EVALUATION ACTIVITY 1

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

The first shot shown in our film shows the location in which it is set and establishes the surroundings for the story. This means that the audience knows where the characters are and how the location is so normal; this causes the audience to feel that it could happen to anyone as it is such a common situation. This shot last for quite along time as we slowly zoom in on the door, this reinforces the location in which it is set. As the genre for our film is horror we wanted the audience to be able to relate to the characters which is why we chose such an ordinary location. This may lead the audience to believe that something bad may happen because everything is so calm and quite.

One of the first opening title is shown on this screen grab. This sets the film up and causes the audience to have high expectations as the director has successful y directed a few horror films such as The Blair Witch Project. This shot is an over the shoulder shot which puts the audience into the characters (Amy) position. This means that they are already sympathizing with the characters and will be more affected by the disturbances later on in the clip. This is the first time the audience sees the characters which means that they are just beginning to relate to them and get to know them.

In this screen grab it can be seen using a mid shot that the two characters are wearing quite similar colours: we chose pale colours as we felt they made the characters seem more innocent and pure. This can be seen clearly from the character (Tara) closest to the screen as her top is pale pink with flower on it. This adds to her purity and contributes to the audience’s instinct to protect her as she is clearly naive and vulnerable. This shot lasts for a long time as we want it to be clear where they are established in the house and what the characters look like as it is the first time the audience can see them in full. The characters seem very relaxed and normal as they walk from the door into the sitting room. This may put the audience one edge as they know something is going to happen to these two characters but are unable to do anything.

This is a high angle shot of Tara opening the front door. This shows that we are looking down on her as she is vulnerable and submissive. This angle could also suggest that the audience has more knowledge that she does so are more dominate that the character, this will cause them to feel helpless and scared of what may happen to her next. This shot also allows the audience to see exactly what she is doing and where she is going.

This location is the same as the beginning except it has become a lot darker and sinister. This will causes the audience to feel unease as they felt so comfortable in this location before they may start to question what has happened here and what is outside. The top that Tara is wearing means that she shows up in the dark clearly which adds to her vulnerability and means that the audience can see clearly what is happening to her. The long shot means that we can have the two characters in the shot at the same time as the villain is in the foreground whereas Tara is in the background. This again reveals more information to the audience that the innocent character doesn’t know.

This shot shows Amy alone in the sitting room, which means the audience has empathy for her as something may be about to happen as she has no one around to help. She is in the centre of the shot as we want the focus to be purely on her. As this scene in our film is not very action packed we have put a title on to show the audience the creators of the film.

This shot is a cleaver as it can either put the audience into the point of view of the villain as it is an over the shoulder shot. This may frighten the audience as the villain is so close to the camera and is watching his victim or they could interpret it as the victim is so far away and the audience cannot help them because the villain is between them. They can also see that she cannot see him which may make them feel uncomfortable and frustrated. The black hoody that the villain is wearing means that the audience cannot see any human qualities or facial features to him. This makes him not normal and makes them feel the unknow. This also boarders the shot well and means that the focus is on the victim as she runs to the front door.

This low angle shot shows the victim (Amy) walking up the stairs to where the villain waits. This will really scare the audience as they know what is about to happen and suspense will be built as the shot lasts for a while. The clothing that she is wearing could demonstrate her knowledge and understanding as it shows she is confused and isn’t very clever.  This shot is very common in a horror film: usually the girl will start to walk up the stairs and then something stops her and her path will be blocked, although in our film we have decided to go against the usual conventions of a horror film and kill her at the beginning. This will make the audience tense as they will feel like they cannot predict what will happen in the future. In this scene the audience hears Amy calling out the name 'Tara'. This is giving the character personal qualities which may make the audience feel for her even more as they see her as a real person.

This is the final shot in our film as it shows the villain walking away from the house into the distance. This demonstrates to the audience that the villain could be anywhere and is very unrecognizable as he is wearing all black and his face is covered.

In horror films the title is usually shown right at the beginning of the film and is white in a simple font, although in our horror film we have decided to go for a bolder font which would normally be seen in an action film. We feel that this adds to the dramatic effect and demonstrates the villain’s character. The thick bold red writing shows the name of the film and means that the audience will associate it with the villain and his actions.