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

By having the preliminary task as a starting point, we were able to get to grips with using the camera and filming a variety of shots for example medium shots, long shots, close-ups, wide shots etc. We also learnt how to upload anything we filmed and how to edit anything we filmed., through Final Cut Pro. The things that we learnt from filming were that sometimes, even though using a handheld camera in a horror film made some scenes effective, it was better to use a tripod to provide better quality and to also get shots that wouldn't look so shaky, and unprofessional and it was also better to use a tripod to capture shots we wouldn't have been able to capture using hand-held, for example a shot when we were scanning the beginning of the park to establish the surroundings. Other things that we learnt about the technologies was that our videos needed continuity as jump-cutting didn't look good in the film as it wouldn't have made sense and it looks more effective when it runs smoothly. The way in which we should make sure there's no jump-cutting is by filming more shots and filming them for longer. In our film, there are quite a few jump cuts, e.g. from when the girl walks into the tress, to when she is stood by the fire, some of these look effective as jump cuts in horror films aren't unusual, however, sometimes it looks incontinuous and from this, we have learnt to film for longer and film more.

We also learnt to edit effectively in order to make the film of good quality and to represent other typical psychological thriller films. Having too many effects didn't make the film look good so we decided to use a minimum amount of effects and also due the time limit, we decided to keep it plain and simple but effective in the way we captured shots, e.g. an establishing shot (pan) of the park as the film opening moves away from the chapel and into the next scene. The only visual effect we used was the black and white effect to give some parts of the film a classic, timeless quality to it and further add eeriness to the product, as a lot of horror films have black and white scenes to make them look as though they are filming in the dark/or in the past and to provide the audience with a sense of the unknown.

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

Working Title would be the kind of institition that would distribute our media product because they make low-budget films and this would be a low-budget film as we don't need expensive props, locations, special effects or actors. Working Title don't usually distribute films of the psychological thriller genre or serious horror films for example, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (although Hot Fuzz is more of an action film, it does contain elements of horror in it). However, because this film is suitable for the ages of 15 onwards, we think they may still distribute it as they have touched on the horror genre from Shaun of the Dead and perhaps may be thinking of trying out something different such as a serious horror film rather than a comedy horror film. However, Film4 do make serious low-budget horror films such as Alice Sweet Alice so they are the kind of institution that would distribute our media product. Alice Sweet Alice is about a 12-year-old girl who seems to be responsible for a series of brutal murders in her devoutly Catholic neighbourhood which shows that it is a pyschological horror film like ours.



The best company that we think would distribute our film is Working Title 2 as they are a subsidiary company from Working title who are owned by Universal (which distributes aswell as produces films) and cater for films with a budget of no more than 5 million dollars. However, Working Title cater for films with budgets more than this, for example the film 'Diamond Skulls'.

Also, another distributor which could distribute 'Disturbed' is Optimum Releasing. This company was bought by the French media giant Canal Plus and has a distribution deal in place with the new low-budget film company 'Warp X'. It's titles include the highly successful 'This Is England' and other low budget projects such as 'Donkey Punch', which tells the tale of a holiday in Spain which goes drastically wrong. This film distributor would be suitable for our film as it specialises in distributing low budget films, and has experience of distributing films of the thriller/drama genre, similar to 'Disturbed' i.e. 'Donkey Punch'.

Shot From: Alice Sweet Alice

Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt from the progression from it to the full task?

From the progression of the preliminary task we learnt that when filming shots, we need to film them for longer in order to be able to edit more effectively as shorter shots dont allow you to edit as much because it's more difficult to match certain shots together without looking like a jump cut or not matching seamlessly. We also learned to use a more varied number of shots in our main task for example we used over the shoulder(when the girl is on the balcony in the chapel), long (when the girl is walking down the main path in the park), wide and high angle shots in comparison to the preliminary task where we were much limited on what shots to take as it was only for 30 seconds, and by taking different shots we were at a better advantage when it came to editing. We learned how to add in sound effects to make the sequence more intriguing and enlightening to the audience for example the wind from the trees in the park. In addition to this we learned how to use the tripod effectively for example when taking a pan shot, where we scanned the park to establish the new scene moving on from the chapel, which we did to give a neater finish to the shots whereas in the preliminary task we were struggling to use the tripod and the shots looked quite shaky and amateur.

Examples of the types of shots we used:

This is an example of a bird's-eye view shot



This is an example of a medium long shot:

Everything already mentioned makes up the planning of a film(opening). We found that effective planning, such as a story board, a detailed shot list, locations, costumes etc lead to the easier production of our opening. However, even if we didn't follow our plans to the tee, we still found them helpful as they gave guidance when we were perhaps struggling with what shot would work best.We knew exactly what kind of feel the opening needed (eerie, mysterious) and so we chose a park which connoted this atmosphere through bare trees and very few, if any people in the background. The planning also continued into the editing stage of the film process, for example, we knew that our soundtrack had to fit in with the visual images and so we used violins and other 'dramatic' sounds/instruments to convey the right 'feel' (using Garage Band). This is in contrast to our preliminary task, where a soundtrack/voice over was not needed. Also from our preliminary task, we learnt how to use the 180 degree rule, which helped us in our main task. This was especially the case when the girl is looking through her old photos and then blows out the candle.

How did you attract/address your audience?

We have used a various amount of different techniques in order to define our genre, which is a thriller for example adding wind in one of the parts of the sequence in particular when the girl is walking down the path in the park, this was done to create an eerie atmosphere. We also created a sound track on Garage Band which compliments our genre and film. We also enhanced certain sounds, for example when the girl is opening the park gates, we added a more exaggerated creaky sound to make it more effective. In some parts of the sequence we used hand held shots for example when the girl is walking up the stairs, we did this to make it as if someone was watching the girl.

A medium close up was taken near to the end where the girl is near the fire looking to the side, which makes the audience more intrigued as to what's going to happen next.



We also filmed long shots of when the girl is walking through the park so the audience can follow what she's doing as well establishing the surroundings.



An over the shoulder shot was taken when the girl is sat down in the park looking over photos she's been carrying with her, we did this to make the audience feel more involved with the character. In terms of editing, at the beginning we used low-key lighting, then as the girl approaches the park gates, and opens the gate, the lighting changes from black and white low-key lighting to colour and daylight, we did this as we wanted the scene in the chapel to look scarier in comparison to the park where we wanted to keep it in natural light to enable the audience to see the fire near the end. Another aspect of the editing was the titles, we wanted the text of 'Disturbed' to fit in with the genre, and so we used an 'old fashioned' font, adding to mysterious feel of the opening. We also put the title of the film at the end of our opening, to leave the audience 'hanging on' in anticipation for the rest of the film.



The mise-en scene had a mysterious dark theme which included various elements, for example low-key lighting in the chapel which was done to create an ominous feeling, we also lit a candle at the beginning when the girl is rummaging through old photos. The mise-en-scene at the park mainly consisted of tall, dark trees and bushes with leaves scattered around, as well no-one else around except the girl, portraying a sense of isolation. We also lit a fire in which the girl is burning her old photos which would grab the attention of the audience, as throughout the opening so far, the girl has been 'neutral' in her actions, adding to the significance of the fire and leaving the audience wondering what it means and how it relates to the rest of the film.

The mise-en-scene of the character fits in well with her surroundings, the use of dark clothing e.g. a black top and long, dark hair suggest that the girl is in some sort of state and connotes a sense of the unknown. This goes well with the fact that the girl's face is barely shown and that no one knows who she is. Her feelings are portrayed through her actions i.e. lighting a fire, and are further exasperated through what she looks like and what she is wearing. This will attract the audience as they will be intrigued as to who the mystery girl is.

Who would be the audience for your media project?

The primary audience for our media task is teenagers and adults aged 15+ as the film is a phycological thriller, however this film will not be suitable for children younger than the certificate age as it would probably be seen as disturbing and there are a few dark scenes which could seem scary or distressing to them. Similarly, Scream is a psychological thriller that is also rated 15 as that film too contains dark and distressing scenes. Our audience would be people who have a wide range of interests, in particular those who find horror films scary and interesting and are willing to participate in the film in terms of questioning what is happening and keeping up with the things that are going on in the film. Our film is made in a way that the audience is required to use common sense for a lot of things therefore the type of people that this would appeal to is people who like to think about what is going on in the film and what it entails. A lot of people are distracted when watching films or don't like thinking about things when watching films, they just want to enjoy it-those type of people would not be suited to watching our film as our film requires the audience to think.

Although our audience ranges from males and females from the ages of 15+, adults from the age of 25 would probably appreciate the film more as it requires a lot of thinking and understanding from the audience and for the audience to 'solve the puzzle' which would probably interest an older teenager, as it doesn't contain images of gore or explicit scenes which might intrest someone of a younger age.

Our main target audience in terms of gender would be predominantly women and girls in their late teens. This is because the protagonist is a female; with the film being based around her life. However, thriller films and horror films also have a large target audience of men so our film would also attract males. Because the genre is a psychological thriller, our product is aimed at a niche audience. As mentioned before, people with specific interests in elements such as mystery, drama and processes of the mind would have interest in the film. However, this would be a smaller audience with more unique taste, rather than the majority audience who have more interest in romantic-comedies and dramas, in which they can relate to.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In horror films, they usually have a vulnerable female lead (for example in Scream), our film also has a female lead who is vulnerable. By doing this, females could feel more involved with horror films such as Scream and ours. In our film, we have a girl who is 'disturbed' and this matches with other horror films in the sense that they have a mentally ill person as the lead (such as Hide and Seek). This is because the audience may consist of people who aren't usually exposed to mentally ill people or deranged people, therefore making a film about it and exaggerating it slightly will make it more effective for them. This touches on the stereo type of mentally ill people demonstrated in the media, as our film plays on the stigma associated with mental illness, but also tries to address the issues at the same time by getting the audience to work out why the character is doing the things she is.

The film would be appreciated by those from all backgrounds and ethnic groups, in particular intellectual people as the film requires the audience to think for themselves. This may also mean that adults would appreciate the film more than teenagers as they are more aware of the different types of impacts on people who may suffer from a mental illness in comparison to teenagers where their knowledge may be quite limited.

The social group that our film would most represent would be young teenage girls as they would relate to the main character in the film. She's a typical teenage girl, looking through old photographs that bring back bad memories and then goes to burn them. Teenage girls can relate to this -it isn't something totally out of this world. A teenage girl wacthing this wouldn't find it difficult to put herself into this position as it concerns the death of a relative-which is something that happens in everyday life. However, this film takes it a step further in order to make it as entertaining as possible and to be typical of a psychological thriller.

Our film opening introduces a young woman who is the main protagonist. The reason why we chose a young girl to be the main character is to create the effect that is similarly done in 'Scream' where the whole film plot is affected by a young girl’s actions, thus we try to emphasise her significance. The protagonist is casually looking through some old photogrpaphs at the start of the film, and a lot of people ocassionally look through old photographs for memories. However, what makes this girl different is that these photos bring back bad memories.

A young woman entering an isolated park and wanting to burn these old photographs that connects to her dark past shows her vulnerabilty by the fact that she is on her own in an isolated park, which could also show that she's on her own in this world. The audience won’t know that at this point, but in some ways it illustrates that she is vulnerable. This expected meaning challenges the stereotypes that people may have about young people. In addition, the opening of a film could be regarded as the most important part of the film as it shapes the plot of the rest of the film. In our opening production, we focused only on one character meaning that there is no involvement from other characters. This is vital as it demonstrates the importance of the character because the whole opening focuses on her. Immediately, we understand her significance to the story and how the rest of the story plot depends on her behaviour. In conclusion, our media product represents a young woman in a negative light even though the story plot revolves around her mysterious life. It is not clear from watching our film opening that the character has great importance in the rest of the film. Our film opening explores a traumatic past of a young girl who is haunted by a memory from her past and we approached this subject in a very subtle way. This is because we did not want to overcomplicate the situation thus meaning that we left hints all the way through the opening of the film so that the audience themselves can figure it out.