Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The title of our film is Stockholm Syndrome we decided on this name as it is a psychological condition which is very tough to understand, therefore fitting in nicely with our chosen genre of thriller with hints of mystery and action. We chose to place it at the end of the opening two minutes as I believe this fits in perfectly with conventions of many films especially of the thriller genre as we didn't want to give to much away to the audience but still have them wanting more and wandering what could possibly have happened next. Similarly to this, I believe that the red and white colour of the font of our title also fits in with typical thriller conventions as these colours connote danger and blood and the white could possibly resemble the protagonists personality. Additionally it is known that black is the absorption of all colour and the absence of light. Black hides while white brings to light and what black covers, white uncovers. This is also why we used a black background for our film title as it may represent the villain, the colour red foreshadowing blood loss. Furthermore, the colour white, representing the protagonist and how possibly later on in the film it may uncovered why the villain carried out his actions and behaves the way he does. This could also be viewed as challenging the methods of a predictable thriller as we have stuck to two colours throughout whereas most thrillers just use one to suggest a sense of consistency. We did however, chose to use these two colours as we also wanted to show clear contrast between the two characters; red representing the evil of the abductor and white representing the purity of the protagonist.  The font we chose is named Hacked and is a fragmented font which appeals to the distinctive elements of being disturbed and warped.

This frame shows where we captured most of the opening two minutes of our film. This shot is very important as it helps set the location and what the protagonists surroundings are like as it shows her running half way through the shot. We chose the location to be a forest as it has a creepy and eerie atmosphere giving it an unsettling feel, keeping the audience on the edge. Furthermore, we chose a forest for the location because it is also seen in many other thrillers and horrors such as The Cabin in the Woods, Friday the 13th, The Evil Dead and Mama. Using a forest as the location was very beneficial as it is isolated which again links to the detail that the protagonist is scared and abandoned, left alone. Additionally, another setting we used was on the road, we made sure that the road was wide and quite so we could film freely without interruptions but also show how the girl is in danger as the car could drive past very fast to indicate intensity and urgency, making the audience feel uneasy and anxious about what will happen to the girl and concerned about her safety.   

For costume we decided that it would’ve been best if our protagonist was wearing casual clothes (shown just like in the photograph taken of Anna on the day of filming). Items of clothing that a stereotypical teenager would wear in order to also fit in with the cliché conventions of a thriller film. I believe, that the costume similarly plays a huge role in attracting the audience as they will more naturally identify with the girl/ protagonist, which allows the audience to also empathise with her (and the situation she is in) but also add tension to the atmosphere, adding a more scary feel to the film. Although the clothes Anna is wearing remind the audience she is a teenager as they fit in with the typical teenage attire, the mud she has on her clothes show that she has been through a struggle and the fact that she is still running suggests that this struggle is possibly not over yet. In the flashback we thought that another hint of parts of the story line could’ve been the clothes she is wearing but also the heart necklace (which is only seen in the parts where she is running in the forest- could be a present from the abductor) . These are very important as the clothing suggests that because she is dressed very smartly and elegantly, that maybe she knew her abductor, possibly was planning on going somewhere with them. This encourages the audience to think for themselves further into the storyline as the drums we see in the flash-back suggest that the villain/ abductor took her back to a familiar location (to him) to add to his power (leaving her even more vulnerable), possibly his house as she seemed unsettled which is natural but this again appears obvious as she keeps looking around as if she is trying to figure out an exit strategy. From what we see in the flashback, we can see that the male character/ villain (we can, as an audience tell he is a villain from the fear she shows towards him when he walks in) wearing dark coloured clothing items particularly with the colour black, this is also quite a stereotypical attire of a villain. This separates him from the audience, emphasising his power and his role as a villain. This is mainly because black connotes, the hidden and the unknown and as a result creates an air of mystery. The colour is also known as a barrier between itself and the outside world, which could again add to the idea that there may be something wrong with the male character. 

While filming, we wanted to capture our footage in interesting ways. We managed to do this by using a variety of angles, which are shown in the photographs above. We did this in order to fit in with the conventions of a drama/thriller. The most used angles and shots that appear to be used in thrillers are point of view angles and this is because it allows the audience to feel like they are also going through what the protagonist is enhancing the tension in the atmosphere. Additionally, low angles are also used to portray the characters in a more dominant way and close ups are used to highlight the fear and expressions on a characters face. In the two-minute opening of our film we wanted to set the location through our camera angles and therefore, shot some of the footage from behind trees in order to retain the sense of mystery, just like in a established/real thriller. We additionally used, marginally canted shots to show the confusion the girl may be feeling. This helps make the audience also feel confused or even anxious as they are still left in the dark as to what is going on and what will happen. We also used close ups to present tension the protagonist is feeling, allowing the audience to feel as if they are right there in front of her and are seeing the amount of power she is using to run away. We lastly, used wide shots/ loose frames to convey the setting of the forest but also show how isolated and alone she is in such a huge and creepy area. Examples of the shots we used are shown above in the pictures. Furthermore, through the use of various angles we wanted to portray that even though she managed to escape where she was help there's actually no escape for her, she can't get away as there is always someone watching her every move all the time. 

For our films two-minute opening we chose to use a font for the title, which is named Hacked from the website Dafont, we chose this one as it appears distressed and somewhat high- tech, which, I believe would link nicely into the storyline of kidnapping. The look of the font shows the pain and danger that the protagonist is feeling/ going through,I think that this links nicely in with the generic conventions of thrillers. Through the font research and other opening analysis I thought that the nicest fonts and most appropriate were Seven and Taken as they had an element of distress and disfiguration to them. As we placed the title at the end we wanted to make it stand out more and let it be a sudden change in order to keep the audience interested and think further of what will happen. For the titles throughout the two-minute opening however, we used a font that was already on iMovie named Vertical drift as it was easy to see on top of the action but was also very subtle, bright enough for the audience to see them yet subtle enough to allow the audience to get fully engrossed in the film and not miss out on any of the action. In order to have connote anger and urgency we used capital letters, we also did this to make them stand out even more. In the films Taken and Shutter Island we see the use of the colours red especially as they connote blood, anger and danger. To fit in with the generic conventions of a thriller we decided to make the colours of the font dark red and white as white could show a huge contrast between the two characters.

I believe that the flashback really helps develop the storyline even more mainly because we as an audience receive clues and hints as to why and where the protagonist is. In the flashback, we decided to add a close up of the protagonists heart-shaped necklace and I think that this adds mystery because it can be seen as a clue because she isn’t wearing it in the scenes where she is running through the woods, it also helps the audience use their imagination to create a different ending if they are not pleased with it. I believe that this as a result is very effective as it adds to the element of mystery. I believe that not only the flashback but also the car scene develops the storyline nicely as we see glimpses of the person through close up shots through the mirror. As a whole, I think that the whole two minutes flow very nicely as there is an continuous development of the storyline while also keeping the audience with certain questions such as why the villain behaves in this way and why he has captured her. I feel like the flashback was a very effective part of the two minute opening as it was a different way to show the audience what has happened while also not give too much away. Furthermore, I feel this relates to the generic conventions of a thriller as throughout the two minutes we are as an audience constantly given clues in order for us to stay engrossed in what's going on.

The protagonist in our film is constantly shown throughout the two-minute opening. She is introduced to the audience as a character who has gone through something traumatic as she is running through the forest and looks very afraid and anxious. During the two minute there is a scene where she is running (obviously as she is running in fear for her safety she is just concentrating on getting to get to a safer/ more crowded place) she suddenly trips and falls over. Above is a screen grab of the scene where she has regained consciousness (after having a flashback) due to falling over and is about to carry on running. In this photograph you see the fear on her face as she was again in a vulnerable position and could’ve been found again by the villain. I believe that this scene as a whole fits in nicely with generic conventions of films within the thriller genre as usually the characters (particularly female characters) are presented as vulnerable, to correspond to the stereotypes of gender. I furthermore, think that this allows the audience to feel as if they can relate to the character.

Throughout the editing of the two-minute opening of our film, we tried using numerous special effects in order to enhance the vibrant elements of the raw footage to make it appeal more to the targeted audience members. Although, they were effective, a lot of them did however, challenge the generic conventions of a thriller mainly because it gave them a less scary feel at certain parts (where we relied more on the music and sound effects). The special effects we used included transitions, blackouts (darker screen/ black background) and bringing an element of slow motion. In order to emphasise the fall we made the raw footage darker (I think that this also reflected the storyline nicely) and changed the action to slow motion in order to emphasise the dramatic action, in this case the fall. To show a clear contrast but still create the same effect on the audience, we changed the car scene to a fast motion to enhance the danger and speed of the car as this fits in nicely and appeals to generic conventions of a thriller. I also believe that as the car sounded and went faster the audience will feel more scared and edgy.