The media product challenges conventions of the thriller/horror genre in several ways: 1) The titling uses an unconventional font color of white instead of red, and appears as if being typed or texted to fit with the story. 2) Camera movements do not use an establishing shot and go straight into character introductions to build tension. Shots include medium, close-up, and low angles to subtly hint at events and characters. 3) The isolated location of a bathroom and bedroom within a busy city challenges the genre convention of remote, isolated settings, developing the idea that events could happen anywhere.

1. EVALUATION – QUESTION ONE
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My Product Typical Thriller/Horror My Production – Comparison to
Conventions use, develop or Existing
challenge? Products
Titling – colour, Font Normally Used: Courier Font We Used: • Misery
font and style Conventional Font Colour: Adobe Arabic for • Secret
Red titling (Regular) Window
(blood/anger/death/love/danger) Cracked for credits • Scream
Font Style: (Regular)
On screen//Pause//Fade Out Font Colour:
White (innocence
and was the only
colour that didn’t
look out of place on
the screen.) used for
all titles.
Font Style:
Set in film, appears
as if being typed or
texted (Film Title)
Separate from film-
in between shots, on
black, white writing
(Credits)
Camera Establishing shot used to mimic We didn’t use an • Psycho
Movement- pan, a murderer scanning for their establishing shot uses
track, crab, crane victim; creates a sense that it because we didn’t establishing
could happen anywhere. Zoom leave ourselves shot at the
in after establishing shot, which enough time to do it, beginning
makes victim clear to the but when we had also has a
audience. finished we all date with no
agreed that it would year - which
have been better reinforces
without the the idea
establishing shot that it could
because it subverts happen
the typical anywhere
conventions by at anytime.
going straight into
an introduction of
the characters.

2. Framing a shot Use of medium shot to show Shots Used: • Seven
ECU, CU, MS, the antagonist, protagonist and Medium shot, close Uses a
LS, ELS the villains. up, low level shot, medium
zooming shot. All of shot of the
these were used to Protagonist.
subtly hint as to who
the victim was.
Camera Angle High angle shot to show Angles Used: • Seven
High, Low vulnerability of victim, point of High angles to show Uses a low
view shot to add tension, low vulnerability of angle shot
angle to shot to show the power victim- although they to show
the killer has over the victim weren’t used with authority on
the killer in the shot. the part of
Also used to the
establish character protagonist.
personalities. • Psycho
Uses point
Low angles also of view shot
used to establish to build
characters. tension
within a
We wanted to use a scene.
point of view shot to
increase tension but
due to a lack of time
this idea was
abandoned.
Mise-en-Scene Location: Isolated, used to Location: • Secret
build tension and possibly Bathroom and a Window:
develop the idea that the victim bedroom within a Set in the
is on their own completely and house in an estate woods in a
they have no hope of escaping. within the city very
subverting genre isolated
conventions house
although they are • Psycho:
isolated areas within Bates
the house the motel: in
location of the whole the woods,
film is a busy, very VERY
much not isolated isolated.
area we used this to • Misery:
develop the idea In the
that this could woods, very
happen anywhere. isolated
area

3. Editing – jump Editing normally used: Editing we used: • Psycho
cuts, match cuts, Quick cutting pace used when Match cuts to show Uses slow
reverse shots, something is about to happen to a continuous story cutting
cutting rhythmn help build tension within the and establish the rhythm to
scene. events are unsettle
Cuts at the beginning utilised to happening parallel viewer.
unsettle the audience. to each other.
A reaction shot was
used to show when
something has
happened.
Cutting rhythm
remained steady
throughout but
quickened in pace
when it got to the
end.
Sound Sound normally used: Sounds we used: • Psycho
Eerie noises to build tension, Used an Uses eerie
Jerky strings used to unsettle instrumental of am sounds
viewer. eerie hip hop song when
Heavy use of non diagetic to appeal to our something
sound to unsettle viewer target audience, is going to
build tension and fit happen and
in with our also uses
characters and their jerky strings
surroundings. to build
tension and
unsettle
audiences.
Narrative Theory Narrative theory normally Narrative theory • Scream
used: we used: Uses
Roland Barthes – Enigma We used Roland Equilibrium.
Codes Barthes’ Enigma • Psycho
Tsvetan Todorov-Equilibrium Codes, used to draw Uses
(Levi-Strauss- Binary in our viewers and Equilibrium
Opposition) make them question as well.
the whole way
through the film