BLINDFIRE | Kyle, Billy & Rosie | AS Media Coursework

This is our final piece for our media coursework.
Directed by Rosie Read.

Evaluation: Q7

Evaluation: Q6

Evaluation: Q5

Evaluation: Q4

Evaluation: Q3

Evaluation: Q2

Evaluation: Q1

Question 1: 

In what ways did my use/develop/challenge the conventions of mainstream media products?

In our final media product we developed/challenged all the conventions of a thriller. Chases, cliff hangers and red herrings are used in our opening scene. The opening of Blindfire develops the conventions of the thriller genre, this is due to the fact that the spooky and slow paced build up to a fast intense scene is similar to one of the most loved film series of all time. James Bond. Shock and suspense was created as there was a slow build up then a sudden change in pace this is following the one of the convenctions of a thriller. The mixture of diagetic sounds including the emphasized door smashes and gun shots are very familiar to the thriller genre. Non diagetic sounds were also used, 'P Money - Slang Like This & MGK - Hold On' were urban sounds that were positively correlating to film and image that we were trying to showcase.

The inability to form a relationship or understand who the antagonised and the protagonised are gives us the basis to make a thriller that was appealing to the masses as we do not allow any information to be given away about them. In our film we was looking to give the view questions to answer, who was chasing them? Why were the chasing them? These questions allowed us to engage the audience into our thriller, this goes against the usual set antagonised and protagonised where you can completely relate and disgiguise between the two. We also challenged another of the convenctions of a thriller, including high key/low key lighting, no un-natural lighting was used in our final product.

Suspense was a key visual point from which we tried to maintain throughout the thriller, this was fundamentally achieved through the concealed identity of the included characters and this allows to challenge the general views of a modern thriller, In our film we were looking to be creative, expanding and exploring on the convenctions of the thriller genre. It is common in thrillers compassionate to one character more than the other this allows the viewer to form a subliminal relationship, in films such as Kill Bill vol.1, James Bond saga and Fast and Furious where the Props can easily be used. In our film this is not the case as they were not needed but also to include the element of confusion to our viewers.

Most Thrillers contain a female character to appeal to a masculine but as this was not as the sub genre was not an erotic thriller, we chose to open the film out into the action instead of a sexual first scene. We chose to drive our thriller opening through shock and suspense this meant that two competitive people would come up against each other, meaning that hegemony was used, this was done by not choosing a subordinate character to open out a fast action scene which is of a masculine nature. We would of included a female character at a more intimate or appropriate time.

Certification

U
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.
'U' films are suitable for all, they are generally used for films aged a children. They do not contain violence or any use of bad language, they also do not contain anything inappropriate for a young child like erotic scenes. These films tend to be animated just like 'Finding Nemo' furthermore, the main character will be a focus point, there will be only slight danger to him/her/it as they will quickly find a solution.


PG
Parental guidance recommended, there are no age restrictions. The content is mild in impact, PG (Parental Guidance) General viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. (It is the board's policy that movies rated 'PG' should not disturb a child of about 8 years of age or older; however, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset young or more sensitive children)

12/12a

12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them. 

15

• strong violence

• frequent strong language (eg 'f***').

• portrayals of sexual activity

• strong verbal references to sex

• sexual nudity

• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence

• discriminatory language or behaviour

• drug taking

This is for peoples that are over the age of 15, people under that age cannot buy/rent or watch a film with a 15 rating. 

Yes. 15 works are stronger than 12 or 12A rated works and could include any of the following:

18
No theme is prohibited at 18. Adults are free to pick their own entertainment within the law, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers.

This means people under the age of 18 cannot view any sort of material that is certified with the '18' mark.

The only real difference between this and 15 rating films is that the severity and the amount of violence/sex/bad language and other expletives that are going to be used in the film. An example of this is SAW series, this has violence that can only be associated with a 18 rated film.

Zodiac - 10 Min Extract

For this film we had to identify the conventions of a thriller and how are the characters are introduced. We studied a 10 minute extract.
Zodiac:
Conventions:

• Being based on a true story where the killer was never brought to justice
• The shock of the crackers to open the film, this had a futre reference as the crackers sound like gunshots
• The inability to act from the antagonistic enigma

Camera:

• No fast movements

Editing:

• Slowed editing 
• Parell shots
• Low key lighting added in the editing stage

Mise-en-scene:

• Black car, blending it into the background
• Was set on the 4th of July (American Independence Day)
• The car was placed on its own

Sound:

• Contrapuntal music
• Squealing tires, indication a rush. This may give a suggestion to who the killer is

Brick - 10 Min Extract

For this film we had to identify the conventions of a thriller and how are the characters are introduced. We studied a 10 minute extract.
Brick:
Conventions:

• Slow paced start to the film

Camera:

• The close op shots of a till thing such at the bracelet added mystery to the opening sequence 

Editing:

• Ruminate in the boys face as the girl is on the floor

Mise-en-scene:

• The main character is acting in a surprising way, this also ties in with the setting of the opening sequence
• Set in a school + sewer, this sets up an enigma - What? Who? Why? Where?

Sound:

• Non-diagetic sound to open the film
• Sound bridge carried on from the opening scene to the second scene

Memento - 10 Min Extract

For this film we had to identify the conventions of a thriller and how are the characters are introduced. We studied a 10 minute extract.
Memento:
Conventions:

• Complicated narrative
• Flash backs, this complicates the plot by making it seem backwards
• Black and white images showing loss of memory and clouded vision

Camera:

• Many close up shots
• These close ups emphasized movement and added an 'edge' to the film

Editing:

• Reversed editing
• The loss of memory is edited in a way that it shows that there is more, this therefore enticing the viewer.

Mise-en-scene:

• The gun, the bullet and the person who was killed are all placed at the beginning of the film
• Placement of the not on the floor
• Broken glass, a sign of broken memory or a lost past

Sound:

• Slow paced music
• This emphasizes the slow start to the film
• Diagetic sound in the opening scene

Thriller Update:

Since we planned our thriller things haven't gone smoothly, all 3 of us in our group have been ill over the past 3 weeks with myself being ill for 2 weeks. Also the location of our filming is hard to get to and to get the right kind of shots we need a clear space in order to work. In addition to that the fact that I have not been able to practice with the editing software due to that fact I have not been in school are able to download it on my home computer. Furthermore the ability to get the group together has been a slight issue being teenagers everyone doing something at different times, arranging everything is a challenge. But we are starting to get to grips with the task in hand and we have filmed the opening 30 seconds of our thriller. I will update this if there is any changes.

Fast and Furious 5 - Extract Review

Fast and Furious 5 extract from: 1:29:00 – 1:32:00

This is one of my favourite films of all time, with Director Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious) returning to the helm for this adrenaline-charged sequel reuniting series stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker for their biggest thrill ride yet. With the police in hot pursuit and wanted fugitive Dom (Diesel) in tow, Brian (Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) make their way to Rio, and realize they've run out of luck. In order to earn their freedom, they'll have to pull off their biggest job yet. After assembling a crack team of the top racers in Brazil, the gang prepares to confront the crooked businessman who seeks to silence them forever. In this extract the Dom and Hobs (Dwayne Johnson) are in a conflict that determines the set for the rest of the film. The film makes have set up many things to increase the effect on the viewer.

The lighting in this scene is of a sinister nature, showing the rage and the hatred between the pair and showing a correlation with the fact that they are two huge guys charging like bulls at each other. There is small industrial lighting in the scene as it set in a worn down warehouse. Also there are no extra or strong spotlighting present creating a dark tint when the pair confront each other, with only the setting sun as the light giving a yellow/red filter on the scene.

The mise’ en sence is a major part of this scene and how it affects the viewer. As Hobs smashes his way into Dom’s path, he smashes up his pride and joy. His car. This car was the pride and joy that his late father and late girlfriend held close to their hearts meaning this airlume was so very special to Dom. This planting of that particular car sets up the scene because in the next mid shot he looks like he has had his heart wrenched out showing the significant value of the car. Also the blurred cars in the background show that this very un fast and furious like scene, still shows the value that the cars play even if it a background appearance. The ‘homely’ state of the props (sofa, grill, and computer) in the warehouse which the team were staying in and the first punch of thrown by Dom shows that Hobs and his team are out of their comfort zone. Therefore this may lead the audience to have different opinions, meaning this would appeal to the different audiences. The pair are dressed very differently, Dom wearing oily and sweaty t-shirt whilst Hob’s is wearing a full army uniform, showing that the two come from different backgrounds. Dom from a unstable and messy life, to Hob’s life of authority. In addition to this, when the two are fighting there is a 5 second pause, Dom’s pov is that of his sister, and the strong relationship with his sister is shown on screen as he picks up a wrench and is about to end it all but somehow his Mia manages to stop all the madness.

The sound in this scene adds to the action, the diagetic sound of the cars being crushed as they smash into each other and of the grunts and threats of the two, showing hatred. In addition to that the crashing sounds are over exaggerated and louder then what they actually should be. The non diagetic sound of fast paced music adds to the disfigured rushing of this particular scene.

Also the cinematography of this scene means that different aspects are explored in this scene. The panning of the camera was disjointed also fast ‘jolty’ movements of the camera as the pair were fighting and the human like height of the camera gives you a real in depth view of the situation. The use of eye level and pov shots allows you to see the expressions of anger on their faces and the worry of desperation on Mia’s face as the fight draws to a close this also shows that she’s worried for her brothers sake, all these different aspects (lighting, mise’ en sence’, sound and cinematography) of the film are trying to achieve the same thing within this scene, the long shot of Mia through the glass shows real distress and allows the viewer to assess the situation as if they were one of the characters, therefore drawing the viewer in. 

Shot List

Shot List
Scene	Shot Number	Description
Opening Setting the scene Start of the chase Chase scene Chase scene Chase scene Chase scene Establishing shot Blackout Jump to previous time zone	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	Showing the setting - Long shot, tracking shot. Setting the scene continued. Fading, start to run - Extreme close up/Close up Start of the chase down stairs - Pov and mid-angle shots The unknown entity is chasing the boy – Low angle shot. Quick jump shots – the entity is still chasing the boy Attempting to escape the block of flats - More Pov shots, 1 medium shot Running out of the flats - Low angle medium shot - Sitting on the floor, not knowing what’s happened - Pov

Animatic

Storyboard

This is shot 9-16 of our storyboard.

Contingency Plan

Contingency Plan Name: Rosie Read, Kyle Tanner& Billy Baldry  Production: The Beginning of a thriller, (Blind Fire)

Potential problems and how to overcome these problems:

weather: if it is raining or windy this could cause problems with the filming- should look at the weather on the news technical problems: the sound may not be recorded properly- make sure all of the microphones are wired up properly people getting ill:- have backup actors

Costumes And Props

Costumes and Props

Character Name:	Ackeno
Costumes:tracksuittrainersblack jacket	Props:mobile phone
Character Name:	Billy
Costume: jeans trainersjacket  hat	Props: N/A

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Group Members: Rosie Read, Kyle Tanner & Billy Baldry                                                                            Location: High rise flats

Hazard	Person(s) at Risk	Likelihood of Hazard 1 – Extremely Unlikely 5 – Extremely Likely	Severity of Hazard Outcomes 1 – Very Low Risk 5 – Very High Risk	Risk Level (Likelihood + Severity) 2	Measures to Take to Manage Risk	Risk Managed? Y/N
Dropping the camera off of the tripod	camera person	2	3		Make sure camera is on tripod properly	Yes
Security issues	everyone in the group	4	5		make sure there is a time schedule we stick too, and make sure we are not out too late	Yes
weather (rain, wind or snow during filming)	everyone in the group	5	3		check the weather before we go	yes
bad lighting	actors	4	4		try to film with just the right amount of light on the actors	yes

Focas Group Evaluation

A big way we got ideas for our thriller beginning we made a focus group where we explained out 3 ideas to another group of people and then asked what they thought about them. We got back very helpful comments and they helped us decide what we needed to changed on our opening. The other group told us that they liked our first idea the most but we had to shoot it in a certain way to make it look good and entertaining. We will take all of the points given by the other group when filming to make our film the best we can. 

Proposal

Proposal Prepared by Rosie, Kyle & Billy

In our Thriller we will film an exctiting starting to a thriller movie. This starting will make the viewers want to watch the rest of the film to see what is going on. We will include a variety of different shots, such as fast pased shots and pan shots over the roof tops of Dagenham. Our Thriller will play on the viewers mind as you wont actually see what is happeing on the screen there will just be voices and music over our shots...this will be better and more exciting fot the viewer as they would usually create their own image in their heads, these images are usually worse than what is happening on the screen... Our thriller will leave the viewers wondering what will happen next!

Focus Group

This way my focus group to discuss our ideas, we made plans to make our thriller the best it can be and with some constructive criticism we hope to achieve the perfect product.

Preliminary Task

we had a few problems with the sound, hope you enjoy!

Treatment

Treatment

Group Roles Cinematography: Rosie Mise-en-scene: Kyle Sound: Kyle Editing: Kyle, Billy & Rosie

Title: Blind Fire Tag Line:

Synopsis: Filming of roof tops around Dagenham (tracking shot) Guy lying on the floor looking like he has been stabbed, slow cliff hanger at the end of the film including a call to 999 about a shooting.

Key Genre Conventions: Action thriller, Street shots, gun shots, violence.