This document evaluates how a student media project challenges conventions of typical thriller/horror films. It compares the project's use of conventions like titling, camerawork, framing, lighting, editing, sound, and narrative structure to well-known films like Se7en. While some conventions like jump cuts and costume colors were used conventionally, the project uniquely used a lullaby for its non-diegetic sound and revealed the villain earlier than expected, challenging thriller norms. The analysis finds the project effectively uses juxtaposition between the innocent lullaby and darker plot involving child victims.

1. EVALUATION – QUESTION ONE
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My Product Typical Thriller/Horror My Production – use, Comparison to Existing
Conventions develop or Products
challenge?
Titling – colour, Usually colours that are In our film we used the In Se7en the font of the titling is a
font and style traditionally associated idea of a child’s persons handwriting which makes it
with evil or mysteries are handwriting to subtly feel a lot more personal and
used such as black or red. give the impression of especially with it over the titling
The font usually relates to innocence meanwhile the sequence shots it makes the
the film for example in contents of the film is audience feel quite uncomfortable.
Psycho the font is quite dark and twisted.
distorted and twisted
which relates to the
psychological problems of
the character in the film.
Camera Often in thriller/horror We decided to challenge Similar to “The Butterfly Effect”
Movement- pan, films establishing shots the traditional ways of which opens quite abruptly we
are used, this is a pan of a opening a film and decided to start our opening two
track, crab, crane setting which lets the instead jump straight into minutes like this, it can cause
audience understand the the first shot however confusion however traditionally later
setting of the film. Camera with transitions which on in the film this confusion is often
movement may also be makes it calmer to go resolved when the plot is explained,
quite shaky for some films with the non-diegetic which was the idea of our film.
as if it’s being filmed by a sound.
handheld camera which
gives the effect of a more
scary personal film.
Framing a shot Typically thrillers use a We used a variation of In ‘Secret Window’ a mixture of all
ECU, CU, MS, LS, mixture of framing shots, framing shots however these framing shots are used to
close ups are used to make didn’t challenge the portray the emotions and also
ELS the audience feel conventional methods of importance of actions or emotions.
uncomfortable, extreme using these shots. Important shots may use ECU
close ups may focus on There’s a variation of whereas less important shots may
specific objects or close ups medium shots use LS however LS can also be
emotions. Extreme long and long shots. The most important for example when looking
shots focus on settings and effective shot is the close at an establishing shot, this can
may be used in different up of the girls face at the sometimes tell us a lot about the film
styles such as Psycho end of the clip. It allows for example in ‘Panic Room’ which
which takes a long shot and the audience to focus on uses a busy city – this suggests
gradually focuses to an characters face which wealth.
apartment which is quite looks quite evil and
discomforting for the intrusive as if she’s
audience. staring straight into the
audience.

2. Camera Angle Typically high and low We used a high angle Secret Window uses a low angle shot
High, Low angles are used to present when shooting the empty to show the power that the character
power or higher social cot – this shows the has at that point in time.
status. In horrors the possible vulnerability of
victims will usually be the baby and children in
lower (high angle) then the the film.
villain/murderer who will
be shot from a low angle to
show them towering over
the camera and presenting
them as superior. This is
used the same way in
thrillers.
Mise-en-Scene Conventions of a thriller In our film we didn’t Secret Window uses typical mise-en-
when looking at mise-en- consider low key lighting scene methods to show characters
scene include editing, because we didn’t want good or bad side, for example shot of
costume, lighting, position/ to give away who was Johnny Depp near the end where he
character movement, and good and who was bad is dressed in dark clothing and low
facial expressions. straight away, however key lighting is used. The effect of the
Commonly costumes for the facial expression of shadow adds to the sinister and
the typical ‘bad character’ the girl at the end tells strange aspect of the film.
will be quite dark i.e. black the audience straight
and red which denote evil. away that she has a very
And its opposite (the good) malicious side to her.
is usually in bright pure We used dark coloured
colours such as white. clothes i.e. black jumpers
Low-key lighting is a etc. for the girl as a
connotation of evil, connotation for evil, we
whereas higher levels of also gave her quite pale
lighting can denote the make-up to give her a
good character. much more chilling look.
Editing – jump Traditionally thrillers use a In our film we challenged In the Se7en chase scene a fast
cuts, match cuts, lot of jump cuts, reverse this traditional method cutting rhythm is used and a lot of
cuts, match cuts and the and instead we used a jump cuts and match cuts are also
reverse shots, cutting rhythm can vary slow cutting rhythm to used to help the audience quickly
cutting rhythm depending on the pace of match the non-diegetic understand unexplained sounds such
the film at that time. A fast sound of the lullaby in as gunshots or doors slamming.
pace and fast cutting the background. The
rhythm might be used for jump cuts are used un
the ending of the film sudden parts of the
where the problem is movie such as the ending
resolved or in a chase where the girl is
scene such as se7en when collecting images of little
they’re chasing the villain. boys and the ending shot
of the close up on her
face.
Sound The sound in a film is very In our film we challenged In Se7en, The Butterfly Effect, Secret
important typically in the typical convention of Window, Taxi Driver, and Panic Room
thrillers there’s non- sound in thrillers by they all have their own non diegetic
diegetic sound which using a lullaby, which is sound for the title sequence, however
subtly tells the audience very innocent whereas none of them use a lullaby to present
something about the the film itself isn’t. This innocence while maintaining the
scene, usually thrillers use juxtaposition is very creepy plot.
quite mysterious music in effective especially
the opening sequence of because we use children
the film. in our thriller and the

3. main character is a
young person who’s
victims are babies.
Narrative Theory Traditionally binary In our film we challenged Se7en uses the traditional idea of
opposites such as good the convention of Barthes enigma code by revealing the
and evil are always Barthes enigma code bad character and keeping their
apparent in thrillers, theory, instead we identity hidden until the typical ‘good
there’s usually an enigma revealed who the villain guy’ solves the mystery and finds out
code – a murderers was at the start of the who it is. However in our film we
identity is left unknown movie near the end of the reveal the bad character in the
until the end of the film - opening 2 minutes. We beginning which makes our film more
this leaves the audience used the equilibrium about ‘is she going to get caught?’
questioning who the idea, which is resolved and ‘what happens next?’
murderer is. and returned to the
Sometimes thrillers also original equilibrium.
have an equilibrium, which
is disrupted and then
resolved, at the end of the
film.