A Level Media Production Log Example/guide

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2002

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Production Log Research Brief: You will be given a substantial amount of time to prepare, shoot and edit the opening sequence of a new thriller film, including titles. (2-4 minutes) Aims: The aims of a thriller are to excite an audience to as high a level as possible and to keep them constantly on the edge of their seats. This is primarily achieved by creating extremely high levels of anticipation and tension.

Conventions: Thrillers are created almost always by placing an average person or group of people into a strange situation, or by having an outside influence in a normal situation. Films like "The Matrix", where a normal man is told that his whole world is a fake, or "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", where an evil nanny is introduced into an otherwise sedate household are examples of this. In most thrillers, such as in Psycho, the characters are alone.

No one is around to help, and institutions like the police or army always fail. Thrillers are usually violent or dangerous, and often surreal or illegal. People find this exciting, as these things don't usually happen in everyday life. The target audience for thrillers are usually young adults from 15-25.

Music is also an important aspect of the genre, and often contains minor notes and sudden blasts to cause jump-out-of-your-seat moments. Traditional thriller music begins slowly and quietly and increases in tempo and volume until it reaches a climax. The thriller genre often contains strange camera angles to represent the surreal nature of the character's situation. The more warped the camera becomes, the worse the situation gets. Shots filmed through a window from outside, with the character inside imply that something outside is watching. Shots like these are often used, and audiences know what they mean. There is almost...