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

2. “Fast-paced and
frequent action”
“The conflict
between the main
characters is mental
and emotional as
opposed to physical”
“Primary mood:
‘fearful excitement’”
“Ordinary citizens
accidentally drawn to
danger”
“Resourceful heroes
who must thwart the
actions of more
powerful and better
equipped villains”
“Characters who
switch sides or who
cannot be trusted”
“The use of a
staircase as a motif
for impending danger
or suspense”

3. “Fast-paced and
frequent action”
The frequent visions of Rupert’s create a non-
linear narrative that jumps from the visions
back to the session in the doctor’s office. The
murder scene is a particularly strong
representation of this fast-paced and frequent
action. We regularly jump back to the tense
office scene while the hypnotist mysteriously
injects his patient.

4. “Fast-paced and
frequent action”
Each time the shot
returns to either
location (1: the
alleyway, 2: doctor’s
office), the action
intensifies which
increases the audience’s
anticipation for the next
shot.
1
3
2
4 5

5. “Fast-paced and
frequent action”
Non-linear narrative:
Memento follows a man suffering from short-term
memory loss using pictures and tattoos to identify
the man who he believes shot his wife. The opening
sequence, which is also the end of the film, travels in
reverse chronological order and is shown in colour.
The sequence begins with a Polaroid picture of a
dead man and when the sequence begins we see
the picture go back to its undeveloped state before a
man is shot in the head by the protagonist.
Afterwards, the colour changes to black-and-white
representing a chronological sequence. We showed
the changed in narrative using a fade-to-white which
gave the effect of a “flashback”.The opening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmK0eQ
2GC6U

6. Although this is not achieved in the opening, the two main
characters create the basis for this thriller convention to
unravel in the remainder of the film’s plot. The character of
“Rupert” is vulnerable in comparison to the antagonist
doctor who has the power of his medical knowledge. He
uses this to manipulate his patients into carrying out violent
crimes. However, by seeing that Rupert is capable of being
equally strong and powerful suggests that he can be
resourceful in the remainder of the film.
“Resourceful heroes
who must thwart the
actions of more
powerful and better
equipped villains”
The plot would continue by following up on more of the
doctor’s patients who have also committed murder. The
audience will discover that the doctor is behind each and every
murder that will result in his victims (the patients) fighting
back for justice.

7. Each of Dr. J. Smith’s patients are “ordinary” however
by chance (by being advised to choose his services)
they fall victim to become murderers through his
mental influence. We gain the sense of the ordinary
through Rupert’s genuine confusion and disorientation
which clarifies that he was not intended to become a
murderer.
“Ordinary citizens
accidentally drawn to
danger”

8. This thriller convention is used in North by
Northwest and Source Code. Cary Grant and
Jake Gyllenhaal’s confused and disorientated
reactions are how we wanted to convey the
character of Rupert.
“Ordinary citizens
accidentally drawn to
danger”
North by Northwest: Cary
Grant
Source Code: Jake
Gyllenhaal

9. “There is one thing that I get to offer you, and that is
hypnotherapy” (1:05) is the ‘chilling’ line that will
commence the action scenes of Rupert chasing down
his victim. This intends to leave the viewer anticipating
what is to follow while feeling slightly on edge after
already having viewed the visions that have made
Rupert appear mental and obsessive.
“Primary mood:
‘fearful excitement’”

10. I noticed that this was relatively similar to the ‘Coin Toss’
scene in No Country For Old Men. The response to the
simple question of: “heads or tails?” was either life or death
for Chirgurh’s victim. This scene contrasted the rest of the
film because it consisted of mainly dialogue- the ‘fearful
excitement’ builds because of this odd extended scene of
speech.
“Primary mood: ‘fearful
excitement’”
Coin Toss scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLCL6OYbSTw

11. We attempted to develop our film into a ‘psychological’
thriller by focusing mainly on the mental conflict. “Mental”
conflict is displayed through the patient’s visions and the
influential hypnotherapy of the doctor. Although an incident
of “physical” conflict occurs during the film (the injection), its
purpose is to affect Rupert mentally to cause him to
continue having visions until he carries out the murder. The
same applies for when Rupert attacks “Angela”; although it is
physical conflict, the prominent force that drove him to do it
was initially through mental conflict.
“The conflict between
the main characters is
mental and emotional
as opposed to physical”

12. “The conflict between
the main characters is
mental and emotional
as opposed to physical”
The Hypnotist is very similar to Danny Boyle’s psychological
thriller, Trance.
Plot:
“An art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of
criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a
lost painting.” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1924429/)
Official Trance website and trailer
http://www.trancethemovie.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvTW1JecmZo

13. This applies to the doctor’s character- although it isn’t
made explicit, there are subtle hints that alert the
audience that Dr. J. Smith is not genuine and may be
the cause of Rupert’s aggressive visions. Rupert also
has two sides to his character- while on one hand, he
is being victimized and quite clearly cannot control
what he is doing, we cannot trust him entirely because
we know that he is capable of something as drastic as
murder.
“Characters who
switch sides or who
cannot be trusted”

14. “Characters who switch
sides or who cannot be
trusted”
We have taken influence from Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock to create the character of the
deranged doctor. Like Norman Bates, the viewers are lead to believe that he “wouldn’t
hurt a fly” because he is in a position of responsibility. But over the course of the film, the
possibility of the doctor being the root of Rupert’s obsessive and violent visions (and later,
his obsessive and violent actions) comes through in flaws of his conversations. While
Bates begins to stutter and chew violently, the doctor
in The Hypnotist becomes overly confrontational in
conversation. Additional clues such as the injection
and the matching photo were included in order to
establish the doctor’s possible involvement within
The relatively short time frame that was allocated
for the film.

15. “Fast-pacedandfrequent
action”
This is a Hitchcockian convention which is used
in his films. They are visible in Suspicion (1941)
as Cary Grant carries what appears to be
poisoned milk for his wife and again in Psycho
(1960) where Detective Arbogast is killed. We
have attempted to re-enact this symbol that is
typical of a Hitchcock thriller as the film begins.
This scene will introduce Rupert, with his
identity concealed to build suspense,
approaching the doctor’s office which will be
revealed to be the root cause of his self-
conflict.
“The use of a
staircase as a motif
for impending danger
or suspense”

16. “Fast-pacedandfrequent
action”
“The use of a
staircase as a motif
for impending danger
or suspense”
Suspicion (1941)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8FW9a
tXuw