Tanika Singh

9 Key Frames:
Tanika Singh

The title of the production:

When it came to choosing a title for our film, we did not struggle with
choosing one that represented our film extremely well. We chose the title
They Follow. We decided to choose the title They Follow as the storyline
of our film is based on girl who is stalked and constantly followed by a pair
of antagonists. In the second scene of our opening sequence, the
protagonist, Emily, is being chased and followed by the two antagonists
this links back to our chosen title as it is made clear to the audience that
Emily is being followed.
Our title conforms to the typical codes and conventions of a thriller film.
One way it does this is by creating the question of who follows? within
the audience instantly creating an enigma which is typical of a thriller
film. The title appears after the opening sequence which is a typical
convention of a thriller film. The opening sequence entices the audience
to begin with, then the title appears giving the audience an extra insight
to what the film will be based on. This will leave the audience curious and
in suspense as they will want to find out who follows and why?.

Title font and style:

As shown below, the title is coloured in white with a red shadow effect.
This conforms to the typical codes and conventions of a thriller film for
different reasons. The shadow effect that is used is in the colour red,
which conforms to typical conventions of the thriller genre as thriller films
generally use to colour of red to convey danger. The shadow effect was
suitable for our film as it links to what the films storyline. Our storyline is
based on a girl who is being stalked and followed the style of writing
links to the idea of someone being followed as the shadow connotes that
someone is behind you like a shadow. Our title is in bold letters with a
black background behind it. We chose to contrast the colours black and
white as the black background will help the white title to stand out and
catch the audiences attention. Because the title appears after the
opening sequence, having it in bold letters will help it stand our further
making it memorable to the audience.
Tanika Singh

The setting/location of the production:

In our final production, we had used two different settings. The first
setting we used was a shed. The use of a shed conformed to the
conventions of a thriller film as it was a dangerous environment that had
low-key lighting this is typical in thriller films. Similarly, the film Cabin in
the Woods (2011), is based in a shed/cabin further showing that our final
production followed the conventions of a real media production. Inside the
shed had dangerous objects such as a garden rake and a shovel etc. This
followed the conventions of a thriller film as the objects conveyed danger
and suggested that there was a threat. The second location we chose to
use was Hainault forest. We chose to use this as our main location as we
believed that it strongly conformed to the conventions of a thriller film. For
example, a forest is used as the main location in the films: The Forest
(2016), Dead Snow (2009) and Timber falls (2007). The fact that a forest
was so commonly used in thriller films suggested that a larger audience
would be attracted to a film set in the forest as it is what they are familiar
with seeing. The forest had low-key lighting and was a large, spacious are.
This met the typical conventions of a thriller film by conveying danger and
a mystery. The use of a forest created a tense atmosphere as it known to
the audience that Emily is in the large forest by herself, accompanied with
the two antagonists. This also creates curiosity and suspense in the
audience, which is typical of a thriller film.
Tanika Singh

Camerawork and editing:

As the cinematographer, I filmed all of the shots in our production. Our
final production includes a variety of shots such as close-up shots, wide
shots, POV shots etc. A close-up shot is used at the beginning of our
opening sequence when Emily first wakes up and tries to come to terms
with where she was. I decided to use a close-up shot in this part of the
scene as it would show Emilys facial expressions when she was terrified
and frightened. The shot lasted roughly 4 seconds to give the audience
time to take in Emilys emotions. This shot left the audience wondering
where Emily was and what was happening to make her feel so frightened.
This also helped the audience sympathise with Emily and put the audience
on edge as they wondered how and if shed be able to escape safely. This
was a typical convention of a thriller film as the audience was left
anxiously wanting to know what will happen next. Another shot I used was
a wide shot. I decided to use a wide shot to show the audience where
Emily was when she was tied up in the opening sequence. This shot lasted
for 6 seconds to ensure that the audience can analyse where Emily is. This
shot helps the audience feel more involved as they are aware of where
Emily is. It also leaves the audience questioning how she got there -
making them curious and wanting to see what happens next. I decided
that POV shots would be used. POV shots express typical codes and
conventions of thriller films. POV shots make the audience feel involved as
they see things from the characters point of view. This helps to put the
audience on edge which is a convention of a thriller film. The editor edited
our footage using lots of fast pace editing to create excitement and
curiosity within the audience, which is a typical convention of the thriller
genre.

Costume and Props:

Tanika Singh

For the protagonist, we decided to dress her in simple clothing and

makeup. This is because as a teenager, not much effort would be put into
an outfit. The clothing reflects a typical teen. The protagonists costume is
ripped and covered in blood. She also has cuts and bruises on her face.
This signifies and makes it easy for the audience to identify that she has
been tortured and is hurt. The antagonists are dressed in suits to create
an unusual, sinister effect. They are both wearing masks to hide their
identity and to terrify the protagonist. Their clothes are blood stained,
however they have no cuts or bruises themselves. This makes it clear to
the audience that they are the ones that have been harming the
protagonist. The props that we decided to use include: two butchers
knives and a hammer. We decided to use these props as they are
commonly used in thriller films. For example, a knife is used as a weapon
in the film Scream (1996). As knives and hammers are commonly used in
thriller films, the audience will be aware that they convey danger leaving
them in suspense as they will expect something bad to happen.

How characters are introduced:

The protagonist is first introduced in a frightened manner at the start of
the scene. This already creates suspense within the audience as they are
wondering what could be happening to make the character so terrified
which is a typical convention of a thriller film. We decided to introduce the
protagonist in this way to keep the audience on edge, feeling curious as to
what is happening in the film, the audience will try to think of ideas
making them feel more involved in the film, which is also a typical
convention of a thriller film. The fact that the protagonist appears to be in
danger makes the audience feel familiar with what genre the film is that
Tanika Singh

being thriller. Because the protagonist is in danger, it is apparent to the

audience that there are antagonists in the film.
The antagonists are first introduced in a chase scene with the protagonist.
The fact that the antagonists arent shown in too much detail creates a
mystery making the audience more engaged as they try to figure out
who the protagonists are. Creating an enigma within a film is a typical
convention within a thriller film. The antagonists are shown chasing the
protagonist with weapons in their hands (a butchers knife and a hammer)
this is also similar to the film Scream (1996), as a similar chase scene
occurs. The antagonists have masks over their face which is a typical
thing for antagonists in thriller films to do. For example, in the film The
Purge (2013).

Genre and how the opening suggests it:

Our final production uses codes and conventions that are typical seen in
thriller films to make it clear what genre it is. For example, in the film Tied
Up (2004), the opening sequence begins with a protagonist tied up
which is the same as our opening sequence. This type of seen is
commonly seen in films of the thriller genre. The diegetic sound of the
protagonist screaming makes the audience aware that the film is of the
thriller genre as this is a convention that is typically seen in thriller films.
In the opening sequence, the location used is shown as a threat because
of the dangerous items surrounding it this also tells the audience that
the film is of the thriller genre. Low-key lighting is also used in the opening
to create a sinister and tense atmosphere. Low-key lighting is a typical
convention of a thriller film as it helps to create an uneasy atmosphere
and mystery. For example, low-key lighting is used throughout the
majority of the thriller film Sinister (2012) mainly in the scenes where
the antagonist or danger is present.