Rachel Iliffe - Question 7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Question 7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

The improvement I have gone through since our preliminary task is immense. The transitions were greatly considered after problems with the preliminary task making the clips work together. The shot compositions were also much more thought out.

These two shots are next to each other in the video, creating continuity in the placement of the elevator, which makes it look much better.
In the preliminary, none of the shots are well planned, making it look messy and resulted in shots like this:

Not only is it bad quality, it also includes the tripod in the shot by accident, and this is not the only time that happens.

In the preliminary, we didn’t have any special shots, it was all very similar throughout the whole video, focussing more on dialogue, which turned out as a mistake, as we managed to miss out a very important clip which we couldn’t solve in editing. In D.N.A, there is no dialogue at all, and I (as I was the one filming) could focus more on the different shots and effects without worrying about getting the conversation correct, as well as using other equipment such as the tracks to get smoother shots.

As for editing the preliminary, we just stuck the different clips together in the necessary order and put a small music clip on it at one point; very dull, very simple, with a boring result. Since then, my editing has improved drastically. Because I did the entire clip editing for the media task, as well as the animating, I spent a long time learning how to do it, and improving my ability in creating the movie. I improved my filming, which I had previously been unable to do, as I didn’t have a great understanding of how to keep the camera steady, or how to frame the shots. I learnt how to do that as I filmed the movie, and my ability increased along with the clips.

As I edited, I spent a lot of time improving my skills in clip, frame, music and title editing, helped along by the importance of working towards a deadline, so I had to apply my knowledge and expand on it in order to create a good title sequence by the arrival of the deadline. Being introduced to new technologies helped, like Adobe After Effects, so that I wasn’t left to create a simple opening with pre-set titles.

Rachel Iliffe - Question 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

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

In the Beginning: The very first technology I learned how to use was Prezi, which I could use as a way to present my findings on Thrillers, among other things. It’s a new and aesthetically pleasing way to create a presentation, and I have found it to be useful. The second way to present my findings is using Blogger, which is easier and slightly more gradual than a single presentation, though less visually exciting as Prezi can be. However, it still provides the necessary services to include videos, pictures and links. I can utilise these to create an effective presentation, which has been useful. Then there is Microsoft Excel, which I learnt how to use to create charts of various types to present information in a visually interesting way. I also got a start to the use of the Mini DV Camera during the making of the preliminary, but not much.

During Production: As the camera operator, I managed to get a proper knowledge of how to operate the Mini DV Camera and each of its functions. It is easily portable and high-quality, and capable of filming close-ups clearly, which was useful for the close-up shots. It also created smooth moving shots, which I used during filming to create interesting close-up tracking shots. Alongside the camera, I also learned how to use a tripod and tracks to create the shots I required. A tripod helped me keep a steady shot instead of an unsteady one from being held. It also helped make moving shots smoother, though the tracks were the best for a smooth tracking shot which was important during the first flashback. Mobile phones also became important during production, for both communication between each person in the group, and as part of filming, as it appeared in the finished product.

Post Production: Editing the movie required using iMovie so that I could put the required clips together. I had no previous experience using it, but it was easy to understand and use, as well as produce a pleasing result. I also used Adobe After Effects in order to animate the Thriller title at the end of the product, as well as overlap the animated title and the beginning clip for the “Distributor”. It was difficult to use at first but incredibly handy, as it has the ability to merge clips and titles for interesting title sequences. Last of all, I learnt how to use Garage Band, and to some extent Logic Pro while assisting the composer in creating music to add onto the clips. It can be complicated technology, but it helped to create the atmospheric music, and can create any sound I choose.

Rachel Iliffe - Question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

I used visual effects to heighten interest and create an aura of mystery which would draw the audience in and hope for more, including flash-backs allude to the story somewhat. It leaves the audience curious to know the full story. The music used was for a haunting atmosphere which lulls the audience into a false sense of security, until the more aggressive music kicks in and surprises them, keeping them interested. Leaving them without knowing what to expect is enthralling, which is as a thriller should be. The frequent close-ups of the killer’s hands and the objects she’s holding also tell a bit of a story, leaving the audience guessing the rest.

Rachel Iliffe - Question 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

Question 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

We have chosen to rate our movie as a 15, or ‘R’ rated in America, which means that it is suitable for young adults, due to the involvement of death, gore and violence. This targets older audiences who are more likely to be interested in these traits. We created a questionnaire to see who to target as our audience. The results showed us that we should aim it towards females (Having a female main character appeals to them), but otherwise kept it gender neutral.

Rachel Iliffe - Question 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

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

I have a couple of choices of institutions for the thriller, though we came up with our own institution to put on the title sequence; Soevil Productions, a clever combination of each of our surnames to create one name. However, the existing institutes I have thought of are Universal Studios and Summit Entertainment, which are the two most suitable companies..

Universal Studios is one of the largest mainstream companies which has distributed many famous movies such as Frankenstein, The Railway Children and ET. It is a distributor which takes all sorts of Genres, and spreads movies world-wide. This would be the best for our Thriller; however I believe the thriller is not mainstream enough to be distributed by Universal Studios.

So the better idea is Summit Entertainment. Summit Entertainment has distributed Thrillers in the past, some of which even similar to our own Thriller. It also has famous films of other Genres, such as Twilight, which means it is very well known, and would be suitable for our Thriller.

Rachel Iliffe - Question 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Question 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main social group in the thriller is females. The killer is a woman; she is cunning, cool and collected, and very dangerous. Often, movies represent women as supporting characters, cheering on the main protagonist – a man – from the side lines, only assisting, not doing anything on her own. In my thriller, the main protagonist is a woman, who knows what she’s doing and works alone (for the most part). She is presented in a typically manly fashion in these respects, and is not shown to be a sex object, which is what women are in almost all films, regardless of genre or the women’s role in them.

The second main group in the thriller is the pathologist; that is what the main character is. usually represented as supporting characters (again) who assist the police, they are useful and knowledgeable in the human body. The killer, despite working so closely to the police, is completely against them, using her knowledge for bad, and working in the shadows, away from the police's unsuspecting eyes.

Rachel Iliffe - Question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

First, the plot and how the sequence sets the scene for the rest of the story. I wanted something which would be as gripping as a thriller should, but which would challenge the conventions of typical Thriller plots. The first of those being the representation of the killer as the protagonist, or rather, a sympathetic antagonist; We see the film from the point of view of the killer, her plots and thoughts, and how the police struggle to catch her. Second, as you can read in the treatment, the police are presented in a bad light, failing to find her, even by the end. Then there’s the common enemy between the police and the killer. The terrorist in the city is a bad person, but he also the one who causes our protagonist to realise the error of her ways and be consumed by guilt, so he is there as a tool.

Secondly, the characters. As mentioned, our protagonist is a killer, instead of being part of the police force, which already makes her an unconventional character. She’s also a morgue worker, which is someone who would be less likely to be suspected, despite her knowledge of the human body and access to bodies already deceased, which is why I chose that profession for her. The convention I do use, and develop upon, the most common one, is the quietly insane trope. She is deluded into thinking she’s doing the right thing- it is common, for insane people, and often for completely sane people, to think this- but the insanity is not as easily noticeable while we see the events from her perspective. A lot of the time, she looks like a normal person.

Third, the title of the movie. ‘D.N.A’, though cliché, was chosen for a number of reasons. Primarily, it is the main tool in the killer’s plans to hide her own tracks under a trail of confusion. Furthermore,  further than being an acronym for “Deoxyribonucleic Acid”, it could also have another meaning underneath it. I toyed with other ideas for what D.N.A could stand for, a couple of ideas being “Dead;  Not Alive” in reference to the deceased murderers.

Fourth, the title fonts and animations. The titles of the movie are all in red, for its connection to blood; blood which the main protagonist collects from dead bodies. The animations which I used to present them have them floating across the screen, as though avoiding being seen by the killer as she makes her way to her work area and goes about doing her work, among other things. At the end, the title ‘D.N.A’ flickers on the screen. I chose it to be a representation of her sanity, and its unstable ways.