The document discusses how the author challenged and developed upon various film techniques - mise-en-scene, sound, camera work, and editing - based on their research of real horror film opening sequences, including "Tears", "The Woman in Black", and "Antisocial". Some key ways the author challenged conventions included using a graveyard setting that could be identified, including a heroic character, adding dialogue, and using a variety of shot types. The author developed elements like costumes, deserted settings, changing music tempo, and natural sounds. The goal was to create an effective yet unique horror opening sequence that fit the genre through both challenging and developing film techniques from research of real media products.

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

2. Tears
Tears is a video that I used in my research whilst preparing
for the making of my opening sequence. Whilst watching
tears, I focused mainly on the aspects of mise-en-scene,
as the mise-en-scene is very effective and helpful
towards the opening we made. I did focus on all
elements such as sound, camera work, editing etc but
the main focus was the mise-en-scene, as the other
videos I researched focused on the different elements so
the research was not biased.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K136askLqTc

3. How I have challenged tears and developed through mise-
en-scene
How I have challenged Tears Through my Research
From the mise-en-scene, it wasn’t clear where and when the film was set, as it was based
in a deserted area. It is an area that as the audience we are not able to identify the location.
However, in our opening scene, we challenged this as we used a graveyard, a location that
can be identified which is generalised as an uneasy place, which we hoped to be very
effective. As an audience, the only information we could gather although it was very little
was that there were two girls, one being the little girl on the swing and the other being the
scary character. We challenged this idea, as we used three characters, involving a young
girl, a scary girl but also a hero. The hero is based in a more modern house, which contrast
to the olden idea of a graveyard. We originally wanted to use the idea of a villain and a
innocent young girl, like in tears, but we decided that in order to make our opening scene a
unique style, we changed the formation of the opening. The idea of making a horror meant
that from our research, we had to identify aspects of mise-en-scene that we could use an if
challenged, would still fit into the genre.
How I have challenged real products in general
There was not much aspects of the mis-en-scene that we challenged as we figured that to
keep the opening in its particular genre, a same atmosphere must be given to the audience
to make it a horror. This includes locations, characters, props, costumes etc. Most
characters tended to be girls as it is stereotyped that they’d be victims in a horror movie.
Also, location tend to be simple and unidentifiable whilst costumes tend to be simple and
unusual. Therefore, instead of challenging this, we developed on this, as we used simple
but horror type locations, but also used titles with effects that do not give a friendly
approach.

4. How I have developed tears through my research
There was one thing that intrigued me whilst watching tears which was the simplicity of
the use of costume. To be sure that the audience can gather that there is a ‘scary
character’ and a innocent young girl, the girl had to be dressed casually but simple, not
over extravagant whilst the ‘scary character’ dressed in a more unusual, simple and old
style look. This create the sense that there is an old, scary and frightening person, a
common theme of horror movies, haunting a young child, which creates the source of
tension. Also, another theme that reoccurred throughout was that there was not any sign
of any other people in the scenes, which we also tried to adapt to make it seem that the
area is deserted and contains a haunted atmosphere. One thing that I noticed about the
location was that most people would stereotypically expect the scene to be in the time of
the night, but what I realised from tears was that the time of the day can be as effectfull in
a horror opening scene if the location, costumes, blocking and props are used right. We
developed on this created our sequence during the day, using minimal but effective
costumes, props and location to make the scene genuine.
How I have developed real products in general
Most opening that fit into this genre will consist of not only characters that are mysterious
but identifiable to the audience, but also an item or object which is usually a central
theme of the movie. For example, items such as old jewlerry, chest boxes or items that
are valuable in a persons eyes are usually what creates the negativity in a horror movie.
This type of prop creates more mystery than the characters as the characters are built up
around the mystery of something, which in some cases are valuables. We developed on
this as we used a necklace with a large gem, which to the audience is concerning and
mysterious.

5. Locations were deserted and
simple, similar to our product
The title sequence in the real product had effect
on a black background which we developed

6. The woman in black
As I researched the mise-en-scene using the
opening sequence of Tears, I researched the use
of sound in the opening of the woman in black. I
chose this video because it gave me a lot of ideas
on how sound should be produced, and how it
attracts the audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z_XetLZlqc

7. How I have challenged the woman in black through sound
There was one main thing that I challenged in the opening sequence that we
created which was the use of dialogue. In The woman in black, there was no
speech at all, only music that switched up tempo as it went along to match the
performance of the little kids. Although we did use music to match the
performance, we also had a part in the opening where a character is seen and
heard to be reading of a paper. This is a convention that we challenged as most
openings, as not only the woman in black do not really consist of the use of
dialogue. However, we challenged this in a way that we could make it effective.
We used sentences such as “it will never let her go” and “been captured” which
are words that can be gathered as unpleasant and frightening. We specifically
chose these words in order to keep the sense of horror running, challenging the
aspects of horror openings rather than challenging the genre itself.

8. How I developed the woman in black through sound in my research
A video that I researched to find this information out and develop was the opening
sequence of the woman in black. In the woman in black, the music starts of slow and
calm, whilst the mise-en-scene shows kids playing with their toys. We similarly did this,
except instead of toys, the sound matched the performance of the character in the
graveyard. As the opening continues, the sound of the music gets louder and faster, as
more instruments are involved whilst the performance on the screen gets more and more
unusual. At the very end, the music stops and there is a sort of screaming foley sound,
which is a random noise that is frightening. All of this was something that we developed
on rather than challenged, as sound is something that the audience picks up on easily
and if it were to friendly or jolly, the opening would be addressed to the audience in the
wrong way. We developed on this as we used a rapid changing use of tempo in the music
we chose, with no use of dialogue or speech. The only thing that we challenged was the
order in which the sounds are used, as the random foley sound was used more than once
throughout, whilst there was a pause of sound consisting of natural sound at the
beginning when there was an establishing shot of the graveyard.
How I developed real products in general
As I researched other products, a common thing that occurred was the lack of dialogue
and the use of unusual frightening sounds and music. There was a consistency of natural
sound used also, as the sound of wind without any interruptions of cars etc seemed to be
very effective every time it was used. From this, we carried out the same theme to make
the sound effective in our opening. We used natural sound mixed with music. The
atmosphere that was created by all the videos I researched was a sense of surprise,
shock, purely through the sound itself. This is the same sense that we wished to carry out
which is why we followed most the techniques used in horror movies with the use of
sound so that the video fits in its genre.

9. Antisocial
The camera work is what I focused on in
antisocial, although it was very limited. It
stayed in one place and I analysed how
effective it was. I looked at the woman in
black and tears also, to contrast to
antisocial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=T6S9ZyK0n-o

10. How I challenged the camera work in anti social through my research
In Anti social, the camera stayed in one place and was shown to the audience through
the eyes of a webcam. However, whilst watching the woman in black and tears, I realised
that in a typical conventional horror opening sequence, there would be a lot of close up
shots as well as an establishing shot. A close up shot on a movement, such as the swing
in tears and the dolls in the woman in black is something that is usually done by camera
work. We challenged not only anti social but also the other two videos analysed, as we
used a the typical close up (holding the necklace) but used a mixture of long shots and
mediums shots with it, to make it look effective and unique. We used longshots and close
ups on all of the characters individually, apart from the hero. The reason we did the was
because it would be conventional for the audience to realise the negative and vulnerable
actors by using close up shots, but would not be conventional to instantly give away the
appearance and presence of the hero as it would give a sense that the hero is either a
victim or a villain. There were not any devlopments in camera work from antisocial as it
was very limited.
How I challenged real products
Not only in the woman black and tears, but in horror openings in general, there would
tend to be a large use of close ups with the only wide shot being the establishing shot.
This is conventional because the main idea of a horror is to not give away any clues, and
wide shots or long shots can give away a lot of ideas to the idea just through little aspects
of the mise-en-scene. I challenge this convention as we used a variety of shots, which
gave away a variety of locations, but like a conventional horror, did not give away the
narrative. The camera work was simple however, as we did not use much tracking shots
or panning's, we kept the camera static.

11. Editing
Whilst focusing on editing, I analysed all the
products to see the conventions of a typical
horror opening. As it is a title sequence,
there is a lot of focus on edits and it is a
large element of the opening sequence.