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

I think we learned a lot in our progression from the preliminary to the major task.

The editing process was one area where we improved substantially. Our proficiency with Serif MoviePlus improved a great deal. We had to re-use our previously acquired skill for creating good match-on-actions and we learned, for the first time, to use sound effects and background music. In our minor task, we didn't have a lot to think about in terms of authenticity -- the situation was not an extreme circumstance that required explaining itself, the costumes were irrelevant, as were factors such as the time and place, and the general Mise-en-scène was not as important. By contrast, our major film relied heavily on the time, place, light and other factors because of the situation and nature of the film. We had problems with this initially because of the time of day, and also noise from cars on the road (since there is supposed to be no sign of life). We quickly adapted however, and avoided potential problems in the editing process. 


Since our genre-based limitations were fairly loose in our minor task, we didn't have to think about too many conventions. However, in our major task, conventions and directorial effects were very important in order to keep the audience engaged. On one of our drafts for the final task, we over-used sound effects and the music, which was in itself good but we thought using it to that extent might 'numb' the audience and we also found that periods of silence were just as useful.


Due to the multiple locations on our storyboard, we had to move around a lot to film (Reigate Hill, a graveyard, an alleyway, a road, and my house). This made our production perhaps more realistic because it showed the audience how widespread the 'infection' was. However, this meant filming was an arduous process and we also faced problems like unaware pedestrians walking and cars driving through the shot. 


If I/we were to do the task again I would make sure that I did the following: 

• Leave more time for filming and editing
• Be less cautious about amendments to the storyboard as keeping to it strictly is quite limiting
• Watch more from the genre and analyse conventions and perhaps use them
• Encourage other members of the group to feature more in the filming

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

Below is a slide show demonstrating things that I and my group learned in the process of construction.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

Here is an interactive slide show detailing how we addressed our audience:

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

We talked about our audience and we decided that our ideal age to see the film would be 16-21, but that the most powerful horror films were often 18+ in the cinema.
Our target age is due to the fact that teenagers are likely to be more interested in films such as this. Films like [REC] and 28 Days Later are of a genre that has evolved dramatically in the last 20 or so years due to advances in technology and social changes. Thus, our film would appeal most to teenagers. Some research I found [here] shows that horror is more popular among 13-25 year-olds and age groups after that have a shrinking number.
After some research, we concluded that our target audience is primarily male, as men are more likely to go and see a horror film, particularly a zombie-horror.

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

'Filmax' distributed [REC], a similar 'house-bound 'zombie thriller. Here is a trailer:

'Fox Searchlight Pictures' distributed 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. A trailer can be found in Evaluation Q1.
These films are similar to ours in theme and conventions, and acted as our inspirations. 28 Days Later received over 82 million dollars in gross profit. The film clearly appealed to it's target audience and was well marketed. The film was advertised in unconventional ways and advertising was used virally all over the internet for weeks before the films release. These aided the films' quick cult following and made the film a huge success.
[REC] received a similar cult following. Despite being in Spanish, the film is hugely successful all over the world and even gained an U.S. remake called 'Quarantine'. This was the result of lots of viral marketing and good techniques. Here is a marketing video by Filmax:

There are many more marketing videos on YouTube by the distributor for this movie.
Lions Gate Entertainment have done a great job of distributing the SAW films. A ride in Thorpe Park based on the ride, lots of merchandise and powerful online and offline marketing saw the films becoming some of the most successful horror films in recent years.

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

Here is a slideshow detailing how various social groups are represented in our film:

How does your media product represent particular social

Q1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The popular British zombie-thriller film '28 days later' is full of conventions from the horror genre. Here is a trailer for the film:

Darkness is used a lot in the film to create a unease in the audience, for instance, and we used darkness extensively in our major task.
Our first shots are effectively stills such as an empty road, a shot of Reigate from Reigate Hill and a shot of the house which would later be the focus of the film. These shots had a lifeless Mise-en-scène and were used to tell the audience that there was no remaining life and to give an aura of sad, loneliness. These slow-pace shots could be said to challenge the conventions of the horror genre which typically would be restrained to a faster pace, but in a similar way to '28 days later', we would use them in contrast to faster-paced scenes later in the film.
Our next shots were of me running from 'something' through a graveyard and up a road in the afternoon to late evening. This running is a typical convention, as is not being shown what the victim is running from -- fear of what we can't see is a basic human trait and conventions like this play on that innate fear. 
To make the audience more empathetic with our victim, we used a shaky 1st person camera shot which demonstrates a chaotic and fearful air which the audience are forced to sympathise with. 
Another convention was the use of a little girl in the house; often used by horror films, children are scary because the audience knows that they are threatening despite the fact that they are small and seemingly innocent. 
A final convention we used was to use teenagers in our final scenes. Our target audience is 16-21 year olds and the characters are of a similar age who are strong but ignorant. This means the audience might find it easier to relate and share the fear of the characters.

Filming

Today we finished filming after two evenings. We have made a few in-process changes since our storyboarding: instead of using a young blonde woman Our introduction can now mainly be divided into three parts: the tension-building 'running' shots, the first house scene, and the teenage investigation.
Our original plan was to have some kind of armed force investigate the house, but we decided it was both more practical and conventional to use a pair of curious teenagers to investigate instead.
We took various shots of me running through a local cemetery, in an alleyway and inside and outside my house. We tried to use as many different types of shot as possible in order to create different effects:

• A low shot of just my feet running -- this is used to isolate the audience's concentration and trigger various innate responses. For example, the fact that a character is running and we can't see what from, makes the audience ask: "Why is he running?", "Where is he going now", and "Should I be scared too?". 
• A high-angle shot of a character running and looking behind -- this technique is used to belittle the power of the character we see running. He or she becomes vulnerable and the looking behind ensures the audience recognise a genuine fear, and that whatever the character is running from as dangerous. This empathy is what generates fear on the audiences side of the screen.
• Tracking -- the camera is used to emulate the perspective of the character and thus give a more direct empathy. It allows us to see what the character sees, and with a camera shake, it is possible to express a feeling of panic and disarray. Here is an example from our film:
  
• Shot-reverse-shot -- We use this for a conversation between the two teenagers who investigate the house. It demonstrates an intellectual connection between the characters. 
• Establishing shots -- We use two stills to set the scene at the start. They are of Reigate from Reigate Hill, and an empty road. When used in the context of a apocalypse/zombie horror film, empty and lifeless scenes can be used to create a feeling of loneliness and vulnerability in the audience.  
• Close up -- We used to focus on a facial expression / emotion. For example, a close up on Calum's face during the sentence "Brenan, what's that?" on the word 'what'.
• Point of view (subject) -- Used after a two-shot of Alex Tzanis (a friend) and Calum who look at a zombie on the floor.