In what ways does your media product, use, develop or challenge forms and conventions?

1. Q1)In what ways does your
media product, use, develop
or challenge forms and
conventions?
Evaluation

2. My task…
• My task was to create a two minute thriller with the people
we were paired with. Each member in the group was in
charge of doing a particular thing for example, Joshua was
in charge of editing the scenes. In order for us to ensure
that we created a success thriller, we had to do some
research on existing ones and analyse how they utilised
micro element to represent what was happening in a scene.
• Before we started filming our thriller opening, we done a
preliminary task which allowed us to get a little experience
on what effect would a micro element such as a high angle
shot would in a scene. We also got our hands on devices

3. Do I think my product uses, develops or
challenges conventions?
• In our thriller, we only had one main character who through
representation I would say it challenged the convention. At the
start of the scene she appears as a psychotic character who’s role
would be assumed to be a protagonist, as she breaks out of the
mental hospital and tries to find her way. this is not conventional
because most antagonist in this type of genre are male characters
rather than female. As she exits the metal hospital, there is a change
in role as she now looks to be a victim which is made evident
through her submissive and venerable body language.

4. Cinematography…
• In my thriller, I used different cinematography techniques such as
different shot sizes, movement high angle and low angle. As the
character was already portrayed as a antagonist at the beginning of
the thriller, the use of high angle shot challenged the convention as
it contradicted what was said about her. I used different shot sizes
such a close up to show her veiled facial expression which kept the
audience wondering if she really is the antagonist in the thriller. As
she is shown out side of the mental hospital the use of a longshot
now shows that she was just victim who now looks venerable and
lost in her surrounding.

5. You can see from these images that I have used
cinematography in a conventional way to use and
develop conventions of media products by using
Medium close ups.
Cinematography images…

6. Editing…
• In my thriller I used a combination of normal and fast pace editing build
tension as well as to evoke emotion. At the start of my thriller, there is a
normal pace edit of the news reporter and no off screen sound. The slow
pace edit and the clear silence in the scene made the audience attentive
to diegetic sound of the news reporter as he was giving out some
information about the main character. This was Followed by series of
montages and fast pace editing, to portray the mental characteristic of
our main character and clarify the assumption of the audience.
Fast paced to cause
tension.
Slow pace edit to grabbed the
attention of the audience.
Normal pace edit to
restore order.
Jump cut is used to
create a sense of confusion

7. Sound…
• We hear non-diegetic sound of a news jingle to introduce the news
report. This sets the tone as to what is going to happen.
• At the beginning of my thriller, I used diegetic sound of the news
reporter as it grabbed the attention of the audience and made them
believe in what was being said and allowed the audience to
understand the narrative. This is followed by a mysterious off screen
sound which creates a dark atmosphere connoting that the
something unexpected is about to happen.

8. MES: Lighting and colour
• In my thriller I mostly used low key lighting to create a chilling
atmosphere in order to persuade the audience in believing that the
character in the thriller is actually the antagonist event though her
costumer shot angles connotes otherwise. This was further
reinforced through the use of warm colours such as red which
portrayed her as being dangerous.
The colour red in both images is used to
connote danger and death as it was the
outcome for both of these characters, and
also convention to the thriller sub-genre
The low key lighting in the two images above
creates a chilling atmosphere keeping the audience
at the edge of their seats as it is conventional and
suggests that something unexpected is going to
happen.

9. MES: body language and facial expressions
and costume
• The character at the beginning of the scene had an agitated body
language which portrayed them to be mentally unstable therefore
they must be the antagonist in as it was stated in the very first
minutes of the thriller. As she escapes the hospital the use of close
up makes it evident as she had an agonized and frightening facial
expression. Having bright colour costume showed that she not
exactly who she is portrayed as.

10. My thriller one of the characters who is comparable to an
existing one is the mental girl. In my thriller she is dressed with
bright clothing to connote her innocence. Similar to the young
female character from the movie “Orphan” who also wears white
coloured costume underneath her black jacket showing she is
still a good person even though she has been turned into a
vampire. They both have messy hair and their pale facial express
shows that they are dangerous.

11. MES: Iconography and setting…
• The setting of my thriller was a mental hospitals where a woman
was locked up in a white room as she was deemed to be dangerous
for society. The fact that the hospital walls were white tells us that
the identity of the woman is mistaken or falsely told to the
audience as the colour white shows that she is innocent and the
victim rather than the antagonist in the scene.

12. Characters…
• In my thriller, I only had two characters who are a news reporter
and a mental woman. Considering propp’s theory, the news
reporter is represented as the false hero who states false information
about our victim who may potentially also be our protagonist.
• In the first few minutes of our thriller, the female character played
the role of an antagonist or the villain as she vigorously escapes the
mental hospital. This challenges the convention as most female
characters tend to be a victim rather than the antagonist. As we
head near the end of our thriller there is a role in our character who
now through her facial expression and body language becomes a
victim as well as a conventional.

13. The other character in thriller is the news reporter.
This character is comparable to an existing
character from the movie “scream”. Both character
are smartly dressed as the are looked up to as the
helper who provides the audience with additional
or information to what is happening in the film.
High key lighting is used in both image to portray
their importance in the film.
the main character in my thriller is a female
character to seems to be mentally unwell. This
character share similarities with the character of
Elizabeth from the movie “don’t say a word”. Both
character are accused of being mentally unwell
even though it was not true. The both wore bright
colour costume as it connoted their innocence.
They both sat in a similar position as frightened of
who they were portray as, and only had one goal
which was to leave the mental hospital.

14. Narrative structure…
• I think my thriller followed Propp’s theory of conventional
characters which states that films revolve around the idea of having
certain characters to create meaning to the genre, for example a
hero who fights the villain in attempt of restoring order, a donor, a
dispatcher, a false hero, the princess, the helper and the father.
• In my thriller I only have two characters who are the false hero or
villain and the hero. The false hero in false hero in my thriller states
false information about the our hero who is then viewed as the
antagonist or villain.