1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP
OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?
BY MELISSA MINSHULL
2. WHAT MAKES UP A MYSTERY-THRILLER?
• Our film is of the Mystery-Thriller genre.
• Mystery-Thriller films often have a ‘who done it’ element, we use this as the film is about finding out
why everyone disappeared.
• Conventions commonly used in Mystery-Thrillers include; Dark colours, Weaponry and Building non-
diegetic music.
• Mystery-Thrillers aim to keep the audiences guessing and on the edge of their seat whilst the charcters
on screen try to solve the mystery.
3. NARRATIVE
• We established our plot by having two initial scenes before and during the credits before the main part of the
film started.
• The first scene we used was the college scene. This scene is set two months before. This established our plot
by showing the main character in her natural habitat. We also included the phone call to show the initial red
flags of the situation.
• We also used the news report to establish our plot. It did this by setting the scene and talking about the
disappearances. The news report also states that it is a world wide problem showing the multitude of the
situation.
• The conversation the group has whilst playing poker is used to foreshadow the ending. Whilst Wild Card
suggests aliens Twist blames the government who at the end of the film are found to be responsible.
• We also used the conversations between the group and the main character to explain the situation to the
audience as well as to the main character herself. The group states that they “thought [they] were the only
ones left” implying that nearly everyone else is missing.
4. NARRATIVE – SIMILAR FILM
• The X-FILES Movie has a similar way of revealing its narrative.
• It starts with a scene from the past which raises questions about a situation and indicates something is
wrong.
• It then jumps forward in time to where the main mystery is already in play.
• The film also has a restricted narrative and is investigating the disappearances of multiple people
5. CINEMATOGRAPHY
• During our film we use a low angle shot to show the group of Kicker, Twist, and Wild Card. This was to
show that in this situation they are in charge, which is uncommon due to their age.
• This is also mirrored in a slight high angle shot of the main character and Kicker. Kicker is also positioned
over the main character which highlights her power.
• We also use a focus pull to indicate that the main character has been either unconscious or asleep, but
also to represent the blur of her memory and the fact that she can’t remember anything.
• We also used multiple long shots and deep space to show the isolation of the main character.
6. CINEMATOGRAPHY – SIMILAR FILM
• The film Bourne Identity also has themes of isolation and shows this through long shots and the use of
deep space.
• Bourne Identity also uses a focus pull to indicate that he has been unconscious and also to represent
the fact that he can’t remember who he is.
7. EDITING
• Our film is in chronological order to create a restricted narrative which is typical of Mystery-Thrillers.
• This helps to keep the audience guessing but also to increase verisimilitude to make the audience feel
as if they could be in the situation themselves.
• We used elliptical editing as we didn’t need to involve the entirety of the main character walking to
further the plot. Keeping this in would also make the audience lose interest which goes against the
genre.
8. EDITING – SIMILAR FILM
• Taken is also in chronological order and has a restricted narrative to keep the audience on the edge of
their seat and to increase the verisimilitude of the film.
• The film also uses elliptical editing as the characters take a 10 hour flight and the entire film takes place
of 96 hours which could not all be put into one film.
9. SOUND
• We included a loud news introduction to shock the audience and to make them pay attention to it as tit
includes important information about the plot.
• The sound of static is used to indicate that signals are failing as there aren’t many people left and also
that no one is safe even the news.
• The non diegetic music in the second part of the film is slow and quite to highlight the isolation the
main character feels but the tempo rises to indicate the tension between her and the group.
• We also use a sound bridge to show that she is walking towards the group who are talking.
10. MISE-EN-SCENE
• We chose our locations due to them being isolated in the countryside, which is a typical convention
used in Mystery-Thriller films to invoke urbanoia in the audience
• Our second location of the woods was used as they are a typical location of Mystery-Thrillers as there is
a limited range of sight due to the trees. We also used this location as it is a good place to camp for
survival due to the cover from the trees and the water from the stream.
• The costumes of Kicker and the main character are dark to reflect the pessimism of the characters and
the situation they’re in.
• The darkness of the main characters costume contrasts her costume at the beginning of the film which
is mostly red. The red has connotations of danger and foreshadows the events to come.
• We also have a letter opener acting as a makeshift weapon for the main character to show that the
situation she is in is dangerous.
