Our final answer to as media evaluation question 1

1. AS MEDIA EVALUATION
QUESTION 1
In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?

2. For the opening scene of our extract we had it set in dark natural lighting to automatically
put the audience on edge as they find lighting uncomforting and unsettling.
This conforms with the conventions of thrillers using darkness to unsettle an audience or
make them slightly familiar or aware of what may happen or is going to happen.
In this case we had the criminal in our extract run past the sign ‘HMP Haverigg’ which
makes the audience aware that someone is running away from a prison. The combination
of the two will allow some audience members to realise that a prisoner has escaped.
In Gothika the same technique and convention
is used to unsettle the audience constantly.
They want the thriller to have the audience on
the edge of their seat but anticipating the next
part.

3. Our opening scene then quick cut to a teenage girl in a well lit kitchen, this contrasts
with the previous darkness used.
This contrast conforms with the convention of using light to place a person’s status or
place in the film.
For example, the antagonist is usually associated with darkness and bad things,
therefore he was running in a dark place. In contrast to this, the protagonist is in a
well lit room in a home, the change of lighting will make the audience feel slightly
more settled and therefore begin to sympathise with the protagonist more as there
surroundings and affect they give off is safe.
An example of this convention would be The Woman In
Black, the antagonist is always placed in complete or near
enough darkness.

4. This shot conforms with the convention of a faceless antagonist. The use of
this convention makes the audience feel unsettled when he is anywhere in
shot as they cannot put a face to the person they are seeing.
Also this convention makes the antagonist seem mysterious and dangerous
as the characters you are seeing cannot see his face either because he hides
in the shadows i.e. alleyways
The same convention is used in The Blair Witch
Project with its antagonist. This is the only hint we
get at what the “Blair Witch”could look like, we never
see her or hear her. This makes the audience begin
to imagine the worst possible thing.

5. The daughter in Taken has the role of a damsel in
distress, she is in some sort of danger at points in the
film and becomes worried and paranoid which mentally
affects the audience.
In our extract we conform with the convention of a damsel in distress. Towards
the end of our extract ‘Sarah’ begins to become worried and paranoid. This then
begins to unsettle the audience as they sympathise with the protagonist which is
the teenage girl in this case.

6. Another convention our extract conforms with is the use of pace and
suspense to build tension. Using this psychologically affects the audience
and has them on their toes itching to know what happens but dreading it at
the same time. We used this convention with a tension and suspense
building soundtrack to accompany scenes that also created tension.
The same suspense and tension we aimed to create
was used in The Woman In Black. This scene creates
suspense and pace because the audience are made
aware that something dangerous and terrifying is not
only in the house with him but right behind him.

7. Another film that conforms with this convention Is
Shutter Island. Its title appears after the main
characters and plot have been introduced.
Another convention we used in
our extract is titling in our film.
Our title is placed at the start of
the extract with the name of the
film and an age rating. This
would be classed as SFX. We
also had the film title placed in
the middle to fade in because
this would contrast with the
tension afterwards as fading is
calm. The title is also red to
symbolise danger.

8. SOUNDTRACK & MISE EN SCENE
Our extract also conforms with the convention of non diegetic eerie
piercing soundtrack. This soundtrack is used in Thriller films to create
suspense and tension which puts the audience on edge and wanting to
know more. Whilst doing this, this soundtrack type also scares the
audience which is the effect we want to create.
Mise en scene in our extract also conformed with Thriller conventions. We had
the protagonist wearing lighter, brighter and more appealing clothes than the
antagonist to portray the good and the bad.