AS
Level Media Studies Foundation Production Evaluation
Q1: In what ways does your
media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
A thriller is something with an exiting plot with usually a dilemma.
The thriller genre is found in a number of different materials from books to
films and T.V. this makes it a very good genre as there are a lot about to
analyse and to get inspiration from.
A sub-genre is a genre within a genre, as the whole genre is thriller
and a ‘sub-genre’ is a small category off this.
The sub-genre we chose was
‘Religious’ and ‘Conspiracy’ because we felt it was the easiest to pull off
than anything else, as we didn’t have any budget to have huge explosions or
things like that. I thought it was a good idea because the people that watched
our piece says that it looked very good with the equipment we used. A lot of
our audience didn’t like the sound of a religious thriller because they didn’t
really know what it was. They thought it would be something boring with a holy
man reading the bible or something and it isn’t it is one of the creepiest, in
my opinion, forces because no one really knows what it all is. The elements of
the genre I used would be things like it being set in a church with dull
lighting to make the church seem like a scary or tense place to be. We also
used the thriller elements by having a victim which was the young boy that
walks into the church, although that is not so clear at the start, and a
villain who is the priest which we see that he is the villain as soon as he is
shown on camera by the flickering and the tense humming noise. We developed a
lot on the stereotyping of characters as the boy is in his teens and therefore
is more vendible than an adult but we challenged the total stereotypical
attractive woman in trouble with a scary male trying to kill her.
Typical shot types
Long shot
•
This is also known as establishing shot this is used
to introduce the audience to the scene or surroundings.
•
A long shot can be used to make it more metiers for the audience
because if it is framed really well it can confuse the audience.
Mid shot
• This is from the torso upwards usually this is to show
the body language of a person to the audience and also to show if they have
anything in their hands.
• For example someone with their back up against a wall
with a gun in their hand would be a spy or agent.
These are used in thrillers a lot because it
shows the characters feelings and so you can feel as if it is you as a person
standing there because this is mainly what you see through your eyes.
Close up
•This is usually of a face or can be of a significant object or
subject. This shows to the audience that the object will have sufficient
meaning in the movie.
•For example a close up of a gun would tell you that there is going to
be some fighting in the film.
Close ups are used in thrillers because this disorientate the audience
by being really close and not knowing where it is.
Close up from ‘Psycho’
Two
shot
•This is for establishing the relationship between the two acting
subjects, this helps the audience clear that these two people like/dislike each
other.
•For example if we had two television presenters standing next to each
other they would have an equal distance apart and know that they are of equal
importance.
Two shot from ‘Pulp Fiction’
Low angle shot
•We use this shot to show the audience that
the subject be it a person or building are big and strong. This shows the
audience that this person may even be the ‘bad guy’.
•An example of this could be in a western the
outlaw comes in on his horse and it may be a point of view shot from the town
folk this makes him look big and scary.
High angle shot
•This shot is used to show the week as being
very small sometimes used so the audience feel sorry for the subject as they
may be in danger.
•For example a bully comes along to a kid it
may be the point of view from the bully down to the kid this would make the
audience fell sorry for the kid.
High angle from ‘James Bond’
Typical Editing
Transitions
•Transitions are the ways that two shots are
joined together
•The most commonly used transitions is called
a straight cut; this is where one shot will cut straight to the next one
•Using transitions make the film seem
continuous and it keeps the pace in the film
Fades (Black/White)
•This is where one shot will fade in or out
using black or white
•Using this type of editing can tell the
audience that time is passing
•If the fading is done quickly it can also be
used for flashback scenes
In thrillers these make higher points of
tension we use it so our clip flashes to black to make the priest seem as if he
is making the camera break with his power. This is mysterious and disorientates
the audience.
Dissolves
•Dissolve is a gradual transition that fades
from one shot to the other.
•Dissolving editing can be used to show time
passing
•It can help continuity and helps to show
moving from one location to the next
These are used usually when the clip wants to
show time passing these aren’t used as much in thriller openings they may be
used after an opening to show that time has passed.
Fade In/Out
•This is where a shot fades in or out from a
black screen, or to a black screen
•This effect is used to show time passing
•If it is used at the beginning or the end of
a sequence it can give the effect that it is peaceful
These are not typically used in thrillers
because they are a bit to pleasant and usually slow for it to build tension.
Shot Reverse Shot & Jump Cut
•SRS
•This is a way of editing two shots together
from different camera angles
•Using shot reverse shot gives the audience
the impression that a conversation is taking place
•JC
•A Jump cut is an abrupt cut between to shots
•Using a jump cut shows drama
•It can be used at the beginning or end of
action
These will not be used in our opening because
we do not have a conversation and these shots are only really needed for them.
Cross Cutting
•This is where the action cuts between two
different sequences
•This creates a link and either parallels or
contrasts between the storylines
•Using this type of editing creates tension
in the film
Cross cutting is used to make the audience
see what the characters don’t usually know the other side of the story that is
going on.
Typical Mise-en-scene
Setting Eerie,
realistic and isolated places that make people scared or tense when they
visit a place like that in the future. The feeling watching the film is the
same feeling we want people to have when they walk into a church we want to
make them look in the shadows of the church
Costume Realistic
and believable we want the characters to look like the audience members
to make them feel like it could happen to anyone of them we want them to be
scared that they can relate to the character with dress sense.
Actor’s Male often
cast, as protagonist/antagonist women are usually victims we had a
male cast as both because we thought it would appeal more to a male audience
and we want to target the audience into feeling scared and we want them to
relate to the character so they think that they will be the next victim.
Props Weapons are everyday items such as kitchen knifes which are not
usually used in everyday
life as a weapon so makes the killer more believable and makes the story that
little bit closer to home. We don’t have a weapon; as such it is more a
possessor that is unknown that is what makes it scarier
Lighting Low-key
lighting, shadows and darkness is good for a thriller as it helps disguise
the villain this also makes the audience more scared if they too are watching
the film in the dark like most people do. Lighting is also a huge factor on
whether the weather is good or bad because if it is dark and raining we usually
assume that the weather is reflecting the action. Lighting helps hide detail
and makes the characters more mysterious.
Typical Sound
The typical sounds that are used have different heights of tension in
the music. Usually the sounds start off quiet and calm as it is introducing the
audience to the setting. It is also usually calm theme song when the credits
are being shown. The sounds nearly almost mirror the tension of the opening.
The theme song, if the credits are first, carries on through the opening but if
the credits are after plot of the opening then there isn’t usually a theme song
till the credits start. There is some types of sound are used to increased
tension usually high or low tones to discomfort the audience.
The sound effect of the door creaking in the
correct place can increase the tension by confusing the audience and making
them predict something that may not happen. The audience sometimes get misled
into feeling safe then a loud sound comes through the speakers.
Typical Narrative
In most thriller films the narrative follows the point of view of the
protagonist. This character is followed all the way through the film and will
definitely be in the opening of the film. The film is usually built about this
person in thrillers it can either be about the good character or about the bad
character. Sometimes when it is about the bad character. When the bad character
is followed there isn’t usually a rounding up of the film. Mostly the bad
character doesn’t get eliminated and I feel that makes the whole film scarier.
Effective thriller openings
Shot types can make or break a thriller if they are used affectively
then the thriller can look amazing although if the shots are bad or are framed
badly it could ruin the whole feeling of the film. Extreme close-ups are used
to make the audience disorientated and not know where they are these are also
good to make the audience see the feelings of the actors and then can relate to
them. Mid-shots are the most used in thrillers because it shows mainly what’s
going on in the frame but with a bit of audience input putting together what
sounds and movements of characters imply with what is happening in there eye
shot. Long shots are used to make the audience aware of the setting and to try
and make it a familiar sight for the audience; this also makes it feel closer
to home so the audience relate to it and makes it tenser. Some affective
narrative constructions like flashbacks are used in thrillers to make the plot
have a back-story and maybe an element of mystery. The present characters don’t
always start knowing the flashback so the audience knows more than the
characters. Shot editing at high-tension points are usually quick pace and
strait cut. Whereas when it is low tension then it is slow pace and fades.
The Da Vinci Code has been a real inspiration to our piece of work
because the religion behind was powerful. We wanted to make a thriller that
made the audience think a lot. We thought that the mysterious character that
wears the robe is and interesting character, because the reason he was doing
all the killing was down to religion and this made us think that our character
could do the things he does because of religion. This then made us think of
another film ‘Night Of The Hunter’ where the priest kills people because of
religion.
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