Final Evaluation by Nita

Our product compares to “real world” thriller openings because it shows many of the typical characteristics you would find in thriller film openings. For example: the basic story of our film involves 3 girls going out late at night, one getting separated, and a “stalker” murdering the girl on her own.
Also the fact that the stalker is a man is also very stereotypical. Usually in thriller films, the men are the “killers” and the women are portrayed as vulnerable or helpless.

We used some of the forms and conventions that you would expect to find in a thriller opening. For example: the narrative involves a murder, a weapon is used (gun), and there is also some violent behaviour at the end. Also, the atmosphere hints what genre the film opening is supposed to come from. The atmosphere is very late in the evening and we purposely waited until it got dark. Also the setting was in an urban place and it was quite busy at the beginning. The whole film opening is set in an urban area (Romford), which is typical of thriller films.

Throughout our film, we have “represented” people, and we have used stereotypical genre characteristics. For example: our choice of gender for each character. We have deliberately chosen a certain gender for a certain character. Stereotypically men are usually the “killers” whereas the women are the “targets” who are portrayed as helpless and vulnerable. We have used this stereotype in our film. Although there are three girls and only one man (stalker/killer), the girls are still portrayed as helpless. The “killer” does murder a girl in the end.

We have tried to put across a small message: that young girls should try and avoid being out late at night and alone. There is a risk that young girls could get raped or even killed. Although this also applies to boys as well, stereotypically girls are more vulnerable. Also, girls are represented as being more vulnerable through media, for example: on TV in the news where we hear a lot about young girls getting raped/killed, which occurs more with lone girls walking the streets late at night than boys.
I think a big budget major Film Studio Production Company would manufacture our film because, although the narrative/storyline is simple, it does send out an important message: young girls (and boys) should try and avoid being out late in the dark, because there is a higher risk they could bump into a dangerous person. In our film, the girl that gets killed walks up the stairs to a car park where it is very empty, isolated and dark. The fact that the setting is dark and empty reflects what real thriller films are set like. The darkness makes the audience wonder if there is anyone there. In most thriller films when someone is hiding, it is usually in the dark. Darkness shows mystery and can also show unseen danger which is the case in our film. The girl who walks up alone is the one who gets killed. She would have been more likely to survive if she had stayed with her friends until her mum arrived. In real life, a lot of young girls do this. They “meet up” with their parents in dark, isolated places, like car parks, where they are more likely to get followed.

Our film is aimed at young girls who go out late at night and come home alone. Although it is an unlikely event, it does happen. So our slightly extreme version of a “stalk and kill” situation just reminds young girls who fit the character of the lone girl that gets killed in our film, to be a little more street wise. It also reminds parents of what could potentially happen, if their child was out in a situation like in our film.
Our film opening starts off with the stalker with his hood up. We can already tell from the thriller theme soundtrack and the way he is standing (alone in an empty car park) that the film probably fits the thriller genre.

In the opening shot, we see the urban city over the man’s shoulder (from behind). The area is typical of where young teenagers are likely to visit. Nearly all young girls love shopping with their friends so when we see a shot of the shopping centre, our audience knows he film will probably involve young people. Also, the stalker is dressed like a typical teenage boy. He is wearing baggy jeans, and a hooded top with the hood up. Our audience can tell from just what he is wearing that he isn’t old. After the credit sequence, we see three young girls happily strolling out of the cinema. Straight away, our audience knows the film will be about young people-probably girls because our first scene shows the girls coming out of the cinema, which is quite stereotypical of young, teenage girls.

I have learnt that a lot of technological processes involved in real thriller films can be achieved using school equipment. For example: a stereotypical process that real thriller films use is fast-pace editing. When a scene is building up suspense, fast-pace editing is used. We also used this in our film for the same reason. It helped us build up suspense for the “big end”. From this technique, our audience can guess that the film is probably a thriller/horror. We also really enjoyed adding the soundtrack which really brought the film to life. From the soundtrack, the audience could probably tell what genre the film is from. We also added a gunshot sound at the end along with a blackout. The blackout was simple however it looked really good when it was put in. the blackout was put in to make it seem like we were looking through the girls eyes.(point of view shot) We see a gun aiming down at the camera and see a glimpse of the stalkers face for the first time. The fact that the whole opening ends in suspense is another stereotypical characteristic of thriller film openings.

Since the beginning of the project, I have learnt a lot. For example: in our preliminary task, we used a limited amount of camera angle shots. We used more types of camera shots in our thriller opening. We didn’t use high angle shots in our preliminary task, however we did in our thriller opening. Also, I feel our acting skills have improved since our first task. We added more emotion to our characters which improved our film too.

We also used a lot more editing in our thriller opening compared to our preliminary task. We added blackouts, fast pace editing, we added credits etc. at the beginning of the project I didn’t know how to achieve those thongs however now I am more familiar with the technological side of film.
Furthermore, we added sound to our film which I didn’t know how to before. Music really brings films to life. For example, from the type of music we use, audiences can guess which genre the film is from. I never used to notice it, but now I do. We also added a gunshot sound at the end. It was a simple sound but it really did have a great effect on our film overall.
I also learnt that light plays an important part in how our films are portrayed. For example: our film was a thriller therefore we used a limited amount of light.

Throughout our media project we have recieved feedback from our audience. for example alot of people said "i really liked the music they added and also the dramatic ending. ireally liked the blackout and the gunshot effect"
"i also liked the crosscutting effect, and the credit sequence at the beginning"
we also recieved some critism. for example: they said "they could have improved their film by maybe adding a wider variety of shots"
although we recieved critisms, we have had some helpful advice which could help us improve our next film, if we make one.