Thriller Evaluation Tasks

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

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2) How does Apparition represent particular social groups

Appaition portrays the social group of youth as easily distracted and are easily startled. One scene where this is shown is when Craig walks from the kitchen into the living room, he hears a knocking above him and we see him jump back in shock and disbelief. We portrayed this social group in this way because it allowed there to be a shift in power which allowed use of higher camera angles, this managed to generate suspense which kept the veiwer on the edge of their seat.



Another film that gives a representation of the youth social group is Back To The Future Part III. Marty Mcfly played by Michael J. Fox represents the Youth social group as quick thinking, intelligent to some extent but needs the assistance of others in times of a crisis. This representation is very different to how we represent this social group. e.g. We portray this group as easily scared whereas in Back To The Future this group is portrayed as somewhat brave but in tough situations will tend to run and hide.



One real person that represents the social group of youth is Oliver Gibbs. He portrays the youth social group as hard working and well educated, this opposes the natural stereotype of the youth social group. This person does follow some of the characteristics of our portrayal of the youth social group e.g. can be frightened if caught by suprise. This representation of the youth social group is also quite similar to that portrayed in by Marty in Back To The Future, this is because they both seem to know what to do in bad situations.


3) IMDB Page

After alot of careful thought i decided that Warner Brothers Entertainment Incoporated would be most likely to distribute the film. This is because they have distributed films like Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter and Apparition is aimed at a similar audience so a distribution company with a reputation of distributing Thriller and science fiction film's would be an ideal distribution company.

Imdb page will rathlou

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4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

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5 ) How did you attract your audience
We attracted our audience by issuing a trailer that would be shown between the hours of 5pm and 8pm on Television as well as advertising it online with the same advert. The advert would question the veiwers existing knowledge of thriller films by suggesting to them that they have not seen anything like it before and stating that they will never see anything like it again.





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

I have learnt how to use FL Studio and Garageband to create soundtracks. I have learnt the best camera angles to use when trying to create a suspensefull atmosphere through the use of canted angles.



screenshots of us using editing software and equiptment.



One thing i learnt about cameras is how effective camera angles can be on the audience. This camera allowed us to shoot in high definition which made the opening sequence seem profesional. One drawback is that it is quite complicated if you don't know how to use the camera and if you shoot in the wrong format or aspect ratio it could ruin the entire film.



One thing that i learnt about Sony Vegas Studios is how to fade the audio in and out and how to use it in general. Since i usually use Windows Live Movie Maker i had to learn most of the features of this software from the start. This software allowed us to make a profesional looking movie by using the effects. One disadvantage is that you have to learn how to use it like all software, which could take a long time

7. Question: Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

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Apparition - Final Cut

Apparition - Rough Cut

Challenges of Shooting Apparition - Will

One of the biggest problems was  getting everyone in the camera shot that gave the right effect to the audience. One example is when Craig is acting in the scene and Addam appears.  Another challenge of shooting Apparition was agreeing on the camera shots.  One example of this was in the graveyard scene, i thought that a 5 second concentrated shot on the flowers then a slow fade into the home scene would be appropriate and effective, however my colleagues adapted a different camera shot.  They had a shot of Addam placing the flowers on the grave and walking out into the distance. This concentrates the camera on the man and not on the flowers which gives a similar effect.

Lesson by lesson plan

Wednesday 29th February - Filming Graveyard scene
Monday 27th February - Sound and Blog posts (logo blog post, imdb analysis)
Friday 24th February - Editing and arranging transport for Wednesday
Wednesday 22nd February- Filming the house scene
Tuesday 21st February - Arranging Transport for house shoot
Monday 20th February - Blog Posts (Shooting Schedule)
Friday 17th February - Garageband
Tuesday 14th February- Initial Gargeband testing/initial planning of filming location.
Friday 10th February - Blog Post. Writing Shot List
Tuesday  7th February - Editing the test shot.
Monday 6th February - Arranging Test shot and filming test shot.
Friday 3rd February - Blog posts (Conventions and camera shot examples, storyboard, different thriller titles)
Tuesday 31st January - Initial rough Apparition test shoot and initial thriller ideas.
Monday 30th January - Blog Posts. Logo designs.
Tuesday 24th January - 20th January - Blog Posts. Opening Sequence analysis'.
17th January - 14th January - Blog posts. Conventions posts.
January 6th - Thriller preliminary Task.

Two thriller conventions used in 'Aparition' through technical elements

One thriller element that was used during the opening sequence was creation of enigmas. This was created by The main character walking past the camera and in the backround there is a figure which can not be fully made out, but seems to resemble a person. This creates an enigma around the figures identity and relevance to the film.

Another thriller element that is used is ordinary settings in which extraordinary events occur. This is shown first by the noise on the top floor of the house when Craig's character transists from the kitchen to the living area. Also when we see the shadow above combined with the Point Of View shot of the window shows us that the main character is unable to see anything that is out of the ordinary and yet the audience can.

What my contribution has been so far

Apparition test shoot
Came up with the general plot of apparition
Non diagetic soundtrack
housing location
Production logo

Shot list

Graveyard scene
1) Establishing shot of the graveyard.
2) Long shot of the person walking across the graveyard to the grave.
3) An over the shoulder shot of the person putting the flowers on the grave
4) low down shot of flowers being placed on the grave from the side - close up, so we just see part of the grave and then the flowers.


House scene
1) Mid shot of the boy opening the back gate (don’t close the gate)
2) mid shot of the boy walking to the door
3) When pulling the handle down on the door the camera is using a close shot of the boy and the camera is behind him.
4) When the boy opens the door the camera is in front of him at a mid shot.
5) Fixed mid shot of boy walking from door to kitchen
6) Close up of him putting the keys down
7) Doing cooking Tasks (range of close and mid shots)
8) When he hears the noise it’s a canted angle
9) Long shot of hallway from kitchen

Test Footage

Apparition - Conventions and Camera shot examples

Creating enigmas - extreme close ups of gravestone and flowers, and hands of person placing flowers, as not to show person or what they’re doing clearly.
Crime – the narrative will revolve around a death of a old woman which the main character has her apparition intruding his life.
Peril – Later in the film we will have the main character have to face some fears as he becomes weaker from losing his mind.  

Blocking – used on the suited character when walking up to the grave to place flowers.   We would try to block his face to create the mystery of identity which also creates another enigma within the sequence.
Close Ups – Using this technique we would use this on placing the flowers down and to show the confusion of the main character.
Establishing shot – this would be used to set the start of the sequence by introducing the graveyard scene.   We would also follow a character throughout this establishing shot.

Aparition Thriller Opening Sequence Test Shoot

Initial Idea : Apparition

Apparition focuses on the death of an elderly woman who dies in a car crash before the time period in which the film is set.

An unknown person laying flowers on to the old woman's grave sets the scene The film continues with a teenage boy aged 17 walking through a back gate, opening and then closing it. The boy then goes to unlock the door goes to open it, walks through the door into the conservatory then closing the door behind him. He walks into the kitchen and hears noises upstairs. Flashing images of graves and the old woman can be seen. He goes upstairs and nothing can be seen.

Production logo ideas

Addam's Idea (Hexic Cinema)


Rebecca's Idea (25 Films)

Will's production idea (Melting Time Studios)

Craig's idea 25 productions

Case 342 Sound Analysis

Case 342 uses non diegetic (however diegetic when in the police station) sound through a sound bridge (between the beginning scene in which they are in a police station and the scene where he is in the house) The non diegetic narration is contrapuntal to the visual aspect.

Case 342 also has ambient sound as it's background soundtrack to build tension and suspense. There is no music and is instead replaced with this ambient sound to build the atmosphere. The ambient sound stops when the door is answered at the end of the clip.

The diegetic sound can be heard aswell but is quieter than the narration. This is more apparent when ambient track finishes and the door knocking can be heard.

T1-22 2011 Thriller Opening Sequence Analysis

Throughout this opening sequence, the film conformed to thriller genre conventions and constructed through a variety of close-up shots, the construction of enigmas well. The shots chosen for the thriller film feel close-up and claustrophobic.

T1-22 portrays a clear theme of sight and seeing, this is because the movie flashes to the camera, pictures are hung on the wall and photos are being developed. These three factors link in with the thriller convention of sight.

T1-22 has a consistent editing style, where it cuts from scene to scene without transition. This helps to build tension and suspense. The way in which the the credits transition in through a fade is not intrusive and does not distract from the action.

The sound for T1-22 builds suspense as it is a typical thriller non diagetic soundtrack. It seems to build up the scene in order to support the construction of enigmas through the use of cinematography. The soundtrack fits the imagery being shown and doesn't distract from the visual footage.

There isn't much of a variety in the types of shots. The majority of these are close-ups. However these are appropriately used and fit the genre well and feels more professional as they match the feeling of claustrophobia and unease.

Thriller Opening Sequence Evaluation for The Dark Knight

In the opening sequence for the Dark Knight many of the antagonists are wearing clown masks, this creates an enigma to their real identity as well as giving us a clue as to what the main antagonist is (in this case the clown masks are clues to the joker as he is associated with clowns and circus related instruments). The masks are also trying to represent evil as only the evil characters in the film are wearing masks. When the man is standing on the street waiting for a car the camera zooms in slowly onto the mask in his hand until he puts it on, this shows us that the masks are in fact more important in this scene than the bank robbers itself.

Another part of the opening sequence that is important is mise en scene. One way in which this is shown is the school bus. This is an important part of the scene as it shows us what type of criminal the joker is, we can derive from this scene that he is a very organised criminal. This is because his getaway car is a school bus which he uses when school buses are taking children home. It also allows the Joker to become invisible to the police as shown in the scene when they race straight past the bus in which all the stolen money is held.

Another important micro element in the opening sequence of The Dark Knight is sound. This is because the non diagetic soundtrack at the beginning of the scene is typically used in most 'big screen' films. This is because it creates tension and suspense which normally makes the viewing experience more enjoyable, and because it was used at an establishing shot it gave the audience an opportunity to lose themselves in the scene as it makes them feel part of the story.

One thing that is important for the opening sequence of this film is that the first scene takes place in the busy town of Gotham City which is where you would expect to see a crime. So it's using the normal aspect of a busy town and then placing the scene into an extra ordinary situation. This shows that the film itself could be considered to be irregular from the norm.

Written by Will Rathlou

Hidden Evaluation

Notes -

Information is in establishing shot. Credits are displayed over the top of the intro in an unconventional way. The first shot of the opening sequence is an establishing shot of a building and there is no clear information about the narrative or the characters. There is also no non-diegetic sound to give an idea of what to feel or expect, the viewer is kept in suspense because they expect something to happen or something to give them a jump/shock.
The viewer starts to assume things about the film in the opening sequence due to the little information given.

Vertigo -Opening Sequence Evaluation

Notes -

The opening shot of the eye, the shapes, the high up establishing shot, looking down and watching the policeman fall all create a theme of 'sight'.

The filter of on the eye is red. This ma symbolises danger.

The non diegetic soundtrack creates suspense as it fits the theme with rising and falling. (The music goes raises tension and lowers it). This suspenseful music is typical of the thriller genre.

The credits are shown in the opening, giving information as to who made the film. This convention of thriller films.

The main part of the opening sequence consists of a series of graphics which form various shapes and vortexes. These may symbolise dizziness and directly relate to the feeling of vertigo (which is the title of the film). It also contains the credits in this part of the opening sequence and is a good way of getting information across to the viewer while keeping them entertained and wanting to know more. The music also helps to build a sense of suspense and unease. It does so because the music rises and falls making the viewer thinking there will be some sort of explanation or resolution however it doesn't have one.

Does Inception use thriller conventions

Does the film 'Inception' use thriller conventions


One thriller convention that is used in Inception is the theme of identity, this is because Dom's identity is often mistaken as he is seen as a thief of peoples minds and the murderer of his wife but as quoted when Dom is in his fathers office he describes himself as 'the person who navigates peoples minds' and at the ending scenes of the film it is revealed that Dom did not kill his wife directly but feels that he may have indirectly contributed to her death.

Another thriller convention that is used in the film Inception is the theme of seeing and reflecting, one way in which this convention is used is when the cut scenes of Mol are used, this has an effect on Dom because this triggers guilty memories from the past. One scene in which this is used is when Dom is on the phone to his son James and he asks 'is mum here still' and then it cuts to a clip of Mol, this reinforces the idea that she is causing him to feel guilt and that because of this guilt he hasn’t told his children what has happened to her. Another way in which the theme of seeing and reflecting is used is when Dom keeps seeing projections of his children and the memories of when he had to leave them, one scene in which this is used in the bar, the glass drops and is ringing and then he sees a projection of his children, this shows us that the children are also causing him to feel guilt about leaving them.

Another thriller convention that is used is that the protagonist has an Achilles heel, Dom's weakness is his wife and that he is unable to forgive himself for her death and she is constantly taunting his subconscious and trying to get him to live in their world. In the ending scene of Inception they are sitting in their old apartment room and she tells him that he must choose between reality or her, but Dom says that she is not good enough any more. Mol then attempts to stab him with a kitchen knife, at this point is seems as though he has finally forgiven himself after being in peril for most of the film and that the problem of guilt has been resolved.

Another thriller convention that is used in the film Inception is that the narrative centres around the crime of theft. This theme is shown or mentioned throughout the film, one key scene in which this is used is when they are trying to crack into Fishers fathers safe, even though this is an attempt to convince Fisher that they are trying to help this still link in with the theme of theft. This theme call also be be shown by the common use of the 'safe' which is commonly stereotyped with security, cracking and theft, the safe is mentioned when Dom and the builder are in the dream talking about the subconscious filling the 'safe' with information and the most important scene in which the safe is used is when Fisher opens the safe to the memory of his fathers last words where he tells him that he is 'disappointed that he tried to be like his father'.

Another way in which Inception uses thriller conventions is the use of ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen. One scene in which this is used is when Dom and the architect are outside of the café, then he tells her to stay calm, then the coffee starts to shake and the scene starts to explode and the debris shows us that this is not natural and that they are dreaming. Another scene which shows this is when they are in the hotel and the characters are floating as there is no gravity present, again this is an ordinary day to day setting with an extraordinary twist.

I conclude that 'Inception' could be considered as a 'proper thriller' film because it uses the Thriller Conventions and portrays a combination of them throughout the film. These conventions include focusing on the crime e.g. theft, showing the protagonist's weakness and how it is exposed and exploited by the antagonist and the theme of seeing, optical illusions and reflecting e.g. the constant reflection on the children and the guilt that Dom feels when he sees them and that he cannot see their faces as he knows that they will looking at him in disappointment and sadness.

Written by will rathlou

Thriller Preliminary Task