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

My thriller opening uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real thriller, using elements of British gangster to support the camerawork, editing, titles and mise en scene.

The camerawork develops the conventional shots used in thriller films. I the thriller opening I have used a variety of shots and camera angles. For example the shot of Kam's face is an extreme close up and is used to establish her character as paranoid and nervous, it also creates an intense atmosphere.

The side shot of the briefcase is eye level, which connotes its significance to the plot and draws attention to it. The briefcase creates an enigma as it is a macguffin, and we have established the character through the use of this prop because it connotes Anton's character as smart and professional, but also mysterious. I got inspiration for the briefcase shot from Pulp Fiction as the prop is used in a similar way, as a macguffin because the contents of the case is never shown to the audience.

The shot of the shoes walking is a conventional shot used in thrillers which we have developed further by also making it a tilted shot. This creates a sense of disorientation and emphasises the character's paranoia. It is inspired by the walking scene in Peaky Blinders. The first few shots of my thriller opening are of the characters' shoes, which increases suspense as the shots are slowly revealing the characters, from a shot of their feet to the props, to over the shoulder until the characters are about to meet and their faces are shown, which is also similar to the walking scene in Peaky Blinders.

To suit the thriller theme we considered a colour pallet that would make the opening look bleak to connote a rough location and eerie atmosphere. The colours are desaturated, similar to in 'Essex Boys', as the cold colours establish the British gangster theme.

I used lighting conventions of film noir thrillers such as low key lighting which results in shadows and hints of darkness. The source of light is diegetic as it comes from the daylight at the entrance of the underpass and the artificial lights on the walls. The shadows establish the characters' evil within and is inspired by The Third Man as chiaroscuro lighting is used in order to create dark shadows behind the characters to connote them as morally corrupt and evil. Also the backlight at the end of the underpass is similar to the sewer scene in The Third Man, because both locations have  many different tunnels and pathways which give a sense of confusion and the character being disorientated and wanting to escape towards the light which is a metaphor for hope. The use of leading lines creates a vanishing point, where the character is running to, in order to escape.

The location develops the conventions of thriller films as they are usually set in bleak, urban cities which in something I considered in our thriller opening because we have used various locations, including the underpass where the characters meet and exchange the briefcase. The location is very metaphorical as is establishes the theme of the film as it is grotty and unsettling. The location being underground with lots of tunnels creates a sense of entrapment, which is comparable to the location in Se7en as there are bars on all the buildings which connotes the character's imprisonment.
The setting also establishes the characters such as Chantelle who is a streetwise gangster with dark intentions and Anton's character who is mysterious and corrupt and the industrial location connotes this.

The camerawork uses forms of thriller techniques such as the camera angles, shot types and camera movement. The camerawork shows the contrast in the characters because the cuts and camera movement is a faster pace during Chantelle's shots which presents her as anxious and suspicious, whereas Anton moves slowly and dominates the screen time presenting him as cautious and in control.

Chantelle's costume establishes her character because she is wearing casual, dark clothes to present her as a gangster, with a low social class. She also has her hood up which creates a sense of enigma and connotes her criminality.
Whereas Anton's costume is smart and sophisticated, making him a complete contrast to Chantelle and presenting him as dominant and of higher status because he is professional and wealthy.

The font of the 'KREMLIN' film title is bold and blunt to create a harsh tone and reflect the Russian theme. It's central composition, capital letters and large scale draw the audience's attention to it and make it look more striking to create meanings of the bleak atmosphere and dangerous location.