Evaluation Activity 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The title of the production
Initially we struggled to find a name for our production
as we didnt know what would go well with the theme of
our production, eventually we reached a decision of
Missing we felt that this went hand in hand with the
plot of our film. Reason being that it connotes to the
audience that some sort of victim in this film will have
gone missing and as a result kidnapped which is
commonly associated with the thriller genre.

Title font and style

Our productions title font, as shown below is in black
and white with a backlit glow affect to it. The general
norm for thriller/horror film titles would be a red
coloured title as it connotes blood, danger etc. however
in our production, the title font being red does not do
much for us in terms of relatability to the production.
As a result, we went for a more traditional black
background and white text in capital letters to allow the
title of the film to be the most memorable thing seen by
the audience which is important in the advertising stages
of the media product as it allows the film to spread
through word of mouth.
The setting and location of our film
Our location for our film was a
house and just outside the house in
a car, this allowed the audience to
easily identify with the characters
within the production, and therefore
easily follow the narrative of the
storyline.

Other real media products within the thriller genre that

was set in a house include Wes Cravens Scream (1996)
and Simon Wests When a Stranger Calls (2006). However,
it can be argued that our production didnt necessarily
follow the codes and conventions of a thriller/horror as
the house it was set in was in no way haunted or under
any threat.
The begging of the sequence is shown in the main
characters room where he is browsing the internet and
everything is in equilibrium. The reason behind choosing
this location was because it is easy for the audience to
identify with the main character as it is in an everyday
situation, thus allowing the audience to relate to the
production with ease. Another reason behind this was
because our production greatly relies on creating an
innocent environment at the beginning and we needed the
audience to not suspect that our main character was
actually the antagonist rather than the victim.
Camerawork
Our production uses a wide variety of shots, from
establishing shots to extreme close-ups, reason being was
because, as the director, I felt that a range of
different shots, movements and angles keeps the audience
engaged and entertained with the production and overall,
it gives the production greater attention to detail.
For example, our production
starts with and establishing
shot, then cuts to an over the
shoulder shot, then a high
angle wide shot, this therefore
allows the audience to see
where the antagonist is, what
he is doing and ultimately, the
high angle wide shot connotes him to the audience as the
victim rather than antagonist which is greatly important
in our production.
Our production has a high implementation of shots that
pan with the antagonist, this is done to create the sense
that the antagonist is being watched, therefore connoting
him to be in danger and ultimately, the victim rather the
antagonist. These shots are peppered in throughout the
production up until the turning point of the antagonist
where the audience realise that he is in fact the
antagonist rather than victim, this was done to keep the

audience guessing of what will happen next and therefore

constantly engaged with the production.
Despite this, there is also the implementation of lowangle shots and one worms eye view, which connotes the
main character as the antagonist, this was also done
deliberately as it constantly kept the audience guessing
whether he is the antagonist or the protagonist.
We also had the use of a couple POV shots, these were
very effective in the production as it allowed the
audience to get into the perception of the antagonist, it
was used to display the antagonists sense of fear of the
bang he heard from inside the car, this meant that the
audience thought that he was going to be the victim as
someone or thing has made the noise and he was going to
go Missing however this allowed for a better plot
twist.
Editing & Sound
In this production, I also took on the role of the editor
as well as sound and director. When editing I made sure
that the match on action was perfect for every scene to
ensure that we had the smoothest possible production, and
to also make it easier for the audience to follow, this
was essential for the production due to the fact that if
its performed badly the audience losses interest as its
too hard and complicated to follow.
Sound was also a large factor in the editing process as
good sound meant that the audience to gather different
inferences from the production, one example would be that
at the beginning, during the establishing shot, there are
birds tweeting in the background (refer to the second
photo), connoting an innocent and safe atmosphere which
was essential for the plot twist. Another example would
be the heartbeat incorporated when the antagonist hears
the bang, this allows the audience to get into the
antagonists perspective and briefly understand what he
is feeling.
Costume and Props
Our main character is dressed in every day clothing,
which didnt do much in the form of connoting evil even
though he was the antagonist. This was deliberately done
as it is very important that the audience infer that the
main character shown is in fact the victim rather than
the antagonist.

In terms of props, we used

black duct tape, a long
knife and a bin bag, we
used
these
to
connote
danger and fear towards the
audience,
as
these
are
common themes and codes and
conventions
in
the
thriller/horror genre.
How are the Characters are introduced?
The first character to be introduced is the antagonist,
even though the audience doesnt know it straight away.
The showing of the antagonist first is common among real
media products as it quickly establishes the genre to the
audience. The way in which the antagonist is introduced
is that he is on his computer, browsing the internet,
this immediately triggers questions, who is this man and
what is he doing?
The protagonist/victim is presented to the audience as a
surprise as they didnt expect the victim to be in the
boot of the car as up until that part of the production,
the audience would have assumed that the man was the
victim of the production, and would have expected him to
get hurt or be the victim. The introduction of the
protagonist
immediately
flips
their
perception
of
everything they have just seen in terms of the production
as they have been watching, thinking that the man
introduced at the beginning was the victim.
Genre and how the Opening Sequence Suggests it
Our final production has similar codes and conventions to
real media products such as Scream (1996), for example
the non-diegetic suspense music and the dark sky in the
outdoor
scenes.
These
sound
effects
and
lighting
conditions connote the thriller/horror genre.
In addition to this, the use of specific camera movements
such as the pan created a tense atmosphere and allowed
the audience to infer that the main character was being
watched, creating a sense of danger and tension which is
very common among real media products.