Question 1

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

Film opening

I believe our media product looks like a film opening because it’s short and from the beginning of our film opening to the end you are able to understand what's happening. We have included credits and also incorporated micro elements and Crime/Thriller conventions which I will be talking in further detail. At the start of our film we have included Newline Cinema ident as they will be distributing our film and you would expect to see this in the beginning of the film opening. Our title gives an indication to our audience it’s a crime/thriller film because the font and colours we have chosen signifies death, crime, mystery etc.

Mostly all film opening start off with a company’s ident who is distributing them.

Our main title Fracture is going to be shown straight after the montage to indicate to our audience what type of genre our film is because the font we have chosen shows broken, death, crime etc and it’s the type of font you would expect to see in a Crime/Thriller film. It also has scars on it which connotes sadness and depression. The font is big and out there and stands out.

The type of font we have chosen for our actors, editor, production designer, cameraman etc is very basic and simple, but also indicates our film is Crime/Thriller because it looks scary and broken and this is the type of message we’re trying to imply as our strapline is “She’s far too broken”.

We decided to use a bold font for our main title Fracture because it screams out danger, crime, unsafe etc and would grab the audience’s attention. The colours we have chosen also signify crime/thriller because it’s white with black lines on it. I did research on the type of fonts other successful films have used and the majority of them have used a bold font and this grabs the audience’s attention because its eye catching. We have placed the fonts in an order which you would expect to see in every film from the actors name to the director’s name.

Conventions

Before we started filming our film opening we did research beforehand on what type of conventions are mostly used in Crime/Thriller films and this had helped me understand what type of conventions we should incorporate to make sure our audience understand it’s a Crime/Thriller film. We also asked our target audience what type of conventions they expect to see in a Crime/Thriller film and therefore we incorporated it into our film.

Conventions used in other Crime/Thriller films: (Now you see me 2)

- Low key lighting - Tension music - Fast cut - Protagonist and antagonist - Weapons such as; guns, handcuffs, etc - Police station

Conventions we used in our film opening; - Black and white shots

Handcuffs

Low key lighting

Gun

- Weapons such as; gun, handcuffs - Antagonist and protagonist - Fast cuts - Police station - Scary movements such as; Slide and roundabout - Money

We decided to use these conventions in our film opening because it would create suspense for the audience and engage them to carry on watching our film. In our film there is a problem that needs to be solved, so by using these conventions it gives hints to the audience on who the serial killer is and also helps them to understand the characters. I watched previous AS student’s film opening for our chosen genre which is Crime/Thriller and it helped me understand what type of fonts we should use and how we can represent our film opening is crime/thriller it also helped me to understand what type of props, costumes, lighting etc we should use in our film opening to make it more realistic and create adrenaline for the audience.

Location We wanted our film to look professional as this would make our target audience think our film is going to be good, so therefore at the beginning of our film we took shots of the central London and used it at the beginning of our film and this would help our audience understand where the film is being set and they are able to relate to it as our target audience are White British males aged 16-24. We used several of locations for our film opening because they would understand what’s happening in each scene.

We decided to use a train station as our next location because it signified the characters in our film travels a lot and you would expect to see a train station in crime/thriller films because the antagonist and the protagonist are always escaping from each other.

This was our second location we decided to use. This scene was set in the bathroom you can see the actor walking in the bathroom and taking her pills. This scene is very tense as she walks directly into the bathroom and swallows the pills as quickly as possible and this follows the conventions of Crime/Thriller because majority of Crime/Thriller drugs are involved. We incorporated effects when she walks in the bathroom and this creates suspense for the audience

We used pan for his scene to establish the actor works at a police station. In majority of Crime/Thriller films police officers are always involved to solve the problem and therefore we followed the conventions and incorporated a police station in our film as Eliza is a detective and works at the police station.

In majority of Crime/Thriller films they usually show an establishing shot of a famous location and therefore as a group we decided to at the beginning of our film there should be a pan shot of Madison Rooftop Restaurant to create realism as it’s a well known location.

This scene was taken at a house usually in Crime/Thriller films the protagonist or antagonist is defeated and we decided to follow the conventions as you can see Eliza is depressed as she realises she’s a murderer and turns herself in. We added effects and this would grab the audience’s attentions.

Costume and Props

As I was production designer I wanted to make sure the costume and props we decided to use matched our genre which is Crime/Thriller and it gave a clear idea to the audience on what was happening in the scene. The costume the actor wears is very casual representing everyday clothes you would expect to wear and therefore the audience are able to relate to the character. Before we finalised the costumes the actor would wear we asked our target audience what type of costume would you expect in a Crime/Thriller film and they said casual clothes. The props they said they would like to see in our film are handcuffs, knife, gun etc. We decided not to include a knife in our film because it would be a hazard to the pedestrians as we were filming in public.

She’s taking a pill which signifies she has an illness and this connotes without the pills she would not be able to survive because she needs it daily and it also tells the audience something is wrong with Eliza. This allows the audience to think more deep and engages them to carry on watching. She’s also wearing a golden ring which connotes she’s in a relationship and engaged. In this scene she walks into the bathroom again, but she’s wearing a different costume. Eliza is a detective and works at the police station and therefore is wearing a smart white shirt and a black tie this connotes she has a lot of power, high status and knowledge and puts a lot of effort in the way she dresses.

This scene tells the audience Eliza is a detective and works at the police station as her desk is full of paperwork

Editing and camera

In our film opening we decided to incorporate many shots in order to create suspense and allow the audience to make sense of what is happening. We decided fast pace editing would be suitable for our film because it would make it more dramatic and create excitement for the audience. You would usually expect to see face paced editing in Crime/Thriller films. These are the shots we decided to incorporate in our film opening. We tried to incorporate many conventions by using camera angles. There will be a lot of close ups during the film opening to allow the audience to understand how the character is feeling and they can see her emotions.

Camera angles we included;

Close up Mid shot Point of view shot Over the shoulder shot Long shot Pan

Focus pull

One type of shot you’re more likely to see in a Crime/Thriller film is a pan shot. It indicates to the audience where the film is being set. We used a pan shot for Madison Rooftop Restaurant this is a well known place in London and since our target audience are white British

In this scene Eliza is wearing a black coat and black jeans this connotes she’s confused because the facial expression she has shown implies she doesn’t know what she’s doing. And she’s wearing a completely different costume. Eliza is holding a gun in her hand which connotes she committed a crime and is a criminal.

One type of shot you’re more likely to see in a Crime/Thriller film is a pan shot. It indicates to the audience where the film is being set. We used a pan shot for Madison Rooftop Restaurant this is a well known place in London and since our target audience are white British

We used a close up for the gun because it plays an important role in our film it also implies the audience should pay attention to the gun. The gun we have used is a toy gun and it doesn’t look realistic, so we will edit our gun black and white to make it look more believable. A gun is a very common prop you would expect to see in a Crime/Thriller film because it’s a murder weapon and therefore this creates suspense for the audience.

We used a focus pull for this shot this connotes the pills play an important part in our film because it stops Eliza from getting ill. This tells the audience they should be paying attention to the pills because it’s very important in our film.

In this scene we used a long shot to allow the audience to visualise the background for the location. The location in the background is dimly lit which connotes mystery and dangerous.

Sound

The sound we will be incorporating will be dramatic and therefore would grab the audience’s attention because it would add atmosphere to the scene. There will be a voice over in the background to allow the audience to make sense of our storyline. When Eliza walks into the bathroom and takes pills the sound gradually increases to add atmosphere to the action and enhance excitement for the audience. We have also included foley sounds in our film opening.

Police sirens connote emergency and treat and this enhances suspense for the audience. The background music at the beginning of our film opening connotes time is passing by very quickly.

Birds’ chipping in the park area is something you would expect to hear and therefore makes it more realistic it also makes the audience feel scared because they would think something is going to pop out.

Foot-steps when Eliza is walking to the police station adds atmosphere to the action and makes it more realistic.

In this scene we used a focus pull the camera is placed behind the tree which connotes someone is watching Eliza. This creates suspense for the audience because they would be eager to find out what will happen next. And usually in Crime/Thriller films someone is always watching a certain character.

In this scene we used a cut when Eliza wakes up with a gun in her hand she’s confused. We then incorporated a cut when Eliza is in the park and walking and then faints suddenly this connotes Eliza is depressed and stressed.

Storyline and how the opening sets it up

There will be a voice over to explain what is happening in the small town in Everdeen and this will allow the audience to make sense of the storyline. As you can see at the beginning of the shot there are several of props we have decided to use and all of them signify a meaning. Eliza uses those props during the film. She used the gun to kill several of people. Handcuffs represent her being caught and taken to jail. The ring represents her being engaged. And the pills tell the audience Eliza has a mental illness. There will then be a time lapse when Eliza walks into the bathroom three times wearing a different costume each time implying time has passed. And this will keep the audience interested in what will happen next and why she keeps taking the pills. Eliza then walks into the police station and this is where she works. Eliza is in the park and wakes up with a gun in her hand and this would lead to the audience being confused in why she has a gun in her hand. She’s back in her house and wakes up with the gun in her hand again and this creates suspense for the audience. At the end Eliza lies down on her bed crying.

Genre and how the opening sets it up

Our genre is Crime and Thriller and this is represented throughout our film opening Fracture. We have included several of conventions which you would expect to see in a Crime and Thriller movie such as; low key lighting, weapons (handcuffs and gun), tension music, police station etc. The costume the character wears is causal and something you would wear every day. Eliza is a detective and works at the police station she wears a white shirt with a black tie and you would expect a detective to wear this type of costume as it connotes she has a lot of knowledge, high status and power. The music we have incorporated also helps to set the genre of our film because we have included dramatic and suspenseful music something you would expect to hear in a Crime and Thriller film. The effects we have included in our film also imply our film is a Crime and Thriller film because it connotes danger, unsafe, crime etc.

How characters are introduced

Our main character Eliza is introduced when she walks into the bathroom during this scene a mid shot is used. She walks into the bathroom three times

and wears a different costume each time and swallows a pill each time this signifies she is ill. In this scene Eliza looks worried and scared. Eliza is in the park and wakes up with the gun in her hand looking confused and this creates suspense for the audience. During this Eliza starts panicking a lot and trying to figure out what was happening and this tells the audience Eliza is depressed, stressed, worried and scared.

Special effects

I did a lot of research and found out in Crime and Thriller films there is low key lighting to connote mystery, suspense, unsafe, tension etc to grab the audience’s attention. And therefore when we edited our film we added effects and made the scene darker in order to engage with the audience. We also decided to add black and white shots as it will make our film more dramatic and create tension for the audience. This would create suspense for the audience and eager to find out what will happen next. At the end of our film we have included ghost effect to create suspense, adrenaline, and a scary moment for the audience.

This is the ghosting effect we decided to add at the end of our film opening to imply Eliza has a twin, Ivy. This makes the audience feel confused and think more deeper.