Evaluation - Question 1.

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

Psycho uses various zooms in the opening of their film which ay create tension. our group decided to use a zoom at the beginning of the film which keep the audience engaged and n edge.

Tracking shots are commonly used in thriller as they are used to reveal something which may be the subject of the film. we have used a tracking shot in order to reveal the dead body. this is a media convention we used as it is very common in thriller and we wanted this to appear clearly within the opening of our media products.

psycho uses a classic opening which is based of the titles being presented on a black screen, the effects and transitions help to create a distinct idea of violence which is accompanied with a string of orchestra adding drama and suspense.

The main aim was to challenge the conventions of titles within a thriller. Originally we decided to use a string of titles before the narrative; although this did not work effectively therefore we integrated them in between scenes to add suspense and drama to our media product. The title font used was quite distorted, along with a sweep of light which appeared red, foreshadowing violence and death later to in the storyline.

Conventions of media products are usually used in order for the audience to immediately recognise the different kind of conventions within a particular genre. For example, the conventions of a thriller may be the different kinds of camera movement such a panning or tracking shots, sound, titles which are generally shown over a black screen. All the above conventions are all used in order to create what is thought of as a thriller, a film in which creates a sense of mystery, suspense and tension ending with a cliff hanger in which makes the audience want more. In the opening of our media product, our group have thought carefully about the conventions of real media conventions such as, camera angles, sound, titles, mise en scene etc. Our group researched on different conventions other real media products used within a thriller. We then as a group carefully decided upon all the different aspects in order to catch our audience’s eye. We knew that the key of media product conventions was to create a strong visual interpretation of what our audience, instantly recognise when watching the opening of a real media product. 

The conventions of ‘Psycho’ use many different forms of conventions, one of which is instantly is instantly recognised is sound in which a string of orchestra is used to create tension and drama. In addition, the sound also works well with the black and white cinematography of the film. The main title music is a very tense, dramatic piece which sets the tone of impending violence. Moreover, the sound also foreshadows the later events of the film which symbolises violence or even death. Psycho uses a classic opening which immediately hooks the audience through graphics, sound and editing. The titles are placed over a black screen which creates suspense. This type of title sequence was considered by our group however we thought this didn’t work well with the narrative of our opening media product. Instead we decided to place each title over a blank screen but in between scenes, this helped to add tension and drama to the opening of our media product which we decided was very effective. The use of camera angels within psycho allow the audience to create a sense of location. Also the use of zooms has been used effectively to add to the audiences fear and suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen next. 

Our media group thought of different real media conventions in which work well with thrillers, this included the use of sound, camera angles, titles and mise en scene. Many common camera angels used within a thriller a tracking, panning and close ups. As a group we decided to challenge these conventions by using the tracking shot which appears as a panic shot as we reveal the body. Another shot used was a zoom in which we were told to avoid however we thought this would work really effectively at the begging as it opened up to the main plot of our film opening. We have also used many close ups to portray the characters feelings and emotions which appear sinister. In addition, we also get a sense of location which is located in a cemetery in which the antagonist hides the bodies of his victims in an old ruin chapel. This again adds to his character, which may be portrayed as quite sinister and mentally disturbed.