Storyboard homework

I have chosen to use this story prompt (A ship strikes a rock and begins to sink. The waters are shark infested. Passengers fight for their lives in the open seas), because I could think of a variety of codes and conventions I could use and an interesting storyline to go along with them.  

Characters

The characters I have included are a family (mother, father and two children). Having a family in a story creates a sense of vulnerability to the story. The audience will sympathize with the characters and hope that nothing bad happens to them. This fear adds to the suspense of the scene. The image of the family separate and floating away from each other creates anxiety and worry as they become even more isolated than before. I have used a child to get eaten by a shark because children are more vulnerable than adults, and the audience will feel more scared if a child dies rather than an adult. 

Setting:

The scene is set in a small boat in the middle of the ocean. This creates an effect of isolation. The characters are by themselves in the open ocean where a variety of bad things could happen. The ocean is deep and dark, and full of unknown dangers, this is a frightening concept to the audience. The fact that they are on their own in these unknown waters means that they are unable to call for help if something bad happens. The contrast between the endless dark waters and the tiny insignificant boat in the establishing shot creates a sense of helplessness and eeriness.

Iconography:

The large unruly waves, the shark fins, and the blood all contribute to the fear factor of this scene. A first aid kit, and a lifeboat can both be seen as well, but they prove useless in saving them from the sinking boat and the sharks. This is ironic because normally one would have peace of mind out in the ocean knowing that these things could save your life, however in this case the lifeboat and first-aid kit fail to fulfil their purpose. The waves and the fins are obvious signs of danger and immediately show the audience something bad is going to happen

Conventions used:

Isolation
Blood
Canted angle
Extreme close up
Zoom in
A vulnerable character