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

Film Techniques Using Your Research Findings – Note typical generic conventions

Your Production – Use, Develop or Challenge

Titling – colour, font style, over image or black, timing, credits presentation etc

One common convention was the use of red in typography and also white. A Nightmare on Elms Street, Scream and Misery all use red and white typography. Both Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street change from white to red to signify that there is peace but it turns to danger and death. The Shining uses an unusually font colour of turquoise which is none conventional. Halloween uses orange to represent the time period the killings happen which is Halloween. Orange is commonly associated with that time period.

We used similar conventions to the horror movies we all researched. In the ones I looked at the common colours use where red and white. We decided to use red because it connotes danger and were found in most of the opening sequences. We decided to use it on black instead of the action in order to not distract the audience in the most important part of the killing at the end. All the fonts used are very simple so we also used simple easy to read fonts.

Camera Movement (Panning, tracking, crane shot and crabbing etc)

A wide variety of shots where used in all the opening sequences. The most common camera movement was tracking in order to follow the character.

We decided to stick with the conventional camera movement. We used tacking in the opening sequence.

Framing of Shot (CU, MLS, ELS etc)

The most common framing of shot was a mid shot so you could see the actor’s movement as well as their facial expressions. Extreme long shots where used in The Shining in order to show the setting and highlight the characters isolations. Close ups where used at the time of killing to show

Again we decided to stay within the conventions of a horror. We used a close up to show her face when she had died. We also used a lot of mid shots in order to see her movement as well as her face. In parts we used long shots to show she was walking alone down the path and establish her isolation. Like in Halloween we used a point

a characters shocked expressions. In Halloween a point of view shot is used in the whole opening sequence so you don’t know who the killer is.

of view shot, however we didn’t use it for the whole opening sequence only the beginning when there is a flash back. We used it so you couldn’t see who the killer is.

Camera Angles (high and low angles etc

The only angles noticeable in the horrors I watched where high angles. High angles are used to show that the person is inferior. For example in Misery and The Shining high angle shots are used but in a different way, they have been used in order to show that no one is around and also the setting.

Instead of using a high angle shot we used a low angle shot at the beginning in order to show that the other characters are more dominant. In the first version of our film we did use a high angle shot to show that she had become inferior however we were unable to get a angle where you couldn’t see the cars it the background which is what we definitely didn’t want to be shown.

Selection of mise-en-scène including colour, figure, pops, lighting, objects, location and setting;

In the opening sequences that contain killing, Scream and Halloween both happen at night and in a home or near one. The victim is by himself or herself in a secluded area. Even the opening sequences in the day time, Misery and The Shining the characters are in the middle of nowhere. If something were to happen to them there would be no one to help them. A knife is commonly used in all the horrors I watched. Victims usually are wearing white or brightly coloured clothes. In Saw they are both wearing white, in Nightmare on Elm Street she is wearing a white nightgown. It is

We chose to go with the convention of having a killing at night. We also tried to make it seem that the victim was in the middle of nowhere. We decided to use a knife for the murder because this is the weapon commonly used. We used the convention as having a white female has the victim however we challenged the convention of her having blonde hair to her having purple hair. This is to highlight that she is a rebel. It also modernizes it and is more of a development. It makes the killing more realistic because the first victim in real life is not always going to be a blonde female.

also a convention that the first victim is a white female, with blonde hair.

Editing directions(Match cuts, jump cut, reverse shots – cutting rthymn etc)

In the opening sequence of the films I analyzed the editing techniques that stood out was the motivated cut. In was used in order to create suspense and involve the audience. Matched cut were also used again to make the audience feel like they are within the action.

We used a variety of different editing techniques and decided to stay within the conventions of the horror. We used motivated cuts when the victim hears leafs crunching behind them.

Sound techniques(Diegetic, non diegetic, silence, dialogue and music etc

Non-digetic wasn’t used in Scream but that was the only one. Every other film I researched used a soundtrack in order to create suspense. The Shining didn’t use any speech whereas the others did. This shows that there isn’t a common convention for sound techniques apart from the fact that a soundtrack is used. There was generally silence before a killing. In Halloween you could hear the heavy breathing of the killer.

The only clear convention was using non-diegtic at the beginning, which is what we used. The music had an eerie feel, which connotes the genre of a horror. Silence was generally used before a killing to create the sudden shock when the victims screamed. One common sound is the heavy breathing of the killer so we decided to use a shot where it was the point of view of the killer along with the heavy breathing.

Actor’s positioning and movement

Actors where generally placed in the middle of the screen in order to draw the audiences eye to the middle this means when the killer comes from the side you get the sudden shock of it.

We used the convention of keeping the actor in the middle of the screen to show they have importance. Also this means when the killer comes from the side it is more shocking and sudden.