AS Media OCR Evaluation Question: forms and conventions
- 1. In what ways does your film opening use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 2. As a thriller/horror, our opening attempted to include both the intention of violence to coincide with horror, and an investigation into the source of the enigma to follow conventions of a thriller. These two genres are represented clearly within the two separate sequences within our opening. The establishing shot and first scene being in the woods; following three characters running for their lives just before their death (working for both genres), and the following scene being a flashback in a home office and two detectives discussing a string of murders that are later linked to the first sequence
- 3. Conventions are challenged through primarily our filming. We wanted our sequence to be slightly different to other products out there within our genre, so we decided to film the scene of the dead bodies with a first-person, hand-held shot that resembles a found footage film. It is a technique that is not seen often and gives our opening something unique.
- 4. Our settings were largely stereotypical for an investigation and a murder. The woods would be an obvious place to hide a dead body and/or commit a murder thanks to its seclusion and foliage; with a home office being a tranquil, neutral place to begin an investigation for a detective. However, the fact that he (Detective Blake) did not begin this research at work makes the whole situation more personal to the character and opens up many questions, some leading to a ‘thrilling’ conclusion.
- 5. In terms of sound, the first scene featuring our found footage filming type did not include any diegetic sound which challenges what is usually seen in thrillers or horrors. While diegetic sound can add tension, the fact that our sequence goes without it in combination with our shaky-cam, found footage effect, it makes the entire sequence more realistic; something that some horrors lack due to their tendency to be overly-dramatic.