Evaluation - Question 1

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

Our media product this year, stuck typically to the themes and conventions expected of a psychological thriller, except for the ending. The film ends with the character that has had the main focus of the audience through out being killed. We chose to end the film in such a way as it would add as an unexpected twist that might captivate the audience. 


In regards to a technical level, we were careful that we wouldn't break any conventions of film and editing. This was evident in the final confrontation scene and also in the first door to door scene. 

180 Degree Rule from Sin City

In the confrontation scene, we made sure to try and keep the 180 degree rule as we wouldn't want to confuse the audience by having fragmented directions in conversations. To break the 180 degree rule would work in shots where this fragmented and jolted view would work such as in a fight scene but to ensure this scene portrayed everything it should for our genre, we made sure we considered the rule. 

We also wanted to attempt to do some high angle/low angle shots. This proved particularly difficult because there was around an entire foot in height difference between the actors playing Kyle and the Employer. We couldn't get the right levels in height for the shot to look right and create correct over the shoulder shots. Because of this, we reviewed the the content of the scene to see whether it was needed and we decided against it. I think that the dialog in the scene is obvious to who is in power. Also, I believe that in regards to Levi Strauss' theory of binary opposites, the overall difference in physical appearance between the characters is enough to show the audience who is in power.

Kill Bill Vol. 2 Shot/Reverse Shot

We also made sure that 'shot/reverse shot' was also involved in the confrontation scene as we wanted to ensure that each character was shown so that the conversation would be clearer to the audience as the monologue spoken by one of our character would give the audience clarity on the link between the two characters. 
Along with the 'shot-reverse-shot', another element to consider was an establishing shot. This was to ensure that the scene and setting was clearly established to the audience, again, so the location of the characters were well established so that the important monologue made sense. This was also present in the scene when Kyle first receives the box. We wanted to ensure the conversation was seen from both sides. The establishing shot showing the box and the envelope was also necessary to ensure that the audience was aware of the props as they play important roles in the narrative.

When editing the title sequence, we felt it particularly important to establish the difference between the two main characters. To do this we filmed shots of the character of Kyle firstly, that involved him in a natural environment to show how this character is vulnerable and down to his bare essentials. After these shots were filmed we then filmed shots of the Employer that almost mirrored the shots of Kyle, again, like Strauss' theory of Binary Opposites. To do this we had to edit together clips to ensure that they were shown doing similar things but in extremely opposite environments. 

At first we struggled to try and portray their similarities because of the vast difference in environment but over time, our message about the characters became particularly apparent when we edited 2 panning shots together and added a cross dissolve. This edit meant that the two characters were 'merged' together foreboding their connection, even though their characters are completely opposite. 

This was aided with a typical language of film, the score. We had it created with a constant rhythm and underlying instruments such as the violin to come in surprisingly at points to foreshadow events to come that might surprise an audience. This fit the film in with the genre of a psychological thriller as hinting and suggesting things to an audience creates ideas in their head that leads them to connotations and creating their own ideas, much like many other psychological thrillers.

Shutter Island close up shots

We also used extreme close ups and medium close ups in shots that we felt that the characters facial features portrayed more  emotion and the plot than any other body language could have. It also creates a sense of intimacy between the characters and the audience. This generically can cause a connection with the audience and the characters or plot. In the circumstances of the flashbacks, this was our intention. We wanted to show that Kyle was repressing these memories and they were leaving him in a state of mental conflict. We used closeups on the Employer to show the audience that even though he is making these serious threats, he is still smiling. To have close ups to see his mouth and eyes in particular are clear indicators of people's emotions, so, showing that the Employer is still smiling even though he's making serious threats portrays him as powerful, revenge-ridden and ruthless, which is the way we wanted him to come across.

Shots from our flashbacks

Our film is actually a sub-genre of the largely done genre, thriller. We chose to make a psychological thriller as we made a psychological horror film as our first media text, so we were already used to conventions that would aid this sub-genre. 

Initially, our film was going to be a psychological drama but we felt that the events that occurred made the film a lot more thrilling, particularly when Kyle interacts with the characters that give him the envelopes and when the violent flashbacks are shown, a definite convention of a psychologically based sub-genre film. We definitely reserved conventions of a product that is psychological. 

This was achieved by flashbacks being triggered. The flashbacks are mixtures of a violent event that the protagonist is repressing. Showing Kyle having flashbacks evidences his fragmented mentality and presents the idea to the audience that he has been/or is quite unstable and is typical of a psychological sub-genre film. Doing so ensured that Kyle was to be observed carefully through-out the film as flashbacks become more frequent through out. Although, the flashbacks are not in chronological order so they act almost as metaphorical jigsaw pieces that the audience have to piece together to piece together the plot and the secrets hidden through out the film. 

On the other hand, in a way, I feel that our film does actually go against some conventions at the end of the film. According to Tordorov, narrative, even in a thriller film, usually expects some sort of balanced equilibrium, which our film has when Kyle and the Employer are shown just going about their lives, then in the middle when Kyle comes into some problems such as running around attempting to deliver a box that no one will open or tell him why. Yet, according to this theory towards the end, the equilibrium is meant to be rebalanced or at least at a new more equal level. You would expect Kyle to confront the Employer, give him the box and be on his way getting on with his life, but instead he is killed for beating the Employer close to death. Upon first look, this is a unbalanced equilibrium as the protagonist you expect to survive and triumph, is revealed to less innocent than we perceived. I believe that it is down to the discretion of the audience as to whether they feel that the Employer getting revenge on Kyle and killing him. 
The film ends straight after Kyle is killed and doesn't give much time for reflection in other narrative, so the film follows the convention of letting the audience consider the plot even after the film is over. It is down to the opinion of the audience and leaves them to consider their own way of thinking as to whether they feel the Employer's vengeful actions were necessary or not. I believe our film's ending does and doesn't stick to conventions as the murder and truth reveal of our protagonist are completely not expected by an audience and therefore add the element of surprise setting it aside from the conventional. On the other hand, it may as a typical convention of a psychological thriller is to leave an ambiguous ending so the audience can relish on the ending and come to their own conclusion, which our film does. 

Our shadow from our final scene

Shadows created in film noir

We used the element of a shadow in the end of our film, much like a film noir. I felt that it was important that we included this as I feel that a silhouette is quite provocative to an audience. It insinuates events to an audience. This is particularly used in film noir where events are insinuated by shadows as another effective way to show events. 
The effect of shadows in thriller films can be disturbing and eerie, even though shadows are everywhere with everyone and everything, more or less all of the time. Shadows can have connotations of mental illness or even demonic forces, but in our film we used them symbolically. We used them in the final scene to insinuate to the audience the power of the Employer by casting a large shadow on the wall that would seem to overpower Kyle. Because of the struggle with high and low angle shots, I felt that this would be more effective and a lot more intricate for the audience to consider and study. 

I, personally, pushed this ending forward deliberately to try and get the audience to consider their own morals. This was to get them to consider whether killing another person for personal gain and revenge would be understandable to you or whether you are completely against it. It makes you sit and review the way you think and actually has a long lasting effect on an audience which is conventionally done and is one of the most effective elements of a film that focuses on the psychological side to the human mind. 

We looked at this short Closed Doors (see right) once we had finalised our final plot line. We took inspiration from elements of this film such as the flashbacks and the idea that everything isn't as simple as you see on the surface. 

As flashbacks are something quite conventional of a psychological thriller, we decided to take inspiration from the ones in this short.
We liked the idea that the flashbacks mirrored present events. For example the shot shown to the left. These shots mirror one another. The first being what is happening in the present and the second a flashback.

We also liked the idea of having extreme close ups in our film as it clearly showed the emotion that the characters are feeling. In psychological films, emotions tend to be shown through body language as opposed to dialog. It can be left for the audience to try and read physical signs and engage them. So we decided that we wanted to use this attribution in our film to achieve this effect.

These are particularly effective to the audience as it gives them small hints and clues about the character and allows them to try and feel involved with the plot and piece the narrative together.
This adds something different, as it almost directly invites the audience in with ways to become emerged in the plot, which is something I wanted to achieve.