In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

( NOTES-NOT OFFICIAL EVALUATION)

FilmGenre: Horror-ThrillerSubgenre: Closed-Mystery and Physiological Thriller.

What is a Horror-Thriller genre?

A Horror-Thriller depicts none or few supernatural elements in the film, and almost always has a unknown killer or menace as the antagonist.

I considered my short film as a Horror, however, after receiving audience feedback on what they thought the genre of my film was, most tended towards Thriller than any other option. After this, I started looking into the Thriller genre and I found some similar tendencies with my short horror film and the genre. In my opinion, it is very difficult to pry apart the two genres without creating cliché and overused storylines and plots to show which one is which. Also, Horror film tend to be more gory and explicit in the murders where as Thrillers are less detailed, as mine was. This is why I believe my audience voted more towards the Thriller genre, due to non-existent bloodshed.

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What is a Closed- Mystery subgenre?

When the antagonist’s identity is concealed throughout the film and is later revealed at the end of the film.

This describes how the antagonist was portrayed in my short horror-thriller film, however, I decided to challenge conventions by not revealing the true identity of the antagonist as I wanted to anger my audience. I believe this was successful for a minority of viewers on the premiere night as some of the answers to the question involving whether they liked the antagonist not being revealed was not well received by some. For example, one viewer felt they needed the villain “for confirmation”. However, they did not specify what kind of confirmation they needed and what they meant so it’s left open to interpretation by myself, that they needed to see the face of the villain in order to be sure of there conclusion. Which is what I did not want, for them to be sure.

What is a Psychological thriller subgenre?

This is used when they filmmaker/ director wants to leave the film open to interpretation. In my opinion, it tends to be a generic canvas where there are almost ‘fill in the blank’ spots in the film where you concoct your own story about the film in question.

I felt my film was open to interpretation but that not many people understood that it was. I think it was more difficult for me to get my message across as the film turned out to be everything I did not want as the script was not followed due to failure to learn lines by some of the cast members and also not being available to come back down to re-film and that in the end I was making a video that worked, rather than my actual concept, which made it harder for me to institute what I wanted to project to the audience and that they did not understand what it is I wanted.

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FilmSocial Implications of my short film, Curiosity?

1) Being in the same friend circle does not exactly mean you are friends with all of those in the circle and that you may never merge with those people. When it boils down to life changing and dangerous experiences, for the majority, the first human instinct comes to mind of ‘Survival of the fittest’ and even your closest friends will leave you behind to save themselves.

This is a message that I wanted in my short film and believe is well portrayed in my short horror film by my cast and my dialogue, though weak, it implements my very basic needs such as implying the social effects that is in the everyday lives of my demographic and even as far as stretching to different age groups as love is a sensitive and well loved practice in the first world society.

Social Implications of my short film, Curiosity?

2) A true relationship is when one person is willing to risk their life to save or stay with another person they hold dear to them. This shows that even if some people are untrustworthy that there are always people who will be loyal to you no matter how big the risk is.

This is shown my the most unlikely character in my short film, Draz. From the beginning I wanted to make out as if he was a vile, arrogant, chauvinistic pig who did not care about other people, the atmosphere he creates or the affect he has on the moods of people around him. But when Carter and Karr are willing to leave Elias behind and allow another body ( the police )to find their ‘friend’ Elias, dead or alive, Draz is willing to stay behind to save his friend.

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Political effects of my short film, Curiosity?

1)As it is aimed at a young/young adult demographic I have not integrated a political aspect to my short film. But it does show that actions have consequences and that sometimes, there is no way to alter, change or fix the outcome and you must live with what has happened and what you have done.

I think this can be aimed at every single person in the friendship group as they all have done something that had horrific consequences. For Elias, Draz and Karr, the males, it all resulted in the inevitable death, which in contrast could have been prevented if they did not look back on the past, i.e enter their old abandoned school, and got themselves into trouble with the unknown killer. For Carter, the female companion, who’s name was not once mentioned in the film, it is the thought of leaving her childhood friends behind and running away, knowing that she could of possibly saved them by using the phone she found to ring the police. But as she runs away, she is left with facing the consequences of her ‘betrayal’ to her friends.

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FilmCodes and Conventions of Horror films:

• Swearing • Mystery • Bad story lines • Split into subgenres • Primarily male target • Certificate 15 or 18 • Narrative • Slow paced editing • Tension • Low key lighting • Binary Oppositions • Frequent use of close ups• The ‘Female Victim’• Low angle shots• Always a death involved or near death experiences.