Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1

Characters

Bryony Victor

The character of Bryony conforms to the stereotype of women in film being weak and vulnerable, although in some ways challenges this view. We chose the name Bryony as it means ‘flowering vine’ in Greek, which, when first considered, may be seen to connote both beauty and power as vines are strong and tough, challenging the weak female stereotype. However, on reflection, Bryony could also connote fragility, as the vine flowers are not very strong and are, in fact, delicate, underpinning that females are weak. Bryony’s character is strongly influenced by the character of Marion Crane from ‘Psycho’. She is strong and determined, as seen by her attempts to escape from her capture, which is much like Marion’s resolve to steal the money from her work. However, both characters are very naïve; both are nervous and frightened, which they find very difficult to conceal, highlighting their vulnerability. The fact that we decided to kill off our lead in the first few moments of the film, much like Hitchcock with Marion in the first half of the film, both shocks the audience and reinforces the stereotype that women are weak and cannot defend themselves.Bryony also conforms to the femme fatale archetype which is also seen in the character of Eve from ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. While Eve wears pearls – which are often seen to represent tears – Bryony wears dark red lipstick, which connotes danger and promiscuousness; however, the fact that the lipstick is smudged suggests that she is actually quite weak and vulnerable, not quite the sophisticated front that she puts on. She also wears a black shirt, which connotes darkness while also making her blend into her surroundings in the dark cupboard; this makes her seen expendable, foreshadowing her death, conforming to the femme fatale archetype of women – much like Eve – who meet an untimely end.

(L-R) Marion, Bryony and Eve

The character of Victor conforms to the antagonistic archetype of the villain with charm, such as Norman Bates from ‘Psycho’ and Vincent from ‘Pulp Fiction’. We chose the name Victor as it means ‘conqueror’ in Latin, which immediately connotes power and dominance, suggesting he is going to be in control of other characters throughout the thriller.Victor’s character is very cold and vacant, an therefore almost psychopathic, referencing Norman Bates; both are seen as normal, everyday men due to their ability to blend into the background and be unassuming, which proves to be more unsettling to the film’s audience. They are also very charming and suave, their sophistication reinforcing their archetype role as the villain with charm, further unsettling the audience as they are drawn into their character and almost find themselves warming to them. Victor is also very obsessive and precise, seen through his action of straightening his tie and his spotless house; this make this character even more unnerving as his constant need for perfection suggests he has something to hide, and also that he wants constant control over everything in his life.The costume is very important to Victor as it underpins his unsettling character. We chose a traditional suit and tie, referencing Vincent and Jules from ‘Pulp Fiction’ and Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho’, due to its unassuming nature, allowing the character to blend into the background like an everyday businessman to unsettle the audience. The black coat connotes darkness and evil, while the lack of colour suggests that Victor has no depth, further reinforcing his cold, detached nature. We also chose to have Victor wear black, leather gloves which connotes a lack of identity: he has no fingerprints, allowing him to blend into the background without anyone ever noticing, making him seem even more powerful and deadly.

(L-R) Bates, Victor and Jules

Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1

Location

We conformed to a variety of generic locations seen in the thriller genre. Firstly, we used a enclosed space in the form of a cupboard, which connotes claustrophobia and panic due to the fact there is no way to escape, nor a place to hide. Enclosed spaces are seen in a variety of thrillers, such as the shower in ‘Psycho’ and the coffin in ‘Kill Bill: Volume II’, which is where we took our inspiration from; all these spaces act almost like cages for the female characters, which makes them seem weak and objectified. These spaces also help to create suspense and tension as the audiences do not know if the character will escape their enclosure. Finally, the fact we chose a shoe cupboard, a space which many people may have in their homes, makes the audience more unsettled and uncomfortable as it is a familiar location which they assume is safe, but which we make sinister.

(L-R) the coffin, cupboard and shower

We also used the generic location of dark, narrow streets, seen in thrillers such as ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ and ‘The Third Man’. The narrow nature of the street again connotes claustrophobia and panic, but due to the fact that it is the antagonist, Victor, who is walking towards the camera, the panic comes from the audience, as it seems as through they have no way to escape. The fact we set the shoot at night makes the streets seem more dangerous, as shadows are created which connote mystery and danger; also, everything is masked at night, which creates the possibility that anything can happen, which is frightening and unsettling for the audience.

Lighting and Sound

(L-R) ‘The Third Man’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Once Upon a Time…’

When Bryony is in the cupboard, we use non-ambient lighting to create a suspenseful and unnatural atmosphere which connotes fear and suspense. The fact that the light is unnatural reflects how Bryony situation; everything around her is different and unrecognizable, which is frightening for her. We used non-ambient lighting in the opening shot to cast a shadow over Bryony's eyes, which makes her face look almost like a skull, foreshadowing her death. We also used ambient lighting for the outdoor shots, such as the streetlight when Victor is walking down the alleyway, reflecting his raw character. Finally, we used chiaroscuro lighting – a convention of the thriller genre – throughout our opening, such as when Victor enters the house; this creates shadows, connoting mystery and danger, leaving the audience on edge and in suspense as they are unsure to what will happen next.

(L-R) non-ambient, ambient and chiaroscuro

Our choice of sound was effective in building the suspense throughout our thriller opening. We used the diegetic sound of Bryony heavily breathing during the opening credits of our thriller; this connotes fear and panic, leaving the audience of edge, wondering what the cause of the breathing is and what is to come. We developed this idea from the opening of ‘Kill Bill’ by Quentin Tarintino, where the Bride is breathing heavily after being beaten up; however, instead of cutting straight to our lead (like Tarintino cuts to the Bride), we used the breathing as a sound bridge that foreshadows Bryony being found by Victor in order to build the tension throughout our opening. We also exaggerated the diegetic sound of Victor’s footsteps, which connotes a foreboding and suspenseful atmosphere.Our choice of soundtrack was that of a modern thriller film, using lots of ambient sounds and static for an unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere. To build the suspense of the opening, we synchronised the opening of Bryony’s eye with the sudden jump of the soundtrack, emphasising the thrill of the shot and unsettling the audience.

Evaluation | How does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? | Question 1

Camera Angles/Movement and Transitions Opening to a Thriller Film and Narrative

We used a variety of camera shots and angles in our film opening which are often featured in the thriller genre. For example, we used a tilt shot when Victor is walking to the front door, which connotes confusion and disorientation, adding to the suspenseful nature of the shot; this has been used in many thriller films, most notably ‘The Third Man’, as it leaves the audience on edge and reinforces the nightmarish nature of the film.Another camera angle we used was a worm’s eye shot when Victor was waking down the alleyway and passed over the camera; this shot is often used to indicate fear while allowing the audience to view events from a vulnerable perspective, such as in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. It connotes power and fear, reinforcing Victor’s role as the dominant villain.

(L-R) tilt shots and worm’s eye shots

Our choice of transitions reinforce the thriller genre. For example, we use lots of short, sharp cuts between shots to build the pace of the edit and therefore the tension. We also used a fade between the shot of Victor and Bryony staring through the door of the cupboard; this makes it more chilling for the audience as it connects the two characters, highlighting that Bryony is not safe, leaving the audience wondering what will happen next.

We used camera movements to create a chilling atmosphere; for example, we used a pan when Victor looks to the cupboard where Bryony is being kept, highlighting his obsession with her. The cupboard is a recurring motif throughout the opening, much like in ‘Psycho’ with Marion’s money, which highlights the significance of the door and builds the tension of the scene.

(L-R) pan shot, fade and door motif

The opening to our thriller features many conventions seen in the thriller genre. For example, we based our opening credit sequence on the titles of ‘Kill Bill’; we had heavy breathing playing over the text to build the tension, while also opening with a quote that refers to the plot: “every man is a moon, and has a dark side which he shares with nobody”. We also referenced Tarintino by including the title ‘A Film Apart’, a nod to his production company ‘A Bad Apart’. We used a black background with white text, which is also seen in the opening for ‘Once Upon a Time in America’; the white text stands out against the black background, which establishes the film noir genre as it symbolises the shadows and chiaroscuro lighting seen throughout thriller films.

(L-R) ‘Once Upon a Time…’, ‘The Unseeable’ and ‘Kill Bill’

We chose to call our film ‘The Unseeable’ as it references the character of Victor, who blends into the background of society, allowing him to get away with terrible actions as no one would ever assume he would do it. I also links to the fact that Bryony is hidden away so no one will ever find her. We decided the name should be short and dynamic, so it is therefore more memorable and forceful to the audience.The narrative structure is mostly linear, with a series of montages with the character of Victor walking to his house, while the character of Bryony is trying to escape. Some jump cuts are used in this sequence, which leaves the audience feels disorientated, thus adding to the suspense of the film and amplifying the thriller genre. However, the heavy breathing over the opening credits could be seen as a flash forward, foreshadowing the moment when Bryony is confronted by her kidnapper; we used this to create tension for the audience, as they are left wondering what will happen later in the edit to cause such heavy breathing.