IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR

CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA

PRODUCTS.

ZARA

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER FILM• Chase scenes– quick paced editing

• Low key lighting- shadows

• Plot twists -conventional

• Crescendo

• Tension

• Suspense

• Mysteries

• Diegetic /Non diegetic sounds

• Silence

• Jump scares

• Against the clock –conventional

• Rain/Storms

These are the typical codes and convention that you would expect within the average Thriller film and are the general codes and conventions that you are most likely to see within the genre. According to the list, I do not believe that my opening sequence follows most of these but there are some that does follow it E.g. Tension, Mysteries etc. But overall, it does not contain the typical thriller film codes and conventions but the tension and these are the typical codes and convention that you would expect within the average Thriller film and are the general codes and conventions that you are most likely to see within the genre. According to the list, I do not believe that my opening sequence follows most of these but there are some that does follow it E.g. Tension, Mysteries etc. But overall, it does not contain the typical thriller film codes and conventions but the tension and suspense just about makes it look like a thriller film.

LUCY (COMPARING MY FILM TO AN OPENING SEQUENCE)

This film is a Thriller Sci-Fi about a woman who accidently gets caught up within the work of her boyfriend and ends up being given a deal of trying a new piece of technology which could benefit all of mankind. Unfortunately for the organisation, she agrees with the deal, but also double crosses and becomes a warrior of no mercy with the knowledge that is beyond human logic.

Overall, the film contains organisations and businesses, which is what my own opening sequence to an extent with it being about an organisation that is trying to protect a briefcase from other antagonist organisations. Also, it relates to my opening sequence because the other side of the film genre is Sci-Fi. Ours contains psychological events throughout the film therefore it can relate to the film Lucy. Although, the film also does not follow the typical codes and conventions that you would expect in a thriller films due to the genre of it being a Sci-Fi thriller which is a genre hybrid. Because of it being a mixed genre, it doesn’t fully match up with the genre of my opening sequence since it is a Thriller film with no other genres mixed with it. Just only a few psychological events.

The setting of Lucy is different to ours. Lucy is mainly based outside in a city where as the opening is mainly based inside within the premises. The Narrative is also completely different since the opening sequence is about an organisation protecting a briefcase from other organisations and the Lucy film is mainly focused on that once woman who has the ability to think further than human logic. Although the sound of the thriller film is quite similar but the Lucy film uses silence to create suspense whereas our opening sequence uses music that slowly builds up to create tension. Over all, it does just about match up with the codes and convention of our thriller film.

Cabin in the woods does match up is the use of music to create tension and suspense through the moments in both the thriller film and opening sequence to indicate that something bad is going to happen. Yet the Thriller film also uses more silence like the Lucy film to also create tension. Overall, the film may not have all of the elements to match up with our opening sequence but it does have a few codes and conventions that can relate to it to an extent.

CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED AND REINFORCED

According to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre, my opening sequence challenged a lot of these. A code of the thriller genre is that the setting is usually a dark and gloomy setting at night or either based during a storm or a shower of rain. Yet our thriller film is based in daylight which challenges this as well as the setting is not raining either. The opening sequence also does not include quick paced editing since there as not been a scene involving so therefore also challenging the codes and conventions. But there are some that the opening sequence did follow to make is thriller film. Nearing the end of the sequence there was a slow yet suspense building moment leading up to the murder of the protagonist. This creates tension, which is one of the conventions of a thriller film. Another is the use of non- diegetic sound to also help build suspense for the audience; it also leaves questions for the audience at the end of the opening sequence because they do not know what had happened afterwards to the protagonist. It relates to the mystery that is left which I also another convention within the thriller genre.

CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED AND REINFORCED

Characters involved were not developed enough within my thriller sequence for it to be determined whether they were being challenged or reinforced in the thriller genre but if it were long enough, the characters would be more developed and one other code of the thriller genre is that the characters will develop throughout the film so the audience will get to know them. The narrative of thriller films usually has a sense of satisfaction. My opening sequence had some elements of a narrative of a thriller film since it began with a murder at the end of the opening sequence. This means that my opening sequence reinforces this narrative. Lastly, the sound used in the sequence is what makes it the thriller film it is. My thriller films has a scene where the antagonist slowly creeps up behind the protagonist therefore the non-diegetic sound in the background creates suspense, which reinforces the codes and conventions of the thriller genre.