In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

 How did I approach the title?
Before I started to plan my film opening I had to do my research, so I had an insight
on what is expected from titles within a horror film. This gave me the knowledge I
needed to create a title which was conventional to horror films. My research was
the reason I put the title at the end of the film opening, with a horror conventional
font.

Within Dawn of The

For my research I decided to look at the film After watching Dead the title comes
opening of Insidious. I decided to put the Sinister, the title came at the end of the film
title at the end of the film opening as in up after the first scene opening like the other
Insidious it was straight after showing and popped up with a films I researched. The
something scary, which added enigma. I sound. The title as a title is bold and is in
thought this was a good idea. Also the title weird, bold font which red writing. I believe
is read which I believe is very conventional is conventional for that the title is very
for a horror film. horror films. conventional to horror
films.
 Titles
My Film Production Title - She's The Killer
When the title appears on
the screen its sudden and
straight after Niamh (the
actress) is grabbed by the
antagonist. This was put
immediately after to give
the scene enigma as the
viewer does not know what
happened after.
I decided to call my film production Shes the killer, which I believe
would be a clear indication to the horror genre. Also, the word shes
denotes that the killer is indeed a female which subverts to the
conventional male who is normally the killer in films. I did this
specifically to intrigue the audience as a female antagonist is not
common. The title is a convention to the horror genre as it is stating
that someone is a killer, which is a convention in horror films as it
denotes that a person will die in the film. The design of the title was
constructed to fit the horror genre, as after my research I was fully
aware that blood is a huge connotation of horror as well as the colour
red. I proceeded to research horror film titles and a large number of the
titles were red with blood stains hence why I made my title red and
used a green screen effect to add in dripping blood over the title. This
also implies that there will be blood shed within the film from the killer.
Some examples of these titles can be seen down below:
 Idents
At the start of my film opening
I used the Blum House
production company Ident, as
after my research it shows that
films within the Horror genre
start with their productions.
Also Blum House productions is
known for creating low-budget
films, so it went with my film
opening and due to it being
conventional it created
familiarity to the viewer.
After the production Ident I decided to put
'A film by Nina Onungwa' due to the title
being after the film opening it seemed fit
to put it at the start. It is also in
conventional horror genre font and in red. If I was to change
This adds intensity to the film opening anything about the
already with the viewer knowing it is a Idents I would add an
conventional horror associated production
company, as there is
normally more than
one.
Credits
After my research on watching real life horror it is clear
that no credits come on screen until after the film opening,
which is something I would do differently. However, I
decided to challenge the normal convention and use
credits as I believe the audience would have a clear
understanding as to who the main characters were. When
the credits do come into horror films, it is ghostly and has
an effect. To make the credits conventional the typography
is decaying and ghostly. Also due to the credits being
contemporary to when the characters come on screen it
gives the viewer familiarity as this is a new technique films
are starting to do. The font after the Idents stayed the
same to add continuity (including the title), which is
conventional in all film genres. They appear on screen for
around 3-4 seconds but if I could changed my film opening,
I would put the credits on screen for longer.
Characters in the film
opening
 After researching horror films, it is clear
than women are represented as the
damsel in distress so I added the
convention into my film opening. I decided
to portray Isla (Niamh's character) as the
naive 'dumb blonde' that gets taken away
in the first five minutes. I decided to use a
secondary character to establish the
narrative that there is a killer on the loose
which is very conventional in horror films.
This stereotype of women can be seen in
the 'Scream' when Anna Farris's character
is the first to die as well as the convention
of secondary characters at the start.
I decided to have two girls within the film who were
friends with Isla, however they disagreed with what she
was going to do. They play a vital part of emphasising
that Isla (Niamh's character) is naive. These characters
are conventional as within horror films there's always
someone who is skeptical.

Within the film opening there are snipets of the antagonist

where he is following Isla (Niamh's character), I believe this
character is conventional for the horror genre as the
identify of killers in horror films are not known until the
very end, so at the start I established the narrative by
creating enigma and the viewers wondering who the killer
is. However, the killer's gender is a girl which challenges
the normal conventions of women as they are seen as
week and the damsal in distress in horror films.
Settings/Location Whilst researching horror films, I knew what
settings/locations were conventional to the horror
genre. I then made sure to implement what I had found
out into my film opening. The common settings in
horror films would be haunted houses or normal houses
with someone inside waiting to be found. In addition,
another conventional location would be a forest which
is common in horror films. As well as this grave
yards/churches are very conventional to the horror
genre as the locations have connotations of death and
ghosts.

An example of a haunted house

would be in Insidious (2010)
which is the main location of
where all the horror takes place.
It may look normal, but inside is a
different story especially at night
time. Also the film opening
started in the house, so it gave
viewers indication that the
narrative was going to be
surrounded by the house.
An example of a conventional
forest in a horror film would be
in the film The Forest (2016)
where evil creatures and other
horrific characters are
somewhere deep in the forest.
 After my research, I then made a plan on what locations I wanted to film in and if they
were accessible or not. I decided to film at a house, which had conventions of a horror
film and a hint as to what could occur in the rest of the film.

Also, I am aware that forests

are a very common
convention in horror films so I
decided to film Isla (Niamhs
character) being stalked in the
forest.

I did a shot of a church in a graveyard at the start of the

film opening, this is to set the scene and due to it being a
 Unfortunately, it is was not possible for me to film in a proper forest as I
do not live near any so I had to think of an alternative and film within a
graveyard that had some trees surrounding it. I believe it still worked
out, however it could have been more conventional with a more forest
location. Also, the most conventional time for a horror genre would be at
night where it is dark however I was not able to do that as my camera
quality would be awful if was to film in the dark. This meant that
everything was filmed in the day and it was not as conventional as it
could have been.

If I were to do the film opening again I would make sure that I had access
to a forest as well as a better camera which would still be good quality in
the dark.
Costumes
The costume for the antagonist within the film
opening is conventional of a horror genre. This is
because, she is dresses in all black which is a
connotation of danger and criminal activity. This
does however subvert the stereotypes of women
in horror films as they are normally the damsel in
distress and are wearing skirts or dresses that are
bright colored. With this costume and un-seen
face it emphasises that the character is not a
normal person.
The costume for Isla is very laid-back and casual which
is stereotypical for teenagers presently as they wear
jeans, trainers and jumpers. However this is a
subversion from the stereotypical costume of the
damsel in distress as they normally wear brighter colors
and dresses/skirts which is a connotation of a typical
teenage girl. I challenged this convention as I felt like
the normal teenagers outside films would relate to the
character even more.
 The costumes for Isla's friends
are also of a stereotypical
teenager. This was to relate to
the viewer that they are
normal people. However they
are both wearing brighter
clothing (white and red) which
could indicate that they are
more innocent and not as
naive are dark-minded as Isla,
which can be seen where Isla
has darker clothing on.
 Camera Work
I decided to start the film opening with
am establishing shot of the church, using
the panning technique so show the
further surroundings. This shot is
typically to show the location of the
narrative. I also did a still, long shot of
the house to again show the
location/setting.

I also did a close-up shot of

the antagonist pouring
dangerous solvent onto
tissue. With a close-up of
this prop it denoted that
the stalker was going to
attack Isla (whom he was
following) which was a
clue.
The two characters who were
introduced as Niamh's friends
who were seen with a mid shot.
Due to no close-ups or different
angles it is clear that they were
not that important int the scene.
 When it came to filming the Antagonist
and damsel in distress I did various
camera shots to make sure the stalking
scenes were perfectly done.

I decided to do a couple of point of

view shots to add voyeurism, as it
adds tension to the scene because
the viewer cannot see the stalker,
however they can see what their
looking at. I did close-ups of Isla (Niamh's
This low-angle shot was character) as it emphasised her
used to portray the emotions at that exact moment
character as weak and so the viewer could take into full
vulnerable with no power account how she was feeling.
over what is happening.
Editing
The editing used was to piece together the narrative with conventions of the
horror genre, for example when the antagonist came on screen it would cut
with a black fade which is seen in horror films. This denotes that the person
is dangerous. Fast pace editing was also used when the antagonist was
walking behind Isla (Niamh's character) as this was used to create panic as if
the antagonist is getting closer.

As well as this when the antagonist was getting closer to Isla I used a high-
tempo non-diegetic conventional horror song as it created suspense and
panic as the viewer knew the antagonist was closer.

I also used transitions such as cross dissolve when the location would
change, so the viewer would understand that time has passed. I believe it fit
perfectly in my film opening.