Evaluation Activity 4

The primary target audience for our thriller was predominently men aged between 15 and 35. Our thriller had a gangster theme running throughout which may have attracted a slightly older audience who were interested in gangster films. Films like 'Goodfellas' and 'The Godfather' are examples of gangster-thrillers and people who liked these films were a target for our thriller.

When identifying our target audience we looked at what films they watched, where they shopped, their favourite t.v programme and other characteristics that meant they would be a target for our thriller. 



Pete Holden

 Pete Holden was an ideal example for the audience we were targeting as he fitted the characteristics that we believed meant he would enjoy our thriller. His dress sense was very casual but also fashionable and in tone with the theme of gangster that ran throughout our thriller opening as you can see with the hoody he is wearing. This shows he may have a dark side like many of the characters in our thriller opening. His music taste contained a variety of music genres but his particular favourites were drum and bass, grime and rap and examples of some of these are found in our thriller which meant there was potential he would enjoy our clip.



Pete's favourite T.V programme was 'The Sopranos' which is a gangster series set in America. One of the themes of our thriller was gangster and so he immediately seemed to fit in as our target audience. Our thriller was similar to the sopranos series as it involved murder, revenge and torture. The fact that our clip was similar to the programme meant that it was very likey Pete would enjoy our thriller opening.

Evaluation Activity 3

Evaluation Activity 2

We have decided to compare our main thriller character (Nathan) to the antagonist from the film 'Scream'. They are both very similar as they are dressed all in black garments, making their identity a secret to the viewer and would make them want to find out who the mysterious figure actually is. Some of the attributes that Nathan has, have been reflected in the character that we have created and used in our film opening. Despite all of these similarities there are also a few differences.

Similarities:

- Both characters are holding a everyday weapon that could be picked up from anywhere.

- They both sneak up on their victims before attacking them.

- The main similarity between the two is that they are both peering around a corner at their victims before they attack them.

- Both antagonists are played by male characters, this is because the male gender are stereotypically very dominant and they viewer would believe it to be a greater thriller if the victim were chased by a very tall man, rather than a smaller female.

- Both antagonist's body languages are very open and tall, in a standing position ready to attack their victim.

Differences:

- Unlike in our thriller, the antagonist in 'Scream' is wearing a mask to cover his identity, whereas Nathan is wearing a balaclava.

- In 'Scream' the antagonist teases the victim by calling them, causing them to be scared that something is going to happen. In our thriller Nathan approaches me without any warnings, therefore making it a silent attack.

- In our thriller Nathan is not wearing any cloves whilst holding the knife, but in 'Scream' the antagonist is wearing gloves to prevent any tracks of DNA being found on the knife.

- The villain in 'Scream' usually uses the knives to kill the victims, unlike ours where Nathan uses ether on a cloth to knock the victim unconscious, then the killing of him is not shown and the clip just shows Nathan walking out.

Evaluation Activity 1

Title of Our Thriller


The title of our thriller uses conventions of a thriller as it is a one-word title 'Retribution'. This supports thriller conventions as it is basic, straight to the point, but also shocking and gives the viewer the image in their mind of revenge. The colours used in the title are black and white which are both colours associated with thriller conventions. The black shows the darkness of the opening for example when Nathan murders Ryan, whereas the white shows the purity and innocence that Ryan has as he is attacked maliciously.

Setting


The first setting used in our thriller was James Mathews' house in Ongar. This setting challenged thriller conventions as the house was not a haunting or scary place and as it was done in the day time there was no tension created by darkness. Our second setting was a shed in James' garden and this setting did support thriller conventions for many reasons. The shed was old and appeared derelict, also almost all light was blocked out of the shed and this therefore, created a lot of tension. We were able to use a spotlight to shine in the victim's face as a result of the darkness and this worked well with the effect that we wanted to achieve in that scene. Settings used for the chase scene also supported thriller conventions as they were quiet country roads that appeared away from the public eye.

Costumes and props


Nathan's costume - Dark, hooded clothes immediately showed the audience that he was the antagonist in the thriller and this strongly supported previous thriller conventions.
Ryan's costume - Casual, everyday clothes gave the audience the impression that Ryan was the protagonist in the film and he was the innocent victim that was attacked maliciously which supported thriller conventions.
James' costume - James' costume at first appears to be innocent but after he disocvers Ryan's death he can then be seen to change as he searches for revenge. His dark jacket and trousers show how he has now become the attacker which is again supporting previous thriller conventions.

Camerawork and Editing


The main editing technique that we used effectively was rapid editing to quicken up our thriller and increase the level of tension that was present during the opening. This is a technique often used in thriller films and so therefore, strongly supports thriller conventions. Another editing technique that we used was title sequences at the beginning and end of our thriller. These included the names of the actors in the thriller and the title at the very end of the clip which came up in bold letters at the climax of the opening. This again supports thriller conventions as there are often title sequences used at the beginning of the film to set the scene of the film and build up tension. Also the title being used at the end shocks the viewers as it comes in at a very important time in the opening which is a technique that has been used in other famous thrillers. We used a lot of close-ups in our clip as it gets across the emotion of the characters and shows reaction shots. This is another technique that is commonly used in thrillers and therfore supports thriller conventions.

Story and Opening


The story of our thriller supports thriller conventions as it has a gangster theme running throughout and invloves a plot where a character is murdered, and then his friend seeks revenge. This is very similar to gangster films such as 'Goodfellas' and 'The Godfather'. The opening of our clip is engaging and immediately shock the viewers as Ryan is attacked in his house and murdered. Also at the very beginning of our thriller, shots of events that will happen throughout the clip are showed for example, the picture above. This supports thriller conventions as this is used in many thrillers to give viewers a sense of what to expect and to put an image in their mind.   




Genre and Opening


The genre of our clip is gangster-thriller and this is suggested in the opening by the way that James seeks revenge for the death of his friend by using violence. This supports other films of this genre as it shows how James is following the belief that you must fight violence with violence which is a way that a lot of gangs behave in other similar films. Another way in which the opening suggests it is gangster based, is the costumes that are used, particular Nathan’s, and the final setting in the dark shed. These are all conventions of a gangster-thriller and help suggest that to the viewer clearly.

Character Introductions

Ryan’s introduction shows him walking into his house appearing seemingly innocent and unaware of anything being wrong. This immediately gives the viewers the impression that he is the protagonist and his costume also supports this.

Nathan’s introduction immediately shows him as the antagonist in the film as he is dressed in hooded black clothes and holding a knife. Also the way he appears supports thriller conventions as he slowly comes out from hiding and walks towards Ryan without fear. 

James’ introduction is frantic and injects pace into the thriller. The audience start to wonder why he is in such a hurry and this element of surprise and question is again supporting thriller conventions.

Audience Feedback

From watching our thriller, we decided we needed some input from other people. I recorded a few people that had viewed our thriller and asked them their opinions of the thriller, what could improve it etc. Having a audience feedback was vital to our group as we felt that the input of others could help us improve our thriller; making it to the best of it's ability. Out of the five people that i had questioned about our thriller, i randomly chose two of them and have put them on here:
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHkR0KhFi5c                 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBGZMPijJCo

Character profile 'Ryan'

In our thriller Ryan is the protagonist, he is the only character that doesn't have a villain side to him, throughout the whole of the film. We are first introduced to him as he is returning home from a day at school; making a cup of tea.  His role starts by him returning home from an average day at school but is unaware that there is someone else in his house. We do not find out a lot about Ryan throughout the thriller as he is killed off by the antagonist; using ether on a cloth and leaving him dead on the floor.

Costume

After dicussing the costumes that Ryan could wear, we decided he had to wear both brigh

t clothes to represent the protagonist and slightly casual clothing to look as if he had just returned from school. If Ryan was to wear tracksuit bottoms and had no schoolbag, then he wouldnt fit his role of being at school. He is wearing light blue jeans and a navy jumper, this also proves that he is the antagonist as bright colours represent that he is not the villain. Furthermore, he is wearing sports shoes and his school bag as a prop; showing he had been to school.

Character profile 'Nathan'

Nathans character is the antagonist in our thriller, he is the most violent character as he kills the protagonist in the. Nathan's real identity is not shown throughout the thriller, there's a camera shot showing a suspect but his real identity is covered up by a cliffhanger ending; leaving the thriller a mystery to the viewer.

We are first introduced to Nathan at the protagonists house, when he appears round a corner of the door peering at the protagonist, getting ready to attack him. Instantly he provides action for the thriller by the attack and the viewer can tell he is going to be a key character through the thriller. Nathan is not involved in any communications throughout the thriller, meaning that his personality is disclosed so he could be anybody. However, his actions and body language throughout the thriller express the fact that he is a very aggressive male. Nathan is seen as a bulky character with a substantial height on him, making him very intimidating and so that he fits the role of his antagonist character perfectly.

Towards the end of the clip Nathan is seen running away from a car, showing that he has done something wrong and does not want to be caught; he has a fear of getting caught. The next scene shows Nathan tied to a chair in a mysterious room with his attacker behind him about to reveal his identity, unfortunately it is left leaving the viewer in suspense as they never find out his true identity because it cuts to the title of our thriller; 'Retribution'.

Costume

Once thinking things over, we decided what costumes would make the antagonist as believable and extremely intimidating. The fact that Nathan is the antagonist character in the thriller, he has to fit his role perfectly, wearing dark clothes and being very aggressive towards the protagonist during the attack. For his costume, we decided he has to wear black tracksuit bottoms with a black jumper, this represents the character has a very dark side to him. Furthermore, Nathan is wearing a black balaclava; covering his identity, which is a key fact in the thriller as without the balaclava it would leave our thriller with no mystery behind it.

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