Haunted evaluation

‘HAUNTED’ EVALUATION
BY NICOLE WEBBER

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
My short film belongs to the action thriller genre. I have used, developed and challenged forms and conventions of real
media products to enhance my film overall and connect to the audience through narrative. Using key forms and
conventions has allowed me to create some familiarity for the audience but due to me also developing and challenging
the forms and conventions has resulted in keeping the audience engaged throughout and keeping them guessing as to
what is coming next.
My film has an open narrative structure and challenges Todorov’s theory:
At the beginning of my short film the main character is in his own state of equilibrium, shown through
shots of nature, ambient sound effects and the character saying that he is in ’bliss’ in the voiceover.
Disequilibrium is created by the characters own sub-conscience highlighted through flashbacks,
panicked facial expressions, dramatic music and fast jump cuts. However, I then break this theory as
there is no new state of equilibrium established due to having an open narrative structure by leaving
the film on a cliff hanger. I did this to leave my film open to interpretations and continue with a sequel
to clarify the ending.
During the research stage I analysed 10 action thriller short films, 10 action thriller posters and 10 film reviews which
allowed me to identify key forms and conventions of these media products which inspired me and helped me to plan my
media products.

Reception Theory:
Stuart Hall suggests that media texts are encoded (by the creator of the media) and decoded (by the audience) by using
either:
- Dominant reading: Going along with the messages and bias of the text.
- Oppositional reading: Disagreeing with with the point of view the text is slanted towards.
- Negotiated reading: Take a ‘middle way’ which goes along with the text so far, but modify it with some of their own
personal experiences.
Despite creating hidden messages and symbolic codes in my film I cannot guarantee that my audience will use dominant
reading as I used a cliff hanger which is open to opinions and views of the audience.
Vladimir Propp:
I challenge this theory as I have both a hero and a villain in my film as two different identities but then shock the
audience by revealing that there is a conflict within the main character by him being both the hero and the villain as the
villain that is ‘haunting’ and following him is his subconscious. I highlight this contrast through the use of binary
oppositions (Levi Strauss’ theory) as the character wears a white top (symbolising innocence and purity) but is overall
mainly in black clothing conveying that evil and darkness is taking over the character, making the audience wary.

Common forms and conventions of action thriller film posters:
• Having the name of the actor at the top of the poster
• Usually has CUs of the main character/characters face
• Dark colour scheme
• White sans-serif typography to make it stand out
• The majority of posters have a tagline
Tagline
Actors name positioned
at the top of the poster
which conforms to
conventions.
Break conventions by
having a smoky
background rather than
the typical plain colour
background.
Credits, making my poster
look more professional
A pop of colour in the eye and the word ‘past’ in tagline, suggesting a
link between them and make them stand out from the black and white
background and images. Red symbolises blood and violence, giving the
audience an insight into the characters mind, the way he looks at the
world.
Challenges convention by
showing the antagonist but
not revealing his identity,
makes the audience question
who they are and what their
association to the protagonist
do they have?
Showing only ½ of the character’s face in
a CU.
Title is bold and is white on a
black background, conforming
to convention. It highlights the
fight between purity and
innocence and evil by using
binary oppositions.
I went against the common convention that action thrillers used sans-
serif typography as I used serif typography. I did this because I believed
that this was too simplistic and clean, completely different to my
character and film as my film includes flashbacks and isn’t ‘simplistic’.

Common forms and conventions of film reviews:
Writers initials at end of
article usually written in
bold.
Overall verdict box.
Italics to add emphasis to
the word.
Warning about a
spoiler in the article.
Screenshot image,
captivating the audience
and giving a visual insight
into the narrative of the
film.
Screenshot image,
captivating the audience
and giving a visual insight
into the narrative of the
film.
Page
numbers.
Anchorage text.
Background image with the article in
columns to make them stand out and
clearer to read.
Subsection telling the
readers what the page is
about.
Nomination.
Drop caps.
Star rating.
Key information
section including
director, cast, plot,
rating and duration.
Title of film.
Film reviews have many
common forms and
conventions and to ensure
that my film review was
professional I have applied
as many as possible to my
film review, shown in the
annotations.

Why did I use Empire?
Empire is a high quality professional magazine which is famous for its film reviews.
This means I can use the layout and writing style for inspiration to ensure my film is
professional, includes common conventions and is easy to read.
However, I also analysed another film review magazine which is more expensive
and aimed at a more sophisticated audience with a deep interest in film.
Why did I use Little White Lies?
This magazine is more expensive but this wouldn’t
discourage its audience from buying it as it is aimed at a
more sophisticated audience with a deep interest in film.
The reviews themselves are more formal refined.
Using these two magazines which are polar opposites has
allowed me to get a wide overview of the codes and
conventions of magazine reviews overall and adapt them to suit
my target audience more.

Common forms and conventions of action thriller short films:
• Vast range of shots, especially CUs and ECUs as these can hide the antagonist (a prime example is the title
sequence for the film ‘Seven’.
For my AS title sequence I used an ECU of the main character’s eyes and this was my favorite shot
as it broke the fourth wall and engaged the audience. Therefore, I recreated this shot for my A2
media short film.

Sound in my film:
Sound is vital in an action thriller short film as it is used to make the audience feel and experience intense emotions such as
suspense, worry and tension.
In the beginning of my film I decided to use no music, just the voiceover and some sound effects which means that the
audience will focus on what the character is saying and give them an insight into the characters mind. Furthermore, the
voiceover puts the audience on edge due to what is said and makes the audience wonder what happened in his ‘past’ and
what he had ‘gotten away with’. This will entice them to carry on watching the film.
In the final scene I suddenly stop the atmospheric music and use a rapidly intensifying screeching sound effect when the
antagonist is shown, making the scene more dramatic. Furthermore, in the final shot of my short film (as well as using an
ECU to break the fourth wall) I used slow motion to make the sound of the breathing more dramatic and intensified as well
as using direct address of the word ‘you’ in the voiceover, makes the cliff hanger more dramatic, impacting the audience
more and therefore making my film memorable.
My sound score created an eerie atmosphere which is a very common convention of the thriller genre and many famous
thriller films create this (for example the thriller ‘Seven’. In my chase scene I used a very typical action-associated sound
score which made the scene dramatic and intense, resulting in the audience being kept on the edge of their seats
throughout and asking questions such as ‘what’s going to happen next?’ and ‘who is chasing him?’.
Finally, as I have flashbacks throughout my film I wanted to make it very clear that they are separate from the other events.
To do this I used colour correction to make the scenes look like ‘typical’ flashbacks and used sound effects of loud dramatic
bangs and glitches which usually made the audience jump, a typical convention for the thriller genre.

Editing:
Editing is vital in making an action thriller as it can create emotions for the audience. For example, in my chase scene I needed it to be dramatic
and fast paced so I therefore had a vast range of shots which I edited together with short shot durations and jump cuts as well as matching
these cuts to the sound score (synchronous sound), this allowed me to create an affective chase scene which was intense, adrenaline filled and
dramatic.
I used slow motion at various points in my film as this created more suspense for the audience. One example was at the very end of the chase
scene when I revealed the antagonist chasing him and the slow motion implied that the antagonist was in control of the situation as he was
not running but walking slowly and therefore confidently without panic… unlike the protagonist. I did this to highlight the juxtaposition of the
situation, how the protagonist is so panicked and out of control whereas the antagonist is controlling the situation. Furthermore, the
antagonist walking creates a sinister effect.
I also used slow motion is the final shot as this highlighted that the protagonist was in his own reality (reinforced by the colour correction
making it seem like his mind is cloudy) and this also made his breathing more dramatic as it was slower and heavier.
Colour correction was vital as I used it to distinguish between shots such as the flashbacks which were cloudy- as if it were a memory and
when the antagonist was on-screen which were more intense and darker, conveying evil. I also used colour correction in the first shot to
suggest morning as sunlight was on one side of the protagonist’s face.
Sunlight is shown to be coming from the
left suggesting morning and that the
character has just woken up.

Darker and intensified
colours when showing
antagonist
’Dreamy’ effect put on
flashback scene to make it
clear to the audience that this
is in the past and what the
character is seeing.
Despite not being a
flashback, the same
effect is used as it
suggests that his brain is
foggy and is in his own
world.

Mise-en-scene is extremely important as it can give away information to the audience visually, whether it’s high-key lighting conveying that there
is danger or the clothes that the character’s are wearing to give the audience an idea into their personality and actual role in the film (e.g.
whether they are the protagonist or antagonist).
Mise-en-scene
Clothing
Red jumper connoting danger and love. From this
as well as the voiceover and flashback of texts the
audience can depict that she was his lover and
blackmailed him to leave his wife but he couldn’t
’handle the blackmail anymore’ and killed her.
Juxtaposition between the black and white conveying
a conflict between purity and innocence (white) and
evil and darkness (black) within the character himself.
The majority of the outfit is black meaning that evil
and darkness is slowly taking over the character.
Full black clothing, darkness has taken
over completely and there is no
innocence and purity in the sub
conscience of the main character (the
antagonist is him conscience).

Props:
I used props to imply parts of the narrative of my story which allowed me to make my film more professional and interesting to the audirence rather than having
to explain every aspect. I relied on the common knowledge that the majority of people would know and understand, including symbolic codes and conventions.
For example, in this particular
shot I had a passport, phone and
jumper being thrown onto the
suggesting to the audience that
the character is in a panicked
hurry to leave the country.
Moreover,
this was
reinforced
by the shot
of the
character
picking up
his wallet.

Q2. How effective is the combination of your main and ancillary texts?
Ancillary text one – Film Review:

Ancillary text two – Film Poster:

I believe that my poster is ambiguous to the audience but most aspects should
become clear after watching the film. However, only I will grasp the full
understanding of my poster as I created it. For example, the smoke, the antagonist
and the word ‘past’ conveys the title, that the character is being ‘Haunted’ by his
past. However, the main aspect which I believe may not be clear to the audience is
the link between the characters eye and the word ‘past’ in the tagline infers that the
character is seeing his past (the flashbacks in the film) which will only become clear
to the audience once they have watched the film and analysed the poster (which is
unlikely that they will do).
I have conformed to the typical conventions by breaking the forth wall and having
the actors name at the top of the poster. However, I break conventions by having the
background as smoke rather than a plain colour. I did this to engage the audience
and create hidden meaning (talked about in the previous paragraph) Furthermore,
most action thriller posters use sans-serif typography but I used ‘American
typewriter’. I did this to relate to the character, his life and mind has some edges, its
not smooth and normal.
Furthermore, I have used the poster to highlight why my film is called ‘Haunted’, as
the main character is being ‘haunted’ by his past, shown by having the antagonist
positioned in the background, over the protagonists shoulder. However, it will only
be revealed in the film itself that the character is being ‘haunted’ by his conscience.

Positives:
My film review looks professional overall as I have used
my research from the beginning of the year to ensure that
I have utilised key concepts such as using screenshot
images, ‘film review’, plot, cast, director, star rating and
duration.
The anchorage text has also contributed to the added
professionalism of the film.
Negatives:
One of my main problems with the film review is the
article itself and the way I have written it. I struggled to
make it sound as if I was a third party reviewing the film
and that I wasn’t involved. This therefore created bias
as I included more positives than negatives in the
article. However, I did ask my audience to give me some
feedback on my film and included this in my review,
making it accurate.
Next time I would practice writing film reviews and
analyse more than 10 to get an all rounded idea of the
techniques and style of writing used.

Why did I chose the name ‘Haunted’ for my film?
I decided to call it this as it will automatically intrigue the audience and make them ask questions such as ‘what or who is he being haunted
by?’ but wouldn’t be fully clear until the end of the film. This is popular in many thriller films as the directors don’t want the plot to be given
away immediately and will therefore engage the audience. A few examples include; ‘Seven’ which turned out to be about the seven deadly
sins and seven murders as well as ‘Olympus has Fallen’ which was about a terrorist attack on the Whitehouse where the terrorists took
control.
‘Haunted’ relates to the fact that the character is being haunted by his past due to a murder he committed and his own sub-conscience
’Haunts’ and traumatises him.

How did I create synergy between my ancillary texts and my main product?
Tagline
Film title using same typography
Same screenshot image from
the film used which gives the
audience a clear visual insight
into the narrative of the film.
Screenshot image used in the review
Black and white

Same and only bit of colour on my poster
suggesting that the character is seeing his
‘past’ which is reinforced by the title ‘
Haunted’.

Same colour used
making the article
seem more
professional and
would stand out ot
the audience as being
recognisable from hits
competitors.

Q3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
My TA research helped inspired me and influence the decision making and planning process. I used surveys which
allowed me to get both precise answers and opinion long-answer questions and than analyse them. As well as focus
groups and asking people in my class throughout the process one-to-one so I could get their honest feedback from a
person who knows and understands media theory and practical and could help me identify any areas that I hadn’t
considered or identified.
Very little of my audience feedback surprised me as the majority of the time it was things I had already considered and
was going to improve but I gained some detailed and vital feedback which has helped me overall by suggesting
improvements I wouldn’t have thought of. Overall, feedback was a vital element in executing my products effectively
and professionally
Mock ups:
I completed mock ups of my ancillary texts (inspired by my research) which allowed me to have a clear idea of the
layout, typography and content before I started to make them. However, despite this I also spoke to people in my class
at various points during the production process asking questions such as ‘does this look professional?’, ‘is the
typography suitable?’ and ‘is there anything I should/could add that you could think of?’. At one point someone said
that my film review should be a double page spread so it would be more suitable for a print magazine and therefore I
conducted more research and then changed the layout to make it more professional.

First draft/screening:
For my film poster I gained this feedback which helped imensly and one of the best feedback was ‘maybe add a pop of
vibrant colour to evaluate it’ from which I adapted and improved by adding colour in the protagonists’ eye and also made
the word ‘ past’ in the same colour. I also changed the typography and added credits making the poster more professional.
However, the feedback also helped identify what aspects they liked about the film poster and therefore I didn’t change
them.
For my film review I gained audience feedback helped me identify elements that my TA liked and gave me improvements
however, I’d already thought about these improvements and was going to make these changes.
However, I also kept self-evaluating throughout and changed my ancillary texts, for example I added an image of the
antagonist to give the audience a visual narrative insight into the film

For my first screening of my film I showed my chase scene as this was the main element of my film and wanted detailed
feedback on audio, camera, mise-en-scene and editing to ensure that it was effective for the audience. Therefore, I used
survey monkey so that I could gain this detail and analyse it. This was the feedback I gained from 17 people of my TA:

My target audience ‘loved’ the camera work and editing and especially liked the use of the go-pro POV shots as well as the
hand-held shots which I believe made the scene more realistic and authentic and all agreed that there was a good range of
camera angles. 100% of my TA believed that the scene was engaging and the music was effective however improved the
sound score by creating synchronous sound and included flashbacks to made the scene more engaging.
Editing overall was said to be effective and good but I had improvements to make the editing tighter and to make the shot
durations shorter which I did and made the scene better.
Finally, everyone enjoyed the scene however, the main improvement was to make the scene shorter as it seemed ‘long’ so I
used flashbacks to break up the scene and highlight what the character was running from (his past).
Overall, feedback was positive and so, I’m confident that my products will appeal to my target audience and be effective.
Final Draft:

Self-evaluation:
Throughout the entire production process for both my main and ancillary texts, I self-evaluated and asked myself questions
such as ‘is this effective?’, ‘does this look professional?’, ‘what is the underlying meaning I want to create?’ and most
importantly, ‘what/how can I improve?’. This resulted in me being very happy with the overall result of my products as I
created hidden meaning, synergy and overall a professional product.
I have improved immensely from my AS Media coursework to my A2 Media coursework through both my theoretical and
practical skills. As I worked independently this meant I got to learn new skills such as how to write a script, storyboard,
animatic, mood board and use Photoshop, iMovie etc. Furthermore, I preferred working independently as I could execute
my idea to the standard I wanted despite having extra workload. This also meant that there was no class of ideas and I
wouldn’t have to rely on other people to complete their work on time.

Q4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
Planning and research:
YouTube was a vital tool in my planning and research stage as I used it to analyse existing short films. I also used it in the creation stage to find my
royalty free music.
Google allowed me to find action thriller film posters as well as information about the films from websites such as IMDb.
I used WordPress to document my planning and research.
Survey Monkey was a vital took which allowed me to gain and analyse target audience research and therefore help me improve my products
overall.
This allowed me to collect information about the media course and when the deadlines are as well as information about media theories
however I would also use google to improve my knowledge and gain a wide in-depth view.

Creation:
I had never used Photoshop before but used it to create both my ancillary texts and now I’m very confident in using this professional tool
which allowed me to make my products to a media industry standard due to having a variety of tools and effects that I could use. I enjoyed
using Photoshop and will continue to use it on more projects in the future. This also had a wide variety of typography so I could choose which
one suited my film the most.
I used iMovie to create my main product as it was simple and easy to use and I could use my MacBook anywhere so I could edit a lot and get
it to a professional standard. It allowed me to us special effects etc which enhanced my film overall. This software also had effective sound
effects and music which I used in my film. I could also use colour correction using this software to create hidden meaning (shown on a
previous slide).
I used YouTube to find royalty free audio and sound effects for my film which enhanced it overall.
I used high quality cameras (cannon and Go Pro) which resulted in my film looking professional and clear. The use of the Go Pro allowed
me to make the scene seem more realistic as well as a hand held camera.
I used a tri pod for the majority of the shots as it meant that it wasn’t shaky and I used the tri pod to use panning shots.

Evaluation:
I used my MacBook Pro to create my film (iMovie) and presentations and to access my blog. When presenting I would use my
MacBook and the projector to allow the class to see clearly and provide detailed and valid feedback.
WordPress was used throughout my A2 Media course to show my work throughout the year.
I created a YouTube account using my school email so that I could use this to not only publish my work but to carry out research of
other short films and to find audio for my film.
I used social media to promote my short film such as WhatsApp which allowed me to gain audience feedback from my target
audience.

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