The document discusses how a student's supernatural horror film opening uses and develops conventions of the genre. It conducted research on other film openings. The title "3:17AM" provides insight without immediately suggesting horror. Visual elements like fonts, effects and desaturated colors follow conventions. The setting in a isolated family home and props like candles are common. Shots build suspense through zooms and pans. Hints about the narrative reference conventions like vulnerable characters and threatening forces. Filming during the day challenged realism expected of the genre. Overall, the opening fits conventions through its use of various visual and audio elements.

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

2. Research
• I conducted a lot of research before I started
this project. This included searching for other
film openings from not only supernatural
horrors, but films from different genres as well
to understand the conventions that they all
follow.

3. Film Title
• We decided to call our film 3:17AM. We called it 3:17AM
because it gives the audience a big insight into what the films
narrative will be, which is what most film titles conventionally
do.
• In some ways however, our film title does break the normal
codes and conventions of other supernatural horror films as
they usually tell the audience right away that the film will
most likely be a horror film. For example, Insidious, Sinister
and Paranormal Activity, whereas from the title 3:17AM, you
wouldn’t immediately assume that it was a supernatural
horror film.

4. Film Title
• Another thing that I think fits the conventions of other
supernatural horror film titles is the typography. We used a
font that looks like it has been written in blood as blood is an
icon of the genre and the colour red has connotations of
danger, a constant theme that runs throughout horrors.
• We also used an effect that made the titles appear really
quickly on the screen and flicker on and off fast which fitted
with the intense, dramatic incidental music in the background.
We wanted this effect to pop up at the audience to scare
them after the tense build up of the alarm clock hitting
3:17am. This effect is conventional of horror films and is seen
in the opening of Insidious for example.

5. Setting/Location
• Most supernatural horrors are set in
large family houses and so this where
we decided to set our film to follow
the conventions.
• We also set it in a detached house to
suggest to the audience that the
family house is not near any other
houses and far from civilisation and
any help. This adds to the sense of
confinement and being vulnerable
that we wanted to portray.

6. Setting/Location
• Conventionally, supernatural horrors are set in everyday
family homes to also make the audience feel like it could
happen to anybody and makes them feel vulnerable as well
and this is how we want our audience to feel.
• Examples of other supernatural horrors that are set in family
homes are Insidious, The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity and
Sinister.
• A large part of the scene is also set in the parents’ bedroom
and this also adds to the vulnerability (as everybody is there
most vulnerable when they are asleep and at night) that we
wanted our characters to have as this will make the audience
feel the same way.

7. Setting/Location
• Although our film is set predominantly during the
night, we filmed during the day meaning that the
outside shot at the beginning of the scene looks a bit
too bright and in the window shot, some sun beams
are coming through the blinds. This reduced the
realistic and professional look of the film as people
don’t generally sleep during the day and breaks the
codes and conventions as typically, supernatural
occurrences usually happen at night. If we had filmed
at night, it would have made the scene have more of
an eerie and ominous atmosphere which all
supernatural horrors have.

8. Costumes/Props
• The characters were wearing pajamas
in the scene as this shows their
vulnerability but as they were in bed
throughout the whole scene, the
audience don’t see it.
• The most significant prop featured in
the opening is the alarm clock. This is
the main source of tension in the scene
as the whole opening is a build up to
when the clock hits 3:17am.
• It is also key in the narrative of the
whole film as when it does turn to
3:17am, the supernatural being comes
out and wreaks havoc.

9. Costumes/Props
• Another fairly significant prop that
appeared in our opening scene was a
candle.
• Candles are an icon of the genre as they
add an eerie atmosphere. Also in the
opening, the paranormal being blows the
candle out and is one of the few
paranormal activities we see throughout
the scene.
• Other supernatural horror films include
candles such as The Woman in Black and
The Conjuring and so this follows the
conventions.

10. Camerawork/Editing
• I tried to use a variety of different
shots to make my opening look
professional and more interesting.
• In the screenshot to the right, I used
a canted shot which zoomed in on
the door opening on its own.
• We decided to use this type of shot
to make the opening slightly more
interesting to watch for the
audience and we used the slow
zoom in to add some anticipation
and suspense as to what is behind
the door.

11. Camerawork/Editing
• In the long shot to the right, I used a
pan from right to left which also
zoomed out from the TV screen.
• I felt that this was quite an advanced
shot as it was quite tricky to zoom
out, pan to the side and do both at a
steady pace without jolting the
camera as this would make it look
unprofessional.
• I think as the shot began with
looking at the TV screen and then
slowly panned out, this adds some
suspense for the audience as they
don’t know what they might see
when the camera pans around the
room.

12. Camerawork/Editing
• We desaturated all of our shots to make the look
of the house seem really dull and dark which
adds to the ominous atmosphere that is
conventional of supernatural horrors.
• This also hints to the audience straight away that
something bad is going to happen in the house
and is the setting for the rest of the film.
• Other supernatural horrors which have followed
this convention is Insidious who made their shots
black and white in their opening to add to the
eerie mood.

13. Typography
• I think that the typography of the credits
are very conventional of supernatural
horrors.
• The font is serif which make the titles look
more old fashioned which is typical of
horrors. The colour of the credits are also
red which has connotations of danger and
blood which is an icon of the genre.
• We decided to place the credits over the
shots as this is conventional of all films not
just supernatural horrors.
• We used an effect that made the credits
fade on the screen letter by letter slowly
and then rise up and disappear off the
screen.
• I took inspiration from another
supernatural horror, Insidious which also
does something similar.

14. Setting Up the Story
• There are various ways throughout the opening scene
that give little hints to the audience about the narrative
of the rest of the film.
• The use of the low angle establishing shot of the house
at the beginning of the scene tells the audience that
this is where the film is going to be set. The use of the
dark filter and low angle shot make the house look
ominous and powerful.
• The use of the high angle shot on the parents in bed
tells the reader that these will be the main characters
in the film and that they are vulnerable and weak.

15. Setting Up the Story
• We are first introduced to
the family properly in a
family photo. The child’s
face has been scratched out
which suggests to the
audience that they will be
the main victim in the film.
It is conventional in
supernatural horror films
for children to be the
antagonists and is seen in
films such as Insidious and
Sinister.

16. Setting Up the Story
• Throughout my film opening, suspense is built up throughout to make the
audience feel tense. The incidental music which becomes increasingly
louder as the opening goes on which helps build the tension and tells the
audience that something bad is about to happen.
• The climax of this suspense is when the camera zooms in on the alarm
clock and it turns to 3:17am and then more louder and intense incidental
music is played to scare the audience when the titles suddenly appear.
• The zooming in on the alarm clock and the climax being when the time
changes to 3:17am sets up the narrative from the very start.
• It is conventional for supernatural horror films as they typically build up
suspense in their openings but do so by trying not to give too much of the
narrative away to still keep a mysterious feel which will make them want
to watch on. I feel as if we did this successfully.

17. Conclusion
• Overall, I think our supernatural horror film fits the codes
and conventions of other films of the genre fairly well. With
our use of dark filters, tense incidental music, location,
characters and titles and credits, I feel as if we made our
film opening appealing and identifiable to fans of the
genre.
• The only way in which I think we could have improved so
that it didn’t challenge the conventions in anyway was if we
filmed the opening at night as you can see relatively clearly
that it looks like daytime and conventionally, supernatural
occurrences happen at night in supernatural horrors as it
shows characters at their most vulnerable and creates
more of an eerie atmosphere.