Evaluation Task 1:How does your product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?

In the opening sequence to our thriller we both matched and subverted generic expectations of thrillers and real media products, through the use of the four main factors that make up a sequence, these are the mise-en-scene, editing, sound and camera.

Mise-en-Scene (Actors)The use of a blonde main character is used a lot in horror/thriller films, as they are shown to be naïve and helpless. In the film “Scream” the use of a blonde female character shows weakness and a stereotypical female protagonist. Much like our film where we casted a blonde female protagonist. The use of our actor also will draw our target audience of young males in, as they will find her attractive. Just like the use of a female protagonist in “Scream”. Our thriller matches the convention of using a weak female lead and strong male lead.

Mise-en-Scene (Costumes)

The costumes we used for the antagonist establishes the binary opposition of a “bad” character type. The all black outfit convention also builds tension for the audience as it creates a sense of mystery and allows the antagonist to blend in more to his surroundings and once you see him you know something thrilling is going to happen.

Mise-en-Scene (Make-Up) The use of Make-Up was especially important in our opening sequence because it shows how the teenage girl has been kidnapped and hurt before being “devoured”. In the horror like part of the scene we have conformed to the idea of blood and gore like elements of horror/thriller films. The blood demonstrates violence and the struggle from the characters, like from the screenshot from “Cabin in the Woods” below the screenshot from our sequence.

Mise-en-Scene (Location)

Our main location for our opening sequence was set in a “doll house”, this subverts the normal idea of where the antagonist would hide and keep the protagonist because the bigger the room, the more the scene shows the character to be alone and vulnerable as it shows that no one is around but the protagonist.

EditingWhen we were editing, we added special effects to some shots to make them seem more realistic. The CCTV footage effect foreshadowed the idea that the teenage girl was being watched, just like in the film “District 9” when the CCTV footage adds a sense of reality to this part of the movie scene. Our editing techniques conforms to the idea of real media products and their editing techniques.

Camera

These close –up shots on both my protagonist and Hannibal Lecters victim shows the pain and fear caused by the villains. This camera angle is important to show the vulnerability and emotions of the characters who are evidentially being tortured, which are generic expectations in a horror/thriller genre film.

Sound Up into this point in our opening sequence, you might not expect that the sequence will be a thriller because of the happy non-diegetic and diegetic sounds e.g. enhanced sound of birds and soundtrack in the background. When you hear the voice over, of the creepy male leads voice, it will then hopefully change your mind. The mysterious voice behind the camera angle leads you to suspect something suspicious, and the sound of his inner voice will begin to alarm the audience. This is like a stereotypical antagonist, behind a mysterious phone call like the Taken films.

TitlesThe title sequence is one of the most important parts of an opening sequence because you are establishing the genre and obviously the name of the film. In both title sequences they are bold, with a sharp over exaggerated sound, of the fork for ours and screams for scream, behind the word, they both foreshadow the main plot behind the film and so develop the ideas of real media life products.

From the research above it is clear that our opening sequence defiantly matches the generic expectations of a horror/thriller film more than it does subvert the idea. Our inspirations have been from classic horror/thriller films and so it is expected that it would match the ideas because we wanted to create something that people would want to see, just like they like seeing the inspirations like “Scream” and “Silence of the Lambs”.