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

Our media product uses several conventions of a thriller/action/mystery from many real media products, such as the extremely low key lighting, camera angle and overall themes. Our media product however takes heqavy inspiration from the movie Rounders and how they used poker. Rounder focuses on the overall idea of poker and the actual mechanics and techniques of the game, and as such would focus a lot more scenes of the games and what cards each player holds. Our project on the other hand takes a lot more focus on the mystery involed after the game, and rather use poker as the catalyst for our overall plot, and as such we have far more less scenes on poker. With this we enhance the Mystery aspect of our film, making the audience ask what the purpose of the poker game was and how it all relates to the plot.

Rounders uses several high angle close ups on the and close ups on the cards in order to give focus to the game to the audience

We on the other hand use minimal amount of shots on the cardgame, with more focus on the result, and money instead, showing that the match is 'high risk high reward'. although we agree a high angle close up like those used in rounders is the best choice overall for the shot

Rounders has a very causal clothing and a rundown styled area with moody lighting, however we decided to use professional suites for our project, with complete pitch black background. We rather used this technique to make isolation and build a more serious mood, to fulfill the conventions of a thriller and mystery which can be seen in many real media project. While Rounders indeed filled the conventions of a thriller, with the unprofessional look reading into a more unnoficial gamble, the suites would creat a much more serious and mysterious tone. Although the medium close up shot of characters we decided to use as it brings clear focus to the characters

The medium close up brings out the focus onto the characters expression, however the background and lighting gives a more casual feeling

The shirt and tie sugest professionalism, in the unlikliests of places to bring out mystery and the several straight lines on his shirt further connotes his proffesionalism, and his neatness., again attributes not seen in thrillers or underground poker games. The completely black background further spurs on tension and connoting death or misfortune to the scene