Scratch - Evaluation

(Mrs Eveleigh - we had internet problems all day yesterday, so haven't been able to upload my final blog until today. Sorry)

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

Our thriller is a very standard thriller-based film, that could lead in many directions. By covering the killer's face, we can incorporate many different suspects, and make it a serial killer too. There is also a fairly long build up to the killing, with it happening very quickly towards the end. We wanted it to come across like this to give the audience a very small amount of background into the male character, and making the killer enter as swiftly as possible. We also decided not to use any red herrings in the opening scene, so as to keep it very standard, very simple and keep it so we can evolve upon the idea in a number of ways if we develop it further. We also created the whole of the action section of our opening as a flashback, and this seemed to work really well with the sepia tone we added in at the editing stage. We think our thriller would best suit a drama-type thriller, as this would enable us to use the material we have to its potential.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social groups represented in our opening are very few, due to the fact that we only have two characters – one main character, and a suspicious character. Our male character is depicted to be a while, middle-aged British male, who is middle-class. The female character is a white, middle-aged British female, who is also middle-class. We don’t directly want to represent our target audience – certainly not in the opening anyway. Doing this makes people want to know what is happening, and how this relates to the rest of the film, specifically the scratching.

We chose to reverse the roles of men and women, with the man being dominant throughout the opening until the woman walks into the room. She then becomes the dominant character, and the male becomes the passive.

Our questionnaires show that our prospective audience is relatively equally split - with 14 of our 25 people being male, and 11 being female. Our film is a 15-certificate, and the age range we're aiming for is 14-18, and our questionnaires came back with 13 being aged between 14-16, 8 aged between 16-18, and 4 were 18+. This proves that we were correct with our social group predictions.

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

I believe that ‘Scratch’ would be developed by a small, independent company, which could then be distributed to a selected number of cinemas, and become a ‘cult’ DVD. I’m basing this decision on the film ‘Paranormal Activity’, which was released to a very few number of cinemas, gained a massive following across the US, and then was distributed by Paramount across the globe, becoming one of the most profitable film ever made, grossing over $140million.

Of the 25 people who took our questionnaire, 5 said the film should go straight onto TV, 13 said into a cinema, and 7 straight onto DVD, so this furtehr backs up our view.

I think it could also interpret new technologies that would give it an upper-hand on the competition. By streaming it over the internet, limiting the viewing to one per IP address, we could advertise the film as the first internet-streamed film, and if people enjoy they could pre-order the DVD straight after.

Along with this, we could write the remainder of the script in a way that it could spawn a sequel. It may not be a direct sequel (i.e. not starting where the first film ended), but could develop another characters story, or follow another killer using the same techniques as in ‘Scratch’. Along with this, a whole brand could be set up, involving video games and merchandise. It could involve the film having to be a major success, however.

Who would be the media audience for your media product?

Ideally, the film is aimed at a 15-25 audience, but there is plenty of flexibility in this. As we know, there are plenty of under-15’s who watch 15-rated movies, and for that reason, we have to look at 13 and 14 year olds as well in our target audience. The gender tends to be male, but females are also prone to watching thriller films.

In the initial idea, the thriller didn’t have a target audience. We designed the storyboard and developed the plot before picking an age rating and a gender, mainly so we could get them right. We felt that picking a target prematurely could result in the wrong film being produced for the wrong age range. Picking our age range gave us an idea eventually of what we wanted to do, and how to edit the footage to appeal to the target.

We have created an opening, mainly consisting of flashbacks, and if we were to create the rest of the film, it would be aimed mainly at our target audience, to keep them enticed. Currently, I don’t think we do appeal to our target, but we appeal to everyone.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Based on our questionnaires, the typical audeince member is male, between 14-16, andwould like to watch the rest of our film. We aimed our film towards the age range, as we think that the likes of James Bond films, and the Bourne Trilogy are all aimed towards a similar audience.

We’ve tried to keep our opening quite subdued, and have the main action straight after the titles. This way, we can try and appeal to other audiences through our opening, and then hone down what we wish to do with the main film. Unfortunately, doing this means we haven’t displayed anything that would appeal to a specific type of people, meaning we have a blank canvas to begin with if the film were put into development.

We have used the camera shots to develop the story, and have chosen to keep them all within the third person to keep some continuity throughout the film. The corridor scene where the male is walking is slightly jerky, but this adds to the effect of the man being flustered and worried. This gives the audience a sense of what the man is feeling, but also adds another dimension by keeping them in the third person.

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

We were led to believe that the cameras would give us professional quality film, but the shots are grainy, and include a muffled sound throughout. Naturally, we were disappointed with what we ended up with, but were able to come to a quick conclusion and decided that using the Macs could lead to a better result. After shooting the first day of film, we decided that using some of the effects on the computers would give us a better outcome than turning it into old footage via the camera. This allowed us to use the grainy footage to our benefit.

We were probably the least fortunate of the groups with technology – we had plenty of days where we couldn’t edit because there was one of three groups using the same computer; the cameras we needed used different film from each other, so there were occasions where we couldn’t film; we also had a couple of days where nothing could be posted to our blogs, because they kept crashing. We had a chat with the other groups, and came up with a rota so we could all edit and finish our films on time, and we filmed after schools and at lunchtimes to ensure we could edit in the slots we were entitled to.

Editing led to us using iMovie, a programme both Naomi and I were new to. It could a bit of getting used to, but we were quite careful with the shots we used, so little editing was needed, and we completed it all in 2 hours. Adding music was relatively simple, as we had chosen a piece from very early on, but changed when we heard something different. This made the process a lot easier, as we could fit our music to the film, rather than the film to the music.

iMovie gave us the ability to create what we wanted, using effects such as sepia, and image stabilization. Doing this enabled us to steady the whole film, giving the illusion that the handheld shots were based on a tripod. It also added to the atmosphere that we wanted – quite suspicious and sympathetic, but then the sudden shock of the man dying.

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

The planning for ‘Scratch’ was quite a simple process, as we had already developed the storyboard provisionally used for the preliminary task. Using this allowed us to begin planning for the film straight away, giving us a head start over the other groups who had to begin from scratch. We drew up an original storyboard, brainstormed ideas for the title and credit typography, and then had the capabilities to begin what we wanted to do.

Research was quite difficult, as the research we did didn’t correlate with the quality of our films. Researching directors like Tarantino and Scorsese didn’t directly link to what we created, but gave us a rough idea of what we were looking at. Looking into things such as small, independent thrillers would have been more beneficial, but the problem is that there is little commercial success in them, so they are very hard to track down.

The script was very straightforward, as the original plan was to have no speech whatsoever, adding to the inquisition. The film developed over the 6 days we spent filming, and adding the small amount of dialogue gives a better look into the female character, as she now sounds like she has killed before. We changed the storyboard to correspond, which made the storyboarding a lot easier too, as we had a basic plan just to keep updating.

Our shooting schedule was changed twice due to the weather conditions, but doing this allowed us to have some extra time to plan and update our blogs, and to correct the mistakes in our planning for ‘Scratch’. Our shooting schedule didn’t really help aid our film, but made the process slightly easier, as we had shots grouped together. This way, even if we didn’t keep to the day, we could keep to the shot selection, and this helped us keep the time used to shoot to a minimum.

Shot selection was quite difficult, as we had to portray the changing moods of the male character. Using the 180° rule allowed for the continuity to flow throughout the film, and the match on action gave us the opportunity to show off what we learned during the preliminary task. This was made easier by the use of technology throughout the process. Since the preliminary task, we have learned a lot about the cameras and equipment we were using, so things became a lot quicker to set up, and a lot easier to use as well.

The task brief was to create ‘the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes’. We believe, with the materials available to us, that we have done a very good job with ‘Scratch’. We have come up with an original idea, that has the capacity to be developed into a successful film, and we did this with efficiency and in the quality that we could. Our preliminary task gave us a good start, and the planning and changing of our storyboard, script and shooting schedules enabled us to show how we work under pressure.

We showed that we can create something good out of very little, and displayed our media knowledge in the ways we filmed. We kept to the continuity principals, and stuck to the brief, giving us a product we can certainly be proud of.

Scratch - Planning & Filming Process

To plan 'Scratch', we sat down and came up with a basic storyline which loosely followed our storyboard. It was a difficult process, as we had to come up with something that we could show all the skills we have learned, but something that was feasible in the time scale and the locations we had chosen.

While filming, we continually made chanegs and developed the storyline, adding things and taking bits out that we didn't think worked. Having the ability to do this was both a daunting task and a good one - due to the fact that we knew what we were compiling may not be great when we edit, but that putting over half an hour of footage onto our tape, and editing it down to 2 minutes, was a lot simpler than some of the other stories we had heard so far.

Filming was really good fun, and we enjoyed what we did and how we did it. Martin worked with Naomi and myself, and the film began to come togetehr during the last week or so. After editing, we will find out whether it was all worthwhile or not.

Scratch - Storyboard Update

We changed the stgoryboard for 'Scratch' while shooting the film, as we came up with ideas that added to the film.

After the initial tally scratching, we have the man walking into the building. He then walks down a flight of stairs, and down a corridor, turning left. He enters a room, and slams the door. Sitting down at his desk, he finds a small piece of paper saying 'YOU ARE NEXT', and he throws the contents of his desk to the floor. He hears a large bang, and stands up, only to find a woman walking in at the same time. She states it is his turn, and shoots him.

After each scene, we will insert a credit, and have selected the credits we wish to use.

Scratch - Locations

We chose to use the school as our base, and use effects when we edit it to turn it into an old building which is used for an old office. As we don't have to develop the film any further than the opening, the building is insignificant compared to the office we created.

The Building

The school building looks like this, and looks quite majestic and important when in sepia. Creating the perfect look for the flashbacks at the beginning is most important, as this is the first shot we see.The large windows and the white trimming add to the nostalgia of the building. 

The Corridor

The reason we chose this corridor for after the stairs scene is because we believe it looks very old. The red tiles against the cream walls, and the pipes and poles against the walls look brilliant in black and white, and look like something out of a 'Saw' film. Martin's silent footsteps down this corridor, and the slightly 'juddery' feel to the shots add to the mystery and the upset caused previous to the film.

The Office

We chose the school's meeting room as Martin's office, as this room only had two windows, and the dark carpet looks good against the lighter walls. We moved all the furniture in the room to the walls, and shot against the old radiator attached to the back wall. Just above Martin's head is a notice board, which we used to our advantage.

The Credits

This flight of stairs in school were where we shot most of our credits. By giving the illusion we had scratched into the walls using chalk and charcoal, we were able to wipe them clean, and using the floor, paper and envelopes added another dimension to them.

Scratch - Soundtrack Update

After further research and investigation, we have found the piece of music we wish to use within 'Scratch'. Instead of using 'Gates to Adis' (which can be found here), we plan on using 'Rex Tremendae', which is part of the Mozart Requiem Mass. It can be found here, at number 68.

It is 2 minutes 16 seconds long, so slightly over our guidelines, but the amount of film we have could cover the whole piece of music. It is a stirring piece, and fits perfectly with the action of the opening.

Scratch - Script

For 'Scratch', we don't wish to have a lot of dialogue, as the more dialogue there is, the less suspicion there is in the build up of the opening. For this reason, we have built the storyboard around this concept.

The dialogue consists of one line - 'Your turn'. This is uttered by the female character, and the film ends very quickly after that. This is said in a very sturn way, and adds to the tension created within the film.

The lack of dialogue within the opening adds a lot to the film, which will hopefully make it exactly how we want it.

Scratch - Soundtrack

Due to the fact we only have 2 minutes, we have to pick something relatively short. Ideally, the continuity within the film will continue throughout everything, including the soundtrack. This means we have to try and find ONE piece of music that lasts for 2 minutes, and fits with our film.

The piece we are currently looking at using is called 'Gates to Adis', and can be found here (number 7). It has a scary, confusing feel to it, but we think if we keep looking, we can find something even better.

Ideally, we will find a piece that has lots of vocals and choirs, some strings and a loud drum beat.

Scratch - Shooting Schedule - New

Shooting Schedule - New
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

Due to unforseen circumstances, problems have occured within our shooting schedule. I have adjusted it to include our new plans, and what has already been completed.

Equipment needed is on the list, and may have changed when we filmed. This will appear in a further post.

To view the schedule, click on the image.

Scratch - Characters - Actor

For 'Scratch', we have chosen someone who we believe will look good within our flashback scenes, and someone who will fit into our film opening.

We have chosen Martin, someone also taking AS Media Studies, along with Drama and Performing Arts, so he is the best qualified for the job. He was the best person we could choose from the people we asked.

Scratch - Film Title

To decide on the title of our film, we brainstormed some ideas together to do with the storyboard for the opening. The names we came up with were narrowed down to four, which we put across to 25 members of the public. They were 'The Hidden Code', 'Lacerator', 'Scratch', and 'The Scarifier'.

Results
The Hidden Code - 5 votes
Lacerator - 4 votes
Scratch - 9 votes
The Scarifier - 7 votes

For this reason, we chose 'Scratch' as our film title.

Scratch - Target Audience

The target audience we have selected for 'Scratch' is over 15. We know from looking at thriller DVD's released last year that the average age restriction is a 15, so if we aim for over 15's, then we have hit the main market. We also want to keep a limit on the age range, so have selected 35, as we don't believe anyone over the age of 35 go to watch thriller films.

We have to try and appeal to this age range, so to do that, we plan on keeping things subtle. If you look at some of the DVDs released over the last 12 months, all the plots were kept from being unraveled until the very end. So, as we are only filming the opening, we have to try and keep it all secretive, while setting up the film for the rest of the story.

Scratch - Characters

Within the 'Scratch' opening, there are two characters - one of which is seen, one who isn't.

Man
The man, who has no name during this planning process, is a very sophisticated man. His clothes always match, his accessories match the clothes, and his talk matches his accessories. Everything links in with each other. He walks in to the building with his heels clicking against the floor, and the way we plan to shoot this is to make him seem very tall, very elegant and very knowing.

He is a married man, and before the opening has just killed his wife, after finding out she committed adultery. This has put him in a flustered state, which we can hoepfully portray in our shots. He smashes the photo, and then is approached by the shadowy figure of a woman, and killed.

Woman
The woman has no personalioty built upon. She is only shown via a shadow within the opening, and her identity will remain concealed. She is also a very classy woman, but uses a small handgun to kill our character. She is a killer with class.

Scratch - Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule, originally uploaded by Adam9309.

We've designed a shooting schedule for the next two weeks, so we can film 'Scratch' with plenty of time to edit and finalise what we have done.

Scratch - Storyboard

Full Board, originally uploaded by Adam9309.

Key

Black is the action and description of the shot

Red is the choice of shot selected for the frame 
Green are the effects and lighting used in the frame 
Blue are the props needed for each frame

Pink are both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds for each frame 

Frame 1 
A man scratches a number 4 (via a tally chart) into a wall. His arm is already in shot, and exits the shot via the bottom-left hand corner. 
A close-up has been selected for this frame, as this best shows the action in the shot while keeping the mystery on who it is. 
There will be a sudden (non-effect) transition into the frame, and a fade out into the next set of credits. The lighting will be very low, creating a dim atmosphere. 
A wall is needed for this frame, and also a sharp implement to scratch the numbers into the wall. 
A gunshot in the darkness between the first credit, and this frame. This is then followed by the scratching noise of the wall. 

Frame 2
The man walks down the corridor, and turns right. 
The shot is of a moving subject, so we have chosen a medium close-up of the man's feet. 
Again, like all the frames, there will be no transition into the shot, but a fade out into a black screen at the end. The lighting will be very dark, and there will only be natural light. 
No major props are needed. 
Along with the soundtrack, there will be the man's footsteps walking up the corridor. 

Frame 3
The man walks through a door, and walks to his desk on the other side of the room. 
The shot is a long establishing shot, as we want to get all of the door in the shot as well. It will also set the scene. 
The lighting will be very dim, until the man flicks a light on on his desk. 
No major props are needed. 
Door swings open, followed by the light switch flicking on and the squeak of a large chair. 

Frame 4
The man enters shot from the left, and sits down at his desk. He then looks at a photo of him and a woman, throws it to the ground. Loads up laptop, and types. 
The shot is a long establishing shot, as we want to get the whole desk, and all the action in. 
Still very dim, but brighter around the laptop. 
A laptop, a photo, a large desk and a light. 
Chair squeak. A grunt, and a photo smashing. Laptop typing. 

Frame 5
A relatively quick shot of an email on his screen, statin what he has done. He sends it. 
A close-up of the screen better frames it for the audience. 
Very bright, as it is a shot of the screen. 
A laptop. 
A sigh and a puff of air being blown as he clicks send. 

Frame 6
A large bang occurs otuside the door. Man talks curiously to himself, stands up, and walks to the front of his desk. 
A long shot, to contain all the action and curiosity. 
Back down to the earlier dim lighting of the room. 
Laptop, smashed photo, and a large desk. 
Massive bang outside the door. Chair squeak, with muffled speech. 

Frame 7
A shot of a shadow in the light at the door. Short conversation. Shot goes black. 
Very long shot, to contain the door and shadow. 
The light has to be strong enough to create a long shadow. 
No major props are needed. 
Very short conversation, followed by darkness, and a gunshot. 

Frame 8 
A man scratches a number 5 (via a tally chart) into a wall. His arm is already in shot, and exits the shot via the bottom-left hand corner. 
A close-up has been selected for this frame, as this best shows the action in the shot while keeping the mystery on who it is. 
There will be a sudden (non-effect) transition into the frame, and a fade out into the next set of credits. The lighting will be very low, creating a dim atmosphere. 
A wall is needed for this frame, and also a sharp implement to scratch the numbers into the wall. 
A gunshot in the darkness between the last frame, the next credit, and this frame. This is then followed by the scratching noise of the wall, and the main title of the film. 

Since deciding on our storyboard, we have decided that this part of the opening should be an aging piece of film, so we are reconsidering the laptop, and redesigning the storyboard to fit around it.

Scratch - Credit Typography

Credit Typography
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

For 'Scratch', we want to use a specific type of font. The film title is a big factor in what we want, and the idea we have is for it to be scratched in somewhere. There are 3 different options.

Scratch Font #1

This font adds another aspect to the film - if we chose to use this as our font for the credits, it would keep within the chosen genre. The scratched effect would add to the very simple concept of the opening, but could add some continuity throughout the film, if it were made.

Scratch Font #2

'Nail Scratch' is the second option we have for our typography. It doesn't have as much 'horror' within the font as the first option, but due to the slight slant on some of the letters, it adds a new depth, and if used with the right fade in and out, could create a 'goosebump moment'.

Scratch - Chosen Font

The typography we have chosen isn't actually a computerised font. We plan to actually scratch our credits into items found in the outside world - plaster on a wall, bricks, chalk, paving slabs, wood, paint on a car. We feel this will add to the flashback moments within our opening, and give the best thriller link-in out of the three options.

Scratch - Credits

We will use a specific order for the credits within the opening sequence. It has to be correct, otherwise certain people will look to be more important than others. This is almost a hierarchy for credit order.

Order of Credits
(Film company name) presents...
A (Producer's name) production...
A (Director's name) film
Main actor's name
Main supporting actor's name
2x other supporting actors
Castin by...
Music by...
Costume Designer...
Editor...
Production Designer...
Director of Photography...
Executive Producer...
Produced by...
Story by...
Screenplay by...
Directed by...
FILM NAME

This is according to both my own notes, and the BBC website which can be found here.

Scratch
For 'Scratch', we only plan on using a certain selection of these credit titles, as not all of them are necessary to our film. The titles we won't use are:

2x other supportign actors
Costume Designer
Production Designer
Director of Photography

All the other titles could be combined to suit our needs.

Scratch - Basic Story Plan

My thriller opening combines both present footage and flashbacks. It is one complete flashback - all in black and white, and it is meant to look like it is being shown on a projector. Between each shot, the credits will be shown in present footage. The film will be called 'Scratch', and each credit will be scratched into some sort of object.

Plan
A man walks into a big building, down a corridor. He walks into a room, sits down at his desk, and writes a letter, saying 'Its done'. He then smashes his wedding photo, which is sat on his desk. As he smashes it, a large bang occurs outside, and he is alerted. He stands up, calls out, and sees nothing. Suddenly the shady figure walks into the room, points a gun at the man, and a large stand-off occurs. Muttering is heard, then a large gunshot. The shot cuts to a man scratching a 5 into a tally chart on a wall.