Answer to question one of the evaluation questions completed

1. DaniellaMcHugh
Evaluation: Question 1: In what ways does your
media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
Conventions of a crime thriller:
 Low key lighting
 Suspense/tension music
 Fast paced
 Sense of violence
 Sense of power
 Enigmas
 Protagonist vs antagonist
 Variation of shot types
The first indicator that shows this is
an opening is quite simply the
ident. The ident is a clear signifier
that this is the start of a film as this
is oneof the conventions of an
opening.
The images in the montageat the very
beginning of the opening also would not
necessarily flow with a film anywhere
else. The images set the tone and mood
of the film and highlightkey themes. This
is only needed at the beginning of a film.
Also the montageis also one of the four
types of an opening as it uses visual that
can suggest genresuch as the handcuffsand the police station sign we used to
signify crime and the train to suggest an urban area the usual setting of a
thriller. Images of money and an engagement ring introducepossible theme of
greed/moneyand romance.

2. DaniellaMcHugh
The credits are another convention of an
opening though there are credits at the end of
the film, the order and way that the credits
are shows that this is an opening since the
layout of end credits vary from beginning
credits. The placement of the names is a
convention as there is a specific order starting
from key actorsto the director’sname. The font
used for the names of the cast and crew are
reflective of the themes of the film as they are
simplistic butare haphazard and appear to be
hand drawn or stencilled this shows that the
film is very personalised. Also that there is a
sense of incompletion and imperfection which
is suggestive of the thriller genrebecause it
shows that something is missing and or wrong.
The individual letters appear slightly
broken which creates disorientation and
is reflective of the title of the film
“Fracture”. Thefontfor the title of the
film appearsfragmented as well as like
blood splatter which is reflective of the
hybrid genre and the plot of the film. This is because a common theme of
thrillers is depression and the fragmented fontcan suggest being broken
mentally and or physically. The blood splatter that it also appearsas is
representative of the typical “whodunit” crimeplot as it connotes murder and
death conventionalthemes of crime. Also the actual title of fracturecan have
several connotations. In terms of the crime thriller aspects it can actually be a
break in sanity and mentalstate.
The prop of the gun shown during the montage
highlights the elements of crime in the plot and
enhance the relevance of the gunsin the
storyline. The showing of the gun in later
locations throughouttheopening enhances the
association between the protagonistand the gun. Even
though the gun is quite colourfulwhen notshown in the
montagewe believed that we should notmake the whole opening black and

3. DaniellaMcHugh
white just to make the gun morerealistic as the colour is beneficial to the story
because it increased verisimilitude and expressed low key lighting better than
black and white alone. The montage remained in black and white as it was a
conventionalway of introducing the genre.
The repetitive showing of the pills in the opening
shows that they area key aspect of the plot and
reflects the thriller genre as it can suggest
medication for mental illness though can further
leave the audience questioning the use of the pills.
Also considering the pills arethe first time the protagonistis
seen in directrelation to something even though it is just a
hand it still introducesthe character as someone who is ill.
The costume of the protagonistis reflective of the
distress that she is feeling, a common theme of
thrillers. This is because even though she wears
professionalclothes that suggests she is a
sophisticated working person the clothes are never
completely tidy or done up properlyconnoting that she
is notcompletely structured or organised in terms of
her workand her life. Also the white shirt in striking
contrastwith the simple black tie can suggest opposites
and good versus bad.
The location portrayed in the opening is
stereotypical more so to the crime aspects
of our hybrid genre. This is because crime
films are usually set in the city where this
is morecommon for crimes to occur.
The image of the swings suggests a
place that kids attend showing that
the location is a place populated with
people of differentages. The shot of
both the police station and the park
imply that the protagonistis living in

4. DaniellaMcHugh
an urban area and is local. The generic metropolitan police sign suggests that
the protagonistlives in a place that others can identify with. The parkalso has
this effect of being relatable.
The house that the protagonistlives in a
house very similar to the house of manyand
has no evident strange or weird qualities this
shows that the protagonistis an everyday
ordinaryperson.
The setting that is the workplace
is shown as cramped. This can
portraythat the protagonistis not
handling her work and that she is
panicked and disorganised
introducing her character as
someone with complicationsand
struggles.
This unknown point of view shot makes the
protagonistlook like she is being watched.
This creates an element of mystery and
suspense a theme present in crime/thriller.
The shot shows her sleeping on a bench
which shows the character to appear having a rough time and shows that her
life is very easy and that she is struggling to deal with it because as she is
sleeping on the bench it is signifier of
homelessness and shows that she is
incredibly tired with the struggles she faces.
Somekind of physical or mental struggle is a
theme within thriller and this is represented
through the image.
The shot of the hands reintroducesthe
romantic aspects of the plot as a
wedding ring is seen. This introduces
the idea that the character is someone
that is loved and cared for. Also in
terms of genreclose upsare typical to

5. DaniellaMcHugh
crime/thriller and are usually present for significancesuch as this shot here and
the ones in the montage
Aspects of editing such as blacking out
making the shot appear blurryand out
of focuscreates a
disorientating/unhinged kind of mood
and tone. This highlights that there is
something wrong and makes you
focuson something such as the
brightnessof her shirtin contrast with
the background. Further theshadows
created areconventional to thrillers and
reflect the grungyquality of independent
films. The shadowsheightened such as
the shadows under her eyes enhances
the idea of the protagonistbeing tired.
The ghosting effectused in this shot further
suggests that not everything is simple for
the protagonistand that there is definitely
something wrong. Thissuggests that there
is something that is not clearly explained
creating intrigue and falls under the thriller
genre as it is currentlynot understandable.
This also may provide partof the answer to
the pill use.
Another convention that we followed was quick cuts, this is associated with
crime thrillers.
Sound
The sound in our opening is beneficial to the story and the dramaticsof what is
happening. Thenon-diegetic background music is conventional to the genre
because it is suspenseful, is fast paced and tension building. An example of this

6. DaniellaMcHugh
is the build up to when the protagonistfaints, the music at this moment builds
up until it draws complete focusto the actual fall.
Sound is also in the form of Foley such as the bird sounds in the park that
increases the sense of verisimilitude as well as footsteps that are subtle
amongstthe music. Also the sound of the police siren suggests an urban setting
and links to the location of the city where the protagonistlives.
The voiceover puts what is happening into perspective and helps to slow the
pace of the opening until it builds up again increasing tension gradually.
The story
Three things guidethe main aspects of the story, them being the repetitive
showing of the gun, the pills and the ghosting effect in the park. These three
things are the main signifiers of what could happen in the story. All three of
these things in relation to the protagonistgive away most off the story but
though done so subtly it leave the audiencequestioning. The pills signify illness,
the gun, murder and the ghosting effect, a split in personality through clothes
and appearancechangeand or the impact of twins.
Challenge?
The way in which our opening does challengethe conventionsof a crime thriller
is by the use of Eliza as the protagonist. This is because the crimethriller genre
is dominated by male lead roles seen in popular crimethriller films such as cape
fear and seven. By having a female protagonistour opening subverts the
generalised view of a crime thrillers lead actors.