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

media product? (i.e. of film openings): I believe that our final media product incorporates a lot of different forms and conventions that media products in the industry have. Our task was to create an opening sequence of a featured film, this involved making a plot, post-production planning and research, and we also had to film the production as well as edit it after the filming was completed. The footage and editing had to be up to scratch and to a high standard; this was because we needed our production to be comparable to other featured films and opening sequences. Our chosen genre to centre our production around was a thriller; we decided to put a twist on the typical thriller genre by making it less predictable and trying to not give away the plot until the very end of the opening sequence. We found it hard to add our own elements to the thriller genre that would make our production stand out from a typical thriller, we put a twist on the thriller genre by not indicating who the antagonist, we only briefly hinted the source of the information that the antagonist was given, which was given by his mobile device, via text message, from an unknown number. The change that we put on the genre was very challenging, as it made us increase the individuality of our production by adding the twists, which add to the originality of the sequence. Also having a USP, which was the twist, contributed to this too. Our target audience seemed to be quite familiar with the genre of thriller, due to the fact that the genre was very open and realistic, in a sense that it can easily be interpreted into a real life situation and has many conventions to it, which is why we found that our target audience of fifteen years old and above was very convenient, and also that this type of film is quite popular amongst young people. To interpret the twist into the production we observed other action thriller films such as, The Bourne Supremacy, Taken, The Expendables and many others. After doing research about the Narrative Theory, we decided to interpret the narrative pattern of Tzevtan Todorov, who introduces a protagonist and other main characters as well as setting the scene and adding a twist to the film. This narrative structure is very commonly used in mainstream films to help the audience understand the plot a lot easier.

Setting and Location:

Our final product Green Light did reflect conventions that typical thriller genre would consist of. This is because we set it in an abandoned warehouse which had crates surrounding the area in which the scene was going to be filmed in, this made it more realistic as we used a warehouse which is a typical place where a capture would end. As the director I chose this setting to add to the tension, by using an unknown area to the viewers as well as the victim. This made the plot easier as we knew what kind of feeling we wanted to leave the viewers with, in this case we wanted to leave them with a sense of anxiety, as to what happens next. This setting clearly is seen as an enigma, as well as things like: A murder Tension in characters Hostages Hijacking (which is only briefly hinted at the end when the production is left at a cliff hanger)

These enigmas make it easier for our target audience to connect with this environment because they have seen similar scenes in other thriller movies where hostages are kept in warehouses, this gives a sense of interaction and understanding between the film and the target audience, as they are easily able to determine where the location is and why it is set there, for example, single seats in the warehouse, and portable lights (most probably used for interrogation), and the gun. We decided to use a location away from somewhere people would usually go to give an element of surprise and unexpected events, e.g. the infrastructure of a building. Our product connotes the conventions of the thriller genre well as it consists of, unexpected events, shock values, element of surprise, and how it was easy to understand the characters.

Title Font and Style:

Our opening sequence title is basic but helps present the simple thriller conventions used to make the product better. Also, the font used for the title is clear and readable, we purposely didnt choose fonts like Calibri (Theme Headings) which is a very basic and classic font that is sometimes set as the automatic font for a Microsoft Word document because it is mostly used for formal documentation, we wanted to include a slightly more abstract font, which almost looks as if it is quite hinting, glaring and glowing, to illustrate the term that Green Light which is To give permission or a cue for someone to go ahead with something. The green is to also symbolize safety and a way out but this is contradicted in the production as the victim is experiencing the exact opposite. We used a transition that really helped to sustain the suspense, especially at the end as it has some sort of a leading affect for the audience, as they will be curious to find out what has happened to Lucas whether or not he shoots the driver of the passing by car. Also, by including the title of the film at the end of the sequence, the title is more likely to be remembered, as it is right at the end of the film, which will allow the viewer to ponder on why the film is called Green Light and acknowledge the title of the film in general. The font is also large enough to be read to therefore catch the attention of the viewer as well as it zooming in and then zooming out.

Title of the film:

Our title, Green Light which is a media term, meaning to give permission or a cue for someone to go ahead with something, this immediately hints to the audience that the film is going to be about someone giving orders, and if we put this into context, in a thriller film, a typical Gangster Boss or Mafia Leader would come to mind as they would order their assassins to kill someone even if they didnt want to. We also used this name to create an enigma for the audience, as it is first confusing but after watching the production you will understand what it symbolizes, which is why we decided to put the title of the production at the end and not at the beginning so that the viewer would have to watch the whole production in order to understand the true aim of the title. This leaves a sense of confusion in the audience and enables them to watch the whole production and this adds to the smooth flow, and understand why we have put emphasis on the title Green Light. Having a title that stands out like ours and doesnt immediately tell you about the film attracts more viewers, as it keeps the audience guessing about what is going to happen in the film. If we chose a title that would easily give away the plot of the film, it would not attract many viewers because they might lose interest and no longer eagerly want know what is going to happen next, rather than them being clueless about what is going to happen, which is more likely to excite them.

Costume and Props:

The costume for our antagonist, conforms to the conventions of a typical thriller film, it also corresponds the theme of a thriller where the assassin would wear a black suit, which is very smart and formal, typically worn in films where the assassin is going to kill the victim, we were influenced by the character of Jason Bourne in The Bourne Supremacy. Lucas is portrayed as quite insecure and different to the stuck up gang members you would tend to see in an action thriller. Lucas also has a pack of cigarettes along with a lighter in his blazer pocket, which tells us that he does not care about his health and that he is a smoker. We decided to put a twist on a real life situation, where the person smoking would need to check his phone but would carry on smoking it, whereas in our one Lucas immediately throws it away, which tells us that the text he has been waiting for is far more important than the money he spent on the cigarettes.

The victim that is tied up and sitting on the chair in the warehouse is wearing a plain white t-shirt which could tell us that his previous clothes were taken from him, he is also wearing black trousers. The victim is tied up with rope; this shows a sense of vulnerability and capture. We decided to cover his face to make it look like Lucas had done this so that so he couldnt make any noise or call for help. We can see that his legs are tied together so that he is unable to stand up or move his feet. The fact that the victim is wearing trousers tells the audience that this could be a working, formal person or it could even be a gang war and the victim could be a member of a rival gang.

The anonymous driver wears a similar costume to the protagonist, meaning they might be involved in the same industry (Gangs). We immediately know that they are not from the same gang because Lucas raises his gun at the driver. He wears glasses, this shows that he is quite sophisticated, he is also wearing gloves, and we could relate this to how assassins wear gloves to not leave any prints after they have committed a crime.

Props:

This was the prop with the most significance that was used in our production, as it is hinted in the title of the film itself, this is similar to how Jason Bourne receives a message from his phone in The Bourne Identity, however we did not use the same type of phone that Jason Bourne uses in the The Bourne Identity, as he used a old and out of date phone that is silver and has an antenna coming out of it, he would probably use this just for his work, which shows that he is quite organized between his social life and his work life. We took a different approach and we gave Lucas a very modern and popular phone, the iPhone 4s that tells the audience that he isnt organized and that he is quite new to this. We also changed the fact that in The Bourne Identity Jason gets a call on his phone whereas in our production Lucas receives a text from an unknown contact on his phone. We decided to choose the background that looked like an owl to show that someone is watching him, maybe the unknown contact. The use of a phone in a thriller movie is quite a necessary convention as most thriller movies have the use a phone and some are used in the same sense as we have used it, this convention becomes effective if someone has watched a thriller movie in which a phone is used to give orders, e.g. The Bourne Identity and James Bond.

Story and how the opening sets it up:

At the start of the opening sequence, the viewers are shown Lucas face, in a close up shot right at the beginning. This tells the audience that Lucas is going to be a main character in the film as we have chosen to show his side of the story first. The actor who is Jonathon Harwood, has quite a pale skin tone, so we decided not to put any make up on his face because we wanted the audience to see that he is quite miserable and looks quite sickly. The look that he is giving shows that he is depressed and that he is thinking about something, if we put this into the context of our whole production, he is probably thinking of the role that he has to fulfill. Already the audience can guess what his circumstances are and why he is so depressed, this creates a convention that would be present in a thriller film as the protagonist would be lost with his own thoughts and thinking about what he is done or going to do. The audience might interpret him as an outcast as we soon see that he is by himself outside of the building, the audience might sympathize with him, as he is alone by himself. An enigma is created, as the audience might ask; What has he done? Where is he? What is he thinking about? Is he looking at something? Curiosity is present as well as the audience trying to accept his feelings, as they are unaware of what has happened to him, which makes them want to know what happens next. When Lucas receives the text, the audience question what the text Green Light meant which would also lead them to watch the whole production. We are made aware that his doings will lead him to being punished as he is seemingly in shock when he receives the text, its almost as if he doesnt want to receive the text, this tells the audience that he is going to do something bad. This creates quite a tense atmosphere, as the audience is almost at the edge of their seats, eager to know hat happens next, this is one of the biggest conventions in a thriller film, this is to make the atmosphere as tense and exciting as possible, and a cliff hanger is usually used to top it off. The location fits the purpose of why Lucas is there, which is to carry out an assassination, an enigma is created as we want to know why Lucas is made to do this.

Genre and how the opening suggests it:

Our production creates a lot of tension and mischievous behavior, which is what thriller films use to increase the shock at the climax or cliffhanger. Excitement and tension is built to a point where the audience is completely engaged in the film and want to see what happens next. Our opening sequence uses immediate audience interaction, as the audience question, what Lucas is going to do; also what the text Green Light means, who the victim is and what has he done, and the POV shot when Lucas goes into the warehouse puts the audience in the characters shoes, which is a effective way of creating suspense as the audience sees what the actor sees, and feel the same emotions the character would have, which helps the audience sympathize with Lucas, the protagonist. The picture creates enigmas like, what has the victim done, that Lucas must kill him? Who is the victim? Also, the backdrop of why Lucas must kill the victim makes the audience wonder what the victim has done. Our production was influenced by movies like The Bourne Identity and James Bond where they are ordered to kill someone as account of them having done something bad, and this is the way they pay for their bad deeds. The plot is simply about a person who is ordered to kill someone that he or someone else has captured, we are not sure whether or not the victim is innocent or not. Which therefore presents the film to be a thriller film, and contains many aspects and conventions of the genre. Furthermore, the use of the intense/overwhelming sound effect, which builds tension very effectively, is a common sound used in thriller films, this is actually one of the key conventions that add to the tension of the end product. The slow-paced camera work and editing contradicts the typical conventions of fast camera work in scenes like a chase, but this is more of the part building up to the fast paced scenes.

How characters are introduced: Lucas, the protagonist is introduced in the opening sequence when he is outside of the The victim in his own thoughts; takes warehouse, lostis introduced to the audience in quite a shock giving lighter and out his cigarette box and way and welights a immediately sympathize with shows the cigarette (see above picture) - this him as he is tied up and vulnerable. We see him when audience that Lucas isnt cautious of how Lucas enters the warehouse. The bag over smoking will affect his health, and you can the victims really depressed by reading his tell that he ishead hides his face, which creates enigmas like, who is the victim? What facial expressions, the close up shot of his has he facedone? This is seen as this. Lucas is of a helps us to interpret clear example convention in thriller films when someone is introduced as an insecure person who will do held hostage and they get tied what he unthinkable things, foreshadowingup. This POV willshotin the us inof the film.of Lucas and it do puts rest the shoes makes the viewer feel as if they are killing the victim The anonymous driver is introduced to the audience as a regular passer-by but we could interpret that the clothes that he is wearing are similar to the uniform that Lucas is wearing this would create enigmas like, Do they know each other? Are they from rival gangs? Is he just a passer-by? Also we are not sure if Lucas kills this anonymous driver or just hijacks his car, also enigmas like, Was he the only one in the car? Camerawork, Editing and special effects:

This POV/Cut-In shot foreshadows what is going to happen next, it also This shot can be title of the refers back to the decided by the audience, this gives them production. The message tone that something to think the viewer was added on helpedabout after the film is finished. The reason understand how he would have heard why the which puts the viewer in the tone, viewers can decide this the is becauseshoes.couldshot is also characters they This interpret it as a POV cut between these zoomedThe shot, meaning that two intentionally so that the shots to view the text someoneablewas used very effectively viewer is else was inside the to show that is from. car, or it could be interpreted turned message and whom itLucas hadas the lights on, this could an Over the Shoulder shot. We be interpreted the editing added the music onthat he is in power and make has the like software tothat heit sound power to he was give light to it inroom. We can listening to the the car, tell seemthe victim is very to make it that more realistic, shocked, which tells us when he pulled up the music that he had been in the dark for quite a was still playing but it was faint. while.