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

EVALUATION: QUESTION 1

Before we began to create a title sequence on the horror genre, we did some thorough research into the conventions of a typical horror film and its title sequence. I looked at and analysed the title sequence for Dawn of the Dead which gave me a better understanding of sound, lighting, editing and mise en scene. Doing this research gave me some inspiration and some ideas of what we could include in our title sequence. As a result of this I was able to bring some knowledge to my group, which was used when planning our title sequence, for example, the low angle shot which is used to make the main character look vulnerable to the villain. Overall, this research gave me a really clear understanding of the genre I had chosen to do my title sequence on. I had a much improved knowledge of understanding on what was included in horror films and the different props and costumes used in the horror genre.

Research

Horror Convention: SettingFrom my research I discovered that the typical horror setting was often the same in most horror films. After looking at many different horror films such as, Dawn of the Dead, The Ring and The Exorcist, I noticed the main setting was in a small urban area which was usually isolated, with lots of dark alleyways. Moreover, they are also filmed in abandoned houses. This creates a feeling of isolation and vulnerability for the protagonists.

For our title sequence we filmed in a few different locations. Firstly, we filmed on the side of the main road in the dark. However, it wasn’t very isolated but it was set in a small urban area like many horror films. This location did challenge the conventions of a horror setting, but we still created a horror atmosphere, in terms of darkness of the setting. In addition, our second filming location was under a flyover bridge, where there is a narrow road. It was very dark and isolated which created the perfect setting to create a feeling of isolation. Finally, we filmed our last part of the sequence in a house. Like many other horror films, the protagonist usually feels safe when in his home, however we had the villain kill the main character in his house, which matches the convention of a horror film.

Horror Convention: Lighting

In my research I discovered that mainly low key lighting is used for a number of different reasons. Firstly, it is used to create shadows and a dim hue. This is often used in horror films to create a sinister feeling. In our title sequence we used a lot of low key lighting from sources such as street lights, which cast a nice glow over the setting. I also found out that lighting is often set at eye level or lower to the ground than the subject. We never really used that theory, the lighting where we filmed was usually good enough to create a low key lighting effect, however, we did use the torch of our phones to create more light when the setting was to dark to capture a good enough image. We didn’t have any equipment to alter the lighting so we had to do what we could in order for it to look good.

This is a picture of a scene with low key lighting to create a shadowy effect.

Horror Convention: Camera shots

In our title sequence we used a variety of different camera shots. From my own research I was able to gain a really good understanding of the different camera shots and movements used in a horror film. I noticed that a lot of horror films use close ups. The close up shot is used to show emotion on the characters face. They also use a lot of high angled shots looking down of the protagonist, to make him look vulnerable to the villain. We used this shot really well when we had Zak (Max) walking up the stairs whilst we filmed looking down on him. Moreover, handheld camera shots are used as it creates a shaky camera effect, which relates to how the protagonist is feeling. We used this shot when Zak (Max) is walking up the stairs whilst Sam followed him up with the camera. This shot shows the fear of the protagonists face and the shaky handheld camera creates tension. Finally, we used a tracking shot as this is used to create the sense of being followed. We used this when Zak (Max) walks across the bridge. In the Dawn of the Dead title sequence there is an establishing shot at the beginning so we can see the location of where it is filmed. We filmed an establishing shot but in editing decided to get rid off it as it didn’t fit in with the rest of our sequence.

Costume

From horror films I looked at, I noticed that the villain was often very similar in terms of costume within each one. They usually wore all black and stood out as the villain. In our title sequence, our cloaked figure played by Adam, wore all black with a black cloak, black, skin-tight mask and carried a machete. The black colours represent power, death and mysterious. This portrays our cloaked figure as nobody knows who he is and he is capable of death. A lot of horror villains carry some sort of weapon to make them appear stronger and more powerful. In our title sequence we have a machete. This is similar to the film Scream in which they have knives.

Our two other characters, Max and James, portray two ordinary teenagers from off the street. They wear ordinary casual clothes. This is so they are relatable to the audience. It also shows how the villain can attack anyone around.

NarrativeIn our film we decided to challenge the convention of horror by going against the final girl theory. The final girl theory suggests that there is often a female survivor at the end of horror films. However, in our title sequence we didn’t include any female characters, but there will be female characters in the film itself. We decided to go against it to make it different and unique. Our film uses the Binary opposition theory, basically good vs evil. This is because it involves a good character who is unfortunately killed by an evil character.

Our title sequence uses the colour red for the title as this symbolises blood and anger. It involves a lot of sound as this is used to create suspense and tension. Our title sequence makes you want to carry on watching as it is left on a bit of a cliff-hanger as the audience don’t know what will happen next with the cloaked figure. Our title sequence is called Pallium which is Latin for cloak. This is to make it appear more mysterious and makes it stand out over the word cloak.

Our film links very closely to the title sequence as the antagonist is killed then the his friends are left to discover what has happened and who is doing this.

Editing

We used the Mac computers to edit our title sequence to make it appear professional and free flowing. It took us many editing sessions to finally complete it. We tried to perfect it each editing session by adding different transitions and effects, along with sound. From the research and after analysing the Dawn of the Dead title sequence, I was always trying to make it as professional that. We added different dialogue and ambient sound to create a realistic piece. We used transitions to make the title sequence flow and make it more fluent. Otherwise, the each scene would have gone on for too long and it would be very boring.