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

We took a great deal of inspiration from 'The Third Man' as it includes classic Film Noir traits such as the antihero/ villain dressed in all black therefore presenting him as an evil, dark character. So many tilt shots / creative shots are used throughout to put the audience on-edge and feel uneasy, which I found to be very effective therefore we included a number of tilt shots and birds eye shots in our thriller. The use of the hat prop to partially conceal his face and therefore identity presenting an enigma was another idea that we found to be effective therefore we adapted this with our character of Scarlett. Adding a glamorous white headpiece which just concealed a corner of her eye, only this suggested perhaps a lapse in sight/ judgement and also a Femme Fatale with an unusual aspect of purity. Also I took inspiration from the long dark coat, concealing the body and presenting the character as a general enigma, it suggests that the person is secretive and a mystery therefore the audience are left craving to know and understand the character's story. The actor of Tom (the character of Ray) therefore was dressed in a reasonably long, dark jacket which lead to him looking intimidating and enigmatic. The dim lighting, not only in this shot of Harry but throughout 'The Third Man' adds so much enigma and mystery to the plot. Often the characters faces and body's are either partially or completely hidden, and therefore tension is built because every person and therefore member of the audience has 'the fear of the unknown'. If they cannot see what is going on, they are bound to feel much more vulnerable and intimidated by the fact that they don't know if a threat will appear.

The use of alleyways as a location was particuarly inspirational, constantly the characters are shot running down alleyways or travelling by foot alone. This works well as a claustrophobic location, also the mix of the shadows creates a very mysterious and threatening environment for the audience to be placed in. So when selecting our locations, the alleyway was a clear idea from primary planning. Especially the shots of shadows along the brickwork, creating a three dimensional effect therefore involving the audience further. This inspired our scene where the shadow swifts along the stairway, yet I found that using the stair as a setting created an even better visual effect as it slides along the steps, exaggerating the swift and fast movement building tension. 

The overall character of Scarlett was loosely inspired by the character of Irene Adler (Sherlock Holmes' love interest) who takes the role of the Femme Fatale often leading Sherlock astray. Though a Femme Fatale, like the character of Scarlett she is not particularly promiscuous yet takes on the role of a dangerous and very glamorous/classy Femme Fatale. Though this is not necessarily typical of the sub-genre, most Femme Fatale's lure the protagonist in using their sexuality and that is what leads to their downfall. Yet I found this slightly more reserved character type more effective as the fact that the character does not need that in order to gain power, creates her as stronger and a slightly more intimidating character. Scarlett's touch of innocents creates the assumption that she can do no wrong and is therefore not a threat, yet the mysterious running away in the night and the enigma behind why someone would be after her contradicts this. The innocence leads the audience to doubt her danger which helps to twist the audience and shock. The dark pink shown here in this image of her is similar to the use of red in the character of Scarlett, it may be slightly bold and therefore powerful but there are underlined femininity and soft aspects. The character of Sherlock also is completely in love with Irene which allows her to completely take control over him, despite his strong character and being a man whom everyone looks up to and admires yet he is completely domineered by a woman. This idea we followed through our thriller, Scarlett is not a feeble weak woman but has the power and control over Ray to lead him to act irrationally (following her in such a hurry). The audience may assume that both characters are too innocent, therefore may question their true morals and personality, doubting and untrusting them.

I also took insipration from the character of Roxy from the film 'Chicago' through her lifestyle, she's very glamorous and aims for an amazing life - which she reaches. Throughout the film her life reaches high points featuring fame and theatricality - presenting an aspirational lifestyle to the audience therefore when they consume the film they find the character's lifestyle desirable and are transported to this different world.  This is what inspired me when creating our own thriller, I wanted to create a piece that seemed so glamorous and perfect that the audience would watch it and become involved due to the fact that it's a lifestyle that they longed for. Chicago also constantly uses the connotations of the colour red, as shown in the advertisement poster - the aspect of danger, lust, brightness yet femininity. Red was a very important aspect of our thriller, though my preference of the opening is in black and white due to the more stylistic feel the mere name of 'Scarlett' attaches all the connotations of red anyway. The stylistic aspect of the film was a  big inspiration, such as slow over-the-shoulder shots, looking theatrical and dramatic shown below. The dark hair, eye make up and lipstick produces a classical feminine character. Both characters are strong and dominate the boring stereotype of the weak and feeble woman, a damsel in distress waiting to be saved by a man. Velma Kelly murdered her cheating husband and does not hide her pride over it, likewise Scarlett carries out an affair quite publicly which would be completely outrageous and unheard of in the 1930's. 

Throughout 'Chicargo' the setting and locations are amazing visually - tall beautiful buildings, elegant dressing rooms, stages full of glittery costume and red lighting. For cinematography lovers, Chicago combines theatricality and film by using all sorts of media devises. The locations I took inspiration from, the tall buildings with dim lighting and flawless settings excites me as a member of that audience, as if being placed into a world of perfection and the utmost glamour. This escapism I knew I wanted to apply to the thriller, therefore when Scarlett reaches the large hall at the end, we made sure to get a well-filmed extreme long shot capturing the vast size of the building; which makes Scarlett seem as if she's only a piece of this world of style and glamour. Chicago often uses staircases as a setting, such as when Billy Flint and Roxy are giving a speech to the press - because it's symbolic of people being beneath them, ie. in our thriller Scarlett is presented as upper-class and very glamorous in a time where there will ofcourse of been people less fortunate than her therefore may represent her social status.