Evaluation - Question 1

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

Throughout my thriller opening I have used many conventions of real media products, such as those seen in 'Seven' where there are close ups of the protagonists hands and the objects involved, like the writing in the notebook. Blurriness or having the titles introduced on the screen by an object flying by are another couple conventions I have used. However, I have developed some of the titles to be incorporated into the scenes as part of the prop.

I challenge some of the forms of real media products as the villain and the victim are females but it is gives the impression that it may also be the males. Therefore, I am using snares throughout to keep the audience guessing to who the miscreant is, same as many of the other thriller film.

As you see below, there are images and explanations of specific moments used in my thriller film opening where I either use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products:

 

1. This image shows the dark and mysterious scenes associated with the thriller genre. It sets the tone of the film and introduces the  villain in a hidden way, keeping the audience guessing to who it is.
2. Here the image's colours have been changed to appear more dreamlike, giving the illusion of a flashback. It has also introduced and highlighted the red watch, signifying the running out of time as well as a connection between the victim and the villain as the red connotes danger and evil.
3. The white coat and the brushing of the hair emphasises the innocence of the victim as it uses the typical colours associated with innocence, naivety and purity.
4. The distortion is a well known convention used and associated with a thriller as it establishes the mental state of the protagonist. Also, it suggests to the audience that everything isn't always as straight forward as it seems.
5. Here I have developed the titles to be a part of the shot as it appears to be parted down the middle by the reflection of the glass. This insinuates the different sides to the characters' personalities. Additionally, the red nail varnish resembles blood as it is smeared onto the nail. This challenges the thriller genre by implying the villain is a female rather than a male as accustomed.
6. The close up of scissors enforces the typical thriller genre as it is unclear who is holding the scissors, what they want with the stained straw and by having the scissors it makes the audience wonder if it will appear again later as a weapon.
7. Image seven uses the well known over the shoulder shot but focused on what is seen in the mirror. This is used to give the feeling of being watched yet it isn't clear whether it's the villain or not doing the watching.
8. This is a typical shot used in a thriller as it is an extreme close up, preventing the audience of knowing who is writing and what is being written.
9. The final image here shows the paper of the repeated words 'DIE' burning. It enforces the idea of violence, obsession and danger and leaves the audience to wonder as to who is going to die and why.

Music for Thriller Opening

Comparing my editing version to the original cover, it is clear that it is shorter and the change in beat appears a lot sooner. Some parts of the song have been cut out, hence the overlapping which was put in place to link sections of the song further along, and other parts have been layered in order to create an echo or make it sound stronger, as if you were listening to it only in your head.

 I edited the song to fit the rhythm of the beats to the rhythm of the changing clips. Many of the lyrics are also linked to what is being seen, such as the lyrics 'your love's got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love', which are in sink with the cut and change of zoomed in shots. In that example I also layered the song to have polyphonies, to connote being constantly observed and resemble a choral, suggesting insanity. Furthermore, as this is the finished piece used in the sequence, the lighting of the match and cutting of the scissors have also been added to the audio. This was specifically done due to their importance in the film, as some have noticed, since they are possible murder weapons.

Obsession - Finished Opening Sequence

Edited Audio for Thriller

(For original song see post titled 'Music for Thriller Opening' or go to https://youtu.be/Jl8fV1jUQPs)

For my thriller film, the audio has been edited in after filming to be in sync with the visual effects. As soon as the audio starts there is a combination of diegetic (the match lighting) and non-diegetic sounds. The music has been layered over itself, and shortened compared to the original, to make the piano echo and dominant, this is done until the singing commences. At 35 seconds, the tone changes and more instruments are introduced, here a part of the song has been edited as the lyrics weren't as important and so there would be a change to the rhythm, to demonstrate the change in the antagonists personality as she becomes more unstable.

At 48 seconds there is a sting to emphasise the shrine and another part has been eliminated from the original soundtrack. As the thriller music continues to the part where it says "your love's got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love", a large part has been cut out from the original audio as there needed to be a build up. This was done by cutting out the audio from 1.20s to 2.28s of the original so that the words could link up; part of it was also layered for a smooth transition.
If listened from 1.18s on my thriller audio, it is clear that the voices have been layered out of sync to create the echoes when the word crazy is said, linking in with voices in someone's head and mental unstableness. The layered audio then stops at 1.41s and fades out at the end to imply that something bad is now going to happen.
For this audio I did the editing on Final Cut Pro X so that I could sync it accordingly with the footage.

Music for Thriller Opening - Research

When it came to the audio to my thriller opening sequence, I decided that I would add non-diegetic music to created the dark, suspicious atmosphere required to keep the audience attentive. There would still be the occasional diegetic sounds, such as the match lighting or the scissors cutting, to emphasis their meaning.
Unfortunately, when I started with my sequence I did not realise it would be more practical to commence with the audio and then cut the video to fit the music. However, once the sequence's had been cut accordingly and was ready for the sound, I was able to cut the music to be in sink with what the viewer would see on the screen. Therefore, I believe it made it better as there was more of a story to the opening sequence.
When I first started with my music, I was going to compose it myself using Garage Band. However, I was not achieving the sounds or effects I was looking for, so I moved on to searching a song that could be used and edited to fit my opening sequence. The song's lyrics had to have meaning and relate to the story of my thriller, therefore I researched songs including the lyrics similar to 'I'm crazy' or something related to being interested or 'obsessed' with somebody else. I tended to look at famous songs sung by new YouTube artists in search of fame to have a different, unknown voice singing the song. This would signify the way the villain is a known character, appear normal but has something different that's hidden from first sight.
The song 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley, cover by Daniela Andrade, was a good choice when taking into consideration the lyrics and pace at which it was going:

However, after being added to the sequence and edited slightly to fit the video, I realised that it did not match the mood of the thriller as it was too slow paced while the sequence is more fast paced, and there wasn't enough of what I wished to portray in the meaning of the lyrics. So my search continued...
After researching many more songs, I came across a song that had the slightly creepy, dark and sinister atmosphere required. The song is a cover of  Beyonce's second version of 'Crazy In Love', sung by a young YouTube artist named Sofia Karlberg:

This song is perfect as it set the right atmosphere between both locations, making it clear to the audience through sound, as well as through the editing, that they were related and intertwined. This song starts with the instrumentals and singing in the minor key, making it clear what type of film it will be. Further along the beat changes, making things more intense as there is more occurring and things are faster paced, which emphasises the danger.

Production Logo Finished

The production logo defines what type of films this 'company' produces, hence the combination of the words 'fright' and 'nightmare' to create 'Frightmare Productions'.
This productions logo is simple yet straight to the point with flashing lights, to refer to the lighting heard in the background, and clear typography and font to make it memorable to the audience.

Feedback from Opening Sequence

After posting the video on YouTube I shared it on Facebook, again, for further feedback. These were some of the comments I received:

These comments were helpful as they got the reaction I wanted from the audience. This particular person picked up on some of the effects I had intended on receiving when the public watched this opening sequence. For example, having the names incorporated into the scene so that they are more eye catching, or having the match and scissors hint to what may happen.