Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our product is very similar to existing media products because we researched and planned out what we were inspired by and what we wanted to show our audience.

Short Film 

During the brainstorm and development of our short film, I specifically looked at 'Knock' which is a short film by Deric Nunez. He adds a cold hue to the screen which makes the short film more dark and mysterious as if something bad is going to happen. He also uses sound effects like the phone ringing and the door creaking to add and build tension and adds in the stereotypical blonde character is the main character and victim. She is portrayed as an easy target with her bright yellow top. In relation to our short film 'Delusional,' it is very similar to this existing media product because we've focused on using sound to create and build up tension as it is part of the thriller genre. Knock has helped us generate ideas and has influenced us by thinking about the audience and making sure that they understood the plot even if there was limited dialogue within the short film. We wanted to add that "show, don't tell" vibe so that we could leave the audience guessing and decoding our short film.

On the other hand, I also looked at 'Human Form' by Doyeon Noh. Although this is a horror based short film I feel that it's more of a thriller that has a controversial meaning behind it. The director made it seem like plastic surgery was something that everyone needed but when the main character Inhyng Chung was denied it she was forced to go through whatever it takes, even if it meant that it was an experiment. I feel that the constant dinner table scenes add to the plot. The dimly lit room suggests that something is lurking through the shadows and that there may be danger ahead. Moreover, by having more characters in this short film I felt that each and everyone of them has influenced Inhyung's decision in the end which lead to her undoing. In relation to our short film 'Delusional,' I was influenced by 'Human Form' because it spoke out to the audience without actually having to tell them whats so wrong with whats happening. Doyeon Noh uses creepy characters, limited lighting, piano music and frequent cuts, however in our short film we could only use natural light and one song which could build up tension.This short film only helped me generate ideas and possible plots which we could then produce and develop.

By looking at the thriller and horror genre it has helped us think about what conventions make a short film successful. Not only has it influenced our ideas and what we could add to our short film but it has also helped us understand what the audience wants to see and what they expect as these conventions help make that overall genre. Representation was also key to the making of our short film because just like the other short films I have looked at, there are many symbolic codes and meanings which could also influence the actions of the main character. For example, in 'Human Form' if Inhyung didn't see that research participants needed poster, she probably would've gone to a proper clinic which she could afford and her face probably wouldn't have ended up looking that way in the end. Therefore, in our short film if we didn't add in a figure of his younger brother Eric, the plot could not move on and it definitely wont tell the audience how he died in the end. Eric is just Derek's imagination and he couldn't move on or come to terms with what has happened because death is a scaring thing that can happen at any moment. Eric represents that last bit of hope.

Poster

For one of the ancillary tasks, our group was inspired by a couple of film posters created within the thriller genre. For example, I looked at 'The Woman in Black 2' and the 'Altered Perception' poster. Posters within the thriller genre focus on close ups of the main character's face or the villain of the film. Just like the film, they use dark lighting but in posters they also have the power to manipulate and distort the face more. This allows the audience to quickly tell that it may be a thriller/ horror film. 'The Woman in Black' poster has influenced the making of our one because the shadow represents mystery and possible danger. In relation to 'Delusional' we added a black figure behind the main character which also creates mystery. On the other hand, in the 'Altered Perception' poster because it had a needle pointed/ stuck in an eye we wanted to make our poster have that same feeling where the audience would feel a little uncomfortable. Therefore, we wanted to almost tell the audience that the colour of his eye links in with the representation of him being delusional.

Usually the trailer of the film is what helps the audience decide whether or not to see the film, but the poster is what helps generate hype and market the film. In the posters we've looked at, some have a hashtag which relates to the film which could then be re-tweeted or posted on social media. We chose #Reality because it clearly links in with our delusional main character. We wanted to focus on raising awareness on mental health and how death can be a catalyst on that subject. This hashtag will not only generate hype around the film but also gather a community of people who may be experiencing the same thing.