Evaluation 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? A real horror media product has typical conventions such as; isolated setting, character types (victim and evil person) and themes. In our media production we included majority the conventions used in a real media product. We did this so the audience will know the genre and will be interested in this. In the product, we have a victim and an evil person, the schoolgirl is the victim and the person dressed in all black is the evil person. Also, we used similar locations that are used in horror films such as; school building, parks etc. We used a school building (Oaks Park High School) as it is seen as a safe and calm environment. Also, majority of our target audience would be able to relate as they are the same age as the schoolgirl and go to the same settings used in our media production. Title of the film

The title of the film is ENIGMA. We chose this name because enigma means mystery, so this would give the audience an insight of the film that something unexpected will happen that the audience have not seen in another film. The title of the film matches the film genre which is horror/thriller. This matches the genre because horror films are known to be a bit mysterious and unexpected so by the title being enigma which means mystery this would make the audience want to watch the film to see what happens.

Title font and style

For the title of the film ENIGMA we used Baskerville Old Face. We used this because we wanted the title to stand out to the audience and we wanted it to link with the film storyline and genre. The font type links with the storyline as the protagonist types into YouTube Enigma so this relates to the font type used in YouTube. When typing the film title, I decided to put it in capitals because majority of the film titles are in capitals which makes it stand out more and makes more of an impression. We decided to keep the background black and the text white. We did this because we found that simple is more effective and you would be able to see the title of the film more clearly. Initially, when choosing the font we decided Chiller, we thought this would have linked with our genre more as it looks more mysterious and gory and links more with horror.

However, we did not use this as we found that our storyline was not gory so the font style would not match. Also, I found that it did not give the opening sequence a thriller effect as it looked unprofessional.

Setting/Location

We used three different locations. Our storyline began with a schoolgirl coming out of school, so it made sense for the location to be set in school. We decided to set the beginning of the opening sequence outside of the school building. This is a different location because unlike other groups they are not based near school so this is different and not like a typical horror/thriller location. Also, this links with our target audience because our target audience is 15 and up so the target audience is in education and relate to this location.

After the school, our next location was Seven Kings Park. We used this location because Seven Kings Park is very spacious so if something was to happen you could get away with it. Also, there are many bushes and trees to hide behind which would be beneficial for the protagonist. We thought that Seven Kings Park would be more mysterious which links with our title and genre. This also relates to our target audience as majority of our audience go to parks
such as; Seven Kings Park to hang out with their mates or to do some activities based in the park. This way our audience can relate themselves to the location.

Our final location was Sainsburys alleyway. We used this location because the alleyway is quite deserted and not used as much so this would fit the storyline as the protagonist walks away after punching the antagonist. Also, the alleyway is dark which indicates that something dangerous could happen. Just like most horror and thriller films, majority of the action is at night such as; Paranormal Activity and The Conjuring. In both of these films, the supernatural activity happens at night, so for our opening sequence, instead of doing it at night we chose a less colourful and dull place such as; Sainsburys alleyway. Costumes and props
Scarf Necklace A school bag to show that she goes school and carries books Black blazer part of her school uniform The folder shows she is a schoolgirl Black skirt is part of her uniform for school Burgundy top

Black tights for her uniform and black portrays danger or evil

Black trousers Mobile phone was used to record the antagonist walking out of school.

Black hoodie was used so the audience cannot identify the protagonist.

Black shoes

Black gloves were used to hide the gender of the protagonist and black was used because black shows danger and evilness.

The protagonist is mainly wearing all black because it is a neutral colour so the audience cannot identify whether the protagonist is a male or female. Camerawork and editing Our sequence includes a range of different shots such as; POV, medium shot, close up, extreme close up, over the shoulder shot, medium long shot etc. We used a variety of shots because in many films they include a variety of shots to make the film more interesting and to keep the audience interested in the film so they do not lose interest. When editing I had to make sure the match on action was accurate in each shot, for example; when the antagonist is walking on the bridge and looks to her right, you then her face look the same way so it matches. If it did not match then it would look very poor and the audience would not want to watch it. Also, I added effects to some of the shots so the mise-en-scene matches the genre.

Special effects

To make the opening sequence more realistic, I added a filters to some of the shots to make them look more dark and to convey danger. The alleyway was made to look darker so it gives more of an effect that something is going to happen and that the location is dangerous.

Another effect I added was onto the phones POV. I added a greyscale effect and a recording button. I done this so the audience can identify when the phone is recording the antagonist, this makes more of an effect because the flashing red button shows that the protagonist is filming the antagonist currently. The greyscale is similar to Paranormal Activity for example; when they show the CCTV footage it is in a different colour so you can tell the difference through the actual footage and CCTV footage. So I used this idea and changed the colour and added a recording button so the audience can tell the difference and so it matches the storyline. Story and how the opening sets it up

The story opens up with the protagonist typing onto YouTube Enigma, this shows the audience instantly what the title of the film is and how the shot links to the rest of the story

because it is a mystery. The next scene shows the antagonist walking out of school, we thought this would be useful to include as it shows that the girl is a schoolgirl and is on her way home. The first image shows an extreme close up of the protagonist typing Enigma. We used an extreme close up because an ECU lets the audience look at the detail and makes the audience look at one thing in close detail such as what they are typing in the textbox. The second image is a medium close up of the antagonist, this lets the audience identify who the victim is and what she looks like. The third image is an over the shoulder shot, this lets the audience know that the protagonist is holding a mobile phone and is recording the antagonist. This allows the audience to know the protagonists intentions. Genre and how the opening suggests this Our genre is horror/thriller. The opening suggests that this is thriller and horror through the score music and ambient sounds, for example; in the beginning of the opening sequence, the score music is eerie to show a sense of horror. The beginning shot indicates that the genre is a thriller because it is left as a mystery because you cannot see the protagonist and their actions are not what a normal civilian would do. The ambient sounds such as the protagonist typing, walking and the wind are typical ambient sounds used in horror/thriller films, so by using similar ambient sounds this would indicate that the opening sequence is a thriller/horror. The score music used for when the antagonist is walking out of school is eerie and unusual; this suggests that something out of the ordinary is going to happen. Once the protagonist starts following the antagonist, the music changes and is deeper, this indicates that something is going to happen to the antagonist, this shows that the genre is horror because in every horror film, when someone is going to be attacked, the music changes to make the audience feel tensed and unease. So this is how you can tell the opening sequence is horror/thriller. How characters are introduced The antagonist is introduced when she is walking out of school as there is a close up of the antagonists face. The antagonist is introduced as a schoolgirl because she is walking out of school and she is dressed in school clothes such as; blazer, tights, skirts etc.

She also has props that would be used within schools, such as; folders and school bags. We included this in our opening sequence so the antagonist would be identified quickly as a schoolgirl so she will be seen as innocent and inferior. The protagonist is not introduced in the same way as the antagonist, as you cannot see the protagonist face. However, the protagonist is dressed in all black for example; the protagonist is wearing a black hoodie, gloves, trousers and boots, so you cannot identify the protagonist. Due to the costume, you can tell that the protagonist is the evil person in the film. You first see the protagonist when the protagonist is standing behind a tree situated outside Oaks Park High School so the protagonist can film the antagonist. By the protagonist wearing black, this is the stereotypical look of an evil person. So the audience can identify the protagonist as the attacker due to the costumes.