AS Foundation Portfolio: Written Evaluation EMMY BROWN

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

The inspiration for my horror film comes from a prop in particular: the Ouija board. This is a classic piece which is the centre of a lot of successful horror films such as Ouija (2007 Topel Lee) and Paranormal Activity (2007 Oren Peli). 

                                                        (Here is the trailer for Ouija)

   After researching these films, certain conventions were noticed which I introduced into my film to portray the threat and emphasize frightening events. By using a range of angles I was able to establish the innocence from the threat successfully whilst flashbacks add a sense of eeriness. I ensured the lighting was dim where needed to ensure a fear of the unknown was present, whilst props such as candles and the Ouija board contributed to the creepiness as they create tension for the upcoming events. The theme of the unknown and possession runs throughout my film due to the genre, this is a popular choice of subject which is also used in the films I have studied for inspiration.

    But I have challenged the typical conventions because at times scenes are calm and appear normal which has been done to further scare the audience because this authenticity allows them to believe that this could happen to them due to it being so close to everyday life but with sudden bursts of terror and possession.

    In the opening titles I will use the conventions of having slight hints at what the narrative is about, such as clips from newspapers, old photographs and possibly news coverage. This is a classic technique which has been used often but it is still effective, adding an instant feel of mystery and the unknown as soon as the film begins. 

2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 The protagonists in my horror film are in their teens so they represent  the youth of today. Being all female they have an immediate innocence which is why they're often portrayed as the victims and that's also why i chose them because they create a more effective film as people know immediately who's innocent. But we have used a female threat to shock the audience as they're quite unknown but also have a contrast with those that are thought as innocent but are also not. They follow stereotypes of being female as they look quite girly in night wear and are having a sleep over so they're obviously close friends which is a dominant view in society that most girls have a tight knitted group of friends. 

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

  I would like to work with Hammer films as their involvement would massively help promote the film because they’ve had some really successful movies such as the recent Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe, which has already taken $46,530,000 on a small budget of just $13 million. This gives me as a small film producer the hope that my film can also do well on a small budget when working with Hammer Film. Hammer Film also has a great reputation for making classic and gothic horrors so the existing prestige and ability to make those classics will promote me well. Also, with the use of such a reputable actor, Daniel Radcliffe, they may be able to also contact one for my film attracting an exist audience and fan base. 

In terms of marketing I think social networking sites would be the best way of endorsing my film due to its extreme popularity and the films target audience, 15 year olds, use them regularly. By creating pages to ‘like’ on sites and posting the trailer on blogs, many will be able to see it instantly, at any time. Another great technique is using it as an unskippable advert on video site ‘YouTube’ which means the viewer has to watch it in order to continue, almost forcing them to see it. Billboards and posters of the film allow masses of public to notice the film’s release as they get on with their daily lives so they can think about the film throughout their day. I would have the trailer in every 15 certifcate and plus films so everybody that is able to see it knows about it and also before horror film showings because then you already have an existing audience.

 

 The website for The Thing has various links to Youtube, Facebook and Twitter to attract it's target audience of 15 year olds and plus. I would release my film around Halloween as all of the teenagers want that added thrill around this holiday and a great tradition for many is to see a great horror that night. Although this means there will be competition with other horrors, this is a 15 certificate so many more consumers will be able to view instead of the 18.  In terms of what the film will make on an opening weekend is not easy to predict as low budget supernatural horror Paranormal Activity 3 took $26.3 million on its first weekend. So my horror film could go either way- be as successful as Paranormal Activity 3 or flop. 

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

After studying five films using IMDB, I have come to the conclusion that the audience for my media product would be males aged fewer than 18. After researching the viewer’s statistics of the films: Paranormal Activity 3, Insidious, Zombie land, The Walking Dead and Faces In The Crowd it is extremely obvious that the dominant viewers of horrors are under 18 males as their user ratings shoot everybody else as for Insidious 32,811 males voted compared to only 7,637 females.  All of the five films above have a 15 certificate which allows a much bigger audience in contrast to 18s who are limited the middle aged are not a popular audience. 

 

Here are the demographics (above) for Insidious.   

   I researched how the BBFC classified films through their site and hearing a talk from a representative and came to the conclusion that my media product must be a 15 due to the themes of death and possession but it isn’t disturbing or gore filled enough to be an 18. However, I do think that a horror film does look more appealing with an 18 certificate as it proves to be more scary but it does limit cinema viewings from the under 18 audience who go to the cinema the most.  In addition, I think the biggest subculture in my target audience will be Goth due to their stereotypical preference of dark and gore films but also from personal experience as after talking with Goth friends they do like horrors.  From my questionnaires I have gathered that the majority of the audience will be heterosexual couples and that the use of women will attract heterosexual men more. Also, the psychographic variables for my film will be egoist, rebel and cynical as I feel these will be most attracted by the thrill of a horror because of their unusual narrative twists and surprises.

   In particular Paranormal Activity 3 targets the less than 18 target audience very effectively by involving all different types of aspects of marketing in their advertising. Their main use, and my main interest for marketing, is social networking which is an obvious choice when targeting the under 18s as they use these sites so often. At the end of Paranormal Activity 3’s trailer it shows how you can get involved with them on ‘Twitter’ to see the film first, so they’re instantly introducing the audience to their social networking profiles and groups. Before the time of release, I remember seeing many posters in magazines aimed at teenagers so they’re again trying to pull this audience in through their daily hobbies and entertainment.

 

5: How did you attract your audience?

     I decided that in order to produce a 15 certificate film it had to have an exciting and thrilling plot but not too psychologically threatening or have graphic violent/gore scenes.  actresses were decided upon in order to be more relatable to young people so they can really connect with the film and put themselves in the victim’s position. There are, however, some slight problems with the under 18 audiences as I think they expect more: gore, violence and sex, from a 15 certificate than is allowed which can lead to bad reviews or general disinterest. Being in this target audience myself, I know that a lot of friends, particularly males, often feel dissatisfied when going to see horrors and never think they’re scary enough- more of a joke so they would like to see a more extreme film.

      In terms of character types I have followed Propp’s theory in which every character has a certain role in specific genres so it’s been made really clear who is the threat and who is the victim through various camera angles and the narrative in general. This allows a younger audience to understand the film better and focus on the horror aspects without having to be distracted by the confusion of character roles. Also the props in the film are a great key in displaying the narrative to the target audience because the Ouija board is a classic horror prop which features in Paranormal Activity 2 and 1 so they are bound have already been familiarized with this prop.

   Above is the scene in which the Ouija board is set on fire and moves itself.

  It’s clear from popular teen targeted horrors such as the Paranormal Activity movies and the Final Destination films that they love tension and frequently being made jump out of their skin so the music used will be tension building with an eerie feel to really emphasize the build-up of events to come. The opening will have little clues throughout to connect with the audience and when accompanied with the creepy music can achieve a really frightening sequence.

Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

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








Question 7: What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?