In what ways does your media

product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real media
products?

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Fig 4 Fig 5 Fig 6

Fig 7 Fig 8 Fig 9

 Opening credits of Psycho

 The title of our proposed film is ‘Rebecca’, a short, simple title (see fig
9) that subtly evokes enigma and intrigue, which is one of the aims of
the thriller genre. The title of a film is very important; it alone can
either interest or bore a consumer. As the overall aim of the film
industry is to sell the product and generate profit, an intriguing and
memorable title is vital. The most remarkable thriller films usually
have short and memorable titles, for example, Psycho (Hitchcock,
1960) and Se7en (Fincher, 1995). Therefore we have chosen a simple
and short title to conform to this convention of the thriller genre.
Also, because our film falls into the psychological thriller sub-genre,
having the protagonist’s name as the title creates a sense of
foreboding.
 During our sequence we didn’t reveal the title until the end because
we started with a fast-paced and immediate opening which aims to
excite our audience; we wanted to keep our audience guessing and
the eventual revelation of our title adds to the enigma.
 Location is also a prominent convention of the
thriller genre; we have used this convention by
filming our opening sequence in isolated and
dilapidated locations. We have clearly conveyed
our adherence to this convention by including
establishing shots of our locations and many long
Location in Panic Room
shots, which emphasise the aloneness of our
protagonist. For example, we used a location in
Harold Wood, which I found unintentionally while
driving through the area; we shot around and
beneath a decrepit bridge (see fig 2).
 We also filmed around and inside a dilapidated
toilet block in Raphael’s Park, Romford. This
location is effective because it evokes a sense of
claustrophobia within our audience, which is an
important feature of the thriller genre; many real
media products used this convention (for example,
Panic Room - Fincher, 2002). Our use of location,
combined with all of the technical aspects of film
production that we have implemented, adds to the
tense atmosphere of the sequence.
 Costume and props are significant aspects of mise-en-scene and
contribute to the overall feel of the sequence. In the thriller
genre costume is used to connote certain aspects of the
characters; in our thriller we have used costume to connote and
mirror the ambiguity of our protagonist.
 I also wanted our opening sequence to be as subtle and as
realistic as possible. Therefore the costume (see figs 1, 3 and 8)
and props (see figs 6 and 8) used in our sequence were
realistically mundane. This particular use of mise-en-scene
allows the audience to identify with the antagonist, Tom, who
seems to be a victim of Rebecca (although his sinister character
would be revealed in the full-length film). Because both of the
characters are visibly ordinary the fearful situation they are
involved in becomes more plausible and real for the audience.
 Cinematography is another vital tool of film-making. I was personally responsible
for the camerawork in our sequence; I wanted to include a wide range of shots to
ensure that our audience would be fully engaged in the action of our sequence.
Camerawork is used methodically in thrillers to emphasise certain emotions, to
connote certain aspects of the story’s characters and to force the audience to
experience what the protagonist experiences. An apt example of the latter is
demonstrated in Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), in which he used a dolly zoom to
convey the visual experience of vertigo. This use of camerawork is purposefully
unsettling for the audience and adds effectively to the tension and discomfort of
the film’s tone.
 In an attempt to use camerawork in a similarly creative way, I used my
camerawork to emphasise the sense of confinement in our last scene. To connote
the feeling of the antagonist, and to force the audience to empathise with him, I
used medium close-ups (see figs 7 and 8) of our two characters, excluding any
wider shots that would show the interior of the building.

Dolly zoom used in

Vertigo (1958)
 The locations we used allowed me to experiment and find
ways to film unique angles. For example, our first shot (see
fig 1) was filmed from above the subway tunnel; I set up
the tripod carefully to make up for the uneven ground and
positioned it so I could pan smoothly and rapidly. We
found many interesting ways of filming shots, which
include climbing onto a raised platform in Harold Wood to
capture a high angle, long shot and pan (see fig 3).
 As group we were concerned that we would have too many
long shots of our character running and not enough close-
ups so on each day of shooting I made sure to film at least
three close-ups. We didn’t use all of them, of course, but
when Safia began to edit there were enough to choose
from.
Safia and I filming a high angle,
 Movement is also an important aspect of camerawork so I long shot and pan which we
tried to implement movement and vary it. To do this I included in the sequence.
filmed several pans and handheld shots.
 Overall I was able to film many different shots and angles,
including long shots, extreme long shots, close-ups,
extreme close-ups and high, low, eye-level, point-of-view,
worm’s-eye-view and canted angles. At the location in
Harold Wood I instructed our actress to take the camera
and film a point-of-view shot of her running through the
tunnel. We watched the footage as a group and agreed
that it was very effective in adding to the shot variation and
atmosphere of the sequence.
 The editing of our sequence was performed by Safia Shafi. Having
individually researched the codes and conventions of the thriller genre, each
of us knew that fast-past editing is synonymous with thriller films. So, as a
group, we aimed to conform to this convention so that our product would
be recognisable as a thriller.
 We selected a copyright-free piece of non-diegetic score music which Safia
then incorporated into our sequence. She then edited it so that it fit Safia editing using Final
congruously with our action. Cut Pro.

 Match-on-action was a significant aspect of our editing because at one point

our protagonist falls to the ground. To ensure we had an effective variety of
shots we had to film the fall many times from different angles and positions.
Each of us also took turns in running and falling with the camera so that we
had a realistic point-of-view shot (see fig 4). So to ensure that we had
accomplished match-on-action we had re-watch the footage several times
while at our location.
 We concentrated on continuity during filming; this meant that, at one point,
we had to re-film a long take of an extreme long shot of our protagonist
running because her bag was on the wrong shoulder. However, during the
editing process Safia implemented jump cuts to create a sense of
disjointedness and to break the monotony of the long take. This use of
discontinuity is a recognised technique used in many thrillers to increase the
uneasiness of an audience and make the film a more thrilling experience.
For example, Stay (Forster, 2005), a psychological thriller in which
discontinuity is used throughout to connote a confused and disturbed mind.
 Real thriller films tend to use title fonts that suggest
some aspects of their main character/s. But the
particular connotation conveyed through the titles
depends on the sub-genre. For example, psychological
thrillers often use a style reflective of handwriting to
suggest the mental state of a character. Often the Font used in psychological thriller
handwriting is child-like because the subversion of Hide and Seek (Polson, 2005)
something innocent to connote something sinister is
evocative; an audience will feel disturbed, though not
always consciously.
 However, although we have constructed a
psychological thriller, our title font (see fig 9) is more
simplistic. Again, we want our sequence to be
ambiguous; the sound effects used imply a deeper and
more sinister tone then the font itself. This is
reflective of our protagonist; her costume may be
ambiguous but her performance, particularly her facial
expressions, and lack of dialogue serves to suggest a
sinister intent.
 Real thriller films typically have a non-linear narrative that includes
flashbacks and/or flash-forwards. Therefore thrillers usually begin with a
scene from the end or the middle of the film. Limitless (Burger, 2011),
Memento (Nolan, 2000) and The Next Three Days (Haggis, 2010) are good
examples of films with non-linear opening sequences . In line with this
convention our proposed film has a non-linear narrative ; as conveyed in
our 90 minute synopsis, several flashbacks would be implemented in our
full-length product.
 Many thrillers have subtle openings that create enigma and only hint at
certain aspects of the story; they usually foreshadow the sinister events to
come. Don’t Look Now (Roeg, 1973), Insomnia (Nolan, 2002) and Black
Swan (Aronofsky, 2010) are good examples of this. Our opening sequence
aims to serve the same purpose; we used score music, fast-paced editing
and facial expressions to evoke a sense of foreboding. The majority of our
sequence involves our protagonist running through isolated locations,
looking anxious, which immediately generates enigma. The ominous
music is fitting for the action; it quickens the heart rate of the audience,
which is an important aim of the thriller genre. The decrepit nature and
isolation of our locations also connotes a threatening atmosphere.
 Like real media products, we have used the technical aspects of mise-en-scene,
cinematography, editing and sound to suggest the genre of our opening sequence. The
thriller genre is marked by its particular use of all of these aspects; generally thrillers
implement fast-paced editing, claustrophobic cinematography (e.g. with use of close-ups and
extreme close-ups, through which the audience experiences the tension that the characters
are feeling), low-key lighting to evoke a sense of uneasiness for the audience and fast-paced
non-diegetic score music (which serves to increase the heart rate of the viewer). Thrillers
also tend to concentrate on plot rather than characters.
Psychological thrillers, however, usually implement the opposite of this formula. They focus
on characters rather than plot (Insomnia (Nolan, 2002) is a good example of this) and
especially attempt to deal with a psychological issue that is disturbing the protagonist.
Psychological thrillers use the technical aspects of film to represent the psychological
problems of the characters so that the audience can empathise with the character. For
example, motifs , visual or auditory, or both, are used for this purpose; Don’t Look Now
(Roeg, 1973) uses the colour red as a visual motif to connote danger and to generate a sense
of foreboding.
As our product is a psychological thriller we have attempted to use the technical aspects in a
similar way to the real media products. We have chosen a fast-paced piece of non-diegetic
score music which complements the action of the sequence; together they evoke a feeling of
urgency and danger. Our editing is also fast-paced, and though many psychological thrillers
purposefully employ discontinuity to disorientate their audience we chose not to do this.
Our cinematography is varied; I used certain camera shots and movement (e.g. a high angle
long shot and pan from behind a tree- see fig 3) to convey the unsettling sense that our
protagonist is being watched. We also used mise-en-scene, particularly the aspects of
performance and location, to suggest our genre.
 Our opening sequence is deceptive in regards to the protagonist, Rebecca, which is
common in many thriller opening sequences. The way in which we have shot her
running, and the urgent music we have used, creates the assumption that she is
being chased. Enigma is central to our sequence; it is what grips our audience.
Therefore very little information is given about our two characters. We deliberately
excluded dialogue from our sequence so that our characters remain as enigmatic as
possible.
 By the end of the sequence, however, it becomes clear that our protagonist is an
anti-hero rather than a simple hero. I feel that the subtlety with which we hint at
the relationship between our two characters is more interesting and dynamic than
an overt explanation. Via deliberate use of the technical aspects of film we have
suggested the tension and the sinister features of the characters’ relationship;
performance (a vital aspect of mise-en-scene) was important for this
representation. We directed our actors, especially Emma Worby who played our
protagonist, to express loathing and fury as they finally encountered each other.
Camerawork was also vital; I used a low angle point-of-view shot to connote a
sense that Tom (the adult male held captive by Rebecca) was vulnerable to
Rebecca. The shot also forces the audience to become Tom; they are helpless to
avoid Rebecca’s intimidating stare as she glares into the camera.
 Overall we have introduced our characters subtly so that very little about them is
really revealed to the audience. This has the effect of enticing the audience and is a
common way of introducing a thriller; in this way we have used a convention of real
media products.
 We used blue screen technology, which consists of compositing an actor into a
scene without a physical background, for the shots of our antagonist, Tom (see fig
8). To do this we positioned our actor in front of the blue screen and filmed him.
Tobi Odeleye applied make-up which would suggest that he had been beaten and
directed his acting. I captured several shots, including close-ups, extreme close-ups
and medium shots. Safia, as editor, had to replace the blue background with one
similar to the location we had filmed in Romford. The result is effective because we
had previously filmed point-of-view shots (from Tom’s perspective) in the original
location; together with Safia’s editing the footage is relatively seamless.

Tobi applying Robin’s make-up

Tobi, Safia and I preparing to film our actor, Robin