Question 1 -In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products ?By Louise Fisher 6081

Titling Video Response

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Camera MovementA sci-fi horror film conventionally uses tracking shots to establish the characters role as a victim, as the shot may suggest they are being followed or watched, our opening sequence challenges this as we have used a handheld camera through-out.

We did this as we believed it would make our media product more successful as the audience is now put in the position of the victim making the opening sequence seem more realistic and terrifying. However this unconventional use of shots is becoming more and more popular in the 21st century of horror films as producers are using it to present films as actual documentations to make the audience believe they are real, for example paranormal activity which has no opening title or credits and simple informs the audience that the footage has been ‘found’ and is a true story. 

Example of handy cam film technique in ‘Paranormal Activity’

Conventionally, close up shots and extreme close ups are used to capture the emotion that the character is feeling and builds tension for the viewer. For our opening sequence we used a combinations of close ups with the handy ham, which exaggerates the characters sense of distraught and panic in the scene. The extreme close ups used on the characters face when she looks away from the camera scared create a sense of mystery as the viewer is left to their own imagination to visualize what the character is seeing.

The film ‘Cloverfield’ also uses close ups with the handy cam to reveal the characters deep emotions and to establish a connection with the viewer to feel as if they are in the position of the character. High camera angles are also used to imply a characters position; generically in horror movies the victim is shown from a high camera angle to signify their weakness. However we challenged these conventions and used low angles affectively in order to emphasize and captivate the characters distressed state of mind. 

Framing a shot and Camera angle

From Cloverfield

From our opening sequence ‘Feedback’

Dark clothing has the same connotations with the evil characters, where as the victims in horror films are usually seen as more vulnerable with the fewer clothes they wear. We aimed to use this convention by showing the character ripped tights in order to communicate to the viewer her predicament. For example Psycho has a famous scene in which the protagonist is naked in a shower and with a combination of extreme close ups is shown as a targeted and weak character.

Mise-en-sceneGenerally low key lighting is used for the perpetrator which connotates evilness, darkness and wrong doing. This is contrasted with high key lighting for the main protagonist in the film to show their vulnerability and innocence. By challenging these conventions and using dark lighting throughout my media product, a bigger sense of fear is introduced to the audience in which they immediately sympathise with the character. For example The Blair Witch Project the lighting is constantly shone on the protagonist face to reinforce her exposure and helplessness.

The Blair Witch Project

Our film ‘Feedback’

For our opening sequence we chose the location of dark woods to isolate the characters from the world in order for them to appear more helpless and as if they are being trapped inside.

This is similar to Blair witch Project which also used the location of a woods in which they became lost and trapped, to be picked off one by one. This is a typical convention of a horror movie in which we wanted to follow in order to make the film seem realistic as the location would be a familiar site to the viewers.

Mise-en-scene

The Blair Witch Project Location

Feedback Location, Streatham Common

Sci-fi/horror films tend to use sharp cuts, these are used to keep a fast pace narrative and to build tension throughout the opening, long takes are also used to create fear and suspense. Typically a horror/sci-fi film is never shot in the order that the events happen, partly because they want the audience to feel included and to try and work out the storyline. We developed this convention by filming the end of an event first, which draws the audience straight into the action and leaves them wanting to watch more to find out what happens to the protagonist. In our opening sequence ‘Feedback’ we used this convention of sharp cuts to build up a sense of speed and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The film ‘aliens’ also uses sharp cuts throughout the narrative to keep the suspense of the fear of the unknown.

Editing

Disturbing sounds are especially important in horror and sci-fi films, generally low pitched and dreary music helps to set the mood and scene, however occasional high pitched sounds create tension and make the audience jump. Horror films tend to emphasize ambient diegetic sounds like footsteps and rustling from bushes, they also use non-diegetic sounds like heartbeats to emphasize the fear. We challenged this convention by not using any particular sound in our opening sequence, however we used diegetic sounds like footsteps and heavy breathing to build up fear, also we didn’t want to include any music to keep the film as realistic as possible, the blair witch project also doesn’t use music for this same reason – arguably the silence itself can be more frightening than music.

Sound

Click for a typical horror movie non-diegetic sound from the film ‘Psycho’

Click for example of ‘Feedback’ digetic sounds used throughout the opening sequence

Narrative TheoryHorror films generally vary their beginnings, the majority begin with an equilibrium (Tsvetan Todorov Theory - all stories start in a state of equilibrium, which is then disrupted, setting in a motion a chain of events. The resolution of the story is the creation of anew/different equilibrium) and as the storyline progresses it develops into a disequilibrium. However, we decided as a group that we want our film to start off with a disequilibrium as it will keep the audience on the edge of their seat, trying to figure out what is going on. We can compare the beginning narrative of our film Feedback with the film Memento because it also begins with a disequilibrium as a hand at the beginning of the opening scene holds a Polaroid photograph of a bloody scene. Mement

oFeedback