Evaluation question 1: In what ways does your media product, use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In our created media product "Animus," we were able to include many forms and conventions of real media products which overall helped to attain a healthy and strong piece of media text.


Mcguffin

This was the mcguffin of our media product based on the fact that this envelope worked as the main source to drive the storyline and create action and thus allowing it to occur throughout our film opening. This was effective because our audience were focused on the action based on the movement and location of our media product in our film.

Relation to real films

Psycho

Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) uses an envelope as a mcguffin which shows how our media product correlates with real films. I also believe that through this decision of using an envelope as a mcguffin, it helped the strength of our media product because it is a very effective mcguffin used in world known greats such as Psycho. 

Suspense

The opening of our media product exposes the audience to tension and suspense with the first shot of a man strapped to a chair, bloody and in an abandoned scrap yard. This is effective and suspenseful because the audience develop a feeling of not being in control and are instantaneously fearful and worried for the man in the chair as it appears that he is a bad place. Furthermore, the high angle shot corresponded with the frantic heartbeat creates the idea that the man in the chair is oppressed and smothered by negativity and doom.

Relation to real films

Casino Royale

In Casino Royale, James Bond is strapped to a chair and is being tortured by the villain. This shows that our media product is inspired by specific features of real films such as Casino Royale. My group believed this to be very effective as being trapped in a chair shows a clear distinction between power and status within the media text and thus the audience can clearly identify these factors which can induce empathy into them as a result.

Setting

This setting of Canary wharf is typical of the thriller genre with it's Urban and modernised structure. It is effective as the look of the building is overwhelming and enveloping to the audience. The audience place various factors together such as the juxtaposition of the suit one man is wearing and the big coat and casual clothes the other is wearing and with the tall business like buildings in the background, the audience get a sense of the white collar with a twang of blue colllar crime as features of the film.

Relation to real films

This is a source of real media text that captures the same stylised setting that we have in our media product. The background in this sequence is dominated by the prescence of a huge and modernised building making the audience understand that the action is taking place in an up to date and modernised enviroment. Also, the low angle structure of the image makes the audience feel oppressed and overwhelmed by the setting.

Black & White/ Low Key Lighting

When the so called villain, Alex is talking to his boss, we used a blacked out setting with low key lighting to create the mysterious and serious atmosphere which reflects the content of their discussion. This is effective as the audience can understand instantaneously that this character is not of good nature in will be the source of problems for our hero to overcome throughout the film.

Relation to real films

Casino Royale

In Casino Royale, the opening sequence is held in a office using low key lighting and the discussion the two men are having is formal and secret like the conversation in our media product. Both this sequence and the sequence from our media product use low key lighting to aid the idea of mystery and secretism in what the characters in the scene are conversating about. This demonstrates the elements from our product that relates strongly to the features of real media products.