Advice from year 13 media students

I appreciated the support and experience passed onto us by the year 13 students, advising us on what is essential in making your thriller a success and how to avoid it becoming a failed project.
First of all we were given tips on how to make our piece that of high quality.
such as the following:

team work- to make your As media thriller successful you will have to co-operate with the people in your group, share the tasks given (including blog posting) and ideas on how to improve on the project.

Time management- This is one of the most crucial parts of the project, as you will not only have to make time with the members of your group through free periods and out of school, but you will also have to consider what time is appropriate to shoot footage.

The amount of footage- We were advised to over project exactly how much footage we needed, as a safety measure. 

Choose the Right Actors- To create the appropriate atmosphere, you will need actors that suit the role of the part they are playing as it will look unprofessional and could be perceived as a comedy/parody if represented incorrectly.

Music- This is also a key element in creating the appropriate atmosphere to your opening thriller. The music combined with the actions and non verbal communication of the actors can be used to create a greater suspense.

Battery life- The camcorder is one of the most important pieces of equipment, as without you wouldn't be able to make the opening sequence to a thriller. In addition if the camera has no battery life you are incapable of filming, so it is worth charging it before and after every use.

 Special effects- We were also warned that we may be tempted to overly use special effects and were told to ignore that temptation; and to only use them when appropriate  as it can make the film seem tacky. 

Steady camera work- make sure that the camera is steady at appropriate times, if not i can lead to a deduction in marks.

Locations- Be original but not overly clever, constantly escaping clichés as it can escape the codes and conventions of a thriller.

Camera use?- If you are fortunate enough to use a better quality camera instead of the school cameras then be careful when uploading footage as it can look different and come out in different sizes etc. standard, widescreen.

Plan and prepare- schedule deadlines to part of the course, in order to maintain stability and to be prepared to move onward in the project.

Enjoy yourself- In enjoying the work you will avoid stress, aggravation and probably produce a better project without these burdening you.

Peter McLaughlin