Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1

Characters

Bryony

The character of Bryony conforms to the stereotype of women in film being weak and vulnerable, although in some ways challenges this view. We chose the name Bryony as it means ‘flowering vine’ in Greek, which, when first considered, may be seen to connote both beauty and power as vines are strong and tough, challenging the weak female stereotype. However, on reflection, Bryony could also connote fragility, as the vine flowers are not very strong and are, in fact, delicate, underpinning that females are weak.

Bryony’s character is influenced by Marion Crane from ‘Psycho’. Both are nervous and frightened, which they find difficult to conceal (when Marion meets a cop/Bryony hears footsteps), highlighting their vulnerability. Bryony is also influenced by real life victims, such as the recent kidnapping and murder of student Karen Buckley, shocking the audience due to its realism.

Bryony’s costume reflects her weak gender representation. For example, her lipstick is smudged, suggesting that she is quite weak and vulnerable, not quite as sophisticated as she intends to be. She also wears a black shirt, which connotes darkness while also making her blend into her surroundings in the dark cupboard; this makes her seen expendable, foreshadowing her death, portraying her as small and insignificant. This is like Eve in ‘Once Upon a Time in America’, who wears a pale yellow dress which blends in to the room around her, highlighting her insignificance as a character. These characters differ from a stronger female representation, like The Bride in ‘Kill Bill’ whose bright coloured outfits stand out against her locations.

(L-R) Eve & Bryony blend in vs The Bride standing out

Victor

We chose the name Victor as it means ‘conqueror’ in Latin, which immediately connotes power and dominance, suggesting he is going to be in control of other characters throughout the thriller.

Victor’s character is very cold and vacant, referencing Norman Bates; both are seen as everyday, unassuming men, which proves to be more unsettling to the audience. Likewise, Victor’s outward meticulousness contrasts with his moral corruption, creating irony; this is also a convention of the genre, such as when the audience are introduced to Bates, he seems ineffectual and a bit geeky, a sharp contrast to his psychopathic nature and need for control. Victor, too, is very obsessive and precise, seen through his action of straightening his tie and spotless house; this make him even more unnerving as his need for perfection and control suggests he has something to hide.

For Victor’s costume, we chose a traditional suit and tie, referencing Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho’, due to its unassuming nature, allowing the character to blend into the background like an everyday businessman, which then unsettles the audience. The black coat connotes darkness and evil, while the lack of colour suggests that Victor has no depth, further reinforcing his cold, detached nature. We also chose to have Victor wear black, leather gloves which connotes a lack of identity, making him seem even more powerful and deadly; these gloves are a convention of the genre as the villains do not want to leave fingerprint evidence, as seen in the film ‘Jackie Brown’ with the villainous character of Ordell.

(L-R) Victor & Ordell gloves

(L-R) Patrick & Victor suits

(L-R) Bates & Victor need for order (birds vs straight tie/tidy house)

(L-R) Marion & Bryony fearful, article on Karen Buckley

Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1

Location

We conformed to a variety of generic locations seen in the thriller genre. Firstly, we used a enclosed space in the form of a cupboard, which connotes claustrophobia and panic due to the fact there is no way to escape, nor a place to hide. Enclosed spaces are seen in a variety of thrillers, such as the shower in ‘Psycho’ and the coffin in ‘Kill Bill: Volume II’, which is where we took our inspiration from; all these spaces act almost like cages for the female characters, which makes them seem weak and objectified. These spaces also help to create suspense and tension as the audiences do not know if the character will escape their enclosure. Finally, the fact we chose a cupboard under the stairs, a space which many people may have in their homes, makes the audience more unsettled and uncomfortable as it is a familiar location which they assume is safe, but which we make sinister.

We also used the generic location of dark, narrow streets, seen in thrillers such as ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ and ‘The Third Man’. The narrow nature of the street again connotes claustrophobia and panic, while the fact we shot at night makes the streets seem more dangerous, as shadows are created, connoting mystery and danger: everything is masked at night, creating the possibility that anything can happen, which is frightening and unsettling for the audience. Victor coming out of the night implicitly references the establishing shot of Harry Lime in the doorway in ‘The Third Man’, adding a touch of Gothic to the mise-en-scene whilst reinforcing the sense of nightmare, suggesting their characters are spectres that haunt the imagination, thus playing on the collective fear of the unseen.

(L-R) generic locations: coffin, cupboard and shower

(L-R) ‘The Third Man’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Once Upon a Time…’

Sound and Lighting

When Bryony is in the cupboard, we use non-ambient lighting to create an unnatural atmosphere which connotes fear and suspense; as the light is unnatural, it reflects Bryony’s situation that everything around her is different and unrecognizable, which is frightening. We used non-ambient lighting in the opening shot to cast a shadow over Bryony's eyes, which makes her face look almost like a skull, foreshadowing her death. It was also used for the outdoor shots, such as the streetlight when Victor is walking down the alleyway, reflecting his raw character. Finally, we used chiaroscuro lighting (a convention of the genre), such as when Victor enters the house, creating shadows, connoting mystery and danger, leaving the audience on edge as they are unsure to what will happen next. It also is used to amplify the contrast between appearance and reality, a notion of binary opposites which drive drama and add to audience appeal, as seen in ‘The Third Man’.

Our choice of sound was effective in building the suspense throughout our thriller opening. We used the diegetic sound of Bryony heavily breathing during the opening credits of our thriller; this connotes fear and panic, leaving the audience of edge, wondering what the cause of the breathing is and what is to come. We developed this idea from the opening of ‘Kill Bill’ by Quentin Tarintino, where the Bride is breathing heavily after being beaten up; however, instead of cutting straight to our lead (like Tarintino cuts to the Bride), we used the breathing as a sound bridge that foreshadows Bryony being found by Victor in order to build the tension throughout our opening. We also exaggerated the diegetic sound of Victor’s footsteps, which connotes a foreboding and suspenseful atmosphere.

Our choice of soundtrack was that of a modern thriller film, using lots of ambient sounds and static for an unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere, as seen in thrillers such as ‘Se7en’. To build the suspense of the opening, we synchronised the opening of Bryony’s eye with the sudden jump of the soundtrack, emphasising the thrill of the shot and unsettling the audience.

(L-R) non-ambient, ambient and chiaroscuro (‘The Third Man’)

Camera Angles/Movement and Transitions

We used specific camera shots and angles that are conventions of the thriller genre. For example, we used a tilt shot when Victor is walking to the front door, which connotes confusion and disorientation, adding to the suspenseful nature of the shot; this has been used in many thriller films, most notably ‘The Third Man’, as it leaves the audience on edge and reinforces the nightmarish nature of the film. Another camera angle we used was a worm’s eye shot when Victor was waking down the alleyway and passed over the camera; this shot is often used to indicate fear while allowing the audience to view events from a vulnerable perspective, such as with Noodles in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. It connotes power and fear, reinforcing Victor’s role as the dominant villain.

We used camera movements to create a chilling atmosphere; for example, we used a pan when Victor looks to the cupboard where Bryony is being kept, highlighting his obsession with her. Our choice of transitions also reinforce the thriller genre. For example, we use lots of short, sharp cuts between shots to build the pace of the edit and therefore the tension, much like in ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ during the build up to the gunfight. We also used a fade between the shot of Victor and Bryony staring through the door of the cupboard; this makes it more chilling for the audience as it connects the two characters, highlighting that Bryony is not safe, leaving the audience wondering what will happen next.

(L-R) pan shot and fade, ‘The Good, The Bad…’ gun scene

Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1

(L-R) tilt shot (‘Third Man’) & worm’s eye shot (‘Once Upon a Time…’)

Opening to a Thriller Film and Narrative

The opening to our thriller features many conventions seen in the thriller genre. For example, we based our opening credit sequence on the titles of ‘Kill Bill’; we had heavy breathing playing over the text to build the tension, while also opening with a quote that refers to the plot: “every man is a moon, and has a dark side which he shares with nobody”. We also referenced Tarintino by including the title ‘A Film Apart’, a nod to his production company ‘A Band Apart’. We used a black background with white text, which is also seen in the opening for ‘Once Upon a Time in America’; the white text contrasts the black background, establishing the film noir genre as it symbolises the shadows and chiaroscuro lighting.

(L-R) ‘Once Upon a Time…’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Kill Bill’

We chose to call our film ‘The Unseeable’ as it references the character of Victor, who blends into the background of society, allowing him to get away with terrible actions. It also links to the fact that Bryony is hidden away so no one will find her. The narrative structure is mostly linear, with a series of montages with Victor walking to his house, while Bryony is trying to escape. Some jump cuts are used in this sequence, which leaves the audience feels disorientated, adding to the suspense of the film and amplifying the thriller genre. However, the heavy breathing over the opening credits could be seen as a flash forward, foreshadowing the moment when Bryony is confronted by her kidnapper; we used this to create tension for the audience, as they are left wondering what will happen later to cause such heavy breathing.

The cliff hanger is another convention. Bryony is kept alive in order to increase suspense, which will eventually award her some power: revenge on Victor could be her mission, thus referencing revenge thrillers such as ‘Kill Bill’ (The Bride) and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (Lisbeth Salander).

(L-R) Bryony, The Bride and Lisbeth