Evaluation Task 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Introduction !

Fresh Fallen Snow is an opening sequence that we created with the intent ions of conforming to the connotations of the thriller genre. Before developing our idea and again before we finished editing our thriller, we looked for similar media products that coincide with our thriller be it in the narrative or with certain characters. We looked through a variety of different films, video games and music videos to see whether or not the comply wight the connotations of a thriller and which connotation and stereotypes they present that we either conform to or challenge in our product. Things such as the representation of certain social groups that are presented would be interesting to see if we both adhere or subvert to them.

When looking at similar media products at first we werent too sure where to start but eventually we started looking into films such as:

Shutter Island a mystery, thriller film made by Paramount Pictures, released on the 19th of February 2010, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay) and Dennis Lehane (novel), starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsly. !Salt an action and crime film produced by the studio Columbia Pictures, released on the 23rd of July 2010, directed by Phillip Noyce, written by Kurt Wimmer, starring Angelina Jolie, Live Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Daniel Obrychski. !Hanna an action thriller made by Focus Feathers, released on the 8th of April 2011, directed by Joe Wright, written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Vicky Kreips and Cate Blanchett. !Girl, Interrupted is a drama biography film produced by Columbia Pictures Corporation, released on the 24th of December 1999, directed by James Mangold, written by Susanna Kaysen (book), James Magold, Lisa Loomer and Anna Hamilton Phelan (screenplay), starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall and Brittany Murphy.

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Shutter Island

Theres a particular scene in Shutter Island where the protagonist, Teddy Daniels is being interrogated by those in authority to him. He too is mentally ill and refuses to admit the truth about him past because it scares him profoundly. This links perfectly to our thriller because Molly is in a very similar situation. She too fights against those who have higher status to her frantically trying to escape from them and from herpast. She lashes out at them with a knife, which although isnt quite as dangerous, it suits our thriller concept better. The main difference between our thriller and this scene from Shutter

Island is that Teddy is overcome by his interrogators and looses himself within their stories of a life he

Plot line in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow

refuses to remember. Whereas Molly has a little trick up her sleeve that may not stop her from being captured ones again but would have crucial consequences on the rest of the film were we to continue it.

Characters in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen SnowIn Shutter Island the two characters who are somewhat interrogating the protagonist are in very formal suits to help establish that theyre doctors and almost put on a facade that they're putting on to come across like they want to help him. Similarly, the uniform that the officers wear and the attire that Detective Niland wears does seem to simply be a formality. The main connotation between both sequences is that all the authoritative characters are standing and are highly cautious of the protagonist. A connotation that my sequence challenges more so than in Shutter Island is the stereotype that only men can be in positions of authority. In my

thriller, there is a female police officer who has just as much authority than any of the other officers. By subverting this stereotype my thriller became more diverse than Shutter Island because the female characters arent only vulnerable.

Teddy and Molly are very similar characters in the sense that they think everyone is lying to them and is trying to catch them out which in Teddys case more than Mollys thats true. They both try and reinstate some authority to themselves by threatening those who are interrogating them and will go to drastic measures as seen in Shutter Island and implied in my thriller when Teddy tries to shoot one of the doctors and as Molly verbally attacks Detective Niland in an attempt to escape. In Shutter Island, Teddy has a what he thinks to be a fully loaded gun whereas the doctors have nothing and although the police have better weapons compared to Mollys knife, she just like Teddy is in a position of power because she has power over someones life

Physicality in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen SnowIn the sequence that I curated, the characters stay in quite large proxemics from one another whereas in the extract from Shutter Island the doctors move from close to far proxemics having more contact with the protagonist. I think by keeping the officers and the protagonist further apart is more effective because I it helps connote to a thriller better by instantly establishing tension between the two sides. In Shutter Island the sporadic movement aids the surprise when Teddy suddenly lashes out but I think it makes the extract slightly messy and distracts from the characters motives. I thought that they camera movement as well as Leonardos movement when he suddenly grabbed to gun was coordinated successfully to portray the nervous and paranoid manner of the protagonist. When Molly turns around, its not because shes lashing out like Teddy but because shes looking for a new way to escape. Its not until later when the Detective starts to come closer that she impulses against him.

Camera work in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen SnowThere is a distinct similarity between a certain moment in both my thriller and Shutter Island. This is when the protagonists first lash out. For the majority of the other shots in Shutter Island, the protagonist is presented in high angle shots however when hes in a position of higher power just like Molly, the camera is placed at eye line level making the audience more easily associate themselves with the protagonists and understand

Both films use close ups and mid shots to connote the fear and impatience of the protagonists showing their true emotions. In these shots we see Teddy and Molly realising the danger of their threats but their motivation is set, they need to get out. Theres a close up after Teddy attempts to shoot one of the doctors where he turns only to discover that it was all in his imagination adhering to the stereotype that those with disabilities be it

!the motives behind their actions despite what the consequences are, the audience relate better with them instantly creating empathy. By angling the camera to be at eye line level it also creates a middle ground between the protagonists and the antagonists as they both frantically grasp for superiority to gain control of the other.

physical or mental, fall under the control of those who are able and become vulnerable to them. In my thriller we challenged that by displaying Molly as a character who can subvert and adhere to this stereotype making her character more complex. I think by making her both strong and vulnerable makes her an interesting character that the audience will find enticing.

When both Molly and Teddy attack their superiors physically in Teddys case and mentally in Mollys, the camera presents them both as more powerful by using a low angle. The low angle on Teddy is quite extreme connoting that his out burst was very spontaneous and violent whereas the low angle on Molly is only subtile again highlighting her ever changing thought and motives .

Camera work in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen Snow

Titles in Shutter Island and Fresh Fallen SnowFrom the photos below you can see that there is a clear difference between the connotations of our t i t les however, one connotation that is undoubtably presented is the erie atmosphere created by both. You can see that there is an emptiness to them both however the Shutter Island connotes a much harsher message with the thick capital letters compared to the thiner lower case letter for Fresh Fallen Snow. Theres is very simply however I think its extremely effective at creating the right atmosphere for the film and its genre. As our thriller is full of narrative twists and mysteries I think the motion effect of the snow is an important piece to the puzzle that is our film. The line fresh fallen snow has a very specific impact on certain characters and later on the audience so by placing it here after only two minutes in quite a bold manner would entice the audience.

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Fire Away

Plot/Characters in Salt and Fresh Fallen SnowSalt is about a woman who was brought up to be a Russian spy but has worked as an agent for the CIA but whos old life is rekindled by a figure of her past. When threatened by her own colleagues as well as ghosts from her past, her determination to survive kicks in and she fearlessly goes up against other strong male characters. She hugely subverts the stereotype that men are stronger than women because she continuously defeats male opponents that cross her path. She doesnt need the help of a man to escape she does it herself. This connotes with our thriller because Molly has grown into a somewhat stronger character due to the traumas of her past. neither of them are them ever come across as the damsel ion distress the analysis their situation and fight back. For Evelyn in Salt, she literally does fight back but for Molly she verbal and mentally attacks Mike.

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Hanna

Hanna is about a teenage girl with extraordinary strength and stamina who was raised and trained by her father who was an ex-CIA agent. When sent into the world in a mission by her father, Hanna begins questioning humanity and has conflicting thoughts about the world she was so longing to see. She constantly subverts stereotypes by out strengthening men much older and allegedly more experienced than her. Although Molly isnt necessarily physically strong and despite her mental illness, she is very strong and dangerous mentally and knows how to get to people like Mike allowing them to lowly corrupt themselves rather than having to do it all herself. About half way through, Hanna makes friends with another girl her age but who is entirely normal compared to Hanna. Shes much weaker than Hanna physically and mentally however, unlike Molly, Hanna doesnt forcer her to tag along on the mission. Instead she advices her to stay. Molly on the other hand decides that killing her friend is the easiest and most civil way to end things when hes no longer useful. However she stops herself from murdering him due to her corrupt mind.

Plot/Characters in Hanna and Fresh Fallen Snow

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Girl, Interrupted

Plot/Characters in Girl, Interrupted and Fresh Fallen Snow

Girl, Interrupted shows the life and experiences of a woman with a minor mental illness being put in an institution with many other women who are far more corrupted than she is. The film presents a number of different women with various illnesses and how the asylum slowly consumes them until two of them escape. Lisa the character who I feel most resembles Molly, is a woman who doesnt like to play by the rules. Its clear that under the surface she's a lovely character but the asylum corrupts her more and more. She escaped the asylum many times however always getting caught. I think that Molly may well have had similar failed attempts before escaping and reaching a city connoting that the police had been locking for her for a long time. I feel like the conflict that underlines this entire film can be used as context to connote the types of people and experiences Molly may have endured in the mental asylum that she was locked in.

Camera in Girl, Interrupted and Fresh Fallen SnowIn both texts a combination of stable and hand held camera movement is used to connote the stable and unstable nature of the characters. This juxtaposition presents the characters as complicated and gives the narrative another dimension. However, whether the movement is steady or unsteady, the shots always track certain characters giving them slightly more authority than others because theyre kept in the centre of the frame right in the viewers eyes. When a character is pushed out of the centre of the frame, theyre subconsciously seen as inferior.

Other than looking at films we also tried to find more unusually similar media products such as music videos. We only found one that had a truly touching message about mental health that focused more on the paranoia and uncontrollable nature of those with mental disabilities. The song is called Fire Away by Chris Stapleton that was released in 2015.

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Fire Away

Plot in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen SnowThe plot in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow are not necessarily the same because there are no connotations of crime in the music video only fatality. The video presents a very raw idea of how mental illness can not only effect you but also those around you by presenting the life of a woman suffering with a mental illness from her partners perspective. I think that although plot wise the texts arent too similar, the video provides a clear example of the type of thing Molly may have gone through or witnessed. It presents context as to how damaging you can be to yourself and others just like Molly. If we were to continue the film, after our two minute opening sequence, we would cut to a point in Mollys life where she wasnt so challenged by her mental illness, a time where she was happy but slowly she would disintegrate just like the woman in the music video. The opening sequence is actually a moment which we would place more towards the end of the film as a consequence of her deteriorating sanity. !Both media texts present characters who have been pushed to the edge mentally and physically and are presented in locations that connote with isolation and desperation. Molly knows all too well what its like to feel isolated from everyone so its no wonder why she, just like the woman in the video, is pushing herself further and further away from society.

Physicality in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen SnowAs my thriller is just an opening sequence the information available to the audience is quite limited however in the music video there is an entire story on offer. Throughout Fresh Fallen Snow, you can see small moments in Mollys physicality and facial expressions where her thoughts and feelings sporadically change. Similarly in the opening minutes of the video, you see very short and somewhat unnoticeable shots of the woman in what seems to her suppressed negative feelings.

Both media texts connote the trauma that walks hand in hand with mental

illness and I think that its important to

watch and understand video like

Fire Away to truly understand Mollys motives. There are glimmers of hope

and or happiness in both texts but it ever

endures.

Physicality in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen SnowThe Detective and man in the video both connote how disability can effect those around you. In the music video, the woman doesnt always intend to effect him apart from some times where she lashes out. Molly does however try to target him and by human nature hes effected it.

Camera in Fire Away and Fresh Fallen Snow

women need men to help them and save them from danger. Similarly in Fresh Fallen Snow, Detective Niland attempts to help her from harming herself or her companion further. We challenged this connotation and stereotype by having Molly refuse the help and mentally pulling herself up again. A significant moments where hand held is used is when the woman in the video reaches the pinnacle of her mental health and tries to take her life and although being rushed to the hospital, shes successful. The hand held allows the viewer to visually see and understand the panic thats running through the man and the instability of his partner. In our thriller, the hand held camera movement is used to connote similar things. We wanted the audience to be slightly disorientated by

is hand held camera movement. This is used predominantly when ever the woman relapses. These shots often present the couple embracing with the man frantically trying to calm her down and unarm her whilst she pours herself onto him. This connotes that the man is the only character who can save her from herself which adheres to the stereotype that

One of the key camera techniques used in Fire Away

the manic movement and wanted them to be able to associate it with the instability of the characters. !Both media texts also use handhelds to subvert the stereotype that men and strong and untouchable and also the stereotype that those who are able are never vulnerable to those who are disabled be it mentally or physically. By the end of both texts, hand held camera movement is used to connote the vicarious effect that those with mental illness had on them. The man in the video is clearly heart broken and has been pushed and pulled everywhere trying to save him partner but in Fresh Fallen Snow, Mike is vulnerable to Mollys knowledge of hims past and family. Throughout, it seems that Molly is the only one tormented by her past but through this movement partnered with the dialogue, we see that Mike too is vulnerable.

The next form of media text that tried to find a link with was video games. In terms of the narrative of the video games that we looked at, they dont connote perfectly with our thriller however there are characters that have very similar qualities and motivations as characters in our thriller. The two video games that we found the closest connotations with were:

Lara Croft: Rise of the Tomb Raider written by Rhianna Pratchett and developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montral, initially released in 2015 on Xbox One and Xbox 360, then later released on PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.

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The Last of Us Left behind - the expansion pack of the series The Last Of Us, developed by Naughty Dog, was released on the 14th of February 2014 on PlayStation 3 and 4.

My Thriller vs Lara Croft: Rise of The Tomb RaiderRise of The Tomb Raider presents a strong, independent young woman named Lara Croft who through her determination and need to survive, saves herself and others from life threatening situations. Her narrative opposes ours in that her main goal seems to be to work with others to save many however our thriller contradicts that connotation by presenting an independent young girl who is selfish and feels the need to dispose of people when the no longer show value to her

However, similarly to Molly, Lara Croft alongside other characters in the video game penetrate their opposing force by finding their leaders deepest personal weakness which in the video game is the sister of the Kitezhs leader. Molly does

the same by using Detective Nilands weakness against him in an attempt to hurt him. Lara and Molly both run and confront danger giving their characters much more depth because they adhere and subvert the stereotype that women arent strong enough to tackle danger like men.

My Thriller vs The Last of Us Left BehindThe main girl, Ellie is a girl who is left virtually alone in an apocalyptic world desperately trying to find a medical kit to save her only remaining companion, Joel. Alone, she faces experiences that mentally scar her but shes driven to continue on by the life threatening condition of Joel. The balance between her strength and weakness connotes with our protagonist Molly. Theyre both strong characters who are motivated by their needs and or desires however due to their age theyre challenged. Similarly to Molly, there are sequences where Ellie had her friend Riley to keep her company and together they try to stay alive from the infected. However, for Molly when she no longer sees the value in Matty, she tries to kill him and rather than being physically vulnerable to the infected like Ellie, shes mentally vulnerable to herself due to her mental illness. !

Another way that conventionally Fresh Fallen Snow and The Last of Us Left Behind contrast is by the way that Ellie is driven my her need to save her friend, Joel, whereas Molly is driven to kill her only companion whilst trying to save herself.

When it came to looking for similar television series, these were the ones we thought suited best:

Blindspot a crime, mystery series made by Quinns House, released on the 21st of September 2015, created by Martin Gero, starring Sullivan Stapleton, Jaimie Alexander, Rob Brown and Audrey Esparza.

Legion a Marvel action, drama series made by 20th Century Fox, released on the 8th of February 2017, created by Noah Hawley, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, starring Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza and Bill Irwin.

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Legion

Plot/Characters in Legion and Fresh Fallen SnowLegion is about a man who thinks hes mentally ill because of the inescapable visions and voices of his past that plague him. His mutation drives him run from the authorities alongside a friend similarly to Fresh Fallen Snow.

on for years as people try to identify his illness and control him but if they cant theyll kill him. In Fresh Fallen Snow no body is actually trying to kill Molly but due to her mental illness and destructive past she thinks, just like in Legion, that everyone is out to get her but she doesnt know why.

He is questioned and tested

Fresh Fallen Snow vs Blindspot

Plot/Characters in Blindspot and Fresh Fallen Snow

The characters who connote the most in the texts are Jane and Molly. Both struggle with mental issues be it illness or memory loss and use others to escape their tormenting experiences. Theyre both strong women who dont soupy depend on others due to extreme mistrust due to events in their past.

Similarly the two male protagonists share certa in character ist ics . They too are mistrusting making them cautious of the female protagonists at least at first. This subverts to the stereotype that men are stronger and higher status than women because in these media texts the women are the empowering characters despite their mental instabilities.

Sound in Blindspot and Fresh Fallen SnowWhen it comes to the sound in these two media texts, we used very similar techniques to connote the importance of the dialogue. For example, in an interrogation scene from Blindspot, the tension is created throughout the dialogue as small pieces of the narrative are being given to the audience. There are key moments from this dialogue and the dialogue from our sequence that would be important for the viewers in the duration of the film. This accompanied by there lack of any non diegetic sound, just like in Fresh Fallen Snow, allows the dialogue to be emphasised with no other background distractions. The viewer subconsciously pays more attention to whats being said when the sound isnt over complicated because the importance of the information being provided is clearly established.

The main similarity between the camera in the two texts in the use of the hand held camera movement. In both sequences the characters are uncertain and scared which is connoted by the use of this unstable camera movement. If a tripod was used for the entirety of either scene then the it would connote a more stable atmosphere however by choosing to include this slight manic camera movement we are allowing the audience to visually see the instability of the scenario.

Camera in Blindspot and Fresh Fallen Snow

The use of close ups in both texts allows the same connotation to be portrayed. The audience see the distress within the protagonists and their reactions to their ever changing situation.