Evaluation Task 1

How does your product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
Laura Haynes

Editing
A typical style of editing for thrillers is slow pace editing. This is used to create tension, build suspension and create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience. We did this in our thriller from watching and seeing the affect that was created in Silence of the Lambs.

Throughout our opening sequence the pace increases throughout creating a anxious atmosphere. This helps the audience to suspend disbelief and be fully submerged in our thriller.

Editing
Another style of editing used in thrillers is accelerating cross cutting . We used this to suggest the immediate colliding of the two lines of action and to build a climatic resolution. It can also be used to create a twist, which can be seen in Silence of the Lambs, when we think that the police are waiting outside the cannibals house however, they are at the wrong house.

We then decided to include this in our thriller so that the audience believes that the police are ready waiting for the robbers at the bank, however, it turns out that the police have armed the wrong bank. This creates an atmosphere that is always changing resulting in the audience being left on the edge of their seats.

Mise-En-Scene
Through the use of costumes in thrillers it establishes binary opposites. This can be seen in the film The Lord of the Rings where the elf army is portrayed as the heroes and the goodies. This can be seen through the use of white horses and facial expression as this is portraying Legalese to be brave and heroic. Whereas on the opposing team, the Orc army, are dressed in dark colours and have aggressive facial expressions highlighting the extreme differences and opposites between these characters. It highlights that there will be friction between these two forces.This can be seen in the two photos below.

The good elves

The Orc Army

We decided to create binary opposites in our thriller such as, the policemen and the robbers. We emphasised this through the use of costumes. The police badges that we used highlight that the policemen are representing the law and using weapons to protect innocent citizens whereas the balaclavas, worn by the robbers, present the complete antithesis. Through the high visibility vests it conveys that the policemen are displaying their identity whereas, the balaclavas on the robbers highlight that that they are hiding their identity and that they are outside of the law.

Robbers

Policemen

Mise-En-Scene
Props are often used in thrillers to suggest violence or other threat of some sort. This can be seen in the film The Bourne Identity. Like our robbers, he uses the gun to give him power that he wouldnt usually have otherwise. He is questioning authorities and wouldnt have been able to do this without the use of physical violence. Within our thriller we decided to do this to create power for the robbers. Even though the binary opposition (the policemen) have guns they are using it in a different way. In contrast to the robbers, as the policemen are allowed possession of guns their power is already highlighted through the use of their uniforms and not the guns. our thriller we used 3 different types of guns: a sniper, two hand guns and an automatic weapon. This clearly conveyed to the audience that they are going to witness shoot outs and gun fights.

The robbers >> << And Bourne Both use guns to give them power.

<< The policeman already have power and so use the guns as an aid to protect citizens if needed.

Camera
From watching Reservoir Dogs and seeing how they established the status of different characters through the use of camera angles, such as low angle shots. We decided to use a low camera angle on the policemen down the alley way to show their dominance and powerful identity. <<Her the low angle << Here the shot reverse shot juxtaposes the camera angles to highlight the dominance of one group over the other. shot of the policemen show there influence, power and dominance. This creates the idea that they are in control of the situation, however in our thriller, combined with the accelerating pace, conveys that these two oppositions are going to come together, building to the climax. However, because of our twist at the end of our opening sequence, due to the cross cutting, we used close-ups on the robbers to highlight their power and foreshadow the dominance that they will have later on within the thriller. This highlights to the audience that the robbers will have a big part to play in our thriller, this was inspired from watching the thriller Pulp Fiction as the close ups during the opening sequence highlighted their dominance and importance to come within the film.

Sound
During our thriller we included non-diegetic music a drone, to create suspense and create a nervous atmosphere to keep the audience engaged and immersed in the world of the film. We decided to include this from our research when we watched the opening sequence of The Shinning here it created an eerie atmosphere and created a sense of vulnerability. It sets up the idea that there is going to be a climax when the car reaches its destination and keeps the audiences on the edge of their seats.

Just like The Shinning within my thriller we decided to use a drone to heighten the sense of tension and emphasise the idea that the two separate groups (the policemen and robbers) will build a climatic resolution. This keeps the interest of the audience as they are able to be fully submerged within the world of the play and to escape and therefore, identify with a protagonists peril.
The Shinning >>

<< Our thriller Angst

The shinning opening sequence with the drone. >>