evaluation of thriller edit

1. Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1
Characters
Bryony Victor
The character of Bryony conforms to the stereotype of women in film being
weak and vulnerable, although in some ways challenges this view. We chose
the name Bryony as it means ‘flowering vine’ in Greek, which, when first
considered, may be seen to connote both beauty and power as vines are
strong and tough, challenging the weak female stereotype. However, on
reflection, Bryony could also connote fragility, as the vine flowers are not
very strong and are, in fact, delicate, underpinning that females are weak.
Bryony’s character is strongly influenced by the character of Marion Crane
from ‘Psycho’. She is strong and determined, as seen by her attempts to
escape from her capture, which is much like Marion’s resolve to steal the
money from her work. However, both characters are very naïve; both are
nervous and frightened, which they find very difficult to conceal,
highlighting their vulnerability. The fact that we decided to kill off our lead in
the first few moments of the film, much like Hitchcock with Marion in the
first half of the film, both shocks the audience and reinforces the stereotype
that women are weak and cannot defend themselves.
Bryony also conforms to the femme fatale archetype which is also seen in
the character of Eve from ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. While Eve wears
pearls – which are often seen to represent tears – Bryony wears dark red
lipstick, which connotes danger and promiscuousness; however, the fact
that the lipstick is smudged suggests that she is actually quite weak and
vulnerable, not quite the sophisticated front that she puts on. She also
wears a black shirt, which connotes darkness while also making her blend
into her surroundings in the dark cupboard; this makes her seen
expendable, foreshadowing her death, conforming to the femme fatale
archetype of women – much like Eve – who meet an untimely end.
(L-R) Marion, Bryony and Eve
The character of Victor conforms to the antagonistic archetype of the villain
with charm, such as Norman Bates from ‘Psycho’ and Vincent from ‘Pulp
Fiction’. We chose the name Victor as it means ‘conqueror’ in Latin, which
immediately connotes power and dominance, suggesting he is going to be in
control of other characters throughout the thriller.
Victor’s character is very cold and vacant, an therefore almost psychopathic,
referencing Norman Bates; both are seen as normal, everyday men due to
their ability to blend into the background and be unassuming, which proves
to be more unsettling to the film’s audience. They are also very charming
and suave, their sophistication reinforcing their archetype role as the villain
with charm, further unsettling the audience as they are drawn into their
character and almost find themselves warming to them. Victor is also very
obsessive and precise, seen through his action of straightening his tie and
his spotless house; this make this character even more unnerving as his
constant need for perfection suggests he has something to hide, and also
that he wants constant control over everything in his life.
The costume is very important to Victor as it underpins his unsettling
character. We chose a traditional suit and tie, referencing Vincent and Jules
from ‘Pulp Fiction’ and Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho’, due to its
unassuming nature, allowing the character to blend into the background like
an everyday businessman to unsettle the audience. The black coat connotes
darkness and evil, while the lack of colour suggests that Victor has no depth,
further reinforcing his cold, detached nature. We also chose to have Victor
wear black, leather gloves which connotes a lack of identity: he has no
fingerprints, allowing him to blend into the background without anyone ever
noticing, making him seem even more powerful and deadly.
(L-R) Bates, Victor and Jules

2. Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1
Location
We conformed to a variety of generic locations seen in the thriller genre.
Firstly, we used a enclosed space in the form of a cupboard, which connotes
claustrophobia and panic due to the fact there is no way to escape, nor a
place to hide. Enclosed spaces are seen in a variety of thrillers, such as the
shower in ‘Psycho’ and the coffin in ‘Kill Bill: Volume II’, which is where we
took our inspiration from; all these spaces act almost like cages for the
female characters, which makes them seem weak and objectified. These
spaces also help to create suspense and tension as the audiences do not
know if the character will escape their enclosure. Finally, the fact we chose a
shoe cupboard, a space which many people may have in their homes, makes
the audience more unsettled and uncomfortable as it is a familiar location
which they assume is safe, but which we make sinister.
(L-R) the coffin, cupboard and shower
We also used the generic location of dark, narrow streets, seen in thrillers
such as ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ and ‘The Third Man’. The narrow
nature of the street again connotes claustrophobia and panic, but due to the
fact that it is the antagonist, Victor, who is walking towards the camera, the
panic comes from the audience, as it seems as through they have no way to
escape. The fact we set the shoot at night makes the streets seem more
dangerous, as shadows are created which connote mystery and danger;
also, everything is masked at night, which creates the possibility that
anything can happen, which is frightening and unsettling for the audience.
Lighting and Sound
(L-R) ‘The Third Man’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Once Upon a Time…’
When Bryony is in the cupboard, we use non-ambient lighting to create a
suspenseful and unnatural atmosphere which connotes fear and suspense.
The fact that the light is unnatural reflects how Bryony situation; everything
around her is different and unrecognizable, which is frightening for her. We
used non-ambient lighting in the opening shot to cast a shadow over
Bryony's eyes, which makes her face look almost like a skull, foreshadowing
her death. We also used ambient lighting for the outdoor shots, such as the
streetlight when Victor is walking down the alleyway, reflecting his raw
character. Finally, we used chiaroscuro lighting – a convention of the thriller
genre – throughout our opening, such as when Victor enters the house; this
creates shadows, connoting mystery and danger, leaving the audience on
edge and in suspense as they are unsure to what will happen next.
(L-R) non-ambient, ambient and chiaroscuro
Our choice of sound was effective in building the suspense throughout our
thriller opening. We used the diegetic sound of Bryony heavily breathing
during the opening credits of our thriller; this connotes fear and panic,
leaving the audience of edge, wondering what the cause of the breathing is
and what is to come. We developed this idea from the opening of ‘Kill Bill’
by Quentin Tarintino, where the Bride is breathing heavily after being
beaten up; however, instead of cutting straight to our lead (like Tarintino
cuts to the Bride), we used the breathing as a sound bridge that
foreshadows Bryony being found by Victor in order to build the tension
throughout our opening. We also exaggerated the diegetic sound of Victor’s
footsteps, which connotes a foreboding and suspenseful atmosphere.
Our choice of soundtrack was that of a modern thriller film, using lots of
ambient sounds and static for an unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere. To
build the suspense of the opening, we synchronised the opening of Bryony’s
eye with the sudden jump of the soundtrack, emphasising the thrill of the
shot and unsettling the audience.

3. Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1
Camera Angles/Movement and Transitions Opening to a Thriller Film and Narrative
We used a variety of camera shots and angles in our film opening which are
often featured in the thriller genre. For example, we used a tilt shot when
Victor is walking to the front door, which connotes confusion and
disorientation, adding to the suspenseful nature of the shot; this has been
used in many thriller films, most notably ‘The Third Man’, as it leaves the
audience on edge and reinforces the nightmarish nature of the film.
Another camera angle we used was a worm’s eye shot when Victor was
waking down the alleyway and passed over the camera; this shot is often
used to indicate fear while allowing the audience to view events from a
vulnerable perspective, such as in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. It
connotes power and fear, reinforcing Victor’s role as the dominant villain.
(L-R) tilt shots and worm’s eye shots
Our choice of transitions reinforce the thriller genre. For example, we use
lots of short, sharp cuts between shots to build the pace of the edit and
therefore the tension. We also used a fade between the shot of Victor and
Bryony staring through the door of the cupboard; this makes it more chilling
for the audience as it connects the two characters, highlighting that Bryony
is not safe, leaving the audience wondering what will happen next.
We used camera movements to create a chilling atmosphere; for example,
we used a pan when Victor looks to the cupboard where Bryony is being
kept, highlighting his obsession with her. The cupboard is a recurring motif
throughout the opening, much like in ‘Psycho’ with Marion’s money, which
highlights the significance of the door and builds the tension of the scene.
(L-R) pan shot, fade and door motif
The opening to our thriller features many conventions seen in the thriller
genre. For example, we based our opening credit sequence on the titles of
‘Kill Bill’; we had heavy breathing playing over the text to build the tension,
while also opening with a quote that refers to the plot: “every man is a
moon, and has a dark side which he shares with nobody”. We also
referenced Tarintino by including the title ‘A Film Apart’, a nod to his
production company ‘A Bad Apart’. We used a black background with white
text, which is also seen in the opening for ‘Once Upon a Time in America’;
the white text stands out against the black background, which establishes
the film noir genre as it symbolises the shadows and chiaroscuro lighting
seen throughout thriller films.
(L-R) ‘Once Upon a Time…’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Kill Bill’
We chose to call our film ‘The Unseeable’ as it references the character of
Victor, who blends into the background of society, allowing him to get away
with terrible actions as no one would ever assume he would do it. I also links
to the fact that Bryony is hidden away so no one will ever find her. We
decided the name should be short and dynamic, so it is therefore more
memorable and forceful to the audience.
The narrative structure is mostly linear, with a series of montages with the
character of Victor walking to his house, while the character of Bryony is
trying to escape. Some jump cuts are used in this sequence, which leaves
the audience feels disorientated, thus adding to the suspense of the film
and amplifying the thriller genre. However, the heavy breathing over the
opening credits could be seen as a flash forward, foreshadowing the
moment when Bryony is confronted by her kidnapper; we used this to
create tension for the audience, as they are left wondering what will happen
later in the edit to cause such heavy breathing.