Unit G321: Evaluation of Snatched

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

Our thriller is influenced a lot by urban thriller films like Essex Boys (2000) and The Third Man (1949). The locations mirror these films, being unglamorous and isolated, as we shot the film on an empty car park roof in a rough area of the city. This location of the run-down car park gives the film the edgy look we wanted to achieve; the lighting there allows the action to be seen well. Our editing, although quite choppy and messy at a few points, allows the film to flow smoothly. The use of cross dissolves and dip to blacks signifies the confusion and chaos at certain points in the film. There is also some slow motion clips we used, I think this has a really strong effect on the film, making it more lively and intense. The characters themselves reflect generic conventions of the thriller genre, with a young vulnerable girl being targeted and a dodgy looking man taking her away. This idea is seen in films such as Along Came a Spider (2001), with the small girl, Megan Rose, being kidnapped and also in The Vanishing (1993) where Diane is stalked and kidnapped before she is finally killed. The music used, the soundtrack of ‘Nu Piano Project’ by Grime Unearthed, adds tension and uneasiness to the atmosphere, predicting that something bad is going to happen, the music changes with a rocky electric guitar coming in as the bad guy enters the scene. It has an edgy tone and keeps in with the urban theme. We used shadows and close ups in our thriller, influenced by The Third Man (1949) scene when Harry Lime appears for the first time in the doorway. For example: the close up of Mary’s face screaming and the shadows as Grace is lifted into the car. We also used tilt shots at this point, as is seen in The Third Man, when Harry Lime is chased through the streets and the sewers. Tilt shots are used in that scene to demonstrate the trouble Harry is causing. We used them to show the corruption of the characters actions and the injustice of the crime taking place.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our thriller represents the victim as helpless, vulnerable and in danger, although trustworthy of her friend who betrays her. The bad girl, Mary, was good but has fallen – here archetypes are utilised. As a false friend, she has the power and ability to sense her friend’s weakness which is drugs. Thus in a sense females are stereotyped negatively as stupid and untrustworthy. This is seen in other media texts, such as the character of ‘Nile’ in the Hollyoaks Television series. The bad guy, Tom, is shown as a considerate stranger at first, although this twists as he puts the girl in his boot and the audience discover he is in ultimate control connoted by him driving the get-away car. Thus the film conforms to conventional gender representations. The two girls are unsensible, thus the film exploits the risky nature of youth, experimenting and exploring new experiences. The costume supports the idea of the two young girls conforming to antisocial cultured groups, with both of them dressed in hoodies and jeans.

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

Our film would be shown on an internet outlet first, to get an initial audience reaction. We have uploaded the film to ‘YouTube’, a popular video sharing website, where users can comment and rate other films. If our film was developed into a full-length feature and script of Mary and Tom continuing their criminal lifestyle, this could attract the attention of Warp Films or Working Title, as our ideas are new and original. We would need funding from these companies, so by sending them a script and posting our film on internet sites like ‘YouTube’ and social networking sites like ‘Facebook’ and ‘MySpace’ we could gain attention and interest. As the film has no well known actors and a very low budget, it wouldn’t be big enough to show in a mainstream cinema alongside other kidnapping thriller films like ‘Taken’ or ‘Along Came a Spider’. It is also produced by our independent film company, ‘MTL’ who aren’t well known. Like ‘This is England’ the film would rely mainly on its fresh faces and gripping plot. The film would have to be shown after the watershed if it was shown on Film4, as the violence and drug use is not suitable for a younger audience. We could also encourage people to download the soundtrack ‘Nu Piano Project’ from the internet download store iTunes, for people to listen to on their Mp3 players or iPods, as some may have an interest in it after watching the film. This would target a younger audience who are up to date with their modern technology and enjoy downloading and listening to music from internet sites.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Most thrillers are aimed at a higher audience due to the extent of violence and language used, this is shown by my thriller research; my case studies on the films Fight Club, Along Came a Spider, Lucky Number Slevin and The Client are all over a 12 certificate. Snatched wouldn’t be much different, however the drug use, may appeal to an older, more mature and experienced audience, as they may be able to relate to it more, in the demographic of 17-25. However I think the audience would be quite a large range, from about 17-35, as young people can relate to the younger cast with Tom, Mary and Grace all being under 25, although an older audience will enjoy the twisting storyline ,with the false friend and betrayal, and also realism of teen drug use and crime.

Gender wise, I think ‘Snatched’ appeals to male and female audiences. The female audience can relate to Grace’s vulnerability and Mary’s betrayal, and will be intrigued by the relationship between Tom and Mary. The male audience will watch it for the violence and exploitation of the masculine desire to control; male may be hostile to any abusive relationship between Mary and Tom. Our audience demographic would be mostly C-demographic, as they are the largest group and may understand the issue of drugs and rough street life and youth more. Audiences, male and female aged between 18 and 25 can relate to the characters situation more and therefore find the issues of drugs, crime, betrayal and relationships more relevant.

How did you address/attract your audience?

By using quite contemporary music, in the alternative/drum and bass genre, the modern location of a run down car park roof and the issue of drugs, ‘Snatched’ appeals to the younger audience, also drawing in an audience concerned with current affairs like drug use and youth crime. The audience can relate with the young cast and their situation in the film. Through thriller research questionnaires, I found that kidnapping was a popular thriller crime for young audiences to watch. The target audience would also enjoy Along Came a Spider (2001) and Kiss the Girls (1997), both films by Gary Fleder. Audience feedback from Year 12 indicates the soundtrack and cliffhanger were popular and the film held their attention well.

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

Throughout this project our group learnt many camera and editing skills. The main lesson we learned was to include a variety of shot types and camera angles, rather than focusing on capturing all the action. Matthew took this task on well, including all the action whilst still changing camera angles and distances. I also learnt how to use Adobe Premier Elements to edit film clips, using transitions to ensure smoothness and cutting out any unnecessary clips. I learnt how to slow down and speed up certain clips, for example in our film we sped up the car driving off at the end, to make it more hectic and desperate to get away, and we used slow motion when Mary and Tom were carrying Grace to the boot to highlight the crime and emphasise the victim being kidnapped. I have learnt that a tripod comes in very handy when you want smooth filming, if you can’t keep the camera steady handheld.

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

We have learnt that planning is key, our preliminary task had little planning behind it and didn’t turn out as well as planned. However, producing storyboards and a simple storyline for our thriller worked well. We also found that assigning different roles within the group affected how well our product was filmed. For the thriller, Lauren and I performed and Matthew filmed it all as he managed to capture a range of shots with varying camera angles and shot types, whereas I did not manage it so well during our first shooting. All of us directed the film; we learned to flow together as a team, making group decisions and all having an input. As Lauren is a drama student, this advantaged us having her as a character in the film. The preliminary task gave us some good practice with the camera, which was well needed for our thriller. Whilst our first cut of our original thriller film was abandoned as it was all shot at medium range in the dark and thus unreadable.