1 Evaluation Questions: What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products

Question 1. What ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.

• Frame 1 & 2: We have used a male protagonist, which is unconventional for a horror film, as people tend to prefer a girl as a protagonist because her vulnerability can be clearly shown as opposed to a bout, therefore the thrill of the movie is enhanced. However we have used a male because we are playing around with the cliché ‘a dog is a man’s best friend’. This explains why the male goes after the dog when the dog runs off, whereas realistically a female wouldn’t do this. Therefore the audience will still be able to see the vulnerability of the boy, and it will still be able to deliver that same thrill.. An example of how this has worked in the past is ‘I am Legend’, where the audience got attached to the dog and the male, and felt how vulnerable they are.

• Frame 3 & 4: Again we have challenged the typical conventions of a horror genre. Firstly the     watermarks on the screen were decided in our planning stage. We’ve done this to add that natural feel to the film, it is effective, as the audience will start to question that if the filming is natural (unconventional), then this production company might be slightly more unpredictable when it comes down to the fearful parts of the film- this will already start to ooze into the audience. We can’t take all the credit for this idea as we did take the ‘natural’ filming concept from a film called ‘Easy Rider’ in 1969; it was a very good film partly because of the unique filming style. Furthermore this filming style is what separates us from other films within the industry, this is our USP. So we’ll be attracting more film fanatics as well as the horror fanatics who want to see something different, but still deliver that same thrill of a horror.

The watermark discussed above is evident here.

There is no filter on the camera, so the sunlight is exposed to the lens, giving it that natural effect.

• Frame 5 & 6:  However in order for our media product to fulfil the genre of a horror we had to include some of the classic conventions. Our location was particularly disturbing, it looked very hostile due to the shattered glass, graffiti and the fact that the house was submerged in darkness with no light entering or leaving the house. This location was perfect for the story of our film, and was very effective in displaying the eeriness of the site. This makes the audience anxious as to what is lurking in the house.

• Frame 7,8 & 9: The non-diegetic sound (music), was high-pitched and sounded very mechanical, which produced an unpleasant sound. This created an uncomfortable viewing experience for the audience. The music added to the tension and suspense of the film opening, this is very important, as it is critical to capture the audience’s attention in the first seconds, in order to make them keep watching. The music played a big role in the later stages of the opening when the dog enters the house, as the music is what heightens the suspense and makes the audience aware that something is going to happen.