1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

The introduction to the thriller gained inspiration from the film Transporter, an action/thriller from 2002, although it does differ massively. Most noticeably, Transporter starts off in an underground car park. Ideally I would have liked to start my thriller introduction in this location aswell, but there weren’t any car parks locally so another location was chosen, the group decided on a barn.

It still takes it’s initial inspiration from Transporter because it follows the same sort of long zoom shots of the car which adds to the enigma. Living in a rural area, the idea to chose a farmland location increases the thriller aspect to my peers as this is the location we all live in and around.

The initial opening shot of a distant car is to create the sense of isolation. This is portrayed well in Transporter but a lot of time elapses until you see some human interaction.

My thriller introduction immediately starts with a person in the shot, aswell as creating a sense of space in the shot it also adds to the isolation factor. This is particularly unnerving because it expresses that someone can walk around with a weapon unnoticed.

How the opening sets up the thriller.

How the opening suggests the genre

The moment the audience sees the weapon in hand they can immediately deduce that this film will either be a horror or a thriller. I think as soon as the soundtrack commence is when the audience can eliminate that its going to be a horror, as the soundtrack is a lot more unnerving and rises and falls to create an off-putting rhythm.

This is also where we have our first enigma. The fact that the actor’s face is away from the camera so that all you can see is his back, frustrates the audience. This shot provokes questions in the audiences head right from the start. Who is he?

The position the car is parked helps the audience identify it, it is parked very neatly amongst abandoned vehicles, it is clean, which contrasts with everything around it, and it really doesn’t belong in a farmland scene. All of these points draws the audiences attention to the car and the fact that it is in the centre of the shot also helps.

The car still remains in shot as this is the focus of the scene. The outfit of the actor was chosen carefully to reflect upon the location and possible career of the character.

The scene cuts at this moment to ensure the visibility of the car isn’t obstructed. This is so that it keeps it’s importance in the audiences mind.

As the first few seconds of the clip elapse, and we see a man walking into the shot, the audience will be able to notice that he is carrying a gun. The way that the weapon is concealed from the camera was chosen very carefully. I didn’t want it to be very obvious that he was armed, but I also didn’t want it to be impossible to notice. I took inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock for this, his technique for allowing the viewer to see how the film was going to unfold proved to be very popular with audiences because it made them feel clever. I feel that this amount of concealment was just right for the shot and finds the middle-ground in between the weapon being noticed and not.

The positioning of the gun is very important. It was chosen because of its sleek barrel so it can’t be easily identified, but because it is placed in front of the actor rather than to the side or even of his shoulder, suggests trepidation, giving the audience clues as to the films genre, and it also suggests that the character’s intentions are more important than the character itself.

The weapon is then lowered as he approaches his destination, showing the audience that he is comfortable he doesn’t need to be on his guard anymore.

Continuity editing

When the editing was done for the continuity, I had to check to make sure everything flowed. This was done prior to filming, as the storyboard showed what shots we were going to do, where they were going to be placed and from what sides the character would be shown, but a secondary check was needed post-filming. This was to ensure that none of the fundamental rules were broken in the filming process.

Such things as consistent lighting, weather, props, no shift in camera placement and not breaking the 180

degree rule.

The motion of this shot moves from Right to Left

This is the exception to the 180 degree rule. The motion in this shot moves from Left to Right. This is to make the audience feel uncomfortable.

The direction of motion is back to Left to Right to reinforce the earlier intention

The 180 degree rule exception comes back to reinforce the earlier uncomfortable feeling felt by the audience.

Props

Props play a vital role in all forms of media. In my thriller video, the props ensure vital aspects of the film.

The first prop the viewer might notice is the disused tractor, this helps the audience recognise the scene and abandoned feeling of the location.

The second prop they might notice is the car in the centre of the shot. This shows the audience that it doesn’t belong.

The farming machinery should hopefully enforce the idea of the location and make it seem realistic.

The next prop to be seen should be the weapon. It’s intended impact is to cause the viewer much discomfort as guns are generally associated with violence.

Costume can also be linked in as a prop as it helps create a sense o character to the audience. This one gives a farmer appearance.

The footwear should also aid the audience in realising the location. This footwear is essential in the location because of the weather.

Inter-cutting Credits

All of the shots shown have footage before and after the credits, the only exception is the shot above. This is because it is the end of the film which reveals the film title.