Question 1: in what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? - Katie Smyth

Here is my question 1, in this i am comparing 9 key shots of my film with 9 shots of existing films, i am also answering 2 questions which are: 1. how does the image use, develop or challenge existing conventions from you sub-genre? and 2. how does the titles and company use, develop or challenge existing conventions from you sub- genre? This will help me with my film as will give me a lot of different ideas.

This summit entertainment logo is similar to the twilight logo as the writing is white and slim.

Twilight logo

This is dark and shows night, which relates to vampires, however could be seen as challenging our genre and doesn’t look very spooky like a horror film.

Titles from true blood

These images develop existing conventions from my sub genre as it’s about vampires and blood and such as there is an image here of teeth with red around them which implies blood and that there with me blood and biting and such in it. Also there is an old abandoned car which creates a spooky atmosphere and a good place to have a good vampire location. 

Image from twilight, which is a vampire genre but also a romance.

This image develops existing conventions as it is a vampire however they have developed it into a romance, and it’s a different setting to usual so challenges it as its not some castle or woods it is at a school dance, and a vampire is dancing with a human, and normal they would be killing them, so is more every day, and normally in camera shots you would like have close ups of vampires teeth and such where as in this it is of both of them and he’s not trying to kill her. So the company is challenging existing conventions as it is more of a romance, which is difference to normal vampire horrors.

Image from van helsing.

This image uses existing conventions as it is villages and a dark, grey miserable background and quite olden days setting, however it develops it as van helsing has more modern weapons, and the woman character is also dressed slightly more modern clothing compared to other village women characters.

This is an image from van helsing of mis en scene, as you can see the main character, and he is holding a weapon so you can see the props used, which they kill the vampires with. You can also see how even in day light it is still very dull, and gloomy and miserable, rather than sunny.

This uses existing conventions as he is killing the vampires with a cross bow, which is used often in vampire films such as Buffy the vampire slayer, however the weapon looks more advance so also has developed existing conventions. They also have used the same conventions as in the setting, which is a grey, miserable gloomy atmosphere, which makes it more spooky.

Buffy the vampire slayer the movie

Here is a key image as she has just killed her first vampire.

This uses existing conventions, as is in a graveyard with a steak to kill them, which is used a lot, as many vampire films are set in grave yards and use that weapon and such. However it challenges existing conventions, as it is a girl who is the main character and the one who kills them unlike, in others like blade where it is a man and van helsing that is a man that kills vampires, so it challenges it as if different.

Here is important as she is killing a vampire.

This also uses existing conventions as again she has a steak and is stabbing him in the heart, which is away most vampire films use to kill the vampires, as they normally aim for the heart, and also the setting looks like it in the woods and at night which is also an existing convention, however this challengers as again it is a women who is killing them, which is different to others which usually use males, also very young as in school still as normally it is an adult killing vampires. Also it is more modern, such as their clothes, compared to existing conventions which are can be set in more olden days.

Here in the film she is training to fight the vampires, so you know there is going to be a fight.

This challenges existing conventions as the woman is very strong and athletic and good at fighting, where normally it is usually a man, and women at normally seen as weak and defenceless and are normally they ones that need saving. Also challenges existing films as set in a school gym, where most aren’t set in schools.

Here she is in her normal life, which makes it seem more real to the audience.

This challenges existing conventions, as it is an everyday life of a high school girl, which is not normally used in a vampire film.

 

From My Film: 

Here is a image of my opening logo, in it, it says the name of our production company. Here we have also used a vampires mouth as the background to show our sub genre of a vampire film , as it relates to our film, which follows the existing conventions for a vampire film and you can see there teeth/fangs which most vampires always have. The font used for OPAC productions will be the font we use on our other film logo's and such so there all similar and show our production company. We used white as the font as it shows up best so it stands out, even when our logo is smaller, you will still be able to se the name of our production company, also we will use white whenever our production company name is used, which will show up on most backgrounds. The Font could challenge existing conventions, as most would use reed for blood and such, but we thought it looked best white and clear and more professional, and still looks scary. 

Here is an image from our titles. Here the writing titles and company use existing conventions from my sub genre as the writing in a in a creepy horror film font which goes with vampire.  Also the titles she is in a grave yard which uses existing conventions as this is where a lot of vampire films are based, also our sound when you can hear church bells, a lot of other films use this to crete and ire vibe and build tension and to show she's in a church yard in vampire films. However in the titles it shows the two vampires are female, which challenges existing conventions as most vampire films the vampires are males, so we thought this would be good as different. However it does follow existing conventions as we use a female victim, like most vampire/horror films as females are seen as more weaker and more vulnerable, so we fear for them more. Also our editing here uses existing conventions as just before the vampire bites her, the vampire suddenly appears, which a lot of vampire films use to make the audience jump.



This image establishes our sub genre of vampire, as you can see the vampire bite and blood, which every vampire film has, so this mis en scene follows existing conventions. Also the sounds builds tension like most existing conventions in this shot.

This image establishes character of our films. As you can she that she is changing into a vampire, as she has one eye changed colour and her teeth are coming through, these follow existing conventions as every vampire film they have vampire fangs and a lot of vampire films they change eye colour, but we developed it as we chose white not the usual red and we thought it looked better for our film and creepier.  Also the sounds follows existing conventions as she is grunting and deep breathing like most vampire films. 

This image establishes mis en scene and uses most existing conventions as it helped us create a good vampire setting, as it is dark at night, which is spookier and you can see she is in a grave yard as you can see the head stones.

Here are four key images from my final film:

I think this is a key image as is a high angled master shot to show her location in a room and where she is to the vampires that are asleep, which helps the audience to understand the setting.  Here you can see the 2 female vampires which challenges existing conventions as they are usually male vampires.  This shot is a key image as you can have a good look at the room and can see its a mess and obviously where they live and pretty dull, so gives a good idea of the location and where she is positioned in the room so it doesn't confuse the audience in the rest of the opening to our film.

This is a key images as it is the first image of the vampire, as if passes the camera, so the audience can see how there's something following her, but they don't know what it is yet. This uses existing conventions as in many other vampire films, the vampire normally follows the victim for a while first, which builds up the tension and fear of the audience so it scarier.

This is a key image as, here she has heard a noise, and is looking round, this uses existing conventions as normally they here something, when the vampires following them and is also set in a graveyard and uses existing conventions as she is female which most horror film use as the audience sees her more vulnerable than you would a guy.

This is a key image as it is the bite seen, which every vampire film has, so this uses existing conventions, however it is by a female which develops the idea of being bitten and challenges as usually the vampire is male.

So these are lots of different screen grabs from my film there a key images and are important in my film.