Evaluation Question 1

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

At a technical level, how well did you observe the conventions of continuity, and the language of film and editing?

The conventions of continuity were a key focus for us during this project. This is because in my AS year we has some continuity issues within a shot reverse shot conversation  that was key to the storyline. Due to this we had to re- film the full conversation again as the actors were doing the wrong actions at the wrong time, for example a cup would be in a characters hand in one shot and not be in the next shot of them. We also experienced this problem when we did a journey exercise at the beginning of the year as a character was walking slowly in one shot and the next it was too fast to continue. Whilst following continuity editing we carried out the basic 180 degree rule that we used within our preliminary exercise during our AS year. We stuck to these rules of continuity editing because if we hadn’t the audience would become confused and not recognise that the characters are within the same setting and scene will look overall abnormal.

We also used other editing techniques in order to create our film. We used elliptical editing which means we used simple cuts, fades and dissolves, that all indicate different amounts of time has passed, in order to make out film snappier and more interesting for the audience.  By using these techniques it clearly indicates to the viewer that there has been passage of time and scene may also change. We used this process mainly in the graveyard scene as there were long sections of the main characters Elizabeth and Lilly walking which were then cut and altered to make the sequence shorter so it keeps the audience interested.

 We also used the technique when the two sisters go to visit their long lost sister. There is a scene of them walking up to the mental hospital and then the next shot is of them walking into Katherine’s room. We used elliptical editing here as we didn’t want to use unnecessary boring footage of walking when we could have faster shots that would intrigue the audience. 

 

In terms of the content, how does your film reflect or challenge the conventions of the genre you are working in? Does it fulfil the nature of film genre or will it subvert expectations deliberately?

I feel we have used stereotypical thriller genre conventions within out film such as a plot twist. Thriller films usually advertise that they contain plot twists and ask the audience to refrain from revealing spoilers to other potential viewers. We decided to use a plot twist at the end of our film, we did this by keep Katherine’s past a secret and due to this the ending is dramatic and may shock the audience. However we have also subverted the thriller stereotype as usually male characters are featured within thriller film and we decided to use an all-female cast. Also the women within psychological thrillers are generally the characters that are viewed as mentally unstable. For example in Girl Interrupted which has a large female cast, women are mostly seen as being mentally unwell. We have conveyed this stereotype as the mental patient within our film is a women. However there are also two strong female characters that are central to the storyline and they are portrayed as not being effected by a mental illness even though they have to go through a lot of stress with their mum dying and them being introduced to their long lost sister. This subverts the stereotype that women in psychological thrillers are generally seen as insane and unstable. When a film within this genre is set within an urban area such as ours is, the unstable characters are generally appear as normal people at first. We have subverted this stereotype as Katherine is established as being mentally unwell at the begging of the film. We have used a stereotypical look for the Katherine within the mental institute, we were inspired by Angelina Jolie’s character within Girl Interrupted so we have used similar plain clothing. We have also given Katherine messy hair, minimal make up and a stressed out appearance just like Jolie’s. We have also given the staff within our mental institute a uniform just like the type that is shown in other films. Overall our film does follow stereotypical conventions of a psychological thriller as it focuses on a mentally unstable women with a dark past. However we have subverted stereotypes by using original idea such as having an all-female cast that includes strong women and having a plot twist in the storyline that no one is expecting. Below is our film, Lost Possession compared with Girl Interrupted. These images suggests that we have used stereotypical shots within our film too, for example we used a close up of Katherine’s face and within Girl interrupted there is a close up of Lisa’s face. Close ups are effective within psychological thrillers as the genre is meant to focus on a characters mental state and feeling and close ups are usually used to show the characters emotions.

Are there any elements of deliberate pastiche or parody, where you ‘play’ with the genre’s codes and history? Are there any inter-textual moments where you hint at a reference to another film?

During the development of our film poster we were inspired by the film poster of The Conjuring. The angle that the body is facing away from the camera suggests an uncomfortableness and it also suggests that the individual has something to hide. This is true within our film as the character featured on the poster is Katherine and she is the one who holds onto a secret until the end of the film. We also used similar shading effects and the same write writing for the title as the conjuring poster. This suggests that there is a link between these two films as they are presented similar however our film falls into the category of a thriller and the conjuring is more seen as a horror film. Although there is a mysteriousness about both of the posters and this is stereotypical to both genre’s storylines. 

In conclusion I am confident that as a group we have achieved producing a film that will bring the audience pleasure. As well as using both stereotypical features of a thriller and using our own original ideas we have also incorporated Richard Dyer’s theory as everything is going wrong at the start of the film but it is resolved by the ending. The main character Katherine, is shown in to be mentally unstable which is stereotypical of women within this genre. This links with the theory of Steve Neale as he believes that using conventions causes excitement for the audience as they are able to pick out the key features. We see how her mental state effects other people within the plot but we have an original plot in terms of two of the women within the plot remaining positive throughout the film. We didn’t want to follow the stereotype of women within a thriller film completely as this may seem boring to the audience especially if they are female as they may view it as sexist. By doing all of this I believe we have been successful in creating an intriguing psychological thriller that will engage the views and appeal to a wide audience.