Draft evaluation questions

1. We have included many typical thriller conventions to convey the genre of our opening sequence, almost immediately. For example, darkness, mystery, and suspense are all conventions of a thriller, and we have included these as much as possible to intrigue the audience and indicate what's to follow in the rest of the film. However, we didn't want to make our thriller opening completely unoriginal, therefore, we tried to include different shots that added diversity and made our film differ from the typical thriller setup. We have also included the theme of voyeurism, (the repeated blinking eye shot), to accentuate the stalking part of the plot. As well as illustrating the actions of the antagonist, and indicating to the audience the details of the protagonists plight, the montage that makes up the title sequence also gives the audience a hint of the main character's identity. For example, we have shown the main character as the villain when he is doing things such as putting up the polaroids of the girls he has an obsession with, but we have also shown him reading a book. This is to humanise his character, in order to make him different to the typical 'bad guy' stereotype employed in most thrillers, and to make him more believable and his problem realistic.

2. Contrary to who the audience may think is the main character in the opening sequence of our thriller, the plot actually centers around the victim, who is a woman, (not shown in the title sequence). The victim is portrayed rather stereotypically, as vulnerable, weak and basically, a damsel in distress. This is explainable since she is being stalked by a madman. Our villain is also conveyed stereotypically at first. He is shown to be mentally unstable, violent, and menacing. However, during the rest of the film his character will be more realistic and he will be portrayed as an actual human being with a problem, rather than a monster with no personality or humanity. The villain does mainly fit in with the media's typical idea of a stalker, which allows his character to be compared with various villains in other thrillers that relate to our own creation, as well as real stalkers that have been publicly exposed in the past.

3. The kind of media institution that may distribute our media product is a film company. Thrillers have proved to be a popular film genre for many years, and are constantly being made by top Hollywood film companies. Therefore, new ideas are in popular demand, making our product ideal for maybe a fledgling, independant film company.

4. The audience we have aimed our thriller sequence for is 15+, male and female, with an interest in the thriller genre. As our film contains violence and most likely bad language, it would be deemed unsuitable viewing for anyone under the age of 15. The content and plot of our thriller makes it aimed more at teenagers/adults, and predominantly those of the male gender.

5. We addressed our audience by making the genre of our film clear from the start. We also included an intricate plot that appeals more to adults rather than children as a child may not understand what's happening and may be distressed by the content. The use of violence and suspense conveys the thriller genre, therefore addressing an audience that has an interest in this particular film type.

6. Since embarking on this project, i have increased my knowledge about Final Cut. For example, i have learnt how to use features such as video filters, adjusting the speed of footage and adding effects to clips. I have also learnt how to use GarageBand to create soundtracks with many layers as I hadn't used the programme much before this project. Lastly, i have learnt about the significance of factors such as sound, lighting and mise-en-scene that all add up to the effect of your final product. I have realised that each of these factors needs to be addressed separately, in order to make sure they all combine well to make the desired shot work.

7. The main thing i have learnt in the progression from the preliminary task to the full product is the importance of time-keeping. It is common to underestimate the amount of time you will need to complete tasks such as making titles, filming enough footage and editing each bit of footage to your exact specification. Planning is incredibly important during projects like this as it helps you to be able to get on with your main task, having already prepared props, costumes, locations, etc. Also, i have realised the significance of taking your time over things such as filming and editing. It is very important to make sure you have enough footage, so you can select the very best of it to include in your final product. And issues such as avoiding a 'shaky camera shot' is very important, as you need to make sure your product looks as professional as possible, making sure that flaws like the aforementioned doesn't lose you vital marks.