Evaluation

There are lots of typical features of thriller films which I have been able to establish during my research into the genre. These features include chiaroscuro lighting, a femme fatale, rain lashed streets, and claustrophobic settings. The genre also typically uses twisting narratives, full of mystery and intrigue. In order to create an effective thriller opening, we tried to use several thriller conventions. We planned to use action to begin our thriller, like in ‘Layer Cake’. We chose to begin with a chase in order to create a similar dramatic effect. Once we had began editing we changed the colours of our shots to black and white in order to create the effect of chiaroscuro lighting, as a tribute to film noirs of the 1940s. We also used realistic naturalistic settings, mise en scene, and lighting, which is common within British cinema and thrillers. We were heavily influenced by the urban, processed music that is used in the opening credits of ‘Sin City’, and so found a similar breakbeat record which would fit with the urban location we had scouted. ‘Layer Cake’ also influenced us in the style to use in our chase scene. Like in ‘Layer Cake’, we used hand held camera techniques rather than using a tripod for some of the shots which adds to the style of our piece. Throughout the piece we were hoping to explore the ideas that having a lead female role would bring, as well as focussing on exploring the theme of the working class and stereotypes within this.

In order to challenge generic thriller conventions, we decided to have a female, rather than the typical male, protagonist. This meant that we also based the entire narrative around the female protagonist, which is extremely uncommon within thrillers. We wanted to challenge this typical aspect of the genre because, as a group of two females, we decided that we wanted to show women in a different light to the typical femme fatale character. We intended to display the female role as a strong character, as opposed to the sexual characteristics that typical femme fatales possess.

Unfortunately, our media product tends to use stereotypical representations of characters. We use young people from lower class backgrounds as the violent people mixed up in the web of crime and corruption, which is typical of what people believe of the lower, working classes and of young people. Our thriller sees both the lead male and lead female as criminals, but, as we see it from the point of view of the young woman, we see her as the (anti) hero and the male protagonist as the villain. This demonstrates the positive representation we are giving to females, which challenges the conventions of generic thrillers. We show, however, both roles as being strong characters in every respect, and are often not sure who holds the most power.

I believe that a company that would be suitable to distribute my thriller would be a company such as Pathé Distribution, as it focuses on distributing independent British cinema to a wider audience, which is perfect for an independent unconventional thriller, such as my own. I would intend for more art house cinemas such as Cinema City - to exhibit my thriller, because I think it would appeal to the art house audience more than the mainstream one. However, it would be interesting to see how successful a British thriller based on the working classes would be at a mainstream multiplex cinema, such as The Odeon, which tends to air mainly Hollywood Blockbusters. I would also like to try out screening my thriller on the internet, to achieve a wider audience of people (from other countries etc) who may otherwise not be able to view it, by using a method of downloading, via a movie website such as Love Film. I also think this method could be very successful with the younger end of my target audience.

I believe that, like a lot of thrillers, our thriller ‘Iniquity’ would be targeted at a predominantly male audience. From my audience research, it is apparent that these males would be between the ages of 15 and 25. This is because, according to my research, males of this age are attracted to the action and adventure that thrillers include, as well as being able to relate to the male role. These males would have typical interests, such as playing sport, watching television, and enjoying films such as ‘Layer Cake’ and ‘Essex Boys’. Because we have used a female as our lead role, I believe that more young females would consume this film; as they would find it easier to connect with it. If ‘Iniquity’ was to be distributed on the internet, this would widen the target audience as it would be accessible to more than just the British audiences. An international distribution, if used, could also lead to world-wide distribution which would make it accessible to many more audiences.

In order to attract a suitable audience for our thriller, we had to plan several things. We chose to base our thriller at a block of flats, which may appear attractive to lower class groups of people, as they would be able to relate to the reality we attempted to portray. However, I think it would appeal more to middle class citizens; giving them an insight into a world that they probably don’t have much experience of. For this aspect we were influenced by ‘This is England’, which is set in a rundown estate in Grimsby, and also had a similar class of audience as we are intending. We tried to hook our audience by using naturalistic lighting, settings and mise en scene, which would enable audiences to relate to our narrative and film. Although in the filming we didn’t develop the characters, we used a young girl and a young boy as our leading roles; making it easier for both of the sexes to be addressed by our film, especially as we have used a female as the protagonist therefore challenging conventions and attracting more female viewers. We also used a narrative that would be appealing to our audience, as it is full of twists and turns to engage and engross the audience. We intended to hook and address our audiences using a first person narrative and voice-over; encouraging the audience to identify with the character.

In the process of constructing this product, I have learnt a lot about technologies used in the creation of media production. In terms of filming, I have learnt about steady use of the camera, as well as using focus pulls, panning and zooming effects. By creating the film, I also learnt about the importance of editing, using Adobe Premiere editing software. I have become able to use transitions, special effects, and edit colours within the sequence. I also had to learn how to cut clips of the film and how to make the overall piece effective and professional looking, as well as learning how to edit and insert titles. The final aspect of technology I learned was editing music and sound, which had to be down to the voice-over, the music, and for the final gun shot. I had to edit the volume of the sounds, as well as cutting the music and using effects upon it in order to make it fit better with my film. Although my group faced very few problems or limitations to overcome, we did struggle with ensuring the voice-over was clear and easily understood. For this reason we had to record several times, and edit the result to make sure it was comprehensible.

Overall, in the progression from the preliminary task to the final product, I have learnt a lot about the entire process of production. The preliminary task prepared me for the method of planning, shooting and editing, but which needed to be done in a lot more depth for the final thriller film. By working in a group I have learnt how to compromise and share ideas, as well as manage our work load and time effectively. In general, Lucy and I worked as a team; coming up and working on ideas together. I suggested using a voice-over, but we both worked on the script and recording and editing the sound. This tended to be how we worked together – suggesting an idea, and then together developing and helping in making the idea part of our production.

In order to understand the weaknesses and strengths of our thriller, we asked an audience to watch and grade our production. From looking at their responses, I think it can be said that the thriller was effective as we got a majority of 9 and 10 out of 10, with comments such as "liked the way [titles] faded out", "liked the music", "liked the long shot when they're running", "good steady shots", "perfect", "great locations", and "got me hooked!". This shows that we were successful in selecting suitable and effective locations, mise en scene, music and shot types. Out of all of the audience feedback, we only got two 6 out of 10 grades - one because it is slightly unclear whose voice is in the narration, and the other because they "didn't like transitions of titles". It can also be noted that the "voice fades out a bit". These weaknesses that were pointed out I completely agreed with, but was very pleased by the positive comments we received. I believe that the weaknesses are just as the audience pointed out - at some points the narrative is hard to understand, and the voice over is sometimes unclear, as we struggled to make it easier to hear. I think the aspect that I am most pleased with is the use of hand held camera as I think it is effective, and works well with the music and overall setting and mise en scene.

Overall, I really enjoyed producing the film, and am impressed by the result that my group and I created. I think during the course, the most important thing I have learnt about the production process is working as a team, how important planning is and how to use the technologies provided.