2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
"Deceit" (A Gritty Suburban Thriller Opening)
The neighbourhood is next to large fields, which suggests the
notion of freedom. We chose this location because it’s so calm. We
wanted to really shock our audience by our plot, and this simple
location allowed us to enhance the threatening factors, such as
being home alone and having a suspicious boy around.
In our production, "Deceit", we challenge the generic thriller
locations because we use a traditional British spacious house in
village called Poringland, which is located on the outskirts of
Norwich.
Location
3. The opening to our film has a similar location to David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” and Quentin
Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume 1”. All three locations challenge generic thriller conventions
through the juxtaposition of appearance and reality because the conflict that follows appears
to be secure, welcoming, and comfortable environments when they actually aren’t.
Our films are
clear examples
of the
following
phrases:
“Looks are
deceiving” and
“There’s more
than meets the
eye”.
Audiences don’t
naturally expect
to be harmed in
places like these.
The violence that
occurs in these
stereotypically
nice
neighbourhoods
raises awareness
levels of
audiences.
Location
The old man is killed in the backyard in the light of day and found by a baby.
4. “Kill Bill” directly mirrors this below, except the conflict is inside with the windows wide open
though, so it’s still just as exposed as “Blue Velvet” and our production,“ Deceit".
Again the
location
undoubtedly
suggests
innocence with
the children’s
toys, well kept
grass, garden
and the pastel
coloured house.
The daylight
gives a pretty
effect, which
further separates
the setting from any
threatening events.
The deaths in these
locations are very
odd and ironically
placed, but
ultimately
emphasises them
more effectively.
They are much more
shocking this way.
Location
Vernita is killed in the kitchen by Beatrix in the day time.
5. The way we used a car in "Deceit" was inspired by the way it’s used in “Jackie Brown”.
The use of a boot storing a dead body is extremely
disturbing because it’s such an intimidating
claustrophobic place. “Jackie Brown’s” scene is
more daunting because Beaumont gets killed while
he’s inside the boot, whereas Anna is killed before
she’s put in, but her death is more overwhelming
since it happens in the early evening.
Objects
Ordell convinces Beaumont to get in the boot to kill him in the next scene.
Bill kills Anna and hides her body in the boot.
6. The way we used a car in "Deceit" also resembles the way it’s used in “Salamander”.
The police woman in this clip isn’t shocked by finding the body because she is probably used to it due to her job, but her reaction is not needed to
make an impact on the audience. It is simply successful in the pure uncomfortable visual of a dead body in the boot.
Objects
Our shot on the left of
Nature and Victor is
very similar due to the
claustrophobic effect to
the shot on the right
from Quentin Tarantino’s
“Pulp Fiction”. Vincent kills Marvin in the backseat while Jules is driving.Nature, Victor, and Anna arrive to Nature’s house..
7. Although keys are
small things, they have
a large amount of value
because they are
everyday necessities.
Contemporary youth are extremely dependent on technology, especially phones because they are like a security blanket that is convenient,
captivating, and comforting which is demonstrated in the photo on the left in “Taken” and in the photo on the right in “Deceit”.
Props
When Victor steals
Nature’s keys,
that is the ultimate
indication of
betrayal.
Kim’s father calls her, but she doesn’t hear because music is blasting through the house. Victor notifies Bill that the music is on so he can kill Anna.
8. "Deceit" resembles Pierre Morel’s “Taken” because of the circumstances the girls encounter.
When the girls arrive to their
temporary place of residence, no one
occupying it but them, and makes plan
with this random guy they met at the
airport, they ignorantly set themselves
up to be taken advantage of. This
relates to "Deceit" because the two girls
are in a similar vulnerable situation even
though there’s two of them and only one
boy. Victor deceives them by bringing
along a stranger like this random guy
here.
Characters
The girl’s arrive to the condo after taking a taxi with the seemingly nice stranger.
Kim is snatched from under the bed in the middle of having a conversation with her dad.
9. Our female characters in “Deceit" challenge the stereotypical appearances of damsels in distress in Thrillers
such as “Taken”, John Singleton’s “Abduction” ,and Duncan Jones’s “Source Code”.
The woman on the
left in Duncan
Jones’s “Source
Code” is dressed
very formally,
whereas the girl on
right in John
Singleton’s
“Abduction” is
casually revealing.
The two girls in
“Taken” are dressed
typically feminine, but
the blonde is more
casual than the
brunette.
Characters
10. We decided to make my character, Nature Brown, appear as a comfortably dressed, free spirited, young female who is very confident in her
own skin, and who is not pressured succumb to the stereotypes of what it means to look like a woman. This is shown in the relaxed fitting,
colourful outfit I wear, and my unorthodox hair style. My lack of urgency was represented through the slow pace of my stride. The tranquil
tone in my voice gives further emphasis to the lackadaisical demeanour of my character. The first name Nature was inspired from my real
name, because my character is naturally free spirited. The last name Brown was inspired by Jackie from “Jackie Brown” because of the
resemblance in the way that both characters are confident individuals.
We chose to make Victor Neal a
typical, troubled, deceitful
teenager, that is self centered
and arrogant. He is presented in
a very cold, distant, and
uncomfortable way through his
posture and facial expressions .
His clothing is casual like
Nature’s, but since it’s all
black, it creates a sense of
moodiness. We wanted to have a
clear contrast between Nature’s
outfit and everyone else’s.
Victor and Bill James needed to
wear all black to emphasise that
they were working together and
prepared to get dirty.
Victor’s name stems from him being
in a family of winners, and having to
deal with the pressure of his
parents not being satisfied with
anything less than victories. Bill is
named as Bill in “Kill Bill” because
his character is mysteriously in
control. We presented Anna Flones
as a superficial teenager that is
heavily reliant on her phone,
fashionably aware, and flaunts her
wealth. She is portrayed as a victim
because of her weakness of being
obsessive about her phone. Her
appearance is trendy to show that
she is aware of modern fashion and
wealthy enough to afford it.
Characters
11. The antagonists
wearing all black
clothing, especially
black leather
gloves, is a generic
convention in
thrillers such as
“Jackie Brown” and
“Taken. These
conventions help the
audience separate
the protagonists and
the antagonists.
Costumes
Ordell puts on black leather gloves before he drives Beaumont to his death. Bill wears black leather gloves to kill Anna.
The abductors conventionally wear all black when the abduct Kim and Amanda. Bill and Victor conventionally wear all black for their betrayal.
12. The use of black leather shoes is yet another generic convention in the thrillers “Taken” on the right, and “Kill Bill
Volume:1” on the left. The difference of shoe styles in our production is important because although they're both black, the
Vans separate Victor from being seen as a man like Bill, and instead suggests he is still an immature boy.
Costumes
13. Lighting
The lighting in
our production
was inspired by
the conventional
lighting in
Terry Winsor’s
“Essex Boys”.
The cloudy evening allows the audience to sink into the plot easier, because they are not
distracted by flattering lighting. The dim lighting adds to the lack of visual appeal, and
triggers the audience’s curiosity.
14. The use of shadows is also a generic convention of thrillers like “Taken”. We have unintentionally developed the impact of
the shadow notion with Victor passing a dark room on the left. The shadows shown by Victor are very effective in
suggesting to the audience the type of boy Victor is.
Lighting
The reflection of the
mirror in “Essex Boys”
is an intriguing angle to
witness from because of
how it reveals things to
be closer than they
are.
15. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxOsPYRXD14
Soundtrack
We chose our soundtrack below because it created a steady build up that matched
the rising tension in our production. The primarily dominant track enhanced the
visuals, instead of overpowering them like a few other tracks did. The second
track that was played at the climax was chosen to disrupt any underlying creepy
feelings that the audience could have been feeling. The sounds of the guitar,
although loud and possibly shocking, were a momentary ease to make the impact
of Anna being attacked as intense as possible. Our soundtrack is also a generic
convention because it conveys the mood which is dark, disturbing, grittiness. The
intensity of the piercing noises in the track gives our thriller a really eerie
effect.
16. We used enigma by not fully
showing Bill and not seeing
Bill put Anna’s whole body in
the car, which captures the
curiosity of the audience.
Angles
Victor and Nature are identified as the key characters in our production through their close
up shots. The close ups allow the audience to relate with the character’s feelings and create
a bond with them. As our opening unfolds, Victor’s deceit is shown not only by his actions, but
through the distance represented by the close ups evolving into the long shots.
17. Our production is a linear narrative, and the titles were done with a font called “True Lies”, which subtly relates
to the actual title of our film opening. This font has a rough aspect that enhanced the mood of our film, and like
the titles below in David Fincher’s “Se7en”, it has a certain grittiness to it.
Titles
