Leonardo DiCaprio is the focus of this poster which suggests that he is the most important character in the film.
The colour red, in general, is used to show danger and to send out a warning.
DiCaprio is wearing a suit but looks scruffy which suggests that he is an all-action character who is in trouble and that he has a well-respected job.
Although it is clear that DiCaprio's character is in danger, the bright light coming from the lighthouse suggests that there is some hope for him that involves the lighthouse.
Also, DiCaprio is the only character on this poster which suggests that he is alone which backs up the idea of him being in danger.
Meetings are vital in the production process because the whole group have to have an understanding of what is best for the group. The best way to do this is through sharing ideas in meetings. Meetings helped every group member get their opinion through. It also allows a group to be organised and keep track of time.
Overall do you think your group worked well
together?
I think that worked very well as a group because we all worked with same objective in mind (to create a successful, conventional thriller). After every meeting that took place, we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve when we carried out tasks. This was an advantage because it meant that no time was wasted when we carried out tasks. When we created our credits, we knew what we were going to write because we had decided in a group meeting. When we chose the soundtrack, we decided that we would all look on a different website. This helped us save time.
Date
Action
To be done
by
By whom
Discussions
05.11.2012
Review individual
storyboards
07.11.2012
Whole group
We discussed ideas and
concepts that we have, and we reflected on the ideas and then created a group
storyboard.
12.11.2012
Planning the cinematography
14.11.2012
Whole group
We started to plan what
camera shots, lighting, costume, setting and iconography we wanted to use in our
opening.
14.11.2012
Creating the
Questionnaire
19.11.2012
Individual then as a
group
We each created a
questionnaire and then we joined the questions together that we thought were
better.
19.11.2012
Recording the results from
the questionnaire
21.11.2012
Whole group
We gave our questionnaire to
32 pupils in our school and recorded the results.
21.11.2012
Risk Assessment
Planning the day we can
film
21.11.2012
Whole group
We decided as a group what
we thought would be a potential hazard and how we can prevent it.
We also decided that we
would film on the Friday and Sunday.
23.11.2012
Filming our thriller
opening
25.11.2012
Whole group
We filmed our thriller using
the group storyboards as guidance. Also we followed the group risk assessment so
there would be less of a chance that an injury would occur.
26.11.2012
Editing our
thriller
19.12.2012
Whole group
We discussed ideas on how we
should edit our scenes and what transitions we should add. Also we were looking
for as soundtrack, which would go well with our
thriller.
Audience feedback is essential to carry out because it helps me reflect on the success of my film by receiving positive and constructive comments from an audience that represents my target audience. By screening our production to people who weren't involved in the production, elements of our film may be identified as good or bad that we had different opinions on. Also, audience feedback will help us identify what was good and what was not so good or what was missing. This will help us with future productions.
Where did you screen your production?
Firstly, we uploaded our thriller opening onto YouTube. Then, we screened our production to 6 people who were all aged 16 or 17 during a Media lesson and asked for a brief written response from each viewer. We also received feedback from users from around the world via the comments section on YouTube.
How did YouTube help?
YouTube is a video sharing website and is where we uploaded our thriller film. If we didn't have access to YouTube then we would not have been able to screen our production to an audience. We also received feedback from the comments section of YouTube which enabled us to receive feedback from people who we did not know. This is important because if we know everyone that that gives us feedback, then there may be biased opinions with some comments.
What feedback did you receive?
We received good feedback as well as constructive criticisms which is a good thing because we knew that our production wasn't flawless, so we could see what people didn't like or did like. One person said that the camera quality was not good enough which is a fair point to make, but because we only made the opening to the film, we did not feel that it was necessary to purchase a superior camera. This was because we were on a small budget. If we were to make the whole film, then we would have bought ,or loaned, a camera of better quality.
Another criticism of my film was that if we were to make the whole film, then it would be too short because there is a murder at the start of the film and that there would be no meaning for the rest of the film. However, they did not understand that if we were to make the rest of the film, we would use the beginning as the ending and the film would consist of what happened prior to that scene to solve the enigma.
We also received a large amount of good feedback. One person said that they were impressed with the different camera shots we used for the murder scene which was something my group had already recognised as a strong positive of our production.
Reflection
If I was going to create another thriller opening, then I would keep a large proportion of what we did the same as I feel that it was a successful production. I would only make minor adjustments such as filming each scene multiple times so that we would be able to choose what scene had the best lighting, sound and if there were any human errors involved.
I would also check the weather prior to filming because we had to film on a Sunday rather than the Saturday because of heavy rain which created a background noise and got the camera lens wet. This required good improvisation skills that we wouldn't have had to use if we planned what days we were going to film on.
