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

The opening title sequence of Edward

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The title Edward can be said to be a typical title of a horror film. The use of the single name, adds an intriguing tone to the filmimmediately capturing the attention of the audience, due to its short, punchy nature.

We got our inspiration from the TV series Dexter, which adheres to the crime drama form. This is also named after the main character, which achieves intrigue, much like Edward.

This technique has been seen in other horror films, such as Carrie in 1976 and Jason X in 2001. These are examples, much like Edward, however contrastingly, a typical horror film would not be the name of the protagonist.

'Dexter' Opening Title Sequence

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The setting of Edward does conform, and develop, the conventions of a typical horror film. Most horror films would include a desolate, dark setting in which a vulnerable character is entrapped. We chose the setting of a forest as we felt it would be an ideal place to portray the vulnerability of the girls, as they run to save themselves.

We also took the inspiration of the setting, and running of the characters from the opening title sequence of Heavenly Creatures, in which two women flee from danger through a forest. 'Heavenly Creatures' Opening Title Sequence

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The costumes and props used in Edward can be said to challenge the typical horror conventions.

For example, one girl can be seen wearing a bright red dress- which would not be typical in a horror film today. Today, most females protagonists tend to wear ordinary, dull clothing, so as to bring a domestic, everyday tone to the horror of the narrative. We as a group chose to portray danger and murder through the red, connoting the narrative of the film Edward.
The female protagonists in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle , and The Others appear to wear plain, domesticated clothing, so as to give a sense of eerie normality to the film. We have challenged this convention with the brightly coloured dress.

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The camera work in Edward connotes the rapid tone to the opening, as the girls are being chased through the forest. This is also conveyed through the rattling of the iron gate, which produces an unnerving, sudden sounddeveloping the typical conventions of a horror film. The camera angle of this shot also depicts the horror convention due to the close up of the hands, and the vibration of the iron gate.

This is the close up used in Psycho- which illustrates the horror convention through the graphic match. The transformation of the eye into the plughole, has been focused upon- much like the hands on the bars, in Edward.

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This feature is present in the film Scream, in which Drew Barrymore is being chased around her house by the killer. Although this is different t Edward due to the domestic setting, the convention of final girl still applies, and has been developed in Edward in order to specify the horror genre.

Chase Scene, 'Scream'

The element of several girls running, does develop a key convention of a horror film; the classic final girl pursuit. We chose to adhere to this typical convention so as to ensure that we focused on the horror genre, and did not steer away from the thriller, or action form.
We kept to the horror genre but capturing several girls, and not only one, however we have kept one girl in particular as a central character.

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The opening of Edward immediately conveys the narrative due to the fast paced action taking place.
The first shot is a POV angle of someone running through the trees. This fast action immediately sets the tone to the rest of the openingconsequently adding tension and heightening the horror element. This POV shot challenges the way in which a typical horror film would convey the narrative, as usually the opening starts slowly, like in Insidious and endures the horror atmosphere, however we chose to include the dramatic element at the very first instant so as to build this throughout.

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The horror genre is particularly adhered to in Edward through the use of flashbacks. The analepsis here is used to convey the horror of the past, and thus heightens the tension and thrill of the opening for the audience. We chose to use flashbacks to present the murders in the past, and the previous chase of the girls.
The use of flash backs is also seen in Heavenly Creatures as we see a sudden graphic change in the setting- in which the two women run through the setting of a party, in monochrome.

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This is the first character we see in Edward- a girl running through the forest. This introduction is not typical of a horror film, as usually the character would be in a domestic environment, doing normal day to day tasks. However we have challenged this convention so as to build the tension even further, and immediately create intrigue amongst the audience. The fact that we first see a girl running serves to build the horror form, and raise questions amongst watchers.

This does however, contrastingly demonstrate the classical final girl pursuit element of a horror film, in which a vulnerable female is being chased through an isolated setting- therefore developing a typical convention.

We added in a special effect in Edward in which the title flickers at the end known as Blink. We added this so as to leave an unnerving impression on the audience, right at the very end of the opening. This is not typical in a horror film, and we have challenged the usual convention of a slow, soft font. In Insidious, the font is much softer than that of Edward and fades off the screen, lingering for a moment.