Evaluation - Question 5

How did you attract/address you audience?

The most important thing in a film narrative is the opening – if you do not engage the audience with the first few minutes of a film you might lose them so an opening that poses a question or invites further investigation is essential. Using no dialogue but just following a young man on a chase through the streets of London instantly asks a question (why is the young man being chased?) and invites further investigation (I want to know what happens to him). Our opening sequence was partly inspired by, as previously mentioned, Quantum of Solace. This gripping chase sequence instantly throws you into the plot whether you like it or not. Clearly we did not have the budget or expertise to recreate this or even the necessary permissions to film a car chase of any kind but we wanted to set the chase up as the opening. This also references the foot chase scene in the Bourne Ultimatum where Julia Stiles is running from the assassin and Jason Bourne is chasing after the assassin as the cops are on his heels except in our film Ed is accidentally watching rather than following. We also have the age of the protagonists on our side. Ed is a young man as is Laurence and so our audience will be able to relate to them as contemporaries and identify with the injustices they suffer at the hands of corrupt authority something many young people understand. The film is scene through the eyes of an unseen witness, which comes into focus at the end when we see the two characters in wide shot. Other themes may instantly raise themselves in the mind of the audience as they watch the chase – is this film about obsessive stalking? Is it about knife crime – is it about the injustice of the police against teenagers and young adults? Or is it about someone literally getting away with murder? As the film narrative unfolds however we are presented with the unpleasant reality of police corruption and collusion. This is a very real modern concern. As recently as April 14th The Independent ran an article about police corruption “Evidence of police corruption relating to Britain’s most notorious unsolved murder mysteriously “disappeared” from Scotland Yard during the initial investigation, according to a leaked file.” (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ exclusive-more-evidence-of-police-corruption-relating-to-britains-most-notorious-unsolved- murder-mysteriously-missing-9239662.html) and this is what our film addresses.

The Feedback of the film has generally been positive although there has been the suggestion that we might have made more use of close ups at the end. In terms of weaknesses – I think we felt that we would have liked to have a proper budget and time to really explore this chase sequence in greater depth.

We believe that our opening sequence fulfils its obligation to ask questions and that as the scene fades we want to know more about what is going on and so in terms of leaving an open question the film has engaged the audience well. Several respondents to the questionnaire were interested to know what happens next and had various interpretations of what would happen. Consequently we feel this opening has fulfilled its objectives.

Evaluation - Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

According to the cinema exhibitor’s association UK (http://www.cinemauk.org.uk/facts-and-figures/ uk-cinema-audience-analysis/uk-cinema-audience-by-age-and-gender/) the 15 – 24 age group is still the largest demographic going to see films. A glance at IMDB ratings for thriller films such as Shutter Island suggests that it is the 18 – 29 group who are most likely to watch this film so we can conclude that thrillers are watched mainly by people in the early to mid 20s. Film companies know this through their own market research and therefore target films at this demographic. Knowing this made us choose a young adult as our hero as he would fit into the demographic of filmgoers so that they could more readily associate with the film. They will be able to put themselves in his position and see the narrative through his eyes.

It would be more true to say that the IDMB market research breakdown reflects our choice of film narrative then the other way round. We did not deliberately set out to make a film to fit into the IMDB demographic breakdown. That would be too limiting in my opinion. We wanted to attract as wide an audience as possible and so we have not aimed the film at a specific race or class or gender – we have set out to make a film that asks questions about what is acceptable within our legal system and to make us vigilant against corruption in institutions. These issues affect everyone regardless of status as is seen in the recent operation Yewtree against celebrity pedophiles. Corruption affects everyone.

This is all confirmed in out own market research where we asked a sample population to fill in a questionnaire. The responses showed a small but statistically relevant percentage increase in the number of males who would be interested in our film due to the action, mystery and potential violence. Our research also revealed that more females are scared by this genre although that is also a reason they like to view it. So thrillers are appealing to both genders for slightly different reasons.

Evaluation - Question 3

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

Legal Deception addresses contemporary issues dealing with corruption in the legal system. It is a gritty and raw edge film which would work well as an Independent Film or a TV film for BBC or Channel 4. To get interest from production companies we would use several different approaches: We would post a high quality edit on YouTube and mass email everyone with a link to get him or her to view it and hopefully post positive reviews. We would also create a website www.legaldeception.com with links to our script outline and quotes from respected industry leaders giving us positive feedback on the film. This will be linked to the Youtube page to expand potential audience. We would arrange special screenings of the film at screening rooms in Soho such as the screening room in the Soho Hotel and create an event with questions and Answers around the film for an invited audience of industry professionals.

Using the Website (www.snatchedfilm.com) and YouTube we would approach commissioning editors at Channel 4 and the BBC. With this material we would also approach, UK based production houses such as SOHO based Tiger Aspect productions Also submitting this to as many Film festivals and competitions as possible. Including Virgin Media Shorts, London Short Film Festival, The BFI film fund and researching UK and European film festivals, and American festivals such as Rain-dance. The best way to create a buzz for this film would be to do something outrageous that would get into the newspapers or local or even National TV that might make a producer somewhere sit up and take notice. For example we could hire a couple of professional actors to play out the opening sequence for real and film it on hidden cameras but instead of confronting him in a dark alley literally try and drag him off the streets of London and into a passing car with the guy shouting and screaming for help that he was being kidnapped and see if anyone tries to intervene or calls the police – and the reveal it is all part of a film and film people’s reactions and put that on YouTube as well.

Evaluation - Question 7

Evaluation-Question 7
My Progress

The first steps in creating our film was to put us in groups and then to shoot a preliminary film to establish the techniques we should use in our film. In our preliminary we had to demonstrate an understanding in match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule, and the ability to capture sound effectively.

This is an example of an over the shoulder shot which was an important shot in our film as we wanted shots from the characters point of view as well as seeing them in shot.

When it came to planning our film we wanted to create a chase scene this would create suspense and action, which are key conventions of a thriller film. We also planned to film it in Central London, Kings Road, as a chase scene in a busy area will create a more dramatic effect. We also made sure that the area we shot in had alleys and in the end a dead end this was because we wanted the chaser to always feel one step ahead. And this is emphasized at the end with the suspenseful moment of when the chaser slowly walks down to the helpless victim. To do this we did an over the shoulder shot of the chaser and the POV shot of the victim:

  

                                Over the Shoulder shot

  

                     
                                POV shot 

In terms of cast we decided to cast an older man chasing a teenager, as it is a consistent occurrence in many thriller and action films. This choice also enabled us to aim it at our target audience of young people. Importantly the narrative of our film is easy to follow with the sequence being generic. Upon completion of the film we wanted to choose a soundtrack that matched the themes of our film and also bring excitement and suspense. The soundtracks we picked we feel create these emotions and match the film very well.

Finished AS film

Opening sequence analysis

How does the opening sequence establish narrative?

The opening in the Dark Knight establishes narrative by creating a catalyst in which the hero will be introduced (Batman). The scene also shows the main villain of the film (the Joker), giving the audience an idea of his intelligence and cunning when he tricks all his 'followers' into killing each other leaving him with the loot. This scene also establishes that the narrative will contain violence and criminal behavior with the villain acquiring a large amount of money.

How does it establish character? 

The scene establishes the character (the Joker) as immoral. He is portrayed as evil, cunning and highly intelligent. With the theft of a highly protected bank being his plan it also shows his self confidence in his criminal ability, he comes off as arrogant. The Joker's ability to rob a bank of that stature with such efficiency shows his criminal instincts and abilities. The end of the heist shows his ruthlessness planting a grenade into an employees mouth and driving off in the bus which in turn triggers the grenade and kills the man. 

How does the scene establish genre? 

The genre in this scene is action/thriller. The action packed entrance of the shooting gives the scene a sense of excitement. The suspense when the employee tries to sneak and fight back and the drilling into the vault adds a thriller feeling to the scene and the whole scene slows down creating anxiety.  

Pitch