Question 1; in what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 1. Question 1; In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? By Katie Wright
- 2. Genre – Horror/Slasher • Our genre theme for our film opening was Horror, in which the sub- genre was Slasher. • Throughout our production process, my team and I tried our best to keep to the genre theme, and in the end I believe we didn’t subvert the conventions connected to our genre.
- 3. Titles • We called our film “Tracks of Damnation” as it linked to our narrative about a deranged train driver. • The film was set in a railway track setting, in which relates back to the title as railway links in with tracks and by referring to it as “damnation” adds an element of doom and fear. • The title typography reflects the conventional themes of the genre as it has a “slashed” appearance, and also uses red colours in the titles. • This is typical for a Slasher as red is associated with blood, which links in heavily with murder which also links back to Slasher. • Also the slashed appearance makes it look as if it was slashed with a knife, which is a popular tool used in a Slasher film.
- 4. Titles • When it came to designing our typography, we collected a variety of typography's from other Slasher themed styles online and put them together to create a mood board;
- 5. Titles • After doing some research into titles, we then put together some of our favourite styles from fontspace.com and asked the audience which one they preferred;
- 6. Titles • In terms of reflecting the conventions, we often referred back to other films that did this • An example of a Slasher film that reflects to the conventions is Friday the 13th (1980); • Much like with our typography, the text has a ridged look, which appears to be slashed onto the screen with a knife. • There also appears to be a red “blood” splatter, which also relates back to our text using the red colouring for our typography. • Both these points relate back to the conventions of horror films as they both have typical themes that are expected within the narrative which is used in the title e.g. blood, knives, etc.
- 7. Opening credits • With the credits, we needed an order in which suited the genre of the film and fitted in with conventions. • So we could get an idea about the ordering, we did some research on the opening credits of other Slasher film openings.
- 8. Opening credits Halloween (1978) order: • Production Company • Film Producer • Actor • Titles • Film Producer • Main Character • Screenplay • Director of Photography • Film editors • Music • Associate producers • Production Manager • Production Designer • Executive Producer • Produced by • Directed by
- 9. Opening credits • What we learned from investigating the opening of Halloween was not only the ordering of the credits, but the style. We realised that the opening credits stuck with the same typography as the title, so we used the same idea for our opening credits as it would then create an identity for our typography and make it recognisable.
- 10. Opening credits • We chose to animate the opening credits to make it appear to jump around the screen. This was to create an unsettling effect in which worked well with the typography and suited the conventions of the sub-genre (Slasher).
- 11. Characters • Conventionally in Slasher films the antagonist is mysterious, dangerous and their identity isn’t often shown until the end of the film opening. • These conventions have been made to create an intense and nerving feeling towards the antagonist, which shows the target audience that they’re a character to be feared. • We used a variety of close ups and blurry camera techniques for the element of mystery. • The props we used were sharp so it implemented an element of danger. • We built up the suspense before revealing the antagonists identity at the end of the film opening. • We therefore stuck to the conventions of a Slasher film opening.
- 12. Characters • This antagonist from “Nightmare on elm street” is a good example of an antagonist that follows the conventions of the sub-genre Slasher. • He has used makeup for distorted features in the facial department which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and adds to the element of fear. • His weapon used to kill his “victims” are claws which is a part of his iconic look. • The sharp claws also implement an element of danger and makes the audience unsettled. • His identity wasn’t revealed at the end of the opening but this is also conventional for the sub-genre as it creates mystery and leaves the audience hooked.
- 13. Characters • Rather than claws, our antagonist has an axe. • He also wears an art mask to keep his identity hidden which still creates an element of fear. • Our antagonist also relates to our setting of an abandoned train track (psycho train conductor) which differs from the antagonist from Nightmare on elm street who’s character doesn’t relate to its setting (peoples nightmares). • Our antagonist still sticks to the conventions but kills off the victim at the beginning of the film, meaning that its identity is revealed sooner and doesn’t build up as much suspense.
- 14. Characters • Our narrative used a secondary character to allow the audience to establish the ways of the antagonist. • This is conventional for a film opening in a Slasher film, but wasn’t used in Nightmare on Elm Street, which had a female protagonist so we could follow her story. • It conventional both ways to either have secondary characters or protagonists in the opening. It reveals the antagonists style; whether they stalk down their victims and kill them slowly or to hunt and kill swiftly and quickly in the masses.
- 15. Characters • What was unconventional about our secondary character was that we used a male rather than a female. • It is conventional to use female characters in Slasher film openings as they are seen as weak and helpless in which the audience are more likely to feel empathy for. • Although it subverts the conventions, by using a male secondary character we can show the audience that no one is safe from the antagonist regardless of gender, which makes them feel a sense of insecurity.
- 16. Characters • What was conventional about our secondary character is that he is a teenager/young adult. • This is conventional for a Slasher film as Teens/young adults are common targets because they are the most vulnerable group, but also most relatable to the target audience.
- 17. Characters • An example of a film that uses a secondary character in their film opening would be Halloween (1978). • The antagonist in the opening kills his sister, who is featured briefly in the film opening which quickly explains her back story before she is killed. • Like with Halloween, we briefly explained our secondary characters backing story before he was killed. • We used the prop of a prom photo to show him surrounded by friends. • This tells the audience he was a popular and likeable character which makes the audience feel empathy for the character, and also makes them dislike the antagonist.
- 18. Settings/Locations • For our setting, we set up two locations to create a dual narrative. • One setting for the film opening was in a garage, however the whereabouts of this location is unknown to the audience. • This was used as a space for the antagonist to prepare for his kill. • This is a conventional setting for the sub-genre as it is small area with lots of low key lighting and surrounded by sharp tools. • This then creates a nerving atmosphere with lots of tension which draws in the target audience.
- 19. Settings/Location • I used an example from the opening setting in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as inspiration for the film opening. • In the opening of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the antagonist is preparing his instruments of torture in a workshop. • There are a variety of close up and extreme close up shots so even though you cant see the rest of the location or the antagonist, you can see the tools laid out on a bench top. • I took inspiration from this and used it in our own film, using different editing and lighting techniques so that it made our film more unique.
- 20. Settings/Location • This choice of location wasn’t part of the original plan. • My team and I added this location in to create a dual narrative when it was realised the film opening was too short. • When we added this location, we were running short of time and we needed a place we could access conveniently so filming could be done after school or during free periods. • It was then suggested we were to film in Charlotte’s (my team associate) garage as her house was local, accessible and a short walk from the school.
- 21. Settings/Locations • Our second setting we used for our dual narrative was in a local woodland setting which surrounded an abandoned train track. • We used this idea of an abandoned train track to form the basis of our narrative so this was a location we came back to frequently. • This is a convention setting for a narrative featured in a Slasher film as it is an abandoned location, which suggests that there is no one around nearby for help. • It is also conventional as it is a setting with low key lighting and surrounded by woodland, which creates an eerie and mysterious effect.
- 22. Setting/Location • An example of a Slasher film that uses woods as a setting in the opening is Friday the 13th (1980). • In the opening, the antagonist hunts down the secondary character in a chase sequence in the woods. • We took this inspiration for ours but instead of having a chase sequence with face paced camera movements and long shots, we had our secondary character walking slowly and steady to build up tension and atmosphere.
- 23. Settings/Location • Even though the pace of Friday the 13th was different, it still sticks to the conventions of a Slasher film. • It was set in a woodland location, in which is used to set tension and suspense in that it is in a remote area where the antagonist could easily hide. • There is also a lot of low key lighting which adds to the suspense and atmosphere.
- 24. Settings/Location • Our location for our film was set in Chacombe, which is very local, but a fair walk from the school. • We used it as it was the only train track nearby which was surrounded by woodland areas and was convenient for the cast and crew to travel to. • The vast distance in which we had to travel to caused issues as it meant we spent more time getting to our location then filming at the location. • For the last couple shots in the film, we didn’t use this location as the deadline was closing in quicker than we expected, and so we filmed these shots in the woodland area behind the school field, which we were able to do during free period and took less than 30 minutes.
- 25. Costumes • Conventionally in a Slasher film, the antagonist wears dark clothing; often long and baggy and can also be torn and tattered. • They also either wear masks to hide their identity or use makeup effects to distort the facial features. • In our film opening, we stuck to these conventions and used dark, baggy clothing as well as a mask for the antagonist. • Black clothing is conventional as black is a colour typically associated with darkness or “evil”.
- 26. Costumes • The costume is used to describe the character in way so that the audience understand about their persona. • With our antagonist, the black clothing used tells the audience he’s a “dark” and “evil/dangerous” character, which then reflects on the narrative.
- 27. Costumes • Conventionally in a slasher film, the secondary character/ protagonist (typically a teenager or young adult) would wear casual clothing that relates to their characters persona and social status (e.g. jock, geek, etc) as well as clothing that reflects the time period it was set. • In modern films such as the remake of nightmare on elm street (2010) protagonist wears casual clothing to it seem relatable to the modern target audience. • However, in classic slasher films such as Halloween (1978), the protagonist wears a dress, which in these times would be considered old fashioned, but was modern and fashionable to the audiences of the 1970’s.
- 28. Costumes • To make our secondary character modern and relatable, we used his costume to tell the target audience about his social status and personality. • The hoodie is a common and casual style amongst modern day teens, and also has a logo from a popular clothes shop “Hollister”, which is relatable with the target audience. • The backwards cap look is typically associated with a “thug”, which reflects the characters social status. • The general look we were aiming for was a thug appearance, which tells the audience he’s a tough guy with a popular status.
- 29. Camera work • Conventionally in an opening of a slasher film, there are lots of close ups of the secondary character/protagonist during the climax. • A large variety of shots can be used but close ups are most commonly used. • There may also be an establishing shot, to show the audience the location as to give them hints about where the murder takes place.
- 30. Camera work • An example of a film that follows these conventions is Halloween (1978). • The opening starts in a low key setting with a long shot of the front of a house. • The camera then pans across to show a pumpkin, which stands out on the set as it is well lighten (high key lighting) and also symbolises the film title (Halloween) as well as creates a setting. • The effect of the camera panning across the porch makes the audience feel as if they saw things from the perspective of first person, which sets a narrative up for the target audience (conventionally in slasher films, first person perspective means that the audience is seeing things in the eyes of the killer so they don't know who the killer is yet, which creates suspense).
- 31. Camera work • The use of no camera cuts shows the path of the killer, but also that it is from a first person perspective. • The camera then pans around the corner of the house to a window view of two characters in which the dialogue then sets up a narrative for the audience to follow. • The effect of having "first person perspective" look into the window creates a tension of the teenagers being watched by the killer making the target audience feel uneasy.
- 32. Camera work Long shot of the door, which then pans across to show pumpkin (high key lighting) Continuous/panning shot with no camera cuts First person perspective; shows from point of view of the antagonist
- 33. Camera work • Unlike Halloween, our narrative opening starts with a medium long shot of a long, black coat rather than an establishing shot. • This is followed by a collection of medium close ups, close ups and extreme close ups. • We used these variety of close-ups to show different parts of the killer without revealing his face or identity. • This would then create tension as the antagonist remains mysterious to the audience. • We also used blur effect on the camera and focused it in and out of the objects in the shot to create more suspense.
- 34. Camera work Medium long shot (MLS) Big Close-up (BCU) Close-up (CU)
- 35. Camera work • We then did a crabbing shot when the camera crabbed up the reveal a radio. This was timed in time with the diegetic news report added onto the clip. • We chose to do this shot as it shows the news being reported to a normal everyday home, which makes it more relatable to the target audience. • We also did a shot of a laptop with a prom photo as the background, in which the camera then zoomed into the face of the protagonist which is revealed in the next shot. • This tells the audience more about the characters back story and social status, which makes them feel empathy as by zooming in onto his face suggests he is the next victim for the antagonist.
- 36. Camera work Panning up to reveal close-up of radio Zoom into a big close-up of the laptop
- 37. Camera work • The next shot shows a woodland location, in which the secondary character walks into the shot. • In this sequence, most of the shots used are close-ups of the characters face, which is used to show the fear expressed on his face. • These variety of close ups are also used so the audience cant see the antagonist coming which then creates tension, in which fear is also imposed by the look on the characters face. • Other shots used include a long shot of the character walking past and a big close up of his foot in mud. • These are used to add to the build up of tension, in which the long shot establishes the location and the big close up is so the audience cant see what’s in the rest of the location.
- 38. Camera work Establishing shot Medium shot (MS) Big close-up (BCU)
- 39. Camera shot • As the antagonist is about to strike, there is a close-up shot, in which the camera pans around the character. • We used the panning effect as picked up the pace, and it tracked around the victim which projects panic and fear. We used a close up so the audience could see the fear on his face, which again tells them the antagonist is about to strike. • There is then a low angle medium shot of the antagonist which only lasts about half a second. • The shot was set at a low angle to put the antagonist at a dominating height. Also, the use of a medium shot shows majority of the antagonist but also without revealing too much so it keeps the audience hooked and wanting more.
- 40. Camera work • The last shot in the film opening shows a Big close up of the secondary character face. This shot lasts for about half a second, which is enough time to show the audience the details within the scene to give hints that he was killed. • This then shows that the antagonist is powerful and unstoppable which adds to the fear of the audience.
- 41. Camera work Close up; camera pans around subject Low angle; medium shot Big close-up
- 42. Editing • Editing was of key importance to piece together our final piece. • We used Premiere pro to edit the clips together plus Garageband for the music. • After filming our clips, we realised that the lighting in each of our shots were at a different brightness, so we put dark filters over the top of them. • This not only adjusted the clips so they were at the same brightness levels, but it also helped to create an atmosphere.
- 43. Editing • Throughout most of our opening, the editing was fast paced and timed perfectly with the incidental music. • The use of fast paced editing creates a driving, unnerving feeling for the audience which in present throughout the entire opening because it is consistent. • Another editing technique that was added for effect in our film opening was the fade animation. • This was commonly used, in which the clip would fade into darkness for a nerving and mysterious effect.
- 44. Editing • The use of fade also allows a transition between the dual narrative which lets the audience know what’s happening from both sides of the story. • Sound effects were used to create atmosphere and also give hints towards the narrative. • For example, we used a distorted train whistle to relate to the setting and the antagonist (psycho train driver), but the distorted effect added also created an unnerving effect.
- 45. Editing • During the garage sequence, we used a flashing light effect rather than dark filters. • This was so we could use low key lighting at our setting, but by then using sudden flashes of high key lighting, the audience can’t fully make out the distinguishable features which adds to atmosphere and tension.