This document analyzes how the media product "Fresh Fallen Snow" uses and challenges conventions of the thriller genre by comparing it to several other thriller films and media products. It examines similarities and differences in plot, characters, camera work, titles, and how stereotypes are both adhered to and subverted. Key comparisons are made between "Fresh Fallen Snow" and the films "Shutter Island", "Salt", "Hanna", and "Girl, Interrupted" as well as the music video for "Fire Away". Through these comparisons, the document aims to show how "Fresh Fallen Snow" both conforms to and challenges typical conventions within the thriller genre.

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

2. Introduction
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Fresh Fallen Snow is an opening
sequence that we created with the
intentions of conforming to the
connotations of the thriller genre. Before
developing our idea and again before we
finished editing our thriller, we looked for
similar media products that coincide with
our thriller be it in the narrative or with
certain characters. We looked through a
variety of different films, video games and
music videos to see whether or not the
comply wight the connotations of a
thriller and which connotation and
stereotypes they present that we either
conform to or challenge in our product.
Things such as the representation of
certain social groups that are presented
would be interesting to see if we both
adhere or subvert to them.

3. When looking at similar media products at first we weren’t too sure where to start but
eventually we started looking into films such as:
‘Shutter Island’ a mystery, thriller film made by Paramount Pictures,
released on the 19th of February 2010, directed by Martin Scorsese,
written by Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay) and Dennis Lehane (novel),
starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo and Ben
Kingsly.
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‘Salt’ an action and crime film produced by the studio Columbia
Pictures, released on the 23rd of July 2010, directed by Phillip Noyce,
written by Kurt Wimmer, starring Angelina Jolie, Live Schreiber,
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Daniel Obrychski.
!
‘Hanna’ an action thriller made by Focus Feathers, released on the 8th
of April 2011, directed by Joe Wright, written by Seth Lochhead and
David Farr, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Vicky Kreips and Cate
Blanchett.
!
‘Girl, Interrupted’ is a drama biography film produced by Columbia
Pictures Corporation, released on the 24th of December 1999,
directed by James Mangold, written by Susanna Kaysen (book), James
Magold, Lisa Loomer and Anna Hamilton Phelan (screenplay), starring
Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall and Brittany Murphy.

4. Fresh Fallen Snow vs Shutter Island

5. There’s a particular scene in Shutter Island where the
protagonist, Teddy Daniels is being interrogated by
those in authority to him. He too is mentally ill and
refuses to admit the truth about him past because it
scares him profoundly. This links perfectly to our thriller
because Molly is in a very similar situation. She too
fights against those who have higher status to her
frantically trying to escape from them and from her
past. She lashes out at them with a knife, which although isn’t quite as dangerous, it suits our
thriller concept better. The main difference between our thriller and this scene from Shutter
Island is that Teddy is overcome by his interrogators
and looses himself within their stories of a life he
Plot line in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow
refuses to remember. Whereas Molly
has a little trick up her sleeve that may
not stop her from being captured
ones again but would have crucial
consequences on the rest of the film
were we to continue it.

6. Characters in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow
In Shutter Island the two characters who are somewhat interrogating
the protagonist are in very formal suits to help establish that they’re
doctors and almost put on a facade that they're putting on to come
across like they want to help him. Similarly, the uniform that the
officers wear and the attire that Detective Niland wears does seem
to simply be a formality. The main connotation between both
sequences is that all the authoritative characters are standing and
are highly cautious of the protagonist. A connotation that my
sequence challenges more so than in Shutter Island is the
stereotype that only men can be in positions of authority. In my
thriller, there is a female police officer who has just as much authority than any of the other officers. By subverting this
stereotype my thriller became more diverse than Shutter Island because the female characters aren’t only vulnerable.
Teddy and Molly are very similar characters in the sense that they
think everyone is lying to them and is trying to catch them out which
in Teddy’s case more than Molly’s that’s true. They both try and
reinstate some authority to themselves by threatening those who
are interrogating them and will go to drastic measures as seen in
Shutter Island and implied in my thriller when Teddy tries to shoot
one of the doctors and as Molly verbally attacks Detective Niland in
an attempt to escape. In Shutter Island, Teddy has a what he thinks
to be a fully loaded gun whereas the doctors have nothing and
although the police have better weapons compared to Molly’s knife,
she just like Teddy is in a position of power because she has power
over someone’s life

7. Physicality in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow
In the sequence that I curated, the characters stay in quite large proxemics from one another
whereas in the extract from Shutter Island the doctors move from close to far proxemics having
more contact with the protagonist. I think by keeping the officers and the protagonist further
apart is more effective because I it helps connote to a thriller better by instantly establishing
tension between the two sides. In Shutter Island the sporadic movement aids the surprise
when Teddy suddenly lashes out but I think it makes the extract slightly messy and distracts
from the characters motives. I thought that they camera movement as well as Leonardo’s
movement when he suddenly grabbed to gun was coordinated successfully to portray the
nervous and paranoid manner of the protagonist. When Molly turns around, it’s not because
she’s lashing out like Teddy but because she’s looking for a new way to escape. It’s not until
later when the Detective starts to come closer that she impulses against him.

8. Camera work in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow
There is a distinct similarity between a certain moment in both my thriller and Shutter
Island. This is when the protagonists first lash out. For the majority of the other shots in
Shutter Island, the protagonist is presented in high angle shots however when he’s in a
position of higher power just like Molly, the camera is placed at eye line level making
the audience more easily associate themselves with the protagonists and understand
Both films use close ups and mid shots to connote the fear and impatience
of the protagonists showing their true emotions. In these shots we see
Teddy and Molly realising the danger of their threats but their motivation is
set, they need to get out. There’s a close up after Teddy attempts to shoot
one of the doctors where he turns only to discover that it was all in his
imagination adhering to the stereotype that those with disabilities be it
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the motives behind their actions despite what the consequences are, the
audience relate better with them instantly creating empathy. By angling the
camera to be at eye line level it also creates a middle ground between the
protagonists and the antagonists as they both frantically grasp for
superiority to gain control of the other.
physical or mental, fall under the control of those who are able and
become vulnerable to them. In my thriller we challenged that by
displaying Molly as a character who can subvert and adhere to this
stereotype making her character more complex. I think by making
her both strong and vulnerable makes her an interesting character
that the audience will find enticing.

9. When both Molly and Teddy attack their superiors physically in Teddy’s case and mentally
in Molly’s, the camera presents them both as more powerful by using a low angle. The low
angle on Teddy is quite extreme connoting that his out burst was very spontaneous and
violent whereas the low angle on Molly is only subtile again highlighting her ever
changing thought and motives .
Camera work in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow

10. Titles in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow
From the photos below you can see that there is a
clear difference between the connotations of our
titles however, one connotation that is
undoubtably presented is the erie atmosphere
created by both. You can see that there is an
emptiness to them both however the Shutter
Island connotes a much harsher message with the
thick capital letters compared to the thiner lower
case letter for Fresh Fallen Snow. There’s is very
simply however I think it’s extremely effective at
creating the right atmosphere for the film and it’s
genre. As our thriller is full of narrative twists and
mysteries I think the motion effect of the snow is
an important piece to the puzzle that is our film.
The line ‘fresh fallen snow’ has a very specific
impact on certain characters and later on the
audience so by placing it here after only two
minutes in quite a bold manner would entice the
audience.

11. Fresh Fallen Snow vs Fire Away

12. Plot/Characters in Salt and Fresh Fallen Snow
Salt is about a woman who was brought up to be
a Russian spy but has worked as an agent for the
CIA but who’s old life is rekindled by a figure of
her past. When threatened by her own colleagues
as well as ghosts from her past, her determination
to survive kicks in and she fearlessly goes up
against other strong male characters. She hugely
subverts the stereotype that men are stronger
than women because she continuously defeats
male opponents that cross her path. She doesn’t
need the help of a man to escape she does it
herself. This connotes with our thriller because
Molly has grown into a somewhat stronger
character due to the traumas of her past. neither
of them are them ever come across as the ‘damsel
ion distress’ the analysis their situation and fight
back. For Evelyn in Salt, she literally does fight
back but for Molly she verbal and mentally attacks
Mike.

13. Fresh Fallen Snow vs Hanna

14. Hanna is about a teenage girl with extraordinary strength
and stamina who was raised and trained by her father who
was an ex-CIA agent. When sent into the world in a mission
by her father, Hanna begins questioning humanity and has
conflicting thoughts about the world she was so longing to
see. She constantly subverts stereotypes by out
strengthening men much older and allegedly more
experienced than her. Although Molly isn’t necessarily
physically strong and despite her mental illness, she is very
strong and dangerous mentally and knows how to get to
people like Mike allowing them to lowly corrupt
themselves rather than having to do it all herself.
About half way through, Hanna makes friends with another
girl her age but who is entirely normal compared to Hanna.
She’s much weaker than Hanna physically and mentally
however, unlike Molly, Hanna doesn’t forcer her to tag
along on the mission. Instead she advices her to stay. Molly
on the other hand decides that killing her friend is the
easiest and most civil way to end things when he’s no
longer useful. However she stops herself from murdering
him due to her corrupt mind.
Plot/Characters in Hanna and Fresh Fallen Snow

15. Fresh Fallen Snow vs Girl, Interrupted

16. Plot/Characters in Girl, Interrupted and Fresh Fallen Snow
Girl, Interrupted shows the life and experiences of a woman with a minor mental illness being
put in an institution with many other women who are far more corrupted than she is. The film
presents a number of different women with various illnesses and how the asylum slowly
consumes them until two of them escape. Lisa the character who I feel most resembles Molly,
is a woman who doesn’t like to play by the rules. It’s clear that under the surface she's a lovely
character but the asylum corrupts her more and more. She escaped the asylum many times
however always getting caught. I think that Molly may well have had similar failed attempts
before escaping and reaching a city connoting that the police had been locking for her for a
long time. I feel like the conflict that underlines this entire film can be used as context to
connote the types of people and experiences Molly may have endured in the mental asylum
that she was locked in.

17. Camera in Girl, Interrupted and Fresh Fallen Snow
In both texts a combination of stable and hand held
camera movement is used to connote the stable and
unstable nature of the characters. This juxtaposition
presents the characters as complicated and gives the
narrative another dimension. However, whether the
movement is steady or unsteady, the shots always
track certain characters giving them slightly more
authority than others because they’re kept in the
centre of the frame right in the viewers eyes. When a
character is pushed out of the centre of the frame,
they’re subconsciously seen as inferior.

18. Other than looking at films we also tried to find more unusually similar media products such
as music videos. We only found one that had a truly touching message about mental health
that focused more on the paranoia and uncontrollable nature of those with mental
disabilities. The song is called Fire Away by Chris Stapleton that was released in 2015.
Fresh Fallen Snow vs Fire Away

19. Plot in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow
The plot in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow are not necessarily the same because there are no
connotations of crime in the music video only fatality. The video presents a very raw idea of how mental
illness can not only effect you but also those around you by presenting the life of a woman suffering with a
mental illness from her partners perspective. I think that although plot wise the texts aren’t too similar, the
video provides a clear example of the type of thing Molly may have gone through or witnessed. It presents
context as to how damaging you can be to yourself and others just like Molly. If we were to continue the
film, after our two minute opening sequence, we would cut to a point in Molly’s life where she wasn’t so
challenged by her mental illness, a time where she was happy but slowly she would disintegrate just like the
woman in the music video. The opening sequence is actually a moment which we would place more
towards the end of the film as a consequence of her deteriorating sanity.
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Both media texts present characters who have been pushed to the edge mentally and physically and are
presented in locations that connote with isolation and desperation. Molly knows all too well what it’s like to
feel isolated from everyone so it’s no wonder why she, just like the woman in the video, is pushing herself
further and further away from society.

20. Physicality in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow
As my thriller is just an opening sequence the information available to the audience is quite limited
however in the music video there is an entire story on offer. Throughout Fresh Fallen Snow, you can
see small moments in Molly’s physicality and facial expressions where her thoughts and feelings
sporadically change. Similarly in the opening minutes of the video, you see very short and
somewhat unnoticeable shots of the woman in what seems to her suppressed negative feelings.
Both media texts
connote the trauma
that walks hand in
hand with mental
illness and I think that
it’s important to
watch and
understand video like
Fire Away to truly
understand Molly’s
motives. There are
glimmers of hope
and or happiness in
both texts but it ever
endures.

21. Physicality in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow
The Detective and man in the video both connote how disability can effect those
around you. In the music video, the woman doesn’t always intend to effect him apart
from some times where she lashes out. Molly does however try to target him and by
human nature he’s effected it.

22. Camera in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow
women need men to help them and save them from danger. Similarly in Fresh Fallen Snow, Detective Niland attempts to
help her from harming herself or her companion further. We challenged this connotation and stereotype by having Molly
refuse the help and mentally pulling herself up again.
A significant moments where hand held is used is when the woman in the video reaches the pinnacle of her mental health
and tries to take her life and although being rushed to the hospital, she’s successful. The hand held allows the viewer to
visually see and understand the panic that’s running through the man and the instability of his partner. In our thriller, the
hand held camera movement is used to connote similar things. We wanted the audience to be slightly disorientated by
is hand held camera movement. This is used predominantly when ever the
woman relapses. These shots often present the couple embracing with
the man frantically trying to calm her down and unarm her whilst she
pours herself onto him. This connotes that the man is the only character
who can save her from herself which adheres to the stereotype that
One of the key camera techniques used in Fire Away
the manic movement and wanted them to be able to associate it with the instability
of the characters.
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Both media texts also use handhelds to subvert the stereotype that men and strong
and untouchable and also the stereotype that those who are able are never
vulnerable to those who are disabled be it mentally or physically. By the end of both
texts, hand held camera movement is used to connote the vicarious effect that those
with mental illness had on them. The man in the video is clearly heart broken and
has been pushed and pulled everywhere trying to save him partner but in Fresh
Fallen Snow, Mike is vulnerable to Molly’s knowledge of hims past and family.
Throughout, it seems that Molly is the only one tormented by her past but through
this movement partnered with the dialogue, we see that Mike too is vulnerable.

23. The next form of media text that tried to find a link with was video games. In terms of the
narrative of the video games that we looked at, they don’t connote perfectly with our thriller
however there are characters that have very similar qualities and motivations as characters in our
thriller. The two video games that we found the closest connotations with were:
‘Lara Croft: Rise of the Tomb Raider’ written by Rhianna
Pratchett and developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos
Montréal, initially released in 2015 on Xbox One and Xbox
360, then later released on PlayStation 4 and Microsoft
Windows.
!
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‘The Last of Us Left behind’ - the expansion pack of the
series ‘The Last Of Us’, developed by Naughty Dog, was
released on the 14th of February 2014 on PlayStation 3 and
4.

24. My Thriller vs Lara Croft: Rise of The Tomb Raider
Rise of The Tomb Raider presents a strong, independent young
woman named Lara Croft who through her determination and
need to survive, saves herself and others from life threatening
situations. Her narrative opposes ours in that her main goal
seems to be to work with others to save many however our
thriller contradicts that connotation by presenting an
independent young girl who is selfish and feels the need to
dispose of people when the no longer show value to her
However, similarly to Molly, Lara Croft alongside other
characters in the video game penetrate their opposing force
by finding their leaders deepest personal weakness which in
the video game is the sister of the Kitezh’s leader. Molly does
the same by using Detective Niland’s weakness against him in an
attempt to hurt him. Lara and Molly both run and confront danger
giving their characters much more depth because they adhere
and subvert the stereotype that women aren’t strong enough to
tackle danger like men.

25. My Thriller vs The Last of Us Left Behind
The main girl, Ellie is a girl who is left virtually alone in an apocalyptic
world desperately trying to find a medical kit to save her only
remaining companion, Joel. Alone, she faces experiences that
mentally scar her but she’s driven to continue on by the life
threatening condition of Joel. The balance between her strength and
weakness connotes with our protagonist Molly. They’re both strong
characters who are motivated by their needs and or desires however
due to their age they’re challenged. Similarly to Molly, there are
sequences where Ellie had her friend Riley to keep her company and
together they try to stay alive from the infected. However, for Molly
when she no longer sees the value in Matty, she tries to kill him and
rather than being physically vulnerable to the infected like Ellie, she’s
mentally vulnerable to herself due to her mental illness.
!
Another way that conventionally Fresh Fallen Snow and
The Last of Us Left Behind contrast is by the way that
Ellie is driven my her need to save her friend, Joel,
whereas Molly is driven to kill her only companion whilst
trying to save herself.

26. When it came to looking for similar television series, these were the ones we thought
suited best:
Blindspot a crime, mystery series made by Quinn’s
House, released on the 21st of September 2015,
created by Martin Gero, starring Sullivan Stapleton,
Jaimie Alexander, Rob Brown and Audrey Esparza.
Legion a Marvel action, drama series made by 20th
Century Fox, released on the 8th of February 2017,
created by Noah Hawley, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee,
starring Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza and
Bill Irwin.

27. Fresh Fallen Snow vs Legion

28. Plot/Characters in Legion and Fresh Fallen Snow
Legion is about a man who thinks he’s mentally ill
because of the inescapable visions and voices of his
past that plague him. His mutation drives him run from
the authorities alongside a friend similarly to Fresh
Fallen Snow.
on for years as people try to identify his illness and control
him but if they can’t they’ll kill him. In Fresh Fallen Snow no
body is actually trying to kill Molly but due to her mental
illness and destructive past she thinks, just like in Legion,
that everyone is out to get her but she doesn’t know why.
He is questioned and tested

29. Fresh Fallen Snow vs Blindspot

30. Plot/Characters in Blindspot and Fresh Fallen Snow
The characters who connote the most in the texts are
Jane and Molly. Both struggle with mental issues be it
illness or memory loss and use others to escape their
tormenting experiences. They’re both strong women who
don’t soupy depend on others due to extreme mistrust
due to events in their past.
Similarly the two male protagonists share
certain characteristics. They too are
mistrusting making them cautious of the
female protagonists at least at first. This
subverts to the stereotype that men are
stronger and higher status than women
because in these media texts the women are
the empowering characters despite their
mental instabilities.

31. Sound in Blindspot and Fresh Fallen Snow
When it comes to the sound in these two media
texts, we used very similar techniques to connote
the importance of the dialogue. For example, in an
interrogation scene from Blindspot, the tension is
created throughout the dialogue as small pieces of
the narrative are being given to the audience. There
are key moments from this dialogue and the
dialogue from our sequence that would be
important for the viewers in the duration of the film.
This accompanied by there lack of any non diegetic
sound, just like in Fresh Fallen Snow, allows the
dialogue to be emphasised with no other
background distractions. The viewer subconsciously
pays more attention to what’s being said when the
sound isn’t over complicated because the
importance of the information being provided is
clearly established.

32. The main similarity between the camera in the two texts in the use of the hand held camera
movement. In both sequences the characters are uncertain and scared which is connoted by the
use of this unstable camera movement. If a tripod was used for the entirety of either scene then
the it would connote a more stable atmosphere however by choosing to include this slight manic
camera movement we are allowing the audience to visually see the instability of the scenario.
Camera in Blindspot and Fresh Fallen Snow
The use of close ups in both texts allows the same connotation to be portrayed. The audience
see the distress within the protagonists and their reactions to their ever changing situation.