Evaluation Q1

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


There are many aspects that are expected in a normal thriller. Justice vs injustice is usually included, although there is usually a blurred line between good and bad. Atmosphere of menace, violence, crime, murder and mystery. Characters may have to escape from a dangerous mission from which escapes seems impossible. Enigmas are usually included in classic Hollywood thrillers, which is a mystery surrounding the plot. Society may be seen as dark and corrupt. Literary devices such as plot twists, red herrings or cliff hangers. Morally complex characters deadlines, chases and pursuits are also expected in the thriller genre. The thriller genre also includes sub genres including: Mystery, crime, paranoid and political.


We built suspense well in the final parts of our film when the camera tilts upwards towards the face of the kidnapper. We tilted slowly and showed up to the neck, so the viewer is captivated and wants to find out who it is. We also built tension when suspicious occurrences happened at the party and were not explained.  The story line was also interesting in the way the main character was betrayed by a friend who spiked his drink. There was a blurred line between good and bad, as the viewer did not know which one of the main characters friends betrayed him. The main character is also presented with a task that seems impossible, which is to escape from the warehouse he is being held hostage in by one of his friends. 


Thrillers are also filled with the following aspects:


Lighting:
- Low level lighting
- Shadows/limited view of the character
- Often at night time/dark/eerie
- Dim colours

Setting:
- Isolated/ deserted/ exotic - desert, ranch, old warehouse
- Confined locations - Lift, phone booth, cellar, train
- Generic feature of a thriller is entrapment, thus claustrophobic spaces are a key

Editing:
- Quick cuts/fast pace
- Jump cuts
- Match cuts

Cinematography:
- Camera angles high/low
- Point of view shots
- Establishing shot
- Close ups
- Frantic camera movement

Non-diegetic sound:
- High pitched music
- Ambience music
- Fast paced music

Diegetic sound:
- Creaking doors/wind/tap running/footsteps
- Silence (builds tension and is thought provoking)
- Heavy breathing
- Whispering

Characters:
- Criminals, stalkers, assassins, innocent victims
- Morally complex characters
- Characters often have ambiguous roles


Our Thriller, 'The Betrayal', included many of these aspects. We used very low level lighting in the warehouse and it was night time when the gathering of people entered the party. Our setting was an abandoned warehouse, which is a classic thriller setting. My editing included a lot of quick cuts which is used a lot in Hollywood thrillers. Our cinematography included free camera movement (not fixed to a tripod) and a lot of close up shots which is a important thriller convention. Our diegetic sound included a lot of moaning and screaming from the kidnapped person, and our non-diegetic sound contained a mix of slow ambience music and fast paced music. Finally our characters include an innocent victim and a stalking kidnapper, which is classic for the thriller genre. 

Our film mirrors severance in the torture scene and we tried to use the style that was used in our project.