Evaluation 1- Ciara Egan (7056)

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

Here are my 9 frames from our thriller opening:

Frame one:

Frame one is the establishing shot where the scene of the murder is instantly revealed. This close up, establishing shot reveals a mans hand covered in blood; foreshadowing that the film is based around a murder. 

Coinciding with this, the date of the murder appears in a typewriting font. The positioning of the text '14.02.17' is in the center of the screen suggesting that it is crucial towards the rest of the film opening. The date can also indicate that other parts of the film is set at a different time. The typewriting font of the date can be linked to an investigation suggesting that the film will be about the murder and what is revealed.

In terms of mise-end-scene the lighting is dim suggesting that this is a dark time; it also sets the dark and sinister tone for our opening. For props, the man also has a watch on indicating that it is a grown man that had dies and not a child.      





Frame two:
This is a medium close up of the perpetrator running away. For  this shot we decided to focus on the perpetrator's feet to emphasis that he's running away from the scene. This shot adds to the overall plot of our thriller indicating that they have murdered the person in the scene before.

The credit is in the bottom third left corner of the screen to ensure the emphasis is on the action. The font is the same as the date above, however it fades on and off of the screen to create a sense of mystery and represent the loss of the victim. All of the credits throughout our opening are in the same format, font and motion.

The lighting is similar to that in the first frame, conforming to the conventions of a thriller as it helps set a sinister tone; for this we used a filter on 'final cut pro'. For the perpetrator's clothing we decided to use boots and baggy jeans to indicate that that the perpetrator is a man 

Frame three:
Frame three is a long shot of the perpetrator running away. This may challenge certain thriller conventions as we see the escape of the murder from a first person perspective. We achieved this my not using a tripod, but instead using a hand held camera technique of Hannah running with the camera. 

In terms of lighting we used naturalistic lighting as it was a sunny day. This contrasted well with darkness provided by the shady trees allowing the light to shine through creasing a sinister tone. 

Frame Four:

This frame is a long shot of a photo frame with the victim's family (and the main protagonist) pictured inside it. The shot zooms in on the photo which we slowed down on final cut pro to show more focus on the family.

In terms of lighting, due to the time of day we filmed this shot the sun is setting which can be sen through the shutters on the window. This lighting of the sun going down can represent the loss of the farther in the photo.

The title of the film appears a in the centre of the scene in a white typewrite font that fades in and out similar to our credits. This conforms to the typical conventions of a thriller as it is similar to the opening title of 'Gone Girl' (Flynn, 2014); another thriller that creates mystery.

Frame five:
Frame five is a close up of the photo. This is a slow motion zoom in on the photo to symbolise its importance and the importance of family; specifically to the main protagonist. The shot looses focus as it gets closer blurring out the family's faces showing a lack of emotion and the loss of the farther. As well as this the lack of focus and disorientation also shows how the family will never be together again.

The colour of the frame also conforms to thriller conventions as the photo is in black and white and the lighting coming through the shutter is also mainly cool tones resulting in dullness creating a sinister tone.

Frame Six:

Frame six is a medium close up of the protagonist reflected in the mirror. This shot shows the protagonist at her weakest and most vulnerable. The shot loses focus in the mirror showing how the protagonist views herself as disorientated and confused.

The naturalistic lighting originally created an upbeat tone which we didn't want for our thriller and in particular this scene so we added a filter on final cut pro to make the scene seem more dull and eerie, similar to other thrillers like gone girl, which conforms to typical thriller conventions.   



Frame seven:
Frame seven is another mirror extreme close up; however the refection of the protragonist in the mirror is more of a medium shot. 

This scene marks the end of the credits and the beginning of the action in the film which does not necessarily conform to the typical conventions of a thriller die to the brighter lighting and the upbeat music used at this point. However this is a flashback as the date in the frame shows which we later changed to 'The Day Before...'  to make it clearer for our audience however, typical thriller conventions are shown later.

Frame eight:
This is a medium long shot of the protagonist leaving the bedroom after getting ready. The shot homes in on a sign on the wall saying 'you light up my life'. This sign suggests that the mans hand seen in frame one is the person that lights up the protagonists life. This is later revealed in frame nine that is is the protagonists 'dad'.

The lighting is once again bright showing that this is a positive time in the protagonists life. This scene leads on to 'match on action' conforming to continuity editing creating a sense of verisimilitude for the audience and making them believe they are watching real events in real time.



Frame nine:
Frame nine shows a mid shot of the protagonist leaving the house. Naturalistic lighting is shown as the door is opened which contrasts with the dim lighting inside the house foreshadowing that something dark and sinister may happen; conforming to typical conventions of a thriller.

In terms of non dietetic sound, the busy world outside is also revealed as the door is opened contrasting with the tranquillity and safety of the home. The first part of dialogue in the film is also revealed, consisting of 'bye dad, love you', foreshadowing that something may happen to the protagonists dad as she is saying 'bye'.