The document discusses how the media product uses, develops, and challenges conventions of real thriller titles sequences. It uses conventions such as POV shots, close-ups, symbolic props, and vulnerable characters. It challenges conventions like atypical titles and pacing. The product was influenced by films like Seven and Silence of the Lambs. It represents social groups through stereotypical gender and age roles. The product could be distributed by companies like Blumhouse or Hammer Films targeting thriller audiences.

1. RESTRAINED
EVALUATION
MOLLYTRICKER

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
My group decided to create the thriller horror sub-genre and through out the process of completing our final piece my group has used,
developed and challenged many conventions of the this genre.
We used certain conventions such as P.O.V shots to engage the audience with the emotions and surroundings of the character. We used
multiple close up shots to gain suspense and mystery. Symbolic conventions, including typical props that were used, such as weapons to
present graphic imagery as they denote death and pain which is key factor of our title sequence. Another convention we used was the actress
as a teenager as it made it more effective as we sympathise towards this vulnerable character. The colour red is used in the mise-en-scene as
blood which indicates pain and danger which are vital elements that occur and also foreshadows events in the latter part of the sequence.
Lastly we decided to use the antagonist in this sequence as it sets an eerie atmosphere and anticipation for when they are in shots.
We challenged a variety of conventions such as not including red typography for our titles, as we thought it would be further emphasised on a
monochrome scale as they contrast each other making them stand out and easier to read. Our actors and actresses challenge typical
conventions as we have not included the protagonist if it was to progress into something more than just a title sequence. The female we see, is
the main victim in the task however she would not be included in anything else. We challenged the typical slow paced editing that creates
suspense as our editing is very quick with sharp snappy shots as it creates a disorientated feeling and intensity, making the audiences feel
uncomfortable and unsettled.
We developed some aspects of thriller conventions through developing depth of field in our point of view shots. This was further developed as
we panned with this shot but then we further developed it by recreating a blinking effect and still incorporating a low depth of field. We
decided to do this as it presents the female character in a weak and endangered environment as it exaggerates her vulnerability. We
developed things as audio and quiet scenes with sudden sounds as it builds suspense and adds intensity and creates a jumpy reaction which
further emphasises the audiences uncomfortable emotions .

3. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
CINEMATROGRAPHY = the art of photography and camerawork in film-making.
Mise-en-scene:
A common convention I have noticed is low key lighting, I established this when I researched 10 film reviews 10 and textual analyses
to analyse the common conventions of the thriller genre. Low key lighting creates an eerie unsettling atmosphere making the
viewers feel uncomfortable. This is what my group wanted to achieve as its simple to colour-correct and is very effective however
we filmed in broad daylight which made it very bight which actually gave a sense of realism and context to our final piece so we
decided to go against this convention. In the first shot light is exposed which establishes a point of view shot and adds a realistic
effect. To reinforce our genre we decided that the make up and costume created a vital part so we determined that a gruesome
appearance would create and add to an unsettling atmosphere. Lastly we used props like rope as a sense of realism but during the
end, props such has hammers and knives were used as we thought that would create a graphic image in the audiences head making
them feeling uneasy.
Sound:
During the research process of this task, my group explored many ways in which we could create an eerie and creepy atmosphere.
We found a website that included a variety of royalty free music which we then used as our non-diegetic background music, this is
one of our most significant aspects as it creates a mystery which corroborates our genre and further reinforces the element of
hidden identity. We use sound effects such as her heavy breathing to emphasise her emotion creating a sympathetic atmosphere.
At the end my group faced some challenges of what sound effects we should use as our original sound did not receive good
feedback and did not sound realistic, due to this I researched what a specific noise would sound like. I experimented with multiple
ways to achieve a realistic sound but it was not successful but we eventually agreed on a scream continued with a high pitched
ringing noise which makes audiences feel uncomfortable and uneasy which is what we were willing to achieve.

4. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
Camera
We used many camera angles and shots such as close ups to create mystery and uncertainty. Point of view shots (which are out
of focus) to portray the victims emotional state of mind and physical incapability which reinforces her vulnerability to the
audience. Long shots are used to present how inferior she is as it emphasises her size and makes her look smaller as she’s in
such as wide isolated area. A panning shot is used to show how useless anything is for her help as it captures her abandonment
and her bare surroundings. We used high and low angles to make the characters appear bigger and smaller depending on the
circumstances.
Editing
A crucial part in our title sequence is the editing as it ties everything together and makes it look jerky and edgy which is what we
were going for, we have broken typical conventions as normal editing techniques include long slow shots to build suspense
however we thought by accomplishing this with quick short sharp shots it makes it seem jumpy creating a disorientated effect.
This makes our final outcome feel more intense creating suspense as it has you on edge and creates a feeling of uncertainty.

5. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
We researches narrative and different types of narrative structure our title sequence would follow. At the end of task
we include a black screen which includes text saying “a week earlier…”, due to this we wanted to follow the
calculative narrative. This structure of narrative begins at the ending and goes round until it goes back to the end
again. We thought its quite a unique way of having the story to flow as well as following an anti-narrative structure
as its a more a gripping and engaging way for viewers to watch as they will want to know what happens in the story
and how they get to the scene where it started.
We have followed a narratives theorist named Vladimir Propp. Propp suggested that there are 7 main character
types that create a role of narrative, these include the hero, the villain, the false hero, the donor, the dispatcher, the
helper and the victim. He believed that theses were used to distinguish what genre the film was. We would like to
follow these typical characters as it makes it easier to follow and understand, especially when we are following a
more confusing narrative structure.

6. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
We were massively influenced by Eli Roth the director of films such as Hostel as we really liked the
opening title sequences of Hostel part 1 and 2 due to the certain style he uses. He includes light that
gradually transitions into a dark and eerie atmosphere, in partnership with this, as the camera got closer
the negative locations became more vivid and sinister. When we started to film, we loved characteristics
in his filmography that ensured he told a story through certain shots, techniques and transitions. We
wanted to gradually tell a story like this in Eli Roth’s style. We accomplished this by opening with a point
of view shot to portray her situation and vulnerability, and then progressively piecing her together by
filming different body parts like her arms, then hands, then face and finally her whole body.
Binary opposition –This is a pair of related terms or concepts that oppose each other in meaning. (This was theory created
by a man named Levi Strauss)
We wanted to follow the typical convention of binary opposition in the concept of good vs. evil, because it made it very
clear what character was what and it indicates what type of genre the film is as it establishes conflict will play a massive role
throughout. We also decided to follow the generic convention by not revealing the antagonists (villain) face as we wanted
to keep the theme of mystery and questioning of who it could be as it creates a creepy and uncertain atmosphere to the
audience.

7. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
As perpetration for our final task, I researched and analysed 10 different textual analysis and completed 1o film reviews. This enabled me to gain
inspiration and understand common conventions of the thriller genre. During this
process me and my group took inspiration from textual analysis’ including Seven and Silence of the Lambs.
From Seven we like the quick sharp short shots included
as it gained lots of intensity creating power and strength
through out, we wanted to portray this in ours by using
short sharp jumpy shots to keep the audience on edge
making them feel uncomfortable. Also from this specific
title sequence we like the mystery behind the villain
which is an element we wanted to reinforce in our
production to convey a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.
In the title sequence Silence of the lambs, it contradicts Seven as it has longer
slower shots to build suspense, we wanted to use a variety of duration to
allow different ways to create suspense, we used longer shots in the start to
build it up but then to pick up the intensity we used quicker more jumpy shots
towards the latter part of the title sequence. Lastly we took inspiration of the
setting in this as we thought it was unusual and different but also creates an
image of isolation and abandonment which is a key element to our task.
We were inspired by both of these title sequences.

8. INSPIRATION
We were inspired by another A-level production we found onYouTube called ‘Captive’.This was of the same theme we were looking to achieve.
We used similar shots as we thought they were most effective and created the best audience reactions (e.g. making them feel uncomfortable).
Due to our inspiration being a success onYouTube, be think it would be a perfect way to get our task out there to the public as it will enable a
winder audience to see it.
We chose to use this similar
medium close up shot as we
thought it was significant to
portraying the characters
vulnerability in the their
current situation. We were
influenced to use rope like we
saw in the YouTube video as it
conveyed a restriction for the
character and reinforces the
title of the title sequence,
“restrained”. We used a
medium close up as it
emphasises the main element
and theme to our task.
We were inspired by the out of
focus point of view shot as it
represents the physical and
mental challenges they are
experiencing, reinforcing their
weakness and incapability in this
situation. We thought that the
impact of the shot being out of
focus was significant and better
to having it in focus as it portrays
the weakness of this character
and dangers they are in and
facing.
(inspiration) (inspiration)
(my footage) (my footage)
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?

9. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My group decided to stick with the stereotypical representation of villains and victims as we decided it would be more affective.
This was achieved through the female victim being a distressed young female which is very stereotypical as young females are
seen to be very vulnerable and weak that are easily taken advantage of, due to this most films will include a victim which will be
of the female gender to further emphasise this. This is significant to our task as she is portrayed on the floor, tied to a tree which
reinforces her endanger. However in juxtaposition we wanted the complete opposite for our villain and went for the stereotype
of this specific character too as they tend to be men as they are seen to be stronger and more dominant than females,
presenting females as the weaker gender. We accomplished this representation by the sense of hidden identity but still allowing
the audience to see the opposition in comparison to each other. An over the shoulder shot is used to present the villains power
as they take up most of the shot giving them more power and authority which emphasises her inferiority. This character further
reinforces our thriller as they are presented as a psycho and one of sub-genre is a psychological thriller.
We also took ethnicity into consideration as we wanted to break convention as its widely recognised that white females are
often the lead and people of colour are usually the rogue.
We presented social groups such as age, gender and
ethnicity through the mise-en-scene, shot types
and camera angles, as these portrayed the girl to
look innocent, small, weak, endangered and
vulnerable in opposition to the villain.

10. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If we wanted to take it forward to a big production company we would look at media institutions such as Blumhouse
productions and Hammer Productions as they are successful companies that advertise the audience we would look to promote.
During the research task, my group discovered popular production companies such as Blumhouse. If we were to develop our
task into an actual production we would love to use Blumhouse productions as they are a well known successful distributer for
the thriller genre and specialise in the horror subgenre which is specific to our production. This would be significant as the
viewers and followers of this institution would already be loyal and they would be familiar and appeal to the typical conventions
of our task. Also due to the wide large following base it would enable us to gain a larger audience creating a more popular &
successful outcome.
Blumhouse productions are an American film production company that are known for producing high
quality low budget horror movies such as films like Paranormal Activity which was made for $15,000 and
grossed close to $200 million worldwide, making it the most profitable film in Hollywood. They have
worked with certain directors including James Wan (directed the Saw franchise), Mike Flanagan (director of
Hush and Ouija: Origin of evil), and the famous M. Night Shyamalam (the director of many thriller films
such asThe Sixth Sense, Signs and Split.)
The typical conventions of their movie posters include blacks with dull muted
colours and an accent colour of red to denote blood and pain which foreshadows
latter events which is …. To happen other wise it wouldn't fit the characteristics of
that genre. Due to this we would work with illustrators to create a professional film
poster with those specific colours in.

11. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If we wanted to take it forward to a big production company we would look at media institutions such as Blumhouse
productions and Hammer Productions as they are successful companies that advertise the audience we would look to promote.
Hammer Film Productions is a British film production company based in London, During its
most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide
distribution and considerable financial success.This success was due, in part, to distribution
partnerships with major United States studios, such as Warner Bros.
Similarly Hammer film production was another popular production
company that we discovered. If we were to develop our task into an
actual production we would use a production company such as
Hammer productions as they are a well known successful distributer
for the thriller genre and specialise in the horror subgenre which is
specific to our production. This would be significant as the viewers and
followers of this institution would already be loyal and they would be
familiar and appeal to the typical conventions of our task. Also due to
the wide large following base it would enable us to gain a larger
audience creating a more popular & successful outcome.

12. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Film4 is a independent British company and digital television channel available in the United Kingdom,
owned and operated by the Channel Four Television Corporation, that screens films from any genre.
They distribute English independent films. Our media product would be a look budget art-house film
which keeps the viewers engaged from the beginning till end of the screening.
This would be our most realistic approach to distribute our film as its not as competitive and impractical
due to costs of distribution and production. Film 4 would be our first choice as they have full confidence
in small budget, indie films just like mine.
This portrays that Film 4 have full confidence in low budget films.
These films are a few of many successful films Film 4 has produced.
Films like Trainspotting has become award winning as well as
Slumdog Millionaire andThis is England that went to win 9 Oscars.

13. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If we were to create this production we would create multiple ways to promote our film using synergy. Such as creating a trailer to be played
and shared online and on the tv as an advert to publicise our film creating a wider audience. We would also create a film poster that would be
put up on billboards and in popular places such as London so its in populated area which makes more consumers attracted to it. The poster will
be easy to recognise so its identifiable to our task and draws people in to watching our film. Lastly as the vast majority of our target market are
teenagers and are massively encouraged by the influence of mobile phones and social media we will create social media platforms to promote
and show and include teasers of our film to entice more of the age group we inspire to attract. When promoting this genre there have been
many publicity stunts to create a strong image and attract viewers, we think this would be a great way to get our film out their and get the
public talking about our production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n447GRTCsU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcuRPzB4RNc
PatrickWilson Elle Fanning
There are many award ceremonies dedicated to the
film industry including the BAFTA’s, the Academy
awards, the Golden Globes and the Emmy’s, for
high budget films however due ours being a low
budget, film festivals are more appropriate and
appeal to our task more. We would hope to be
nominated for awards like Short Film Grand Jury
Prize and Audience Award: Dramatic.
Odeya RushIdris Elba
These are the actresses and actors I would
chose for our production as they have all
starred in a thriller of some kind so the
public would identify what type of genre it
was. Due to them being iconic and
recognisable to this certain genre, it is
significant as it detects the audience that
our production will be successful and
popular.

14. Who would be the audience for your media product?
A U film should be suitable for audiences
aged four years and over and should
be set within a positive framework and
should offer oppose and counteract
to any violence, threat or horror.
Parental Guidance Suggested –
some scenes may not be suitable
for children.
The 12A rating is only used for films
shown in cinemas and are suitable
for children aged 12 and over.
However, people younger than 12
may see a 12A as long as they are
accompanied by an adult.
No one younger than 15 may see a 15
film in a cinema and are not allowed to
rent or buy a 15 rated video work.
Some characteristics that indicate they
are of the 15 rating include:
• Discrimination
• Drugs
• Imitable behaviour
• Language
• Nudity
• Sex
• Threat
• Violence
No one younger than 18 may see an
18 film in a cinema and similarly to
the 15 rating, no one younger than
18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video
work. Adults should be free to
choose their own entertainment.
The R18 category is a special and legally-
restricted classification primarily for
explicit works of consenting sex or
strong fetish material involving adults.
Films may only be shown to adults in
specially licensed cinemas, and video
works may be supplied to adults only in
licensed sex shops. R18 video works may
not be supplied by mail order.

15. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Due to a survey me and my group created at the start of our research stage, we
asked for the age of everyone to get a rough idea of who our target audience
was going to be. After we analysed the answers, it was obvious that our age
group was going to be young adults. This was significant as we couldn’t fully go
down the horror thriller sub genre as it wouldn’t be able to suit certain
characteristics however it includes elements of that genre. Due to the age result
we knew that it would be most affective if our victim was of the same age as the
target audience so it appears more relatable which creates more of an unsettling
atmosphere for the audience. If it was to become a film production we would
give it a certificate of 15 as it fits and follows the characteristics that the BBFC
have provided and advised.

16. Who would be the audience for your media product?
In our first questionnaire we established most
of our viewers would be of the age group 13-
16, we acknowledged this being a very small
segment of the market so we chose to appeal
to a larger target audience which are young
adults of the age group 15-25. Once we had
completed our final edit we created another
questionnaire asking what age group do they
think it appeals too and the results reflect our
target market correctly.
Our title sequence is similar to films like, Hostel, The call, and Taken which all include the theme of kidnapping and mystery.
They are all of the age certificate of 15, restricting viewers of the age 14 and under not allowing to watch it. This is due to the
language, threat and violence that occurs through out each of these films, as my production is very similar and includes these
characteristics it will be of the same age certificate.

17. How did you attract / address your media audience?
We addressed our target audience by finding out their desires through platforms such as google classroom which allowed us to
ask relevant questions to our appropriate audience. We also addressed it by using websites such as survey monkey to gain
feedback on how to improve with our final thing.These were some of our results:
Questions like this are very
important in market research
process as this is vital
information to make our final
product effective and appeal
to viewers. This question
allowed my group to
distinguish what genre it
would be. This is important
as if we took no notice to
what out audience wanted it
would not create a successful
product. Due to the popular
demand of a physiological
genre, we found it was
difficult to create a title
sequence of this genre so we
went for the second most
popular but if we were to
further develop it we would
ensure it was of the
physiological sub-genre.
My group personally found that
this was one of the most
significant questions that we
had to include as suspense is
one of the most crucial
conventions you have to
include for it fit characteristics
of the thriller genre. It was easy
to analyse this answer as it was
a distinct answer that music
and followed by audio
creates the most suspense. This
was significant as it made a
clear indication that we needed
to focus on this element in
order to make it successful.
Most of our research went into
finding convincing non-diegetic
sound effects and effective
eerie non-diegetic background
music.
This question was
important as it made the
casting process as lot easier
as we knew we were going
to follow stereotypical roles
(such as man being the
villain as they are seen to be
more domineering and
aggressive, and then a
young female as the victim
as they are seen as
vulnerable and weak
making them easy
targets). By the answer of
this question we knew we
needed to include victims
and villains and by knowing
what type of roles theses
characters would play it was
easy for the casting job.
Our desired impact was to make the viewers feel uncomfortable and uneasy. We achieved this by using jumpy cuts to
create a distorted atmosphere that makes the audience feel disorientated. Also the use of the non-diegetic background
music reinforces the danger the girl is in as it emphasises the eerie environment of her surroundings. The non-diegetic
sound effects of the scream and ringing high pitch screeching noise at the end make the audience feel very uncomfortable
which was our initial desire to accomplish in our final task, I think we were successful in achieving this in our final outcome.

18. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have adapted my skills and knowledge on google from the process of creating our title sequence, as it has allowed me to research multiple
things during the task such as royalty free audio, background music and varieties of different fronts. It also has enabled my group to do other
pieces of research such as explore conventions of thrillers and certain films, directors and production company's linking to our task. Also it has
familiarised me with sites such as Google classroom as this enabled me to gain feedback from classmates who are of the age group of my target
market and also allowed me to understand how to upload files and submit classwork to a social and public environment.
It has allowed me to adapt and gain skills using websites such as survey monkey during our market research time period as well as gaining
information and feedback from developed edits. Having an online survey with useful feedback is significant as its efficient, quick & clear to
analyse and also easy, not time consuming and simple to create. Before this process I wasn’t sure on how to use the website but as I’ve created
multiple surveys I know how to construct them in the correct format and how to share the specific web link to the public.
Personally I have never used editing programmes before and I was a bit intimidated by them so I knew when it came to editing I was certain to
sit and watch the editor so I was familiar and learnt knew things. From this process I have learnt how to use Premier and other editing
programmes such as IMovie as it opens to a variety of editing styles and differentiation. I have now gained more confidence with using it and
have gained multiple skills from this platform such as importing audio, cutting shots and changing the duration of shots.
I have personally learnt multiple things about new technologies including:
o Google
o Survey monkey
o Cameras
o Editing programmes (Premier, iMovie etc.)
During the filming process of our continuity task, we didn’t use a tripod which made things unsteady and have an unprofessional look, due
to this it allowed our group to distinguish and improve from our mistake. When we filmed our real main task we ensured to use a tripod to
make things look more smooth and polished. This has enabled me to gain an understanding of what equipment I need to use to achieve a
professional outcome.

19. Looking back at your pleminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
I feel as if me and my group did improve from our continuity task. Due to our pleminary task we made extra effort that we were achieving the
necessary communication needed to succeed in this process. This enabled us to decide on a finalised idea as quick as possible and to ensure we
completed everything else (such as research, filming and editing dates) in a professional way. Group 2 struggled in the beginning as we didn’t
realise how much work had to be put into it to create a high standard finalised product. Also we didn’t realise how much teamwork effected the
title sequence but luckily we all got on and overcame any issues, which made the process a lot easier for all of us. I think we coped well in some
circumstances and recovered from any challenges we faced in a professional manner. For our continuity task we had a clear image of what we
wanted it to look like which related to relevant themes and events back during that time period. It was filmed over a few days due to timings but
also reshoots because we had to add in various shots to help us complete certain aspects to not brake rules such as 180 degree rule. We had an
issue with lighting in a pleminary task which lead to it not looking very realistic. We found that we needed to create a tighter edit and create
shorter sharper shots to create intensity and make it look professional, this is something we needed to accomplish during editing our final task
to build suspense and make it look tighter. Once the editing was done it was missing the effect created by sound so we added in some sound
effects which added to the concept of realism and also non-diegetic background music to create a creepy feeling and make the audience feel
uncomfortable. I think we all worked well in a team however some may have completed more work and put in more effort than others.
However as an individual I think I worked well as I completed all types of research for my group including audio, typography and creating all
platforms to ensure we had feedback from our audience. As my role as the producer I think I was as successful however it was hard to organise
dates where everyone was free due to peoples commitments but we got everything done on time and made successful meetings to ensure we
got things completed. However if there is one thing I am still not confident on is editing, even though I feel as if I have gained skills and
knowledge on programmes such as Premier but I'm still not 100% on being independent when editing.

20. Looking back at your pleminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
I think the main areas we improved on were creating a tighter edit as it took us multiple attempts in our continuity task to ensure
our edit was tight and for shots not to drag. Also our communication got better through the process as we made 2 group chats on 2
different communication platforms to ensure we were able to get in contact with each other as quick as possible. Our task will
follow the typical closed structure type of narrative of a film, with a clear ending and conclusion to create a solid structure
throughout to create a clear understanding of what's happening, this will make it easier for viewers to watch and not making it so
intense as it being of the thriller genre. I think we were successful as we followed all the common conventions of the thriller genre,
we took audiences feedback and interpretations into consideration and we worked well with each other during the whole process in
a professional manner. If we were to complete this process from the very beginning I would of taken notes while watching the
editing process to gain more confident on this platform. I would’ve done a re-shoot to experiment with some shots and compare to
see which looks better. Next time my group learnt that we need to find actors that are flexible to when we are filming because due
to this we weren’t able to use actors of the gender we wanted to, this would improve the quality, mise-en-scene and realism. Also I
would’ve changed the ending to something as I feel as if it gives away to much, so I would cut it out and left it as a mystery or I would
amplify what I already have to create a more gory ending so its identifiable to the horror genre such as include lots of blood and
sound affects to make it more graphic.