1. What ways does your media productuse, develop or challenge forms andconventions of real media products? A L I C JA H OWA R D

2. Which subgenre?After researching the codes andconventions of the Thriller genre ingeneral, I decided to look further into aparticular sub-genre, so then I would beable to define what codes andconventions I wanted to incorporate intomy narrative and also develop them to trymake my thriller as effective as possible.This sub-genre would be defined after Ireceived results from my survey; thissurvey was intended to determine whatan audience looks for in a genre and thiswould help me decide which sub-genre tolook into before I created my narrative.My results showed that a physiologicalthriller appeals so therefore I beganlooking into the common codes andconventions. 3. This is a wordle I put together at www.wordle.net to help brainstorm whatsubgenre I should look into for my thriller. 4. At first I decided to include aprotagonist but then I decided Iwanted a twist. Inspired by DavidFinchers Fight Club and MartinScorseses Shutter Island, I decided Iwanted to break one of the mosttypical conventions for a thriller theantagonist, typically being a man andthe female protagonist being thevictim. I found the concept of the maincharacter not knowing their positionand their identity fascinating, so Imade it my task to include this. I alsothought it grasps the audiencesattention more and works well withthe Enigma code. 5. From watching Shutter Island I noticedhow the protagonist never doubts theirrole for a long duration and break fromthis role very spontaneously, shockingthe audience and grasping them infurther leaving a useful cliff hanger. Itleaves the audience to dictate what rolethe character takes, as there are twosides of their identity shown.After doing some research I noticed thatwithin a physiological thriller oftenincorporates elements from the mysteryand drama genre, in addition to thetypical traits of the thriller genre. Ithought it I include some other effectivecodes and conventions it could make thethriller appeal to a broader audience. 6. LocationIn terms of location the first scene is within aninviting domestic location to contrast to thefollowing location, also to emphasise that whenthe protagonist turns into the antagonist theirperspective changes. After watching WesCravens Scream I found the warm locationvery effective in increasing the how dramaticthe foredooming events were therefore Idecided to incorporate it into mine. Whereas inthe Scream film the protagonist is makingpopcorn which signifies one of the vitalities oflife food, in my thriller I included her making acup of tea another vitality. By placing thecharacter in a completely different locationwhere these needs may not be able to beanswered it was intentionally meant to connotethat either her life is going to end or drasticallychange, which is for the audience to determine.Which should help fit in with the Enigma code. 7. My first location the domestic setting fits in with conventions that are includedin many thrillers such as Scream. It isnt specifically part of the Physiologicalthriller sub-genre but I decided to not define the sub-genre by following thecodes and conventions at first otherwise it might give away too much anddisrupt a strong use of the Enigma code. I decided to try increase a contrastafter looking at Levi-Strauss Binary Opposition Theory I felt incorporatingthis would help intensify the second location.This first location is important because the audience can relate with it and findsimilarities with what the protagonist does. Some of the audience might evenfind themselves watching the thriller through her eyes. This will intensify thestrange change in events. 8. The home location doesnt fit verystrongly with the typical conventions ofthe thriller genre as much until theEnigma codes takes its toll when the firstknock is heard. From this point thelocation appears to fit in with the typicalcodes and conventions of thishybridization the scene becomesdarker and therefore more sinister as itloses its warm, inviting touch and it isintended to hint to the audience thatsomethings going to happen, essentiallybuilding up the suspense. My choice oflocation isnt intended to fit in with myparticular subgenre as this subgenre isntestablished until later on. In the pictureon the right an example of use ofshadows and also an eerie dark blue tint. 9. In contrast to the first, the second locationfollows the codes and conventions muchmore due to its sinister theme with loomingtrees and a blue, cold effect on the scene.These are intended to isolate the characterand this is when the conventions of thesubgenre Physiological thriller is established its one of the opportunities to start givingthe audience hints about the character andthe role(s) she takes. Just as the audience aredetermining why shes in this location andhow, its when the antagonist is revealed(typically at a crucial point to fit in with theconventions). The scene includes the mostdrama because just as the typical codes andconventions are being established, they arebroke again by the change of roles. I decidedto this to grasp the audience further intending to make them want to watch on. 10. To emphasise how unusual it is thatshes in this location a Vertigo shotis used as used by Alfred Hitchcockwho pioneered many techniques inthe suspense and psychologicalthriller genres. This is intended togive an effect of disorientation -perhaps suggesting that shes in aparallel situation which fits in withthe use of mirrors. The audienceinitially will react by questioning thenarrative the Enigma code. 11. ColourColour is important throughout the thriller introduction especially in termsof setting because at first the character portrays a sense of security in thedomestic setting. It has a warm, almost yellow tone to the scene whichrepresents cheerfulness and hope. This appealing safe environment isdisrupted when the story within the book begins to connect with the actualevents. The scene then ends up having a dark and blue tint - losing the senseof security and informing the audience that theres going to be a change inevents - foreshadowing. The colour of the mask represents purity andgoodness - another contrasting representation. It could be connoting thatthe character has purity but also another side to her as well - hence the titlethe other side. In addition to this - the tones in the wood scene contrast,the dark tones especially from the trees and then the bright and pale sky. 12. SoundFor the first section of my thriller, I made the decision to break the typicalcodes and conventions. From watching The Matrix, Woman in Black andShutter Island Ive learnt sound can be very important for building upsuspense. Incidentally, silence can be just as important - as it can beunnatural and quite unsettling. I think in my thriller I could have improvedon how effectively I used sound. For the first section, diegetic sound wasused to emphasise the domestic atmosphere. This could have beenpotentially useful if it contrasted to the woods scene. However, they wereboth similar in terms of sound so a contrast didnt work. To improve Icould of made the sound in the home scene more intense and suddenwithout creating an too unsettling atmosphere. I think the use of atypewriter as sound was useful because its very sudden and blunt linkingto the typical codes and conventions of the thriller genre. 13. SoundThe scene where the protagonist (currently) opens the door includes a quite menacinguse of sound as well as the knocks at the door - this informs the audience that whenshes encompassed in her calm domestic setting which doesnt include unsettling noise,the knocking and opening of the door intrudes this atmosphere which strongly contrasts.This fits in with Todorovs Equilibrium Theory - its hinted to the audience how her lifestylecan be repetitive by the stained cup which emphasises how her life is cylical which is theinitial equilibrium which is then disrupted by the twist in the plot. It also fits in with Levi-Strauss Binary Opposition theory creating a contrast between the two different uses ofsound.The character reads from the book but it seems like she is almost narrating whilstforeshadowing what is going to happen. Interestingly, this contrasts because she readsfrom book and then a close up of her face informs the audience that these uncannysimilarities have come to a surprise to her. Until the final wood scene where it seems shenarrates more confidently and it seems that this confidence has come naturally -suggesting the role of the antagonist suits her true identity. Yet again for the audience todetermine and interpret. 14. Mis-en-scene: PropsIn some points of the thriller, certainprops play a key role whilst also fittingwith key elements from the codes andconventions I have researched not onlyfor physiological thrillers but also for thethriller genre in general.The cup is stained this echoes theprotagonists cyclical lifestyle, extendinghow dramatic it was that she ended up ina completely different location. The cupsrim is also circular further emphasisingthe cycle which is disrupted by thechange of events. This cycle can be seenas a equilibrium which is then disruptedby the calm setting being intruded by thesimilarities between the books story andthe actual narrative. 15. Mis-en-scene: PropsThe book - this symbolises mentalstimulation and allows participants toescape into their imagination or the worldof another character. I incorporated thisinto my thriller because not only does it fitwell with the narration but it also suggeststo the audience an alternativeinterpretation of the thriller - was it all inher head or did it really happen. This fitswell with a physiological thriller becauseits all about the way the mind sees andtakes everything in. 16. Mis-en-scene: PropsThe mask - the main use of the maskThe narration explains how she wasin my piece is to signify to the drawn to the mask clearly feltalteration of which part of hernatural to.dominates her persona, theprotagonist or antagonist side. Thewhiteness of the mask representsthe purity of her protagonistqualities whereas the dark stitchingwhich looks odd and out of placerepresents her purity beingdisrupted. Although due to its typicalrole in the thrillers codes andconventions as being part ofcostume that belongs to antagonists,I decided to use it to define herposition in the final scene as moresinister than before. 17. Mis-en-scene: PropsThe door - this is important becauseit represents the portal between herhome and the wood scene. Ive usedthe door to fit in with typical codesand conventions by including a clear,loud opening - this use of sound wasinspired by the use of sound inWoman in Black and ShutterIsland. The darkness of the doorrepresents it as evil. 18. Mis-en-scene: PropsThe kettle - this may not be seen asimportant or crucial but it plays arole in foreshadowing the events tocome. The hot water symbolisesdanger and hints to the audience.The steam that follows connotes thatthe events to come arent exactly fora particular reason or gain - why isfor the audience to dictate. 19. Mis-en-scene: PropsMirrors - I found mirrors highlyrelevant for my thriller and veryconventional. I wanted to developtheir use as a common convention toconnote the parallel/inner sidewithin or like stated as the title - theother side. Ive experimented withsome shots to hint to the audienceabout why the name of the thriller isthe other side. This shot wasintended to emphasise the two sidesof her. 20. CostumeThe protagonist wears tights and askirt which presents her feminineand the shots are voyeuristic - fittingin with Laura Mulveys theory TheMale Gaze. I decided to follow theconventions for this opening sceneby making her seem like the typicalbut also decided to go against themin the end scene where she takes therole of the antagonist which isusually a male - this creates acontrast and therefore a surprise forthe audience, grasping them to keepthem watching on. 21. CostumeI decided not to choose pieces ofcostume that would define thecharacters persona too much. I wantedto leave how the audience interprets hermore open - suggesting that any femaleprotagonist can take the role of anantagonist. Her hair is seen throughoutthe whole thriller as natural whichconnotes that it was natural of her totake on both the role of the protagonistand the antagonist. Make up used is alsokept to a minimum to emphasise hownatural it is. 22. CharacterAfter completing filming, I saw how my The name Laura is simple and common ,choice of who portrayed themaking it even more open to interpret herprotagonist/antagonist was effective. Look character and more surprising when youwise she possesses useful features; shessee her antagonistic side.pale which adds to the sense of purity andcontrasts to her dark hair - again reinforcingthe two sides to her. She also looksconsiderably innocent which will help makeit seem more dramatic when she takes onthe role of the antagonist. Ive tried usingPropps narrative roles to define when shesprotagonist or antagonist the mask didthe most of the work for portraying this.To emphasise theres two sides of hercharacters Ive used a range of conventions,such as; mirrors, the dolly zoom shot - toexpress her confusion and using the tone ofthe narrating to express the change inpersona. 23. Editing/lightingIt is very conventional for thrillers to be edited to add to the atmosphere typically with tones of blue to add an eerie and cold atmosphere. I decided tofollow this convention because I thought it worked extremely well for TheWomen in Black. To get this effect for the second half of my thriller, I tried to useas much natural lighting as possible to get a pale tone on the footage; I alsomade sure there were no yellow tones of lighting that would sabotage theeffect. In some cases I had to use Video Effects on Adobe Premiere Pro toachieve the effect but not for a lot due to the precautions I took before filming.In contrast to this for the first half I set up lights to give warm radiant tones tothe footage to give a sense of security and comfort this contrast was aimed toemphasise the eeriness of the second half. This fits in with Levi-Strauss BinaryOpposition yet again, I did so because I felt it worked better to provoke a moreeffective and dedicated audience response, so they would understand thatsomething is being foreshadowed. 24. EditingIn terms of editing, my main focus throughout editing following thetypical conventions was to use rapid (match on action) shots toincrease suspense and tension when necessary. I decided to followthe typical codes and conventions for this because I thought itd bemore effective for getting an audience to respond and question theenigma whats going to happen next? The rapid shots inform theaudience when the calm setting has been intruded and the longershots give a sense of calmness and security. 25. Camera/Composition/SpaceVoyeurism:I used voyeurism at first when she appearsto the audience like a typical femaleprotagonist, wearing black tight clothes objectifying the typical victim. But tocontrast to this, in the wood scenevoyeuristic shots are used but differently,they signify how she is encompassed withthe trees looming over here, confining her,which leaves her with only the mask andherself. These voyeuristic shots are to addto the sense of mystery the mystery genreoften merges with the physiological genreoften, such as in Shutter Island. I followedthe typical conventions by using darkvoyeur shots to change the atmosphere forthe audience and engage the Enigma code. 26. Close up ShotI used the close up shot fairlyfrequently to inform the audience ofthe characters emotion andreactions. I thought this is importantbecause the audience canunderstand the intensity of thesituation and also how bizarre. 27. Canted/Low Angle ShotThe purpose of this shot was toemphasise the how disorientated thecharacter is feeling from themiraculous change of location. It alsoconnotes isolation within thesituation she is currently in. 28. Point of View Shot (POV)This Point of View shot is included togive the audience a sense of what Idbe like to be in her position whichinitially builds up the suspense aswell as the other shots included tobegin building up the suspense. Itried using a variety of shots tointroduce the audience to her hometo engage them into watching thethriller.