1. HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?

2.  By comparing our moodboards it was evident
that we wanted to do something along the
lines of thrillers. We wanted to have a plot
which played around with the audiences
minds. The genre we agreed upon was
psychological thriller as we thought this
genre would really challenge us with the
storyline than any other genre as we were
able to explore a range of different ideas
which we could adapt and develop to fit into
our storyline.

3.  At first we started out with research on the codes
and conventions of existing films within the genre of
psychological thriller. Many films which we looked
at were Black swan, Shutter island and Inception.
We found many common conventions such as the
use of mis – en – scene, camerawork and similar
characters e.g. the evil character or antagonist
always wears dark or unique clothing which gives a
sense of mystery. We also found the reoccurring
themes were: reality, loss of identity, madness and
death which we decided to interpret into our
storyline.

4.  We developed many conventions of psychological thrillers
through the themes in particular as we used the theme of
madness and reality in order to portray the genre. Rather than
challenge many aspects of the genre we thought it best to use
and develop conventions as the storyline of psychological thrillers
are secretive and can be confusing therefore challenging many
aspects of the genre can make the audience question as to what
the film actually represents. We wanted to make sure that through
every scene shown although we wanted to be ambiguous, we
wanted the audience to immediately understand the genre which
would then help them in order to understand the text. E.g. the use
of deliberate make up on the protagonist in the film poster may be
confusing for audiences however if they knew what genre it was
in then it would become clear to them as to why the protagonist is
represented in that way.

5.  We used many conventions of real media products with regards to the genre of
psychological thriller through the use of lighting, props, costumes, makeup and
framework. Firstly we used conventions of real media products for the costumes
as we made the characters dress in colloquial, casual clothing. During research
we found that many existing films use casual clothing to give a sense of realism
especially as a psychological thriller plays with the mind of the protagonist
making them uneasy and disrupts their mental health therefore the protagonist
wants to be as normal as possible. This was also in contrast to the make-up
used for the protagonist as we kept it natural in order to present a normal girl
living a normal life. However we challenged this convention by using deliberate
make up on the protagonist for the poster to give a sense of madness and
ambiguity. We researched upon the character of the Joker from ‘The dark knight’
and found the use of make-up represented his mad mentality and
characteristics. Therefore we wanted to create this look of deliberate madness
presented through our poster in order to gain interest. Nonetheless we used
conventions of representations of the antagonist as they are normally presented
wearing dark clothing, generally long dark coats/jackets. However we also
developed this convention as rather than dressing the antagonist in dark clothing
we used a silhouette of their figure. This made the scene of the antagonist look
more effective and give a sense of eeriness.

6.  Furthermore we used and developed conventions of real media texts
through lighting. We found that in many existing films during a disruption
or an action scene they tend to use low key lighting to portray suspense
and build tension. Many uses of low key lighting were presented with
scenes of the antagonist as their character is evil giving a darker,
suspenseful feel. We developed the use of low key lighting in particular
scenes as we used it in most of our scenes which consisted of the
protagonist. This was a very effective way of showing problems
foreshadowing around the protagonist. We also used low key lighting
within our poster and magazine cover in order to enhance the
representation of a psychological thriller; we wanted to give a sense of
ambiguity and tension through all three products. Also the use of low key
lighting and colours worked well with our anchorage as on the poster the
dark colours clashed with light colours help the bloody dark red colour of
Emma stand out. Also the magazine cover uses a lot of red against the
protagonist who is dressed in full black with fire as a background which
shows a form of disruption foreshadowing a bad event.

7.  Nonetheless we use props such as a necklace and book in order to represent
Emma’s past. During our research we found that many existing films did not use
props as they tend to be a little aspect of the film as the main action is generally
to do with the protagonist however at first we wanted to use the necklace as a
symbol of her past and present as she find exactly the same necklace (the past)
she has on (in the present) at her new home. We found that many existing
media products tend to use books.
 Moreover we used conventions of framework and camera angles as during
research many existing real media products used close up shots in order to
show emotion, they also used low and high angle shots in order to portray the
protagonist as a victim. Also they used medium shots in order to present the
location such as a house, living room etc. We used many close up shots within
our film in order for the audience to sympathise with the protagonist and to also
show her emotions. In one scene we particularly used a close up in order to use
different angles of framework which gave a sense of scariness. Also in the film
poster we used a close up in order to show the audience the full use of
deliberate make up and also show emotion although the protagonist has no
facial expression. The use of the close up present’s intimacy.

8. CHARACTERS
 We conformed to conventions of characters
in a psychological film as during our research
we found that many films used a girl as their
protagonist as a girl is generally seen to be
more vulnerable and innocent than a man.
However we challenged the conventions of
an antagonist as at first we did want to use a
big man as a figure for the silhouette
however we ended up using a girl which we
thought worked well.