This document analyzes how the opening of a student media thriller product uses conventions of the genre. It summarizes the characters of Bryony and Victor and how their costumes and traits reference other works and stereotypes. It describes how the locations, lighting, camera work, sound, and narrative structure conform to thriller tropes seen in films such as Psycho, The Third Man, and Kill Bill. The opening establishes tension through heavy breathing over the credits and leaves Bryony in peril to set up the potential for revenge in the story to follow.

1. Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1
Characters
Bryony
The character of Bryony conforms to the stereotype of women in film being
weak and vulnerable, although in some ways challenges this view. We chose
the name Bryony as it means ‘flowering vine’ in Greek, which, when first
considered, may be seen to connote both beauty and power as vines are
strong and tough, challenging the weak female stereotype. However, on
reflection, Bryony could also connote fragility, as the vine flowers are not very
strong and are, in fact, delicate, underpinning that females are weak.
Bryony’s character is strongly influenced by the character of Marion Crane
from ‘Psycho’. She is strong and determined, as seen by her attempts to
escape from her capture, which is much like Marion’s resolve to steal the
money from her work. However, both characters are very naïve; both are
nervous and frightened, which they find difficult to conceal (when Marion is
confronted by a cop/Bryony hears footsteps), highlighting their vulnerability.
Bryony’s costume reflects her weak gender representation. For example,
her lipstick is smudged, suggesting that she is quite weak and vulnerable,
not quite as sophisticated as she intends to be. She also wears a black shirt,
which connotes darkness while also making her blend into her surroundings
in the dark cupboard; this makes her seen expendable, foreshadowing her
death, portraying her as small and insignificant. This is like Eve in ‘Once
Upon a Time in America’, who wears a pale yellow dress which blends in to
the room around her, highlighting her insignificance as a character. These
characters differ from a stronger female representation, like The Bride in
‘Kill Bill’ whose bright coloured outfits stand out against her locations.
(L-R) Marion & Bryony fearful vs Marion & Bryony determined
(L-R) Eve & Bryony blend in vs The Bride standing out
Victor
We chose the name Victor as it means ‘conqueror’ in Latin, which
immediately connotes power and dominance, suggesting he is going to be in
control of other characters throughout the thriller.
Victor’s character is very cold and vacant, referencing Norman Bates; both
are seen as everyday, unassuming men, which proves to be more unsettling
to the audience. Likewise, Victor’s outward meticulousness contrasts with
his moral corruption, creating irony; this is also a convention of the genre,
such as when the audience are introduced to Bates, he seems ineffectual
and a bit geeky, a sharp contrast to his psychopathic nature and need for
control. Victor, too, is very obsessive and precise, seen through his action of
straightening his tie and spotless house; this make him even more unnerving
as his need for perfection and control suggests he has something to hide.
For Victor’s costume, we chose a traditional suit and tie, referencing Patrick
Bateman from ‘American Psycho’, due to its unassuming nature, allowing
the character to blend into the background like an everyday businessman,
which then unsettles the audience. The black coat connotes darkness and
evil, while the lack of colour suggests that Victor has no depth, further
reinforcing his cold, detached nature. We also chose to have Victor wear
black, leather gloves which connotes a lack of identity, making him seem
even more powerful and deadly; these gloves are a convention of the genre
as the villains do not want to leave fingerprint evidence, as seen in the film
‘Jackie Brown’ with the villainous character of Ordell.
(L-R) Victor & Ordell gloves (L-R) Patrick & Victor suits
(L-R) Bates & Victor need for order (birds vs straight tie/tidy house)

2. Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1
Location
We conformed to a variety of generic locations seen in the thriller genre.
Firstly, we used a enclosed space in the form of a cupboard, which connotes
claustrophobia and panic due to the fact there is no way to escape, nor a
place to hide. Enclosed spaces are seen in a variety of thrillers, such as the
shower in ‘Psycho’ and the coffin in ‘Kill Bill: Volume II’, which is where we
took our inspiration from; all these spaces act almost like cages for the
female characters, which makes them seem weak and objectified. These
spaces also help to create suspense and tension as the audiences do not
know if the character will escape their enclosure. Finally, the fact we chose a
shoe cupboard, a space which many people may have in their homes, makes
the audience more unsettled and uncomfortable as it is a familiar location
which they assume is safe, but which we make sinister.
We also used the generic location of dark, narrow streets, seen in thrillers
such as ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ and ‘The Third Man’. The narrow
nature of the street again connotes claustrophobia and panic, while the fact
we shot at night makes the streets seem more dangerous, as shadows are
created, connoting mystery and danger: everything is masked at night,
creating the possibility that anything can happen, which is frightening and
unsettling for the audience. Victor coming out of the night implicitly
references the establishing shot of Harry Lime in the doorway in ‘The Third
Man’, adding a touch of Gothic to the mise-en-scene whilst reinforcing the
sense of nightmare, suggesting their characters are spectres that haunt the
imagination, thus playing on the collective fear of the unseen.
(L-R) generic locations: coffin, cupboard and shower
(L-R) ‘The Third Man’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Once Upon a Time…’
Sound and Lighting
When Bryony is in the cupboard, we use non-ambient lighting to create an
unnatural atmosphere which connotes fear and suspense; as the light is
unnatural, it reflects Bryony’s situation that everything around her is
different and unrecognizable, which is frightening. We used non-ambient
lighting in the opening shot to cast a shadow over Bryony's eyes, which
makes her face look almost like a skull, foreshadowing her death. It was also
used for the outdoor shots, such as the streetlight when Victor is walking
down the alleyway, reflecting his raw character. Finally, we used chiaroscuro
lighting (a convention of the genre), such as when Victor enters the house,
creating shadows, connoting mystery and danger, leaving the audience on
edge as they are unsure to what will happen next. It also is used to amplify
the contrast between appearance and reality, a notion of binary opposites
which drive drama and add to audience appeal, as seen in ‘The Third Man’.
Our choice of sound was effective in building the suspense throughout our
thriller opening. We used the diegetic sound of Bryony heavily breathing
during the opening credits of our thriller; this connotes fear and panic,
leaving the audience of edge, wondering what the cause of the breathing is
and what is to come. We developed this idea from the opening of ‘Kill Bill’
by Quentin Tarintino, where the Bride is breathing heavily after being
beaten up; however, instead of cutting straight to our lead (like Tarintino
cuts to the Bride), we used the breathing as a sound bridge that
foreshadows Bryony being found by Victor in order to build the tension
throughout our opening. We also exaggerated the diegetic sound of Victor’s
footsteps, which connotes a foreboding and suspenseful atmosphere.
Our choice of soundtrack was that of a modern thriller film, using lots of
ambient sounds and static for an unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere, as
seen in thrillers such as ‘Se7en’. To build the suspense of the opening, we
synchronised the opening of Bryony’s eye with the sudden jump of the
soundtrack, emphasising the thrill of the shot and unsettling the audience.
(L-R) non-ambient, ambient and chiaroscuro (‘The Third Man’)

3. Camera Angles/Movement and Transitions
We used specific camera shots and angles that are conventions of the
thriller genre. For example, we used a tilt shot when Victor is walking to the
front door, which connotes confusion and disorientation, adding to the
suspenseful nature of the shot; this has been used in many thriller films,
most notably ‘The Third Man’, as it leaves the audience on edge and
reinforces the nightmarish nature of the film. Another camera angle we
used was a worm’s eye shot when Victor was waking down the alleyway and
passed over the camera; this shot is often used to indicate fear while
allowing the audience to view events from a vulnerable perspective, such as
with Noodles in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. It connotes power
and fear, reinforcing Victor’s role as the dominant villain.
We used camera movements to create a chilling atmosphere; for example,
we used a pan when Victor looks to the cupboard where Bryony is being
kept, highlighting his obsession with her. Our choice of transitions also
reinforce the thriller genre. For example, we use lots of short, sharp cuts
between shots to build the pace of the edit and therefore the tension, much
like in ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ during the build up to the gunfight.
We also used a fade between the shot of Victor and Bryony staring through
the door of the cupboard; this makes it more chilling for the audience as it
connects the two characters, highlighting that Bryony is not safe, leaving the
audience wondering what will happen next.
(L-R) pan shot and fade, ‘The Good, The Bad…’ gun scene
Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1
(L-R) tilt shot (‘Third Man’) & worm’s eye shot (‘Once Upon a Time…’)
Opening to a Thriller Film and Narrative
The opening to our thriller features many conventions seen in the thriller
genre. For example, we based our opening credit sequence on the titles of
‘Kill Bill’; we had heavy breathing playing over the text to build the tension,
while also opening with a quote that refers to the plot: “every man is a
moon, and has a dark side which he shares with nobody”. We also
referenced Tarintino by including the title ‘A Film Apart’, a nod to his
production company ‘A Band Apart’. We used a black background with
white text, which is also seen in the opening for ‘Once Upon a Time in
America’; the white text contrasts the black background, establishing the
film noir genre as it symbolises the shadows and chiaroscuro lighting.
(L-R) ‘Once Upon a Time…’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Kill Bill’
We chose to call our film ‘The Unseeable’ as it references the character of
Victor, who blends into the background of society, allowing him to get away
with terrible actions. It also links to the fact that Bryony is hidden away so
no one will find her. The narrative structure is mostly linear, with a series of
montages with Victor walking to his house, while Bryony is trying to escape.
Some jump cuts are used in this sequence, which leaves the audience feels
disorientated, adding to the suspense of the film and amplifying the thriller
genre. However, the heavy breathing over the opening credits could be seen
as a flash forward, foreshadowing the moment when Bryony is confronted
by her kidnapper; we used this to create tension for the audience, as they
are left wondering what will happen later to cause such heavy breathing.
The cliff hanger is another convention. Bryony is kept alive in order to
increase suspense, which will eventually award her some power: revenge on
Victor could be her mission, thus referencing revenge thrillers such as ‘Kill
Bill’ (The Bride) and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (Lisbeth Salander).
(L-R) Bryony, The Bride and Lisbeth