Evaluation Task 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms of conventions from real media products?

Frame 1 - Production company logo


My first frame of analysis is the introduction of our film company logo. This is a key part of our trailer because it challenges typical company logo conventions by adding to the atmosphere of our production. Typical production companies use recognition of their brand to advertise our film and in comparison we have made our production logo specific to our film because it is the first Nightfall Studios production. This means our production company is yet to be distinguished and would not be identified by consumers whereas production companies such as MGM and Walt Disney Studios are well known and their brand logo attracts audiences. Despite us changing our logo to fit the style of film, our logo is still representative enough that it could be used for other productions of similar genre and the image is very eerie and iconic so would be memorable to consumers and create synergy between productions. The reason we used the alleyway image for our production is because it conforms to the convention of dim lighting and unknown locations regularly found in thriller films. This means the logo acts as an establishing image for our trailer by setting the scene of a dark and sinister plot with mysterious settings. Furthermore, the flashing streetlight implies that we are a shining light within the thriller genre and despite a hostage related production, our company produces high quality productions.

Frame 2 - Antagonist introduction

My second frame involves a low angle mid shot of the antagonist. The most important character in my production is the antagonist, Henry. The introduction of this character was key because he remains unnamed and wears very minimalist black clothing. This means that he does not conform to conventions of thrillers because costume is a key part in character presentation within the thriller genre. For example, in the 1999 film "Fight Club" the main character and his sub-conscience, a person he has imagined through his insomnia wear very contrasting clothes to emphasises their performance. For example, the main character wears a suit jacket and looks somewhat professional whereas his sub-conscience wears old leather jackets and appears the more rugged of the two. This is typical of the thriller genre because their costume symbolises the roles they play in the production and is contrasting to the costume of our antagonist. The reason for us leaving the antagonist from having any iconic appearance is because it allows the audience to ask questions of the antagonist because of no significant features in terms of appearance but unusual behaviour. Furthermore, this shot is crucial because the ripple edit of the antagonist disappearing symbolises the disappearance of Rosey later in the trailer, where in both cases there appears to be no evidence of the sudden disappearance and also places emphasis on the mystery of the main character, with the dream filter potentially suggesting this could be inside the antagonist's mind with the voice over representing his thoughts. Another key part of this frame is the setting. To further address the lack of character presentation through our antagonist's costume, we gained permission to film in a local church for a brief period. This gives the connotation that the antagonist may be seeking guidance and signifies that he may have had a troubled and unloved childhood, leaving the audience intrigued about his past. This conforms to stereotypical thrillers such as Silence Of the Lambs, where antagonist Hannibal Lecter's loveless childhood mutated him into a ruthless killer.

Frame 3 - Plot outline

The third frame is a panning mid shot of the missing board the police are using to keep track of the disappearances in the local area. This is a way we have developed a convention because we made the police board appear tatty and damaged, as if to suggest it is an old board and they are yet to discover any of the missing people. Props such as missing boards and wanted posters are regularly used in crime thriller films and help to show the audience that the police, and potentially those involved with the missing people are doing everything in their power to track them down - failing to do so in this case.To further symbolise the idea of the old missing board we used another convention in this frame to emphasise the age of the police board. We used a black and white flashback to suggest the board may have been in that condition some time ago and there is still no sign of the missing, signifying the ruthlessness of the antagonist and implying the other girls from the poster may be those who refused to love him. This prop allows the audience to ask further questions later on in the trailer and is very effective as a point of reference when gaining more understanding about both Rosey and the antagonist. This also increases audience sympathy towards Rosey and her friend, signifying the danger they may possibly be in and allowing the plot twist of the antagonist just wanting to be loved.

Frame 4 - Props

My next frame is a close up involving props and is heavily focused on the impact of it being revealed that Rosey has gone missing. To portray this impact properly while maintaining the character of Rosey's mother, we challenged stereotype and used a small, pink knife in the scene. In typical thrillers, a much more intimidating knife is used when showing a knife drop, such as the knife drop in the 1997 film, Kiss the Girls. The reason we have challenged and developed media conventions is because the purpose of the knife drop in the Kiss the Girls trailer is to build suspense and has no background to the film plot. In contrast, the knife drop in Love Me serves the purpose of building suspense and emphasising Elizabeth's shock when she discovers the news about her daughter, but also highlights a lack of preparation for such news because she is wielding a small knife, clearly used for food preparation purposes and nothing more. Highlighting a lack of preparation shows the audience that the disappearance is a great shock and invites the audience to hope for Rosey's safe return. Furthermore, Elizabeth's red nail paint also symbolises her helplessness in the situation and signifies her dependency on the police officer to find her daughter. 

Frame 5 - Visual effects & Settings

My fifth frame is an establishing shot based on a setting location we discovered which we felt would be perfect for our film. To make this clip appear effective we utilised the blurriness of the camera as it struggled to focus with the instability of the car. The gradual transfer to focus made the establishing shot clear and gave implications that Rosey may have just awoken or just been allowed to see. This is the only establishing shot in the trailer and is broad enough that an audience member is still left unsure of where Rosey is and what the antagonist is planning for her. However, this challenges conventions because typical thriller films have large amounts of establishing shots to indicate to the audience where the action is taking place, whereas we wanted to leave the audience unsure of the location to increase mystery and sinister undertones from the antagonist. 


Much like frame 3, this shot also used a black and white filter but for a different purpose. The black and white filter means an audience could infer that the view is through the eyes of the antagonist, meaning the black and white would symbolise the lifeless and soulless character being portrayed, much like his costume with a lack of colour. This again connotes a lacking presence of love in the antagonist's life and acts as plot development.


Frame 6 - Titles

My sixth frame involves our use of titles during Love Me. Through lots of research, we discovered that thriller films of the past typically used titles accompanied by voice over that fitted the story line of the narrative. For example, in Quentin Tarantino film "Reservoir Dogs" titles such as "Six Perfect Strangers" and "To Pull Off The Perfect Crime." that accompany the introduction of characters and 

gives the audience insight about what the plot of the film is. We used this convention to give an audience insight about the reasons for the kidnapping but we were also reserved with the titles so that there were still mysterious values to our antagonist. Furthermore, our film title, Love Me, conforms to typical thriller films. This is because short and memorable titles are memorable to an audience and are used so that they are more likely to be remembered and recalled. Other films that fit this convention are "Taken" and "Snatch". The reason we chose to name our film Love Me is because it instantly provides background into the plot of the film and indicates to the audience that there will be a one sided battle for love in the film. However, this does not fit typical thriller conventions because thrillers tend to focus on the loved ones of the kidnapped as they try to save the hostage from their captor. In contrast, our trailer focuses more on the antagonist and his struggle for someone to fall in love with him, emphasising the lengths he is willing to go to. As well as this, "Love Me" acts as a demand and once the trailer has been watched, it seems to act as a demand, spoken by the antagonist as he asserts dominance over his captor. We also used a cream background with a smokey overlay and a flickering word effect. This is because the title are contrasting from the rest of the second half of the trailer, moving into a lighter background in comparison to a dark setting. This makes the titles appear as separate from the rest of the trailer, allowing continuity for an audience member as they read the text and also highlighting the darkness in the rest of the trailer.

Frame 7 - Shot type & camera angle

For my seventh shot I have used what I feel is the key shot in the entire production, a canted long shot. Through use of a tripod and an adjustment of focus we had the ability to create a canted camera angle long shot. A canted shot is where the shot is tilted to one side to portray unease. We used this shot because it demonstrates a variety of different angles and shots while still maintaining continuity of the production. The shot portrays the POV of Daniella as she helplessly watches her friend being taken by the antagonist. The blurriness in shot resembles the fact that Daniella is dazed after being knocked to the ground. The canted angle also adds to the helplessness of Daniella and implies that the kidnapping has come as a huge surprise and that the girls are desperate to prevent it. The shot also includes the colourful fence surrounding the play park, therefore adding to the shot of the play park earlier on in the trailer, which we used to emphasise the lack of love shown to the antagonist as a child as well as symbolising the playfulness typically seen with love. Lastly, the canted shot signifies the distortion of the antagonist's mind, showing how his idea of love is inaccurate and potentially dangerous.

Frame 8 - Magazine cover

My eighth frame is the magazine cover I created to advertise my film. This is because I feel it is the piece of media which best represents the conventions of the thriller genre and how I utilised them. The main image of my magazine cover is of the antagonist and is the most important part of the cover. He fits the stereotype of an emotionless character who feels no pain committing crimes. In contrast, the name of the production is a binary opposite to the main image because "Love" has very different connotations to the emotionless image. This emphasises the confusion in the antagonist's mind and also informs the audience that the love the antagonist desires will be taken with force and not come naturally. Another key part of the magazine cover is the inclusion of other films. This is a convention used by most magazines and means audiences who do not have interest in the main image production can still be advertised to through use of other films. I created three original film ideas using photos I had taken myself throughout the year and also the film names of some of my friends' production to advertise other films. This also illustrates that my magazine company "Action magazine" is diverse and appeals to a variety of audiences, while still maintaining the conventions of the thriller genre. Red text is also a convention regularly adopted by magazine companies because it is a very distinguishing and eye-catching colour. This emphasises the importance of my magazine company and also is developed through it's connection to love but also blood, leaving a potential audience unaware of how the film will develop.

Frame 9 - Film poster

My final frame is the film poster i created for my production. This follows conventions because it has the main image as the focus of the poster. This emphasises the importance of my film and also the significance of the antagonist to the plot, being further highlighted with the branches of trees which signify the trapping and entanglement of Rosey in the film. We also followed the convention of creating synergy through our advertising campaign. Synergy allows audience members to make connections between different pieces of media created for the same production and we used it in the form of the same font and similar colour scheme. Much like in my front cover, "Love Me" is red and has the same connotations as the red colour used for "Action". However, my poster also challenges conventions because my main image is more subtle than typical film posters. For example, in the Orphan cover, the main image introduces the audience to the antagonist and gives insight to her personality, such as her stare representing evil intentions and a sinister character. In contrast, I adjusted the hue (colour shade) and brightness of the poster to promote the lifelessness and darkness of the character instead of the use of the character himself. The reason for this is because we didn't want to reveal the character's face but still wanted to connote his demented tendencies, therefore increase emphasis on filters and adjustment was key to show the audience character background. Finally, the conventions of reviews and also main characters were also used to promote my film. Despite being an independent production company  whose characters have little credibility and star power, informing the audience who is in the film can attract those who wish to see an actor or actress perform their role. The review acts in a similar way as praise from a trusted source can encourage potential audiences to watch the film and see if the review is accurate.