The document provides an evaluation of a 2-minute thriller opening scene created by the author. It discusses how the scene uses common thriller conventions in its cinematography, editing, sound, themes, and targeting of an audience aged 15-30. The author believes the scene was successful overall by using a range of cinematography techniques, effective sound, and elements of mise-en-scene to tell the thriller story and keep the audience engaged. Feedback on the scene was generally positive.

1. Evaluation: Question 1
IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE DEVELOP
OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS

2. The Task
 Our task was to create a 2 minute thriller opening scene, but before we did this we
had to do our research planning and preliminary task. Doing research helped me
understand the media business and how the thriller genre works and what the
common conventions of thrillers were. Doing planning helped us make the thriller
scene itself because without planning the scene wouldn’t have been good. We did
the preliminary task in order for us to be familiar with filming a video and editing
it.

3. Does my thriller follow conventions
 I believe that my thriller does follow conventions because it includes a lot of
common conventions in a thriller film. It includes things like low key lighting, the
faces of the antagonist being hidden and close-ups to show facial expressions.
The sound is also conventional as its scary and it makes people feel
uncomfortable. The setting and iconography was also conventional as the first
part of the scene was filmed in an unknown location and the knife near the end of
the scene is conventional

4. Generic conventions of a thriller
 Generic conventions of a thriller include low key lighting, violence, death and
torture. It can also include scary sound in order to get the audience intimidated.
The use of angles are important in thriller film because certain angles can have
affect on the audience. Having a protagonist antagonist and a victim is also
common in almost every thriller as the narrative normally revolves around them. It
is also conventional to have an narrative that appeals to the audience the narrative
also has the audience confused a lot in order to create suspense.

5. Cinematography
 A lot of the cinematography we used was effective such as the low angle we used
for the antagonist in the beginning to show that he is a powerful character. The
close up we used on the victim in order to show his emotion and his innocence.
The cinematography is important as it can have a lot of effective on the audience
and if the cinematography is poor it wont have much affect on the audience.

6. Angles sizes and movement
 Angles
 The effective angles we used were the low angle on the antagonist on the
beginning to show his superiority and high angle on the victim to show that he is
subordinate.
 Sizes
 The effective sizes we used was a close up on the victim to show his innocence
and facial expression a close-up to show the mask of the antagonist at the end
and a long shot the show there bodies and surroundings.
 The effective movement we used was the panning shot t the beginning to show
the face of the character.

7. sound
 The sound at the beginning was conventional to thriller films because it leaves a
creepy feel to the audience as the sound is quite creepy at the beginning. In the
middle the sound becomes louder and sound more like a ceremony type of thing
then at the end its loud again and it sounds very intimidating because it sound
scary and it makes it seem as if someone is going to die or get hurt because at the
same time the two antagonist are going somewhere the audience don’t know so
who knows what they are going to do.

8. Editing cuts
 The editing cuts we mainly used where jump cuts in the middle in order for the
scene to be more effective. We used a lot of jump cuts in the beginning and near
end as well when the antagonist is alone and when there is two antagonist at the
end.

9. Editing transitions
 The main transition we used was fade to black as the scene changed. We also
used bloom in order for it to have more effect when it changed scenes. We used
bloom at the end and when it changes from the knife to when they are outside.

10. Mise en scene: setting and iconography
 The different setting of the thriller scene were conventional because at the
beginning it was an unknown location which are used a lot in thriller films because
this leaves the audience confused. The next setting we had was the bedroom this
was conventional because it was an Isolated placed which means no one is there
the save the victim. The next setting was a unknown place again and then it was
outside in order to show that the antagonist were out to do something bad. The
main iconography in the opening scene is the knife that the antagonist picks up
because it shows that he is going to try and cause harm with it.

11. Mise en scene: lighting and colour
 The lighting in our thriller scene was mainly low-key lighting throughout the scene
in order for the audience to be uncomfortable and suspect that something bad is
going to happen. The colour around the scene was mainly black to show the
negativity of the scene and in order for the audience to suspect that something
bad is going to happen.

12. Mise en scene: costume body language
and facial expression
 The costume of the characters were black in order to show that they are evil
characters because black is normally associated with evil the body language of
the victim is sloppy at the beginning to show that he doesn’t want to be in his
situation. The victims facial expression in the middle shows his innocence and it
shows that he is vulnerable as it looks like he is about to cry.

13. Themes
 The themes in this thriller film is conventional as it includes death violence and
manipulation which is very common in thriller films. This makes the audience
scared because seeing death and violence can scare anyone. And the themes also
show the people we are aiming this film at because it shows that this film is mainly
shown to mature people.

14. Target audience
 The audience we were targeting were people aged 15-30 because they are the
type of people who would enjoy a thriller film because this age group can cope
with seeing violence death and torture and also this age group enjoy seeing
things like violence because they this age group is more active and violent. And
we also picked this age group because the film is not suitable for anyone under
the age of 15 as it could harm them.

15. Credits
 The credits were added during the scene was playing in order to get the audience
interested and not make them bored. The credits are included in order to credit
anyone who took part in making this film.

16. Overall
 Overall I think my thriller has been successful as I used a range of a
cinematography in order to make the scenes more effective, the sound was good
in the most parts and the mise en scene was good because I used a range of the
feature of the mise en scene in order for the scenes to be effective. The themes in
the thriller were good as well as they would keep the audience scared which I was
aiming for. Overall I think this thriller has been successful because I received
generally positive feedback.