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

2. The genre of film that I decided to do was Horror, therefore I needed to look at other Horror products and find out what
codes and conventions were used in the genre. I am going to look at whether I used and followed the common
conventions of the genre.
There are many different sub-genres that fall under Horror such as Comedy Horror, Action Horror and Sci Fi horror, all of
which follow very similar codes and conventions.
Some of the conventions that are a reoccurring feature in Horror films that I tried to incorporate into my own film are;
- Suspense
- Surrealism - Something that is not normal
- Some kind of evil presence as the antagonist
- Isolation or loneliness
Normally there is lots of darkness although, in my film I have decided to subvert the genre and made it seem more
normally and happy with brighter lighting
Most horror films follow Todorov’s theory where the film begins with an equilibrium where everything is fine and
everything seems normal, then gradually everything starts to go wrong. I tried to incorporate his theory into my own
film where at the beginning everything seems to be going okay and there is a positive feel to it until half way through
where it suddenly all seems to decline.

3. An example where Todorov’s theory occurs in a full feature length film is The
Descent, a 2005 horror movie directed by Neil Marshall about a group of young
females who go on a caving holiday which leads to inevitable disaster.
At the beginning they all seem happy and
there is a very positive feel to the film, it seems
like everyone is having a great time and
nothing can go wrong.
In the middle everything goes wrong
and averts from the norm.

4. Characters
To follow the codes and conventions of the horror genre I chose a
stereotypical teenage girl to act as the protagonist, it meant people
can relate to her in themselves therefore adding more of a reality to
the film which keeps the audience far more engaged with the
character. If the audience engage with the protagonist well they will
not want them to die, keeping them hooked on the film whereas if
they didn’t care for the character they would soon get bored. This is
why at the beginning the character needs to be introduced and shown
in a good light that everyone can relate to, following Todorov’s theory
of everything seeming normal at the start.
Personally, I feel that I portrayed this well as it just seems like a
typical teenager going out for a walk to meet her friends and it looks
like nothing can go wrong which is helped by the audio which creates
a very mellow, happy atmospheric sound.
Using the same film as before, The Descent is a good example of a
horror movie that includes female protagonists. It shows a group of 6
females with a different range of personalities which people can
relate to themselves as a large range of the audience can connect
with certain characters they feel they are similar with their own
personalities.

5. The antagonist in my film also was chosen to follow the codes and conventions
commonly used in horror films such as very dark clothing and generally the face is
hidden, as though he has something to hide and does not want to be seen. He is
also a large male he could look scary and overpowering.
These are all common features shown in an antagonist.
An example from a horror film that shows these conventions is Sauna. The images
here shows that the two characters, my antagonist and the antagonist from Sauna
both have very similar looks about them, such as the big, dark coat, broad
shoulders and a hidden face. They both look as though they are looking down, like
they could be looking down on someone making them look bigger and powerful.
I wanted to show my antagonist as being very stereotypical for the genre which I
feel I have done quite well. Comparing him to the image to the right they are similar
which shows I have showed my antagonist in a way you might see in other horror
films.

6. Setting
The location used in my film can be associated with other films of the genre as the
setting of a forest is commonly used in horror movies. It is a very successful location for
a horror film as it shows loneliness and isolation due to being so far from anywhere in
the forest. Rather than following conventions of traditional horror films and setting it in
darkness, I subverted the genre setting my film in the day time. This meant the situation
seemed far more real which makes the audience far more scared as it seems like
something that could possibly happen to them in an everyday situation.
It was also far easier to film in the light of day than it was at night which was tried out on
one occasion during filming.
A similar film with a forest as the location is Sauna, set in Russia includes some of the
shots in a wooded area but also, like in mine the lighting is quite bright. This gives it
more of a normal feel to it making it seem as though nothing could go wrong which
scares people more as they tend to feel safer in daylight.

7. I put my finished ancillary product
into places where you would expect
to see film posters that my target
audience are likely to see such as on
billboards in busy cities, bus stops
and in magazines.