Creative Critical Reflection #1

1. Our film challenges the conventions for a thriller genre and uses them as well. Throughout the film there is an-overlying sense of suspense and mystery which is a common theme in thriller movies. My co-director and I especially wanted to have mystery as a prominent element in our film to intrigue the audience. These elements are also designed to evoke fear and shock in the viewers.

However, the film also challenges thriller conventions because it goes back and forth between a normal light-hearted film showing the life of an average teenage girl; she does her homework, has a boyfriend, and goes out to socialize. Then the film goes back to a darker more suspenseful story line. My co-director and I also had to make sure the mystery was balanced and the audience was provided with answers and clarity as well. We found that if our film had too many twists viewers might get confused and would miss out on other aspects of the film.

The film represents social issues because it shows the power and influence peers can have on each other. It also shows that when power is abused, the individual is left helpless and alone. This is seen in the  relationship with the main character Chelsea, and her "friend" Piper, who isn't really her friend, but rather a bad influence who controls her. The unhealthy behaviors displayed in both of the girls also represents internal turmoil as well.

3rd Quarter Submission

Distribution Plan

My co-director and I have decided to do a straight to video release for our movie distribution plan. The straight-to video release makes the film accessible on home formats such as DVD and VHS. This technique has been especially successful for independent movie makers which is the category that my co-director and I fall under. This way our movie would skip release in theaters which is better for our target audience since younger people tend to watch movies from home. For the digital option, my co-director and I would want to release our movie onto other popular digital streaming sites such as, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. These would also be accessible options that would accommodate our target audience.

Distribution Research- Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare is another horror/thriller movie that has a similar young target audience. The film followed a standard release distribution plan as it was first released in theaters on April 13, 2018 and then went on to TV, digital, DVD, and online streaming.

Our film is going to use a different distribution model, but we do plan to release our film to streaming sites similar to the way they did for Truth or Dare. Truth or Dare was released on Amazon Prime Video for online streaming a while after being released in theaters. Our film was will just skip the theaters and go straight to online streaming.

Distribution Research- Happy Death Day

Happy Death Day is a horror/thriller movie that has a similar target audience to the film that my co-director and I are making. The target audience is for teenager to young adults.  Happy Death Day followed a standard release distribution plan because they used release windows. It was first released in theaters on October 13, 2017. Then it was released on digital HD, DVD, and Blu-ray in January of 2018.

Our film is going to use a different distribution model, but we do plan to release our film to streaming sites similar to the way they did for Happy Death Day. Happy Death Day was released on Amazon Prime Video for online streaming a while after being released in theaters. Our film was will just skip the theaters and go straight to online streaming.

Distribution Model Research

The distribution plan for a film is the process of making a film available for the audience to view. This includes marketing strategies such as: releasing the film to a theater, television, or personal home viewing (DVD, television programs ect.) The standard distribution for a film has three different options for the initial release.

First, there's the standard release model. This is the most traditional style and it consists of the movie being released in theaters for 16 and a half weeks. Then it goes on to VHS and after a few months it is released to Pay TV.  After two years, it goes on to free-to-air TV.

Next, there's simultaneous release. This is when a movie is available for viewing at movie theaters, DVD, and internet all at once. This allows viewers to choose the medium of viewing that fits their personal needs and preferences; however, because the film is released all at once this causes it to receive less promotion.

There's also straight-to-video release. This is when a film is released on home video formats and is never released in theaters. Independent movie makers and companies have found the most success with this strategy because of strong DVD sales.


My co-director and I would use one of these models to distribute our film by figuring out which release strategy would be best suited for our target audience. Our target audience is on the younger side, so we would probably use a release strategy that is the most affordable and convenient for them. That would be a straight to video release, so the film would skip the theaters and go straight to the internet. This way our viewers can easily access it.

Revisions-Changing the Mother's Character

After meeting with my co-director, we have decided to change the role of the mother to a sister or friend instead. One of the critiques we received from our class after showing our film was that the role of the mother was unclear because the actress was young and the script does not explicitly state her to be the mother. My co-director and I decided to revise the part by making the actress look older with makeup, but we realized that since all the actors we're using are our peers, it is just too difficult to make the mother look older. We think it will be easier to keep her role unclear as to who she is, but it can be assumed that they have some sort of relation to each other.