Question 1 evaluation of AS media studies thriller opening coursework.

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

2. Our film, Out of the Woods aims to use traditional conventions to establish our thriller genre and to
intertextualise other films of the same genre. For the main part of our opening, we stuck to the
conventions of our sub-genre, a psychological thriller through the use of mise en scene. This allowed us
to explore the themes used in these types of films to create ours and allow it to be memorable and tense.
To achieve this, we emphasised certain aspects of mise en scene to both challenge and reflect the generic
conventions.

3. Location
 We used Tyrrells wood for the location and we used it because it was
close to where we live and it provided enclosed spaces which
creates claustrophobia (like in shot 2) and internally entraps the
character within the nature surrounding him.
 The wood also had a river which we used for the build up scene and
where the girls body would be. A juxtaposition is created between
the river and the dead body. The river connotes freedom and
movement where as a binary opposite, Lauren is dead still and can’t
be free because she is dead.
 The wood was in the middle of nowhere which conforms to the
conventions of thrillers through using an isolated setting to make
George seem more vulnerable and alone.

4. Costume
 Josh (Who plays George) was supposed to be dressed in primary
colours to reflect his childishness however due to weather
conditions, we had to choose clothing that would keep the
characters warm while we did the shoot rather than choosing
costumes for the colour of them. Josh wore a black coat which
reflects the death of the girl and the idea that not everything is as
perfect as it seems.
 Josh wore a red scarf to reflect primary bright colours. This idea is
also used from the blue on his coat and the green laces. Although
it is subtle, the message is there and shows his age. The red scarf
connotes danger but links George and the glove of the dead girl
together. It is not mentioned in the opening scene but the two
characters could be related which makes the
 Lauren wore dark clothing to reflect death and her non existent
future but also the idea of evil and dark power which was the
reason the she died.

5. Lighting
 The lighting is very soft which reflects George as a child but has a
cool temperature which connotes the weather and the situation in
the narrative which will unfold.
 We didn’t use any additional lighting, only natural lighting and used
certain areas of our location to create the right shot, like the first
long shot.
 The lighting is very soft which reflects George as a child but has a
cool temperature which connotes the weather and the situation in
the narrative which will unfold.

6. Props
 We used the bow and arrow to show the intertextuality of hunger
games but go against its themes because instead of using the
bow to hunt for animals, George is using it for fun and to play. It
shows how the bow can be a symbol of different things
depending on what type of character is using it.
 We used the scarf as a tension builder which conforms to the
thriller conventions and the scarf also brings uneasiness to the
audience because it is unusual to see a scarf in a wood draping
from a branch.
 The glove is also iconography used to build tension and suspense
in the scene and the colour red connotes danger and death.

7. Sound
 We kept all original diegetic sound in the clips to make the scenes seem
natural and organic rather than a complete made soundtrack over the
top.
 We used one soundtrack for the main underscore that ran through the
whole opening and then added on top other small non diegetic noises
and sound effects over the top to layer and create one whole original
soundtrack. For example, we added the sound of crows at intervals in
the scene where nature was the main part of the shot, like in the pans of
the wood and the build up to the river scene.
 Furthermore, we used a sound-bridge with the sound of the crows at the
ending going from a close up of George’s face to black and carried
that one sound effect to make the idea of the dead girl stick in the
viewers mind before cutting to the main part of the film.

8. Characters
 George is the only main character through the film which allows
us to become close to him and understand why he does certain
things through the film. We chose the name George because it is
a traditional name and has no time definition which will make
people think this film is trying to based in a certain era. We tried
to make the film in a way that it could be based in 1990 or 2015,
it doesn’t matter because the storyline would be the same.
 He is a 9 year old who is very active and likes to run around,
shown in the opening scene and is very intuitive, shown through
him finding the scarf and following the trail to the dead body.
 George isn’t a typical genre character type for a thriller but we
tried to represent him through similar conventions as in ‘The sixth
sense’. George is supposed to be shown isolated from normal life
which raises questions to whether these are real dead bodies in
the wood or whether it’s his twisted mind portraying it and we
are seeing the whole film through his mind. It allows the
audience to make their own decision about which one it is.

9. Narrative
 We used a narrative structure for our thriller because we wanted it
to reflect a psychological thriller which revolves around story telling.
Our film is about a ‘thing’ that goes around killing and creating
havoc in a forest, that George plays in regularly. We wanted it to
reflect a twisted fairy story and how they create such a perfect
world in the books but in reality are just as corrupt and twisted as
reality.
 For the majority of editing we looked at continuity editing and trying
to perfect our shots and cuts to create clean movement between
shots without breaking editing rules and having certain things
exactly the same in different shots like props and costume.

10. Camerawork
 We used cinematography to reflect the thriller genre and create tension and
suspense.
 We used canted framing to disorientate the audience. We used it at this part in
the opening because George has just seen the body and the audience hasn’t.
This makes the viewer confused to what George has just seen and makes the
scene feel unsettled.
 High/ low angle shots and tracking were used to show George running and
playing in the woods. These angles and shots make him look small and innocent
but isolated which implies that he is in danger. The low angle shots are binary
opposites to high angle shots but they both create a suspenseful and tense scene.
 POV shots, close ups and tracking shots were used to connect the audience to
George. The tracking shots make the audience feel like he is leading them through
the forest because, this is his place. The POV shots allow us to see us exactly what
George is seeing at the same time which brings us closer on both emotional and
physical level.
 In addition, we also used panning and tilt shots to allow the camera to reveal
more of the scene without having to break the 30 degree rule and have a cut.
 We also used a range of types of shots like using a tripod and still to hand held
camera and to experimenting with moving the camera around while on the
tripod to create a stedi-cam effect without having to buy one.

11. Intertextuality Camerawork
 We wanted to intertextualise our
opening to subtlety hint to the
audience that we are reflecting
another film. We chose Hunger
Games because it shows how from
a distance nature and the forest
looks harmless peaceful, but really
they are dangerous and unsafe.
 We chose this scene because Josh
could use the bow and arrow to
play in the woods and ironically
reflect Katniss hunting.
 We tried to replicate it as closely as
possible. We weren’t able to
recreate the low angle because
their weren’t any high up stable
branches to stand up to produce it.

12. Titles
 Our original font ended up not fitting into the background shot we
wanted. We also wanted the font on the tree while a panning shot
was happening, but even though we used key frames to keep the
title on the tree while it moved, it looked very cheesy and non-
professional, so we changed it to the same font as the names to
make it work.
 The main title is internally framed by two canted trees. It forces the
audience to look at the title and shows them that not only the words
of the title but the meaning are significant to the film.
 The name titles are shown up at long shots in the opening. I tried to
make them fit and be spaced out across the shots but have finished
before the intertextuality of hunger games and the tension build up
at the end of the opening.
 The font is a generic thriller font because it looks messy and rushed
which connotes the tension and suspense built up within the scenes.