In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?

1. Q1) In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms
and conventions of real media products?
Our film, “Chasing Reality” has two different genres. Our primary genre is action which
includes the following codes and conventions:
● Good wins over Evil
● Saving a woman/ potential love interest
● Revenge
● Race Against Time
● Fast Pace
● Death
● Main character seems pretty normal but in actual fact is highly intelligent.
● Bloody, dirty fights/ acts of violence.
● Variety of Weaponry.
● Kidnappings.
Real films that I looked at when planning our opening sequence were Total Recall, Die
Hard which is pretty consistent with their hostage situations and Taken.

2. Q1) In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms
and conventions of real media products?
A very important theme to our film were
either chasing reality away by entering
Our secondary genre, thriller, isn’t explored in
as much detail as our primary genre however another world or chasing after a reality in
here is a list of codes and conventions: which your dreams are fulfilled. A
secondary theme which is very important
● Kidnappings/ Hostile Situations to our film was revenge. In the first few
● Shock
minutes you see Shamus avenge the fact
that people kidnapped AJ and would
● Revenge probably try to hurt her if he wasn’t there
which also brings out the tertiary theme of
● Mental Issues protection which isn’t explored in a vast
● Possible Violence –to a gruesome extent. amount of detail which is quite similar to
the film A Time to kill when a father takes
Real films that I considered when planning our justice into his own hands and murders
opening sequence was Hide and Seek, two red necks after they rape his ten year
Orphan and Red Dragon.
old daughter effectively protecting other
daughters as well otherwise the law of the
time would have let them escape due to
the racism at the time.

3. Q1) In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms
and conventions of real media products?
Our two main and most important characters are Lighting for the first few shots is quite
AJ and Shamus. Our final version of our bright; it gives off the sense that the
character Shamus is quite similar to that of Harry
Potter who is a polite and quiet boy. His outdoor regions are quite dark which
relationship with Snape reflects that of Shamus basically means night time. This is similar
with the bandit/teacher who unlike Snape does to Taken, as when Liam Neeson finally
not hold any liking to the boy. Shamus as a rescues his actual daughter he has to go
character fits in well with the conventions of a through a few cronies on a well-lit yacht
protagonist in this situation. He is nerdy yet
enthusiastic and has an indomitable will to thrive at night time. This follows the conventions
and survive much like Harry Potter who lives with of a dark fight scene although the Bandit
uncaring relatives. The first face that we see in is no match for Shamus and his skills. In
the opening sequence is of Shamus’ whose regards to Shamus the only way we twist
expression is occupied. The fact that we see his
face first out of all the other characters shows the
a convention of an orphan is that at first his
importance of He is dressed wearing a jacket and family were hiding away for his safety but
a smart shirt which is peculiar for the type of instead of a happy reunion they end up brutally
murdered by the cause that made them hide
mission he is about to partake in. which then leads Shamus onto a pursuit of
revenge.

4. Q1) In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms
and conventions of real media products?
Our opening sequence challenges the
In the ending of our opening sequence his conventions of action films by including a
politeness and the toxic relationship between the
quote in the opening sequence as most action
student and teacher is shown through the
teacher’s frantic reaction at Shamus losing focus films concentrate on the violence and the
through slamming his hands on the table physicality whereas our opening sequence
although the audience don’t see this action take challenges the audience on a mental scale as
place. The physique of the teacher/bandit is quite they try to make sense of Shamus’ dream
intimidating as his muscles are tensed and he world and the differences between it and
has fully bent over to look down on Shamus. This reality. This is quite similar to the film Hide
toxicity can also be seen through the death of the and Seek in which the father and daughter’s
teacher/bandit as in comparison to Bandit A who world come crashing down as the mother has
has a quick death Shamus shoots him which committed suicide and shortly after his
therefore causes a heavy splatter of blood which girlfriend falls to her death, which the daughter
can be seen in the wide shot. This shot helps to blames on a Charlie figure. However, in the
set the scene. He is more into academics than end of this film the father comes to realise he
sports which is quite common for a convention has a split personality in which he is in actual
within an action film as protagonists are usually fact the murderer “Charlie”. This therefore
trained up to become skilful .e.g. such as Neo in
enables the subtle hints at our secondary
the Matrix when he is first being trained up.
genre which as I have mentioned before is
thriller.

5. Q1) In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms
and conventions of real media products?
The props used in the opening sequence
are two different guns and rope to keep Music is vital to genres such as action and
AJ’s hands tied together. This follows the thriller in order to create certain moods and be
conventions of using weapons and successful with connecting with the audiences.
incorporating them in our scenes however In our opening credits as well as the reloading
it twists this convention as there are no scenes we used simple beats to
commemorate simple actions. This was quite
gunshot battles just quick killing. In
useful as when Shamus slides into hiding the
regards to setting, the conventions get music changes to show that the action has
twisted as it is all filmed within Shamus’ been thrown into full throttle so overall the
school, in which we used the drama music mimics the actions in our film unlike the
studio for AJ’s hostage situation. This opening sequence of the dark knight in which
was perfect as the fact that it was just an the music gradually changes instead of
open space enabled us to emphasise the mirroring the actions. The music for our final
situation that AJ was forced into as well credit which has the name of our film is
different because my group wanted to
as the danger that Shamus had just emphasise the name as well as emphasise the
stepped into in order to save his friend/ main theme which would also enable our team
possible love interest. This is similar to I to understand it better.
am number four when the alien boy Overall, Chasing reality uses more
successfully saves his love interest from conventions rather than adding a twist or
the grips of her ex-boyfriend and his pet- completely challenge each convention that
like friends. there is to an action and thriller movie.

6. Q1) In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms
and conventions of real media products?
The props used in the opening sequence
are two different guns and rope to keep Music is vital to genres such as action and
AJ’s hands tied together. This follows the thriller in order to create certain moods and be
conventions of using weapons and successful with connecting with the audiences.
incorporating them in our scenes however In our opening credits as well as the reloading
it twists this convention as there are no scenes we used simple beats to
commemorate simple actions. This was quite
gunshot battles just quick killing. In
useful as when Shamus slides into hiding the
regards to setting, the conventions get music changes to show that the action has
twisted as it is all filmed within Shamus’ been thrown into full throttle so overall the
school, in which we used the drama music mimics the actions in our film unlike the
studio for AJ’s hostage situation. This opening sequence of the dark knight in which
was perfect as the fact that it was just an the music gradually changes instead of
open space enabled us to emphasise the mirroring the actions. The music for our final
situation that AJ was forced into as well credit which has the name of our film is
different because my group wanted to
as the danger that Shamus had just emphasise the name as well as emphasise the
stepped into in order to save his friend/ main theme which would also enable our team
possible love interest. This is similar to I to understand it better.
am number four when the alien boy Overall, Chasing reality uses more
successfully saves his love interest from conventions rather than adding a twist or
the grips of her ex-boyfriend and his pet- completely challenge each convention that
like friends. there is to an action and thriller movie.