Audience Feed Back

To collect the information for our audience feedback, we asked a range of people to watch our thriller and answer some questions. We did this in order to see what people thought of our thriller and to see what we could have done better, what went wrong and what went right and also seeing if the audience understood what our thriller was about. Generally our thriller has had a lot of positive feedback. The audience that that it had a good story line and it was well acted.

Our intentions by using the quick editing and camera movements were to show the panic, urgency and  severity of her stress leading her to take the pill. The feedback from our audience showed that this was portrayed in a successful way. Everyone in the feedback guessed that our movie was a zombie movie which was an aspect that was key to get through in our sequence. We got some mixed feedback, lots being positive but also a fair bit being negative. The negative feedback was mainly people not being able to make the connection between the drug causing the zombie attack stating that we did not show the story line clearly enough. 

This goes back to our original idea being everyone walking round taking a pill. This was shown in the story boards. However we changed this idea as we felt it was too obvious and was spelling out the plot too much. We then went to the other extreme and did not make it clear enough in our actual production. When planning the sequence we were so involved in the story line that we knew the whole concept. It has not struck me until now that as a result of this it did not make me think that others would not know what was going on. We thought that by showing an extreme close up of the pill being put down on the shelf that people would have made the connection between this and the attack at the end. Although listening to this feedback and looking back the our video I can see how confusion could have been caused as it was all very quick, although we did this on purpose to portray the panic of the character. 

On the positive side of things the audience commented that the way we edited it to slowly evolve the plot intrigued the audience. Some did not understand why she was taking the pills. We gave the idea that she was under a stressful situation and in a mode of panic. We had to be careful what we did and did not give away otherwise there would be be point in the rest of the film. 

Overall, I am generally happy with the feedback that we collected. Even those which were negative as I am now able to learn from these and apply them to my next peace of work. Saying this I am also very pleased with those comments which were positive. The feedback was mostly positive indicating that the thriller successfully fulfilled our intensions for our target audience. 

Some Feedback Answers:

Jess Adam -

Q. What do you think the basic plot of this thriller is?
A. About a pill that makes you eat people.

Q. What are the key strengths of this thriller?
A. The shots and sounds linking with how she feels.

Q. How do you think it could be made more effective?
A. I think there could be more dialogue.


Tatiana Middleton -

Q. What do you think the basic plot of this thriller is?
A. Someone takes drugs and they either overdose or they are faulty drugs and eventually kills them.

Q. What are the key strengths of this thriller?
A. The music was a good choice especially in key moments where it stops and starts, it creates anticipation.

Q. How do you think it could be made more effective?
A. Perhaps if we saw the pill she took at the beginning otherwise it was very good.

Alexandra Werner -

Q. What do you think the basic plot of this thriller is?
A. Someone has taken a faulty drug and turned into a zombie.

Q. What are the key strengths of this thriller?
A. Loved the various angles and camera shots it kept me very engaged.

Q. How do you think it could be made more effective?
A. Some white noise in the background in parts.


Izzy Macleod -

Q. What do you think the basic plot of this thriller is?
A. Tablet to keep zombies from coming out.

Q. What are the key strengths of this thriller?
A. I liked the jumpy camera movements and how sudden the zombie attack was.

Q. How do you think it could be made more effective?
A. I thought at the girl was a drug addict at the beginning.

Evaluation Task 7:

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

Looking back on the preliminary task there is a huge difference between it and our thriller. There is quite clearly a huge contrast in the camera work, mise en scene, editing and sound. By looking back on these preliminary tasks and comparing them to the work we have now done with our thrillers you can see how as individuals and groups we have progressed hugely. Our preliminary task was about someone being pressured into vandalising someones house while our thriller is about a zombie attack due to a complication in a trial drug. 

Firstly, the camera work is something that I personally feel shows a huge progression. The preliminary task shows very basic camera work such as; basic wide shots, close-up shots, over-the-shoulder shots. Although on the day we did experiment with a pan shot. This was about as advanced as we got. Although we only used very basic camera work this was very important to from a foundation in learning how to operate the camera. The camera work that we incorporated into our thriller was much more advanced than this. As a result of this it made the thriller more effective. Of course we incorporated basic shots like wide shots, close-ups, and over the shoulder shots but we also experimented with camera work that consisted of us shaking the camera and moving it around when following the main camera. This was done in the bathroom scene and we used in order to express the panic and shakiness of the main character. It was also used to create more of an effect and to cause the audience to feel less at ease. We used a lot of camera work in our thriller that would create panic and unease for the audience in order to make it more effective. We also incorporated whip shots, tracking shots and pan shots. We also experimented with shots slowly zooming into the main characters as well as following her actions. It is very clear that our camera work in our thriller is much more advanced as we had time to prepare and had also learnt a lot in the time between these tasks. We also had to think more about the shots we wanted to use for our thriller as it key that we create tension and anxiety through the piece. 

The screen grabs show a range of camera work. From the prelim you can see how there is a variety of over-the-shoulder and close-up. The screen grab from my thriller shows a part where we are following the main character and the camera is tracking round.

The mise en scene was used to create meaning in both tasks. In our preliminary task we were in the studio where there was a set built of the inside area of a house. This made it prefect for the context of our theme. In order to help create the mise en scene our actors also had hoodies and flat caps on. Although we did think about the mise en scene for our prelim it was much more basic then the mise en scene of our thriller. Again much more preparation and though went into our thriller. We had all the characters dress accordingly to what they were doing; this being smart and in an interview environment. We also had a pill bottle with pills in, this enabled communicating our concept to be very clear. We had a cold dark looking bathroom which helped create and build tension. We also had an interview room creating then environment we wanted. For the nose bleed and the cough up of the blood we had fake blood. All of these aspects added together helped create a successful environment and helped communicate our concept.

The editing in our prelim is much more basic then the editing in our thriller. When it came to editing our prelim it was our first time using Final Cut Pro. Therefore the editing techniques were very basic and are very jumpy. The editing of the different shots does not flow and is quite clearly cuts from one shot to the other. Although the editing on our prelim was not that effective and was very basic it was a very useful way into introducing us to Final Cut Pro and made it much easier for us when it came to editing our thriller. The editing process for our thriller has been much more time consuming and a much longer process. We have incorporated many different things and trialled many different techniques as well. As a group we have thought carefully about the editing and how it should be done in order to make it as effective as possible. We have created jumpy cuts following the main characters movement at the beginning to help express to panic and stress and also to cause the audience to be less at ease. We then slowed down the pace of the cut and made it more flowing after she had taken the drugs to help communicate that she is feeling calmer. The final part of the sequence has been a key part of the editing and allot of though and effort has gone into it in order to make it as effective as possible. The camera work and editing are key aspects that have lived along side each other that have been far more advanced in my thriller compared to the preliminary task. 

The screen grab shows how we have edited to cut from the girl passing the spray paint to the handover in our prelim task.

In our preliminary task the only sounds used at the natural sounds around and dialog. This I feel does not make it very effective. Although without this dialogue the point would not have been put across and people would not understand what it was about. The sound in our thriller is much more effective and has much more of a variety. We have used both dialogue and sound effects. We have heightened some sounds such as the running water of the tap, shouting and breathing. This has all added tension into our thriller. We have also added in some sound effects in order to make it more effective. We have used sounds such as scratching, drum sounds, eating sounds to make the ending more gory. These sounds that we have added have made such a difference to our sequence and has instantly heightened the tension and effect to the effect on the piece. Screams and shouts have also been added as the once recorded on the day were not realistic enough. All of these aspects have added to our thriller and made it hugely more effective than our prelim.

The difference in the organisation and preparation that went into the two tasks is substantial. While barely any preparation went into the preliminary task since it was purely as an introduction to using the camera and Final Cut Pro. On the other hand, weeks and months of preparation went into organising our thriller. We produced folders, story boards, cast lists, scripts, location research, 2nd and 3rd drafts, shooting schedules and many other things. Many changes went on throughout this process. This was very important in order for it all to go as planned and as smoothly as possible on the day and also to make sure you get a decent product at the end of it. The shooting schedule was a very important part of the day and the organisation of the group and the cast as well. There was a huge amount of organisation and preparation that went into our thriller but things still changed on the day. One part that we did not organise very well was the fact that we left the large part of the sequence until the end of the day and this was the area we needed to concentrate on the most. As we left it till the end of the day it cause this part of the sequence to be rushed as we were shooting in the conservatory and were running out of light. This was part of bad organisation and not thinking about this part of the day very well. We have managed to work around this in the editing. 

As a group I feel we have worked very well together and have split the responsibilities reasonably well. We have all be fairly organised through this and have each put in a lot of effort. Our groups for the prelim and thriller have been different but I feel that both groups for each task worked well together and everyone got on well. 

Evaluation task 6

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



To show how we have used technologies in the process of constructing our product we have annotated it via You Tube. If the annotations do not appear click on the 'show annotations' tab.

Evalustion task 5:

Evaluation Tast 4:

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Films in the zombie genre films generally have quite a wide range audience. The main film that we looked at as research for our thriller was 28 days later. Looking at the viewings that this got, males took the largest target audience, males and females under 18 had the highest votes at 7.9. Generally the ratings decreased as the audiences got older yet although the votes did not change very much over the ages 18-44. The votes did drop considerably when it gets to aged 45 plus. 

We would hope to award our film a certificate of 15 although due to the film containing blood, violence and gore this may not be possible and the film then may have to take a certificate of 18. This would cut out a large element of our target audience as generally the young adult audience is what our thriller is aimed for. 

The mainstream films teens go and see these days are action films for boys and for girls would be a chick flick. Our thriller does not really fit into either of these although there would be some scenes of action. Therefore I feel that our film would appeal to those who feel slightly outside the mainstream and want to go and see something different. This being the target audence of the Alternatives. This kids are more into gaming, skating and possibly even emoes. They would be more open-minded and less likely to be influenced by their peers.
To the left you can see the media consumption for the alternative tribe; this shows that they are fairly catered for in the cinema. This is positive as they would come and see the film. 
I would think that before our film holds a female role that this would cause the film to appeal to a female audience. Therefor our first audience target would be for the female alternative tribe. 


Name: Jess 

Age: 17 

Tribe: 'Alternative'

Into: Zombie Thrillers, passionate about music and friends and surfing the net. Like to go and see films that not everyone is going to see; doesn't like to 'follow the crowd'

Our secondary primary audience would be much the same yet focus on a male audience. Yes, this would still incorporate the alternative tribe but it would also bring in the mainstream male population. As the gore and violence would attract the general male audience. This would range between the ages of 16 to approximately mid 40's. 



Name: Andy 

Age: 19

Tribe: Alternative/Emo

Into: Loves zombie and horror films. Work in an arcade store. Into heavy metal music and rock.



Secondary audience we would reach out to an older male, preferably mid 30/40s. I chose this as the secondary audience as generally zombie movies are enjoyed and watched by all. My first and second primary audience were under the young adult male and females alternative tribe bracket but others would also enjoy watching zombie movies. The IMBD chart shows the males ages 30s/40s are also a huge part of the mass zombie audience. 

The good thing about zombie movies is that generally they have a wide target audience ranging from 16 - mid 40s. This is shown in the chart taken from the IMBD website with the viewings from 28 days later, yet this applies to many other zombie genre movies. 

Evaluation Task 3:

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

Account for your choice of institutional context and its implications for production, distribution and exhibition of your film product.

Our thriller is based on the Miami Zombie attack in 2008. This was the main spin of for our inspiration and we brought our idea on from here. We looked at 28 days later distributed by 20th Century Fox, Dawn of the Dead distributed by Universal Studios, Shawn of the Dead distributed by Universal Pictures and Rouge Pictures, I am Legend distributed by Warner Bros Pictures and finally Monsters distributed by Magnet Realising and Vertigo Films. The majority of these films take the zombie genre and are low concept films with key high concept sequences. Some of these films are bigger than others and hold a higher concept. Also, different production companies, some being bigger then others distribute the films.

Our sequence itself is about a young postgraduate going for a interview, she is on a new trial drug and is experiencing some weird side effects. She is particularly worked up about the interview as well as not feeling well as a result of the trial drug that she is taking, although this is unbeknown by her and the interviewer. Towards the end she then blacks out and goes crazy, biting the interviewer's arm.

We completed some research on the production companies, the sorts of films they distributed and the concepts of many zombie type films. We noticed that a film like 28 Days Later is essentially a low concept film with high concept scenes; this is the type of film that our thriller would come under too. The film itself was distributed by 20^th Century Fox. 20^th Century Fox as of 2011 is one of the main six major America film production companies and distributes a range of high and low budget films. The production company for 28 days later is DNA Films. Which is a very small independent British company yet is very successful. It is run by Andrew Macdonald who is a very successful and talented director. Their Productions include Dredd 3D, Never Let Me Go, The Last King of Scotland, Notes on a Scandal, 28 Weeks Later, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, The Beach, Trainspotting and Shallow. Although they have not produced many films, the films that they have produced are extremely successful and well known.

Looking at the cinema release dates showed how the 28 Days Later started of as a small British independent film and was such a big hit that it was then released in the USA. 28 Days Later was released in the UK on 3^rd November 2003 on 318 screens grossing £1,500,079. It was then released in the USA on the 29^th of June 2003 on 1,250 screens grossing $10,061,858, showing it was a much bigger hit in the USA.

The budget for the film 28 Days Later was £5,000,000, for a British independent film this is a fairly high budget yet for a Hollywood film this could considered to be a low budget. However, when you are making a zombie genre film even for a small British independent you would want a £5 million budget because you would need to have the special effects in order to make it a reasonably good film. If the films was distributed by a big company and was high concept the marketing would be much bigger and a wider audience would be addressed. Whereas a smaller British independent film would not have as bigger budget so the marketing would not be as wide and less people would probably hear of the film.  The cinema release would not be as wide because they would not have the money to show it on lots of screens.

The other films we researched such as; Dawn of the Dead and I am Legend which were distributed by big production companies that deal with high concept films. We also researched Monsters, which was disturbed by Magnet Releasing in the U.S and Vertigo Films.

We also had a look at Shaun of the Dead, this was distributed by Universal Pictures and Rogue Pictures. It was also produced by Universal Pictures. It was a fairly low budget film of £4,000,00 but as it was successful in the market it became a high concept film and very successful.

If we went for a high concept with a big production company we would have the think about the cast and the people staring in it, they would have to be well known. Also the special effects would have to be of a very high standard and this would cost a lot of money. There is a huge market in the film industry for Zombie films and the majority of the films we have researched have been high concept films.

There for we would be aiming for a fairly small budget and low concept zombie film with high concept scenes like 28 Days Later. So a distribution company like DNA films would be what we are targeting because they are a small independent film company yet with a well know director (Danny Boyle) and it is possible that over time the film will become a big hit. By using a smaller independent film company we would also be able to have a low budget which is perfect because we do not know how big of a hit the film would be and we would not lose a lot of money and there is a possibility for a big profit if it is a big hit.

Evaluation Task 2

How does your product represent particular social groups?

Our product represents different social groups through camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. The different headings reach out to a particular social group and also show positive and negative representations throughout. This means that our particular social group we are reaching out to is the younger job hunting generation, at this part of the movie particularly being females as a result of the positive representation being shown. Enforcing a positive representation of women in this day and age.

Scene 1, bathroom scene:

Firstly, with the camera and editing we follow the lead role. The lead role being a female gives a positive representation to females as she is dressed well, in a serious interview environment with other intelligent looking women, all these factors being a good representation of female roles. In zombie genre films they are usually male dominated. A male would usually take the role of the main character and women are often perceived as weak and often used as a victim. By using a female lead subverts the stereotype of male and female roles and the roles played in zombie genre films. Throughout the camera follows the main character with cuts and edits depending on the state of mind the character is in and her anxiety, reinforcing this with the audience. At the beginning of the sequence the character is stressed out and in a panic the camera uses shots where she unsteady as well as shot fast cuts to reinforce the panic she is in. The camera opens with a close up shot of the main characters face looking at her self into the mirror, then cutting down to her getting the pills out of her pocket. The close up shot continues to follow her until she takes the pill and it goes out to a mid shot. This is when the camera work slows down. A close up shot of her washing her hands shows out she is clean and hygienic. The sound has been heightened again enforcing her cleanliness and also adding to tension which the social group would be expecting in the thriller. Mise-en-scene is important for this scene. The bathroom uses cold lighting (this being slightly gray/blue). This adheres to the thrill feel that is meant to come across in zombie and thriller genre movies. The character is dressed smartly which again adheres to the young/mid aged males and females watching the film. All these factors come together to reach to our target audience, this being young females as a result of the female role. As well as our secondary audience being young males. The female lead might draw the male audience in to. 

Scene two, IQ Test:

Once again we are following the main character who is dressed very smartly, this time we are introduced to more characters. Again these are all well dressed intelligent looking females. This is a positive representation of females again attracting a female audience as they would like the idea that not only does a female take the lead role but is also surrounded by females who are making a step in their career. The camera follows the character, using techniques such as tracking the camera round to the view of the character as she looks round her in confusion draws the audience in. We have also edited in a way that represents her not reacting well to this situation; looking around at others and skipping questions. Many young people in the audience will know how it feels to have a mind-blank when in a test situation, this helps reach out to the targeted social group. The mise-en-scene again goes back to the fact that there are three women well dresses in test and interview situation. Showing/proving that they are going against the stereotype of women being 'house wife' and they are out making a living for themselves. This makes it popular with a female audience. We have used very subtle sounds here. The sounds begin to increase the tension as she looks around. This will add to the thrill that the target audience have come to see. The alternative tribe being the majority of our viewers would also be into this sound/music being created and the tension that is has helped increase. 

Scene three, The interview and bite scene:

This is the most important scene in the sequence as it sets of the whole of the of the rest of the movie and it is what the audience have been waiting for and expecting to see in a zombie movie. The camera work in this part of the sequence is very important. The camera mainly focuses on the main character showing the audience that we should be on her side. Close up shots are used of the main characters face showing that she is really not in the mood to be shouted at and to indicate that something is wrong. We then go back to the technique we used at the beginning of the sequence again. This being using quick and choppy edits to create panic and confusion. The sequence ends with a close up of the girl biting the interviewers arm. This is the beginning of what the viewer has come to see a zombie movie for; the blood gore and violence. The sound at this part of the thriller increases the tension. Drum and rattle sounds are used to cause the viewer to feel at unease. The sound being used to build up the tension would represent our particular social group, this being the alternative group. The music chosen is not quite and 'chilled' but aggressive. One could say that that this fits well with the alternative social group as they are often into quite heavy music.

 

In conclusion, generally our thriller has a positive representation. Especially to the female gender, as the main character plays the role of a female and comes across as strong, well dressed and intelligent. Also the fact that a female role is the one who turns into a zombie, usually in zombie films the females are the victims. Adam is in the role of an authority figure but then his arm gets bitten and we assume he dies a gruesome death. Generally females are being well represented although she does turn into a zombie it is not her fault. Also the authority becomes the victim which is not stereotypically seen in movies. Through the film there are various parts that reach out to a particular social group. The female role allies with the female alternative group. Although by having a well represented female would also attract the male alternative social group but so would the choice of music and also the blood violence and gore.  

As you can see from these pictures of the three female interviewees they are well dresses and appear very smart, adding to the possitive representation of females in our thriller.

Evaluation Task 1:

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

Of course as our thriller is a zombie product the audience would expect to see some stereotypical zombie shots such as; blood, gore and violence. These are all features that you would expect to see when watching a zombie movie.

One of the main title sequences that we looked at was Dawn of the Dead. This being a zombie movie that we used as our main focal point of research. As you can see in this screen print from the website www.artofthetitle.com shows in 9 small screen prints blood, gore and violence. It shows what people are expecting to see. The second screen print I feel is the most important out of all 9. By this single picture you can see that it is a zombie film. The blood and the crazy zombie like man creates this effect is just one single picture. I feel that the font and chosen still of the titles links well with the format of the zombie film. Red signifies blood and the font represents the running of blood. In the other screen prints you can see how society is trying to deal with the outbreak of zombies. 28 Days Later is another zombie movie that we looked at a great deal yet there was not a grid like this on the art of the the title website.

I then went on to create my own taking inspiration from those I had looked at on art of the title. I created my own by taking screen prints from my thriller on You Tube and arranging them in the grid like format. I had to be careful with the prints I was choosing because I needed to make sure that it would portray the zombie movie aspect in which I need to create. Although when looking at the prints I could use It struck me that I needed to use a range of prints rather then just the blood and violent ones at the end of the sequence as I felt there needed to be some sort of process and also I did not want it to be all the same, I felt it needed some sort of variety.

As you can see the top three screen shots show the main character taking the pill and not feeling well. This indicated that there is some reason in a malfunction of the pill causing her to turn into the zombie. This then signifies to the audience that the movie is going to be about a the malfunction of a pill that is causing people to become zombies. The next two screen shots show her having a huge nose bleed and the next one of her throwing up blood. This begins the scene of blood, violence and gore expected to be seen in a zombie movie. 

In conclusion; existing from and conversions, blood and gore, screen shots of the arm being bitten and blood pouring.  This tells the audience that they will be watching a zombie film because it follows the form and convention of a zombie film.