QUESTION ONE) IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT

SUBVERT, DEVELOP OR ADHERE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF

REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

MY KNOWLEDGE OF THRILLER FILMS AND THEIR CONVENTIONS:

• From my extensive range of research and from my own knowledge I have a gained a great understanding of forms and conventions of real media products relating to the thriller genre. The forms of conventions are the different ways thriller films exist and the forms they exist in due to the features they contain. Because of this, I have learnt that they are often filled with features such as action, are known as being fast paced and can contain characters which are villains and heroes, for example. The “thrill” of a thriller further comes from a large amount of features such as suspense, red herrings and cliff hangers as well as the sense of jeopardy and violence which occur within them, especially if they are influenced by “film noir,” which is a term that was coined by French critics (first by Nino Frank in 1946) to describe movies, most commonly like Hollywood crime dramas, which have dark themes relating to negativity, as well as relating to characters that are cynical (motivated by self interest and untrustworthy of others) and sexual themes. Another common find, is the incorporation of so called “codes” which refer to effective frameworks within a thriller that result in the creation of different feelings, emotions and interpretations in connection to the audience as well as plot changes Their sub-genres also impact their ability to be thrilling, such as if they contain “horror,” which would influence the audience to be somewhat scared and therefore thrilled.

• Furthermore, other themes and features are commonly used in order to create a thriller film. These include scary music and topics used to create mysterious scenes and suspense. Iconography also helps to emphasise the thrilling nature of the film, such as the mysterious, repetitive use of a phone call where no one answers. Binary oppositions in the form of characters can also help to push plots forward in a thrilling way. For example if a good person or a bad person, protagonist or antagonist, a powerful person and weak person fight against each other, then an immediate interest is gained from the audience as they want to know what happens. Similarly, if a “personal” event happens in a characters life during a film which the audience can empathise with this also occurs, such as kidnapping, which could both scare and pull on the heart strings of those who watch it. Either way it’s a feature, like other similar features, which could make a film thrilling.

GENRE, THEMES, CHARACTERS AND

AUDIENCE:• Our thriller opening adhered and had similarities to conventions of real life media products.

Examples of this included the fact we were able to reveal a storyline that was a part of the sub-genre of horror (similarly to movies such as Prom Night and Scream), that is typically a part of thriller movies, as well as other sub-genres such as comedy. Our storyline incorporated a girl (Emma) with mental issues and a murderous past, the hero in the form of her friend who tried to help her and a villain in the form of the doctor who wanted to experiment on Emma. The fact that we incorporated these characters and a cast of teenagers, as well as that we developed the older character of the doctor, was similar to other thriller films as mentioned. Evidence from research of this suggests that this is because the victims (like featured within the movie Prom Night) are usually, innocent, younger teenagers with a villain who is older, which is therefore a similarity to our cast.

• All these different features and themes, including the fact there was murder, Emma got locked up in a confined space and there was a cliff hanger at the end, are typically found within thriller films to thrill, excite, entertain and slightly scare their audiences. I think that from the research conducted and previously explained, it therefore influenced us to create a conventional storyline. We chose to not be unconventional in this way, as it would allow us to reach a mass audience who are already familiar with a typical thriller format, as well as helping us to target an audience of mainly teenagers, since that’s what we are and who we’d like to entertain (although people who aren’t and are older would be really favourable too), however we incorporated original ideas which therefore made ours original and challenged the conventions of real media products. I believe our thriller opening also contained themes relating to "film noir" as it therefore contained dark and negative themes such as murder and Jade's character seems motivated by her own self interest as well as seeming to be untrustworthy of others since she murders Lizzie's character.

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• We were unconventional by incorporating original ideas within our thriller opening. For example, although other thriller movies such as Shutter Island and Inception focus around issues involving the mind, we were not directly inspired by these and thought we’d be original and interesting by including a character with Multiple Personality Disorder. We chose to do this as we found the illness really interesting ourselves, and without being offensive to people who actually have it, we chose to create a fictional story to both thrill and inform (as it raises awareness of the illness to viewers) about it. We also used Premiere Pro to incorporate another original feature in the form of flashbacks.

• Although, flashbacks can relate to "film noir" which is a common convention, by using these we are able to inform viewers of past events which have affected the present and inform them of the stories the characters have within our original framework which therefore emphasises the originality of our work. We also chose this as we thought by using a timeline of events in this way it was really interesting as they create suspense, would stand out from other thriller openings and allows the audience to understand the thriller easily.

NARRATIVE:

• We followed the conventions of narratives of other thriller films as we used similar plots involving a killer and victim(s), protagonists and antagonists, as well as the involvement of a murder, for example. These were used in order to help the audience understand that negative things had happened in the past and may do in the future. For example, by using flashbacks and different character’s points of view, such as my own at the start, then Jade’s as she’s walking through her house and flashbacks of Lizzie smiling (which are original techniques that we used).

• We were more original in comparison to other narratives of thriller films because we chose a complex and original plot and storyline that was made up of different flashbacks and points of view. These are examples of techniques which allowed to create suspense and allow questions to be raised within the heads of viewers about it to engage them.

• Jade’s character also didn’t follow the usual conventions of thriller films. This is because she can’t be defined necessarily as being a protagonist or antagonist as she is a mixture of both. She is a victim of her illness, as well as because of the doctor trapping and experimenting on her (which are original parts of our thriller opening), but at the same time a murderer and a source of evil, as is the second killer, my character, the doctor.

• The use of two evil characters also makes our thriller opening more original. We chose to do this to further make our thriller opening more interesting in comparison to other films. This is because more questions could be raised and more possible storylines could be thought of in connection to the characters included within our opening, as well as others what aren’t included, but could potentially be thought of, such as, “where are Jade’s character’s parents?”

TITLING:

• From viewing the titling of other thriller movies such as “Se7en” they contain really interesting titling sequences made up of moving imagery and images, as well as text in different fonts and colours. By conducting research in the form of watching thrillers I also understand that the names of the cast who are most known are shown first normally (such as the director and cast) within a titling sequence, with the fellow important people who helped to make the film being shown after.

• We adhered to the conventions of real media products such as “Se7en” as we followed this same titling sequence format, as well as trying to develop creative and thrilling font that fits in with the theme. For example, that’s why it’s in the colour white. To symbolise death (which relates to iconography and is a common feature found within thriller films) as well as helped to create an eerie, suspense filled mood (as also commonly found within thriller movies).

THE SETTING AND ICONOGRAPHY:

• My group adhered to the sort of setting that is typically found within a thriller film. This is because we filmed within a run-down building that was empty and in a desolate area. This creates a feeling that relates to iconography. This is because when you think of thriller films you think of suspense and mystery. By using our filming location we were able to do this because it gave the impression that the doctor had locked Emma up in a place that was far from anyone else. By doing this, it also relates to the sub-genre of horror and the typical, associated features to do with that too.

• More iconography which is typically found within a thriller film was used. This is because our introduction to the start of our thriller opening features two locked wooden doors/gates. An image of these are shown above. This insinuated and created a similar effect to other thrillers, that there’s no sense of escape from something and that someone/something is trapped which creates suspense and mystery which are also common features of thriller films. As well as this by using Premiere Pro, we were able to alter the colour scheme of our opening to darker colours. Although this is another feature that can be found in thriller films, it is not that common and further makes our thriller more original. However, it also creates the same effects as produced by thriller films, as it helps to make the setting creepier and scarier to make the audience more on edge and “thrilled.”

CAMERA SHOTS AND EDITING:

• We adhered to the popular conventions of thriller films by using similar camera techniques. These include using establishing shots of eerie looking buildings like the gate at the beginning of our opening, close ups to create suspense like the one which followed and was further made even creepier by escalating into darkness.

• We also used a combination of close up shots to dramatically show Olivia’s eyes, which mysteriously inferred and contrasted her past and following death. As well as this, we also used low and high angle shots and panning. For example, we were able to create suspense when showing Olivia’s dead body by panning over her from above. This therefore combined a high angle shot and panning to do this, which combines originality and related to common features of thriller films to create mystery and engage the audience.

• Different editing techniques were used that both relate and don’t relate to the conventions of real media products. By using the original feature of flashbacks we were able to include parallel editing, that involves another editing technique, cross cutting. This meant different scenes in one two or more locations were shown. For example, Lizzie’s character had blood coming from her eyes (to insinuate and symbolise her death) within one scene of our thriller opening, but then with the accompaniment of another flashback she is seen smiling within the same location which makes the audience believe this happens at the same time. But later on, with another flashback she is shown as being dead. This helps the audience to create a timeline of events in their heads such as that in the past Lizzie was happy, but then the audience know in her future she is murdered by her friend. By choosing to use a combination of these editing techniques to inform the audience about events that the character's don’t know about, it results in the creation of suspense, mystery, further interest in the opening and the provoke of emotional reactions from the audience. From this, it can be understood that although the editing techniques can be commonly used separately within thriller films, a combination of all of them within our storyline makes our usage of them more original. Although, the effects of them may also relate to the conventions of thriller films, we were able to be more original by creating a hopefully greater impact on the audience since they are all created simultaneously too.

SIMILARITIES OF CAMERA SHOTS:

My thriller opening: Other thriller films:

The screen shots on the right

from one of the Scream

movies are mid-shots like the

screen shot of Jade playing

her character within our thriller

opening on the left. They all

share a similar theme as they

show a person insinuated as a

victim since they’re trapped.

The screenshot of gates within my thriller

opening and the screenshot of gates

within the film Shutter Island insinuate and

create the feeling that something is

hidden away or trapped behind them.

This creates suspense and mystery, which

means questions are raised by the

audience.

The reveal of a killer is used to create suspense as the “victim” might not always know they’re there. A scene within my thriller opening similarly shows this, as does a scene from one of the Scream movies.

SIMILARITIES OF CAMERA SHOTS CONTINUED:

My thriller opening: Other thriller films:

Images can also be used in order to establish mise-en-scene as well as reveal interesting and important details to the audience. For example, this is done within my thriller opening and the opening of the movie “Se7en.”

The images below show how close ups of characters can create and emphasise suspense within a thriller

opening as well to inform the audience that something may happen. Similar to my own thriller opening, as

shown, close ups of a the young, female who plays the main character is shown to do this in the movie Prom

Night.

This screen shot from the movie

Se7en similarly shows how mise-

en-scene is established like in my

own through the use of showing

texts that reveal the audience

important details.

SOUND:

• Our thriller movie opening also resembled others by using engaging, thrilling sounds that were put together to create a soundtrack. This was used as it entices the audience by setting the scene and helps to forebode the thrilling events of the film according to what is being shown. This was done by using Mixcraft.

• However, due to the fact our film only contains non-diegetic sounds (sound that doesn't necessarily have a visible source on screen, e.g. a narrator's commentary) since we only have a soundtrack playing within our thriller opening it is therefore non-diegetic and goes against the conventions commonly used in thriller films. Instead diegetic sounds like the character's voices are usually heard as the person speaks on screen. We chose to mostly include non-diegetic sounds like creepy sounding music in order to create suspense and to stop an automatic bond being created between the audience and characters which could happen if they hear their voices. Although, we did adhere to the conventions of thriller films since we included the diegetic sound of Jade’s scream (a picture of her from the scene where she screams and her scream is heard can be seen above) as well as other screams, but we were original as we contrasted it with the use of non-diegetic screams and the music they are apart of. This was done so that questions are raised by the audience about what happens which emphasises the mysterious and thrilling themes of the thriller opening, which are also conventions of thriller films, and are therefore caused by the included and original use or non-diegetic sounds.

CODES:

• Enigma codes are defined as frameworks within a film that make the audience raise questions about it. These are commonly used within thriller films due to the fact they keep the audience on edge. These can usually be answered soon after or later on in the film. The amount of suspense built is therefore dependent on this. We have incorporated this code within our thriller opening as the audience will wonder who all of our characters are at the beginning and although more is revealed about Jade and Lizzie’s character suspense is created and a cliff hanger is sort of formed at the end which results in more questions being asked by viewers like “why did she murder her friend?” This engages the audience and makes them want to watch a full length film about it.

• Action codes refer to important events that commonly involve “action” (hence the name) which allow the narrative, plot or storyline to movie in a certain direction or directions. They are also used commonly used within thriller films to keep the audience engaged due to excitement and being “thrilled.” We also incorporated this within our thriller opening since there were different important scenes that related to action which created mystery and suspense. These included my character walking within a dark, run down building, Jade’s character being showed as tied up to a chair at the beginning and her friend’s murder. These events are important examples of where suspense is created within our thriller opening as well as making the audience engaged and think about what has happened and why it has.

THEORIES:

• Our thriller opening does adhere to the features mentioned within Daniel Chandler’s Genre Theory. This is because it’s main genre is that it’s a thriller, however it can also be categorised as having sub-genres such as mainly being horror. Furthermore, we also adhered to society’s ideologies and values. Such as their understanding about mental illnesses, or lack of in this circumstance, this is why we wanted to raise awareness of Multiple Personality Disorder. We wanted to also address their interest in them, which is why we wanted to make a thrilling and interesting opening thriller about it and why we created the character of the Doctor who has an unhealthy interest in Olivia and wants to experiment on her. As well as this, we also adhered to the idea that being in a secluded area when someone is on their own as believed by modern day society as people wouldn’t feel safe. This is shown by Jade’s Character Olivia as she is shown alone and tied up in a run-down building and walking through her house which looks quite eerie which is purposely done to forebode danger and her murderous streak (personality).

• Todorov theorised that narratives are pushed on by different events in a “cause and effect format.” He also believed that the equilibrium of a film is balanced out by the ending of it. In my group and I’s thriller opening we used this whilst successfully adhering to the conventions of media products as well as also being original. This theory is one that, although is commonly used, it may not be used all the time throughout thriller films. For example, if the equilibrium isn’t restored and a cliff hanger is created at the end of the film this could be intentional in order to keep the audience engaged so that a sequel can be planned. Instead of following the conventions of media products in terms of Todorov’s theory, we wanted to be more original and create more suspense as mentioned. This is why we left the ending of our thriller opening as a cliff hanger. We did not follow his belief that the equilibrium of a film can be balanced out at the end intentionally so that suspense will be created and the audience will ask more questions about what will happen next within our thriller. We would want this to happen so that it could relate to the potential creation of a full length film about it. It would also make our thriller more original and be successfully “thrilling.”