Evaluation Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challege forms and conventions of real

media products? During the course of our film editing and production, we used many forms and conventions to emphasise our film. However we have challenged those forms and conventions against our own film. Title of the Film This is the title of the film. This when looking at the film, we used this name to challenge the form and style of our film against it's genre because I wanted it to look very in style of the genre and if it weren't the same or similar style then it would not have related to the codes and conventions of a typical thriller. And if this didn't happen, then it could have meant that the genre had no relevance to the film whatsoever. As it is based around a water demon attacking citizens of different cities, we found the name The Grindylow was suitable. We thought that the name was part of the thriller genre because the name's meaning has the word 'demon' in it, resulting in something evidently big happening that would be expected to happen in a Thriller film. The title itself would draw the audience into the film as does the opening of the film. This convention is used and is similar to real media products because of the fact that the title draws in audience, similar to the Grudge, it is a commonly used and known name which people know the definition of, making them want to know what the film is about to see whether it is what they expect it to be or not. This film is not what the audience would expect because of the different effects it gives to the audience making them expect something different to what it is. Our film is similar because it also gives that effect, though it is not a commonly used or known name, it would lure the audience to want to know what it is by watching the film again wanting to know if the film was what they expected.

Setting/Location

These two images show the main location/setting of our film. They are not the typical settings, in terms of the genre but they are somewhat involved in it, that would be expected in thriller movies but they effects it has does relate to the genre. The darkness of the cupboard and the hall shows that the atmosphere is sinister. The fact that both there places are isolated shows that evidently something bad may happen. These are similar to the settings in other real media products such as the Grudge because it is set mainly in a house, and from the title, the audience would not expect the setting to be in the

house, similar to our film, the title doesnt make the audience expect the setting to be what it actually is.

Costume

In our film the protagonist wears a gentlemens suit, later on to change to a Jump Suit. This is to emphasise his life and the struggles he faces with his life, how he is unable to tell his wife where he truly works. It is a somewhat typical convention of real media products because it involves normal clothing of normal people, to find out later on what will happen to them. The inspiration of this was from the movie Grudge because the actors in that movie also wear casual/ normal clothing that suits their everyday life. This suit is warn by the protagonists boss, also a protagonist, who implies to him to be quick at cleaning the floor. As Percy firstly wore a suit and then changed to a jumpsuit, running into his boss who wore a suit, meant the different in superiority, because it showed, as part of the codes and conventions of other thriller films, the vulnerability of the protagonist. Camera work and editing During the course of the production, as Director, I hoped and anticipate in using many different shots, this was so the film could give a recurring effect on the atmosphere. During our production, we used a variety of shots but in editing we had to cut out the ones that we thought didnt suit the film and what effect it gave on us as the film makers. We had chosen shots that emphasised the setting, atmosphere and mood of the film; this was to get the attraction from the viewers. Firstly, we used a long shot, to show the setting of where the protagonist was and to the protagonist himself, and the kind of person he looks like, creating enigmas to the audience; why is he in this hallway? Why is he lying to his wife? Why did he change into a jumpsuit?

Next, is when Percy goes to the cupboard to get his mop and radio. We use a long shot to shows the hallway to the right, that its completely isolated. At this point, the tension of the film begins because he notices that the taps running and doesnt understand how it can happen, turns it off and is obviously expecting that it wont happen again because no one is there to turn it on. Though he doesnt know that something else is turning it on.

Also, we used an eye level shot of the camera, to the radio, this was so that the audience could really focus on the news because it is at that precise moment where things start to change and go out of the ordinary. Suddenly Percys boss appears, Radio starts to go haywire and water is running, it is a series of events all occurring one after the other. All of these shots were used and can be compared to real media products because of the fact that they are shots that emphasise a characters personality, and the setting of the location, it informs the audience what could happen later on in the film. It informs the reader to focus on these particular areas of the film, building their attraction towards the film. Title font and Style

The title of this film is The Grindylow, it is bold, big, capitalised and lust red. The title is like this to inform to the audience the type of film it may be, it may contain blood because of the red title, it may also indicate a death in the film, giving them fearful thoughts about the film. This is similar to other films that use red coloured font and styles because they all emphasise the importance of the genre of the movie. Thriller this is shown through the sharp redness of the title, also the black background because black, in general terms, would not be a good sign, it may be something bad but it is known that something good wont come out of the film. The title being at the end of the film, shows the amount of emphasis it gives to the audience what the films about, what the title of the film is and what genre it is. Story and how the opening suggests it The start of the film shows a man walking by himself, then going on the phone to a lady, his wife, to tell her that he is somewhere where he isnt, this shows that there is something suspicious going on. This starts to set of the story because the audience would want to know exactly what he is doing there. The fact that he is in an isolated place, all my himself also makes the audience wonder why this would be? It is not only the images of people that shows that story, it is also the sound that shows the type of story it may be. The non-diegetic sound at the start of the movie had been put there

to add a sinister effect as the scene itself doesnt seem threatening enough to prove that it is a supernatural thriller. The music and the scene builds up to the climax of the film, in which the audience would feel relieved as they may have thought of the story whilst watching the opening. The sound, scene and location of the film all cause enigmas in the audiences mind, resulting in their attraction and attention to the film, as they are trying to figure everything out but cannot.

Genre and how the opening suggests it

It is known that most thrillers have similar openings, either someone has died, will die, has been a disappearance or something that would involve a detective. As our location was also deserted, though there had only been one disappearance, it doesnt seem like a threatening place at the start but once the film keeps going until the end, which is the climax, the audience wouldnt know that indeed it is a thriller sequence. Though the location is isolated, there are small hints that it is a place in which it can be threatening because of the patched darkness on the walls, when there is darkness, it means something bad will happen, there is a foreshadowing from there small hints. It makes the atmosphere more intense and eerie, resulting in high expectations of the movie. How characters are introduced The first person we see is the protagonist, Percy, walking down a corridor in a black suit. We then see him talking on the phone to his wife, telling her where he supposedly is, which creates enigmas; hes not at an office? Why did he tell his wife he was? Why did he lie? Why is he hiding the fact that hes a janitor in a school? What is he ashamed of? He is alone and in an isolated area, no one else is seen anywhere, this creates tension because it is dark but lighted as well, and it may foreshadow that he is in danger. We were inspired by the Grudge as in that film, the characters are normal, have normal lives and suddenly something occurs, out of ordinary and no one expects that.

Percys boss introduction was sudden and it was used like that to give Percy and the audience members a fright because it was highly unexpected that someone would be there, as no one was there before hand. His facial expression also causes some intensity in the scene because the audience may think that he is the antagonist but they are relieved as he walks away, after telling Percy to hurry up with his job, and doesnt come back in the movie later on. His exit was sudden too as we can hear his foot steps at first, but then when Percy turns around, around 4 seconds after his boss left, he is nowhere to be seen, he also suddenly disappeared. This could have also meant that he is a victim of the antagonist himself. We can see from Percys point of view that his boss is nowhere to be seen and Percys reaction makes the audience feel scared about how he had just suddenly disappeared. The atmosphere is sinister and Percys heart beating fast, also emphasises his fright on his boss leaving. The audience are curious now at this point, they want to know what else will happen because they realise that tension is building up to the climax. This conforms to the codes and conventions of real thriller movies because they are all about building up to the main point, it may be sudden or it may take time. In our case, the film took a bit of time for it to come to the end climax. Then the antagonist is revealed, we cannot see it, we just know that it pulled Percy back into the cupboard, but the audience doesnt know why or how, except for the black hand that came out of the cupboard. The audience again are curious; what was that? Why did it take Percy? What will happen to him? As it is not revealed to the audience, its face not its body or any of the such, the audience want to know more about it, what it is, what it does, why it kills. Again, this fits in with the typical codes and conventions of thriller movie. Special Effects

The effect used is that the end, where Percy is snatched by the antagonist, the scene has been fast forwarded. We have done this to the end scene so that it can frighten the audience at how quick Percy is snatched and to emphasise that there was something inside that the audience could not see from their own eyes, neither could Percy. Also, we used it because it was something highly unexpected and to emphasise that, we fast forwarded it and the bang of the door at the end emphasises that something will

happen or is happening to Percy in that cupboard. The fact that it was fast must have given the audience a frightful scare, also the noise in the end would have too because it was loud and sharp. Again it was something unexpected so it was better to use this. This is similar to other real media products because effects are used to emphasise a point of the film, whether it be important or not. It is a typical code and convention of a thriller movie because these effects usually make the audience jump up in their seats, giving them a fear of the unexpected.