Coursework EvaluationSophie Bell

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

Using and Developing Conventions

Genre Conventions - When producing my opening sequence, I tried to adhere to the forms and conventions of movies from the psychological thriller/ thriller genre in real media products in order to make my product look as professional as possible. My film ultimately falls under the genre of the psychological thriller however elements of the supernatural and horror genre can also be seen in it. Therefore I have combined the forms and conventions of these genres.

Setting – Firstly, I used inspiration from a range of popular thriller films and set my film in ‘creepy’ eerie looking house. This convention of a ‘scary’ setting evokes a sense of fear and discomfort from the audience and immediately establishes the tone of the film, which was what I was aiming for in my product. I decided to set my opening sequence in black and white, as I believe this increases the ‘eerie’ feel to the setting as well as creating an element of mystery, suggesting this is perhaps a flashback or dream. I tried to use low key lighting to enhance the shadows and blackness in my shots , I used the ‘darker, more contrast’ effect in Vegas, which I think makes the scenes more prominent and bold therefore better for the viewer. My use and development of these conventions can be demonstrated through these screenshots, which show a comparison of the settings of popular thriller/ horrors and the setting of my film:

Insidious: My Film:

The Woman In Black:

Film Title & Credits – I noted that the majority of thriller/ horror films are generally named after either; the main character (usually the villain) or an object/place which the film is based upon, for example: ‘case 39’ ‘the woman in black’ ‘the orphan’ ‘the black swan’. At first, I had decided to call my film ‘Camilla’ (the main character) but then decided on ‘Dream Catcher’ instead which, I think, is better as it is a more broad title which sounds more interesting, and incorporates the importance of dreams and sleep within my film. I followed the thriller/horror convention of having the movie title in large red font, which generally connotes danger, blood and violence, I also liked the contrast of the red against the black background. However, I decided to use a softer font as I think it was more appropriate for the content of my film, as it does not contain violence or gore, I did not think a bold and rigid title would be necessary. I edited the title shot so that it had old film grain effect on it, which I think is good as it carries on that element of mystery and eeriness. I carried on this font style with my credits, and put them in the conventional order of most important and featured to least.

My Film Title:

Production Logo – I followed the convention of including a production logo at the start of my opening sequence, when I produced my production logo, I had in mind that ‘sjvb productions’ would be a company that specifically features thriller movies. I therefore thought it may be good to have an eye in it, as this can symbolize all sorts of different things, but I mainly had in mind it symbolizing different perceptions, good and evil, omniscience. I edited this picture of an eye to make it appear darker and therefore representing evil, which is a theme that a lot of thrillers contain.

I also included a sound to my production logo, which is a sort of high pitched distorted speaking sound, which follows the convention of use of distorted sound in thrillers to create unease and fear.

Iconography and themes/motifs – I noted that in psychological thrillers as well as thrillers and horrors, there is often use of objects such as paintings and mirrors to suggest the character ‘being watched’, example: the black swan (usualy a figment of their imagination) I think this is good for creating suspense and a sense of discomfort, so I thought that I would follow this convention in my opening sequence.

Firstly: the entire sequence is filmed from somebody's point of view, but who? This is left a mystery. I included shots of old fashioned portrait paintings, focusing in on the persons face. I think this reinforces that sense of unease & eeriness.

I included shots of things like empty chairs and sofas, which I think adds to the element of mystery. Why is the house so empty? Were there people sitting in those chairs? Here are some shots:

Other recurring images and themes I've noted in the psychological thriller genres include the use of stairs and the contrast of lights against dark and ominous backgrounds. I tried to follow these conventions of iconography in order to produce a product that could be immediately identified as this genre. Here are some comparison screenshots of these things used in real media products, and in mine:

Other forms and conventions of real media products can be seen in my use of camera angles and editing. I tried to include as many different angles and shots as possible, I tried to include shots that are specifically used a lot in the thriller genre, including:

Panning shots – exploration of setting Medium close ups – showing details of things Extreme close ups – creating discomfort Tilt camera movement – exploring the setting/focus of setting High Angle – showing vulnerability and helplessness, also

creating feeling of being watched Point of view – the whole of my opening sequence is meant to

be p.o.v which helps the audience interact more as well as creating a sense of mystery and creepiness.

Fading offset – when editing, I decided to fade the transitions between shots, I used this because it is a popular technique in films of my genre, especially when setting a scene.

Enigma Code - I made use of the enigma code in my opening sequence in order to raise suspicions and create suspense. The audience is not aware of whose point of view the product Is from, or why they are in the house therefore an element of mystery as well as discomfort is created. Hopefully this will appeal to the audience as they will be interested in finding out the answers, so they will watch the rest of the film. This is a popular convention and is used in most thrillers/crime thrillers/ psychological thrillers and horror films.

Conclusion

Usage – I have used many conventions of real media products In the creation of my own product, these include elements such as settings/lightings, iconography/themes, fonts/credits which are specifically conventional of the thriller genre.

Development – the only way I would say I have developed any conventions is by combining those of the horror genre with those of the psychological and thriller genre together. I noted that usualy the horror and thriller genre conventions are not at all similar, so I tried to incorporate the two to allow myself more to apply to my own product.

Challenge – due to the simplicity of the narrative of my opening sequence, I did not have a chance to show use of things such as continuity editing, the action code or binary opposites. This is because there is only one character shown, who is asleep. And the scenes are all separate therefore I could not make use of continuity editing. In this way, I challenged forms and conventions of real media products through not using these things that would usualy always be found in films.