Evaluation

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

- With the camera being handheld, I felt that it would unsettle the audience because all four sides of the frame shake around the character that is being focussed on. This effect creates a sense of ominous danger that the character is constantly being expose to vulnerably. Anything can happen to him from all sides of the frame shot which brings out the fear from the audience towards the character.
I felt that with the camera being on held on a tripod it evaporates the tension that is intentionally used to heighten suspense. With frame shots being completely still, this does not inflict any reaction from the audience because there is nothing happening to the frame of the shot which does not affect the character.
The music is unusual at first but it is understandable when watched again. We drew inspiration for our choice of song for the opening sequence from the crime/thriller called Jackie Brown.
In that opening the conventions of the crime/thriller genre were not obvious to spot with the uplifting song and the seemingly smartly dressed and a woman who would not be perceived as the type to smuggle drugs. Our character seems normal but as the opening progresses, you learn in depth about the kind of person he has shaped up to become. This ultimately changes your opinion of the lead character. Our choice of song is also upbeat which is ironic on the seriousness of the current situation.

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

- Our character is a teenage boy with an asian background. His ethnicity conveys the stereotypical views of asian teenagers imposing a negative influence on the current functioning society.
The conditions in his house are worsening which shows that he has been brought up from a poor family. This was an environmental factor that affected the character's mental state of mind and shows how long his parents have left him in that house for on his own.

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

- The film is more of a smaller independent film because this type of media product brings the viewers closer to the character's thoughts and how he responds to his surroundings depending on his emotion. It becomes rather personal to know one character's feelings towards other people and yet not knowing what everyone else is thinking. Smaller independent films usually enter the dark and gritty side of a life and require no editing to features such as lighting. This increases the amount of originality and helps for the development of a naturally atmospheric location where diegetic sounds engulf the character into their own world.
In big budget films, the variety of locations tend to be appealing yet the use of lighting can make the location aesthetically pleasing to the eye yet fictional and surreal in a way.

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

- Teenagers are the target audience. They can relate to what happens in our film opening because they may know a friend or their relatives who have been through a similar experience or they may have seen it happen on the news they watch.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

- The music stands out. The meaning of the last few lines of the lyrics for the chorus end the film opening at the moment where a cliffhanger which shows excellent timing. The title, 'Mind Control', links to the storyline and the character being possessed by his uncleyet he is unaware of what he does whilst being possessed.
In terms of marketing/advertising our product, we would be in favour of displaying our film through large billboards that hang in the cities in the UK. Another alternative is to advertise it in sliding billboards that are sometimes dotted around the outside of shopping centres or even inside most public establishments.

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

- I have learnt that Final Cut Pro did not seem as hard it looked. For me I am motivated to try and navigate my way into the functioning of the software. I know that there will be mistakes to be made but the important factor is that I understand the mistakes I make and ensure they are not to be repeated in the future.

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

- I have learnt to listen to every idea being suggested and put forward by any of my group members. I does not matter whether the concept may seem unappealing at first but it is vital we test the idea with the camera on a few different types of frame shots. This enables us to see the good and bad points in that idea being put forward so we have a good knowledge of how much it can either benefit us or cost us with consequences, when considering a decision.
I felt that I learnt that without the use of the tripod actually benefits the experience. I see our film opening being classified as more of the thriller than the horror genre. The camera loses balance which unsettles the viewers. The camera is our view. When focussed closely with the character's psychological response to what happens to him, we feel we are there alongside with him. We can learn why one person feels an emotion to which other characters would not be able to notice or become aware of. This creates the precursor of how the character reacts to the aftermath of events that have unfolded through the progression of the storyline.