Question 1 evaluation

1. G321 Evaluation Question 1:
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?

2. Locations
• The film opening contains four primary locations; the alleyway, the
driveway, inside the house and inside the cupboard. The generic
thriller convention of claustrophobia was developed through the
cupboard scene, where the female character Bryony was entrapped.
This was emphasised by the darkness and the single source lighting
on half of her face.
• The idea of having our male character walk down an alleyway was
inspired by 'The Third Man' and the scene in which the main
character can be seen walking down a dark and secluded street. The
use of a tilt shot was also influenced by this film, and this was to
create a sense of confusion for the audience.

3. Characters
Bryony
• The female character Bryony represents the femme fetale throughout her
actions and her appearance. Her red lipstick connotes her mysterious and
seductive characteristics, similarly to the femme fatale, although her
lipstick is smudged across her face. This infers that she has been involved in
a struggle, which supports her compromising and dangerous
representation of the femme fatale. The character appearance of Bryony
was inspired by the character of Marion Crane in ‘Psycho’.
• Bryony’s vulnerable and defenceless state was inspired by the character of
Eve in ‘Once Upon a Time in America’.
• She is within the age range of 18-21, which suggests that she is a young
and naïve character under the influence of her capturer.

4. Victor
• The character of Victor represents the traditional business man in a
suit and tie, and this was inspired by the male characters in 'Once
Upon a Time in America'. The black and white attire connotes no
depth in colour or warmth, showing that he is emotionless
psychopath. Costume inspiration came from both 'American Psycho'
and 'Reservoir Dogs'. Victor appears to be a 'normal' everyday man,
which makes his character more unsettling to watch. Throughout the
opening Victor shows no emotion, and presents a cold and vacant
look which suggests to the audience that something is not right.

5. Lighting
• In the cupboard scene, key lighting was used to create a silhouette of
the female character's face to connote claustrophobia and a sense of
entrapment. The light bulb was angled above the character's head to
create a definitive line between light and dark. Another generic
thriller feature used was chiaroscuro lighting and can be seen
throughout the opening of the thriller.
• The male character was first introduced through heavily shadowed
lighting, connoting his villainous status and giving his character a
sense of anonymity. This creates a sense of mystery and fear towards
his character.

6. Sound
• Non-diegetic sound was used in the form of a soundtrack throughout
the opening of our thriller to create an eerie atmosphere and to build
suspense towards the end. We found the soundtrack off a royalty
free website and I edited it to create suspense in the scenes that
needed it most.
• Diegetic sound was also used through sound effects created by the
characters, for example Victor's footsteps are heard in the first scene
walking down the alleyway and walking towards the cupboard. The
click of a light switch is heard when Victor turns it on, and the banging
of fists on the door is also heard when Bryony is trying to attract the
attention of anyone outside of the cupboard.

7. Camera angles and movement
• We used a variety of shots, starting with a low angle tilt shot
connoting the confusion in the first scene. This is a use of a generic
thriller convention and can be found in films such as ‘The Third Man’.
• A medium shot was used to show Victor’s hands adjusting his tie as
he walks down the alleyway and this cuts to a close up of his hand
clenching tightly.
• We used a close up shot of the female characters eye to lock the
object into frame and to ensure mystery by not revealing the wider
surroundings. This was inspired by Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ shower scene,
in which the female characters eye is shown through a close up zoom
which transitions into the swirling drain.

8. Transitions
• Quick jump shots were used towards the end of our thriller, alongside
the fast pace soundtrack in order to connote tension. Fades to black
were also used between these shots of Bryony and Victor in order to
define these characters and to connect them on either sides of the
cupboard. It also made the film run more smoothly in order to keep
the audience engaged.