1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? During my research I watched two films and made a timeline of the opening sequence of each. The timeline consisted of what appeared (credits, logos etc.) the conventional criteria of an opening sequence.

My opening sequence begins with the production logo. I tried to add a second logo to show synergy, but I was unable to locate the second logo and ran short of time to make another. My production company, ‘Fox in the Box’, is unique and has a simple cartoon fox which is easily recognizable. I have also added a sound effect of a ‘ping’ when the fox winks to make the logo more interesting and memorable. I have also used a catchy name for my production company, which makes the audience remember it for future reference. The ‘Productions’ appears after ‘Fox in the Box’, this is to keep the audience watching, rather than having a boring unanimated logo which doesn’t interest the audience and capture their attention from the beginning to then attain it throughout the film.

After the logo animation appears, the film company ‘Vertigo Films’ appears, which are the distributers of the film, they work in synergy with ‘Talbot productions’. I have added these after the logo animation, because I learnt from my research that they are conventionally placed here. The font is old-fashioned which indicates that the film isn’t modern, however it could be seen as formal. The font is sylfaen which is clear and easy to read, but doesn’t give away too much about the film and it’s genre – the footage and music alone create enough enigma. From my timeline and research, I discovered that the credits are usually placed after the company name. I used the same font for my credits as I did my company name to make the film flow well and fit the genre (action/horror). The names of the crew are in capitals to make them clearer and easy to read. The period in which the credits run is rather long, this is to create suspense, as the music is dramatic and the shots are dark, the audience needs to wait for the tension and curiosity to build.

From my research I found that the title was always in the middle of the credits, before or after the credits. I decided to put the title after the credits, which keeps the audience guessing the name of the film and keeping their attention waiting for the name to appear on screen. I also made the title appear as if it’s being typed. I did this to create enigma, letting the audience guess the next letter and let them figure out the title while it’s being typed. The title uses the same font as the credits, which keeps the same theme throughout the film to not confuse the audience. The background is black to create suspense and mystery, as the beginning of the film is dark, I decided to keep the dark theme throughout and help the film flow better. The title ‘The Stranger’ doesn’t give away the plot of the film at all, but creates enigma and makes the audience guess the plot. They understand that there must be a stranger in the film but they are yet to find out how the stranger fits into the film, which is shown by action codes later on in the film when the stranger appears. A genre convention of horror films are darkness and mystery, so the title fits the genre well.

The title cuts to a shot which uses the rule of thirds and has a wall close on the left of the screen. The street is clear which creates mystery and suspense as the sound of footprints get louder until the first character appears in shot, introducing the first character. Automatically the audience are asking questions; who is she? Why is she running? We are yet to see the characters face clearly to be able to identify her. The second character is introduced by a close up tracking shot of his feet, he’s dragging a bat beside him and the first character comes into shot who’s lead vulnerably on the floor. The audience automatically assume that the character is violent by his prop and the way that he handles the prop. Instead of carefully carrying the prop, we see him carelessly dragging it along the road. Suspense has been built and the audience are intrigued to identify the character. The next shot of the character is a medium shot, however, the lighting is minimal meaning that it’s difficult to see the characters face, creating mystery. The audience are unsure who this new character is, making the assumption that he is the ‘Stranger’.

This shot suits the genre of horror well, because there is a sense of unease about it. The object which is out of focus on the left gives us about two thirds of a screen in which to watch the characters, this makes the characters look boxed up in a confined space. The vantage point of this shot is high angle which makes the characters look helpless and vulnerable as they attempt to outrun whatever is chasing them. The unfocused object to the left of the screen gives the sense that someone is watching the characters from above (the top of the stairs), which makes the audience feel wary and nervous. Overall, our final video includes many genre conventions. It keeps the audience focused and on their toes, getting their interest from the beginning and attaining it to the very end of our opening sequence. The opening sequence creates many enigma codes which can later be answered in the film by action codes. The opening sequence ends in a black out, leaving the film on a cliff hanger which is easy to continue and keep the audience interested with a thrilling plot.