1)How does our product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?

My thriller followed the conventions and expectations of real life thrillers products. In all of our areas we conformed to the popular thriller ideologies of a damsel in distress and a dominant male figure.

Editing - We created smooth cuts and used various other editing devices to create an easy flow throughout, this created the illusion of a believable diegesis. The audience therefore suspended their disbelief which caused them to feel sympathy for the victim in our thriller. This allows them to feel apart of it and get drawn in. We used techniques such as shot reverse shot to allow the audience to see things as the character is seeing it, this immerses them in the thriller.

After filming we changed our editing pace by using slow motion, this causes the audience to watch a scene for longer than they feel comfortable, causing them to feel like they need to escape and resulting in tension and suspense. Examples of this are in the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcocks shower scene in 'Phyco'



Sound - The non diegetic music that we created on final cut pro created suspense throughout, it made the audience suspect the obvious, which was that the woman would end up being murdered. Not only this, but it created an ambient soundscape to achieve verisimilitude. Our synchronous sounds, for instance, footsteps on gravel created an eerie suspense.


Camera - We chose what the audience could and could not see by the composition and framing of each shot. Though suggesting danger, we tried not to give away the plot within each scene, by doing this we share the womans vulnerability with the audience.  Again, a good example of this is the shower scene in Phyco.

They different camera hight showed the power which the man has and the vulnerability of the woman, for instance, we used a low angle shot as he stood over the her body. We juxedapposed the shots to show the binary opposition. Using the close ups and slow motion helped us show the victims facial expressions, body language and costume.




Mis-en-scene - The costumes which we used helped show further binary opposition. The girl is wearing white, showing innocence, and red which connotes promiscuity. In comparison the man is wearing all black, connoting a malign presence.
The lighting throughout was dark and sinister, we also used many shots of dark shadows which foreshadowed the darker events which were to follow.


We used fake blood when the woman died, the red represented the lust leaving her body. Not only this but it showed up on her pale skin and showed her serious injuries.
The knife that the murder used help signify his violence and allow the audience to know that he is dangerous. We used a butchers knife so that the audience could understand how dangerous this man was and give a hint as to his background.
We used a variety of different areas to shoot in, for instance, a deserted area outside which could connote that there is no where to escape or anyone to help her.