Question 1 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

 Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and 
conventions of real media products?

The task that my class and I were set was to create a two minute opening sequence for a thriller film. For this task, the class was divided into separate groups so members each had different strengths and weaknesses which they could work on together to create a successful media product.

Conventions are certain expectations that a particular audience have of a film from a specific genre such as in a thriller film, a murder is expected to take place in some form. When analysing different thriller films when planning for the creation of my media product, I noticed a main convention evident within Scream was the use of hidden identity. This is shown by the murderer's face being remained unknown underneath a 'GhostFace' mask and the identity is not revealed at any point within the film. I think that this was effective as it created a maximum amount of tension  and allowed for sequels to be made in order to extend the enigma created and keep the audience guessing as to who the antagonist could be. This, in turn, is conventional to the thriller genre as it can be used to evoke certain responses from the audience and allow for these to be heightened, creating crucial elements of tension and surprise to encourage and entice the audience to want to watch on further to find out who the antagonist is. This also leaves the hidden character as being mysterious to the audience due to not knowing who they are or anything about their background which may act as an indicator as to why they are doing what they choose to.

Another convention I identified was the feature of a knife being used in a murder scene taken from the film Halloween. A knife can be used to immediately connote an element of danger as the audience will recognise it as a weapon that can be used to inflict serious injury or even death if anyone were to get their hands on one. A knife is conventional as it is the most popular and well known weapon to be used to kill in thriller films which is shown through its diverse feature in a number of thriller films as well as Halloween. This therefore creates suspense within the audience as the representation of a knife will make them aware that a murder is about to take place.

Furthermore, non-diegetic sound was another convention I managed to interpret when analysing Sinister. On a majority of the most tense murder scenes, creepy and unsettling music was added in  and played over the images in order to inform the audience that something bad is about to happen. For example, within the infamous 'Lawnmower Scene' a monotonous sound can be heard when the figure is stood outside a family's house looking in at them which is used to build up suspense and make the audience wonder what will happen next. When the lawnmower is started up and a person appears and is ran over by the lawnmower, a high pitched note can be heard which is the climax of what has been built up beforehand which creates an element of shock as viewers were left unaware that people were going to be killed and are left in anticipation when they witness what had happened. Non-diegetic sound is conventional in thrillers as it is used to create elements of surprise and tension which are crucial in order for a thriller film to be successful. This type of sound also can be used to shock the audience allowing for the emotions they may already be feeling to become heightened and feel involved within the scene taking place in the film creating escapism values.

Another convention I identified from the film Saw was the use of a murder scene. This can be shown throughout the entire duration of the film when the infamous 'Jigsaw' subjects his unsuspecting victims to partake in sick and twisted games eventually leading to their murders. This is a main convention within the thriller genre as an audience would almost always expect to see a murder take place at some point. The frequent murders would create shock and tension within the audience as they begin to question why the victims are being tortured and killed in such a horrific way, especially as it is left unclear if they'd done anything wrong. This would also evoke sympathy from viewers as they feel sorry for the victims therefore creating a definite relationship. Furthermore, murder is conventional within the thriller genre due to constructing  a narrative for the film to be driven upon as well as raising questions within the audience as to why the victim character is being murdered in such a horrific way.

Having said this, I was able to take on board ideas and inspirations from these films in order to plan my own thriller sequence and gain knowledge of which conventions I needed to include to ensure I was making a product that would be conventional to the genre. The first convention evident within my thriller, Amnesia, was a female victim. My partner and I decided to have the victim being the wife of the antagonist who pays a hit man to kill her. The female victim is shown briefly within the murder scene and is portrayed as being weak and vulnerable in order for the hit man to have the ability to overpower and kill her. This is conventional as female characters are usually always shown to be inferior to their attackers as they are the characters who die first, due to constantly being represented as innocent and vulnerable.

Another convention I decided to include was a hidden identity. This is clearly shown within my media product through the antagonist leaving the hit man a text message on his phone which he receives when waking up in an unknown location after being left there unconscious. The text gives the hit man instructions on what he is required to do having developed amnesia and being confused as to where and who he is. This helps to keep the antagonist's identity to remain hidden which is conventional to the thriller genre. This therefore prolongs the tension created and encourages the audience to watch the entire sequence to have an opportunity to come face to face with the antagonist. However, this character is not shown at all within the opening sequence to prolong the enigma as well as suspense created.

A male killer was a convention I decided to include within my thriller sequence to closely follow the genre. I have used this within my product by having the hit man slicing the female victim's throat, although this image is never shown to the audience as Kuleshov effect is evident in this particular scene. This helps to create elements of tension and surprise as it is inhuman to have your murder set up by your own husband as well as being killed in somewhere that is supposed to be safe. This links in with my narrative as my partner and I wanted to include a psychological theme in order to play on the audience's mind as well as the characters. Therefore, the audience are forced to question their own sense of security after witnessing this horrific murder which, in turn, evokes a sense of realism and suspense. This is conventional as having a male killer means that they are superior and more stronger and are able to kill their victims quite easily as females are usually represented as weak and unable to fight back.

Furthermore, the use of low key lighting was another inspiration I included within my media product to closely follow the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. This type of lighting is used throughout the entire sequence to keep the suspense building up until the murder scene where the maximum amount will be reached therefore acting as a climax of the scene. This evokes a response from the audience as the lighting is used to prolong suspense suggesting that something bad is going to happen but the exact point at which this happens is left unclear so as to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and watching the entire sequence to see what may happen next. This is conventional to the genre because low key lighting is used to connote mystery and suspense relating to the narrative as the audience are left wondering who the antagonist is and why he wants his wife killed. This also prolongs the enigma previously created at the beginning of the sequence which is effective in keeping the audience engaged in what they are watching.

My partner and I also decided to use frequent examples of Non-diegetic sound to create tension for the audience. We edited in several different sounds at different points within the thriller to build suspense up in certain parts such as when the hit man is seen to be walking down the hallway and creeping up on his unsuspecting victim. This is used for dramatic effect as it aids in constructing a relationship with the audience as they are aware that the female victim is about to die therefore evoking empathy as they feel sorry for her being completely oblivious to what is about to happen. This is conventional as the sound brings an ambience to the thriller and is responsible for creating tension and panic within a certain situation for example the murder scene.

The final convention evident within my own media product was the use of constant change of camera angles. This is shown in our thriller by the constant use of different cinematography techniques such as canted angle, over the shoulder, point of view (POV), close up, mid shot and panning. We decided that by introducing different camera shots and angles, as well as displaying our high level of skill with cinematography, it created different connotations relating to the narrative and the sequence is therefore more thrilling for the audience to watch. For example, the canted angle is used near the beginning when the hit man is seen to untie himself and attempt to gather his surroundings, by using this particular angle, it helped to portray the psychological theme as it represents disorientation and confusing relating to the hit man's situation. He had just woken up from an unconscious state and is seen to develop amnesia which is further shown through this camera technique, this has then helped to inform the audience so that it doesn't get too confusing. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the change in camera angles helps to pass the pace of the scene as well as displaying change in relationships between characters. It also creates elements of suspense and tension as the angles can be used to play on the audience's minds and wonder why these have been specifically chosen.