Evaluation of The Unit - Question 1

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

Conventions of thriller genre opening sequence:

• The use of low key lighting
• A sequence has a range of angles and creative shots
• the aural accompaniment of the sequence would generally be quiet tense
• sometimes a twist in the narrative is used by using the editing technique of either a montage or cross cutting.
• there would also be a sense of realism in the sequence.
• they would also have establishing shots of known locations or sites that there target audience can easily pick up on.
• a thriller opening sequence can commonly have the theme of death. 

The use of tense sound is used to help build up to a climatic point in the sequence to add to the dramatic atmosphere the director is trying to convey. it also engages the audience into the narrative of the thriller by the use of tension making them want to watch on. An example of this is 'The sixth sense'.

During the sequence the use of aural accompaniment is used effectively by the using the ambient sound of the record player in the background of the scene to convey a sense of spooky atmosphere with the proxemics between the two characters the house itself. 
the ambient sound is then broken by the use of silence and the dialogue of the two 'drunk' characters'. the use of silence is effective as it adds suspense for the unsuspecting charterers.  





The climax is then is made by the use of instrumental music adding tension to the scene drawing the audience into the story and makes the audience give an instant sense of sympathy to the character.









Alfred Hitchcock - Physco


The use of sound in this famous scene was a first of its kind and is prime example of using Sound to develop and build a climax. By the use of ambient sound of the shower and the use of silhouette adds tension and fear for the audience because of what they know is going to come next. This then goes into violent use string instruments for the killing, which adds to the climax and slowly fades out breaking the tension after the death of the women. 





The Unit Opening Sequence- Sound/ Low Key Lighting

The use of low key lighting in the background of our silhouettes creates the sense eerie and tense atmosphere with the audience giving the intentions of it being a thriller genre.







 The tension is also built with the use of percussive instrumental music. during the build up the tension, the mystery of the sequence is starting to piece together but giving the audience questions about who the characters are by the use of silhouettes and key lighting as well as the tense soundtrack.






 The use of sound at the end of the climax was
effective; by using a sting at the end of the stalking shot it breaks the tension and help the climax give questions to the audience on what is going to happen in the narrative.








Challenging the conventions of a Thriller:

Moreover, even though the use of key lighting suits the the thriller conventions. The silhouettes develop the conventions of a thriller as it does adds mystery of to whom these character are you would normally fully establish the main characters, which i feel we have but to certain degree as we established them  in a creative way which still adds mystery because the audience are not able to recognize the characters with appearance so they can not class the characters status or importance by the use of mise en scene in the film which makes them want to watch on through out the film.