Chloe Lashley

Evaluation Activity 1In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real media products?

Genre ResearchThroughout our opening sequence we incorporated conventions of both drama and thriller films as we decided to execute a cross-genre. Common conventions of a drama include the exhibition of real-life situations with realistic characters, creating a dramatic storyline and allowing the audience to witness the development of a character. As you can see, we chose to accept the conventions of this genre instead of challenging them. We did this because most successful drama/thriller films do the same and receive a positive reception from the audience. For example, Gone Girl included the conventions mentioned above and made a profit of $129.99 million.Conventions of a thriller include anticipation of not knowing what to expect next, the protagonist facing a problem creating tension throughout before leading to a climax and are initially designed to make the audience scared.Title of the film

The title of our film is ambiguous. ‘Temptation’ could hint at a Drama film as audience members may assume that the film will contain a relationship between two characters before one becomes tempted and cheats. On the other hand, the title could support the thriller genre because it contains an element of surprise. Who is tempted? Why are they tempted? It could hint at the downfall of a character due to this temptation. I think this title is effective due to the broad interpretations it can form. Temptation can also relate to a romantic film but the audience do not know until they watch it; this draws them into the film, making them want to watch it. The use of white text on a black background captures the audience’s attention and foreshadows the dark events to come.Why is the font significant?As the editor, I chose the font. I wanted it to be minimalistic simply because it contrasts to the events of the film. The audience will view the title and automatically think that the film will be of a slow pace and of a light hearted

Chloe Lashley

nature when the reality is that they will be on the edge of their seats throughout the duration of the film.

Our opening sequence does not follow linear narrative because this is the first image that is shown to the audience which occurs at the end. A lot of thrillers choose not to tell the story in chronological order simply to confuse the audience or to create a build up to a twist. This was a technique we adopted as another way to draw in our audience and make them want to see more. By having this shot first, the audience already have many unanswered questions. Who is she? Why is she here? The bright lights on her face connote innocence and the lack of surrounding light further suggests that she is an innocent girl in a very dark predicament. Here, we incorporate a convention of the drama genre by immediately creating an opportunity for the audience to connect with the protagonist emotionally. For inspiration on how to open our sequence, I watched and analysed the drama/thriller film Gone Girl. The opening image of Gone Girl presents a female in what appears as a vulnerable position. As an audience member, I know that it made me want to continue watching the film. Therefore, I chose to place the shot of Chelsea in a similar position at the beginning. The audience are aware of her frightful position simply because of her strong facial expressions.

Shots

Chloe Lashley

Shots can be used effectively in order to make the audience feel a certain way. We used a variety of shots within our opening sequence and the above right picture is an example of a close up of our protagonist’s feet as she escapes. The left picture is extracted from a scene in Gone Girl when the protagonist Nick tries to walk away from his wife. Evidently, we used similar shots to create the same effect. We want our audience to feel panicked and almost concerned for our characters safety. The use of the close up shows the audience becoming closer to the character, creating an even more thrilling experience. This uses the conventions of a thriller because the shot is cut quite short hopefully quickening the heartbeat of our viewers.Location and settingOur opening sequence is set at Chelsea’s home adding an element of mystery as anything can happen in the comfort of our homes. We challenged the conventions of a typical thriller by not setting the production in a haunted house or in a dark, abandoned warehouse. Instead, we chose to create a nice ambience by setting it in a bright bedroom that further contrasts to the dark thoughts running through our antagonist’s mind. Also, this uses the conventions of a drama because we filmed in a realistic house where such events could occur; this helps to make our production more relatable to our target audience.SoundMusic within a production plays a significant role. The chosen music needs to deliver emotions or a particular message to the audience that dialogue cannot. As our opening sequence has no dialogue included, sound overall had to effectively support the narrative. Thrillers often use music to create a chilling atmosphere and make the audience jump. Our sequence begins with soft music to support the equilibrium, representing the innocent nature of the protagonist before the music changes to signify a change in atmosphere. The music becomes stronger and dramatises the action on screen. Many films adopt this technique. Gone Girl begins with a light, gentle piece of music that changes along with the narrative. For example, when Amy begins to plot her revenge slow, high pitched string instruments begin to play to represent her cunning mind-set.We incorporate asynchronous sound to challenge the ideas of our viewers. When our protagonist escapes through the door, a siren begins to play. This is asynchronous as it is not in synch with the action shown on screen but there is a relation. Ironically, she is in desperate need of the police and for a split second the audience believe that she will be saved until they hear the siren fade out. It is a common convention for dramas to play with the audience’s emotions. Costume

Our protagonist

Chloe Lashley

Our antagonist

Black outfit to connote danger as well as power and strength in the situation. He has the upper hand over the protagonist and this is depicted through his costume.

Black also connotes his dark thoughts in addition to the element of mystery as his thoughts are never revealed.