1. In what ways does your media product, use, developer and
challenge, forms and conventions of real media products
QUESTION 1

2. HORROR
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS
A common convention used in horror films is the feeling or view of isolation.
For example:
A person walking alone in a graveyard is just asking for trouble in a horror film

3. Similar to walking through a grave yard, another convention used is walking
through a dark forest. In all of these things, I think the main thing they look for is
getting the audience to understand the sense of abandonment and isolation that is
on screen. This sense of being alone will add to the fear that film makers want the
audience to have. This is filmed in a variety of ways.
For example: Harry Potter and the philosopher stone
In this film, there is a scene filmed in the dark forest -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-_KmZmV20&feature=player_detailpage
To create added tension, you will notice that there are no tight close ups of the
characters. They are mostly long shots and wide angles. Filming in this way, having
the characters shown very small in comparison to their environment, really shows
the audience how alone they are and adds an unease to what's happening on
screen.

4. Here is a good example from the Harry Potter clip of Harry and Malfoy
walking through the forest. This angle on them walking is a very wide, profile
shot, and only allows us to see their silhouettes as they walk through the dark
forest. Having the screen filled with the wood instead of the two boys, makes
them look very vulnerable. The silhouette look adds to this as you are limiting
the audience on the detail they can see.

5. Our film goes against this way of filming and almost does the opposite. When
Megan becomes her most vulnerable, and most alone, the framing is very tight
around her face. This doesn’t allow anything else to shown, only her. In a way this
works as well as it takes the audience into her mind and gives you a different type
of isolation. In Harry Potter the isolation is based environmentally, were as in our
film, it is internal and based on Megan's emotions.

6. Another convention used in almost every horror film is scary
music.
Here are some examples:
Nightmare on elm street:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-_Xx9Dn0aI
Jaws:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QTSyLwd4w
The exorcist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1PH_Y8Xn4g
Our film music:
..Day of Chaos.mp3

7. The music we use in our film continues all the way through. In a way it is a silent
film so the emotions and story telling of the film are really shown through the
music. This means that in calm moments the music needs to be soft and slow pace,
and then upbeat and fast paced in moments of panic. For the film we used a piece
called ‘Day of chaos’. This contained both of these types of music and used the
same instruments so we cut it down into different segments and blended them
together so each piece of screenplay had music to go with it. If we were to go
against this convention typically found in horror films, it would have become a
spoof. Explaining this, using a piece of music that juxtaposed the action taking
place on screen ( A good example of this is in Shaun of the dead when they kill a
zombie with ‘Queen’ playing in the background) it adds a comical edge to the
scene, which is something we did not want in our film.

8. When looking at the camera work in horror films, the typical one used is a POV
shot. In our beginning clip we do use the POV shot, but as well as this, to
challenge this sort of technique we used hand held camera work, Although this
isn’t a POV shot, the shakiness of it continues to give the impression of her being
watched.
We did continue to use a lot of typical camera shots as well, such as high and low
angles (adding intensity to the situation). We developed this technique by playing it
along side with fast pace editing. This heightened the intensity of the action taking
place on screen, as it puts the audience on the edge of their seats wanting to know
what's going to happen next.

9. A theme that is also carried out in most horror films is
GOOD VS EVIL
Typically in horror films you get the good guy, and the bad guy. The hero and the
villain. You don’t only see this in horror films either, you get it in virtually every
genre. In horror films, you normally get an innocent character whose life is put
under threat, or changed by a conflict with ‘the bad guy’ (another stereotype in
horror films is that the bad guy is out to kill them). In our film we challenge this be
making the good guy and the bad guy into the same character, only they are
different people. Megan and the double both look identical and through the film
are both fighting for the same thing, Megan's life.

10. SCI FI
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS
A common convention used in Sci fi films are special FX. You will find them in
almost every Sci Fi film.

11. We used Special FX in our film when Megan is getting locked into the closet. The
effect is a laser which you stereotypically find in Sci fi films. Usng this gave an edge
to the character and gave our audience an idea as to the sort of person she is.
Seeing her have this ability makes them fear her and worry for Megan , which is the
reaction we want.
To conclude we have used, developed and challenged different conventions found
in these two genres to create our hybrid film.