1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? By Ashleigh Hay

2. I have already mentioned the thriller conventions in a previous blog post, I looked over these and analysed the conventions we had used in our thriller opening. One thriller convention I noticed we had definitely used throughout our thriller opening was lighting. The first part where lighting was used was at the beginning of the thriller, where the protagonist was seated at the computer desk. This was effective as it seemed to add a sort of creepy atmosphere due to the only light source coming from the computer screen and the further creation of shadows made by this. In contrast, for the antagonist we used a laptop in a light room. We thought this would create a twist to our thriller and make it more original as normally it is the opposite way round, with the antagonist hidden in the shadows and darkness. This is shown below; As you can see, both images are similar creating the connection to the obsession theme.

3. Furthermore, as a group we would have liked to include dark lighting throughout or dim lighting in order to create more tension. Although, we agreed that this may have made our thriller opening look less professional, due to the quality of the camera, and therefore chose to keep the antagonist hidden as an alternative. This would still create a sense of mystery without having to use dimly lit environments. The antagonists hidden identity is extremely important as it creates the tension and fear for the protagonist and audience. Similarly as important to our thriller was the use of shadows. As mentioned above, the shadows shown in the protagonists first scene are very important in creating the image of danger and significance of the stalker. One of the best lighting shots used in the thriller opening was the shot of the trees from a low angle looking up at them, this created silhouette and made the danger look as though it was unavoidable. Making the shot very effective. This is shown to the right;

4. Another convention we explored in our thriller opening was the characters. As a group we decided obviously that the protagonist and antagonist would be the main focus of our thriller opening. Whereas the other characters in the film were just simply there to move the story along and keep it going. A member of our group realised that our antagonist was similar to the ‘Sketch’ from the television show ‘Skins’. They are similar in the way they both show stalker behaviours and a sense of obsession, collecting pictures of their ‘prey’. However, in the end Sketch receives sympathy from the other characters in skins, it would have been nice to this in our thriller if the whole film were to be completed. This is shown below;

5. The third convention I analysed was the setting. The first setting in which we used in our thriller opening was the house, this is effective as it connects the thriller with everyday life making it more realistic. Having our protagonist surrounded by everyday essentials and objects projected her as more ‘normal’ also making a connection with the audience. The antagonist was also situated in a house, however the room in which they were shown in was bare and spacious. These qualities are usually associated with creepiness and eeriness, effective for our antagonist. Another setting we used was Eastbrook end Country park, this was effective as the area is fairly deserted creation the atmosphere. This would also benefit us as there wouldn’t be many people around therefore, we would be able to film without disturbances. Also, it is filled with many trees and bushes giving a sort of ‘closed in’ effect we wanted for our antagonist to seem more effective. We based part of this setting on the setting in the thriller, ‘No country for Old Men’ as the setting is similar due to them both being deserted and of an eerie manner. This is shown below; Both these images are similar as they both contain the antagonist alone in a deserted area.

6. The fourth convention I analysed was the cinematography. As a group we feel we experimented these well and used many different types of shots effectively. We used low and high angled shots, close ups and many long shots. Most of the long shots were used when the three girls and the antagonist were walking into the park. One of our favourite shots were of the characters feet; These shots show how the antagonist is quickly approaching the protagonist. There are some shots we were no able to use but would have liked to. These include the 390o turn, steadicam and tracking shot. We were unable to use these shots for many reasons, one including time. We did attempt to create a tracking shot by attaching the camera to the skateboard and pulling it along, however we were unable to acquire a skateboard in time.

7. The final convention we explored was sound. In order to build up the tension, we used slow music at the beginning of the thriller which got louder as the antagonist appeared, we also using a range of diagetic and non-diagetic sound. The second piece of music used was more quick and high a higher tempo to it, we used this in order to stop the thriller from perhaps becoming boring. The final piece of music appears after a range of fast paced shots. This piece of music is slightly more serious than the other pieces, signifying the change in mood and atmosphere further creating suspense. This piece of music eventually slows towards the end of the thriller and goes silent, creating tension and more suspense as the protagonist is faced with the antagonist.