In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
QUESTION 1
2. HOW MY OPENING INCORPORATES GENERIC
CONVENTIONS
THERE ARE MANY GENERIC CONVENTIONS IN MY MEDIA PRODUCT. AN EXAMPLE
WOULD BE THE BOLD CAPITALIZED TITLE CREDITS. I DID THIS TO CREATE A SIMPLE
BUT JAGGED LOOK.
I ALSO USED MUSIC WITH SEVERAL MOMENTS OF LIGHT AND SHADE TO CREATE
TENSION AT KEY POINTS OF MY SEQUENCE.
ICONOGRAPHY FEATURES IN MY SEQUENCE IN THE FORM OF SHADOWS AND PROPS. I
USED EFFECTS TO GIVE THE ANTAGONIST A SHADOW IN SCENES FEATURING THEM.
ONE OF MY PROPS WAS A KEY WHICH IS IMPLIED TO HAVE A HIDDEN MEANING AND
CREATES ENIGMA FOR MY AUDIENCE.
3. HOW MY OPENING DEVELOPS AND
CHALLENGES THESE CONVENTIONS
I USED SEVERAL OF THESE CONVENTIONS AS THEY ARE POPULAR TO
THRILLER FILMS. FOR EXAMPLE THE USE OF SHADOWS AND MIRRORS ARE
TYPICAL OF THE GENRE.
HOWEVER, ‘KILLING OFF’ ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS SO EARLY ON IN
THE FILM IS UNCOMMON IN THRILLER FILMS AS IT CAN DISENGAGE THE
AUDIENCE.
I CHOSE TO GO AHEAD WITH THIS DECISION BECAUSE ANOTHER
CHARACTER (INSPECTOR HARRISON) SERVES AS A SECONDARY
PROTAGONIST.
5. This is the first shot in
my opening sequence.
It introduces the
location as a bedroom
in a house.
I chose to put the
make up props in
the shot to imply
the bedroom is
home to a female.
I used a simple font
that is easy to read
but also all in capital
letters to give a more
jagged aesthetic. I set
the font colour to
white with a shadow
so it stood out in all
my shots.
The alarm clock gives
background information.
It shows that the time is
during the late afternoon.
Frame 1
6. Frame 2
This is the first shot in
which the audience
get a detailed look at
the protagonists’ face.
The mirror and the
application of lipstick
are typical points of
iconography in
thriller films.
I used a close up shot
for the audience to feel
closer to the
protagonist.
7. Frame 3
This is the first point
in which the audience
sees the antagonist,
but also is a point in
the narrative that
indicates that
something will happen
to the protagonist in
the near future.
I changed the tone to black
and white and added in
special effects to change the
way the motion looked. This
was to help distinguish
scenes of action and scenes
of tranquility, but also to
divide the ‘good’ and ‘evil’
characters.
The antagonist is
hooded to cover their
identity from the
audience.
8. Frame 4
This shot shows the
protagonist putting
a key around her
neck. This indicates
that the key has a
secret meaning
hidden from the
audience.
My protagonist wore
a black dress because
she was planning on
going to a party so
was dressing for the
occasion. However, I
chose the colour
black to signify death
and her pending
I tried to use a variety
of close up and medium
shots in the sequence
to create a connection
between my protagonist
and the audience in the
short space of time
between the beginning
of the film and the
point she is murdered.
9. Frame 5
The murderer
crosses out a picture
of the victim in
anticipation of the
murder.
This causes the
audience to
question what will
happen next.
At this point the music
gets louder and
heavier, creating
increasing amounts of
tension for the
audience.
I used a high angle
shot to get a clear
view of the action
taking place in this
scene.
10. Frame 6
This is the last point
the audience sees the
protagonist alive (in
real time).
The colour palette
for scenes featuring
the protagonist are
‘cool’ colours, to
make her appear
sharper.
This shot moves the
narrative forward as the
protagonist leaves her
house and the audience
are showed the first
exterior shot of the film.
11. Frame 7
This shot is the one in
which the protagonist
is shown to be
murdered for the first
time.
I changed this shot to
black and white to
create a lifeless tone.
I also did this to
coordinate with other
scenes featuring the
antagonist.
This shot tilts down from
the sky and transitions
to black and white just
before the protagonists’
body is revealed to the
audience.
12. Frame 8
This is the defining
shot of my opening
sequence and sets up
the narrative for the
rest of the film.
By having the antagonist
drop the key on the
picture of the deceased
protagonist, it makes it
clear to the audience that
the hooded figure is the
murderer, and also that
the key carries significant
to the plot of the film.
This is also in black and
white because it is a
scene featuring the
antagonist.
I used the same camera
angle as I used when
the picture was being
crossed out to give the
audience a sense of
familiarity with the
setting.
13. Frame 9
This shot would be the
first shot of the rest of
my film. It serves as an
opening shot for a
sound bridge
containing police sirens
after the main title
displays.
This is a good
beginning for the
narrative as it shows
what happens in the
hours after the events
of the opening
sequence.
This shot is the same as
the shot used when the
protagonists’ body is
revealed to the audience
to give them a sense of
familiarity, much like the
previous shot.
