Evaluation Question 1

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

• Our media product 'Abduction' in the form of a two minute opening sequence to a thriller uses and adopts various codes and conventions of other traditional thrillers by using representations, continuity location and music. Our group decided to try a different idea and go along the line of stereotypes and a twist that fools the audience into thinking one person is the antagonist based on stereotypes of ethnicity and the twist surprises the audience as in fact a white female is the antagonist. This is designed to create suspense and tension to keep our audience on the edge of their seat. We knew that this could also be a possible risk as we didn’t want to totally confuse our audience at the same time as they wouldn’t be able to understand the story line, thus creating an unsuccessful opening to a thriller. The sub-genre of Abduction is action or psychological thriller. The idea of a women being kidnapped into a human trafficking gang is a concept from a real media product in the form of ‘Taken’ a notable thriller which revolves around the storyline of somebody being kidnapped (see fig 1) . However I thought the idea was very basic and we wanted to expand that idea for the opening sequence. So we entwined that with a concept of stereotypes as in many typical thrillers the black male would be perceived as a thug/criminal, so when a black male is chasing a white female you would immediately think he is a mugger. When he hands her the book . We did some research and found out that the antagonist found in Thrillers are generally young to middle aged men. Abduction conflicts with gender because women are not normally seen as the antagonist. This is because men are portrayed as being more powerful and dominant.

• Another media product that had an influence on our thriller was ‘1 Day’ (see fig 2). 1 Day is a British gangster thriller, we used this as an influence when thinking of costume ideas and stereotypes when creating Jerome’s character. In the thriller it uses the stereotypes of young black males and portrays them as criminal, thug-like vandals. We wanted this conception of Jerome at the beginning of the thriller so the audience will follow the stereotype based on his clothing, mannerisms and ethnicity and throw them off of the real antagonist in Betty. Being a thriller we still tried to stick to some of the typical conventions you would associate the genre with. In all thrillers you find there are plenty of close up shots to convey emotion and build suspense and tension. We used close up shots in abduction to create the same affect, you can see a close up shot on the protagonist Sophie (see fig 3) when she is being chased down the alley.

• The reason why I chose to use the alley as the main location, is because we could have easily filmed our opening to a thriller in and around the college but the alleyway gives a connotation of isolation and dangerousness which are widely known conventions of thriller locations. If you look at many thrillers they use isolated locations to add to dramatic effect and the vulnerability of the antagonist. Also as, Sophie is being chased into the alley it adds to the audiences expectation that she is going to be hurt.
  
  
  
  Figure 1
  Taken is a thriller which uses a similar concepts to ours as a young female is kidnapped and put into human trafficking by big gangs and organisations.
  
  
  
  Figure 2
  1 Day is a British gangster thriller/drama based in Birmingham. We wanted to create the same preconceptions for our character Jerome that are created for the characters in ‘1 Day‘. They used costume language and mannerism to create stereotypes of the gangs, this helps to lead the audience into thinking these are the antagonists.
  
  See '1 Day' trailer.
  
  Figure 3
  This is a close up shot of Sophie, this shows how we have used close up shots which are typical conventions you find in a thriller.
  

Question 2

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups and how does it attract your audience?


Above shows the social group represented in 'Adulthood' and how this was replicated in the charcter of jerome in our media product.

Our media product 'Abduction' represents particular social groups such as ethnicity and gender. This is represented in the character creation and cast selection. As the scene starts you see a teenage white female leaving the college. This helps to connote to the audience her vulnerability as she is still in adolescence and as a girl as a stereotypical view of girls is that they are more susceptible to danger than the
more dominant males.

As the scene carries on, and Jerome is introduced into the plot, the audience would immediately associate him with violence as his representation is created through the choice of clothing skin colour and social class. We decided to choose peter for the role of Jerome as he is of black ethnicity, Tall (which creates dominance) and can also be threatening which fits into the stereotype of a criminal. We got this idea from youths in '1 Day' and 'Adulthood' they have the same stereotypical qualities. They are both black, wear baggy cloths and also use threatening behaviour.

Jerome represents the social group of a gangster. ‘1 Day’ also fits this social group that are stereotypically perceived as the majority of black people who steal, deal drugs, use weapons and are a menace to society. But in our thriller we have created a different outcome to what the stereotype of Jerome would lead you to believe as instead of mugging or hurting Sophie he gives her the textbook she drops and by doing this we are creating a different perception of the social group that is the 'thugs'.

Question 3

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

In my opinion I feel that our thriller ‘Abduction’ could be produced by large Hollywood studio company as the plot and the action style reminds me of successful action thrillers like ‘Taken’ and ‘Bourne Identity’

A distribution company would deal with the marketing and circulation of movies in theatres, and for home viewing in DVD format they would release the film and get it out there to the consumers on a large scale. Some companies like Sony, Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox would be the best candidates as they are a globally established company for many years and have films still in production. Also in Britain, companies like Pathe(see fig 4) would help to get our film distributed in the UK . The nature of the plot means that the film can be easily marketed in both Europe and America.

In order to acquire big distributors like these as a independent production we would look to putting ‘Abduction’ in film festivals around Europe like canes in France and British festivals like Leeds and London film festivals. Also Sundance in America

Funding would be possible through the national lottery funding scheme and the UK film council to help with the costs for script development, film production, film export and distribution, cinemas, and audience support to up and coming British film companies like ours.

Looking at our target audience age of 16 - 25, this category usually watches films in multiplex cinemas like Vue, Cineworld and Odeon. These would be perfect cinema choices to distribute our product in order to reach our target audience.

Another positive from using an institution like this is that films similar to this like Bourne Ultimatum and Taken have created a string of merchandise along with the film, thus creating a franchise of our media product, through video games, t-shirts and action figures.

Figure 4
Pathe is an established european film distrubutor originating from France. They would be perfect for 'Abduction' as they support independant projects and have been distributors to many films such as 'Resident Evil', 'The Descent' and 'In the Cut'.

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• We decided through research and also the feedback from are questionnaire that our primary target audience would be both men and women between the ages 16-25. Therefore we would expect Abduction to have a bbfc 15 rating in the UK as there is action and violence that would not be suitable for younger viewers. We feel this is the right target audience age as they are old enough to understand some of the issues raised in the film and they are also young enough to still enjoy the action and adventure.
  
  
  


• Example of target audience -
  
  
  
  
  This is Daniel Summers. He is 17 years, 5months old, and lives in Brentwood in the suburbs of London.
  He dresses fairly average with a polo shirt and jeans. He enjoys going out to party’s and socialising, and also enjoys watching films and playing videogames. He enjoys films like Mission impossible, Taken, James Bond, Blood Diamond and Déjà vu. He like trips to the cinema and also buying films on dvd.
  He enjoys programmes like CSI, 24 and Lost. Dan primarily watches programmes on Sky 1, E4, Five and sky movies action. He plays videogames such as call of duty, grand theft auto and heavy rain.
  I think Abduction would appeal to Dan as he likes action and violence also he is over the rating age of 15. He likes thrillers like James bond and taken that are similar to our media product.
  


• As our media product is not soley limited to one target audince we have found a secoundary audince that could possibly watch Abduction.
  
  
  
  The brainstorm above shows the audience for abduction can be broad. The film would hopefully target a global audience from all segments of life.

Question 5

How did you attract/adress your audience ?



In order to attract or address our audience we needed to establish what attracted the them to the thriller genre. We included some of the questions in our questionnaire that would help us in determining what codes and conventions the audience like best in a thriller. As the feedback we received was positive it allowed us to use stereotypes to create a twist as the feedback showed us that the majority of people thought that a twist and violence is a better element to a thriller. In order to attract our audience we needed to create an enigma as suspense is vital in keeping the viewer intrigued. By changing the antagonist from the obvious stereotypical perception of Jerome to the white female of Betty it helps to create an enigma. We also added some action and violence in the form of a punch to help dramatise the abduction of Sophie.
In our thriller we created a character that the audience can identify with. Sophie is your typical college teenage girl as there’s nothing unusual about her. In many thrillers the typical girl is commonly used as the victim because the audience can relate and sympathise with her.







We attracted the audience by using the scenario of a schoolgirl walking home from school and being abducted. This is based on real life cases that happens to young girls across the globe. An example is Milly Dowler a famous case were a young teenaged girl was abducted on her way back from school and later murdered.



BBC News Milly Dowler








Also our media product touches on the issue of forced prostitution, human trafficking is a problem around the world and we touch on this in our thriller it raises the seriousness and brutality of sex trafficking. This shows how we have linked reality to our media product in order to attract and address our audience.

We also addressed our audience through advertisement and promotion. To do this I created a group page for our production company on the popular social networking site facebook. So that our audience can connect with our media product over the internet. This inadvertently creates viral marketing which will attract a wider audience and also free advertising. Above is a print screen of the Ikonic facebook fan page through this our audience can receive updates on the film release dates and general information. Users can join the group and also invite their friends.







Also our film is uploaded on to you tube a user generated site where our opening sequence can be accsessed by anyone. Also at the bottom they can leave feedback which will aid the evaluation of our product.



We created a poster for our media product it clearly displays the name of the film, the production logo and the certification age. This is a marketing ploy in order to attract and address our audience this is a widely used advertisement form for films.

Question 6

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



During the creation of our media product we had to encounter various types of technologies both software and hardware alike.
Firstly we was introduced to many types of software to make our blog as presentable as possible and function better for visitors to our blog. The format would enable viewer to see our progression from research to planning and then production. Some of the software was unfamiliar to me so we had to learn how to use them in a short amount of time.


As the Apple Macintosh’s were the only computers in our college with software that was adequate enough to finish our media product to a high standard i had to use them for the majority of work. As i use a Microsoft vista at home i was unfamiliar with the format in which Macintosh operates in. I struggled a great deal at first with locating many of the programmes as they were completely different to Microsoft although the programmes on the mac were of a higher standard like Photoshop and final cut pro . I struggled with basic tasks and it took longer to perform the tasks than it would on Microsoft. However as time progressed i got used to its interface mainly through trial and error. I was able to see the quality it added to my work and through using the mac for my media product i can now us the apple Macintosh effectively in general use.


The first piece of online software we used was ‘bubbl.us’, it was our first time in using the software which created our brainstorm for our thriller, we mapped out the cast/setting/music/props etc. It enables viewers to our blog to navigate through our mind map in an informative and highly presentable way.






I then used a programme called ‘scribd’ this was the first time i used this software but it was very easy to function. I put all of my word documents and my graphs on there and later imbedded it on to my blog this helped to make my blog look more presentable and easier to scroll up and down. The format allows viewers of the blog to view the document. We did have some problems initially when uploading the scribd documents to our blog, but they were shortly resolved with some adjustments to the html coding as i increasingly used the program it became easier to use.


During the production phase, as i filmed part of the opening sequence i had to use the camera equipment which i was unfamiliar with to start.
The camera we used was a Sony Pd170p it had many functionalities and can record in high picture quality. As i was new to using the software i had an induction on using the cameras by our media teacher. This helped me in order to keep the cameras safe and functioning properly. Since we started filming to when we finished i feel that i have learnt a great deal about using these cameras. Firstly at the start i made silly errors like leaving the leans cover on and had difficulty locating some of the functions like playback and zoom, But after various re-shoots and getting used to the camera i was able to use it sufficiently by the end, as you can see in our end product.


Along with the camera, the tripod which is the stand for the camera needed to be used during our production. Although I was also new to using this piece of equipment it was fairly simple to use as i had an induction on using it from my media teacher. It has various leavers to adjust the camera angle and height and also to maintain the cameras stability. As the camera is an expensive piece of media equipment it was important we knew how to adjust it properly to the camera in order to not damage it. I felt that i managed to use the tripod affectively during our production.


In all, through the process of research, planning and production I have come across various new technologies which I had to encompass into my media product although I am not 100 percent efficient in using all of the new technologies I have embraced. I feel I can use them to an adequate standard compared to when i started.

Below is a video tutorial on the camera which helped me in getting familiar with the equipment.

Question 7

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

• I feel that my transition from preliminary to main task was successful as i understand the importance of research and planning in pre production. As the preliminary task was just a test of our camera skills, in creating a media product all of the elements had to be right for it to be a credible thriller. Through textual analysis, studying narrative codes and theory’s i found that the smallest of errors can have a dramatic effect on the audience. This opened up my scope as a director as i knew everything needed to be in place in order to make a good production that challenged thriller conventions in a way that would not be confusing to the audience.
  
• The preliminary task had no real pre-production, whereas our opening sequence had a story board, shot list, production brief, prop and cast notes etc. This made the process easier as it stopped us from wasting time filming shots we didn’t need and we had a plan on what types of shot we would use to help in creating a realistic opening sequence. It helped me as a director because i had a set plan on shots so that we wouldn’t stray to far exploring other shots whilst filming.
  
• We also had a progression in using the camera as in the preliminary task we broke the 180 degree rule (see fig 5) this was a problem for us but luckily we had time to film again. We knew that in our main task we could not make the same mistakes again as it could cost us valuable filming time and could possibly ruin our whole production. As you can see from our preliminary to our final piece our camera work and shot continuity has improved vastly.

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Overall the process of producing the preliminary task and two minute sequence was interesting. I learnt a great deal about the filming process, and it has also made me broaden my understanding of what it takes to not just create a film but all of the elements that are required to make it realistic. I feel i also have learnt a lot more about the film industry as a whole from research and production right through to marketing and distribution.

Figure 5
Below is a video demonstrating the 180 degree rule in film production.

Group Responsibilities

Final Group Responsibilites

Abduction - Final Product

Directors filming journal

Friday 5th March 2010
We filmed the first scene outside of the college for this we only needed one of the cast. This was basic shots of her leaving the college we stuck to the original shot list and plan. We had trouble setting the tripod to different positions and angles which wasted a lot of time between each shots also filming at a time where it was clear from the general public outside the college gates. I helped the camera man in filming various shots at both locations and directed the cast during filming to benefit the shots taken. When we looked at the footage of the opening scene in the editing suite i was not happy with the continuity of the shots and also there was too
much head space. The acting was not meeting our expectations also when considering the scenes had to create fear, suspense and action to create a credible and realistic thriller as the director I made the decision to re-shoot the scene.



Monday 15th March 2010
After various cast let downs and problems with scheduling we found a new cast who would be flexible enough to meet our filming demands. This was the first time filming with our new cast, we originally planned to film in the morning but due to the area being busy we filmed in the afternoon. We kept in mind the mistakes we made when filming the first time around and try to rectify this when re-filming. Lighting was a problem as it was quite bright but we new that this could altered in the editing process. When we looked back at the footage we saw that a majority of the shots we were pleased with but there still was a few shots preferably in the shot reverse shot scene and the point of you shot that needed to be re-filmed. Also there was trouble in getting a car that was suitable for our thriller and also we had a two minute thriller to construct and the car scene would go over that time period. So as the director i decided to change the ending to the character of Sophie being dragged off down the alley, as opposed to her being bundled into a car.

Thursday 18th March 2010
Although the deadline was looming i knew that the a few shots had to be re filmed in order to get the most possible marks, so today we retook those shots. As the camera man was unable to attend i took over the role of cameraman. I explored some different ideas as I knew this would be the last chance we would get to re film before the deadline so i added a brief phone conversation with the character betty and her boss with close up shots on the phone and also of her. We also re filmed the punch scene because i felt that the shot didn’t have the right impact that it needed to. Upon viewing these new shots in the editing suite i am confident that they will be suitable for editing into our thriller.

Production Brief

Production Brief[1]

Call sheet

This is a picture of the call sheet that we needed to fill in, in order to take the camera equipment out from the technicians. As we are taking the camera off campus to an open location all the relevant fields needed to be filled in for health and safety reasons.

Story Board

Story Board

Story Line Changes

Due to unforeseen difficulties we were unable to secure a car that would be suitable for the end of the opening two minute sequence. So as director i changed the ending of the opening sequence. This change means that instead of Sophie being carried into a car that pulls up at the alley entrance, Betty will receive a call from the boss although we cannot her the conversation Betty tells the caller "i've got her" referring to Sophie. Then a low angled shot cuts to Sophie on the floor as she is dragged off screen. I feel that this change will still have the action and suspense as the previous ending.

Taken - Film Influence

Taken is a big box office thriller, the plot had an influence on our thriller because it has action and is interesting to the audience. This film inspired us to use shots that could have dramatic affects on the audience, for instance when Sophie is being dragged out of the shot it creates suspense and keeps the audience wanting more this is important for the title sequence to create a credible thriller.

Software

Our group had to encompass many different types of software in order to help make our blog more presentable and show our planning in a better format. Some of the software was unfamiliar to us so we had to learn how to use them.

The first piece of software we used was ‘bubbl.us’, it was our first time in using the software which created our brainstorm for our thriller. It enables viewers to our blog to navigate through our mind map in an informative and highly presentable way.



We then used the software called ‘scribd’ to create our script. The format allows viewers of the blog to view the script easier and we were happy with the outcome of the script. We did have some problems initially when uploading it to our blog, but they were shortly resolved with some adjustments.


Whilst doing our preliminary task we came across the software ‘final cut pro’ which was used for editing our preliminary and we will also be using this software when editing our opening two minute sequence to a thriller. Peter who is the editor used the software which at first he found difficult but after time through practice it became easier and we are now confident about using this software on our opening sequence.

Title sequence

A title sequence is the way in which films or television programs present their title, production and cast members, or both and also sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits.

Above is the title sequence to the film Hostage. The first shot shows the name of the film which is then followed by the directors name to show the audience who the film was directed by and also to show that they have the biggest role in the production process. The titles then move on to mentioning the producers in this case “Bruce Willis and Arnold Ripkin”. This would then lead on to mentioning any of the company that helped produce the film in this case it was Miramax films. The research into title sequences has enabled me and my group to gain a better understanding on what title sequences are and how we will be able to incorporate this during the editing process.

Audience Research Questionnaire

Below is the results of the poll we posted on the blog and also the questionnaire we printed off and gave to the general public in order to get feedback on our thriller.

Audience Research Question a Ire

Facebook Group Page

Facebook has many features that make it an easily accessible program in which to make our production company's fan group. The facebook fan page is a tool in which you can extend your social network, connect with your target audience and consumer promotions alike. I created the page for our film in order to get constructive feedback from our audience and also discussion. This can also aid us in our evaluation.

Production Logo

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Character Profiles

Name: Sophie McDonald
Age: 17
Appearance: Dark hair
Height: 5ft 4
Costume: hand bag to carry bag, leggings ugg boots.
Sophie is a vulnerable teenage girl who is cautious about herself but sometimes can be careless which gets her into a lot of trouble as we will see as the film goes on.

The character of Sophie is now being played by Georgie Watters who was a replacement for Keira Stone. Georgie fits the description of our character as she looks like a student and also vulnerable. She is also reliable and could make the filming times. I have chosen Georgie to play the character of Sophie because we wanted Sophie to have a student looks and have a typical teenage so her character is easily recognisable to the audience. We believe that Georgie has all these attributes as she is studying and has the right look that we are looking for in the character of Sophie.






Name: Betty Blackstock
Age: 22
Appearance: Dark hair
Height: 5ft 6
Costume: white t-shirt, cardigan, leggings.
Sophie is an intimidating women in her 20's who has no concious and kidnaps women for the prostitution industry. She works for a mafia boss and cares only about her wellbeing and fears nobody.

We chose Haley Male to play the role of betty because we wanted betties character to change from nice when she asks Sophie for the time to villain when she brutally nocks her unconscious and drags her away. It was vital that her appearance can be intimidating and she can act the role of a protagonist very convincingly and i feel she can play the role well.

Antagonist

Name: Jerome Brown
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Appearance: Tall, black hair, brown eyes,
average build 6ft 3
Costume: Dark jeans, hooded top and white trainers
Props: Media textbook
Character Profile: Jerome is an innocent
teenage college who is mistaken for an attacker.


For the character of Jerome, we would want an intimidating looking person so that we can scare the audience into thinking that Jerome will attack Sophie. We would want Jerome to be wearing all black, moreover we would want to try and play with many stereotypes that the audience might have. So the location of an alley with the character of a black man which Jerome is would add expense to the scene. When the audience see that he is chasing Sophie then they’ll think he will attack her due to their stereotypes then the suspension will go down when they find out he does not.

Preliminary Task

The preliminary Task enabled us to get fimiliar with the eqiupment and filming.The task featured somebody walking into a room having a conversation and then leaving. The preliminary had to include a long shot, close-up shot, two shot, match on action, shot reverse shot and also show the 180 degree rule. It took us two attempts to film the preliminary, becuase in the first attempt changes in the diologue meant it could not be edited. The task enabled us to fimiliarise ourselves with final cut pro, the software in which we will be using to edit our thriller. The role of editor was given to peter who succesfully completed the editing of the preliminary task.


180 degree rule had to be followed in order for the continuity in the Priliminary to work .

Treatment

Product
We are creating the opening 2 minute sequence to a thriller. We chose the thriller genre as it is very popular amongst many of the big box office films and also has broad codes and conventions. Our thriller is called ‘Abduction’ and is based on the theory of an unclear protagonist. At the beginning of the 2 minute sequence it appears that Peter is the antagonist as he is chasing after the protagonist Sophie. We have shown this through the location as it is partly set in a dark alley which is a confined space and has a connotation as dangerous and remote. The casting of Jerome who is black creates a stereotype to the audience that he is violent and threatening as he is of black ethnicity. The lighting in the film is quite dim as it adds danger and suspense which are codes of the thriller genre. Score non-diegetic music is used when the first antagonist Jerome is chasing Sophie. The music helps to create atmosphere. The antagonist threat changes to Betty who approaches when Jerome leaves the scene down the alley after handing the book to Sophie. She is now seen as a mysterious character and at the end when Sophie is knocked unconscious it is clear that betty is the antagonist. Throughout the thriller the antagonist changes to create a twist in the plot therefore creating a realistic thriller. We are marketing our film through you tube. We have chosen www.YouTube.com because it is a globally known website and would be accessed by our target audience, as statistically the age category of 16-35 is the dominant age group for you tube users.

Target Audience
Are group have decided through the questionnaire and research that the age demographic for our thriller is in the 16-34 category as it contains some scenes of violence which would not be suitable for the under 16 category and is to intense and action packed for 34+ age demographic.

Representations
Our thriller uses stereotypes to convey representations as in many films the woman in our case Sophie is weak and vulnerable. Also the antagonist at the start Is Jerome who is black this allows the audience to perceive him as the villain based on his skin colour which creates a representation and also his cloths in this case the hoody and the score music used.

Media Language
Our product will contain many of the normal codes and conventions you will find in a thriller. This includes action, suspense, chases, isolated locations, protagonist, antagonist and also lighting. Many different types of shots will be used like for instance a pov shot will be used to show Sophie’s view point when Jerome pulls the book out of his jacket. Close up shots will be used to show changes in emotions and mid-long shots to construct the chase between the protagonist and the antagonist. The use of score music in our thriller will help to create suspense and vulnerability for the protagonist at beginning of our two minute sequence and also at the end.

Institutions
We will be using lions gate and twisted pictures as our distributors, because they are multinational film companies that can reach our target audience on a global scale. Ikonic productions (our group) will be making the film.

Final Location Shots

Alleyway

Entrance

This shot shows the path in which Betty will walk up to ask Sophie for a cigarette. We used this alleyway because it is secluded so it fits in with the codes and conventions of the thriller genre.

College Entrance

This picture shows the outside of Havering College. The college will be used in the background when Sophie leaves the gates.

Alleyway

After much deliberation from our group we have decided that the alley above and the street opposite is the best location for the thriller as it is accessible from both entrances to allow the car to maneuver in and also the lighting is good enough to film. It is also quite so it will be perfect for filming. As well as the alley above we have decided to use the outside of Havering College in the opening scene to show that Sophie is a student this is the best place in terms of location and setting to use the college.

Textual Analysis - Bourne Ultimatum

Bourne ultimatum is the third in a trilogy of the ‘Bourne’ series of films. It is based on the novel by Robert Ludlum and directed by Paul Greengrass, released in 2007. The film is a thriller and consists of sub genres which include spy, conspiracy, crime and action thrillers. The main focus is on Jason Bourne a former highly skilled and deadly American secret agent who suffered from amnesia. As he battles to uncover his past and why this has happened to him he is also on the run from the CIA for murders he did not commit. As the title suggests the film ultimatum is looking for the final answer to Jason Bourne’s predicament. The film hones in on the murder of a journalist in London who has the answers to Jason Bourne’s past and mysterious amnesia.

The director has allowed the audience to know what has happened to him through various flashbacks and also many hidden clues as to the amnesiac Jason Bournes past. He was a member of a CIA decommissioned assassin squad and is accused of killing someone he was not supposed to kill. Bourne now fights in the reactionary mode to save his own life while explosions of memory pieces invade his attitude as well as abilities. Not all the pieces of memory that return are pleasant as he deals with the tragedies of his past. The audience is shown the corruption which shows how the director wants the audience to sympathise with the main character as he battles to remember his past and clear his name but there are many scenes were the audience is put in a state of unknown as to what will happen next much like the main character Jason the audience is entwined in his situation.

The director takes the audience on a journey across continents from the sizzling beaches of India to the snow laden streets of Moscow the audience can relate to him as Jason comes across as an outcast from society although his talents as an agent make it an action packed thriller from start to finish. There Is an enigma surrounding his character as he is appeared to be an unstoppable force in any situation that arises his only weakness appears to be himself as the memories of his past seem to trouble him.

The directors inclusion of the character Nicky Parsins who is a CIA agent is to show that there is some kind of light in the darkening tunnel of corruption that is infecting the CIA as she helps Bourne in confronting a corrupt and greedy CIA executive. Along with Nicky Parsins Pamela Landy is another CIA agent who is trying track down Bourne but although she appears to be on the other side as the thriller progresses it is clear she wants to find the truth about Bourne and uncover the secrecies of treadstone.

Like many other thrillers the Bourne Ultimatum follows many of the standard codes and conventions you would expect. It delivers action, suspense, tension and lightning fast pace, this Is partly due to the cutting. Which is very fast which gives it a dizzy affect, also giving it an illusion of uncertainty. This not the pace of the editing but the quality of it. Cuts here seem rough because they interrupt actions and camera movements. Pans, zooms, and movements of the actors especially Bourne are infrequently allowed to come to rest before the shot changes. This creates a strong sense of jerkiness and visual imbalance.

Throughout the film the level of suspense, tension and action can change almost instantly through music. For instance in the opening scene the music is louder and creates more anxiety for the audience and the atmosphere is being built up and its tense. We watch as he fixes himself, and makes himself better. This shows us he is intelligent and he is well trained, it also is the theme song so it is recognised by the audience from the previous films. Then this keeps the audience aware and intrigued. It keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and curious as to what is going to happen next.

90 Minute Scenerio of Abduction

Sophie Lawson was a typical 17 year old girl who lived a normal life, with her normal family, in a normal house, she went to Havering College and everyday, would walk the normal route home until one day when it all changed as Sophie never travelled that way ever again.

It was a Friday afternoon and as usual Sophie walked home but this time she was not alone. As she walked down the street she noticed she was being followed. She started to briskly pick up the pace to loose her follower but the talk dark figure was soon behind her. She started to run towards the alley, as the menacing tall hooded man was sprinting in pursuit of Sophie as she reaches the end of the alleyway she trips over and turns to find the tall hooded man standing over her. He reaches into his jacket, at this point Sophie is frozen with fear. He pulls out a media textbook smiles and he tells her she dropped it down the road. Jerome leaves back down the alley as Sophie manages to get back on to her feet. As she breathes a sigh of relief, we are introduced to Betty a young women who emerges from the path. She approaches Sophie and asks her for a lighter. Sophie hesitantly hands over the lighter as she does this betty knocks her to the floor with one punch to the face.


Almost instantly a car emerges from the end of the road and pulls up to the alley a man jumps out of the passenger seat and drags a kicking and screaming Sophie into the backseat. The driver’s is visible in the window and hands a bunch of twenty pound notes to betty who is elated with the sight of the money. She then lights a cigarette and the car speeds off into the distance. In the car she is injected with a syringe full of heroine and driven to a house down Barnaby Street. The men tie Sophie up and drag her now unconscious body into the house; she is then put in one of the bedrooms and left there over night. She is reported missing by Sophie’s mum and dad, but the police are unable to locate were she is or what happened to her. The following day she was taken to a nearby flat and put into one of the rooms with various other young girls. Every hour or so one of the girls was taken out of the room and put into one of the bedrooms opposite. Sophie could hear the screams echoing across the flat as one of the girls were being violently raped. Whilst the others could only watch as they were being constantly drugged and beaten. Sophie was the only one willing to escape as the rest of the girls were so drugged they were barely able to keep conscious let alone plan an escape.


As two of the men left the flat Sophie managed to wriggle out of the shackles that bound her hands. She moved behind the door and fashioned a knife out of some broken shards of glass as one of the men walking in to inflict some more violent pain on the girls Sophie stabbed him in the neck with the shard of glass and franticly sprinted out of the front door narrowly missing a fist flying at her from one of the assailants chasing after her. She runs down the road and out of sight as a car seems to be circling the roads around her. She runs to a nearby police station and explains what has happened. As the police infiltrated the flat they found all of the women dead and the men know were to be seen. As Sophie laid in her bed that night she realised that if she had been there any longer she could have been dead……….

Textual Analysis phone booth

Phone Booth is a thriller directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Larry Cohen. It follows the sub genres of mystery and psychological thriller.There are two main characters within the first 40 minutes that i have analyse and indicate a clear protagonist and antagonist. We are introduced to the main character 'Stu' a New York publicist who is confident, intelligent and arrogant. These things are established in the opening minutes of the film. The plot revolves around a man in a phone booth who is on the phone to the intimidator who has him in his sniper rifle scope in one of the apartments above although this is not known to passers by. The cocky obnoxious protagonist draws sympathy from the audience as he is framed for killing a pimp who co-indecently wanted to use the phone booth. The protagonist has been committing adultery against his wife Pam and this seems to be why if any, reason he is held hostage in the booth.

As the police are called, it appears to them that he killed the pimp although as he is being held hostage he is unable to leave the booth. The enigma around the caller begins to increase as we do not know any information about him, or why he is holding him hostage. This shows how the film has followed the main convention of a psycholigical thriller. Stu confesses his bad sins to the crowd, telling his unpaid assistant, Adam, who looks up to Stu, not to become a publicist and admitting his 2,000 dollar watch is a fake, like himself.

The short shots adds to the high suspense of this psycholigical action thriller , and it successfully keeps the audience at the edge of their seats for the majority of the time. Also the anticipation of the protagonist getting caught is even more intriging as more and more you sympathise with the main character 'Stu'.

Like most thrillers there are many close up shot on the main character this is to convey there emotions. The twist at the end shows that like many thrillers this has changed antagonist as the shooter gets away.

Thriller Research - Sub Genres

Some of the sub genres that thrillers branch out to are as follows

• Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Some examples include the James Bond films and The Transporter.

Spy thriller (also a subgenre of spy fiction): In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Examples include From Russia, with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the latter demonstrating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller).

• Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Some examples include The Illusionist and The Prestige.

• Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include Seven and Reservoir Dogs.


• Eco-thriller: In which the protagonist must avert or rectify an environmental or biological calamity, often in addition to dealing with the usual types of enemies or obstacles present in other thriller genres. This environmental component often forms a central message or theme of the story. Examples include Nicholas Evans's The Loop, C. George Muller's Echoes in the Blue, and Wilbur Smith's Elephant Song, all of which highlight real-life environmental issues. Futuristic eco-thrillers are of the science fiction genre that propose ideas that will or may occur. Some examples include Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rites Trilogy.

• Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Some examples include Shadow of a Doubt and Blue Velvet.

• Religious thriller: In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. While suspense stories have always shown a significant affinity for religion and philosophical issues. Some examples include The Name of the Rose and The Da Vinci Code.

Our film fits into the action and crime thriller genre as there is violence and also criminal activity in our 90 minuite film.

2 Minute Scenario of Abduction

At the beginning of the scene a women is seen walking out of the college gates, it then cuts to her walking down a quite dimly lit street. A tall hooded black man is seen walking briskly behind her. She notices someone behind her as she turns to see a dark tall figure moving faster towards her direction. She starts to run in panic down the street as the man picks up pace and chases her down a dark alley. She hides behind a wall and breathes heavily. The hooded man appears in front of her and reaches into his jacket; she looks in horror as he pulls out a textbook and lifts down his hood. He smiles and tells her she dropped her book and as he leaves back down the alley she laughs and breathes a sigh of relief. Then a woman appears walking down the path she stops and asks Sophie for a lighter. She responds by reaching into her bag and giving her a lighter. As she hands the lighter over to the mysterious looking women she punches Sophie in the face as she lands flat on the floor. A car then suddenly stops at the entrance of the alley and a man jumps out and drags the now screaming Sophie into the backseat. The driver gives some money to the women who is now lighting a cigarette and the car speeds off into the distance.

Genre research - Roland Barthes theory on narratives

Narrative is a way in which you tell a story, but is different from a story in that the narrative is in the way that the story is related. When looking at narrative there are codes in which examine in order to find its meaning, these conventions are genre, character, form and time. Time is a convention when looking at narrative as for instance a persons life can be shown in a block of 2 hours.



Roland Barthes was famous for unlocking the fabric of narrative structure. Roland Barthes describes a text as “a galaxy of signifiers, not a structure of signifieds; it has no beginning; it is reversible; we gain access to it by several entrances, none of which can be authoritatively declared to be the main one; the codes it mobilizes extend as far as the eye can read, they are indeterminable...the systems of meaning can take over this absolutely plural text, but their number is never closed, based as it is on the infinity of language...” . In this passage he is describing texts as a quilt with different threads that when analyzing can be pulled apart. Barthes came up with the codes in which suspense can be created in your narrative.


Enigma is a code in a narrative where it creates mystery for instance in the 'Bourne' series jason Bourne wakes up with no re collection of his past this make a mystery surroundng him. this is an enigma as the audience would have questions on a text or a feedback.

Action is a code in a narrative where it is action upon action. This means for example somebody is holding a gun and is aiming at his opponent the audience are in suspense and creates tension to the outcome as to whether or not the shooter will kill his enemy or in fact he will be wounded himself.

Genre Research - Todorov's Theory

Tzvetan Todorov is a Bulgarian philosopher who's theory entails five stages in which the narrative can pass through.

• A state of equilibrium (all is as it should be)
• A disruption of that order by an event
• A recognition that the disorder has occurred
• An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
• A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

The theory basically means that the disequilibrium (the problem in the narrative) needs to be restored, e.g a kidnapping or revenge for a murder. But when the equilibrium is restored (happy ending) it is in someway different to the start of the story. Through the disequilibrium the characters or situations progress (or grow) in either confidence,physical ability, intellectually etc this process is called character transformation.

Genre Research - Thriller

Our 2 minute video is based around the genre of thriller.
Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains (antagonist) Thrillers can often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. Thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror and/or a monstrous element has become common to increase tension and suspense. A thriller can contain various sub genres including action, crime, spy and disaster thrillers. Notable thrillers such as Phone Booth and the Bourne Identity which was adapted into a movie starring Matt Damon which used many of the thriller conventions of the plot. Though its sequels, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, depart significantly from Robert Ludlum's storyline, the conspiracy-thriller genre is still well-preserved whilst still containing fast passed action.