UNIT G321 EVALUATION

NATHALIE SAMEN
AS MEDIA STUDIES
2013/2014

QUESTION 1:

IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS
OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?


Our film of the thriller genre Snatched is somewhat inspired by
Taken, directed by Pierre Morel in 2008, and the revenge neo noir thriller
Dead Man Down, by Niels Arden Oplev in 2013. In addition, we took
inspiration from Guy Ritchiess London based films for its use of
cinematographic gritty realism.


INSPIRATION
Snatched is a conventional thriller as it deals with a revenge
mystery, where the life of a young girl is at stake. In this film, we learn
that people arent who they claim to be, and we are left in a situation
where we question each characters intentions.

Our film follows Todorovs linear narrative theory: Each new
scene is the result of the precedent one. By following this convention
rather then breaking it, it makes it easier to grasp the plot of the story,
and entices you to solve the mystery you are eagerly asking yourself.
This, thus, makes it accessible to a wide age range of people.

What makes our film a thriller is how during our opening
sequence we are presented with several enigmas: Who is the man
who is threatening the father? What does the nanny have to do with
the girls kidnapping? This is typical for a thriller genre to have.
LOCATION

For the location of our film Snatched, we set it in my friends high end
house, in one of the wealthiest parts of London; Knightsbridge. The house we
used fitted perfectly with the stereotypical views of how a wealthy Russian mob-
man would live.

For the most part of our opening sequence, we used the spacious living
room as the office, which emphasized the Russians status and power.
We then moved to the streets of Knightsbridge when the young girl is
rushed into her drivers car by her nanny. Filming outdoors created a sense of
urgency to the situation.
Ilya entering his
spacious and well
designed office;
velvet doors
extravagant.

PROPS AND OBJECTS

We used high end products in the mis-en-scene to emphasize the wealth
and power that Brodsky, the protagonist, has, and the familys financial
status. We used props that were commonly known as expensive, in order to
ensure viewers would recognize what their money could buy them.

We purposely used the Bang and Olufsen Be0 phone in gold to
highlight his wealth, as they are only affordable for the elite, and its phallic
shape accents Brodskys masculine power.

We also wanted to get the bar in the frame, as it is stocked with valuable
crystal glasses, and the finest of spirits; more elements that further stress
their wealth and luxurious lifestyle.

In addition, we were lucky enough to use a rented Mercedes with a
chauffeur as the daughters driver. We wanted this as it supports the idea that
most wealthy families will have a driver for their children, and also highlights
that their life is comfortable.
EXAMPLES OF PROPS
USED
The Mercedes we
used as the drivers
car; a well known
car, and expensive
one too. (And this is
just the drivers
car!)
The image on the right
shows the range of
colors for The Bang
and Olufsen Be0
phones. We used the
gold one; the color that
symbolizes wealth, and
is frankly quite
ostentatious.


CHARACTERS
There are four characters in our media product. Each of them are
of different age groups, and each have different morals then the other,
and individually play a role in the storyline of our media production.

We were fortunate enough to use friends from the LAMDA
performing school to play our characters. This ensured wed have a
sense of professionalism to the film by having somewhat experienced
actors. This added to the overall verisimilitude of circumstances.
ILYA BRODSKY:
Ilya Brodsky is a extremely wealthy
man from the notorious Russian
community.

Right from the start, we can assume
he is a hard man to please, and is not the
most welcoming of people, due to his lack
of empathy and inviting facial
expressions.

His formal attire indicates he comes
from money and most probably works in
business. His harsh way of speaking to
his daughter shows he takes matter
seriously, and that danger follows him
and his family.
DIMITRI BRODSKY
Dimitri Brodsky is the estranged
brother of Ilya. He has been absent from
his family for numerous years now, and
has come back into his brothers life to
take back what he thinks he is owed. He
is directly portrayed in a negative way as
we meet him during a phone call where
he is threatening his brothers life. We can
assume he is going to take drastic
measures as he goes the extra mile to
distort his voice in a sinister way.

By his way of handling the situation,
we can tell he as well doesn'tt take things
lightly. Must run in the family.

We could also say he fits the
stereotypical image of a Russian man,
as he handles his business with threats,
and also his defined facial features
match those of a real Russian person.
SOPHIE BRODSKY
Sophie Brodsky is the daughter of
Ilya. Dressed in a cute navy dress and a
sweet pulled-back hairdo, we assume
she is in her early teens, and is very
welcoming. We also know, that her dads
work is getting in the way of her having a
normal teenage life, and feels restraint
from him. We feel empathy for her
because she is controlled by her father,
but also because she is unaware of her
nannys intentions. She is a naive young
girl caught up in something bigger then
her.
PATRICIA THE NANNY
Patricia is the nanny for the
Brodsky family, and takes care of
Sophie. During the opening
sequence, we do not question
Patricias intentions as she comes
across as a simple and warm-
hearted person, due to her modest
attire: long black skirt with a long
sleeved shirt, and tied-back hair.
However, once she and Sophie are in
the car, we quickly realize she is not
who she claims to be.
SCORE AND SOUNDTRACK
In media products, soundtrack can have a great impact to the
ambience of a scene. For our opening sequence, we wanted a score
that would create a tense atmosphere and mystery but that at the
same time one that wouldnt overpower the scenes.

We found our track via SoundCloud; its the sound of a
discordant piano chords. We found that it fit perfectly with our
thriller genre, as it indicated right from the start what the style of the
film was going to be, without being too intense whereby you could still
focus on what the scene was about but still feel quite tense.
LIGHTING
When it came to lighting for our media product, we didnt so much focus
our attention on creating special lighting effects, just to have good and clear
lighting. We wanted a well light room using as much natural light, as we could.
Our indoor location was perfect as it had big side windows but also a long
skylight above the characters heads.

I was most pleased with the scene where Patricia and Sophie are in the car
because of the rays of light casted between their faces. I had noticed the sun
behind them, and with a bit of chance (and some planning) this beautiful ray of
light appeared in the frame. It happened at the right moment, just as I was doing
a close-up shot of Patricias sinister smile.

Overall, our storyline grips us, firstly because its a thriller genre, which
is one of the most preferred genres people like to watch, but also because
its a revenge kidnap story of a mans most precious daughter, which
highlights the reality that kidnapping is a genuine issue to some of the elites
business men.

Our main priority when creating this product was to make a gripping film
that brings the viewers to asks themselves questions. We personally believe
that we have achieved our goal, also because of the feedback from viewers
according to our questionnaires about our media product. Our final
production also achieved to clearly follow Todorovs linear narrative theory in
the thriller genre and follows the conventions of a thriller genre. The story is
accessible and understandable to most different groups of people, and are
thus moved by the unexpected turn of events and moral of the narrative.