Question 1) In what ways does your media product, use, develop or challenge forms and conventions? BY MOHYADIN HASSAN

What was the task?

The task we've gotten was to make a two minute conventional thriller opening, in which we have accomplished. Before creating our thriller opening, in this task we were placed into small groups of 3 or 4 which people who have their own specialty for example: someone who's is good in editing. My group was Lara, Fatma, Suweda and myself.

Before making a thriller opening, we had to analyse and research successful thriller films - mostly looking at their opening instead of watching the whole film. We also had to create a narrative for our thriller as well as making a preliminary task – which was a 30 second video.

After the preparation that that has helped us gather more knowledge about thrillers, as well as improving our skills on how to use the equipment and technology that’s needed to produce a video, we were confident to produce a two minute thriller opening. Our group were given two weeks to complete our filming excluding editing and adding sound.

Task – Pictures

Research and Planning Preliminary Task Filming

Does my thriller follow conventions of a thriller?

My opening thriller genre is psychological. My thriller contains typical characters which is the protagonist, antagonist and anti-hero, they are conventional to the thriller genre.

Protagonist – the protagonist is the professor who observes and monitors the antagonist which is the demented pregnant women. He is the protagonist because he doesn’t do anything evil but instead does something good by observing the demented women to figure out what’s wrong with her.

Antagonist – The ‘dead’ women who was killed by the anti-hero comes back alive to take revenge. Anti-hero - the anti-hero is the demented women who’s pregnant and a murderer. The gender for the antagonist and the anti-hero was changed from male to female, which was

different to other existing thrillers. This was a challenge because these characters are usually shown to be males instead of females. However, the female characters in my thriller acted the same as what other thriller characters would for example; the anti-hero and the antagonist in my thriller still behaves the same as the anti hero in other existing thrillers because my anti-hero still commits causing the antagonist to take revenge. Regardless of the gender change, my thriller characters still behave conventionally.

Characters

Professor Anti-hero Antagonist

(2) Does my thriller follow conventions of a thriller?

The setting that I’ve chosen for my thriller are conventional to the thriller genre because I used a small empty white room, for the demented women character, directing to the audience that it’s based in a mental institution. For the scene, which was the murder and affair scene, that was taken placed outside, it was a quiet road showing the audience that there’s no one around the characters and that anything can happen since no one is there. The room for the professor was a white room showing the audience that the room is his working environment.

Lighting

In most of my scenes in my opening, I mostly used low-key lighting especially for the antagonist scene and the murder scene because as its thriller genre is a psychological, it makes the atmosphere darker and scarier. Since I used low-key lighting for most of my scenes, it foreshadows the dreadful events that yet to come.

(1) Generic conventions of a thriller

Because of the help of researching and analysing various of thriller films in many genre – mostly psychological – I was able to get an idea of what my character should be like and look like create characters based on psychological thriller films . Inn the next slide there will a comparison between my thriller and existing thriller films.

(2) Generic conventions of a thriller (Character – Professor)

In my thriller opening there are characters which I can compare with existing thriller opening. The first character I will be talking about is the professor. I’ve chose my professor character as an older adult wearing smart dressing (smart trouser, tie, shirt etc.) with a lab coat because in many existing thriller films professors, doctors, teachers etc. wear smart clothing to show to the audience that they are professional, smart and hardworking. For example: In a thriller film called Lucy, there’s a professor who is a protagonist as a black middle aged man who is seen to be helping out with the anti-hero. Just like every other professors, he is seen to be wearing smart clothing . Their costume makes them look like they’re worthy of trusting, which makes sense because they are the protagonist (in the thriller films I’ve looked up) and they are supposed to be someone you trust and believe. In the film Lucy, the professor is seen using his knowledge and giving his support to the anti-hero, I can compare this to my professor character as he is seen using his knowledge to help find out why the anti-hero got into her depressing unstable mental state.

(2) Generic conventions of a thriller (Character – Antagonist)

In my thriller, the antagonist is a pale skin women wearing a while long dress with long black hair covering her face. Because of this appearance, it makes her look mysterious and make people fear her due to her look. It’s similar to a character from a thriller film called The Grudge . The antagonist from The Grudge has a pale blue skin wearing a long white dress with long her nearly covering her whole face – this antagonist from The Grudge is similar to my antagonist in my thriller opening. They both look frightening and makes the air in the atmosphere tighter whenever they appear.

Generic conventions within my thriller (Lighting and Setting)

Low key lighting – Many low key lighting has been used in my thriller in many scenes. I can compare the mental institution scene in my thriller with an existing thriller film called The Exorcist – the scene where the anti hero is kept and locked in the room acting violently. Both of the scenes has low key lighting which reflects their state of mind.

Setting – I got the idea of setting the murder scene at a isolated road from the thriller film called SE7EN. In SE7EN, the location that took place where the anti hero kills the antagonist was set in an isolated area outside, this allowed them to do whatever they want without worrying that people will see them. I set my murder scene in a similar place like SE7EN.

Generic Conventions Within My Thriller (Mise En Scene and Micro-elements) I made sure that in my thriller opening it followed the generic conventions as well as

the Mise En Scene and the Micro Elements. Cinematography – In my thriller opening, I used several of angles, shots, angles and

movement that’s most fitted in my scene, for my characters and also the atmosphere in the scene. In the mental institution scene, I mostly used high angle making it look like a camera that’s recording/watching her, that angle allowed the audience to see how she’s acting and behaving. In the pregnancy scene, I also used an how angle shot to reflecting her vulnerability. In the murder scene I used low angle shot at the anti hero before she shot the antagonist, that shot shown her facial expression and also making her look like she’s capable to do anything. Apart from high angle and low angle, I used many shots such as over the shoulder shot (which was used in the affair scene allowing the audience to see the antagonist while the anti hero and the lover was having an affair), middle shot for the professor scene, close up, panning shot and reaction shot etc.

Generic Conventions with my thriller (Mise En Scene and Micro Element)

Editing – In my thriller opening , I used many editing ( as well as shots) such as slow editing, fast editing, reaction shot etc. In my mental institution scene where the demented women behaves violently and crazy, I used fast editing to reflect her mindset and show the audience what is going in her head.

Before the antagonist entered the anti hero’s room, I used slow editing to build up tension and suspense, this makes the audience feel scared because they don’t know what to expect at the end – trying to think what may happen.

I also used a reaction shot where the anti hero shoots the antagonist, I used this reaction shot to capture her facial expression, allowing the audience to see her emotions.

Generic conventions within my thriller (Setting)

In my thriller opening I used a small white room as an mental institution room for the demented women. The room is represented as a cage keeping the women trap and isolated, the colour of the room also represents her innocence. Since the room keeps the women trapped, she was unable to escape from the antagonist . I also used another white room for the professor making it look like an office, the colour also represents his innocence.

I used an empty isolated road for the murder scene allowing the anti hero to shoot the antagonist without getting caught from people. I also used an empty road for the affair scene where the antagonist caught the anti hero and the lover being together.

Generic conventions within my thriller (Sound)

In my thriller opening, I used a dark soundtracks to build up suspense and tension for the audience, as the dark sound continues it makes the audience feel scared and triggers their thought – thinking what to expect and what not to expect. The dark soundtracks also makes the audience worry and confused. There’s is various of sound effects used in my thriller opening such as gun shots which increases the suspense and tension. Without sound, it will make the thriller look different as their is nothing to hear and no sounds to make the audience heart beat.

Generic conventions within my thriller (Facial expression and Body language) Professor – the professor facial expression is calm but also serious looking

showing the audience that he is serious about his work and his observation of the demented women. At the end you can see that his facial expression changed, he starts to look confused of what’s happening to Lara and what she’s seeing that the professor can’t see. His body language is straight and upright posture.

Anti hero – the anti hero has weird and unstable body movement behaving violently. In the flashback her behaviour is calm and stabled but and the end of the flashbacks it all changes.

Antagonist – In the flashbacks the antagonist is seen to have a calm body language before the anti hero shoots her. When she revives, her behaviour and body language has changed making it look like as if she’s dead and has no emotions whatsoever.

Conventions of target audience

After researching existing thriller films, I found out that many psychological thriller films has been rated 15 either due to violence, use of swear words, sexual act etc.

An example of this is a film called the Butterfly Effect, it is an psychological thriller film that’s been rated 15 because of some sexual acts and violence.

Another example is a film called The Grudge, this film has also been rated 15 because of sexual acts and use of language.

After researching and analyzing various of thriller films and also gathering some feedback using the questionnaire, I’ve decided to rate my thriller 15, not because of what my audience watches but also because of the theme I’ve chose for my thriller opening. There’s no sexual acts, swear words, racism etc. however there is violence (murder/gun scene) so therefore I’ve decided that it is appropriate to rate my thriller opening a 15.

Conventions of opening credits

In the Butterfly Effect film, the opening credits are white and moves cause the audience to feel scared. I also looked at another thriller film called SE7EN and the opening credits are also white and have a unique appearance that looks frightening.

I’ve decided to make my opening credits white and bold (making it for the audience easier to read) with movement.

It creates fear and tension to the audience.

Conventions of characters

The protagonist is dressed in a smart and formal clothing which is colored white reflecting his innocence. It also reflects his age as professors are adults and has great knowledge. His facial expression is calm but serious looking and the body language is straight posture.

The antagonist wears a long white dress with long dark hair that covers her face. Her behavior is confusing and mysterious with no facial expression at the end of the opening

The anti hero wears colors that are neutral. Her behavior is unstable and violent.

My thriller following a conventional narrative – Barthes and Aristotle.

Propp – this narrative theory looks at the characters in films which is the hero, villain, donor, dispatcher, false hero, helper, the princess and the father.

Aristotle – this narrative theory follows the theory that the film should have a clear understanding of beginning, middle and the end.

Todorov’s – this narrative theory believes that the narrative structure should consist the equilibrium, disequilibrium and the new equilibrium .

Barthes – this narrative theory consists of cultural understand the semiology (denotations and connotations )

In my thriller, the narrative I’ve chose to follow is the Aristotle’s theory as my plot has a clear beginning, middle and the end.