The document summarizes how the media product utilizes, develops, and challenges conventions of the thriller genre. It discusses using iconography like a mannequin, cinematography techniques like close-ups and low angles, lighting, editing techniques like montage and fade to black, costumes, settings and more to both follow thriller conventions as well as challenge norms. Examples are provided from films like Insidious 2, Seven, and others to illustrate how certain elements mimic conventions of the genre.

1. Question 1) In what ways
does your media product,
use, develop, or challenge
forms and conventions?

2. The task:
• Our task consisted on creating a 2 minutes video with our group
members. My group was made by Gulustan, Natalia and me and
together we created our thriller opening. However, before filming our
opening we had to research and plan different task, which included to
look at different existing thriller, familiarise with the different codes
and conventions a thriller movie posses, and create our preliminary
task. These assignment allowed us to build new skills and ideas for our
thriller, therefore while filming we felt confident on what we were
doing. After the research and planning task I was able to pursue our
vision and start filming.

3. Does my thriller follow conventions of a thriller?
• Iconography: I have develop conventions
of a thriller by using a mannequin as
iconography in my opening thriller. I have
utilise the mannequin to develop further
meaning, as it can be compared to the
vulnerable female who are subordinate. In
‘Insidious 2’ the antagonist has a
collection of his victim that are covered
with white sheets which makes them look
like mannequin. This is conventional to
the thriller genre because the theme of fear
and mysteriousness is shown.
• Cinematography: I have used
thriller conventions by utilising a
variety of angle, size and
movements that are conventional
for a thriller genre, such as close
up, low angle, tilt shot etc.
‘Seven’ (1995) used similar shots
in order to create suspense in the
opening sequence. This is
conventional to the thriller genre
because it alert the viewers about
the genre and possible narrative.
• Lighting: I have used low-
key lighting through out the
whole opening to create
tensions among the
audience. I have also used
different angle of lighting,
such as under and back
lighting because they are
conventional to the thriller
genre because they distort
the face features and create
a sense of fear.
In Her Scent
Seven
In Her Scent
The Conjuring
Insidious 2In Her Scent

4. Generic conventions of a thriller:
• CHARACTER REPRESENTATION:
• My character challenges forms and conventions through the use of costume. This is
evident when my character wears a bright yellow dress highlighting his body
showing his silhouette, making the audience realise that he is a man. We choose a
yellow dress because it has connotations of jealousy and obsession. It also
highlights his fat and robust physique showing his imperfection, which can be
connote to the idea on how girls are obsessed on losing weight and have a perfect
body. This subverts the social groups and ideas because socially, men are not
supposed to wear women clothing, also it subvert the idea of gender, which allow
the audience to understand the character intentions and infer a possible identity on
him.
In Her Scent In Her Scent

5. Using generic conventions of a thriller:
• CHARACTER REPRESENTATION:
• Ethnicity: The antagonist of my opening thriller is white of Turkish origin. This is
conventional because often antagonist are ethnic because the media tends to portray
these individuals as evil and someone we should fear. The antagonist from ‘Salt’ (2010)
Vasili Orlov is from Russian origins which is conventional to the thriller genre as it
creates meaning of his personality.
• Age: The age of our character uses conventions. This is because our antagonist is
portrayed as a middle aged man, which is conventional because the antagonist have
more experience and can think ahead of their opponents. For example, from the film
‘Saw’ (2004) the antagonist Jigsaw is an old man capable of harming and manipulating
his victim easily.
• Gender: I have used a male antagonist because stereotypically men are seen more
stronger and skilful than women. Also the male gender is more dominant, therefore
having a male antagonist was conventional to the thriller genre because they are
expected to be physically able and agile. John Doe the antagonist from ‘Seven’ (1995) is a
male antagonist who is able to harm and kill his victim without any sympathy.

6. Cinematography (Sizes)
• Close up: In my thriller opening we used
multiple close ups to make the audience feel
anxious, as the setting and the character are
not quite revealed. Also we used these close
up to make the audience emphasis on the
different iconography demonstrated in the
opening. This is conventional to the thriller
genre because it keep the audience in
suspense.
• Medium shot: I used various medium shot to
present the mannequin, but still keeping the
character unrevealed. This shot is
conventional for the thriller genre as it
doesn't mainly focus in only one thing but
more, so the audience will have a clear
understanding of the narrative.
In Her Scent

7. Cinematography (Angle)
• Low angle: A low angle is used when the
antagonist look down at the camera. This angle
was used to create superiority around the
antagonist and make the viewer feel uncomfortable
and vulnerable. This is conventional to the thriller
genre to make characters seen powerful and in
control of the situation. An example could be the
antagonist in the movie, ‘Transporter’ (2008) where
he seem to have authority and dominance over the
other characters.
• Canted angle: A canted angle is used to create
distortion and a chaotic atmosphere, to make the
audience feel confused and frustrated. This is
conventional to the thriller genre because it
foreshadows negative actions. An example is seen
in the movie ‘The Dark Knight’ where the Joker is
being brutally interrogated by Batman.
In Her Scent Transporter
In Her Scent The Dark Knight

8. Cinematography (Movements)
• Panning shot: I have used a panning shot at the
beginning of the thriller opening, where
different clothes are introduced. Here the
audience can assume the clothes belongs to a
female character, however when the main
antagonist is demonstrated they will feel
surprise as they did not expect to see a male
character.
• Zooming in-out: I have used a zooming- in
shot to emphasis on the credits presented, and
then distorting the scene to make it look
chaotic. I intentionally used this technique to
make the audience feel confused yet anxious.
In Her Scent
In Her Scent

9. Sound
It’ s conventional for thrillers to consist of abrupt
sound effects and slow, dark soundtracks in order to
increase the intensity and suspense for the viewers.
For my thriller I have also consisted a sinister non-
diegetic soundtrack of a taunting piano that is often
distorted with additional techno/electric sound
effect. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it
expected for the audience to feel frustrated and
confused. I have tried to match the sound with the
editing to compliments Godwin’s theory which has
been successful. ‘Seven’ (1995) has used similar non-
diegetic sound to match the edit, which helped me to
create a chaotic effect for my thriller opening.

10. Editing
• Montage: I have used forms and conventions by using a montage. This
is evident throughout the opening as the whole sequence assembles
shots together to create a sequence, which often confuses the audience
or create a chaotic effect, just like my opening. This technique is used in
the opening of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011) where the shots
that don’t match, create meaning as a whole and follow similar themes
and ideologies.
• Fade to Black: I have used a fade to black at the end of my opening to
introduce my title. This is because I wanted to create a chilling response
and make my audience feel anxious on what will happen next. A fade to
black is used in the opening of ‘The Moon in the Gutter’ (1983) to show
that the attack was brutal and deadly.

11. Mise En Scene – Costume, Hair & Make-up
• Costume: The costume that my antagonist wear is a bright yellow
dress. This is because yellow connote to jealousy, and his lady dress
challenge conventions as he is a male. Also he wears a mask to hide
his identity which keeps him anonymous to build suspense.
• Hair: The antagonist’s hairstyle is quite neat connoting to his
professionalism. However they are black which connote his evil
nature and intentions which is conventional to the thriller genre. An
example could be ‘Seven’ (1995) where the antagonist has black hair
which connote to danger and threat.
• Make-up: The only make up the antagonist wear in my thriller is a
red lipstick. This challenge form and conventions as it subverts
stereotypes. He wear the lipstick incorrectly, ending up smudging
his face which connote to his psychopath nature. For example ‘In
the Silence of the Lambs’ (1991) Buffalo Bill has an obsession on
wearing make up.
Seven
Scream
The Silence of the
Lambs

12. Mise En Scene – Setting & Colour
• Colour: I have used different filters for some of my
shots. For example, my first red filter connote to blood
and evilness, which was used to warn the audience that
something negative will occur. Then I used a negative
filter where it highlights the mannequin, to alert the
audience that this is a key iconography for the narrative,
foreshowing negative actions.
In Her Scent
• Setting: The setting of my thriller opening is not clear. I intentionally
choose to make the setting seen mysterious to create suspense among the
audience, which is also conventional to the thriller genre. For example,
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991) the antagonist has is his own basement
where he is isolated from everyone and he can be whoever he wants and
enjoy his privacy.

13. Mise En Scene – Facial expressions & Body
Language
• Facial Expressions: I purposely made my character wear a
white mask to hide his facial expressions and identity, in
order to create a mysterious atmosphere and make the
audience feel anxious. This is conventional to the thriller
genre because often the antagonist are carefree and inert
about their actions. An example, in ‘Scream’ (1996) the
antagonist wear a white mask which connote to the
unknown, which also look threating and able to cause harm
to innocent people.
• Body language: We can only see my antagonist clearly at the
end of my thriller opening. Here we can see his robust
physique, meaning that he can defeat himself and cause
harm to other people. This is conventional to the thriller
genre because the antagonist will always face dangerous
situations. An example, in the movie ‘Transporter’ (2008) the
antagonist is intimidating due to his physique and
determination of killing the protagonist.
In Her Scent
In Her Scent
Scream
Transporter

14. Mise En Scene - Iconography
• My main iconography in my thriller opening was the
mannequin. This is because it represent the idyllic image
the character crave. This develop conventions as often
mannequin are associated to women, however I used it to
create possible meaning of murder in my narrative.
Similarly, in ‘Insidious 2’ (2013) the antagonist haunts his
victims and then collects them, covered with white
sheets which makes them look like mannequins. This is
where my inspiration came from for my opening thriller.
• Overall, I used different iconography such as a lipstick to
connote blood, jewellery to alludes the audience that the
character is a female, a white flower to connote
innocence, which I believe had an impact on the
audience expectations and response.
In Her Scent

15. Mise En Scene - Lighting
• Low-key Lighting: Through out my opening I used low-
key lighting to create a chilling response from the
audience. This is conventional for the thriller genre
because it build fear around the character and his
intentions. The low-key lighting is used in ‘Watchmen’
(2009) opening. The low-key lighting allow to establish
the atmosphere of the scene clearly.
• Under Lighting: I have mostly used under lighting as an
angle. This is because it distorted the face features and
make the character seen evil and cunning. An under
lighting is used in ‘The Stepfather’ (1987) to demonstrate
the antagonist. This can make the audience assume that
the character has evil intentions and will cause harm to
innocent people.
In Her Scent

16. Theory - Aristotle
• Aristotle's theory state that themes used in the narrative can provoke
emotions and response from the audience.
• Aristotle’s theory can be applied to my final product, because I have
used the themes of fashion, social expectations, gender and obsession to
create meaning to my narrative and character. These are themes that my
target audience of teenagers can relate with, as they are familiar within
this age group. However, they might be disgusted and hate the
antagonist for the way he is portrayed, as a psychopath obsessed with
women and fashions, which could upset some viewers who do not
understand him.

17. Theory - Barthes
• Barthes’s theory emphasis on semiology and cultural understanding.
• This theory can be applied to my thriller opening. For example, I used
the denotation of a red lipstick ,which stereotypically symbolises
femininity, to connote blood. Here we can see that I subverted the
representation of the lipstick to emblem it as blood, to make the
audience feel frustrated, which is also conventional for the thriller
genre.

18. Theory - Todorov
• Todorov’s theory focuses on the equilibrium, disequilibrium and new
equilibrium of the narrative structure.
• This theory can be applied to my opening thriller, as the state of the
equilibrium begin with the credits displayed where the atmosphere is
quite calm and relaxed. Then the disequilibrium starts when a red filter
is shown to alert the spectators of harm and threat. This is because red
connote to blood and danger. Lastly, the new equilibrium begins when
the character is introduced and his identity is partially revealed, as the
viewers can infer he is a man.

19. Themes
• Fashion
• Social expectations
• Gender representation
• Hatred/Jealousy
• Some of these themes challenge forms and conventions. For example the
theme of social expectations it’s a huge issue for teenagers these days. This is
because people get peer pressured by this idyllic image that they have to
pursue, therefore they get depressed and try to look better constantly as they
can’t fit the social expectations. Furthermore, the theme of gender it’s
another topic that concerns teens as they try to find themselves and true
identity and be typical of their gender expectations. Lastly, the themes of
hatred and jealousy can be related to everyone, but especially young adults.
This is because during these stage of growing teenagers realise how life
works and difficult is and that they can’t have everything they want.

20. Target Audience
The target audience I wanted to attract for my thriller was:
• Age: 15-45
• Gender: Unisex
• Ethnicity: General
• Occupation: Students, Casual Workers
• Hobbies and Interest: Fashion lovers
By aiming for a broader audience will allow my final product to have a mainstream
audience, which will give me a bigger chance on having success. From looking at the
BBFC rules and age certificates I realised that my thriller classifies as a 15+ because
of the controversial representation of the transgender community, subverted morals
and suggested violence. However, I believe that this variety of audience can make my
opening popular as everyone can find something they can relate or interested to.

21. Credits
• Opening credits in thriller films are likely to be similar and
conventional to the sub-genre of the movie they belong to. In
‘Seven’ (1995) the credits are being utilize through the progress
of the opening. The typography used is hand written, coloured
in white with a black background to make the text stand out.
The hand written text looks like scratches suggesting the
mystery and uneasiness of the film. This is conventional to the
thriller genre as it is expected for the credits to look mysterious
foreshowing negative events that will occur. We were inspired
by the narrative of ‘Seven’, therefore we tried to use it in
regards to our typography/credits. We cut outs some
newspapers and magazines letter to form our credits to keep an
element of surprise to create suspense. However, for our title
we had decided to use a feminine pink typography in order to
reinforce the idea of gender and the character’s desires. This
challenge forms and conventions because thriller movie usually
have thick, curvy and edgy credits in order to convey the dark
genre. However, I believe that this typography work really well
with our narrative.
Seven
In Her Scent

22. Conclusion
• Overall, I believe that my final product has used, develop and challenge
forms and conventions successfully in order to create an original thriller
opening. I have followed the common conventions of a thriller, but I
have also challenged some of them to create something unique and
unpredictable. An example would be my character representation,
which subverts the common presentation of an usual antagonist.
Despite the costume and the representation of my character, the other
conventions follow existing thriller movie, such as the use of the low-
key lighting and iconography.