Evaluation1

In what ways does your media product use,

develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

ConventionsUse

Sound: The track playing from the beginning up to the corridor is conventional of horror as it is intense and conveniently changes volume at different stages in the clip which complement the visuals; the atmosphere intensifies. The track during the TV sequence is an old playschool song which creates a sinister vibe as the creepy messages and visuals contrast with the innocent song. This ‘teddy bear’s picnic’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZANKFxrcKU) song is conventional of horror as children’s songs and toys are often made out to be creep in many movies (such as The Woman In Black – 2012 – James Watkins) the audience then associates this song with sinister happenings.

ConventionsUse

Characters: a male antagonist is stereotypical of horror.Dominant ideology that men are powerful and residuallystereotypically more violent than women.

Profilmic effects: Our profilmic effect is the 5 cut into the hand. This blooded cut is typical of thriller horrors as blood is shown in horrors to create an on-edge mood and highlights the horror of the situation in comparison to having no blood.

ConventionsUse

Character exposition: positioning with main character at the beginning of the film; empathy (reaction and close-up shots and the establishing being Alex).

Handicam: This camera effect is used when Alex is stumbling all over the place; the audience is taken with him and experience the unbalance Alex is. This is used in plenty of horror movies to give a sense of uneasiness.

ConventionsUse

Props and iconography: The TV is conventional of horror and also the revealing of the antagonist on the TV is conventional as this is included in many horrors (Saw – 2004 – James Wan). The mask of the antagonist is conventional of thrillers because the antagonist is normally not revealed until the end; their identity is a mystery.

Revealing shot: Alex’s hand is unexpectedly revealed in a shot at 0:18 which is common of thriller as the audience is not expecting this unusual event.

ConventionsUse

Plot: Our plot is conventional of psychological horrors as the character wakes up confused, follows a trail and experiences flashbacks. Also, our plot is generic in the fact that the antagonist is someone else and has no identity, and binary opposites occur.

Montage: Our flashback sequence is conventional of psychological horrors as the 'psychological' aspect of these films involves the mind and occasionally, memory. Seeing images in your mind is conventional of psychological horror.

ConventionsUse

Cutting-rate: Fast cutting-rate during montage and slower during the sense of foreboding (hallway sequence). Slow cutting rate in most sequences means that the audience is tricked into a false sense of security, matched by his growing confidence which is then shaken.

Tracking: We used tracking down the corridor and also in the mid-shot reaction shot in Alex's reaction to the TV. Tracking creates a sense of foreboding and is used in thriller horror to create tension (The Conjuring - 2013 – James Wan).

ConventionsUse

Non-Verbal Language: The panic shown by Alex is conventional of thriller horrors as this intensifies and reflects the situation; it is made clearer. The confusion of Alex is conventional of psychological horror as these types of movies play with the character’s and sometimes and the audiences mind.

Location: The location of a home is conventional of thriller horrors and psychological as it is relatable for the audience and creates a false sense of comfort (Scream - 1996 – Wes Craven) which contrasts towards the horror situation.

ConventionsChallenge

Lighting: Our lighting (apart from the montage) is not conventional of horror movies in general as our lighting is quite white in comparison. Horror movies usually associate the darkness with a sense of foreboding, but we associate even daylight with a sense of foreboding

Language: The Danish language chosen is not conventional of any horrors as the typical horror movie is in English, but some big blockbusters have been in foreign languages (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo -2010 – Niels Arden Oplevand Ring – 1998 – Hideo Nakata)

ConventionsChallenge

Characters: A male victim is not stereotypical of horror

Establishing Shot: Our shot of Alex waking up involves him looking at the camera and this breaks the fourth wall. This is unconventional of horror and many movies. However, a waking up shot is conventional of horror (28 Days Later – 2002 – Danny Boyle).