The document discusses a psychological horror film called Psychosis. It uses common horror conventions like settings and editing techniques to develop tension and immerse the audience in the main character's paranoia. The film features two main settings - a suburban house and woods - that contrast safe versus dangerous spaces. Fast pacing and unsettling sounds are used in editing to suggest the character lacks control. Costuming also provides contrasts to attract or avoid attention from different characters. Overall, the film challenges conventions by exploring the mind of a person suffering from paranoia through conventional horror elements.

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

2. Our film Psychosis is a psychological horror that offers the audience
an insight into the mind of a paranoia sufferer. The psychological part
of the genre gives the film a more realistic and tense feeling as it
features the work of humans (possibly even the paranormal) to give
the audience a thrill as they watch it.
One of the main codes and conventions we use to represent the
genre is settings. We used two main settings throughout the film - a
suburban house and the woods. The settings juxtapose each other -
one is seen as a safe and happy place while the other is stereotyped
as dangerous and creepy. But is that really the case in Psychosis?

3. A film that offers the same style home setting
like our film is the Paranormal Activity series.
Their approach to scaring the audience was the
use of cameras filming the families through
their everyday lives while paranormal beings
wreaked havoc on them. While we didn’t have
our character Jennifer filming herself we did
use the idea of having something scary
startling Jennifer from sleep.

4. The second setting we filmed in was the woods. Whilst we didn’t want
to be too stereotypical in our setting choice we did want to include
some typical horror codes and conventions. Filming in the woods
upped the tension in the film - it kept the audience interested as this
was a setting well known to horror-watchers so they knew something
scary would happen during filming in this setting. During the woods
scene we used a lot of long shots to suggest to the audience that
Jennifer was out of her depth in this place. We also used a shallow
focus to give the impression that someone is in the bushes watching
Jennifer.

5. Editing
The majority of editing used in Psychosis is fast paced to suggest to the audience
that Jennifer lacks control of her life and lives in a state of constant anxiety (linking
with her mental illness). In the opening scene of the film a tracking shot is used to
show the audience Jennifer’s room - it is significant she sleeps with a light on as it
shows she feels too vulnerable in the dark. During this scene we also used a non-
diegetic tick tock noise to build tension and imply something is about to happen.
The high volume of it is supposed to shock the audience.
When Jennifer opens her curtains to let in the light from the bright morning, non-
diegetic contrapuntal moody music is used to suggest that even though it’s a new
day there is always darkness and danger lurking.

6. Another code and convention is costume and make up. Jennifer wears
dark clothing and minimal make up to attract as little attention as
possible. It implies she wants to go unnoticed and would much rather
be left alone as she looks almost unapproachable.
To contrast with this, Eddin Rowark (mysterious figure at the end)
wears a heavy face of dark make up. This was done to convey the effect
that while he wants to go unnoticed by everyone else, he wants
Jennifer to notice and feel intimidated by him hence the dark clothing
as it is a way to catch only her attention.