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

Most of the aspects of my opening title sequence conform to the forms and conventions of my thriller genre. I tried to however include some parts that didnt conform so that my title sequence would stand out or surprise my target audience. My group and I didnt want to challenge the conventions of the thriller genre too much because we thought our target audience may be too unfamiliar with it so therefore it might not appeal to them. We did get a lot of inspiration from other thriller opening sequences, in order to let our audience recognise our genre. However we didnt directly copy these ideas but developed them to create a unique feel to my opening sequence. This nine frame grid shows shots I feel best challenges or conforms to the forms and conventions of the thriller genre.

Frame 1 This first screen shot is showing the colour scheme of my credits. I used the colours black and white because they dont give too much away. It just connotes a mystery and the term black and white is usually associated with simplicity or showing something as it really is. We didnt want to make our credits complicated because it added to the thriller code of mystery. In addition my group and I were inspired by the film SE7EN in the way they showed their credits. They also had the colour scheme of black and white, but it was shown over the video, however we wanted our credits to be on their own so that the people who made the film could be properly acknowledged by the audience.

Frame 2 We used the red folder in our opening sequence because the colour red connotes danger and death and the folder was being held by the victim, so it foreshadowed her death. The colour red is typically seen in thriller movies so we incorporated it into our sequence in order to conform to the conventions. When the victim dropped her books the red folder was separated from the rest, showing that the colour red is crucial in this sequence. Frame 3 The third frame shows the victim to be female. This is a distinctive code of the thriller genre. Additionally the victim is wearing a cream Mac; the colour cream could connote purity and innocence, showing her vulnerability. Using a girl as the victim also fits the stereotype of women being weak and helpless. Frame 4 The next frame shows the villain being female. This challenges the forms and conventions of the thriller genre. We typically see males being the villain and overpowering women. My group was inspired by the thriller film Roommates. Our films had similar plots and characters and having the villain being female allows our title sequence to stand out from the rest. The villain is seen wearing black, this is however a typical convention seen in the thriller genre; the colour black connotes evil and mystery, which is a perfect description for my villain. Having a female villain is a countertype as it goes against the expectation of men being the bad guys. Having a villain also corresponds with Propps theory of every movie having a villain- someone who is there to cause commotion. Frame 5 Frame five shows a dead body which conforms to the norms of the thriller genre. In some cases the crime isnt always a murder, but my group decided to go with a murder as it will be familiar to our audience and would allow the audience to question how they think the person died. For our opening sequence we showed the dead body at the start, so that it creates mystery and curiosity. Frame 6 The next frame is of the font we used for our credits. We used a childish, messy font that sorts of looks rushed. We used this font because it creates an illusion of panic as though someone was trying to write something in a hurry. The movie SE7EN inspired my group to use this font because they had a similar one and as I was watching their title sequence I was curious as to why that font was used and I wanted my target audience to feel the same way. Frame 7 Frame seven shows the victim in low key lighting. The dark lighting is a classic feature in thriller films as it creates mystery and fear. It makes people unaware of what it happening which creates even more curiosity. Low key lighting is used when the dead body is shown. It creates a gloomy atmosphere.

Frame 8 An enigma is used in frame 8 when we dont see the villains face. She has a hood on so the audience is oblivious to who she is. This raises a lot of questions in the mind of the audience. They want to know who this person is and what theyre saying. What sort of intentions they have in mind. Frame 9 The last frame is a close up of the victims face. Close ups are usually common in thriller opening sequences but not of the villain. There are some shots of the victims face (like the screen shot I used) so the audience are clear who they are. There are also occasionally close ups of key objects such as weapons etc. My group incorporated a close up of the victim because it shows teh sort of emotion she is feeling.