1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?I have tried to use many horror codes and conventions in my own production either inspired from media texts which I have studied upon or which I have thought would look very affective. I made decision about my production after analysing and researching much media texts. Doing this allowed me to explore the different ways in which media texts establish a plot, make it look like a horror movie, the different use of camera work, the use of editing to create affect, the typography which is used and the sound. As a part of my narrative (plot) I decided to go with the narrative of binary opposites (by Aristotle and Claude Levi Strauss). The Binary Oppositions theory states that ‘All

narratives are driven forward by conflict, conflict that is caused by a series of opposing forces’. Similarly I used the binary oppositions of good vs evil and young vs old. The persona of the Protagonist and the Antagonist allow the audience to realise who actually is the good and who the evil is. The symbolic appearance of the characters allows

the audience to see this difference between the characters. For example in this screen shot we can see that the Antagonist is wearing white which symbolically means that her personality is pure. However, in actual fact the antagonist is the opposite of pure. This is one of the ways in which the Antagonist’s appearance challenges the common symbolic ideology. Furthermore, the Protagonist is wearing red which symbolically means that the Protagonists personality can be seen as being aggressive and evil, however the fact

that the protagonist personality is weak and powerless, this ideology is further challenged. Moreover, I did some further research in how certain characters challenge the common ideology of binary oppositions in media texts. One film which I analysed was Orphan. Typically the protagonist would be a young and innocent person. However, in Orphan the antagonist deceives the audience as being

innocent when she is evil. The binary opposition of age has been challenged in Orphan.

Furthermore, Laura Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’ theory has also been challenged. The Male Gaze (1978) theory by Laura Mulvey suggests that women are the object of the gaze and that female character are tended to be displayed for the visual pleasures of male characters and male spectators. The females in this film are all seen as being dressed modestly, which decreases the idea of male audiences being sexually attracted to the female actors. If I was to make the whole horror movie of ‘broken sapneh’ I would use Pam Cook’s classic Hollywood narrative structure which includes the introduction to the hero/heroine, which they then face the problem/disruption, then the hero/heroine goes on a quest and finally there is a return to normality with a few twists.

In order to make the audience realise what movie of genre they’re watching I used many codes and conventions to help them identify that this is a horror movie that they’re watching. Firstly, I decided to use low key lighting to signify that something out of the ordinary will happen unexpectedly. Furthermore, I used many candles to make the antagonists actions look outstanding and effective. The low

key lighting and the flame from the candles contrasted very well. Moreover, low key lighting is a technical code which is commonly used in many horror movies. Secondly, in many horror movies the antagonist’s face is never fully and clearly revealed for the audience to see. This makes the audience feel worried and panicky as it is unclear who the antagonist is. Similar to this I did not give the antagonist away straightaway. In some scene I decided to show the antagonists face unclearly. The shot on the right clearly shots the antagonist and protagonist facing each other; however the antagonists face is not fully revealed because the net curtain is covering her face. The net curtain could be a symbolic cover up which the antagonist uses to make other feel as if she is a peaceful person. I also used pointed and sharp objects to connote violence and

anger that the antagonist feels toward the protagonist. The image of the scissors is an example of some of the sharp weapons which were used in my horror movie to connote violence. Weapons are commonly used in horror movies to connote violence and make the audience feel scared. This could be because it is a part of the natural human instinct to be cautious and carefully of sharp objects as we are aware of the potential harm they could do to us.

Similar to the quote ‘actions speak louder than words’ the use of camera shots and camera movement create a big impact on how the audience feels. As there are many different camera shot types available I did a lot of research on how certain shot types convey certain meanings to the audience. For example this shot is an establishing shot. The establishing shot reflects on the atmosphere of the whole plot because it is the base and setting of the whole movie. Furthermore the fact that my setting is a big white house this suggests that it is a normal house.

Therefore if anything unusual happens it would make the audience jumpy. A close-up tells the audience how the character is feeling in the present moment as the facial expressions will indicate the characters emotions. Furthermore, the screenshot on the left is of the

protagonist falling asleep and leading the narrative into the dream. In the present moment the protagonist can be seen as being calm and peaceful through her facial expressions. However, as the dream continues it become apparent that the protagonist’s feelings change drastically. This is another reason why close-ups convey sharp meaning because the shots can be compared to show the difference in change of emotion of certain characters. A 180 degree movement is commonly used when characters are conversing. The camera is positioned exactly at the different point where the characters are there is usually 3 positions. Each position symbolises the perspective of the different characters.

Different typography can also convey different meaning. The way, in which writing is presented, especially the title/credits, it allows the audience to have a basic feel of what is to come in the progression of the movie. Rough and uneven handwriting can be as if a child has written it or it connote the frustration and anger the character feels. Similarly, in Orphan the typography connotes anger and rage because of the scratchy and rustic look that has been given to the typography to present the mixture of emotions. I used a similar

typography with a contrast which I wanted my audience to feel of a cultural and vintage feel. The white colour of the typography symbolised purity and peacefulness, which the antagonist deceives herself to be. Furthermore the curvy ends of each letter tell the audience that there is some historical context involved.

Finally the soundtrack of a horror movie opening gives the audience a feel of the genre of the movie and more of the sub-genre. I researched both about diagetic sounds and non-diagetic sounds in real media texts. Furthermore, the soundtrack signifies the character current feelings and the ethos of the scene. A range of different sounds could cause an effect of confusion for the audience as many different sounds convey different meaning. Moreover, I have used a range of different soundtracks as first I have tried to use a soundtrack that would make the audience feel sympathetic towards the protagonist. Then a more tensed and high pitched soundtrack was used to connote conflict.