evaluation activity 1 (jaspreet)

8/3/2019 Evaluation Activity 1 (Jaspreet)

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EVALUATION ACTIVITY 1:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real

media products? (I.e. of film openings)

In my opinion, our media product incorporates many forms and conventions real media products

would; as our task was to devise/create the plot of the opening sequence, prepare and plan in

advance, shoot and edit the production to a high standard so that it is able to become comparable to

other opening sequences from mainstream films. We felt as if the horror genre had to be

challenged, innovated and transformed into a less predictable genre, as stereotypes can be useful in

order for the audience to relate to the characters, however we felt as if the horror genre itself had a

lot of scope for reconstruction. This therefore allows us to challenge the conventions of a

stereotypical horror film, and add twists and originality, therefore also having a USP emerge from

the idea. We found the horror genre is quite broad, and our target audience was quite familiar with

horror/thriller films, which is why we thought this would be suitable among teens and adolescents,

as the genre itself is quite popular among young people. In addition, to form our USP, we wanted to

conjoin horror with psychological horror, creating a sub-genre being a psychological horror. We also

found watching over the video, that the film itself does mirror some forms and conventions of a

psychological horror, as we observed and took information from films such as SAW, Insidious, The

Exorcist etc. We used the conventional narrative pattern of Tzvetan Todorov, to introduce main

characters, set the scene, and add a twist/cliff hanger at the end of the film. The narrative pattern

itself is widely utilised among many mainstream films, as it is what we associate to be a standardnarrative for any film, allowing the audience to relate to it more.

Setting & Location: The location

for our final product The Three Wheels of Horror

did not conform to the conventions of the Horror genre, as we decided to set it in a school; as this

would allow the target audience to relate better to the film itself, as we have chosen to target teens

and young adults. The fact that the film was shot in a school allows me, as a Director to innovate the

stereotypical conventions of a classic horror film, and by setting the production in a school

environment, this allowed the plot to become clear, and as an audience, we get to see Ahmed in a

natural environment, and contrast it with the enigmas created as the film goes on; e.g. seeing a little

girl on a tricycle, which is odd to see in a secondary school. Furthermore, our target audience will


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familiarise with this type of environment as they spend a maximum of 5 days a week at school, so an

immediate relationship is created between the production and audience, as they are able to

understand where the location is, and why it is set in such a way, e.g. props of desks, chairs,

computers, whiteboard, paper and pen etc. We also wanted to keep the location fairly simple, as we

wanted to create suspense by introducing sudden movement unexpectedly in a completely normal

environment. Therefore, our product does not directly connote the conventions of the horror genre,

however does address elements of unexpected events, and allowing maximum clarity and

understanding of characters to be channelled to the audience. Which is a less obvious way of

initiating suspense and tension, however still allows heightened enigmas to follow through as

shocking events and scare the audience.

Title Font & Style:

Our opening sequences title is both basic and clear; however helps illustrate the simplistic horror

convention devices used to enhance the product. Also, the font used for the title is clear and

readable, and slightly grotesque as the font is not times new roman which is a very basic and classic

font, we wanted to include a slightly more abstract font, which almost looks as if it is

dripping/melting/dismantling, to illustrate this classic convention of blood in horror films, and what

it symbolises; sacrifice, suffering, death, and foreshadows events, which create enigmas. The red is

to also symbolise danger, blood and alertness, and we found having a transition (as above) really

helped to sustain the suspense all throughout, and I find it has some sort of a leading affect for the

audience, as they will be curious to find out what has happened to Ahmed, where and why she has

taken him, and if he survives or not. Also, by including the title of the film at the end of the

sequence, the title is more likely to be remembered as it is right at the end of the film, which will

allow the viewer to have overcome the release of tension and acknowledge the title of the film, and

why it was called The Three Wheels of Horror. The use of red and black in horror films is also a

convention of the genre, as it is what we associate with goriness, fear, suspense, and to be scared.

The font is also large enough to be read to therefore catch the attention of the viewer.


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Title of the film:

Our title includes the word horror itself, making it very clear that the film is going to be in the

horror genre, and the play on three wheels corresponds with the main prop, being the tricycle. Thissymbolises transition and movement within the film, as we give importance to the prop, as it

channels the relationship to Billy from SAW. We also decided to name it The Three Wheels of

Horror as it creates an immediate enigma for the audience, as it is confusing at first, but then

watching the film makes the title make sense; which is another reason why we decided to add it

near the end of the sequence, so that there was a smooth flow, so that the audience is able to relate

and understand why the film has put emphasis on The Three Wheels. By having an unusual title, we

are able to attract more viewers, as it does not allow them to predict what is going to happen, and

therefore lose interest and no longer be scared, instead, it makes them more eager to want to watch

the film, and be completely aloof and clueless to what is going to happen, which is more likely to

scare them.


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Costume & Props:

The costume of our protagonist, does not

conform to the conventions of a typical horror

film, however does correspond with the theme

of school, although Ahmed is not dressed in

smart clothing, we can tell he is young, and is a

rebel, which is why he does not wear uniform.

Ahmed is a character who is portrayed to be an

anti-social outlaw, as his chain around his neck

symbolises him to be quite tough and

masculine, and almost mirroring the attitude of

not caring which allows the audience to gain

more insight into his character, and gives them

a reason why to understand Ahmed is indetention after school, and possibly hint at why

he disappears at the end of the sequence. We

did not want Ahmed to look innocent, as this

wouldnt be a sufficient contrast to his

vulnerability by the end of the sequence, and

this also is not a convention of the horror

genre, however ultimately will relate with the

audience better, and heighten the scare factor.

We took inspiration from a classic psychological

horror film, being SAW, as the antagonist almost

mirrors Billy who is Jigsaws puppet. As director,

I wanted to take inspiration from this character, as

I thought the purpose of the character suited the

film as a whole very well. The costume for this

character was a little harder to achieve, however

definitely does conform to the conventions of the

horror genre, as it displays a huge contrast in

costume and makeup, having innocent pyjamas

you would normally expect a young girl to wear,

however her face is masked by a distorted clown

face, (which is also quite similar to the face ofthejoker in batman. I wanted to keep the makeup

very dramatic, as this would therefore allow the

audience to recognise who the antagonist is. I

decided I would give her a white, pale face, with a

painted smile which almost resembles blood (to

create the scare factor) and dark eye makeup

which would begin at the brow bone and end

under the lower lash line, to create dark demon

eyes, and depth to give a threatening look.

I also had her hair bunched up into two ponytails, as I wanted to clearly portray her as a little

girl, who later reveals her ghastly, scary face. The

idea of having a clown face on a girl is

completely original, as it is not normally seen on

many horror films, however does still conform to

the conventions of the genre, as the antagonist

is presented to be some sort of

supernatural/scary being which should look like

they prove to be a threat to the antagonist, and

should not in any way be approachable.


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Props:

This was the main prop which was used in the production, as it is hinted at in the title of the film

itself, this is similar to what Billy uses in SAW, however the tricycle he uses looks as if it has been

hand crafted, using colours such as black, brown, red and a metal looking frame to emphasise the

dungeon/realm of torture aspect displayed in the film. We took a more modern take on the film, as

we wanted to get a tricycle that would suit a little child sat on it. The use of colour is not similar to

SAW, as we wanted to incorporate both bright colours, and a striking/shocking face, which would

visually stun the viewers. The use of a tricycle is not necessarily a convention of a horror film,

although can be recognised as our audience will most probably be familiar with the SAW films, or a

classic horror film such as the exorcist.

Story and how the opening sets it up:

In the opening of the film, the audience are shown

right at the beginning, a notice on the board which

reads Detention, Ahmed 3.10pm-5.40pm!- this

already tells the audience that Ahmed has

probably gotten into a lot of trouble, hence why

his detention is so long. Already the audience find

out that he is an outlaw and a rebel, which creates

both empathy and dislike towards the character,

which is not a full convention of a typical horror film. The way it does connote, is the empathy we as

an audience are supposed to feel for him, as he detained after school for so long, and looks glum and

unhappy, however an enigma is also created; why is he in detention for so long? What has he done

to deserve such a long detention? We then begin to feel some dislike/curiousness towards him as

well, because the audience are made unaware of the circumstance, which keeps their interest in the

film, to find out what will happen next. We are made aware that something bad is going to happen,

as a cause of his doings which allowed him to receive a very long detention after school. The

audience is also shown it ends at almost 6.00pm, which creates a dark and dreary atmosphere,

where Ahmed will be walking into the unknown, which is a very strong convention used in horror

films, as if the atmosphere/time is when no-one is around, it creates a scarier atmosphere. The


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location is justified by why Ahmed is there, to serve his detention, but an enigma is created here

which makes the audience wonder what he has done to deserve the detention.

Genre & how the opening suggests it:

Our product creates a lot of mystery, which is what

horror films use to heighten the shock of the

climax, as mystery and tension is built to a point

where the audience as completely sucked in and

want to see what happens next. Our opening

sequence uses immediate mystery, as to why

Ahmed is in detention; also when he leaves the

classroom, why the little girl is sat there crying, and

the POV shot as seen in the picture puts the audience in the actors shoes, which is a effective way ofcreating suspense as the audience sees what the actor sees, and become just as scared as the actor

would be in the situation. The picture itself creates an enigma, why is she crying so loud? What is she

doing after hours at school? What is going to happen? Which then leads to her revealing her face

and scaring Ahmed; her face also connotes the conventions of the genre as she has a distorted,

abstract clown face, which is threatening to the protagonist. Also, the backdrop of why Ahmed is in

detention makes the audience wonder what he has done: we wanted to channel the plot of SAW

into our production, the idea of paying for your bad deeds, and being punished. We wanted to

simplify it further, and show a young boy who disappears as a result of his wrong-doings. Which

therefore presents the film to be a horror film, and does contain aspects of the genre. Furthermore,

the use of the intense/overwhelming sound effect which builds tension very effectively is a common

sound used in horror films, and also the clock ticking, to show it is inevitable something bad is going

to happen to the protagonist. The face paced camera work and editing at the end also shocks the

audience, which is a convention of the horror genre as well.

How characters are introduced: Ahmed is introduced in the sequence in his detention,

completing his work, resting his hand on his head- this shows

the audience Ahmed is bored, tired, alone and un-entertained.

Furthermore, the fact that his teacher is sat right in front of him

at his desk, introduces the second actor in the sequence, Mr

Cole. It is almost a POV shot of Mr Cole looking at Ahmed in

disgust. Ahmed is therefore introduced as being in trouble, and

punished for something he has done wrong, foreshadowing

what will happen to him in the rest of the film.


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Camerawork, Editing & Special Effects:

The extreme close up of the clock foreshadowsAhmeds time is running out, and the special effect

of the time ticking emphasises this, and also lets

the audience know that Ahmeds detention is over.

This is for the audience to have a clear view of the

time at school, showing it is quite late, which could

mean trouble for Ahmed. (Foreshadowing is quite

significant in horror films, as they create ideas as to

what could happen next)

The camerawork here specifically captures what is

happening behind Ahmed, as Ahmed watches the

little girl in shock and amazement as she cycles

past looking directly at him. This shot was great as

it captured not only what was behind him, but his

facial expression, the use of a medium-close up

helped us achieve both these things. (A great way

to create mystery, which is another similarity to

the horror genre)

This shot was edited at a faster pace after the

little girl emerges from behind him, as when she

whisks him away, it is very quick and the use of a

chop sound effect adds to the shock. This

camerawork and editing helps to build up to the

climax, and scare the viewer as Ahmed is taken

away, and the chop sound could hint something

sinister has happened to him right away.

The little girl is introduced to the audience in a mysterious way,

she is hiding her face and her hair helps her to mask it

completely. We see one side of her; hear her crying whichshocks the audience and Ahmed. Thus creating an enigma; why

is she there? Why is she crying? Etc. In addition, the audience

can clearly see she is a little girl, using stereotypical girly

coloured pyjamas, being pink/purple. The antagonist creates

mystery and wonder as to why she is there.


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evaluation activity 1 (jaspreet)

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