Dilini Gorsia

Evaluation activity 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
Throughout the duration of our opening sequence of a horror film
we have intentionally decided to incorporate a variety of codes and
conventions from our chosen horror genre. As a group we agreed
that we all wanted to create something different and unpredictable
that our target audience would enjoy.
The title of the production:
At the beginning of our production we had decided on our concept
and were struggling to come up with a name for our actual
production. Due to the fact that it had taken us so long, we ended
up going with a simple name that best represented our narrative.
The name The Darkness best describes our antagonist which
comes across very supernatural. The ideology behind the name is
that our antagonist Lucy, comes out during the night in the dreams
of her victims which links to darkness in general as well as the
other side. All these links to the darkness coincide with the codes
and conventions of the horror genre as it enables the audience to
guess the genre of the film just by seeing the title.
Font and style:
The title for our production was actually designed by the editor
using Photoshop. He used MV Boli as the font and presented the
titles in a dark red. Although the font didnt really match any of the
codes and conventions we decided to maintain the theme of red so
that it had some conventions of a typical horror genre. Red is
usually the colour used to connote danger, however in our case it
is also used to connote blood as both of these themes are clearly
portrayed throughout or opening sequence as well as the rest of
the film. We also decided to put the title against a dark
background, not only to foreshadow the deathly, gothic theme of
the movie but also to make the red title stand out more to the
audience. Furthermore, as our title sequence ends on a cliff
hanger, we put the title of the film last so that the audience are
focused on the screen and also so that they remember the name
of the film well.

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The setting/location of the production:

The setting of our final production was located in a house. This

ensured that our audience could relate to the main character as it
also followed the main codes and conventions of a real media
product. As well as this is added a sense of realism to the
production as it may have made the audience feel a lot more
scared in their own houses after seeing the film. The use of the
house setting is also portrayed in similar films, e.g. Insidious,
Orphan and Scream 4. On the other hand, it can be argued that
the film went against the conventions of a horror film as the house
that we used wasnt particularly haunted or frightening; it was just
a normal looking household.
The reason why we chose to set our production in a house is due
to the fact that we felt it may have played on the audiences primal
fears. As well as this, we tend to consider our homes as a place of
security and as soon as it is invaded or attacked, we immediately
feel scared and paranoid. Moreover, the fact that our main
protagonist, Rachel, is home alone, it makes the atmosphere more

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tense and eerie and therefore creates a sense of suspicion with

the audience as to what is going to happen to her as shes home
alone for the night.
Camera work and editing:
Due to the fact that I was the director, I had the responsibility of
working closely with the editor and camera person to incorporate
all the ides put forward by each group member and to also make
sure we all had the same vision.

The overall production consists of a wide variety of shots, from

establishing shots; close ups and even the odd extreme close up.
The film commences with an establishing shot of the outside of the
house where a ghostly figure dressed in black walks past the
camera. Immediately, the audience are shown exactly what the
genre of the film is. We wanted to make sure we included
something obvious at the start as our title didnt come until the end
of the production so it wouldnt be clear that its a horror until the
end of the first scene. The first few shots inside the house is of the
toilet and basin. This is beneficial as it doesnt introduce the
protagonist straight away so the audience are left wondering who
is this person and what is their role in the film? The questions grow
as the film progresses however after a few shots the character is
introduced to the audience through the use of a medium shot.

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Furthermore, a few of the shots may be classed as typical shots

that appear in a horror film and in fact meet the codes and
conventions of a horror film. For example, the use of the
establishing shot at the start sets the scene and determines the
location. It also enables us to see the ghostly figure for the first
time. As well as this, the use of the P.O.V shot allows us to see
what our protagonist Rachel sees when she hears a noise outside
her room door.
To conclude, during the first few editing sessions, I remember
sitting down with the editor to ensure the shots and camera
movements were placed correctly throughout the sequence.
However this was during the first few shoots before we changed
our ideas. Throughout the production we included transitions
between the shots and match on action to help with the continuity
of the final product.
Special Effects
In order to give our audience a supernatural feel, we included a
special effect that gave the audience the feeling that our
antagonist was in fact ghostly and no longer living. The audience
should hopefully feel scared and intrigued due to this editing
technique. The pace of this special effect was particularly
important; this is because, if it turned out to be too fast, the
audience wouldnt be able to notice it as much and if it turned out
to be too slow, it would take away the ghostly and fearful element
in which it instilled in our viewers. As a result, we chose to balance
it out so that it would still be effective yet unexpected.

Special effect used

as the ghostly figure
walks past.

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Costume and props:

The costume that Rachel, the protagonist, was wearing was
exactly what we had intended when planning the costumes and
props for the film. We wanted to stick to a neutral and basic
costume of black and white pyjamas as we didnt want to draw
away too much of the audiences attention from the main aspects
of the film. We used a plain white t-shirt to connote that she was in
fact the protagonist by the use of the pure white colours and
innocent symbolism that it conveyed.

The ideology behind having the shadow of Lucy, the antagonist,

was inspired by the short film lights out. To create this look, we
had to cover our actress completely in black clothing so that none
of her face or real body was shown and so that a shadow like
figured appeared in the camera.
One of the most significant props was the lamp. It was one of our
focal points in the film and it allowed us to show the audience what
exactly the ghostly figure was capable of. As well as this it gave us
an excuse to incorporate some movement and added time on
Rachels behalf.
How characters are introduced:
The first character to be introduced into the scene is the antagonist
Lucy. Her ghostly sense is seen walking past the camera right at
the beginning during the establishing shot of the house. This not
only sets the scene and location, it also enables to audience to
discover the genre of the film. Furthermore, it helps us to almost
be in control of the
audiences thoughts as they
wonder who that is, what they
want and who theyre
targeting (Rachel the
protagonist).

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Next, the protagonist is introduced gradually into the bathroom

scene. She isnt shown straight away but is eventually introduced
when grabbing the towel to wipe her hands. The use of a medium
shot makes the audience seem more relaxed about her role and
she acts fairly natural and calm.
Genre and how the opening suggests it:
Overall, our production includes many of the codes and
conventions of a typical horror sequence. For example, films such
as insidious and scream 4 use diegetic sounds such as squeaky
doors and screaming and also non diegetic sounds such as the
score music that runs throughout most of the film itself. This
suggests that the opening of the film is in fact a horror.
As well as this, the use of shots and camera movements and
angles emphasis the genre as they show clear character
expressions and close up of particular objects. E.g. when Rachel is
tucked up in bed, there are a few extreme close ups of both her
eyes and throat to suggest that she is scared and nervous about
the situation.

The mise-en-scene of the dark figure in the hallway, allows the

audience to guess that the genre is horror as the antagonist is
seen wearing a pure black costume. The colour black connotes
danger, death and general negativity. As well as this, the
antagonist appears in the dark which not only coincides with the
film name but also matches the codes and conventions of the
genre due to the low key lighting.
Story and how the opening sets it up:
Due to the fact that the opening of the film starts with the
introduction of the antagonist, as I previously stated, it allows the
audience to identify that the theme is in fact horror. However, the
audience may also become unaware shortly after as we begin to

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see the natural setting the Rachel is portrayed in. this was
intentional as with each shot the element of fear and tension
progresses further. Each event happens shortly after each other
until the climactic build up of the opening scene where we see the
antagonists face but dont actually get to see what happens to
Rachel. The opening ends on a cliffhanger however enables us to
relate to our protagonist and identify what both characters are
capable of and therefore setting up the scene for the rest of the
film.