The document discusses how a student media project utilizes conventions of the thriller genre to develop the project's form. It provides examples of how the project uses conventions like low-key lighting, quick cuts, shadows, and camera angles. Specific shots that were included in the project's trailer that follow thriller conventions are described, such as a scene filmed in a park at night that keeps characters in darkness. The structure of the trailer also follows Todorov's theory of equilibrium, disruption, and resolution. Shadows and symbols were used to create suspense, and an opening prologue was included to introduce the story's urban legend in an intriguing way.

1. B Y A M I R
In What Ways does your media product
use develop or challenge forms &
conventions of real media products?

2. CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER
A thriller film has many conventions, these are common attributes
amongst many thriller films that allow them to be identifiable to one
genre.
From our research here are some conventions of the thriller genre
- Low-key Lighting
- Quick cuts
- Shadows
- Changes in angles of shots

3. EVIDENCE: LOCATION
Our final trailer consisted of shots in locations typical of a thriller film. One of the first
locations was a Park, we choose this because thriller films often use isolated settings
surrounded by nature, we choose to film in this location at night and using a light we
shone it on to the actress’s face to illuminate her whilst keeping everything else dark, this
also helped not to reveal much about the person grabbing her as we wanted to keep it
mysterious. A similar shot of this can be seen in the trailer “it follows”, this thriller film in
the trailer shows two people walking in a forest, with very low lighting, its hard to see
what's going on and the shots connotes themes of danger. I also tried to do this in my
shot, its hard to make out who the character is but we see her isolated in a very dark
setting until a mysterious hand grabs her into the darkness.

4. EVIDENCE: Structure of Todorovs theory
The structure of the trailer follows Todorov’s Theory, after the shots to
grab the audience attention of quick actions shots fading to black, the
trailer starts with an equilibrium, we see Alena home with her husband
getting ready, everything is normal and is calm, we then see the
disruption of a murder taking place and the detectives being called to the
scene, this then leads the detectives trying to find the resolution aka the
murderer, we don’t show the resolution in the trailer because we want
people to watch the film to see the ending.
EQUILIBRUM DISRUPTION RESOLUTION

5. EVIDENCE: SHADOWS AND SYMBOLS
In our trailer we wanted to use shadows to create suspense and
mystery, this is also another convention of a thriller films. In one
shot in particular I wanted to create the effect of a shadow going
past the camera, I used a mask in final cut pro to track quickly
across the screen, I was happy with the final result it looked good.

6. CHALLENGE: PROLOGUE
The start of the trailer could be described as a prologue to the film, the
voiceover talks about the Urban legend of the Murderer, it talks about the
legacy it had created and almost tells it as a high school locker room story,
I choose to do this to make the narrative a little more interesting, the
beginning of the trailer sparks questions, makes you wonder whos is
killing all these teenagers and is meant to hook you into the main
storyline of Alena.