CCR preliminary task two

question one: 

question two: 

How does my product engage with audience? 

Priscilla Chhour 

CHARACTERS

NARRATIVE

POINT OF VIEW 

The protagonist is called Declan Hunt. He is the vulnerable character that the audience sympathies with. He wants to find the people that murdered his loved one. The loved one is symbolised by the photo stuck on the fridge- it is given focus by the close-up shot. This gives the impression that this person has an important link with the main character which the audience will try to figure out the important of their role throughout the movie ( not so much in the opening scene because the audience are absorbing the information which helps to understand the opening scene).

He goes to work and this would have been represented by the blazer in the background which is on the dining room chair. Though he is played a younger actor this character is a adult . He lives in a massive house which indicates he is quite wealthy. He is the only character living in the house this should make the audience wonder why he lives alone.

The antagonist is the stalker/invader. His name is George Wayne. He stands outside the house watching the main character through the windows. The reason why he is doing so isn't clear. The scene ends in ambiguity allowing the audience to interpret for themselves the opening scene. For this reason, he is a mystery.

The side character is the pizza delivery person.  Her name is Simone Owens. She plays an important part in breaking the tense atmosphere of the scene. She is an ordinary character that is simple-minded. Simone Owens is simple-minded and does not suspect the danger that she put herself in. The pizza delivery person wears a plain red t-shirt with a cap. The red represents danger which acts as an irony device.

The overall plot is about a guy named Declan Hunt whose younger sister had been murdered and so he searches to find the murderer. Along the journey, he faces numerous obstacles.

The opening scene plays an important part setting the mood. However, it does not provide much background about the main character Declan Hunt and the story line. The opening scene had to be structured in such a way that the requirements were met meaning the audience could not fully understand everything that was happening. The stalker is shown to the audience right at the beginning of the opening scene. Declan Hunt is not exposed to the knowledge of the stalker (called George Wayne) from the start, unlike the audience, this follows the open mystery story type.

The original idea was the main character would go to a computer geek's house to get information about the person who had murdered his younger sister. All the while there would be a stalker watching them through the windows which the other two characters aren't aware of. However, this original plot had many ideas to it which would have not been explained well enough to make sense in the span of 2 minutes.

The new idea focuses more on the two characters (the stalker and the main character) and using those character to create tension in the scene. The other character has less focus in the scene but has a significant role in creating the tense mood of the scene.

- change of setting- instead of the main character going to another person's house to find information about the person who had murdered his loved one, the main character will be at the house.

- changing the role of the side character from a computer geek who would have given the note about the findings of the murderer to a pizza delivery guy. So, the prop changes from a note with numbers written on it to a pizza box.

CCR preliminary task two question four 

The film is made in Declan Hunt's point of view as he is the main character. Though in the opening scene there was a pan camera movement from left to right, this scene was not in the perspective of the main character as he is unaware that the stalker is there. The pan camera movement along with the close-ups and the extreme close-up was to give information to the audience as the opening scene follows the open mystery story type- this is when the identity of antagonist is revealed right from the beginning without the main character knowing.

According to Screenwriter Magazine, one out of the five ways to engage audiences is by starting with an unexpected situation. This is shown by the sudden reveal of a hooded figure standing outside the house to look through the window. The character of the stalker engages the audience as they are interested to find more information about the character and the storyline.

Editing techniques:

-Elliptical editing cuts out unnecessary scenes of the film creating the effect of time passing. Used during the coffee scene where Declan was in the kitchen.

-Parallel editing was used to show Declan Hunt and George Wayne in different locations (inside and outside the house). Their actions are contrasted through this technique yet it is evident that the action of one of the character will impact the other. This is suspenseful for the audience as they await the outcome.
-Shot-reverse-shot was used during the pizza delivery scene which allowed the audience to see the facial expressions of the characters in more detail. This is important as this scene shows Declan Hunt is calm and clueless telling the audience he is still unaware of the stalker outside his house. It is the stepping stone to reaching the apex of the opening scene- when he finds out about George Wayne. If given close attention as Declan Hunt shuts the door the audience should see George Wayne in the background running towards the house- however, Declan Hunt is unaware of this.

Sound:

There are three types of sounds in the opening scene which includes the sounds of the raw footage, the music and additional sounds to increase tension. According to research on StudioBinder website, these are the three techniques I implemented that helped to raise the heartbeat of audiences: string instrument, having music which changes tempo and having a loud volume of music at the climax of the story. Although reflecting back, the use of music to represent the scene musically could have been more purposeful. For instance, lowering the volume for the less intense scenes.

question four: