Research for question 1

Research:

For question 1 off the ccr it is "How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?" To break down this question is basically asking to explain what makes my opening a thriller and what does it say about real people. For the part where is says "how does your product use or challenge conventions?" That means how did i follow the rules of a thriller and also what did I do different.

So in most thrillers they keep the lighting very low like in the movie called drive with Ryan gosling where the shadows kinda hit his face and it looks very secretive. I researched how directors use shadows to also hide a character's eyes which makes the audience feel like you cant trust them. I found that in car scenes filmmakers often use passing streetlights to show that the car is actively moving. It follows the convention that darkness equals secrets.

I looked into how thrillers use diegetic sounds which is sounds that happen inside the movie world instead of just loud scary music which is usually see in horror movies. I read that a repetitive sound like a clock ticking or in my case a phone vibrating makes the audience feel like a countdown is happening and it keeps them on edge preparing for something to happen. This is why I decided to make the phone vibration and the blinker so loud in my opening. It is perfect to make a ordinary thing sound creepy.

For the social representation part of the question I researched how teenagers are usually shown in media. Most of the time they are shown as bubbly or just rebelling but I wanted to challenge that. My research into psychological thrillers showed me that showing a character’s internal stress through small movements like the gripping of the steering wheel is way more effective than a big dramatic scene. My opening shows the hidden stress of modern relationships and how technology creates a barrier between people.

I looked at close up and extreme close up shots in car movies. Using tight shots in a small car makes the audience feel claustrophobic like they are trapped in the argument with the characters. By keeping the camera inside the car for most of the opening I am following the thriller convention of confinement.

Lighting in thriller- https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-practical-lighting-in-film/

Sound- https://www.thefilmfund.co/the-art-of-suspense-crafting-soundtracks-that-keep-audiences-on-edge/

CCR question 1- https://prezi.com/p/dqcgeaf8of1p/aice-media-studies-ccr/

Shots- https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/camera-shots-and-angles-for-a-horror-and-thriller-film/28991975