1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP
OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?
2. thriller opening sequences
One convention of a thriller film is a battle between a protagonist and
an antagonist, when there is a disruption in the equilibrium. There are
also key factors like low-key lighting, quick cuts, shadows, tension
music and a montage of shots. Within the thriller opening sequence it
usually includes high tension music and dark colours.
Conventions
3. How does my opening sequence follow these
conventions?
In my opening sequence I purposely included shots that were filmed
in low-key lighting as this was one of the conventions that were
shown in another opening sequence that I analysed. For example, in
se7ens opening sequence all of the shots used were dark and
gloomy. This then gave me the idea to play around with the main
lighting within that room to try and get a similar shot that is in
se7en. I also liked the idea that there were signs of a light reflecting
of the objects in the shots. Therefore, we used a flash light off of our
phones to make it look like there was shadows and movements
within the shot.
4. How does my opening sequence follow these
conventions?
Another opening sequence that I looked at was Zodiac. The first thing that
was established in the opening sequence was the location. A shot zooming in
to the city of san Francisco told the audience where the setting of the film
was. This is something that was used in our opening sequence. We used a
shot of Megan's front house in order to show that it is located in side an
ordinary family house. Zodiacs opening sequence was different to ours as its
titles was integrated within the opening of the film, however we split the
titles of the film and put it onto a black screen. One reason why we done this
was to emphasize the genre of the opening sequence. It allowed us to use
the convention of suspense as the audience didn't know what was going to
come next.
5. My opening sequence
Costume
During my planning and research period I realized that for our main character, the
pedophile, does not need a distinct costume. Therefore one of the reasons the costume
for the man is plain and in his clothes are his everyday clothes is because he blends in
and is not noticeable as the villain. Throughout the filming of my opening sequence there
was no need for characters to have a specific costume as the issue we were exploring that
this is an every day man stalking young children. This makes it more scary as it shows that
he is ordinary. It also portrays the fact that the man is living a sinister double life.
Settings
The settings that I used was mainly located in Megan’s house to show the
audience that the main character lives in a family household. When I was
researching for our opening sequence I realized that it is important for the
location to express the plot. For example, in the opening sequence of outbreak it
is located in the lab meaning that it expresses the plot of scientific thriller.
Towards the end of my opening sequence we changed the location to outside our
school as the age group of the young girl fits this location. However we
challenged the original idea of it to be set in a quite and eerie alleyway. The
location was busy and open when the character gets kidnapped. This was not
chosen but it was the only option available.
6. My opening sequence
Sound
The sound in my opening sequence is background music. While I was analyzing other opening sequences I learnt that
including music instead of dialogue would fit the style of my opening sequence much more as it is not a narrative.
Choosing the type of music was easy as we followed the convention of suspense. The type of music used is typically
found in the beginning of a thriller or horror movie.
Narrative
One reason we decided to split up the shots and include the titles on a plain back screen was because we didn't
want to give away too much of the narrative in just the opening sequence. However we wanted to include just
enough in order to made the audience want to carry on watching. The topic of the film alone is interesting and
would make the audience want to watch on as we are exploring a sensitive topic, there fore we made it clear
within the opening sequence. For example, at the end of the sequence it shows a young girl being kidnapped
outside. With the opening sequence being left on a cliffhanger, audiences will want to watch on and see whether
or not the girl survives or the purpose of the kidnapping.
