Evaluation 1

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

Our thriller challenges some conventions of thrillers, but conforms to others. For example, the thriller is a conspiracy/techno thriller which questions power and the secrets kept by those in power and there are many real films which feature these themes. However, the protagonist in thriller films is usually an attractive, young, White male adult and in our film, the protagonist is a young Autistic boy, so in this way, our film subverts the normal conventions of thriller films.

On the other hand, our thriller conforms to the conventions this genre as it's aimed at a young male audience and the mise-en-scene is typical of techno-thrillers. For example, the main colours we see in out title sequence are blue and green. Blue is a cold colour which insinuates negative emotions that relate to the themes of secrecy and betrayal which are present in our thriller. Green, especially green numbers, tend to trigger thoughts about The Matrix, another techno/conspiracy thriller and so the audience can tell our thriller is about computers and technology. So, in the way of mise-en-scene, our thriller conforms to the conventions of other thriller films. However, our use of the mise-en-scene also challenges the forms and conventions of real thriller films as there are no unusual props such as a gun or any weapons. This is because our thriller is set in a normal, suburban house, instead of an unusual location like the ones used in real thrillers, so all the props are things which are available to the audience and so in this way, our thriller doesn't conform to the formulas used in Hollywood thriller films.

The music is fast, electric and non-diegetic and this type of music is usually present in thriller films- a perfect example of this is the sound used in the thriller, Hanna. In this way, our thriller conforms to the forms of this genre.

The camera work, in particular the use of the tracking shot suggests something that was hidden is going to be revealed and this is an idea which is key to our film. The first shot in the opening of Layar Cake is a tracking shot revealing a van which proceeds to blow up as part of a robbery. Again, our thriller conforms to the thriller genre.