Emily Nathan Harry Foundation Portfolio Blog: Nathan Wilkins Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
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2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our opening sequence to 'Gone', we presented many social groups to match conventions of predominantly modern Thriller films. From our research into other Thriller openings, we understood how different social groups were represented, so we could therefore apply many of these ideas to our film.

Gender:

As it is set in the modern day, we set out to include current representations of gender that are used more commonly in recent films which are set in the 21st century. There is more equality between males and females in Thriller filmmaking nowadays, which defies the conventions of traditional stereotypes.
Made during a more patriarchal time, Thriller films were once far more male oriented and featured predominantly male casts. By featuring one male and one female character in the opening sequence, we have immediately created more equality in the representation of genders and more fitting for a modern audience.

Just two decades ago, Thriller films were more male oriented. They targeted a masculine audience with mainly male casts. The main characters in each film were overwhelmingly male, as seen in the screenshot showing a selection of Thriller cast members from twenty years ago. In today's society we see many more female leads. Though it might not yet be equal, it is more common now than ever before to see Thriller films with more female stars. In 'Gone' we have included a strong female character in this opening who represents modern femininity, as we see more of a push for stronger female characters than ever before.

Thriller films were once dominated by males, as seen in marketing such as the poster for The Usual Suspects in 1995. However, it is now more common to see females on Thriller posters, such as Alicia Vikander's character in Ex Machina in 2015.
Thrillers, as well as the entire film industry, were once fixed on the idea of female characters being used for a 'damsel in distress' archetype. Over time, this has become less common, and modern Thriller films are more realistic in their storytelling, with less sexism which once portrayed most women as inferior. When creating 'Gone', we have played with this idea, as despite Addie being in distress during her death, it was far more unexpected to happen to her due to her strong and extroverted characteristics.

We presented these characteristics of Addie through the use of low angle close ups. This therefore gives her more of a sense of power, as the spectator is positioned to be looking up at her. We used close ups in her conversation to highlight her emotions during the conversation, but also to show her importance in the film by showing her at such close distances for prolonged periods of time. We also used sound in this scene to achieve the same effect of Addie's dominant personality, with loud diegetic sound as she gets more aggressive. Her language also gets more insulting and angry towards Marcus as the scene progresses. We ensured that Addie defied traditional conventions of women in Thriller films who often didn't get a say in a conversation.

Class & Status:

Addie and Marcus are both upper class characters, and are presented that way through the use of props. Some props such as Addie's car, phone and hot tub all signify wealth. Addie's costume also gives this impression, as she wears a clean jacket and smart shirt which looks professional and sophisticated. Her outfit also suggests that she has a high status in her profession, as smart attire can often indicate a highly regarded and well paid job. We have also suggested her high status through their dialogue as Marcus and Addie discuss their money over the phone, as Addie claims Marcus spends it on his "stupid addictions". The fact that they share their money and both have jobs suggests that they are financially stable.

The representation of Addie as a prosperous wealthy young adult was intentional to generate a sense of stability for spectators. Money is often related to security as wealth can lead to being more protected physically and mentally. We see Addie drive into a gated community which looks secure and hard to break into. This instills a sense of tranquility as we feel that Addie is not at risk of anything happening to her, as she is surrounded by large fences and gates. The gates at the entrance of the community are a symbol of sanctuary.
The security that has been suggested by the representation of high class and status creates shock for spectators when we see someone in Addie's garden as she rests in the hot tub. Enigma is also created as spectators are uncertain as to how they entered. This adds to the suspense as we prepare for her death, and makes the whole sequence more thrilling.

The false sense of security is a common convention of Thrillers, for example in The Purge (2013) there is a similar concept of a very high security house with many contraptions to protect against the crimes that are now legal for a day. Like in our opening to 'Gone', there is a feeling of invincibility as it is so seemingly difficult for anyone to break into the house. This protection provided by the high class and status of the family makes for a big shock when the son allows a man into their home, and it then escalates when 'purgers' come looking for him. This is a similar shock that we aimed to create as we see someone on Addie's premises holding a poisonous substance.

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

For the distribution of 'Gone', I think using an independent distribution company could be best. As we are a very small independent production company, ENH Productions wouldn't be able to get a film like 'Gone' into cinemas on our own. The only real opportunity to get the film into some smaller cinemas would be with an external company to help, as they could have expertise and the right contacts to be able to exhibit our film in independent cinemas such as Curzon or Everyman Cinemas. In these cinemas, screenings of independent films are more likely and could boost our chances of 'Gone' being seen by a wide audience.
Independent cinema franchises such as Curzon are perfect for exhibition of smaller productions as they give more of a chance to independent filmmakers. Films like 'Couple in a Hole' are exhibited through Curzon, as it is a smaller production without famous actors or a high budget that would be found in a high concept Hollywood production. Independent films are often for more specific audiences, so are shown in independent arthouses and smaller cinema chains as they often cater for smaller, more niche audiences.

Whilst we would like to reach a large audience with our Thriller film, we couldn't attract the numbers of people that modern blockbusters like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This is due to us not currently having a fan base already anticipating the film in the way that comic book fans would look forward to Batman v Superman. We also don't have the budget to meet audience's needs for expensive visual effects or actors as well as not having a high enough marketing budget to reach mass audiences. For these reasons, it could be ideal to exhibit our film to more specific audiences on a smaller scale in independent cinemas.

Another popular method of distribution for independent filmmakers is to release the film online to a video sharing website, the most favoured being YouTube with 1 billion users and a staggering 4 billion video views on the site every day. This allows for a massive potential audience, as videos can go viral if they catch the attention of enough people, and social media can then work as a great platform to share a film. Feature length films such as Lawless have been released onto YouTube for free, with the profit coming from advertising due to the video being monetised. Adverts are then placed around the video and before the video, generating profit for the filmmaker without having to pay an external company to distribute the film. Instead, the filmmaker holds the rights to the film but must give up 45% of the revenue from the earnings to YouTube for supplying the platform. This is a large part of the revenue which is being given away, however many see it as worthwhile as YouTube makes film distribution an easy, fast process with a huge audience having access to watch it with a few clicks.

With YouTube being another major media institution as a platform for film distribution, it also provides a way of generating revenue by charging people to watch the film. With a wide collection of movies on YouTube that can be purchased, many charge up to £10 to buy and keep the film. This means that far more revenue is made for every time a film gets a view, however there will be significantly less views on these paid videos. Also, it is more difficult for audiences to get a preview of what the film is like, as with the free videos they can watch the first few minutes to decide if they like it. For this reason, I feel that it is important to keep 'Gone' as a free video if we were to release it onto YouTube, as it is important to allow the audience to get an idea of what the film is like before watching all of it, as it doesn't already have a fan base such as the likes of the Twilight or Star Wars films which have been released as paid films on YouTube.
I feel as though for a company like ENH Productions, just starting out in the film industry, the best method of distribution is through YouTube. I would release 'Gone' for free on YouTube looking to generate profit through monetisation. Through this method, it would be a perfect launch pad into the film industry as it could reach massive recognition for future films and we could gain subscribers, which generates more of a fan base for our company. The internet is currently the best tool for sharing films on top of word of mouth, as with a couple of clicks one person can share our film with hundreds of their friends. Releasing 'Gone' on YouTube would be the best way to propel our film to success.

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

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The audience highlighted in my Prezi have also enjoyed films such as The Silence of the Lambs, which includes similar uses of gender with a strong female lead and a varied cast. They also enjoyed Se7en, which includes restricted narration to create enigma similarly to 'Gone'.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

We attracted an audience of 15-25 year olds through the narrative of our opening sequence and the way we constructed it. From the age of 15, audiences are at an age where they want to be thrilled as many are entering into a new world of more adult films. They may be experiencing for the first time what shocking issues films can deal with and how frightening some scenes can be. This is very exciting for a young audience and we incorporated many of these factors into our opening in order to engage our target audience.

For this shock effect, we decided to show the death of a crucial character within the opening 2 minutes of the film. This creates shock and defies conventions of other genres that people watching a Thriller for the first time may not be used to. Not only is Addie killed, but it is unclear who committed the murder which intrigues spectators further. The intensity of this scene along with a dramatic drone shot and low key lighting at the end of the sequence addresses the need to excite younger members of the target audience.

We also set out to attract spectators within the target audience who are likely to be more used to the shocks that can come with a Thriller film. We crafted the narrative in a way that intends to catch spectators off guard, so that even people more adjusted to Thriller films will be shocked and thrilled. With Addie having a scare on the road already as she comes close to a car crash, the spectator is lead to feel as though this was the only shock for the opening of the film as we created a false sense of security when Addie is relaxing at home. With a hot tub being associated with relaxation and comfort, we hope to create a feeling of shock within all spectators at the moment when they discover what is happening to her.

The characters initially live similar lives to what many of the spectators may experience themselves. In modern day Britain, there is more of a push for all young people to be successful in a career after education than ever before. According to media reports, education is at its most difficult in history, with exams proving difficult for many teenagers. This push for intelligence in young people has lead to many having aspirations to get a well paid job, similar to the likes of Addie. Addie is presented in a higher class manner through the use of her smart costume and well spoken dialogue. She is immediately represented as someone with a well paid job, something many of the target audience will aspire to and therefore form more of a connection with Addie. We have attracted the target audience by using a lead character who they can try to see in themselves as they may strive to be her, and therefore empathise with her more profoundly. This adds excitement and intensity to the opening, as this target audience feels such desperation for her to survive.

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

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