Preliminary Task and 'Truth'

Evaluation - Question 1

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

 At the start of my movie opening, the Production logo is shown to the audience with special effects used to turn the cogs and the word "productions" to appear at the bottom. Immediately it would appear that this movie would appeal more to females due to the uses of pinks and red in the title and would therefore not appeal to the male audience. It doesn't fit with the general appearance of a thriller movie due to the bold colours used. Therefore it challenges the conventions of a thriller movie as they are usually much darker at the beginning of the movie whilst my opening starts with bold colours that are easily seen.

 The Production logo, however, changes from colour to black and white which creates an element of surprise and mystery as the audience would realise that perhaps this movie isn't what they originally thought it would be about. It instantly becomes much darker which follows the conventions of thriller movies as they usually follow a darker theme e.g. A crime or a murder, so by making the logo change suddenly it adds the idea that something is going to also change during the movie.

This is the opening medium shot with the man walking across the scene holding a letter. The whole movie opening is shot in black and white which adds mystery as well as an old fashioned noir atmosphere. The 'P's on the title are in the colour red which represents love ( like the love the protagonist ( Roseanne) has for her parents) and death ( due to the parents being murdered suddenly). The stone wall suggests that there are unanswered questions that Roseanne has- she has stonewalled queries about her parents death, the stone wall is 'blocking' her from the "Truth" (hence the name of the film) However the man is walking along the stonewall, that implies that he is going to 'break down' the wall and give Roseanne answers. There is non-diegetic sounds ( the sound of general traffic)in this shot, which shows that this is an exterior setting. This gives the shot a natural feel to it and the audience would wonder what this man is doing on the streets (as it is not clear to the audience at this point).During this scene when the man walks past the titles start to disappear which shows that he has more power over the titles. Whilst in other Film Noir movies such as in 'Walk on the Wild Side' the titles are over the top of the walking cat in the opening credits which shows that the cat is only a minor character and is most likely just a symbol to suggest the 'wild' side as stated in the movie title. By having the titles in my movie fade away as the man walks by challenges the conventions of Film Noir style titles which usually overlap the background and are more dominant in the scene. 

This is a high angle shot which shows the man turning the corner and walking up the stone steps. Dead leaves are scattered at the bottom and represent sadness and death again. The man has posh shoes on which suggests that he is an upper class person but still little is known about him as the audience doesn't get to see his face clearly. The non-diegetic sounds are the same as before as it shows he is near a  street. The steps are made of stone which shows could also be referred as "stepping stones" as he is advancing on his way to deliver the letter to Roseanne which holds important information. 

This is a medium long shot of the main character, Roseanne, sitting at her desk. This shot helps establish the type of character she is to the audience. Her desk contains some general office type supplies ( the pot of pens, paperclips, notebook etc.) which suggests that this is her office space and the area where this character spends most of her time. This implies that she is quite an independent person as well as someone who could be classed as a "workaholic". On the desk there are some more sentimental things such as the small chest, the old books and the photograph on the end of the table. These create an old feeling and add to the atmosphere of the house she lives in. The books also suggests that this character is very knowledgeable and wise for her young age. However the stereo and laptop contradict the old feeling and create a more modern atmosphere to this shot. This links to the Neo Noir theme as modern elements (technology) are used with black and white effects. The photograph is barely visible to the audience but is facing Roseanne which shows that this character likes the photograph to face her so that she can look at it regularly due to the fact she has an emotional attachment to it.

 The incense burner creates a smoke effect which I've used as a convention of Film Noir, due to the fact it creates a sense of danger which would be a key element later on in the movie. Also Jazz music can be heard from this scene which is a convention of Film Noirs and help build the story and can add tension to the scene. It also shows the type of music Roseanne likes to listen to and therefore it also develops her character and makes the audience connect to her more as they know more about the sort of person she is.

This is an 'Over the shoulder' shot taken over the shoulder of the Grandmother. It shows the audience that the letter, which she is holding, is addressed to Roseanne. It is handwritten which makes it more personal and suggests that whoever sent her the letter, has some connection to her. On the letter, one half is covered in light and the other in shadow which supports the idea of the 'grey area'. The 'grey area' suggests that the letter could hold good information (light side) but it could also be bad information (dark side) so it creates a enigma for the audience. This agrees with Film Noir conventions of lighting because low key lighting and shadows create mystery. Also the voice over of Roseanne giving the audience more backstory starts here. This is again using a convention of voice over to explain more of the story.

This is a high angle shot of the Grandmother walking up the stairs to give the letter to Roseanne. She holds onto the banister which shows her age-she needs support getting up the stairs.This could also suggest her mental state as she needs support to do a simple task ( e.g- walking up the stairs) as she is grieving still from the tragedy of loss of her daughter and son-in-law (Roseanne's parents).  

This is a low angle shot of the Grandmother at the top of the stairs. As she is higher than the camera, it shows her status within the family and within society. She is a wealthy woman who is respected by all. She wears formal clothes to suggest that she always look smart even in the comfort of her own home. She appears quite cold due to the way she turns away from the camera and her face is not shown very clearly so the audience is unable to connect properly to her.This also develops the convention of age in Film Noirs. Older women are stereotyped as wise and fragile but to bring my movie into the modern era, the Grandmother looks more independent and formal ( although as stated before this character does need support due to her mental state). 

In this medium long shot, the Grandmother is in the foreground and is the more dominant character in this shot, due to her status and respect she gets from Roseanne. Whilst in the background, Roseanne is seated still at her desk. She turns down the stereo so that her Grandmother can speak and it's her way of showing respect. The curtains behind Roseanne shed light onto her which shows the audience that she's a good character whilst at this point in the time, the lighting surrounding the Grandmother is much darker, which makes the audience weary of the type of person the Grandmother is.

This is another over the shoulder shot, where the Grandmother is giving the letter to Roseanne. Roseanne keeps constant eye contact with the Grandmother when she hands her the letter which suggests that she believes it is more important to respect her Grandmother then it is to stare at the letter. This could be because she has been raised to show respect to her elders or it could be because she is dismissing the letter as it is not of a high importance to her at this moment of time. Roseanne's hair is covering one side of her face, the left side, towards the dark shadow area whilst her face is clearing seen on the right side where the light is coming from the window and onto the desk. This implies that she has two sides to her personality. The side covered suggests she is very secretive and hides things e,g- her true feelings, whilst the uncovered side is the way she is shown to other characters.

This is a low angle shot of the Grandmother looking at the photograph. Her face doesn't just show sorrow and grief but also longing for the people in the photograph. She has turned away from the desk so that Roseanne can't see her face which shows that she pretends to be emotionally stronger for her, as she doesn't want Roseanne to see her in a weakened state. This is one of the first shots that the Grandmothers face is shown for a long time, this helps the audience establish the type of person she really is. As before she seemed much colder, she now appears to much more fragile and defenceless which creates sympathy for this character. Her brooch and jewellery show her wealth and social class as she is able to afford a massive house and expensive items however her expressions suggest she is a mournful person and that to her money is less important than family is. 

This is a close up shot of the photograph on Roseanne's desk. The parents are behind Roseanne and have placed a loving hand on her shoulder which suggests that she is their 'pride and joy'. In the photograph, Roseanne looks younger and is smiling for the camera, this suggests that this photograph has many special memories of happier times behind it. On the desk it faces Roseanne so she can see her and her parents smiling faces; she has an emotional bond to the photograph and only she can see it, hence why the audience is unable to see it clearly from other shots. 

These shots are extreme closes up of Roseanne's eyes and certain important words in the letter she reads. The extreme close up of the eyes and adds a dramatic effect to the shot. It shows how Roseanne is feeling at this point in the movie, as her eyes move quickly it shows that she is eager to find out what the letter reads and that she also has an aspect of shock because the letter is revealing information about her parents death. The extreme close up of the words, let the audience have an idea of what Roseanne is reading. The letter includes the 'hook' for the audience as it adds mystery to the movie. The font of the letter is very formal which implies that a the sender comes from a high class background and due to it being personally addressed to Roseanne, they may also know her but this is not made clear to the audience and therefore                                                                                                        creates an enigma.

This shot included a dolly tracking shot of Roseanne getting up, putting her coat on and walking out of shot. The camera moves closer to Roseanne which adds tension to the shot as it makes the audience feel as if they are moving when Roseanne gets up and therefore makes the audience feel part of the scene. Another way I have challenged the classic conventions of Film Noir is by making the protagonist a female instead of her being the 'Femme Fatale' or the weaker female of the movie. This can help develop conventions of Film Noir by having more female protagonist rather then them being seen as someone who would be the downfall of themselves and the main protagonist. 

Evaluation - Question 2

Who would be the audience for your media product? 


My movie is a Neo-Noir Thriller called Truth. My primary audience are young male and female adults aged 16-24. I have profiled an audience from other research on similar products using the YouGov Profiler ( https://yougov.co.uk/profiler#/ ) to suggest who my audience is. 

First I researched people who liked the movie Sin City, as it was an inspiration for the style of my movie (the neo-noir effect). 

From this research I can conclude that the audience is mostly males aged 25-39 which is higher then my initial target audience. The type of audience who watch Sin city are those who have a general interest in movies, and enjoy going to the cinema. They describe themselves as being "Geeky" but also individualistic, which shows that they like to be different and this reflects in the types of movies they watch. Another couple of films that are their favourite include Kill Bill: VOL 1 and Fight Club. Although my movie is directed at both genders and a lower age range, the similar movies that they watch suggest that my movie would be a keen favourite for this audience. The theory of Web 2.0 ( that the audience interact with the media text further e.g- go online and share what they just saw/read) is supported by this audience as the research also suggests that the top Facebook pages are Kill Bill, Fight Club and Pulp Fiction and this is where they would be able to talk to others about these movies and therefore engage more with it. 

I also researched the YouGov Profile for Kill Bill: VOL 1 and found similar results to the Sin City profile. Again males were the main audience for this style of movie and at the same age range as well. But for those who like watching Kill Bill, they prefer to watch movies on the television rather then go to the cinema to watch it, suggesting that they are more private people then the Sin City audiences who as a hobby go to the                                                  cinema.

By comparing Truth to Sin City, it has shown that the audience that would watch my movie are more likely to be male rather then female and the main reason why this audience would use my movie would be for personal identity and for general entertainment purposes as well as self-actualization through problem solving and the acceptance of facts. This is due to the stage of life my audience ( 16-24 year old) would be at, as a lot of things would be changing for them for example from adolescence to adulthood and having to act more mature. My movie would help this as it shows Roseanne having to grow up quickly and act mature from an early age. 

I also did research into the amount of box office sales of similar thrillers to mine, I found that:

Sin city was a huge success in the UK with sales reaching $12,899,526 at box office. This shows that the style of Neo Noir was new and exciting and is very popular with its audience. It's target audience would have been similar to mine but was is based on a graphic novel  therefore its audience would have to have been those who enjoy reading graphic novels and watching film adaptations. Although Sin City was a success, Sin City: A dame to kill for was less popular and made only $2,967,018 which implies that the audience didn't like the squeal to the first film, possible due to the fact that the idea of a Neo Noir is no longer as exciting as other movies have been released since the first one. 

An even bigger success in the UK box office sales is Kill Bill VOL:1 with $20,966,844. An exciting thriller movie which I have also used as an influence of my movie style. Although not shown in the opening, the movie would develop into showing Roseanne's physical ability. This is popular with both the male and female audience for two reasons, the 'male gaze' and the idea of female independence. The 'male gaze' side of it obviously appeals to men of all ages who would be attracted to watch Roseanne and her development throughout the movie, whilst female audiences would watch my movie for the idea that Roseanne is independent  throughout the whole movie similar to how 'The Bride' is in Kill Bill VOL:1. 

The audience for my movie would also be more of an active audience then a passive one ( according to the passive and active audience theory). A passive audience ( suggested by theories such as the Hypodermic Syringe model) suggest that all audience react the same way and are easily manipulated into thinking similar things however the problems with this theory is that it ignores people's personalities and it neglects to consider an individuals moral compass and has been refuted by theorists for many years. Another theory is the Inoculation model where audiences has witnessed graphic content such as violence for a long time and are no longer exposed to the message of violence as they are 'immune' to them. The problems are that the audiences personality and cultural upbringing are likely to be much more influential on their behavior than the message of the media and it treats the audience as being passive.

 An active audience like mine, can be explained through the 'Two Step Flow' by Katz and Lazarsfeld in the 1940s. Their theory suggests that there are those ( called 'opinion leaders' ) who will take the media message ( my movie has several messages including independence and the acceptance of facts for example)  and filter information from it to other people such as their families and friends and they actively pass on more information about the message even though the other people may have never seen that piece of media before. In the modern era, it is easier to do that through the use of modern day technology such as the internet and through social media. This means that the audience can interact more with my movie by talking about it to fellow audience members and they can also go on to do more research about my movie product and expand their knowledge of it, therefore they are actively participating as audiences to my movie rather then just passively watching it and accepting one message from it. 

To conclude, my audience is an active audience, both male and female aged between 16-24 although my research suggests that the target audience would most likely be those aged slightly older I have decided that my movie is more suitable for a younger audience due to the age of the characters and the audience being able to connect to them.