Chloe Lashley

Evaluation Activity 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?

Genre Research
Throughout our opening sequence we incorporated conventions of both drama
and thriller films as we decided to execute a cross-genre.
Common conventions of a drama include the exhibition of real-life situations with
realistic characters, creating a dramatic storyline and allowing the audience to
witness the development of a character. As you can see, we chose to accept the
conventions of this genre instead of challenging them. We did this because most
successful drama/thriller films do the same and receive a positive reception from
the audience. For example, Gone Girl included the conventions mentioned above
and made a profit of $129.99 million.
Conventions of a thriller include anticipation of not knowing what to expect next,
the protagonist facing a problem creating tension throughout before leading to a
climax and are initially designed to make the audience scared.
Title of the film

The title of our film is ambiguous. Temptation could hint at a Drama film as
audience members may assume that the film will contain a relationship between
two characters before one becomes tempted and cheats. On the other hand, the
title could support the thriller genre because it contains an element of surprise.
Who is tempted? Why are they tempted? It could hint at the downfall of a
character due to this temptation. I think this title is effective due to the broad
interpretations it can form. Temptation can also relate to a romantic film but the
audience do not know until they watch it; this draws them into the film, making
them want to watch it. The use of white text on a black background captures the
audiences attention and foreshadows the dark events to come.
Why is the font significant?
As the editor, I chose the font. I wanted it to be minimalistic simply because it
contrasts to the events of the film. The audience will view the title and
automatically think that the film will be of a slow pace and of a light hearted
nature when the reality is that they will be on the edge of their seats throughout
the duration of the film.

Chloe Lashley

Our opening sequence does not follow linear narrative because this is the first
image that is shown to the audience which occurs at the end. A lot of thrillers
choose not to tell the story in chronological order simply to confuse the audience
or to create a build up to a twist. This was a technique we adopted as another
way to draw in our audience and make them want to see more. By having this
shot first, the audience already have many unanswered questions. Who is she?
Why is she here? The bright lights on her face connote innocence and the lack of
surrounding light further suggests that she is an innocent girl in a very dark
predicament. Here, we incorporate a convention of the drama genre by
immediately creating an opportunity for the audience to connect with the
protagonist emotionally.
For inspiration on how to open our
sequence, I watched and analysed
the drama/thriller film Gone Girl.
The opening image of Gone Girl
presents a female in what appears
as a vulnerable position. As an
audience member, I know that it
made me want to continue
watching the film. Therefore, I
chose to place the shot of Chelsea
in a similar position at the beginning. The audience are aware of her frightful
position simply because of her strong facial expressions.
Shots

Chloe Lashley
Shots can be used effectively in order to make the audience feel a certain way.
We used a variety of shots within our opening sequence and the above right
picture is an example of a close up of our protagonists feet as she escapes. The
left picture is extracted from a scene in Gone Girl when the protagonist Nick tries
to walk away from his wife. Evidently, we used similar shots to create the same
effect. We want our audience to feel panicked and almost concerned for our
characters safety. The use of the close up shows the audience becoming closer
to the character, creating an even more thrilling experience. This uses the
conventions of a thriller because the shot is cut quite short hopefully quickening
the heartbeat of our viewers.
Location and setting
Our opening sequence is set at Chelseas home adding an element of mystery as
anything can happen in the comfort of our homes. We challenged the
conventions of a typical thriller by not setting the production in a haunted house
or in a dark, abandoned warehouse. Instead, we chose to create a nice ambience
by setting it in a bright bedroom that further contrasts to the dark thoughts
running through our antagonists mind. Also, this uses the conventions of a
drama because we filmed in a realistic house where such events could occur; this
helps to make our production more relatable to our target audience.
Sound
Music within a production plays a significant role. The chosen music needs to
deliver emotions or a particular message to the audience that dialogue cannot.
As our opening sequence has no dialogue included, sound overall had to
effectively support the narrative. Thrillers often use music to create a chilling
atmosphere and make the audience jump. Our sequence begins with soft music
to support the equilibrium, representing the innocent nature of the protagonist
before the music changes to signify a change in atmosphere. The music becomes
stronger and dramatises the action on screen. Many films adopt this technique.
Gone Girl begins with a light, gentle piece of music that changes along with the
narrative. For example, when Amy begins to plot her revenge slow, high pitched
string instruments begin to play to represent her cunning mind-set.
We incorporate asynchronous sound to challenge the ideas of our viewers. When
our protagonist escapes through the door, a siren begins to play. This is
asynchronous as it is not in synch with the action shown on screen but there is a
relation. Ironically, she is in desperate need of the police and for a split second
the audience believe that she will be saved until they hear the siren fade out. It
is a common convention for dramas to play with the audiences emotions.
Costume
Our protagonist

Chloe Lashley

Red lipstick to connote

love, femininity but most
importantly to
foreshadow danger.

A white dress to connote

innocence and purity. This
helps the audience to further
feel sympathy for her.
Our antagonist

Black outfit to connote

danger as well as power
and strength in the
situation. He has the upper
hand over the protagonist
and this is depicted

Black also connotes his dark

thoughts in addition to the
element of mystery as his
thoughts are never revealed.