Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop

or challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?

Title of the Film

The title of the thriller, ‘The Feast’ is one of the frames chosen. Our title is placed last in our Thriller opening as it cuts to a black screen. The violent scream of the hostage runs over the title.

The title links all of our scenes together which makes it simple for the audience to piece together what may happen next. As our title is placed over a black screen it symbolises the idea of isolation. When introducing our Antagonist the audience are never revealed his face, this connotes he has something to hide. At first our Antagonist is presented as “simple,” however underneath the simplicity is the chaos. The contrast of the white and black screen resembles the different sides of the protagonist.

The Setting/Location

The Dining scene is the scene chosen for setting/location. The scene opens with an establishing shot of the Antagonists home. The home itself is set in a location which appears to be a safe environment.

The location supports the simplicity of the Antagonist that is presented in both the credit sequence and dining scene. The conventions of a Thriller have typical locations such as; urban cities and rural areas. Once inside the location the atmosphere is suffocating as close-ups of the Antagonists hands are used. As the main plot is centered in the Antagonists house it works well as it tricks the audience into a false sense of security.

Costumes and PropsFor the protagonist of our Thriller opening we have chosen an outfit that resembles her youth. As the audience will associate youth with vulnerability it makes her an optimum target.

The protagonists outfit connotes that she is on her way to collage or to meet friends. As well as her outfit suggesting her vulnerability the isolation of the location does also. Most conventional Thrillers have props such as; the stereotypical gun or knife and police cars.

For our Antagonist we chose an outfit that resembles power. As he is wearing a tie it can connote that he has a higher powered job. However, as the Antagonist sleeves are rolled up it can suggest that he means business.

In the dining scene of our opening we wanted to create a moment of suspense to break the anticipation of the audience. To do this we used a steak knife to create a false peak of suspense. The knife also fits in as a typical convention of a thriller film. In the scene we had our antagonist place down the fork then drag the steak knife past the protagonist.

For our cooking scene we had to use other props, such as; steak, cutlery, cooker, herbs, etc… As a group we made sure that we had these extra props for the mise-en-scene. These extra props also contributed to the personality of the Antagonist as he is meticulous.

In the cooking scene we wanted the audience to feel uncomfortable and frustrated. To provoke these feelings we used fake blood which in context would be from the meat. The fake blood used in the scene starts to make the audience question what is really happening.

For our kidnapping scene we used a black pillow case to kidnap the protagonist. We decided to use this as we could place our camera inside and get a P.O.V shot. Once we started to edit this particular scene we used match on action to get our kidnapping shots to flow. We also jumped to a black screen once the pillow case was completely pulled over.

Camerawork and EditingIn a Thriller pace is used to create tension, for example: fast cutting creates suspense. In our kidnapping scene the medium shot of the protagonist walking cuts to the shallow focus shot of the leaf. The cut is fast which creates a false peak of suspense. In our dining scene we used a long slow shot of the Antagonist walking towards the protagonist.

The long slow shot creates an unsettling feel of anticipation for the audience. Both shots of the protagonist and antagonist are used although the antagonists face is never revealed. The climax builds as the protagonist is shown more often.

In our thriller opening we choose shots that would make the audience feel uncomfortable, for example; close-ups, P.O.V, medium close-ups, etc… In the climax of the kidnapping scene we used each of the shots to provoke the emotions we wanted from the audience. In the first shot we used a medium close-up to show the protagonist being kidnapped round the corner. The second shot is the P.O.V shot of the protagonist, which puts the audience in her situation.

The last shot is once the black pillow case had been pulled completely over we jumped to a black screen. This allowed the first scene to flow into the credit sequence. The P.O.V shot also makes the audience begin to anticipate what is going to happen to the protagonist.

In the first scene we used a shallow focus shot which gave the feeling of a voyer shot. This allowed the audience to focus on the surroundings rather than the protagonist. In the opening this shallow focus shot focuses on the leafs while the protagonist walks into the background. In the scene we used fast paced editing to create tension, because of this the audience were constantly on edge.

For our credit sequence scene we used non-diegetic music to contribute to the personality of the antagonist. The non-diegetic music we used was ‘Vivaldi – Four Seasons.’ The classical music contributes to the mysterious personality of the antagonist. The classical music starts of as non-diegetic then changes to diegetic when the antagonist turns it off.

Credit font and Style

For our credit sequence we kept the style of our font simple as our credits were placed over our shots. As we were placing our credits over the jump cuts of the antagonist cooking we placed them within the frame where they won’t interfere with the main shot. the style of font was ‘Times New Roman.’ For example: in the shot of the cooker we placed the title above.

The whole of our credit sequence runs over the cooking scene which allows us to keep our credits together. our credits fade in and out of our shots, the titles go with the jump cuts that we have used. The style of font we chose goes with the personality of the antagonist, as he is meticulous.

Story and how the opening sets it up

Ext. Wide shot of protagonist walking down the street. Zoom to a Medium shot as protagonist phone begins to vibrate. Match on action as the protagonist runs behind the corner of the street wall. Medium close-up of the protagonists face, the audience will be able to feel the character's fear. Dramatic irony as the protagonist looks out into the street.

As the protagonist is alone and vulnerable it suggests that she is going to be kidnapped. This sets up the main plot of the thriller as the protagonist is going to be isolated.

Screen cuts to black, the antagonist begins to unpack and prepare some meat in the kitchen while Non-diegetic classical music plays. Once the food is prepared, the antagonist goes over to a radio and turns of the classical music (non-diegetic sound to diegetic sound.)

Genre and how the opening suggests it

The role of a thriller is meant to both create suspense and shock. In the kidnapping scene the pace is fast which creates tension within the audience. The fast pace shots are typical of the thriller genre as they build suspense.

The next scene is the credit sequence scene that again uses the rule of fast paced shots. To create this pace we used jump cuts during the cooking scene. The use of close-ups and jump cuts together creates a suffocating atmosphere.

In Thrillers enigma codes are used in a storyline to make the audience raise questions. This allows the characters to communicate with the audience through the narrative.

How characters are introduced

The characters in a thriller usually work as binary opposites, these are; the protagonist and antagonist. Our protagonist is the girl introduced to the audience in the first shot. Most things about the protagonist are revealed to the audience right at the start, for example; the audience knows that she relies on technology. As the protagonist has her phone on her.

However, the antagonist is normally unknown for most of the film. In our thriller opening the antagonist’s identity is never revealed to the audience. This creates mystery as the audience goes through the film wondering who the antagonist is.

Special effects

In our Thriller opening we only used one special effect throughout; the special effect we used was ‘blur’. To apply the effect all we had to do is layer the special effect over the P.O.V shot. We used this effect after our protagonist woke up in the antagonist house. The P.O.V shot was blurred to give the audience a sense of confusion and anticipation. During the P.O.V shot the audience are with the protagonist as she regains conscience and examines her surroundings.

When the protagonist first awakes her vision is completely blurred and she is unable to concentrate on the plate in front of her. Once she starts to examine her surroundings, her vision starts to becomes clearer.