How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I have chosen to look at Lewis (the good guy) he is the most important character in our film, as he is the one seeking revenge for his wife's death. His role in the opening sequence is important because he is hunting down a terrorist. He works for MI5 and is trying to foil a terrorist operation. He is similar to other characters from other action films because he is the hero saving the world, but is different in that he is not as strong mentally and is very inexperienced, when he loses his wife it is a blow to him.


It was difficult getting Lewis's character right he needed to look the part by having a good costume. We did research into into other characters such as James Bond and Jason Bourne. The problem we had was that we were teenagers trying to play adults therefore we looked a little out of place. I have chosen to look at other media products like James Bond and The Bourne Trilogy these films characters have many similarities.








The first character I have chosen to look at is James Bond, I chose to look at him because we toke out costume ideas from him he is also the most well know action hero and has featured in many films making him a franchise. He is very similar to Lewis character in that they wear similar clothes to him, they wear dark smart clothes because they are both professionals at there jobs they are also in part of MI5.


Like James Bond our character works for the MI5 we did so that he could get away with things during the film by doing this it means he gets access to information and flash cars. James Bond is always the good guy against the bad guy we did the same so that the audience would recognise the set up of the film.

How did you attract/address your audience

This is our annotation referring to genre conventions, use of music, similarities with other movies.

What have you learnt about technology's from the process of constructing this product?

The technology we have used has been crucial to the success of our media product.

• YouTube



• Slide share



• Adobe Premier



• Blogger



• Freeplay



• iPhone



• Microsoft Word



• Free Sound Effects



• Camera



• Microphone



• Paint



• Facebook

YouTube - we used YouTube to share our film opening with the world, it has also provided us with audience feedback so that during the early stages of production we could correct errors.

Slide Share - I used this to put a slide show on my blog by using Slide Share it made the blog look smart and presentable.

Adobe Premier Elements - we used this to make the editing smooth and quick it also had useful transitions which we used to bring titles in and action in.

Blogger - this is were all my research and planning work is also my evaluation and my MOVIE.

Freeplay - we got our music from this site there is a large variety of music to chose from and we sound our perfect piece.

iPhone - this is the link between the audience and the action by using the iPhone it explains the story line to the audience.

Microsoft Word - I used this for getting and printing screen grabs of my films throughout different stages.

Free Sound Effects - we got the explosion from this site we needed it to make the title of the film and the train explosion more dramatic

Camera - the camera was used to film and to record the sound of the film it was also used to collect audience feedback

Microphone - we used the microphone instead of the one which the camera came with because it had a wind block on it to block out the wind meaning we would have better sound

Paint - I used this to save my screen grabs as images

Facebook - we are going to use this to get audience feedback on our film so that we can improve for next time

This is me with some of the tecnology we used

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

This is our video voice over showing the directors commentary

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

My media product use, develop and challenge different forms and conventions of media products such as film openings. I did this by doing extensive research into other media products and then combining our ideas with there's to try to produce the best film opening.

This is an in detail look at the nine frames in the film.


Typically action films start fast to get the audience gripped from the start, we wanted to do the same in order to build up tension. The camera work and editing would have to be sharp, to do this we used as many shots as we could fit in to give the opening variety and to prevent the audience getting bored. The editing also had to be good we achieved this by making the shots short lasting no longer than 3 seconds by doing this it built up the tension whilst adding an element of unknowing to the film. We wanted to do this because it would make the audience feel uneasy about who was the good guy and who was the bad guy, this would make the opening more open. In the opening of the film we had to make the genre clear and the story clear again this is important to stop the audience losing interest.


The setting for our film is the woods we chosen to set it there because it adds an element of mystery to the film it also is impossible for the audience to work out where the film is set again adding to the mystery. Other films such as James Bond and the Bourne trilogy start with chase scene but they tend to be set in city areas. I think our location/setting is very appropriate to the style of film we produced as it has key features such as a train line on the outskirts ideal for the train explosion also it has the perfect paths to run down with lakes to jump and dodge. All of this makes the film very realistic for the audience so that they can feel part of the film.


Choosing the costumes was a difficult part of the film making process because they had to be true to the character whilst being very realistic we eventually settled on dark colours like navy blue and black teamed with smart trousers for the good guy and old jeans for the bad guy. we felt that it was the best decision. However in our audience feedback it was a criticism that the costumes weren't as realistic as they could have been and that we still looked like teenagers instead of adults. We tried to overcome this by making the good guy married. We took inspiration from characters such as Jason Bourne who wears dark and smart clothes. On balance i thought the costumes were appropriate for the film.


The editing of the film was crucial to making the film look as professional as it could. The editing had to be quick and short we only wanted 3 second shots at the maximum this is to create speed whilst keeping the audience on the edge of there seat. I think we achieved this using a combination of shots to keep the action moving it also introduced the genre for us. The shots we used, such as a low angle were to give the good guy power and dominance over the bad guy. We also used continuity editing when the good guy jumps the camera top show him running after the bad guy.


The title sequence used typically in action films tend to lay the titles over the top of the action we decided that we wanted the action to be the min focal point of the opening so we used simple and easy to read styles and font sizes this was to make it quick and easy for the audience to read meaning we could have more time on the action than the titles. After seeking inspiration from James Bond we realised we couldn't achieve what they do due to the amount of time we had available. James Bond tend to go in with the action followed by a 3-4 minute title sequence that is animated if we had attempted this it would have left us with little to no time left for action which would have made a load more problems like introducing characters and the genre.


The narrative had to be strong yet easy to get across in 2 minutes (the amount of time available). We made the story line strong by killing off the wife of the good guy, which is something that happens frequently in action films. We wanted this to happen because it sets up the good guy on his mission to seek revenge against the bad guy that survived the chase. We set this up by the good guy receiving a phone call from the bad guy saying that his wife's going to die this explains why the good guy is running after the train, also when the good guy says "you wont get away with this" sets up the good guy chasing him down on the rest of the film.


The genre we chose to make our film about was the action genre because it is our favorite genre, therefore we know alot about generic conventions of the genre. It was important to make the genre clear because the audience need to understand the film and what it is about. We tried to make it similar to other action films by seeking/researching other action films like James Bond this films is a franchise meaning the audience knows the genre before the film starts we didn't have this advantage so we had to do it another way. We tried to make the genre clear by having an explosion and a chase scene in the opening.

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

I have put together a collage of screen shots of various scenes through out the opening sequence.



The first shot is of the title of the film "reconnaissance" we set the title on a black background with the text white by doing this it makes the text clear and easy to read for the audience. The font we chose is also clear and easy to read we also put the text in block capital letters. The film is called reconnaissance because it relates to the army and action we also thought reconnaissance would be a smart yet sinister name. Whilst this shot is on the screen we have added a explosion sound making the film title and the following shots much more dramatic.


The second shot is of the set/location of our film, the location we chose was in the woods. Using the woods had many advantages for us, the woods is seen as a mysterious place therefore it is more dramatic and intense than running threw a street. Another advantage was the trees blocking part of some shots we wanting it to be like that to make the audience feel uneasy about the start of the film this also keeps them gripped.


The third shot is to show the costumes used during the film the good guy is wearing smart clothes to show the audience he is the important figure traditionally in action films the good guy wheres smart clothes so we did the same this is in contrast to the bad guy dresses causally in jeans and a hoodie the similarities between these characters costumes is the colours both are dresses in navy blue and black this is to give them the look of a sinister person. Both costumes help to represent the characters. The good guys wife is dressed causal/smart although she plays a minor role she has to fit into the rest of the film. The only prop used was the mobile phone which the good guy receives a phone call on without the phone the narrative would have been difficult for the audience to understand.


The forth shot is to show camera work and the editing the shot i have chosen is set up well with the tree blocking a side of the screen but showing the good guy running towards the camera. We used a large variety of shots this was to keep the camera moving throughout the film so that the audience wouldn't get bored of the same shots over and over again. We wanted to use all of the shots possible such as high angle and low angle. During the chase scene we used a lot of shots to add to the feeling of speed and to build up to the explosion at the end.


The fifth is to show the font and style we chose to use we needed the font to be clear and easy to read as it wouldn't be on the screen long as we didn't want to lose the feeling of speed in the chase scene, other action films use the title effectively by mixing it in with the action which is why we put ours on during the chase scene the style we chose is also clear and easy to read.


The sixth shot is showing how we made the narrative of the story clear we achieved this by showing the audience a text saying "and yes i know she is on the train" by showing this it shows why the good guy is running after the train to save his wife. It is important to make the opening clear and easy to understand other whys the if the audience don't understand from the beginning the audience may get bored.


Shot seven is the Genre and how the opening suggests it we wanted to make it clear to the audience we did this by an explosion something you would typically find in an action film the chase scene also suggest this to the audience. The shot I chose is of the good guy running and the bad guy hiding it is almost a man hunt the bad guy being hunted down by the good guy this also suggest the genre to the audience.


Shot number eight is of myself being chased by the good guy this shot is to introduce both characters, both characters are seen running as fast as we can. Both characters are introduced in the opening sequence and that is when the audience sees us as the main characters although it is hard to tell who is good and who is bad until the good guy gets a call saying his wifes going to die. Both of us are scene frequently running past the camera this is to show the characters and to hsow it is a chase scene.


The final shot is number nine this is of the special effects we used the main one used was of a train exploding which we found the main worry we had with doing this was to insure that it fitted with the rest of the film we managed to find a clip that fitted perfectly into the rest of the film. We also used added the sound effect of an explosion to insure maximum effect.

This is our final film Reconnaissance

Hope you enjoy



This is cinematic GOLD