AS Media Studies: Foundation Portfolio Evaluation Questions- Elliot

Question 2: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


What are the forms and conventions of the horror genre? Give examples of films you have studies.
Most conventional horror films open or the horror mostly takes place at night. This is prevalent in films we have seen such as A Nightmare On Elm Street, Halloween and The Strangers. However some films challenge this convention, like The Sixth Sense. Horror is also more effective if the setting is in an unusual location, or a location where you are meant to feel safe, like in a hospital or even in a home.

How have you used this research to make a horror film? Why is this important?
We have utilized this research in order to make our horror film. We took elements from existing horror films and formed our own unique idea. Taking elements from other horror films is important as it makes your film automatically recognisable as a horror film and your potential audience knows exactly that it is a horror film.

Did you challenge these conventions? 
We followed some conventions and challenged others. For instance, we stuck to conventions by having our character as a young female, as this creates a sense of vulnerability. We also followed convention by setting our film in a location where people are meant to feel safe, in this instance a hospital. However, we challenged convention by setting our film in the day rather than at night. This can lull audiences into a false sense of security.

We used the creepiness and the shadows from The Sixth Sense in our film.

Taking inspiration from films such as The Eye and The Ward we had a mental patient as our protagonist.