Final Product

Gantt Chart

Evaluation

Question 1: In what way does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real products?

When our title sequence was being created, we had a rough idea of what we wanted to do therefore we decided we were going to use the film SE7EN’s title sequence as an inspiration. The title sequence of SE7EN is a montage of shots of many different objects that correspond with the story line of the film e.g. razors, pictures, shadows and blood. Therefore giving the audience an insight to the film’s story line however also not revealing too much, keeping the audience in suspense and wanting more.

The reason why we choose to use SE7EN’s title sequence as an inspiration is because when we had watched the title sequence for the first time it was very mysterious and gave the audience a certain mood therefore we decided we wanted to portray a similar atmosphere in our title sequence and movie.

Question 2: How does your product represent particular social groups?

Our product does not quite represent any particular social group. This is so the audience can’t relate to the characters in Delirium to early on during the film. Our product is a thriller movie therefore during the start of the film we have limited the dialogue and increased the suspense to follow the guidelines of how a thriller movie is produced. The main character in the movie is the detective, who is portrayed as a brave individual because he enters a crime scene investigation without any back up or partner.

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

The media institution, which would distribute our product, would be Film4 because our budget for the film was very low and Film4 showcase’s a wide range of titles, including the best of British film-making industry.

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your product?

The audience for our would be aged 15 years and above because the film will contain graphical images through the use of shots and pictures within the text. These images would be of deformed or defaced individuals and would not be suitable for those under the age of 15 however the film will not contain any sexual scenes or swearing. This film will not be permissible to watch for any individual that has photosensitive epilepsy because the movie will contain many flashing images.

Question 5: How did you attract and address your audience?

The results form our survey monkey was very positive because the survey showed that the majority of people preferred thriller movies to the other genres. The survey also showed that they also preferred at least two characters to be in the opening scene of the film, therefore we took this into account when creating our opening sequence.

Throughout the entire title sequence we placed the credits over the footage, which was playing in the background so that the audience did not get bored. This would also keep their attention on the film. The film was also posted on YouTube and Facebook where it received a fair amount of feedback. This was a good way of getting our film opening out to our target audience as it was Free and our group was on a very low budget.

Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from process of constructing this product?

Throughout the production of this product I have learnt how to work an HD Camera, turning it on and off, inserting the tape into the camera, using white balance and transferring the rushes from the tape to the computer. We did however encounter problems with the transferring of the rushes on the 2nd transfer, so in order to over come this we used an alternative camera from home. We also had trouble with Final Cut Pro, which wouldn’t allow us to use some of our rushes, and at one stage became 'Not Responding'. We overcame these problems by using alternative software, Sony Vegas, in order to edit at home.

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

I have learnt that disasters CAN happen out of nowhere which can set your plans back a ever long time and although you may have set out an alternative as a back up, alternatives can also go wrong so when planning during the preliminary stages you should also allow yourself a little extra time than you believe you will need in order to make production easier and completed to the deadline. I have also learned that although it is easy to come to an arrangement in planning, it is a lot harder to carry it out and can be quite frustrating so patience is required, whether something goes wrong or not. Having a strong, effective team is also essential.

Production Stages

Throughout the production of our opening, we tried out many techniques and many different versions were created in order to find our final product. Here you will find videos of our previous attempts leading up to our final product.

This is our title sequence which I took responsibility for shooting and editing. It was a time consuming procedure but paid off in the end as it worked well with the opening sequence. We took inspiration from the opening sequence of the movie Se7ven, which we thought would create a very disturbing and mysterious image in the viewer's mind.

This is our initial attempt at making the opening scene of our film. It had certain good qualities about it such as having close ups but overall we decided this was not high enough quality to use for our final piece and did not do a good job of keeping the viewer confused.

This is our second attempt at the opening scene which we thought came out much better than the first. While there may have been no close ups, this was done to prevent the audience from getting too much detail in the inspector's face. We also thought the shots in general were smoother.

This is our Rough Cut, which we presented to the class and asked for their feedback on. They liked the editing that was used but said there was one particular shot that was not smooth enough and needed to be corrected. They also pointed out how Tom did not seem menacing enough and clearly viewing his face gave away too much about the movie too early on. We therefore took this on board and made the necessary adjustments.

This is our final product which rectifies the problems pointed out with our Rough Cut. We also decided it was best to tone down the colour of the opening sequence as in the rough cut it was sunny and made the scene look happy rather than melancholy.

Permission to Shoot on Premises

The opening shot will be shot on a council estate on the weekend outside of school hours so no permission will be needed as the estate is open to the public. Gullaid Ibrahim found the shooting location.

Initial Ideas

Opening Credits

The film will begin with the 'Mystery Arts' logo introduction. This will be followed by our title sequence which will be a montage of shots which will tickle the audiences curiosity.  This will be made by Christopher Sziranyi. After this our actor, Gullaid Ibrahim will be seen walking through a council estate to investigate a murder. The film will carry out from there.

 

Colour

What type of colour should we use?

Low key lighting (Dark and shadowy). We will use After Effects to tint the footage to make it more gloomy and dark to create a sad, depressing effect.

Characters

Amount of characters

The majority of our audience believe that at least 2 characters are needed in the opening sequence to make it interesting. This is why we have chosen to use two characters in our title sequence. Originally we wanted to use the two characters, letting the audience see their faces but as we figured that that didn't have the correct effect, we decided to make one character a mystery.

Name: Tyrone Francis 

Role: Actor/ Officer at the door

About Me: During our first filming of our opening sequence, I took a small role as the officer at the door who greets the main character (Gullaid) and hands him the required information on the case. I also appear at the end where a close up is shown of myself as the psycho murderer. However we did not believe that this had the effect which we wanted it to, as it did not create any suspense or tension with the audience. Thus inspired us to replace me as athe actor :-( and instead use Thomas Tesfay.



Name: 'Inspector' Gullaid Ibrahim

Role: Actor/ Officer in charge of the operation(Me)

About Gullaid: Gullaid Ibrahim was the Director of Delirium. He was also an actor in the film, taking the part of the main character 'Inspector Ibrahim'. Gullaid also found the group our shooting location. Although fairly lazy at times, Gullaid's positive attitude and dedication inspired the group as well as his 'STUNNING' smile! (see picture on the left)

Name: Thomas Tesfay (Also known as Tom)

Role: Actor/ Psycho Killer

About Tom: Tom is a close friend to all of the members of the group and agreed to help us out by playing the part of the murder towards the end of the opening to our film. However during our second take on shooting the opening and after feedback we came to the conclusion that Tom was too 'Nice'. This then gave us the idea to darken the picture when Tom comes onto the camera, not allowing the audience to see his face and keep them in suspense. We also distorted his voice making it deeper and more evil. 



Genre

The majority of people preferred Thriller/Horror movies with the mystery factor. They like to be kept in suspense and surprised.

The least preferred genre was science-fiction.

Musical and comedy Genre were equally second preferred however it would be difficult to include factors from those two genres in a horror movie and still create the same effect which we wanted to create.

Equipment

During the production of our film opening, the group encountered some technical difficulties with the equipment provided. The computers were not allowing us to upload our rushes onto the computer so that we could edit them on Final Cut Pro. As a result of this we had to improvise and find other means of filming and editing independently since this happened towards the end of our deadline. In the end we used Christopher Sziranyi's (Editor) handy cam and tripod. Chris also edited the footage at home in his bedroom using Sony Vegas Pro. Recording done by Shey Hinds Meikle. Below are pictures of the equipment:

 Christopher's Handy Cam used for recording Delirium!

Script

The Script Of Delirium

Gullaid Ibrahim walks down the road and enters the estate via the gates.

He continues to proceed through the estate until he comes to a door (entrance to flats)

Gullaid Ibrahim receives a message from Thomas Tesfay via the walky talky:
"Have you entered the premiss's? Over"

Gullaid Replies to Thomas Tesfay's message via the walky talky:
"Affirmative, over"

Gullaid Ibrahim proceeds up the stairs in the flats.

Thomas Tesfay contacts Gullaid Ibrahim via the walky talky once again:
"I will meet you there in twenty minutes"

Gullaid Ibrahim replies:
"Affirmative"

Gullaid continues up the stairs, reaching the top and goes round the corner. When he comes across the dead body he contacts Thomas Tesfay via the walky talky's again saying:
"We've got a two, two, five on our hands. I think it's an inside job."

After film darkens and Thomas comes around the corner, Thomas says:
"That's because it is an inside job."

The fuzzy TV effect takes place ending the opening sequence.

Audiencen Feed Back

We used survey monkey.com to put together a questionnaire to find out what our target audiences preferences were and the types of films they enjoyed watching as well as smaller details such as how many characters they liked to see in the opening to a movie.

Fonts Used

Continuity Sequence

Mood Board

Inspiration

We want to base our thriller film in the same sort of style as Se7en. We believe it is a very good example of a thriller because of it's effects, fonts, cut away shots etc. One particular effect we wanted to replicate in our opening scene is the swiftness of the scenes cutting into each other. Our group decided this effect would grab the attention of the audience but at the same time would not give away too much of the film due to how quick the cuts change. We have also been searching for a suitable font which conveys a similar horror-like font but at the same time is not identical to the font used here. We tried a number of fonts and came to the conclusion that the following font was the most suitable.

Treatment

The treatment looks at what our product is going to look like and will provide the audience with an overview. It will also explain why the product will look like this and why we have to decide to use these techniques to give off these effects.

The film is called ‘Delirium’. It starts off with the opening credits. Short editing showing clips from later on in the film giving the audience an idea of what’s going to happen. Dark, shadowy disturbing images of a person doing and planning disturbing things. A close up of blades scraping along each other, the screech of the blades as the slide along one another. Distorted images of the murderer writing, pictures of victims etc. Between each short clip the screen goes black, the sound of electricity to signal the cut. While the screen is black that’s when the credits are shown, then back to showing the audience what they want to see, those distorted images again. Once the opening credits have been shown, this should take roughly 1 ½ -2 mins. After this is when the real film starts. Our main detective who has been set on a case of severe blood shed leaves a house during the pouring rain and enters his car where his partner is waiting for him. The detective, ‘Detective Brown’, speaks telling his partner, ‘Detective Jackson’ that he ‘cannot enter that house again’. So our two main characters are introduced to the audience and in the conversation in the car, their personalities will show.

Within the film there will be 6 murders throughout. 5 of the victims will be a pregnant woman. However there is one murder, a woman who is not pregnant which throws the pair way off track as this is an anomaly in the trail. Race will vary, and so will age, gender and social class between the victims so the only link which they have to work on is the fact that they were all pregnant. This one murder is the reason why the investigation takes so long and the fact that the investigation was dragged out for so long is the true reason why  the film ends the way that it does.

Market Research

AnMarket research looks at the other similar products in the same market as the market which our production will be placed in to find out the competition which the production will have, who makes that competitive product and who their product is aimed at. By doing market research we can find a gap in the market and find ways to entertain and appeal to our target audience which our competitors do not use or cover.

 

Name: Seven (SE7EN)

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Plot: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. Each day of the week a new body is found with another sin given as a reason for the murder. the two detectives need to find out who the murderer is and stop him before the week is out.

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Andrew kevin walker

Relations To Our Work: The title sequence to this film is very effective and scary. it does not directly show you anything that actually happens in the film, but instead more shows what happens behind the scenes giving the audience more of an idea and enough information for them to hazard a guess as to what is going to happen rather than a definate fact for them to know what is going to happen. Another reason we thought that this was effective is because it keeps the audience watching as the title sequence progresses rather than just have a black screen with the credits popping up, their is still a film in the background.

 Name: Saw

Genre: Horror/Mystery

Plot: With a dead body laying between them, two men wake up in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw" by the police because of his unusual calling card. The men have to find a way to escape, but at what cost will their escape come?

Director: James Wan

Writers: Leigh Whannell (Written By), James wan (story by)

Relation To Our Story: We liked the fact that in this film, once again alot of mystery is created and the audience does not know WHAT is happening or even WHY it is happening. In addition to this not even the characters know what is happening. This is the same as what is going to happen with our detective in the opening to our thriller movie. The way the killers think in both films is quite the same too. They do not only kill their victims. In some cases they may not even kill them in the end but instead torturing them, feeding off of their pain and suffering. This film is quite like Seven in the sense that both killers' motive for killing is Sin, or their lifestyle.

Name: Hostel

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Plot: Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

Director: Eli Roth

Writer: Eli Roth

Relations To Our Story: Just like saw, this film too is based around sadistic murder and the horrible torture of the victims.

Name: Psycho

Genre: Horror/Mystery

Plot: A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: Joseph Stefano

Relation to our Story: Although fairly old in comparison to the other films which we had chosen, this film creates mystery without the use of any high tech-modern equippment. This is what we PARTLY want to do. Create a mysterious effect through the use of shots and plot instead of trying to generate that effect through the use of special effects. 

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Name: Shutter Island

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Plot: Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.

Director: Martin Scorsese

Writers: Laeta Kalogridis

Relation to our Story: Shutter island does not base its plot around murder, but does however include alot of twists, making the audience think about what is going on and what is going to happen next. Also it creates alot of questions completely through the storyline.

Reasons

These films are all competitors because they all have an element of mystery mixed with either horror or thriller within them which is what we wish to include in our film. During our opening sequence of 2 minutes we want to have the audience asking a lot of questions and making them interested in the film. Also each contains murder and savagery apart from Shutter Island. The main reasonShutter Island is a competitor is because it has twists which even after the film can have the audience asking questions and even watch it again.