Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media production of film use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
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Evaluation Question 1:In what ways does your media production
of film use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
INTRODUCTIONWhen viewing my media product, where I recently created a short thriller and I found some products were with similarity to mine and also challenged some conventions. For example, I found some films with comparable genres to compare, analyse and evaluate to the ones used in real media products.
SAWFirstly, one of the films that is comparable to my product is the film ‘Saw’ and its sequel ‘Saw 2.’ Saw is a psychological horror and Lionsgate released the film in America and Canada on October 29th, 2004. It was directed by the successful James Wan, a Malyasian-American man.The actors involved were Cary Elwes who took the role of Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Leigh Whannell who played Adam Stanheight. Followed by Shawnee Smith who played Amanda Young and lastly Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/ John Kramer.
THE MAZE RUNNER‘The Maze Runner’ is a 2014 American science action thriller, directed by the successful Wes Ball.
The film effectively stared actors, including Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Will Poulter and lastly Patricia Clarkson.
The Maze Runner was released on September 19, 2014 in America by 20th Century Fox.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE
The last movie I feel communicates most similar characteristics to my thriller is ‘Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone.’ Although I understand Harry Potter is not a thriller it shares similar conventions. Instead it is a fantasy film directed by the successful and inspiring is a 2001 Chris Columbus. Among side Columbus, follows the key actors Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson playing Hermione Granger. It was released on November 4, 2001 and Warner Bros. Pictures took charge and distributed this film.
WHAT ARE THRILLER CONVENTIONS AND HOW ARE
THEY USED?Genre conventions are a way of showing the genre of a media product. The conventions are simply micro parts, for instance, similarities in characters or plots that allow the audience to identify each different genre.
Usually, it includes institutions to present a particular genre in a film or to aim to convey their ideas and narrative to the audience.
GENERAL CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER
Low key lighting Rapid cuts
Tense and suspenseful music
Diegetic sounds of breathing
Violence
A villain or a hero
In my thriller, I have used genre conventions, such as rapid scenes of fast paced action, a suspect of a protagonist showing aspects of diegetic sounds of breathing and violence.
WHAT SIMILAR CONVENTIONS HAVE YOU USED AND WHY?
⇾ Firstly, I felt the need to compare Saw with my thriller. I understand the story line of Saw is completely different to my thriller.
⇾ However, although Saw is a horror, I realised the films both hold the same situation and the atmospheric aspects are comparable.
⇾ For instance, each sequence deals with unstoppable situations by selecting people who are guilty. This is similar to my thriller as both characters have to address a mind game; in Saw’s case there is a cereal killer named Jigsaw who depicts aspects of a game and similarly in my thriller, Charlie has to solve the challenge through a key and padlock.
⇾ By each product containing an unsolved game, it allows us to easily see the similar conventions and their effect on the audience.
- SAW
My thrillerSaw
WHAT SIMILAR CONVENTIONS HAVE YOU USED AND WHY?
⇾ Similarly, the film ‘The Maze Runner’ I found conveyed similar conventions to my thriller through ideas of facial reactions and uncomfortable, difficult situations.
⇾ However, in the scene from the maze runner, there are many different characters filling the shot, although in my sequence I only include the focus of one character.
⇾ Therefore the conventions share similarity of the same style.
- THE MAZE RUNNER
My thriller
The Maze Runner
WHAT SIMILAR CONVENTIONS HAVE YOU USED AND WHY?
⇾ In Harry Potter’s film of the Philosophers stone, although the products don’t consist of the same genre, they share a comparable use of props. For example, I felt it was necessary as they both consist of floating keys.
⇾ This also allows both characters to share the same confusion and thought process through their facial expressions and body language.
- HARRY POTTER
My thrillerHarry Potter
WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU MADE AND WHY + WHAT IS ARGUABLY MORE EFFECTIVE AND
WHY?⇾ Arguably I think to achieve a successful thriller, you don’t particularly need
all the conventions of a thriller. For instance, you don’t need to include background music and low lighting because it can still be effective as demonstrated in mine.
⇾ In my opening sequence for my thriller, we could have included tense, suspenseful music in the background to add to the general conventions of a thriller. Instead we used the non-diegetic sounds of gunshots and doors opening to build the thrill and suspense.
⇾ Also we could of similarly lowered the lighting in our thriller as our light is quite a bright, harsh light. However, I believe, it can be due to personal preference instead of expectations in order to achieve same effect.
PLOT LINE + ACTION⇾ The plot line of our thriller is an unusual approach and therefore I could not find a thriller
which completely measured conventions of an accurate convention to our plot line, but I found ‘The Maze Runner’ divides a similar path.
⇾ For instance, The Maze Runner unfolds with a male protagonist awakening to find himself in a distinct isolated situation. He rapidly realises he cannot escape easily from this. Similarly in my thriller, Charlie also finds himself activating from unconsciousness in the same way.
⇾ Both characters also similarly find themselves in a race against time. This leads them to both showing quick paced action and rapid movement, this also adds to the fast aspects of editing.
⇾ However, despite the characters being in completely different forms of context, both characters show frustration and confusion through magnified facial reactions.
My thrillerThe Maze Runner
CHARACTERS
⇾ Both ‘The Maze Runner’ and ‘Saw’ show contrasting, challenged forms and conventions.
⇾ For instance, the characters in both these media film products are wearing casual, comfortable clothing, including the use of baggy trousers and a spacious top. However, in my thriller, our protagonist is wearing a clean, formal suit, following the inspirational similar conventional type to James Bond.
EDITING TECHNIQUES
⇾ In comparison to our thriller, the film Saw, the editing includes fast pace close ups conveying disturbing, stressed and intimidating shots.
⇾ Although all these products include successful conventions of a thriller depending on personal editing choice.
⇾ I understand my thriller is a slow paced sequence which increases steadily throughout to convey a thrilling feeling. We chose to build the pace in our product as it allows the audience to take in everything and appreciate what's happening before their eyes.
CAMERA
⇾ Examples from ‘Saw’ show this clearly as the torture of the character can be exaggerated through a a close up struggling shot. In our thriller, we included this close up shot angle as we wanted to create the same sinister effect through facial expressions.
⇾ In ‘The Maze Runner’ the product shows complete long mid shots and long shots to allow the audience to establish and understand a detail of their personality and appeal; as this shot captures one’s body from their thighs upwards. I similarly used the same conventions in my thriller to allow the audience to capture and convey more personal detail about our protagonist and their situation.
⇾ Also in ‘Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone’, the use of high angled shots are shown to let viewers consider how many keys there are and the tricky, confused situation the protagonist is trapped in. This similar genre convention is used in my thriller to make the audience see the amount of keys from a more engaging perspective and angle and to allow the prop to have a status in this particular situation.
I quickly learnt close ups and extreme close ups are a crucial element to a thriller in terms of camera techniques. Facial reactions of characters are important as they build the tense situation and mood effectively as well as intimidating the audience through particular close up shots.
TITLES⇾ For my opening sequence, we included titles at the beginning and end of our short
sequenced thriller. We used a bold, clear, standard font which would be easy for viewers to read. We purposely used white, bright writing against a black background to portray the best approach and sinister feel. We didn't’t want to surround our titles by busy backgrounds as we didn't’t want to distract our focused directional titles.
⇾ However, none of the products I have been researching are comparable to my titles used in my thriller. Therefore, I found the film ‘Brick’ when searching for effective, comparable titles. Both the titles are very similar and clear. I understand the film ‘Brick’ isn't in comparison to the plot of my thriller, but I planned to focus on only the appearance of the titles, not the storyline. I thought this was a good example of a successful convention as I felt this would convey the thriller genre effectively.
My thrillerBrick
SAW + MANHUNT VIDEO GAMES
I decided to compare other media products, other than films, such as video games that could be comparable to my thriller product. For example, the ‘Saw ‘ games and ‘Manhunt’ games show comparisons through this idea of needing to escape before time runs out and before something uncomfortably dangerous happens; especially in the game ‘Manhunt.’
However, arguably their costumes are distinctly different as in these videos games they are more stereotypically casual for an undercover protagonist so other cast members do not suspect anything but for my thriller, Charlie is seen to be wearing a smart suit.
CONCLUSIONTo conclude, I feel we could have improved some aspects of our thriller from researching and comparing our product with other successful comparisons. For example, we could of changed the levels of lighting to make them consist of a lower, darker lighting. Also, I feel the use of background music could of benefitted our thriller to make it more successful.
However, by notably noticing and considering the similarities and challenging some conventions, it allowed me to criticize and applaud my thriller. It has helped me learn for next time when I create another product.
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