Evaluation for ‘The man

with a thousand

faces’

In what ways does your media project use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?

Title of the film The title of my film both challenges and develops forms and conventions of real media products. This is because the title of the film does not replicate the typical horror titles that most horror films have had in recent times such as ‘drag me to hell’ or ‘Texas chainsaw of massacre’. These titles clearly belong to the horror genre as they are very self-evident and unmistakably gruesome.

Although it can also be argued that films such as ‘one missed call’ or ‘the ring’ do not follow these typical forms and conventions of real media products in the horror genre. This is as these titles can have multiple meanings and create a mysterious vibe because they can sound deluding. My film has followed the footsteps of these iconic horror films and has a name that can have multiple meanings. To conclude the film title ‘The man with a thousand faces’ uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products in the horror genre.

One aspect of the film title that was very original was the subliminal messages that were included as there were small faces included in the film title. This element enhanced the image of the film title and also addressed the reader that the film’s title is extremely purposeful but they would have to watch the film to find out what this purpose was.

Setting and location

Moving on, the setting and location for my media project is a school site. Horror films such as ‘scream’ have been set in similar locations and therefore my media project is using the forms and conventions that other real media products in the genre have already used.

Although this film also has other settings and locations which have been used throughout the production of the film whereas, my film doesn’t contain this element. This is as the entire film is shot on a school site no other settings and locations have been used. Films such as Scream’ have different scenes shot in locations outside a school site and the majority of the film has been filmed outside of a school site which contrasts to mine completely. This shows that I have taken the idea of the setting and location of real media products but then developed the idea in my own way. The setting that was chosen fitted the storyline that was created collectively by the group that I worked within.

The reason for just using the school site was because the entire storyline was constructed around a serial killing of students therefore it made sense to just use this one location. As the main character who was the serial killer had an unknown identity by using just this location it made his character even more mysterious because nobody knew his background, his life story or anything about him.

Costumes and propsThe costumes and props used were all original pieces that were collated by the group that I was working within. In this aspect of my media project I was using forms and conventions of real media products. This is as films like ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ also have characters that are similar to mine such as Freddy Kruger that has an disfigured appearance as does the main serial killer in my own film production. Although there appearances do not match a similar convention is being used in order to make the appearance of the character seem disturbing and horrifying. But yet again this typical convention is being developed by the use of other elements that the character obtains as the character also has a screwdriver as a prop in the film. This type of weapon has never been used before in all my experiences of watching horror films, it is always either knives, axes or machetes that are used as the murder weapon.

The other characters can be compared to the student characters in the film ‘Scream’ as they are just normal teenagers which yet again shows that my project is using forms and conventions of real media products. Also as the setting and location of the film is a school therefore the costumes and props of these students had to show that they were young and still in their teens. The character ‘Kam’ has a Mickey Mouse jumper on in the opening scenes of the film which has been used to portray that he is an immature and laid back character. In addition it also can show that he is a childish character and just follows everything the character ‘Josh’ does.

The typical convention of having one character that is very boisterous has been included as the character ‘Kam’ in my film is a very tough and bad mouthed character. This character can be compared to the character ‘Barry William Cox’ out of the film ‘I know what you did last summer’.

Camerawork and editingThe camerawork and editing of my film is using all the forms and conventions that typical horror films use. Straight cuts were used in order to ensure that the film was continuous and had a quick, edgy and fast paced sequence. Blurs were used in certain parts for example for the point of view shot of the character ‘Kam’ when he is being attacked by the serial killer to give the effect that his vision is slowly fading. This element has been used before especially in the horror genre although this convention clearly needed to be included in order to give the films audience a much more drastic inner feeling. Furthermore, fades were also used in order to break up sequences inside the film.

The film ‘Predators’ sparked an idea for the production of my film as when a point of view camera angle was used of the serial killer an x-ray vision effect was included in order to allow the audience to see how the character sees the world and show that the character is not human. This shows that my film is using a convention that has already been used in an existing media product, although it is not exactly the same yet the idea arose from watching this particular film then applying it to my own production. This aspect is also part of the special effects that were included to the film.

Non-diegetic sounds have been edited in and this is in order to create a more dramatic atmosphere as well as building suspense when it was needed. Typical horror films use this convention in order to create a mood and build the story up in order to fright the audience and therefore I decided to replicate this by including it in my own film. Obviously the sounds that were used were original pieces that haven’t been used before which made the film much more unique and different. Films such as ‘The Exorcist’ have used dramatic non-diegetic sounds in order to build suspense or shock the audience which is what makes horror films so terrifying. All forms of shots were used throughout the production of the film, close up’s, medium shots, long shots, extreme long shots, point of view shots. Some shots were taking from high or low angles in order to show either dominance or weakness. All of these shots were used collectively as most horror films do.

Title font and style

The title font and style used for the film is very gory and because of its red colours it almost looks as though the text has been splattered everywhere just like blood. This was the look that I was trying to create because it looks horrific and brutal and the connotations of blood are very effective. Looking at existing horror film titles and analysing the fonts and styles that were used did not inspire me much therefore I decided to develop my own idea.

Story and how the opening sets it upThe storyline that was chosen is very horrific and brutal. There is a serial killer on the loose and he chooses a school as his target and there are three friends that become victims of this ferocious murderer. The three students find out about the serial killer through looking at the news whilst at school, and ‘Josh’ the main character points this out to ‘Kam’ his best friend. This is at the opening of the film and sets up the rest of the story.

The serial killer kills his victims with a screwdriver but he has an unknown identity that the audience never find out about which makes the story even more mysterious. Two of the three students are murdered but the other outsmarts him and attempts to kill him. ‘Josh’ who is the character that outsmarts the serial killer thinks he has finally won the battle and gotten rid of the serial killer, but this is not the case. At the end of the film you see the serial killer get back up even after him being attacked but this is where the story ends to leave a cliff-hanger and room for a sequel.

The story is using forms and conventions of real media products because most horror films tend to be left in cliff-hangers. For example ‘Freddy vs Jason’ when Jason thinks he has conquered Freddy but even after Jason’s triumph Freddy is still alive which leaves room for a sequel and this convention has been used in my own production. This convention is typically used in order to lure the audience back to watch the sequel as they will want to find out what happens next; all these unanswered questions are left.

Genre and how the opening suggests it

The genre chosen for my media project is horror. The opening of the film contains the title and the opening credits which from the styles and colours used shows that this film belongs to the horror genre. If the audience still are not convinced that the films belongs to the horror genre then in the opening scene there is a close up shot of a new article which includes the worlds ‘serial killer’ this automatically indicates that this films story is going to base around these words because the opening scene sets the tone for the entire film. The silence alongside the title and opening credits creates a tense mood which is why no sound was included. Most horror films put their title and opening credits at the beginning of a film in order to create a mood for the film and alarm the audience that the film is beginning. I used this convention for my film, replicating what existing media products have done because it works so effectively.

How characters are introduced

Josh is introduced as a very composed character but he tends to panic as you can see from the opening scene when he finds out a serial killer is on the loose.

Kam comes across as a bit of a joker and looks as though he doesn’t take things as seriously as Josh as when he gets told the news about the serial killer his response is very comical. This is done on purpose because it reflects Kam’s character, he is meant to me jokey yet boisterous.

Furthermore, the serial killer is first introduced through a point of view camera angle so that the audience can see the world through his eyes. The special effect that has been used shows his distorted and weird vision. This clearly shows the audience he is not normal and is not human. This feature has been used in some films but they are mostly thrillers so this convention is challenging the forms and conventions of the horror genre.

How effective is the combination of your main

product and ancillary texts?

The combination of my main product and the ancillary texts produced are very effective because they all correlate with one another. This can be seen through the images, text, styles and fonts used as well as other features. There is continuity and coherence throughout the main product and the ancillary texts. Firstly the continuity and coherence is shown through the use of the film’s title name throughout the three documents that were made. By including the name of the film on the main product and the ancillary texts it enabled them to link effectively. This was done on the film credits, the film poster and the film magazine review. Using the title on all these three elements allows the audience to know that the three elements belong to the same film. This will promote the film a lot more. The location that the film is filmed in is the same location that the photos were taken for the poster and the film magazine review. The film is set in a school site which corresponds with the photographs that were taken for the ancillary texts. This is very effective because it allows the three sets of objects to have a continual theme running through them that made it clear that they are all related. The films own font needs to be coherent and consistent in all of the films production pieces. The fonts used for the film credits and film title are the same as the ones used on the ancillary texts. I used the same font in all three of the films products to ensure coherence that the audience would be able to acknowledge. This was effective because it allows the film to be much more recognisable and will attract a larger audience just because of such a small feature.

The theme of darkness is notorious in the horror genre so all of the products have got a lot of dark colours used within them. The film contains scenes where the lights cut out, the poster and the double page spread contains a lot of black on them. This simply allows the three products to fit into their genre more effectively. However contrasting colours have been used in order to allow the textual content to stand out such as the colour red has been used throughout a lot of the text because it stands out and portends blood. The use of a dark theme is also very effective because it helps convey the preferred meaning of both massacre and fear to the audience. Using a consistent colour scheme was a very important element that was needed to combine the main product and the ancillary texts together. The colours used were predominantly black, white and red which is stereotypical of the horror genre. This is effective because it allows the target audience to recognise that the products belong to the horror genre.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Questionnaires were made in order to find out audience pleasures and to find out what they most enjoy when watching a film. From this a lot was learnt and this learning curve improved the overall quality of the entire project.

Through gathering audience feedback it enabled me to create and plan my main pieces of work more strategically and with greater creativity. This was because I knew exactly what needed to be included in order to make the film project successful in its particular genre as well as to its target audience. Which in turn ensured that my film and the ancillary texts made to go alongside it looked professional. Also by asking questions the main codes and conventions that the audience have a preference for allowed the correct elements to be included in order to make the audience happy. This made sure that my film also fitted into its genre correctly and wasn’t a misleading film; its genre could clearly be identified. The genre could be identified through all three of the pieces that were created. By asking these questions upon the horror genre and finding out what the audience most enjoy it made me learn a lot about the horror audience. I learnt what key codes and conventions that the horror audience look for and now can imply or apply these to other projects.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

During the construction stage of the project a lot of new media technologies were used. The main tools that were used throughout the construction stage of the project were a JVC camera and an Apple iMac computer. The raw film footage was filmed by using the JVC camera and then uploaded via Apple iMac computer using the software Final Cut Express.

The equipment that was used throughout the construction, planning and also for the evaluation stage were all objects that could be classified as new media technologies. A JVC camera was used to film all of the main film as well as for the practice tasks done during the planning of the film to see how all of the shots and angles worked. For example using certain aspects such as the zoom needed to be mastered and shots such as a pan had to be perfect so they were practiced. Also certain locations for shots such as the establishing shots had to be looked at in order to see if they worked. The lighting that was used throughout the film was mostly natural however the use of unnatural lighting was used during some of the darker scenes in order to ensure that they were slightly lit as the scenes did not look right being completely pitch black.

Final cut express allows you to make composites and add effects, edit your footage professionally, add custom titles with LiveType, import video and finally create the perfect mix with music.

Final cut express is the programme that was used in order to edit the entire film and also enabled the raw footage to be captured from the camera through the use of a USB wire. Furthermore, during the planning stage the programme was used in order to see how certain ideas may look and rough footage was edited in order to gather more ideas. Music and credits were also edited in through final cut express. The music was mp3 formatted and was downloaded via the internet after attaining the copyright for it.

These steps seem simple but a lot of effort was put into this process because I hadn’t used Final cut express or a camera in over three years therefore I had to once again become proficient at using these two elements. By using an Apple iMac computer it enabled me to use certain software and programmes that aren’t available on other types of computers. This gave me an advantage and a better chance of creating a more professional set of final pieces, including both the main film and the ancillary texts.

During the research stage of this project the only real media technologies that were used were the internet via the Apple iMac computer and Microsoft Word in order to create questionnaires. This was so that both primary and secondary sources could be used for the research. Primary research is more reliable but was not broad enough which is why the internet was used in order to find out information in greater depth. Finally whilst carrying out the evaluation stage I used the Apple iMac computer once again in order to work on the software Microsoft Word so that a written copy of my evaluation could be written. Once this was done I used another Microsoft programme called Microsoft PowerPoint which enabled me to present my evaluation with greater quality as images could be used and so forth. I also used a voice recorder in order to record myself saying the evaluation so that a voiceover could be shown to explain so of the clips that appear on screen.

By Karmvir Thandi