Question 1 of Media Studies AS final product evaluation

1. Joe Turberville
1) In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
Frame 1:
This is a key frame as it instantly tells the audience that there is something unusual
going on due to the late training session and the short notice which means that they

2. Joe Turberville
could become instantly suspicious of what might happen next. In this frame the
person receiving the text (victim) could be seen by the audience as someone that
needs reminding of things hence why he got the text from his brother, maybe he is
lazy and needs motivation etc. possibly causing the audience to think that he is
vulnerable. The fact that the phone screen has clouds on could portray a very
positive image of the boy but could also present him as someone that is completely
oblivious to the rest of society an is very isolated, this would make him very
vulnerable to any dangers that may present to him. The headphones are also
representative of the boy’s isolation from society; throughout the opening scene the
sound perspective of the victim when it comes to the diegetic sound is very muffled,
therefore highlighting to the audience how he may not understand or even know of
the dangers that could present themselves to him. Lastly his first shot represents the
audience the focus on technology throughout the scene and the
isolation/disconnection that it shows amongst the different characters and society as
a whole. Yet again showing the audience how isolated the boy is from his brother
and the rest of society, this therefore could make the audience feel sympathetic
towards him.
Frame 2:
This is another key frame because of the way that the character is presented. The
audience are now shown through the mid shot that the character that received the
text is quite young and judging by the stuffed animals on the sofa could still be
struggling to move on much from childhood, this makes him seem like a very
vulnerable character within the thriller genre, this sticks o one of the general codes of
the thriller genre often if there is a child involved then they are one of the victims.

3. Joe Turberville
The fact that he is sat to one side of the sofa could help to represent his loneliness as
there is a large empty space around him this yet again makes him seem even more
vulnerable and causes the audience to feel sorry for him as the only thing that he
seems to have is his brother who is only at the other end of a text conversation. The
fact that he is wearing a smart (secondary) school uniform is quite a major contrast
to the childish and vulnerable nature of the boy this could show the audience that he
is being forced to live in a very structured system that doesn’t suit him meaning that
he becomes more and more isolated and vulnerable. However, some of the audience
may see him as someone who is very in control and mature, this could cause that
part of the audience to feel less sympathetic towards him and could possibly go to
the extreme of finding him more threatening. The colours of the wall and the big
cushions on the sofa are the same as the colours of the clouds and the sky on the
wallpaper of the phone in the previous shot, this once again emphasises to the
audience his dreamy personality and the fact that he is oblivious to any danger that
may approach him. The light that is coming the screen on his phone could resemble
the fact that the boy may only see the bright side of everything, this could cause the
audience to lose some of their sympathy for him, however they could also see this
mentality as something that may make him more vulnerable. The fact that the font is
very neat, clear and upright could represent the very strict life that the boy is being
forced to live and could show his true personality is being repressed causing the
emotion and the loneliness that we see from him possibly making the audience feel
sympathetic for him. The music that is played in this scene is the only sound, this
once again shows the audience that the boy is oblivious to the anything that is going
on around him. in addition, the piece of music is quite complicated showing that
everything might not be as it seems, this means that the audience may become
inquisitive as to what might happen later in the scene that may have an impact on
the boy. They could also cause the audience to believe that this boy isn’t quite the
same as the one that was introduced to us at the start, this means that there might
be something more complicated going on with the boy emotionally that we might
not know about that may present itself later.

4. Joe Turberville
Frame 3:
From the point of view of the audience the location of this shot could be anywhere,
meaning that they are kept completely in the unknown causing them to become
more intrigued by what is going to happen next meaning that they would continue
to watch (the sense of mystery that is created here is a key convention of a thriller).
The costume that the antagonist is wearing is relatively dark in colour this helps to
show the audience that he is the antagonist and could be preparing to do something
that is against the law and/or will have a major effect on one or more of the
characters in the film. The fact that this shot is at a high angle makes the antagonist
seem as if he has little power in the situation and doesn’t know that he is being
watched on CCTV. An alternative opinion could be that he does not care that he is
being watched on CCTV even though the audience think that he is about to do
something of an antagonistic nature, this causes the audience to be wary of him and
in the later scenes that he isn’t in he will be in the back of their minds as they wonder
what he is doing and/or is going to do. The CCTV filter that I placed on this shot is
very significant because it tells the audience that he is the antagonist and that he
would be one of the main focuses of the rest of the film. I got the idea of using the
CCTV filter from the opening scene of Jack Reacher. This shot is also very reminiscent
of one that you might find in a news report on the abduction of a child where they
are showing the suspect. This means that the older portion of the audience may be
able to work out what is going to happen next, this would cause them to have

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preconceived feelings about this character and may incriminate him without much
thought. The use of the CCTV filter is also slightly ironic as usually the presence of a
CCTV camera would create a feeling of safety and security within the public, however
in this situation it is being used to highlight a possible danger. The fact that the shot
is in black and white could show how focused the antagonist is on carrying out the
task in had whatever that may be, very efficiently this creates a similarity between the
boy and the antagonist as they are both seem to be focused on one thing and
nothing else (the boy – his phone and the antagonist – the task he is carrying out).
When it comes to the narrative of the film this frame works very well as it introduces
one of the main characters as the antagonists and sets the tone of the rest of the
scene, it also ties in the audience as they would want to find out what happens later
in the scene. The fact that the antagonist is wearing quite casual clothes could give
the impression to the audience that the boy is the more dangerous person in the film
as he is wearing the suit (uniform) which is a conventional costume for the
antagonist within the thriller genre. This plays on the common ideology in today’s
society that anyone could be dangerous and nobody can be trusted. At this point the
editing also begins to quicken, this gives the scene more urgency especially
compared to the boy. This could make the antagonist seem as if he is moving with a
purpose and is being very efficient in what he does (almost as if it has been
rehearsed) or some members of the audience could see it as him looking panicked.
Frame 4:
This extreme close-up helps to show the audience the victim’s emotions before he is
killed. The fact that this is before the event even happens would cause the audience
to be intrigued as to why he has such a sad expression on his face as the audience

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would assume that he wouldn’t know what is going to happen to him. This therefore
opens far more possibilities about his backstory and what could have happened to
him in the past or another view could be that he does know he is going to be killed
but he has no way out if it for some reason. This shot is both conventional and
unconventional, it is conventional as the extreme close-ups are used in the thriller
genre to show emotion or a character’s reaction to something/someone. However,
this shot is more reminiscent of the horror/surrealist genre meaning as it breaks the
4th
wall, by directly dressing the viewer through the boys stare it creates a certain
bod between the audience and the character, as he looks very troubled in this shot
cold make the audience see this extreme close-up as a cry for help and may show
that he already knows what is about to happen to him. However, this could also be
quite a threatening image which could possibly make the audience feel as if they
have been put in the position of the antagonist. Since the audience may not be able
to “read” the boy’s facial expression fully could cause them to feel quite powerless, as
they may not know if he is reaching out to them for help or whether he is
threatening them meaning that they would be pulled in two different mind sets, one
being that they should try to help and the other being that they should not trust him
as he could be a danger to him. The use of extreme close-ups is a key shot that is
used in many thrillers to present the character’s emotions and their reactions to what
is happening in the film an example of a film that uses a lot of close-up shots is
Ronin. This shot could have quite a devilish tone to it due to the red around the boys
and the light that comes mainly from above casting shadows over his eyes, this
therefore gives the scene a more sinister feel about it and makes the boy seem more
threatening. The fact that this scene is in complete silence apart from the music adds
to the lack of emotion coming from the boy and continues the mystery amongst the
audience when it comes to what he is trying to tell us which is very conventional of
the thriller genre.
Frame 5:

7. Joe Turberville
This is the first frame where the connection to the title could be made by the
audience but does not give away the whole reason why the film is called “In At The
Deep End” this therefore means that the audience continues to wonder about what
might happen later on in the film. The location of the scene is now clearly a
swimming pool where the victim is killed. The fact that this is shot is taken at a low
angle helps to show the audience that the victim has infect died as he flops into the
pool, and doesn’t jump in as if he is in control. Furthermore, the low angle of the
shot would infer that the person who is living (who’d be on poolside even though
you can’t see him) has greater power than the victim who has fallen past then below
the camera while the camera is still pointed upwards at the raised poolside. This
therefore helps to show how powerless the victim is when it came to his death,
especially considering his age which is quite young. A film that uses this technique of
keeping the camera on the most powerful part of the scene even when it can’t be
seen is Ronin and the hidden gun. In addition, the change in environment to being in
the water creates a more varied and interesting possibly making the audience want
to continue to watch. The fact that this shot was taken from underwater mans that
the colours almost look like ink, this has connotations of something being stained
this could infer that whatever events are taking place will have a major effect on one
or more of the characters in the film later on, in addition the fact that water is also
included could infer the opposite, that the ink is being washed away were the ink
represents the boy’s life, this could infer that the death of the victim could have been
a good thing for him, leaves the audience to question why: was he a threat to
someone, was he having major emotional trouble etc. The location of the opening
scene is very significant as somewhere like that is normally linked with freedom and
enjoyment, however this is a major contrast to the events that are taking place
making them far more shocking to the audience. The dark lighting of the pool also
makes the scene seem far more sinister and threatening which is reminiscent of

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many of the underwater shots in Jaws. The pace in this shot slows down dramatically
showing how the victims’ life is slowly draining away, there is also a shocking lack of
any form of struggle or fight in this shot which is massively emotive and makes the
audience question why he died so peacefully (was he happy for his life to end?) once
again opening the sense of mystery that surrounds the boy which is very
conventional.
Frame 6:
In this shot it is the first time that we are introduced to the protagonist. The location
of the film is also shown to the audience through the sign therefore telling the
audience that the protagonist is entering the same place as where the victim has just
died, in addition the shot shows the same barriers that were in the CCTV shot. This
means that the audience knows what he is about to discover and they may begin to
worry for him as they may think that she is walking into a trap as the antagonist may
still be in the same place causing the level of tension to rise amongst the audience.
The costume that he is wearing has a light top which is a contrast to the antagonist
making the audience see him in a more positive way and causes them to side with

9. Joe Turberville
him in later situations in the film. This frame fits the narrative of the film as he is the
last person to enter the pool which fits with the idea of discovering his brother who
has been killed then notices his murderer who runs away, this sets up the rest of the
films story. In this shot the boy isn’t presented as the obvious protagonist, the only
way that he is shown as the protagonist is through the lighting, he is spotlighted by
the light above the sign. This makes him look heavenly and angelic as if he is going
to do something that will have a positive impact on the rest of the film. This lighting
coupled with the lack of other signs that he is a hero plays on the ideology of the
unlikely hero and that just the same as anybody in society could be dangerous
anybody could be a hero and could be there at the right time to save you. This also
plays on the audience mind and make them wonder who to trust and who not to
trust. Playing on this idea of the unlikely hero is now very conventional of the thriller
genre, however as the rest of the shot is not conventional at all leading to a large
contrast between this shot and the CCTV shot even though they are in the same
location. The barriers between him and the camera creates an emotional distance
between the protagonist and the audience that coupled with the fact that he is
framed by darkness could tell the audience that he is going somewhere is about to
do something dangerous or that he can’t be trusted. The fact that the music is quite
pacey is representative of the dramatic irony where the audience knows what the
protagonist will discover but he is completely unaware, this adds to the tension and
suspense that is built throughout the scene.
Frame 7:
This frame shows that the victim has died and is now completely helpless, this
therefore makes the audience feel sorry for him and anyone that has a relation to

10. Joe Turberville
him. This also makes the audience dislike and side against the antagonist that they
suspect has killed him even more. Furthermore, the bubbles that he lets out would
indicate his final breath. Another film that has an indicator of a final breath is Enemy
of the State, when the car sinks under the water. The fact that his face is slightly off
centre frame shows that he has become more distant from the scene and the people
in it but he still has a major significance to the events in the film. This shot creates
quite a shocking image one because he seems younger than he did in previous shots
and also as it is the first time that the audience sees the boy’s face fully inferring that
the only time that he can be completely open with anyone is when he is dead again
showing how isolated he was when he was living. This makes the shot quite
unconventional as often in thriller films they don’t show a child victim that obviously.
This creates more of an emotional connection between the audience and the victims
making the film more of a personal and psychological thriller. The lighting also
positions the audience as the predator as the light is coming from behind him,
meaning that the camera is in the shadows. This tells the audience that he cannot be
helped this means that the audience may feel useless and therefore feel sympathetic
towards the boy. In addition, due to the light coming from behind the boy it makes
him seem more angelic and at peace compared to the extreme close-up this
continues the confusion amongst the audience as to whether he is the victim or the
antagonist. The sound in this shot also adds to the idea of isolation as it is very
muffled due to the water that he is completely immersed in. In addition, the quite
rhythmic yet quiet beat of the music is representative of the boy’s heartbeat and
therefore his life slowly drifting away. The fact that there is such a short time
between the protagonist entering the building to the victim dying shows the
audience that the victim couldn’t be saved which is quite unconventional as normally
the protagonist will arrive just in time to save the victim, however it is quite in-line
with modern thriller protagonists such as Daniel Craig who isn’t “perfect” and is not
successful every time which is very different to a film such as Die Hard where the
protagonist does the right thing at the right time almost throughout the whole film.
This therefore plays on the current idea of the troubled protagonist such as Sherlock
which the thriller audience currently enjoys.
Frame 8:

11. Joe Turberville
This is a key frame as it shows the protagonist discovering both the body of his
brother and the antagonist that has killed him. The framing of this shot is key as it
has multiple interpretations and is the first scene where the audience could connect
all three of the characters. The fact that part of the frame is covered up by the door
frame tells the audience that the person who’s POV the shot is from is hiding, this
could place him as the victim as it could show that the has witnessed the murder
take place but has chosen not to get involved, this represents a common fear in
society of standing out from other people. Keeping the identity of the antagonist
hidden for a large amount of time (especially the opening scene) is a key convention
of the thriller genre. A film that uses these sort of shots Is Jack Reacher. The fact that
the dead victim is in centre frame makes him one of the most important parts of the
scene, it also shows ow he is the connecting factor between the two characters and
therefore helps to set the narrative for the rest of the film.
Frame 9:

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This frame is important because of the way that it is framed. It is a POV shot of the
antagonist leaving the pool. The fact that the victim isn’t in the shot shows how the
protagonists focus has changed from his dead brother too the man that has killed
him. this follows the narrative of the story as it shows the start of the protagonist
becoming very focused on getting revenge for his brother’s death. The fact that the
antagonist is half stood behind the door shows the audience that he doesn’t want to
be caught and is trying to stop the protagonist from being able to fully identify him
and or get to him. However, it could also represent the fact that he is an anonymous
victim that doesn’t want to be seem by the protagonist due to that fear of standing
out in society. An example of a film that uses natural barriers a lot is during the
opening scene of Ronin. The repetition of the colours red, white and blue is a
representation of patriotism and as the shot is from the protagonists POV it
represents how he is very focused on “doing the right thing” for both his country and
in general, therefore showing how he would want to help the victim/get revenge on
the antagonist. The emergency exit sigh in the background creates a sense of irony
due to the events that have just taken place, it also again places the antagonist as
the victim as he flees through the emergency exit showing how he is desperate get
away from the scene inferring that it has had a great effect on him. The ripples in the
water are symbolic of the future events that will take place due to the murder that
has taken place. The loud eco when the door slams creating a great sense of finality
to the scene representing the loos of life, however it could also represent the
beginning of the protagonist’s journey to get revenge on the protagonist. The fact
that the water seems a lot darker almost as if the victim/the events have “stained”
the water, they have turned something that represents enjoyment into the opposite –
somewhere that will forever be remembered for the murder that took place there.

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