This document discusses how the media product uses conventions of the thriller genre to create realism and familiarity. It uses low key lighting at night to set a tense atmosphere. Quick cuts are used to maintain suspense and pace. Different camera angles show multiple points of view and that one character is watching the other, creating paranoia. A flashback at the beginning establishes a memorable moment from the past, shown through a photo frame. The conventions are used to clearly categorize the media product as a thriller and appeal to its target demographic.

1. 1. In which ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products (thrillers)?
Our media product uses several conventions of real media products, to bring the feel
of realism and familiarity surrounding the genre and so that it could be easily
identified as a ‘thriller’ or even a hybrid genre (psychological thriller). We decided that
as well as including marginally obvious conventions, the smaller ones also make a
massive difference to the way that our piece is viewed. For example, we used low key
lighting in the day, and shot at night so that that dark lighting influenced the
atmosphere, giving a tenser, reclusive setting. Lighting was a significant element to get
exact while we were shooting, because it sets the scene as well as highlighting or
shadowing a person, giving the right effect. For example, while we were shooting at
night, as Alex was walking into the park, her shadow was apparent emphasising her
movement and Kit’s (he was trailing her) as his shadow follows into the unknown
(where the clip is cut off). We realised that day lighting is important for showing facial
features and expressions, key in different situations. Depending on the positioning of
the character and the lightness/darkness of the room/outside place the light can
create a subtle after-effect that can suitably finish of the scene. For example, when Kit
was shot outside entering his shed, the lighting needed to be fairly bright (natural
daylight) so that the audience could see the costume (backpack, scruffy clothes, long
jagged hair etc) and the stereotype being played (dirty, scruffy, gaunt, suspicious
figure).

2. We used quick cuts to display the techniques that we used, for example, a flashback at the
beginning of the film, an insert shot when Alex puts the key into the lock of her front door,
a point of view shot which pans the inside of the shed when Kit walks in and several more
for the transition of Alex travelling from and to her house. We also used quick cuts to
fasten the pace of the video, following another thriller convention to keep the suspense
and interest in the scenes. Keeping the pace quicker allows the audience to keep up with
the happenings in the film, as prolonging the shots builds up the tension needed to expect
the unexpected. The multiple views of camera angles that we used was to show from
multiple points of view from the character themselves, and so it would remain apparent
that Kit (‘Lyle’) was watching Alex (‘Mollie’), for example, one of the shots of Mollie is
through a gate as if Lyle is watching her open her front door, this leaves questions open to
the audience, why is he spying on her? This follows a theme commonly ran through thriller
films, paranoia and unnecessary obsession. Also the point of view shot used of Lyle
entering the shed draws attention to the board he has pinned with several pictures of
Mollie again emphasising the abnormal things that Lyle has been seen to do (as well as
tracing her).
We used the idea of a flashback at the beginning which is a standard universal thriller
convention; we have added a jaded effect to distinguish the time difference. The flashback
is shown to be a memorable moment of Mollie’s past, obvious by the cut and change to a
photo frame of the same moment (captured). [Explain what significance this has to the
film].

3. We decided to rather following and include thriller conventions, rather than challenge so
that our film could easily appeal the targeted demographic of people around the late
teens/young adult age. To create fear, curiosity and cynicism in by including the key
features and elements that a usual thriller would use, our film can be clearly be categorized
into that genre, also falling into the hybrid genre (being a psychological thriller).