to test the normal conventions. We did this by making a much faster paced track, while still including the eerie touch which would attract the audience. We believed that testing the typical conventions would make our film stand out, as it would surprise the audience.


The film "Taken" also challenges the typical conventions of a horror/thriller. One way it does this is because the film doesn't focus on the villain or the victim. This challenges the typical conventions, because in a normal horror/thriller the film revolves around the suffering of the victim, or the life of the villain. This film also challenges conventions as the music is very fast paced, this causes the audience to feel on edge during tense scenes.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Music

Our scene is based around tension and mystery and the murder of a young women, this is why the music was so important as it needed to have the same impact. The age group we was appealing to was between 16-25, this is because horror/thriller films are very popular with this age group as they enjoy the build up of tension and the plot twisters throughout. We knew that in order to attract our audience we would need to make the music suitable for our video, but also appealing so the audience are engaged. We used garage band to make the music, and there was a range of loops we could chose from to make our desired track. At the beginning of our track there is a short piano solo which sounds very eerie and menacing. This would attract to the audience because they would know from the beginning that this film would be spooky and scary. After a few seconds a much more fast paced and energetic beat begins to play, we decided to keep the piano in the background so it still has that spooky element, and keeps the audience engaged in the scene. We spent a while deciding whether to create a slow track, or whether to test the typical conventions of a horror/thriller and create a more fast paced track. After discussion, we decided to go for the fast paced music, this was effective as it showed that we could all work well as a team, and make decisions which would benefit our film. As a group we believed that a fast paced track would appeal to the audience, as it creates that climax of tension, and leaves the audience wondering what will happen. A strong drum beat in the background would attract the audience because it comes across as quite dominant and controlling, which represents our main character "The Ripper".                                              

This is the opening of the BBC drama "Ripper Street", which is about a police detective who solves murders in White chapel. I think that the music in this is similar to ours, as although the topic of the programme is quite sinister, the music has that up-beat element, which makes it catchy to the ear and appealing for the audience to listen to.   The way that this soundtrack has a solo piece at the beginning to draw in the audience, is also similar to ours, as we have the piano piece. I like how the music in this track matches the fast paced shots and images, which adds to the impact. With our music, we also wanted our shots to fit so that the audience can engage with them.



Costumes, sets and props

Costumes
In order for our characters to look realistic, we decided to find costumes that would fit in with the late 1800's era. As a group we believed that having suitable costumes would be effective and draw in the audience because it would be easier for them to engage in the storyline, and believe the surroundings. We decided to dress our female character in a long red dress, as this is what a prostitute in the 1800's would were. We believe that this would address the audience because it highlights the class difference between the male character, and how poverty was a big part of Victorian London.

Our victim actress

We decided to keep with the traditional "Jack the Ripper" outfit, which was all black. We decided this would be effective because it keeps to the theme of mystery and tension, as the audience would speculate about what the culprit looks like. We dressed our actor in a black coat, top hat and scarf. We believe that this will attract the audience, because as soon as they see these clothes, they know who that character is. It also fits in with "Jack the Rippers" personality, as he was a very sly man who kept to the shadows. This is how we wanted our character to come across in the scene.

Set
It is well known that "Jack the Ripper" killed his victims in London, as a group we decided that we wanted to film somewhere that would look similar to London, in order for our scene to look realistic. At first we planned to travel up to London, and actually film were "Jack the Ripper" killed his victims, however whilst making arrangements, we decided that it would not be conventional going to London, for reasons such as the cameras running out of charge. We decided that we would film in Rochester, due to the buildings and houses being similar to those in the Victorian era. It was also convenient as we all lived quite close and knew our way round. Having a set that fitted in with the era and storyline would attract the audience as it would enable them to engage more, and really invest in the characters and plot.

The majority of our shots were filmed in an alley in Rochester high street, we decided to film here because "Jack the Ripper" called his victims in the alleys of London. We also filmed in dark alleyways to attract the audience, this is because the spookiness of the alleys would get the audience on edge, also it fits in with the genre of film. Having a suitable setting was important because it not only shows the planning that went into our film, it also emphasises our characters, plot and costumes.


Props

In order to emphasise our setting, we decided to make a few props to make our shots look more realistic. The first prop we made was a wanted poster, with a silhouette of "Jack the Ripper" on it. We made it look suitable for the era by tea staining it and burning the corners slightly. This was effective as it really stood out in the shots, and attracted the audience because it created that sense of mystery and excitement at the thought of a killer being hunted.

Another prop we created was a variety of pictures/maps/newspaper articles surrounding "Jack the Ripper" and his victims. Like the poster, we burnt and stained the pictures to give them a vintage look. This prop was used for the first half of the scene, when all the titles were being shown. This was effective because we had the word "Murder" being shown, this would appeal to the audience as it would give them a small insight to what the film is based on. As a group we believe that making the different props and collecting the images really added to our opening scene, this is because all the small details are the things that the audience will pick up, and will enable them to be more involved in the film. We had no problems when making the props, and worked well as a team.

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

Throughout this process I have been introduced to a wide range of new programmes which have thoroughly aided our group in the creation of our opening scene. To make our film as interesting as possible, we used programmes such as garage-band and imovie, we did this so we could use a range of transitions and editing techniques, and create a solid sound track to go with it.

                                                         Video Camera

    

At first our group decided to do our filming with an iPhone, we made this decision because we believed that it would be easier to film on, and the battery life was longer, which enabled us to take more shots. However, we then decided that using a video camera for some shots would be more effective, as it was easier to handle the camera, and get the shot we needed. I think that it was useful for us to learn from that because it enabled our group to make a decision which was best for the filming of our opening scene. I was quite new to using a video camera, and it took me a while to work out what buttons meant what, however due to the short amount of time we had to film, I picked it up quite quickly. I found it quite simple to handle the camera, which was helpful as some of our shots needed to be filmed in awkward situations.

I Movie

Editing our opening scene was the first time that I had used imovie; at first it was slightly daunting as there were so many editing techniques , and ways to alter our shots. After a few tries and getting to know how to work the tools, we were soon under way with our editing. The first thing we did was connect the camera to the computer and import the shots onto imovie.  I then worked out how to save my video under a title which I would remember the next time I came to editing. I then selected all my clips from the library at the bottom, and selected the ones I needed to edit. This was quite simple to pick up as the instructions were clear, and the clips are easy to access. I then had to drag my clips into the project area, to see the duration of my video. I then began to start trimming the clips that were too long, or had errors in them. This was tricky at first as I had to work out how to actually trim the clip, but once I worked out how to do it, it was quite simple and quick to get it done. One problem we came across was that our video could only be a maximum of two minutes long, this was a problem because once I had dragged the clips into the project box, it was over five minutes long. As a group, we knew that we had to edit a lot of the clips, in order to make the video the correct duration. We discussed what clips could be edited, and then began to cut of parts of the shot we didn't need. Although at the time it seemed like we wouldn't be able to get it down to two minutes, we took the best parts of each shot and created a video that was two minutes. Once we had finished editing, we then began adding titles to make our video look more appealing and interesting. Throughout the process of making the video we each had our own role, we decided to put these roles on the video, as this is a typical part of an opening scene. Putting the titles on our video was simple once we knew how to do it. Personally, it took me a while to work how to  edit the titles, such as colour, size and font. However, once I worked out how to do it, it became easier to use. For me, one of the most important editing techniques is transitions, this is because it can alter the mood of the shot, and really attract the audience. As our opening scene is based around mystery and tension, we knew that our transitions had to be appealing and suitable for the shot. We spent quite a lot of time on transitions, because as a group we wanted to be sure that we had picked the correct ones. To improve, I think that we could spend less time on transitions as there are other parts of our opening scene that are equally as important. We also used techniques such as editing lighting, speed and sound. One of the last things we did to our opening scene was add the soundtrack. This was the most difficult part for me because we had to make sure it fitted the length of the scene, and we also had to edit the end of the track so it didn't just stop. To edit the end of the track I had to fade it out towards the end, this was tricky because I had to make sure that it didn't fade too quickly.

                                                                    Garage-band

My role in the group was to create the music for the opening scene, I put myself forward for this role because I really invested in the theme of the video, and liked the idea of creating a tense track. From looking at comments on the internet, I had the impression that garage band would be quite difficult to use, however after talking to other people, and discussing with teachers, I soon picked up the basics and was able to create a suitable track for our opening scene. The first thing I did was browse through the different loops to try  and get an idea on what sounds I want to use. Before I began to create the track, our group had a discussion on what we was aiming for with the music, we decided that we wanted it to be eerie sounding, but not the typical slow music. This is because we wanted to attract the audience, and make our opening scene stand out. The first thing I decided to do was find a loop which would act as the base sound. This is so that I could build up sounds onto it. This helped me a lot because I could test different loops against the base sound, and see if it worked well. I then just gradually added loops to create a track which would work well with the opening scene we created. I spent a lot of time creating the music, this is because it was very time consuming finding the right loops, and editing it to fit the clips. One problem I came across was making the loops fit to certain shots, for example, on one shot we wanted a bang sound, however this loop didn't really fit in with the rest of our track. I decided to make the sound slower so it was more suitable. Overall I really enjoyed making the music because it allowed me to be really creative, and at the end I felt like I had achieved a lot, due to not using garage band before. 

Me using imovie

In order to get feedback on our opening scene, we decided to put it on YouTube. This was so that if anyone had any and constructive criticism, we could take it into consideration, and alter our video to accommodate their views. Although we didn't receive any comments, we gained 27 views, which shows that people liked watching our opening scene. It was very simple putting our video onto YouTube, and as a group we are glad we did this as it shows that we are committed to making our video the best it can be. 

We also put our video onto Facebook to get more comments and feedback on how to improve the video. We received a few comments saying that we had done a good job, and that our video showed potential. We also received a comment saying that our music was slightly repetitive, to an extent we can agree with this as our music is quite continuous, however we believe that that the music adds to the tension.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our media product represents the differences in class in the Victorian era, and also a typical murder which may have happened in this particular era. Due to our opening scene being based on a real historical event, our characters do not necessarily represent a typical social group. This however does not hinder how our target audience views our film, as they are invested in the storyline. Taking into account the time in which our opening scene is set, our characters represent the typical types of people which would have lived in that time. Our group decided to stick quite close to how the real "Jack the Ripper" was portrayed, as that's what the audience find interesting. This is due to the mystery and tension which comes with his persona.

 Although Jack the Ripper isn't the typical 21st century killer, there have been murders which the media have portrayed as mysterious and gruesome. An example of this is a man named "Rodney Alcala", he is a convicted serial killer and rapist who was sentenced to death in 2010. There was a lot of speculation over the murders he committed, this is because in his presence were photos of girls who the authorities were not sure if he killed. Like "Jack the Ripper", Rodney Alcala was given a nickname "The Dating game killer", because he used dating games as a way of meeting woman. The media used the mystery revolving around this case to spark interest and engage the audience. This is very similar to the media following the "Jack the Ripper" case, as their use of headlines and stories really engaged the audience, and still to this day nearly 126 year later, people are still fascinated on how he managed to hide from the police.

Our second main character is the woman who is killed by the Ripper,

Jack the ripper headline

    like him, the woman is an accurate portrayal of what women in the Victorian era would have been like. We achieved this by finding accurate costumes, make-up and hairstyles to fit what they would have looked like. This not only made our opening scene look more authentic, it was interesting for our group to research what kind of things poor Victorian women wore.

Gender

Rodney Alcala headline

Although the notorious killer "The Ripper" was never confirmed to be a male, it has been widely speculated that he was in fact a male. In our opening scene, we try and give the impression that our character is male, by the way our character walks, their height and their body language towards our female actor. Taking this into account, it can be commented that it is quite stereotypical that Jack the Ripper has been perceived as a male, as it is most publicised that men are the typical serial killers. As the female character in our opening scene doesn't necessarily portray a particular social group, we can take into account women during the late 

                                                    1800's, and how they are thought about now. It is well known that the Ripper only killed prostitutes, due to their easy access, and poor personal background, this would enable him to cover his tracks easier. In the late 1800's, it was quite common for poor woman to end up prostituting, due to the lack of occupations available. This can be seen as quite stereotypical, because even now men are seen as the dominant gender, alike the 1800's when men were better of then women. Due to the fact that there are only two characters in our scene, we tried to really show the contrast in their genders by emphasising the Ripper's dominance over the whole situation.

Class     

Differences in class are a big theme of our opening scene, as it is closely linked to the Ripper killings. Due to our target audience being between the ages of 16-25 we wanted to be able to show the difference in class, but not to the extent that they would get un-interested. It is clear that in our opening scene, the female is off the lower class, this is due to her shabby clothes and her way of making money. The Ripper on the other hand is in a black coat and top hat, which strongly suggests he is of a higher class. This is quite stereotypical of women, as it is most common for woman to be prostitutes, and to be exploited in the ways the Ripper did.