Storyboard

Evaluation Task 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

I have covered this topic briefly in my target audience post. However now I will go into more depth. From analysing my research, I decided my primary audience would be males aged 16-23.

This is Kyle Mac; he is 17 years old and resides in North West London with his parents in a small apartment. He is a college student who is passionate about his studies, but looks forward to Friday night raves.

He recently purchased a subscription with Sky ++ as her favourite shows air on satellite channels. He enjoys teen dramas such as Misfits and Skins. He also likes US crime dramas such as CSI and Without a Trace. He is a big fan of reality TV shows such as Big Brother. Reason why Kyle likes these shows is because he inspires to be like the characters from skins. He also loves that they’re so captivating and can leaving lasting impression on you. Her favourite channel is E4 and BBC Three, because she considers them to appeal to a younger audience.

Kyle is an avid movie dude. However he prefers a huddle around the TV with the lads, rather than a watching the film on a huge screen with his girlfriend. Some of his much-loved films are The Matrix, Seven, American Pie and Blair Witch.

Kyle has a very constricted taste in music, he prefers music that isn’t “commercially hot”, he believes commercial artist have no passion for their music and only care about money. His favourite music genres are Dubstep, DnB, Underground Hip-Hop, Indie and a bit of reggae.

I think Overkill would appeal to Kyle as it really encompasses everything that he likes about the shows he watches. It has the investigation and suspense element that he enjoys. Finally it has a captivating protagonist, experimental soundtrack, and on the whole, the film should leave a lasting impact on him

Overkill - My Film

Funding Video by Me

Evaluation Task 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The only social group presented in my media product are teenagers, since the protagonist, and sole character featured in the film, is student Drake (portrayed by Steven Ryall).

Both hold different characteristic which shape their personalty. However both Drake (left) and Cook (from Skins) do a 'runner' from the police. Both charged with a violent act at a house party.

Evaluation Task 7

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

I have learnt an indescribable amount between the completions of my preliminary task till now. One main factor I have learnt is the importance of planning efficiently. For the pre-liminary task we began filming with not much planning, we then discovered our first idea wouldn't work due to mise en scene.Therefore we had to come up with another idea, this cost us time although I realised I couldn't afford to make this mistake with our final film. Another important factor is to schedule time to re-shoot shots that don' fit in with the overall feel of my film's genre.

With my film we needed to take great care with mise-en-scene and costume, so I didn’t make the same mistakes like the ones in my preliminary. Mise-en scene is a necessity to add credibility to a film. The main character in my opening sequence is in fact "on the run" and therefore this was a terrific opportunity to produce a false newspaper story. The genre of my film is a thriller; therefore the element of realism is, a key factor I had to take into account when decide the character costumes. Drake is wearing jeans and a Burberry top, garments such as these - are popular trends in modern times. Teenagers wear garments like this on a regular occurrence, allowing the target audience to build a relationship with Drake.

In the pre-lim task I jumped the shot so that the main protagonist was in the room before the viewer saw him open the door and enter. This made me realise how important it is not to jump shots. So for example we had to ensure that the main protagonist in Overkill didn't move positions without smooth transition which the audience would understand.

The pre-lim task was very helpful in pointing out the things that could possibly go wrong and important things we needed to do, before starting work on the main task, in each of the planning stages: pre-production (research + planning), production and post production. ^^Above is an example of a black and white effect, however only in my final project (image on the right) did I actually need this effect.

In conclusion I have learnt a tremendous amount since the end of our preliminary task about planning, filming and media in general. It has been a pleasure completing my coursework.

Evaluation Task 6

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

I have learnt a multitude of things about media studies and film production; from editing softwares to setting up equipment during the process of making my film. I have previous knowledge on how to video camera, however it hasn’t been my strongest point in the production side. Although a brief demonstartion by my media teacher, provided me with the confidence I needed.

I have learnt that the use of technology has simplified the matter of producing a film. The use of a digital camera, a PC loaded with some professional software, such as Adobe Premier Pro. With software such as this. It becomes very easy to edit film clips, to edit a sequence of events. All you have to do is click and drag your selected shots into the right order. This greatly cuts down editing time, as even someone with very little experience in editing film can manage to accomplish their task, and to a reasonably professional standard.

Using other technologies helped to achieve a professional standard, such as using a blog site to book mark certain things you may want to refer to later in the project. Having a blog also means you can plan and show certain aspects of the project to a greater detail.

Other sites used to help create a more professional project is using sites like Youtube. Using sites like that means you can refer to a whole data base of other clips, this helps the user to collect more research on their video, like we did, and will give help and tips on how to shape your own project.

Evaluation Task 3

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

I think my media product could be produced by Working Title Films, as it has a worthy storyline and themes that are similar to other successful thrillers.

Overkill is a film that I believe could be viewed by a numerous groups of people. All types of people could relate to it as it feeds into the anxieties and fears that reside within all of us. Although, its content may stop some people going to see it, as there is no inclination of a happy ending.

Looking at other thrillers similar to mine, my budget would be around £550,000 and this value is below the average funding provided by the UK Film Council (provided by National Lottery).

Another way I could get funding is through product placement. For example in my film I have shots of Starbucks, LG, Cutter's Choice, & Converse

I think a film distributor such as New Line Cinema would distribute my film. As they have distributed The Final he Final Destination and Insignificance which are films I see Overkill potentially being as successful as. Ultimately I believe that Overkill could be a small success as it follow the convention of other successful films in the genre. I think if any institution could see the potential within the story, it would be New Line Cinema.

Shank has alot of product placement.

Evaluation Task 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

For my film I used conventions of film production in my opening credits. I produced an Ident at the beginning of my film, which is something that all films have. I also intersected film footage with screens of titles, which is a commonly used device; i.e. was a technique used in the film High Crimes (2002). I did this because I wanted to display the key information of cast and crew, without drawing the viewers attention away from the actual happenings of the opening.

I added a black and white filter to beginning of my opening, to create an intense flashback that couldn’t be achieved with just normal lighting. The connotation of black and white in film, usually imply vintage, CCTV footage or flashbacks. Therefore my audience would not be confused with the jump between an ambient street to a bedroom, and will identify that my character is having a flashback. I also added a dark filter in my bedroom scene, this is conventional of thriller and horror films as dark lighting and general darkness can induce fear as it represents the unknown and you can’t see what is coming until it does, for example in the thrillers Hide & Seek (2005) and Cabin Fever (2002).

My location choice challenged the usually conventions of thriller, conventionally the scene is meant to appear dark and melancholy, however I wanted a more realistic urban feel for my film. I wanted an ominous atmosphere, but felt catching the audience when they least expect it would be the most effective method of achieving this.

(Some films located in London)

For the title of my opening sequence, I used a cross between a graphical and Gothic font. A font like this can advocate that the film is urban, with some graphic scenes included. However the font in in some way is simple capital letters, but the bold font represents the bold robust character of Drake. The title of my film epitomises the underlying story of my film. (Read my pitch section for a better understanding)

Props are a necessity to add credibility to a film. The main character in my opening sequence is in fact "on the run" and therefore this was a terrific opportunity to produce a false newspaper story. The genre of my film is a thriller; therefore the element of realism is, a key factor I had to take into account when decide the character costumes. Drake is wearing jeans and a Burberry top, garments such as these - are popular trends in modern times. Teenagers wear garments like this on a regular occurrence, allowing the target audience to build a relationship with Drake.

In conclusion in opening I managed to use, develop and challenge film conventions. Using them added tone and atmosphere to my project. Whilst developing them exercised my creativity and added originality to the piece.

Nneka - Heartbeat (Chase & Status Remix)

Shooting Schedule

Still Shots Of My Location

Equipment Checklist

Forr my title sequence I used a Samsung SMX-C10GP and a Velbon tripod.

-- Click this link to show you the specifications of the camera --

Tripod

Props and costume!

Call Sheet

Target Audience

The age group is around 16-25 years, since my survey shows 75% of thriller-lovers are students. This age group can build an instant connection with the main character, as he is a university student. The gender and ethnic group of the target audience isn't as specific as age, but is important nonetheless. For my film, the gender of the target audience would mainly be males, though females would be attracted to the film also. This is because, research done into the films I was inspired by, showed that males enjoyed the films more than females.

I have chosen this audience for a number of reasons. They have alot of disposable incomes, and the items they buy are largely “luxury” items, like clothing, electronics, and music. A group with enough spare time on their hands.

Film survey

In my survey I used a stratifed method to chose a sample that was representative of my target audience.

With a huge section of my consumers suggesting their favourite genre is thriller.

 

This question swill help me identify marketing strategies and how to target them efficently.

 

My target audience seem to be very fond of the cinema.

Script

EXT. METROPOLIS CITY – SOUTH KENSINGTON - 11:08

Establishing shot - South Kensingtion from a high angle. DRAKE sprints through the street dodging pedestrians, in his attempt to run away from something. He fails to dodge a businessman, reading a newspaper - knocking the paper to the floor.

Extreme close up - newspaper. A photo of DRAKE - a young adult, wearing a oversized hoody. Muscular. Freckles. Wanted for manslaughter.

The man attempts to collect his paper of the floor, but it begins to blow away. Frustrated, he mutters a few swear words. DRAKE disregards the insults and runs off.

MAN

Oi Wanker!

DRAKE swerves around a corner, tired and out of breath - he puts his hand on his knees and slowly peaks his head around the corner.

POV shot - DRAKE watches a police car drive past.

A policeman walks behind DRAKE, without him knowing. The officer confronts DRAKE by grabbing him by the shoulder. DRAKE is terrified, his whole body freezes in fear.

INT. DRAKE'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - 08:00

Extreme close up - Alarm clock.
DRAKE's alarm goes off. DRAKE abruptly jumps up from his bed, waking up from a bad dream. He holds his hands on his head. Stressed.

Overkill - Title Sequence Treatment

A black screen, onto which a splash of water emerges and vibrantly takes the form of the production logo – adjacent to the logo is the studio name. IGNITION! Meanwhile the IGNITION™ soundtrack is rendering in the background. The screen fades to black, and non-diegetic sound of a metropolis city can be heard. A sudden sound of rushing cars and the words - IGNITION PRESENTS come into view. The words on screen are shaped to resemble a car.
OVERKILL! The name of my title emerges on screen – the font is smooth and three dimensional. Once more sound of rushing cars can be heard and the Director’s name appears on screen.

The film opens in a metropolis city. From above, the urban city seems serene and ordinary. All of a sudden the urban harmony is broken when Drake is running through the busy streets, pushing his way through pedestrians - knocking a businessman to the floor and his newspaper. An extreme close up of the newspaper allows us to read important details on the paper, which explains why Drake is running. The newspaper also includes an image of the actor with the caption below STARRING [and the actor’s name]. The man tries to collect his paper of the floor, but it begins to blows away - the audience can just vaguely see Drake running away into the distance.

The camera jump cuts back to Drake, as he is running around a corner and sticks himself up on the wall suggesting he is hiding from someone. We begin to emphasise with Drake because of a POV shot as his eyes pan across watching a police car whizzing past. The adrenaline is empathised at this point, by all audio being overpowered by Drake’s heartbeat and his panting.

Dramatic irony is formed when a police officer walks behind Drake; this is shown with a POV shot. The officer grabs Drake by his shoulder, turning Drake’s body to see his face; we see a close up of Drake’s face terrified. The camera fades to black and you begin to hear a digital alarm clock goes off and an alarm clock appears on the screen. The camera pans towards Drake’s bed – Drake abruptly jumps up, waking up from a bad dream. OVERKILL BEGINS!!

Pitch

Ok where do I start? My film is called...

IGNITION™ is proud to produce, a gritty UK thriller!

OVERKILL - The use of excessive force/action to achieve a goal. For example, using a sledgehammer to crack a hazelnut, a flamethrower to light a candle, or killing an ant with a rocket launcher would be considered overkill.

My film revolves around the life of Drake, a 21 year old male living in London. Drake is a university student with great deal of potential, but all goes amiss when he is framed for murder. A cunning plan and Drake being intoxicated at the time of the incident, leaves him bewildered and so he doesn’t realise his innocence. Throughout the film we see Drake on the run from law enforcers and him destroying any evidence; doing the dirty work for the genuine murder without knowing. He slowly becomes paranoid and crazy over a course of a week, soon after he kills his closest friend, Scott - because he assumes that Scott is going to inform the police about his whereabouts. While watches his friend's death he is traumatised and begins to realise his life can’t carry on like this. So he is about to hand himself in, when a thought occurs that cause him want to revisit the scene of the crime one last time. At the location he finds a mobile phone, with a video recording of the victim being murdered on the night. As he puts the phone away in his pocket, knowing that he is once again a free man, he is confronted by the genuine murder!

Research - Title Sequence

This is probably one of the best title sequences I have seen! It begins with John Doe, the movies villain, turning pages of a book. He is surrounded by papers and ominous instruments of torture as he composes a ransom-like letter. Because the audience wouldn’t see Doe again for nearly 40 minutes, Cooper needed to establish a connection with the character immediately.

There is metronome clicking at a very slow tempo, and the shots go to the actors names one by one between pictures of what appears to be a person cutting their fingertips off. Nothing is definite in the title sequence and it causes the viewer to think, the confusion intrigues them. The title sequence is very long and the score seams to speed up as well as the speed of each shot. It is also very detailed, it even mentions the composer of the score, casting and costume.

A factor which is very interesting is that the title sequence does not mention the serial killer and main character John Doe played by Kevin Spacey. This seams to heighten the mystery of the murders of the film, this shows us that it could be a good idea to leave main characters out of the title sequence to create the effect of mystery.