1. IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS
OF REAL LIFE MEDIA
PRODUCTS?

2. TITLES
For our title we have chose to have a simple, capital letter and bold
font with a black background. This is a convention of a thriller
because the dark background reflects on the mood and atmosphere
of the film and the antagonist/villains personality. The letters are in
capitals and bold because it is stands out and is dramatic which
reflects on the action which will later take place. Pyscho (1960) had a
title similar to ours.

3. EXTREME CLOSE UPS
In our film we use extreme close ups on the characters faces as it is a convention of
a thriller because it shows their facial expressions and emphasizes their emotional
state which will help the audience understand their part in the film. A film that uses
extreme close ups to show intense emotion is Silence of the lambs.

4. MID CLOSE UPS
Thrillers also use mid close ups to capture and convey general facts and important
detail in the film. We have used a mid close up on the shots where the villains
handcuffs are shown for the first time, and also when he is having them taken off.
This is because we believed they were important in telling the audience the story.
It would reveal to them firstly that he has been arrested, he is in a police station
and that he is the villain.

5. LIGHTING
Dark and low key lighting are conventions of thriller films as they create a gloomy mood and
suspense. This type of lighting is usually used when the villain is in shot because it represents his
dark, sinister personality and bright lighting is used when the victim is in shot because it
represents their innocent personality. We have used a dark effect when the villain is in shot and
brighter one when the victim is. An example film where this is used is at the start of the film
Unknown, where there is dark, low key lighting and shadowing on Liam Neeson, making you
believe he is the villain in the film. The lights get turned on when there is a close up on Diane
Kruger which makes the audience believe she is the victim in the film.

6. CUTS
We have challenged the genre by only using fades to black in our scene, even
though the most common cut used in thrillers are quick cuts because they are
jumpy which may reflects the atmosphere of the typical thriller scene and the
action taking place. However we thought that fades to black would be more
appropriate for our scene because we have used a cyclic structure, meaning the end
of the film is actually at the start and therefore all the action has already took
place.
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/4415195

7. SOUND
Ambient sounds of heavy breathing are a convention of thrillers because it
adds tension and makes the audience feel on edge. We have used heavy
breathing in our scene of the victim and the villain as if the characters are
having a flashback to when the abduction and rape happened. We have
developed this convention further by also using other ambient sounds such as
running footsteps, screaming and heartbeats because it adds more tension and
keeps the audience interested. Flashbacks are also a convention of thrillers
because it gives you an insight on the characters past and may help explain the
story better.
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/4426354