Evaluation Questions

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
What conventions of professional products have you used in your own film? (narrative conventions, character conventions, genre, camerawork, sound, editing, special effects, mise-en-scene?) Use screen grabs of your own sequence to illustrate each example where you have followed conventions or gone against (challenged) conventions. Also use images from the films that have influenced you where relevant.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? (Gender, age, ethnicity etc.
Compare a character in your sequence to a character in a professional film (use images). If you have included a villain/victim character, does your character follow the conventions of characters in professional films. For example, is your villain male? Is your victim female? Therefore how are you representing gender?

3. What kind of media institution would distribute your media product?
Discuss similar professional films and their production companies (use images of the films and logos). Which production company do you think would distribute your film? (If it was professional and you had made the full film).

4. Who would be the audience for your media product? (BBFC and target audience)
Use images from a similar product with a similar target audience. Remember that target audience is not the same as classification.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Refer to significant moments in your sequence where you have tried to generate a response from the spectator (a close up to encourage identification with a character, music that encourages the spectator to feel suspense, tense, visceral reaction etc.) Use screen grabs of your own sequence.

6. What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing your product?
(Blog, camera equipment, editing software- Final Cut Express, istopmotion, Garageband etc.)
Use screen grabs/photos of all these things. Be very specific about tools/effects/techniques learnt, not just "I have learnt a lot about the software"

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to your final product?
Discuss your second preliminary task that you did in the week before starting Thriller. Discuss what you have learnt since then about construction or micro elements in order to create meaning, how to use different techniques, practical skills etc. How have you built on your knowledge that you learnt from the preliminary task? Use screen grabs of your preliminary task and your sequence where relevant.

Props

Props needed in the making of this opening:

• Alarm Clock - Detective
  
• Mobile Phone - Detective
  
• Suit and tie - Detective
  
• High Visibility jacket - Construction worker
• Tarpaulin - Victim

Motion picture rating system

The British Board Of Film Classification(BBFC) rates both motion pictures and videos (and an increasing number of video games. County authorities are ultimately responsible for film ratings for cinema showings in their area but for most of the time all County Councils generally accept the BBFC rating, although, films can technically bypass the BBFC as the BBFC has no legal power (technically, films do not even have to be submitted for classification) to be classified by the Counties the film is shown, in but due to practicality this is rarely done. County Councils often ignore the BBFC advised rating and rate films with anothe BBFC certificate in their county only, eg: the BBFC rates a film as 15 but the County council gives the film a 12A rating in their county. Rating certificates from the BBFC are not legally binding whereas those for videos are.

The current BBFC system is:

• Uc (Universal Children) Suitable for all, but especially suitable for very young children to watch on their own. (video and DVD only.)
• U (Universal) Suitable for all. (The board states that while they cannot predict what might upset a particular child, a 'U' film should be suitable for audiences aged 4 and older)
• 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.)
• 12A (12 Accompanied/Advisory) Suitable for 12 years and older. No one younger than 12 may see a '12A' film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. (Exclusively for cinema, '12A' was first implemented on The Bourne Identity and, contrary to popular belief, not on Spider-Man which was first released months before, under the previously fully restrictive 12 certificate, and then immediately re-released to take advantage of the new guidelines).
• 12 Suitable for 12 years and older. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a '12' rated video. (Until 31 August 2002, this mandatory certificate used to apply to cinema exhibitions as well)
• 15 Suitable only for 15 years and older. No one younger than 15 may see a '15' film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a '15' rated video.
• 18 Suitable only for adults. No one younger than 18 may see an '18' film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an '18' rated video.
• R18 (Restricted 18) To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years. (These films contain sexually explicit, pornographic content.)

Films may receive a different rating when released on DVD/video to that at the cinema. It is not unusual for certain films to be refused classification, effectively banning them from sale or exhibition in the UK. Any media which has been banned receives an 'R' certificate (Rejected).

Videos deemed by their distributors to be exempt under the Video recording act 1984(typically non-fiction content such as sporting highlights, fitness videos, nature films, etc.) may bear the mark E (for exempt), though this is not a rating and the BBFC does not maintain a symbol. The BBFC also provides ratings for video games which may be unsuitable for sale to young people or children (such as Grand Theft Auto). However, the majority of games are merely rated by the voluntary PEGI rating system, that replaced the ELSAP rating system. It is very rare for a video game to be banned in the United Kingdom, as many controversial games have been released under more recent and more lenient directorship at the organization.

Mirco Elements:

Sound:
Rather than having a specific soundtrack or piece of music, we thought the idea of a dark tone throughout the title and a few sound effects of children laughing and a few thunder cracks would be more effective.

This keeps the feeling of suspense in the thriller. The laughter is to show that a school or children will be involved and something bad is going to happen.

The thunder keeps the dark side alive. The two sounds conflict with each other and make you wonder what is going to happen

Editing:

• Diegetic and Non - Diegetic sound.
• Close ups.
• 180 degree rule conversations.
• High and low angles to show positions(roles) of characters.
• Over the shoulder shots.

Camera Work:
We want the camera shots to be similar to Shaun of the Dead camera work:
From 0:25 - 0:33