Evaluation Q1

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

Conventions of real media products:

In order to create my Opening Sequence I carried out a lot of research into other existing Media texts. therefore I was able to form a better understanding of the codes and conventions of Horror Films; particularly that in the sub-genre of Slasher. My media product has a lot of forms and conventions of real media products in its genre. My product is a horror film but belongs in the sub genre of American, Slasher and Psychological horror. 

Props Narrative Theory suggests that a common set of reoccurring characters flows throughout a story. Often a narrative will have a Protagonist and Antagonist. This is no different in Horror films. However, Slashers also have a common set of reoccurring characters that is unique to the Sub-Genre. One of these characters i have used in my opening sequence. She is know as the First Girl. As a Slasher horror it typically includes ‘the first girl’ stereotype. This is the convention where the first character killed is typically a blond teen aged girl. This is common in most American horror films such as Scream where the first girl, who is blonde, stereo typically vulnerable, often sexually active and is often a bit clueless (ditsy). 

Other classic conventions of slasher horrors are a masked, male killer, a knife, and a suburban house. These type of films are usually shot in a suburban area in a normal lifestyle because this gives of the impression of "it could happen to you!" and makes the setting more relatable to the audience.

How I have USED conventions:
My main character (Amy, above) is a teenage girl who is represented as vulnerable. I achieved this through making her isolated and frightened. This is shown by her actions and facial expressions. The soundtrack and sound effects emphasises the panic and tension that she feels throughout the opening. She makes poor decisions during the opening; this will make the audience see her as immature and possibly ditsy. She is shown going downstairs alone into a dark basement when there is nobody else in the house. The way in which she dresses, acts, texts on her iPhone are all typical of a teenage character. I therefore created a character who reinforces the 'first girl' classic victim stereotype.

I have also set my film in a suburban area, representing a normal lifestyle. This makes the settings and characters more realistic, and therefore more frightening. The film being set in a forest also gives the impression of isolation and danger. I have done this through repeated establishing shots that show the vast forest and how it is empty besides the main character. From looking at industry standard films such as Hush I noticed the use of a lot of extreme close ups which appeared to create a lot of mystery and build up a lot of suspense, so I used this idea in my film opening (see below).

The setting that I chose for Amy's house was very modern. The camerawork emphasises how it is large but that Amy is the only one home. This creates a sense that something is going to go wrong. This often occurs in Slasher films such as Hush. The film is set in a large Modern home in America thats located in the middle of the forest. Throughout the film you are given a sense of venerability due to its large and isolated setting.

The basement/boiler room contrasts with the rest of the house; it is old, messy and industrial. This signals danger to the audience because it is dark. There are lots of dark spaces which makes it hard to see and suggests that someone is watching and hiding.As well as Hush having similar settings There is a  scene similar to this in Scream where a young blonde girl is murdered in the garage or basement when she goes to retrieve something.

The screen shot below shows the modern and well-lit room. The character is therefore likely to feel relaxed and safe on the sofa. However she doesn't realise the danger that she is in as the killer enters the house with a large knife. The audience are therefore scared for the character as they are aware of the danger she is in.

I also noticed the sound used in horror films and how this played a huge role in making the audience feel uneasy. The diegetetic and ambient sounds were also very intense which was very effective. This was also used in my film opening to create the atmosphere in the forest and in the house scene; the music I used was similar to other horror films I’ve studied such as 'Let Me In' which was used to build up tension.

How I have DEVELOPED conventions:
A significant part of my film was the part where the dart is thrown at the wall next to the teenage protagonist because I feel this was most effective, the mix of extreme close ups and non-diegetic sounds made this look great. This idea was stemmed from hush were the killer shoots an arrow at the victim and it hits the wall next to her. This along with the SFX provided a decent jump scare. As well as it being an aggressive act. Below is a screen shot of the shot in Hush where the arrow hits the door compared with the shot in RUN where the dart hits the wall. This shows how I have used conventions from existing media texts. Additionally i was influenced by German Lightening blah expressionism blah and gave the dart a long stretched shadow. I found this added more effect to the scene.  I actually came up with this idea on set, I remembered how this made me feel when I watched the arrow shot in Hush so I came up with this idea from materials I have in my house, considering this was not planned I think it was very successful.

How I have CHALLENGED conventions:
My media product challenges the genre in the way that there is no talking at all in the opening, this is because the character is completely on her own, no dialogue adds to the realism and creates a feeling of isolation. Having no dialogue also allowed me to focus on the build-up of suspense which was my key objective for making the film.

Using and expanding from these conventions have allowed me to create a successful product because it allows the audience to be familiar with the product and attracts an audience.