Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

After looking at the preliminary task and our full final product I 

feel I have developed as a film maker in many ways through learning certain skills and techniques. I have learnt all about different camera shots, movements and transitions which previously I did not know about. I now know how to use iMovie properly and us the editing techniques to the best of their ability. When we filmed our preliminary task all I knew was very little and only knew how to add shots together, add effects and text onto them. However when it came to editing our final thriller opening I knew how to add transitions to improve the continuity instead of having continuous straight cuts and also I learnt how to add effects to the shots to make the fit in with the thriller genre and make it seem eerie. I also learnt how to do edit footage by splitting the clip to make it shorter and then adding a shot in-between to create a cutaway shot. This helps with continuity which was something which was not achieved very well during a preliminary task. I also feel that as a film maker the creating of the narrative has improved has as in our preliminary task there was not much of one, however in our final production there is. I have developed the amount of shots used. In our final product we used a wide range of unique shots and camera movements for example we used a tilt when Elle was walking up the stairs whereas in our preliminary task long shots and mid shots were mainly used and we used no varied camera movements. 

I think I have learnt the importance of continuity, 180 degree rule and match on action since filming our preliminary. Continuity is important so that the shots flow nicely and correctly one after another without being able to tell they have been filmed at different times. It helps to achieve a professional look to the video. Continuity is something which I struggled with in our preliminary task and do not think there was much continuity at all. However in our final production continuity was achieved as the footage was edited together better and the shots were shorter instead of having lots of long shots after each other. I have learnt that the 180 degree rule is important as without it it makes the footage looked badly filmed and does not help the continuity of the film. In our preliminary task we broke the 180 degree rule and I think it ruined the narrative of the production. The first time we filmed our final production we broke the 180 degree rule because of the way we had to film due to the lack of space and the tripod getting in the way. Although when we re-filmed we had more space and were filming on a iPhone instead of video camera so it was easier to film shots making sure we did not break the rule. In our preliminary task we did use match on action however it did not look as it good as it does in our final production. The editing was not as effective as it was in our final production. The match on action shot helped us to have continuity and move the narrative on from one part to another.

In our preliminary task there were strengths there was shortcomings. I think that some of the shots and camera angles were a strength.  We used many varied camera shots, such as a long shot and close-up whilst using camera angles such as a high angle shot. 

We used transitions such as fade black to make it look more interesting instead of having straight cuts repeatedly. We also added an effect to the high angle shot to make it look like CCTV. I felt like this made it more interesting for the viewer and made it appear more dramatic that it was. One of the criteria of the preliminary task was to use match on action effectively and I feel like this is something we did. This helps with continuity and gives a professional feel it. Something from our preliminary which needed improving would have been the music which was random and sporadic. It also did not fit in very well with the genre of the thriller and crescendoed at the wrong points. The quality of the preliminary task is a shortcoming as it is not very good. We only realised this when we were uploading the footage to edit and if we knew beforehand we would have filmed on a different device, such as a iPhone. 

To plan ideas for shots and editing we make tables. Next to the list of shots we add the location, description, action and props. We did this for the shortlist and the cutaway shot list. This is so we knew on the day of filming what we needed to film and how we would film it. We also created a filming schedule to help with the organisation on the day of filming.

We ended up filming our final thriller opening production twice as we were not happy with it the first time. The first time of filming we were not as organised at we were the second time and did not know what we were going to to properly. We thought it would be a good idea to have all the lights off to create an eerie and mysterious effect, however there was also no natural light which lead to the shots being dark and grainy. Similarly to the preliminary task we used a video camera from school and again our footage turned out bad quality. We also had a lack of camera shots and the narrative did not make much sense. When we uploaded the footage to the mac to edit it we realised we had made errors throughout the filming and the footage just did not look good. After this we ended up filming again and we improved greatly from the first time. Some of the strengths from our final production was the shots which looked effective and were varied. We used many shots such as over the shoulder, close-ups, long shots, mid shots. We also used camera movements such as tilts, like where Elle is walking up the stairs and when the ‘Alter-Ego’ character is in the corner of the room. This helps to make the opening more interesting for the audience instead of just having a normal camera movement and the same shots continuously thought. I think that sound is used well in our opening as we have a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound. The diegetic sound in the opening is the door creaking. We were going to add this sound in when we were editing but we realised that the sound of the actual door creaking was effective and sounded good. The non-diegetic sound we added was the music which we created on garage band. This is good as we could make the music fit into our narrative and could make the music become more dramatic and crescendo so it correlates with the correct shots unlike our preliminary task where we used pre-made music and it did not fit it with what was happening in the scene. I feel like the props were a strength in making our opening thriller effective and I think that the magazines with the blood on were good at creating suspense and tension whilst hooking the audience to continue watching as they are curious as to where the blood came from. The hand prints on the posters at the end also are effective and add to the mysteriousness. Some weaknesses from our final production would be that at some points the lighting is bad. As the lighting is bad it makes the shots look dark and grainy which makes it look unprofessional. Although as a group we tried hard to edit the shots to make them shorter we could not otherwise it would have disrupted the narrative, so if we were to re-film this I would make sure that we filmed more footage so that we could make more cutaway shots. Another way to improve our final production would be to vary the cuts. Although it does not look bad using all straight cuts it may look more professional and interesting to the audience if we use varied cuts.

There are a number of shots from our preliminary and thriller which show how we have developed in editing and camerawork skills. In both our preliminary task and final production we used match on action shots which involved close-ups of each actors hand. In our preliminary task the way the door opens it appears to be awkward and once it goes onto the next shot it does not flow very well. However in our final task we filmed from a different angle and the way in which Elle will open the door and the next shot will make more sense to the audience that our preliminary task and the continuity will be better. These screenshots also shows how well the quality of our productions have got since releasing that the video camera are not good enough quality to film a production with and make it look profession, however filming with the iPhone is in HD at 720p.

Although the shots in our final production are more varied, we did use an over the shoulder shot in both our preliminary task and final production. In our preliminary task the over the shoulder the shot was not very close to the actor and you cannot tell really that it is  a over the shoulder shot. It is not effective at all. However in our final production the over the shoulder shot is closer to the actor and looks more effective and professional. I feel that this developed because of the difference in what camera we were filming with as iPhone is a lot 

smaller and easy to get close to someone that a video camera on a tripod.

Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In the process of constructing this product I have learnt many different skills and techniques. As having never done media studies before I did not know how to use a digital video camera or any equipment such as a tripod. However I did learn how to use a video camera and tripod whilst filming our preliminary task. I learnt that using a tripod helps to keep the camera steady when filming shots, and if the shots are not steady it can look very unprofessional. Although when it came to filming our final thriller opening we did not use a digital video camera or a tripod as we filmed using an iPhone. This is because using an iPhone was better quality than using a digital video camera and did not use a tripod as we did not have one that would fit a iPhone. We ended up re-filming our final opening thriller as we were not happy with the way it has turned out. We filmed using a digital video camera and tripod the first time we filmed and found it very restricting as to what we could do as the video camera is large and as is the tripod. We found this  meant we could not film many shots other than the basics as everything was too big to move around. We found it hard to exclude certain things such as the christmas decorations from the frame as we could not move the camera into a position where the items would be excluded whilst keeping to the 180 degree rule. The quality of the video camera was also poor. The lighting when we filmed the first time was bad as we did not put any lights on in the house and the weather was cloudy and therefore there was no natural light. However when we filmed the second time we used an iPhone and it greatly improved our filming. As iPhone are small it meant that we could get into positions to film certain shots such as an over the shoulder shot without having a big video  camera and tripod form stopping us. Using an iPhone meant we could easily exclude things from the frame as we could move the iPhone and place it in more convenient positions. As well as filming with a different device we also changed to another location which has plenty of natural light allowing the shot quality to improve from the first time we filmed where it was too grainy. To create the music for our thriller we used a software called garageband. This allows you to create music which is copyright free which can fit in perfectly with your thriller as you can make it more dramatic and crescendo which it is needed.

From creating this production I have learnt the importance of continuity editing, certain shot types and when to use them. Continuity editing is to make sure shots run smoothly and that there is a coherent between shots. It helps to draw attention to certain objects, characters and events in the film with the shots effectively following on from one another. To help continuity you can use a gradual transition from one shot to another. I have learnt this is important because without it the narrative of the opening can be lost and can confuse the audience. Different shot types can give different effects and I have found it that it is important to use them at the right time. We have found that some of the most important and frequent shot types we used in our opening thriller were close-ups, midshot and a long shot. Close-ups are shots where a certain feature or part of a subject takes up most of the frame. We found that using this shot is important when showing detail to the audience such as the blood on the magazines. A midshot shows part of the subject in detail and usually from the waist up. We found this useful when the ‘normal’ girl was walking through the house and we were filming her up until she met the Alter-Ego. A long shot is where the subject takes up most of the full frame whilst showing a character or object in their environment. We used this shot when showing the ‘normal’ girl in her natural environment reading magazines.  

I have learnt about composition and framing, rule of thirds, golden mean and different camera movements such such as tilt. Composition and framing is how and where objects are placed and arranged in a shot and how we put the shot together. An example would be how we placed the magazines on the floor. 

Rule of Thirds is where the points of interest are within a shot, where the lines cross. When you compose a shot you imagine the grid over it. The golden mean is where you compose a shot and imagine a diagonal line over the top of it. Points of interest also occur along this line similarly to the rule of thirds. The camera movement which we used in our opening thriller was a tilt which is where the camera tilts either up or down vertically. We used this camera movement to give a sense of insanity.

As I have never done media before I had never used an editing software and for our editing of our final product we used iMovie. I have learnt to edit effectively so that the meaning and narrative is clear to the audience by selecting the correct shots and making sure that they are placed in the correct order when editing. Also making sure that shots are not to long can help to make sure that that the meaning is clear to the audience and that there is continuity. This can be done by the use of a cutaway shot. The use of cutaway shots help to structure narrative and interest the audience as if you just long shot after long shot it would become boring. This is a mistake we made at first with editing but then split one shot in half to put another shot in-between to create the cutaway shot and make it more interesting. These screenshots below show that I know what to split a clip using iMovie.

Another way which I have learnt to edit to help structure narrative and interest the audience is by using transitions. Transitions are ways which two shots are joined together. The most common transitions used in films is the straight cut which we have used throughout our opening. This is where  a shot cuts straight to another. A gradual transition is again from one shot to another and helps to improve and show continuity. It can often show a move from one location to another. Some other transitions are fade to black/white, fade in/out, cross cutting and a jump cut. Fade to black/white is where one shot fades in or out to either black or white. It used because it creates a sense of time passing or if it is done quickly, it can show flashbacks. Fade in/out is when shot is faded out to a black screen or in from a black screen. This shows progression of time or can give a sense of chaos to a situation. It can also be used as a montage effect and is placed at the beginning or end of a sequence. Cross cutting is where actions cut between sequences to create links. It normally parallels or contrasts between the two storylines and their settings. It's also used because it creates tension and suspense and often used in thrillers. Finally a jump cut is an abrupt cut between shots. It gives a dramatic effect and can begin and end action scenes. If it is edited poorly however it can look bad and I think that this is why we did not use it in our opening. There is a selection of all of these in iMovie which you can add to your shots. The screenshots below show that I know how to find and select transitions to add into shots and footage. 

Another skill I have learnt from editing out thriller on iMovie is how to add titles in. As our thriller is an opening title sequence it is important to have titles introducing the director, editor, costume designer and make up artist. We have done this in our opening but kept the titles simple so that it does not distract from the opening and the narrative. The screen shots below show that I know how to select and add in titles to footage. 

Throughout the process of creating and constructing this product technologies have been a key part in finding out what the audience want to see in a thriller and making important decisions on things such as the typography for the opening.  To create the typography for our titles we used the website "www.dafont.com" and chose 5 different styles of typography for our main thriller title. Every style of typography we chose is distorted which suits the theme of our thriller which is psychological. After we had found these four typography styles we used a website called “PollEverywhere” which allowed people to feedback to us which typography the preferred and which suited “Alter-Ego” best. 

Q5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Throughout our thriller opening sequence we did many things to help attract and address the audience. This would help to make ‘Alter-Ego’ appeal to the audience and make the opening interesting for them. 

I think that the posters on the wall in the girls bedroom and the magazines at the start will help to make the opening appeal to the audience. The opening is targeted at teenage girls ages 15-18 and these props are typical items which you may see in a girls bedroom. These props would help to attract the audience as it would mean that it would help them to relate to the storyline.  This is something which we wanted to achieve with our thriller because from our research people find this helps them to make the thriller more interesting and thriller if they can see themselves in the situation.

In our opening thriller cutaway shots are used frequently throughout. I think this would help to get and keep the audiences attention. This is because cutaway shots tend to break up a longer shot where the audiences attention may be lost as the shot is focusing on the same thing. Therefore cutaway shots help to interest the audience by breaking up the longer shots where the same thing is happening throughout.  The blood on the magazine will help to intrigue the audience as it is at the start of our opening and will make them want to continue watching as it will make them wonder as to why the blood has come from, why it is there and what has happened.

I think that the sound in our thriller production helps to attract/address the audience. There are two types of sound which are featured in our thriller - diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is the noise which comes from the scene and is not added or edited in after such as actors voices. Non-diegetic is sound which has been added after in the editing process. For example music may be added into a thriller to help create suspense. In this shot of our opening there is a loud bang, which is the start of the build up of the revelation of the ‘Alter-Ego’ character. This loud noise gives a sense of mystery and anticipation as the audience is wondering what has caused the noise. At this point the music which is playing in the background begins to crescendo. This is intended to get the audiences hearts racing as the music gets louder and become more dramatic and tense.

Before we filmed our opening thriller we asked the audience what shot types they think are commonly used in thrillers and what they think one of the most effective shot types is. The feedback we got from this was close-ups. We took the feedback and put it to use in our opening. I think that these shots are effective for the audience as it is creating anticipation right before the revelation of the ‘Alter-Ego.’ By keeping the ‘Alter-Ego’ hidden from the audience and making the shots of the ‘normal girl’ opening the door longer we create that suspense and anticipation which according to our research from our Vox Pop is one of the most important factors in the audience. 

One way which I feel we fulfilled our audiences expectations is by creating a psychological thriller. We asked the audience what their favourite thriller sub-genre is and which they find the most interesting. The most common response we got was psychological. They said this is because they are the most “intriguing” thrillers and also the most “thrilling” thrillers. They also said it is “like a mind game for the audience.” From this feedback we made our thriller opening a psychological thriller. We also asked “what makes a thriller thrilling” and the response was “good use of music” and “twist and turns and being unique” in the storyline. As we got the response of good music we spent time searching for the right music to fit into our opening but as a group we could not find it therefore we created our own. We used Garage Band on a MacBook to create the music. This way we could make sure it crescendoed and got more dramatic and the correct parts. The response of “twists and turns” in the storyline meant the we spent a long time thinking of a narrative. We first thought of an idea but found it was too cliche and had been done many times. Then we though of the unique narrative of “Alter-Ego” which has the main “twist” in as the antagonist and protagonist are the same person. The storyline is “unique” as something like this has never been done before. Overall I feel that from the feedback from the audience and producing and watching ‘Alter-Ego” we have fulfilled their expectations and what they wanted from a thriller. 

Overall our audiences responded well to our opening and better than expected. We got a lot over positive points saying that our opening “is unique and not similar to anything I’ve seen before.” This is good it shows we have taken on board the feedback from the research and put it into our thriller opening. Another piece of positive feedback we got was “it was really really relatable.” This was a good piece of feedback to receive as a main point we set out to achieve was to make it relatable for the audience as they may have experience  pressure from the media as they portray the idea of “perfection.” Despite the positive feedback we did receive some improvements from our target audience which was that “some bits are too dark, add more light.” The group completely agree with this feedback as at some points in the opening there is not enough lighting and it is too dark. This makes the shots look grainy and unprofessional. 

Q4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our audience for our thriller “alter-ego” would been teenagers based around 15-19 years old. I believe this is the case as it would interests many people of this age range due to the storyline and setting that the character is in such as a typical teenagers bedroom with posters. The main gender I think that would watch our thriller is girls. This is because I think that they would relate to the character well as she is effected by the media and how the media portrays ‘perfection’ which is something that teenagers girls will be able to relate to, more so than teenage boys. The age is 15-19. This is because people who are under the age of 15 may not fully understand the storyline and what is happening as they may not be able to relate to the character as much which is important as it does help the audience to understand the storyline. According to the BBFC there should not be too much detail on ‘pain’ or ‘injury’ which blood is classified under and therefore the classification for the film should be a 15. No one older than 19 would be interested in our thriller as it is something that they may not find interesting as there a lot of ‘teen’ posters around the room and therefore it is not aimed at their age group. We have made our thriller so that it is not aimed at any specific race or nationality and therefore not limiting the audience that can watch our thriller. The socio-economic group for our film would be group E. This is because this group has students in and most people watching ‘Alter-Ego’ would be students. 

 The age of this teenager girl is 17 whom is someone who would watch, and also who our thriller film is aimed at. Their race and nationality is white British. Similarly to most teenager girls they use a lot of social media, either on laptops, tablets or smart phone. Some of the social media websites they use are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Facebook is used to talk to friends and see what friends are doing e.g statuses. Twitter is also used to talk to friends but also to look what her favourite celebrities are doing, such as one direction. Instagram is used to look at pictures and also to upload pictures as well. Tumblr is used as a blogging website where you can also look and upload pictures. Some of the films they would watch would be The Hunger Games, The Notebook, 500 Days of Summer and Dear John. These are mostly films of the romantic genre, apart from The Hunger Games which is a mix between adventure and sci-fi. Some other film genres they would watch would be romantic comedy’s.  Some of the TV shows which she watches are the typical teen dramas such as Waterloo Road, Skins, Gossip Girl. Detective/crime programmes are also a favourite such as Sherlock, Silent Witness, Broadchurch and Law and Order. She is also keen on soaps such as Eastenders and Hollyoaks. Their music preferences are pop music such as One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Jessie J. These music preferences would lead to a hobby of going to concerts and seeing her favourite artists live.

The magazines which they like are ‘gossip’ magazines such as Heat magazine, but also fashion magazines such Vogue and Elle. They would shop at places such as Topshop, Primark and New Look which are all aimed at around the teenager age also.

 We researched are audience by using many different research methods. We filmed a Vox Pop at the start of our research. Vox Pop or in Latin ‘Vox Populi’ also means "the voice of the people" or "man on the street.” A Vox Pop involves an interviewer asking the same few people more than one question and go back to them throughout the Vox Pop. In our Vox Pop we asked two different questions two find out what people’s opinions on thrillers are. These questions were “What makes a thriller thriller thrilling?” and “What is your favourite thriller sub-genre?” From the response from the first question, people  said that music can make a thriller thrilling as it creates suspense and tension. Also atmosphere and suspense are important as they make the thriller. The story line line also helps to make a thriller thrilling by having "twist and turns" and unexpected part of the story happen to create suspense and keep the audience hooked. For the second question, people said their favourite genre of thriller was psychological as it is like a "mind game for the audience." Action was also said because it is exciting, as was sci-fi as they are also exciting and interesting.

Our second research method was using a website called  “PollEverywhere.” For our pitch we created a poll so that our peers who were watching could vote for the typography they prefer and which they feel would be most effective as we needed to gain opinions from our target audience. This poll revealed that the most popular typography choice was the fourth style. I feel that this is a good choice as it reflects the story behind our opening titles sequence. At the beginning of our opening, we plan to have the normal teenage girl reading magazines, when she then hears unusual sounds coming from upstairs. She investigates the sound to find the "alter-ego" character on the floor in her bedroom surrounded by ripped paper and magazines. Typography four suits this because the white shadow behind the lettering correlates with the ripped up magazines which will be used. As this typography has a "type-writer" feel to it, it is typical of the thriller genre as it is used in many crime and mystery thrillers. 

BBFC stands for British Board of Film Classification, or as it used to be known British Board of Film Censors. They are responsible for the censorship and classification of films in the United Kingdom. This censorship is so that people of a certain age, such as children do not watch films that are unsuitable for them and which they may find upsetting or disturbing in some way. To decide on the decision of which age rating a film should be given, two people who work for BBFC called examiners will watch a film and take into consideration the different content within the film.

U stands for Universal which means that it should be suitable for almost everyone, however

 they may not be suitable for children under the age of four. A film which is rated U contains occasional mild bad language e.g "Damn!." It does not allow any sexual behaviour, however "kissing and cuddling" is allowed. If there is violence at all in a film, it will be very mild. In a U film there will be no reference to drugs which are illegal unless however it is for educational purposes.

PG stands for Parental Guidance. Films with this certificate should general suit all children, however similarly to Universal, aged 8 and above is the suggested age. Mild bad language can be used but it  may depend on how it is delivered by the actor (if it's aggressive or not.) If bad language is used frequently in the film then it may be considered for a higher rating. Sexual references may be allowed in a PG film if they are not very detailed and not used often in the film. The violence in a PG film would be similarly again to Universal mild, however blood may be allowed as long as it is not very graphic. There should not be a direct focus on illegal drugs in a PG film unless it is educational and will be able to be understood by a younger audience.

12A means that a child is required to have an adult with them if they go to the cinema to

watch the film which has this classification as is under the age of 12. 12 is a less complicated 12A which is put on DVD's and is easier for people in shops to understand. Strong language can be passed for a 12A/12 film depending on the way it is said and who in the film says it. The may be sexual references and nudity in a 12A/12 film but it has to be brief. There should be "moderate" violence in the film but should not be in lots of detail. There may be some drug use in a 12A/12 but it should not instruct someone how to do/use drugs or be portrayed as “glamorous."

15 films are designed for people ages 15 and over. No one under the age of 15 should go and watch a film of this classification at the cinema. There can be strong language used frequently in 15 films however it again depends on how it is portrayed by the actor and therefor could be classified a higher.Sexual references, activity  and nudity can be in an 15 film as long as it does no go into detail. In a 15 film the violence can be strong, as long as there is not much detail on pain or injury. "Gory images" and "strong sadistic violence" would most probably not be accepted. Drug taking can be included in a film rated 15 however it should not encourage drug use.

Films rated 18 are designed to be for adults and not for children. No one under the age of

18 will be allowed to watch a film classified as an 18 at the cinema. Strong language can be used throughout without and limit and how often it can be used.Sexual referenced and nudity can be in detail, and strong violence can also be used. Drug use can be used however it still cannot promote drug misuse. 

I think that our film will be classified at 15. 15 films are designed for people ages 15 and over. No one under the age of 15 should go and watch a film of this classification at the cinema. There can be strong language used frequently in 15 films however it again depends on how it is portrayed by the actor and therefor could be classified a higher.Sexual references, activity  and nudity can be in an 15 film as long as it does no go into detail. In a 15 film the violence can be strong, as long as there is not much detail on pain or injury. "Gory images" and "strong sadistic violence" would most probably not be accepted. Drug taking can be included in a film rated 15 however it should not encourage drug use. Our thriller does not involve drugs, gory images or strong sadistic view. It however does have blood featured in it which is ‘not much detail on pain or injury’ and is why it is a 15. This impacts our target audience as people under the age of 15 cannot watch this thriller. This effects the amount of people who will watch the thriller and it slims down the audience who can watch this. This however is good as people under the age of 15 may not enjoy or understand the thriller. 

Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Created with Padlet

Our production company name is AMOA productions. The “AMOA” in the name is the first initials of the four group members last names. We thought this would be a good idea for the name as we all contributed greatly to the research, planning and creating of our opening thriller sequence “Alter-Ego.” The production company name shows this as it is a part of all of our names and we were all part of the products of this film.

Most production companies have an ident which is a moving image, played before the film starts. This is to inform the audience of who the production company for that film is. These idents tend to be quite recognisable for the audience and they become quite famous. For example, Dreamworks with the boy on the moon or Metro Goldwyn Mayer with the roaring lion. This is our company ident for AMOA productions. It is hand drawn by one of the members of the group and will be used at the beginning of our thriller opening title sequence. This ident does not move like the other big production companies idents do as we though it would look better and more effective if it doesn't. The ident features the name AMOA which is our company name made up of the initials of our last name. It also reflects the thriller genre as the tree connotes a creepy and mysterious idea and the image is unique and nothing like any other production company's ident as it is hand drawn and features our also unique production company name. For this logo we drew inspiration from the Lionsgate ident as the sky in the background of it also connotes a similar creepy and mysterious idea as our own logo does. 

A production company provides the funding, and helps to make and distribute films or television programmes. They provide the money and therefore set the budget, which will influence the director and actors for the production. Production company helps all types of work such as performing arts, television, radio and video. The most common film company who regularly distribute thrillers are Lionsgate. The have a reputation for this which means that they could have an inherited audience. This is where a production company who already have fans of the thriller film which they make, will most likely want to watch a film which a producer creates if it is distributed by Lionsgate. Some thriller films which Lionsgate have distributed is The Hunger Games films and Saw. Some distribution companies attract certain audiences because of the genre of the typical films they release. This is called inherited audience which is where the audience who are a fans of "indie" films may watch many releases from Film 4 as this company have films which are predominantly of an "indie" genre. Due to an audiences interest in this film genre they would be fans of films released from this production company. 

Out of all of the multiple production companies out there, we have chosen Film 4 to produce our film. Film 4 is a British production company which is owned by Chanel 4 Television Corporation. It is mainly produces films which are based in the UK. They produce quite "indie" films and tend to have up and coming actors in the films which they have put into production. Originally the institution was named Chanel Four Films or FilmFour International. The whole company was re-branded to become Film4 as we know it today . This tied in with the start of the television chanel which is also called Film4.  Then in 2002 the company had a huge budget cut which meant losing a large amount of their staff and having to become part of channel 4's drama department. In 2006 the new name of "FilmFour Productions" was brought in to coincide with the re-release of the tv channel Film4. The company is based in the United Kingdom, but more specifically in London. It is owned by Chanel Four Television Corporation, the chairman of this is Lord Burns and the CEO is David Abraham. The type of films which Film4 are involved in our indie films which tend to be thrillers or drama's. 

Some of the high earning films that Film4 have produced are "12 Years A Slave," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Nowhere Boy." The most well known film being Slumdog Millionaire which was released in 2008. This film had a budget of $15 million and from the box office made $377.9 million. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and ended up winning eight. It also won seven BAFTA Awards, five Critics Choice Awards and four Golden Globes. These helped to put Film4 on the map as one of the biggest and most popular production companies.

We have chosen Film4 as the suitable institute to produce our thriller as we are going for quite an individual and edgy feel, which is something that the films that Film4 produce do have in one way or another. Although the company does not have as high budget or as much money available as the other bigger and more popular production companies, from the previous films that have been produced by Film4 it is clear that the financial aspects is not as issue as the films that have been released under film4 have been of high quality and gone on to make high amounts of revenue.

Some films are funded by the companies borrowing money from banks e.g. a loan. Some people may get funding by approaching banks or investors and asking if they would like to either fund completely or contribute to the funding of the film. If there is big actors involved then they are more likely to invest. Films that don't have a budget as big as the large production companies are financed by either the direction and/or the producer. To fund out film, as it is being distributed by Film4 which is quite a popular product company, they will loan money from the bank, or get people to invest and fund the film. 

There are various jobs involved in creating a film which are all featured in the opening titles. Normally in most films, the production company comes first, then after that presents…, a film by…etc. The actors and main cast then come up following by the music, make-up and customer designer. Then the very last titles are who the film is produced, written, edited, and directed by. In our opening title thriller we have followed this structure by having the production company first, make-up etc in the middle and the who the director is, who edited it and the end.

 A film which is similar to ‘Alter-Ego’ is ‘Submarine.’ This film was distributed by Film4 and although a comedy-drama the main character Oliver Tate played by Craig Roberts is similar to the main character in our film as they are both troubled teenagers. The film would be marketed in a similar way as they our both “indie” films although ‘Alter-Ego’ is a thriller film, and would have a similar audience and people who are fans of ‘Submarine’ may be fans of ‘Alter-Ego.’ 

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

For a similar character to the ‘normal’ girl in Alter-Ego I have picked Jill Roberts from Scream 4. She is the main antagonist in Scream  4, similarly to our character in Alter-Ego who is also the main antagonist in the thriller. The character of Jill Roberts appears to be a strong character in the film, whereas a difference is our antagonist in ‘Alter-Ego’ is not a strong character as she is heavily effected by the media and what they portray. Jill Roberts is also portrayed as a character who is quite aware of danger. This is another similarity because as soon as our ‘normal’ girl in the opening hears a noise, she automatically senses danger and that something is wrong. This then leads to her investigating the noise and putting herself in danger, similarly to Jill Roberts in Scream 4. 

 We wanted to create a antagonist character who is also a victim, and a character who is the protagonist and a villain . The character of the antagonist features the most throughout our thriller but I think that the protagonist - the “Alter-Ego’ is the most important. She is the key character to understanding the storyline in the thriller. We used a teenager ages 16 to play the role of both characters as that is who ‘Alter-Ego’ is aimed at. We felt that if we have a character which is the same age as the target audience they would be able to relate to the thriller as they maybe have also been affected in a similar way as they could have felt pressurised by the media’s portrayal of ‘perfection.’ It also may help them to understand the storyline more and like the film.

 For the "Alter Ego" character they wore all black clothing, which was a hoodie, leggings, strappy top and black shoes. These clothes will be worn towards the end of our opening however there will be quick shots of the character wearing them at the beginning. Through this all black costume we are wanting to connote and create a girl who is an "Alter Ego" and is not in control of herself. Our only actor in our opening wore this, whom of which is a girl and who portrayed the darker and more evil side of herself, hence why we only see this character in her bedroom as no one else get's to see her "alter ego" outside of an area which is her personal room and surroundings, showing that everyone including her has a darker side which they show to no one else. The darker clothing is representing the darker side of the character which has not been seen before to anyone else, and that the character herself is still unsure about her "alter ego" and what it will make her do. The black made the character stand out in the surroundings where we filmed as the walls were covered with paper and writing on and contrast the clothing. Wearing darker clothing is typical for a  "bad" character in thrillers as the black colour connotes darkness and negativity which is what  normally is wanted to be portrayed by antagonist in the thriller genre. For our regular girl character, she wore a white dress, white shoes and a flower crown around her head. She appeared throughout the sequence in this different settings wearing the same outfit. With this all white costume we wished to connote an "innocent" girl who is "pure" and happy, which is a contrast to the clothing and the character of the "alter ego." The flower crown can relate back to something you could have worn when you were younger, which is when you are typically at your happiest. When the actor is wearing this she is portraying the  normal side to her which everyone gets to see, which is why she is not locked away in her bedroom like the "alter ego" character is. Once the girl stepped into the bedroom wearing these clothes she will instantly stand out from the other character although they are the same girl, showing the contrast in personalities and how they are perceived by other people. Wearing white is typical to the thriller genre as it is common that it connotes innocence and tends to be worn by the "damsel in distress.” 

We have used different camera shots and movements to convey different meanings in the thriller. We use a tilt regularly which conveys the idea of insanity and how the ‘Alter-Ego’ character has been heavily effected and influenced by the media and how it is controlling her. Close-ups are also used regularly throughout to show details which are important and help to create an atmosphere in the thriller, such as the blood, the match on action where the hand opens the door and the smudging of the make up. 

In our opening thriller we had two different make-up looks, one where the girl is normal and the other where the girl is in the "Alter-Ego." We wanted there to be a clear contrast between the two characters with no only their clothing but their facial appearance e.g. their make-up. The normal girl.s make-up is very minimal and light connoting innocence and purity whereas the alter-ego's make-up is darker and messy which suggests evilness and how she is not in control, hence the messiness of the make-up.

In our opening thriller we used magazines which are typical aimed at teenager girls, such as company magazine. This is because it is a usual item which you would see in a teenage girl's bedroom and it did not look out of place. On the day we then ripped these magazines to make them look like the Alter-Ego character had done it as it shows a sense if instability and craziness. We added blood onto some of these magazines for when we filmed a shot of them altogether to add suspense and mystery. We also filmed dripping blood onto the magazines which we used as a cutaway shot. I think that it is an effective shot and it makes the audience appear uncomfortable. Another proper we used as well as the magazines and blood is posters which we printed of ourselves. These posters are typical of teenage girls and were perfect for the setting. We also used the fake blood on these to show that the alter-ego has attacked them as they were also ripped and hand a handprint on in blood. These were used to cover up the title of the film, and at the end the Alter-Ego character rips them down to reveal the typography and the title.    

 The house which we filmed at is a Victorian style. As it is such an old house the lighting is not perfect and helps to add some eeriness to the setting. As the house is a family home which a member of our group lives in it means the set for a normal family home is already present. The location was chosen because it is relates to the storyline and fits in perfectly. 

On the day of filming we checked the lighting because if the weather was cloudy and dark we  needed to make arrangements for it, such as making sure all of the lights in the house are turned on to make sure it is not dark and the shots come across good and effective on the camera. However if the weather did turn out sunny and bright, which it didn’t, the lights were not needed. The weather on the day was dark and how it came across on camera. We did not turn the lights on as we want the opening to feature natural light to make it look more realistic to the audience and make it look more mysterious.