In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

For my media task I have been asked to create the opening sequence to a thriller film. I decided to produce a crime thriller. I chose to do this because it is my favourite sub-genre of thriller. I like crime thrillers because they often mix a good storyline with plenty of action and tension.  In most thrillers the key scenes are set at night time. In my thriller I have decided to use this convention as the key part of the opening sequence is set at night time. The part in question is the moment the victim is killed. In some thriller films the plot may be revealed in the opening scene, however in my thriller opening I have revealed clues as to what in particular the plot may entail. Thus in the opening there are shots of the car driving around then towards the end of the sequence we see the car thief attacking someone. As my film is called ‘The Meeting Place’ this makes the audience ask where the meeting place is and what will happen when the protagonist gets there.

 

The car thief element of my film was inspired by the film Drive. I thought the idea of the getaway driver was clever and original so I developed this choosing for my film to be centred on the car thief.

 

In most films the titles may appear after the opening establishing scene. However in my opening I have decided to show the titles during the opening scene. This could act as a barrier between the dual narrative. I decided to opt for a dual narrative as I feel it adds more excitement and drama to the opening of a thriller film. The titles appear as text messages on a mobile phone. This is not conventional as a lot of thriller films use computerised text over a background or a shot of the setting for the film.  This also shows the audience that the main character uses the phone during the film and that the mobile phone is a key prop to the plot.

Titles from se7en compared to my titles

 

 

 

 

 

 

The opening sequence to my thriller film uses the same conventional characters as most thriller films do, these being a victim and a killer. I decided to use this simple format as a result of my audience research. I found that a lot of people prefer simple hero/villain structures to film as they can watch it and not get too confused by complex plot lines.

 

In my thriller sound plays a key part. There is no dialogue in my opening as I feel that dialogue in an opening sequence may start to answer questions before the film actually begins. The sound in my thriller was not inspired by the soundtrack from a thriller film but instead from a tense scene from an episode of Shameless. I found that the slow building music used in that scene really created atmosphere and set the tone for the rest of the episode.

 

In the opening of my thriller I have used several typical camera shots and camera angles that are synonymous with thriller films. For example there are several shots of the victim using high angle shots. The first of which is when the victim is doing his shoe laces up. This shot is used to show vulnerability and is often a typical shot in thriller films as the audience are looking down on that particular character and have a sense of power over the character. The fact that the victim has his back turned to the world also shows vulnerability as he cannot see behind him. This is reinforced when he is attacked and killed from behind him.

Another thing most thrillers do effectively is using lighting to create shadows and darkness. I have used this convention in opening. The shot where the killer walks out of the small passage uses this as at first the audience can’t see him then he walks out of the darkness.

 

Often in thriller openings the victim knows they are a target and can be nervous and tense. However in my thriller the victim goes about his business as normal. This suggests that he is none the wiser to the forthcoming attack. Another factor that suggests vulnerability is the fact that the man his living on his own. This suggests that he has been singled out.

 

Many thrillers use flashbacks as a device to create tension and enhance the storyline. In my thriller I decided to use a flashback. The very slow tracking shots at the beginning of the scene are used to create tension but are also foreshadowing what happens after the attack when the killer steal the car. I filmed these shots on the day when weather conditions limited me on what I could shoot and film outside. The shots are almost dreamlike as I have added an ‘old world’ filter to them. I decided to do this as it made the trees in the background become very dark and looked like dead trees. I was going to use these shots at the same pace I filmed them but this was not effective in creating tension, to do that I slowed the shots right down and added the slow soundtrack.

 

I used the dual narrative to give the audience a taste of what would happen later on in the film with the main character using the stolen car to drive to the ‘meeting place’. Many thriller films are set in bleak bland places to create a sense of isolation. I tried to do this with the shots of the car being driven down country lanes. On those particular shots I used a day into night filter to create a sense of bleakness and an atmosphere of loneliness and isolation.

 

The use of lighting in parts of my opening was inspired by film noir and films such as Double Indemnity. The use of shadows in films such as this influenced my work as I used shadows and light to keep the identity of my killer concealed. The attacker also walks out of the very dark passage where the audience cannot actually see him. I developed this from Double Indemnity as when the man enters the room the focal point of the shot is his shadow.