Evaluation One: Challenging conventions.

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

      My film is titled 'patterns'- the inspiration for this title came about based upon the contextual mannerisms of a conventionally popular 'murderer'- often following a pattern like lifestyle in regards to killing sequences. The title itself has connotations of a never-ending cycle, in this case a violent one, thus suggesting the characters' inevitable downwards spiral.

The setting of my film is essentially meant to be a sort of 'bachelor pad'; generally connoting a sense of  the solitary lifestyle and independence, suggesting the character works alone in isolation. A control freak, his habitat must constantly be spotless. This is conventional of drama films such as American Psycho and Psycho, where traits of OCD come into play in regards to their mentality and relationship with sadistic tendencies.

The costumes and props used in my opening sequence conformed to the generic conventions of drama films, a tailored business suit connotes messages of intellect and success, adding to the 'fear factor' of the character as he now bestows traits of not only being aggressive and violent, but intelligent and wealthy enough to get away with the murderous crime. Black and white represents the double personality the character maintains throughout the narrative. The most symbolic prop throughout the film opening is the cafetiere; the action of pushing down the coffee filter is symbolic of the nature of the character in regards to his suppression of his violent tendencies.

I feel that my camera work and editing somewhat challenges conventions of real media products as it includes a mix of shot types, rather than conforming to one overall aesthetic. The mix of shot types is designed to portray the characters' double personality. Representing two polar opposites in regards to psychological approaches.

My chosen font was 'Cochin', a serif typeface that represents elegance and sophistication in its entirety. My research on fonts and typography aided me in choosing this font style as I decided relatively early I wanted to maintain enigma and verisimilitude by enhancing uneasy tension and atmosphere through the use of a bland and generic font. The generic serif font is relatively difficult to decipher as it is so common and popular amongst every institution, its use in my film opening is effective as it adds mystery to the narrative of the sequence. I would argue that this conforms to generic drama conventions, as fonts in successful films such as Gone Girl, The Revenant and Manchester at Sea generally use simple yet stylistic fonts to maintain enigma and establish a sense of mystery.
     
     The character itself is conventional in regards to the drama genre as he maintains traits of an able-bodied, we assume to be straight, white male. The female victim reinforces patriarchal ideas often typical of the conventional drama category.