Evaluation Activity 1 - Jasleen Batra

Evaluation Activity 1)

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

In order for our opening to conform to a real media product, we created our own original studio logos that we can use in in our credits and titles. We also stated the production company of the film, which is seen in every real opening of films.

 Below are our own original studio logos that we had created:

This is the production company logo which is also used in real life films to represent and promote the production company











This is the distributor's logo which is presented at the start of the film showing the audience who was in charge of the distributing role.






Below are some of the distributor logos that are used in films today:

   

Having the title at the start of the film allowed our film to evolve into the opening we were pursuing. The initial idea of having to end with the title, was discarded as we found that it would conform more to an opening if it didn't end with a climax, instead going straight onto the film. 

We decided to have the main antagonist be the first character introduced, as it already has suspense and therefore introduced the thriller genre to the audience. The second character introduced in the scene is the main protagonist, walking down a street on a sunny day. The two settings contradicted each other as they antagonist was placed in a dark room and the protagonist was in the light, highlighting the difference and creating a sense of mysterious to the audience.

Throughout our film opening, the antagonist's face is unrevealed as it makes the audience feels uneasy. The shot of the protagonist being watched by the antagonist in the bedroom scene, creates a sense of mystery and making the audience feel even more uncomfortable as they watch the protagonist from the perspective of the villain; this also highlights that the audience knows something that the character doesn't.

The opening of our film, was edited in a unique way to simultaneously show the credits and titles without having to wait too long for the film to start. Therefore, we decided to  jump straight into the film to establish the setting of the scene and characters of the film. The reason why the title of our film is a mix of capitals and lower case letters, is because of the fact that it gives an easy feeling to the audience making them connect with the film and conforming to the idea of a thriller genre.

The opening of our film is in black and white to show make the audience feel uncertain of the next move of the antagonist and make them feel very uneasy. 






To create a sense of uneasiness and mystery to our thriller opening, we decided to add flashbacks. The flashbacks are of the antagonist using the same route the protagonist does whilst going up the stairs. This shows the two different perspectives, as of the antagonist and protagonist in the same house, the audience can be placed in both their shoes. 
When the protagonist (Natalia) walks up the stairs, it cuts to a black and white flashback because the antagonist (Katie) previously made their way up the stairs, however Natalia's character is completely unaware of this, as opposed to the audience who already know this.
Previous films which are not strictly thriller, have used this idea to relate and connect better to the audience, such as '10 Cloverfield lane', 'The Conjuring', 'The Notebook' and 'Titanic'. These flashbacks can make the audience feel at unease but also a slight advantage as they know something that the character from the film does not.

Flashback and titles in credits in '10 Cloverfield Lane'.

Flashback from our thriller opening in B&W








Additionally, there are other ways that our thriller opening conforms to the conventions of a thriller, as well being able to be well compared to real film openings. The use of the establishing shot to st out the scene of the film, indicates to the audience that there is something weird going on inside, as the audience know their is someone inside however, the character is unaware of this. The location where our establishing shot was used, was when we were introducing the protagonist's house. This may raise questions in the minds of the audience as to wondering if the protagonist is safe in their house, whilst there is a stalker inside the house.

The scene we used for our own opening could be compared with a scene from the film 'Hunger games', where the establishing shot can make the audience curious to what might happen next.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Establishing shot in 'The Hunger Games'

Establishing shot in our thriller opening in the Point of View angle









Filming this shot, we thought would have a much bigger impact if it was done as a point of view shot. Therefore, Natalia held the camera whilst walking to her house, the reason why it shaking. This gives the audience the idea that she is walking towards her house, and therefore they are able to connect with her more as they are able to see from her eyes and emphasize with her. But this scene can also make them uncomfortable, as they from before know that the protagonist is not safe due to someone being inside her house.

The establishing shot of the house can also make the audience feel slightly tensed, as from the outside the connotations are a 'bright, lovely day' as opposed to what is actually happening inside; further creating mystery and tension due to the fact that only the audience know what's actually going on inside the house.

The point of view shots from the eyes of the antagonist, make the audience feel weary of the way the protagonist is being portrayed. The shot below, shows us the protagonist from the point of view of the antagonist; therefore automatically creating tension. Furthermore, the audience are being compelled to watch through the eyes of the villain, resulting in the audience feeling uncomfortable.



 The shot below also conforms to the conventions of a thriller by creating tension, as the antagonist rips of half of the picture and takes the other half with them. This shot is shown again in the point of view of the protagonist as they can emphasize better with the audience if they audience are able to see from the point of view, and able to relate to them better. This scene also creates a lot of questions' in the audiences' mind as they are left curious about what is to happen next and what the antagonist is going to do with that picture. This scene also gives a more in-depth close up into what the sub-genre of our thriller may be - stalker thriller; this is because an antagonist which may be a stalker is involved. The tension is most created due to the fact that the antagonist's face is never revealed throughout the whole opening of the film, leaving a mysterious impact on the audience.

The music we used for the opening of our thriller genre conforms to the conventions of a thriller, as it's eerie. The purpose of the music is to create tension and add a sense of mystery, making the audience feel anxious. We used the sound of a clicker to make the audience feel even more at edge and also apprehensive, which matches to the conventions of a thriller.