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

1. EVALUATION:
QUESTION 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Trang Lam AS Media

2. The task
Our task was to create a two minute thriller opening within a small group that was put together by the teacher. My group
was made up of Dillan Abraham, Pervin Otun and myself.We were required to work together and create a successful
thriller opening.
Before we could start any filming, we had to carry out research and planning tasks in which we had to look in existing
thrillers to help with creating a narrative for our opening.We also had to think about the thriller conventions surrounding
it and create a preliminary task so we were able to establish what role will go to who and familiarise ourselves with the
professional media equipment.
There was also a pre-preparation stage where it was very beneficial to help increase our knowledge to the conventions
used in thrillers. Moreover, it also helped us build our knowledge and skills on how to use technology such as editing
software's and cameras required to produce a thriller.
After our preparation, we were much more confident in creating our thriller opening comparing to when we first handled
a camera in our preliminary task.We were given two weeks to complete all our filming.
During our filming, we were able to apply the skills that were have learnt before from our previous tasks in order to make
our thriller conventional to its genre.
Preliminary
task
Research Planning

3. Does my thriller follow the conventions of a thriller?
I do believe that my thriller opening follows the conventions of a thriller which is evident throughout my narrative, for example:
Characters
The characters that we have chosen as a group is conventional to the
thriller genre as we have important characters such as the
antagonist, anti-hero (protagonist) and victim(s). The anti-hero
played by a female may slightly challenge the conventions as these
types of roles are usually played by males who are seen as more
dominant and physically stronger just as seen in other existing
thrillers such as ‘Se7en (1997)’. Recent thriller films have become
more accepting towards females with a strong lead such as the
protagonist in the action thriller ‘Lucy (2014)’. Although a female
protagonist might not be as popular as a male protagonist, my
character fulfils the role of any other anti-hero who will eliminate
anyone who gets in her way to catch her bad guy. Therefore, my
chosen characters are conventional to thrillers.
Setting
The setting used throughout my thriller I believe to be
conventional to the thriller genre as we used a graveyard to
convey specific themes such as death and murder. We also had the
antagonist go home in a large house, a bit too large for him to live
in alone. This was creepy and made the audience feel tensed when
watching. In addition, we also filmed on quiet and dark streets to
portray further messages of the antagonist on his dark and twisted
personality.
When the antagonist is walking on the streets, although there is
still light from the lamp poses, we were still able to achieve low-
key lighting to make it look spooky by editing it and using a simple
dark filter over it.

4. Generic conventions of a thriller
Generic conventions of a thriller should be evident in many thriller films, below is generic conventions of characters from
existing thriller films which can be compared to my thriller film that I’ve produced with my group.
The thriller film ‘The Grudge’ has a an antagonist as a young, pale
female who is a spirit that comes back from the dead due to the cruel
way she had been murdered. For that reason, she is the grudge that
never lets go the past and her anger is fused on other people she is
confronted with. She has long black hair that convers her face and
also contrasts with her white dress and skin. She’s a conventional
thriller character as she murders many people in the film which make
her a frightening character to the audience. In my thriller ‘One Of Us’
we have used similar costume, hair and make-up to portray our anti-
hero. Our anti-hero is also a young female that supports the
conventions through her terrifying appearance. She is also a spirit who
has come back to life but purely for vengeance. By following these
conventions from other existing thrillers, my antagonist has received
the same reaction from the audience as she evokes fear and mystery.
One Of Us The Grudge
The thriller film ‘Stepfather’ share similar characteristics like my
antagonist in my thriller opening. The antagonist from ‘Stepfather’ is a
middle aged man who works full time so is a well educated man. Just like
our antagonist who is a full time student and is man who knows what
he’s doing. They’re both capable of doing of what they do which make
them a psychopathic and twisted character that the audience enjoy to
see.
This is conventional to the thriller genre as it is expected for an
antagonist who specially is intelligent to blend in with society so no one
suspects them of being something that they really are. This is why these
characters are dressed smart and neat to deceive others of their pretend
perfect life. They both act confident and dominant which is conventional
to the thriller genre. My antagonist from my thriller can be compared to
the antagonist in ‘Stepfather’ as they are similar in personalities.

5. Using generic conventions of a thriller
Low-key back lighting
In the mystery thriller ‘Prisoners’ there is a huge substantial amount of low-
key back lighting. As it is a mystery thriller, this convention is appropriate to
the genre and sub-genre as it creates more suspense and anticipation of who
this mysterious person is. It also conveys particular messages such as a dark
side to a characters personality. The lighting is conventional as it is expected
to create more suspense for the audience. Similarly in my thriller when the
antagonist is walking away from his house, there is back lighting to convey his
dark personality as you cant see him very well. This makes it conventional to
the thriller genre.
Setting
In the horror thriller ‘Friday 13th’ the antagonist is seen in the graveyard
awakening from the dead. This particular scene is frightening for the
antagonist because this does not happen in real life. Graveyards convey
themes such as death which is spine chilling to the audience when they see
the setting. Graveyards are often isolated places and very quiet which also
makes it spooky. In my thriller, my antagonist is walking through the
graveyard but the audience are not told why which further makes them
question his character.Then we know for sure he’s the antagonist.

6. Using generic conventions within my thriller
I had to ensure that my thriller was conventional to the thriller genre as I made sure to follow the generic conventions and
the presentation of the micro-elements and mise en scene included.
Cinematography
To ensure that my thriller was successful, cinematography is very important. I ensured
that I used various shot sizes, movements and angles that reflected the character and
atmosphere well. For example, when my group and I shot the antagonist walking up to his
room, we had captured him from a low-angle which made him look physically bigger,
furthermore portraying dominance and power.
Furthermore, I used close-up shots from the beginning of my thriller opening to show the
audience that he was getting ready to go somewhere which later on we find out is a
graveyard. It is zoomed into his clothing to clearly demonstrate that he’s getting ready for
something important, this must be very important as we decided to use clos-ups. This also
allows the audience to only focus on what his doing which tell them that this is the main
focus showing its importance of part of the narrative.
Finally, I have a panning shot near to the end to show the anti-hero framed in his window
although he doesn’t see her. Placing the camera to him and then to her shows their
relationship that they once had before. The audience are then able to predict the outcome
of what has to come next.

7. Using generic conventions within my thriller
Editing
I made sure that I followed generic conventions as my editing was conventional to the thriller genre.
I used a series of jump cuts near the beginning of my thriller to show
the antagonist walking through the deserted graveyard. Jump cuts
are very effective as they are noticeable movements of the character
which make the audience question what they’re doing. This is
conventional to thrillers. Furthermore, this also heightens the
suspense for the audience making them feel more excited for what to
come next.
I also used slow motion when the antagonist walks away from his
house, it can be used for when something big or surprising is about to
happen although that is when my thriller opening ends which will
make people want to watch more. Furthermore, slow motion can be
used to increase fear and evoke other emotions from the audience.

8. Using generic conventions within my thriller
Sound
For thriller type movies, its conventional for them to have abrupt sound effects that would evoke fear and suspense on the
audience. Also slow and dark soundtracks adds an extra spookiness giving the audience a spine chilling response. The
function for sound is to increase the intensity and suspense for the audience which makes it a much more fun and exciting
experience for them.
With my thriller soundtrack, it's conventional to the thriller genre because it's quite sinister sounding with the sharp and high
temp screeching noises in the back. It also has a repetitive and low beating sound which similarly sounds like a heartbeat,
when listening to it further, the beat starts to increase and match the visuals on screen. For example every time we see the
spooky looking girl, the beat and high pitch sounds are even louder so the audience are able to feel scared. This conventional
to thrillers because this is expected for the thriller audience to respond this way.
Furthermore, the sound effects that my group and I have included in our thriller evokes more fear and suspense to the
audience as we added footsteps and door banging shut to build up tension making it have a wider impact on the audience.
_

9. Using generic conventions within my thriller
Setting
Conventional thriller settings are likely to be at deserted and remote areas, especially in urban areas such as the streets,
abandoned homes or small and confined areas. My thriller film takes place in various of thriller conventional areas such as a
remote graveyard, big and abandoned home and a quiet and busy road.
When the antagonist is walking down the graveyard, we can almost straight away infer that this character is the antagonist
as he walks down the empty and secluded graveyard which connotes death and misery. When the antagonist makes his
way home, it almost looks welcoming and cozy with warm colours of beige connoting home, safety and security. This also
portrays his split personality which is only on the outside but the inside tells a different story. When the antagonist leaves
his home, he is straight away in the dark again just like he started off, which portray his inner self. This takes place on an
empty road filled with darkness which creates an intense scene in an urban and quiet setting which is conventional to a
thriller.

10. Using generic conventions within my thriller
Iconography
Conventional iconography used in thrillers usually consist of weapons such as guns and knives, blood and mirrors that add
fear for the audience. Although in my thriller we didn’t use as much iconography but our most significant iconography is the
mirror, similarly to existing thrillers, the mirror is a frightening icon as it portrays the antagonists split personality he has with
himself. The mirror shows how 'normal' he looks on the outside as we used this prop to show the hidden victim sitting beside
him, this demonstrated his other side.

11. Using generic conventions within my thriller
Lighting
Lighting creates a purposeful meaning which helps convey the mood and atmosphere. In a thriller, it is conventional to have
low-key lighting as low-key light conveys messages like we should be afraid of this particular character because we are not
able to see their identity properly. Therefore, they're able to get away with anything including murder. Sometimes when
low-key lighting is used, shadows are casted upon that particular characters face or figure which distorts their face and
we're not able to see who they really are properly.This is why low-key lighting is conventionally used in thrillers.
In my thriller, low-key lighting is predominantly used in most scenes to convey this. It's mainly used to demonstrate how
mysterious the character is and how dangerous he can be.
During the antagonists walk through the graveyard, low-key lighting is used which portray themes such as death. In the
rooms where we see the spooky looking girl, there is low-key lighting to cast shadows a evoke feelings of terror from the
audience.
When the antagonist leaves his home, he walks through a dark road which again, he's encountered with low-key back
lighting which means we're only able to see his silhouette and nothing more which create a sense of mystery in his
character.This increases tension and excitement for the audience which makes it conventional to the genre.

12. Using and challenging generic conventions within my thriller
Costume, hair and make-up
In a thriller film, costume is important as it portrays the characters role within the
film. It is conventional for the antagonist or anti-hero to wear black and any other
dark colours to show mystery or evil. Antagonists and victims usually wear white or
any other bright colours to portray innocence, purity, vulnerability or good.
In my thriller film, the antagonist mostly wears black to demonstrate his dark side
however he also wears white to connote his other personality which everyone is
use to seeing. He also has neatly brushed back hair to so we c an see his face
clearly which deceives some viewers at first to thinking his the protagonist or
victim. This is because he needs to blend into society and is a conventional thriller
psychopath killer who has good intellectual skills.
The anti-hero (protagonist) wears all black to demonstrate her evil plans on the
antagonist however it also portrays her coolness that she has risen from the dead
to eliminate the bad. Her skin is pale to show she was a former victim but denotes
that she’s undead. Her long black hair also covers most of her face which give a
creepy and spooky look however she must hide her identity from the antagonist.

13. Using generic conventions within my thriller
Facial expressions and body language
In thriller films, it is conventional for the protagonist and antagonist to have an up-right
and confident body language. Their facial expressions are some what similar to each
other showing determination to fight. Furthermore, this makes them strong and
dominant making them look fearful or fearless.
In my thriller, my antagonist has a neutral facial expression to express his neutral feelings
about the dead bodies scattered in his house. He simply ignores them which make the
audience question his character, he doesn’t have a reaction to them which further
portrays his psychopathic and twisted personality. The antagonists body language is
quite neutral, confident in what he doe which demonstrates dominance and power.
The anti-hero also has a neutral facial expression which makes her look even spookier but
also because she has been dead for sometime and doesn’t show any human emotions
anymore. Her body language remains confident to as she needs to be to fight the
antagonist. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it highlights the fact that she has
knowledge and determination.

14. Using conventions for target audience
From my research, in existing thriller films they evidently target the young social group of teenagers ages
from 15 and above consisting with both males and females. This is conventional to the thriller genre as its
more likely for thriller films to appeal to young people as they are able to relate to certain issues that they
see in these films.
Films categorised as 15 are awarded with acceptable material such as bad language, drug and alcohol use
unless it is not glorified in any way, nudity and sexual encounters however, ages under 15 will find this type
of content disturbing, shocking or inappropriate. The 15 category only exists fir video works and no one
younger than that specific age may buy or even rent this rated video work.
Films that have the age certificate of 15:
• The Grudge (2004) – Has been awarded an age certificate of 15 as it has mild sexual references and
violence.
• Stepfather (2009) – This movie has been given the age certificate of 15 as it has explicit violence and bad
language in it. However the 1987 original version had been awarded 18 because it was a newly thing for
movies to have this much violence in it and viewers were not use to it.
As a result I gave my thriller production an age certificate of 15 because I believe that tends to be the most
popular age groups that find thrillers most interesting to watch. Furthermore, if I was to give my thriller an
18 then my audience would massively decrease as its better to have more people watch and enjoy my
thriller. I feel as it was to be any lower than 15 then people would really feel uncomfortable to watch it due
to major conventional themes such as death.

15. Using conventions of opening credits
Using opening credits in thriller films are likely to reflect the type of thriller it is
depending on the sub-genre it might be. This gives the audience a little insight
of how the movie might be like.
For example:
The opening credits for ‘The Dark Knight’ is big and bold, all in capitals. They
use simple colours such as burgundy, black and white, the conventional
colours in thrillers representing good versus evil and blood.
In the opening credits of ‘Se7en’, the title is white and bold and shakes side to
side to portray itself as a psychological thriller.
As a result, conventional thriller opening credits I decided to go for were
something simple like ‘The Dark Knight’ which is quite effective however I
then decided to use something a little more spookier like ‘Se7en’ to portray
this thriller a psychological one. The bold white typography makes the words
the screen appear bolder and clearer which adds tension and suspense to the
audiences response.

16. Narrative Structure of my thriller
The narrative is what the particular story line is - in which structures the movie into three main parts; the opening, middle and end. The
narratives job is the storytelling that informs the audience what will and/ or maybe happen. It is an important part of the film because if
there was no narrative present then the film will be all over the place, without a narrative, the audience would be confused.
These narrative theories include Propp who looked at characters and their roles including the hero, villain, donor, dispatcher, false her, the
helper, princess and father. Todorov, suggested film follow a specific narrative that the structures consists of the equilibruim, disequilibrum
and new equilibruim, he believed that the formula could be applied to virtually all narratives. The equilibruim was when the characters
appear stable at the beginning of the film, then later on the disequilibrium occurs when something disrupting happens and change occurs
which then leads to be resolved by the hero. Finally the new equilibruim is when the disruption is resolved and the narrative is closed.
Barthes who looked at the semiology theory within a narrative had to consist of the denotation, connotation and cultural understanding.
The connotation and the denotation of a narrative is always referred to symbolism through the use of iconography, themes and characters.
For an example; an antagonist has the connotations of evil and power that demonstrates his or hers bad intentions and capability. Finally,
Aristotle believes that the importance of a plot is the whole focus of a narrative. He states that it is key to have a beginning, middle and end.
Moreover, he believes that it is important to arouse emotions and feelings through the use of themes especially themes such as a tragedy
that would spark up the audiences mentality and emotions. Aristotle observed that all narratives had a beginning, middle and end
furthermore, a narrative he stated should be created with a unity of time, place and action moving towards a logical and moral conclusion.
As a result, my thriller also follows Aristotle as it has a clear beginning middle and end. There were themes such as death, murder and
relationships that all evoke emotions from the audience as they respond to it.

17. Evaluation
Overall, my thriller opening uses conventions of existing thriller films that the audience are
expected to see. I ensured to follow the common conventions through the micro elements
and miss en scene for example I was able to capture some scenes with low-key lighting to
evoke fear within the audience.
My antagonist also challenges the conventions of a conventional antagonist by wearing some
light coloured clothing however this was to portray his split personality.