Post 24: Evaluation Questions & Tasks (Question 1: Our Media Product vs. Real Media Products)

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

SHORT FILM


Above are sixteen screen grabs from my film, they have been numbered and below explains what is happening in each shot and if it develops or challenges the conventions of real media.
1. The production companies name is featured in the opening credits, this is conventional as in real media products they often have the production companies name at the beginning of the film.
2. This shot shows the main character interacting with a close friend, this is conventional as it shows the audience the main character, their importance and also how they act towards others.
3. This shot shows an example of one of the many fades within our short film, this is conventional in short films as fades are used to help move from one scene to the other.
4.This shot shows the main character interacting with the antagonist, this is conventional as in real media products they establish the bad guy and how the protagonist interacts with them.
5. This shot shows the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist develop during a montage, this allows the audience to see the time scale of the grooming. This is not conventional in most films as you don't often have such a strong storyline with the main character being seduced by the villain.
6. Shows the same as number 5.
7. This shot shows how close Sophie and Alan's relationship is through the use of body language. This is conventional as body language helps to make the dialogue more realistic as well as suggest something because of how close they are.
8. This shot shows a close up of the characters movements, this is conventional in films as they often have cutaways to point out key points within the film.
9. Once again a close up showing the characters movements suggesting the relationship between the main actors. As well as pointing out the key points within the film.
10. This shot features the main character Alan, it is a medium close up to show his facial expression. This is conventional as medium close ups are often used in films for the audience to see the characters reaction.
11. A calm quiet medium shot that gets interrupted by a critical turning point in the film. Alan proceeds to get arrested which is the build up to the end scene. This is conventional as there is usually large build ups in real media products to create tension for the audience.
12. Shows the same as number 11 however is a closer shot.
13. This shot reveals the policeman waiting for Alan outside his door. This shot is conventional as films often introduce new characters to the audience through a different shot not always including the main character.
14. A close up of Alan being handcuffed, this is a key shot to the audience as it shows the use of an important prop. This is conventional as real media products cut away to a close up of an important subject matter.
15. Medium close up of Alan being put into the police car and being escorted to the station, this is conventional as the police car helps make the police more realistic for the audience which often happens in films as dramas often try to stay as true to the truth as possible.
16. The final shot is of Alan being interviewed, this is where we leave the film on a cliff hanger which is conventional in real media products as it leaves the audience confused, interested and wanting more.

POSTER

1. The film title is bold, clear and obvious to the audience. This is conventional to real media products as whilst marketing and advertising it is essential to have the name of the film on all the advertising.
2. It is conventional for the poster to include some of the credits of the film. With information such as production companies, actors names, screenplay writers and directors. The credits are also usually placed on the bottom of a poster, we tried to keep it as conventional as possible.
3. The tagline of the film is a rhetorical question for the audience which will make them think and question the film. This is a convention of real media products as they often include taglines that entice the audience.
4. A QR Code has been included, this is becoming more conventional for full length films though it is increasingly popular with short films. It allows the audience to receive more information about the film which they would otherwise not know about.
5.It is conventional for there to either be a coming soon or release date on a film poster. It is seen more often in full length films then short film posters however ours was based more on a full length film.

FILM REVIEW

1. There is a screen grab containing two of the main characters from the film taking up a large portion of the article. This is conventional as it allows the audience to get a sense of the film as well as the actors in it.
2. There is a clear and bold title, this is conventional as it allows the audience to easily identify the film.
3. There is a verdict from the critic, include a star rating. This is conventional as there are often verdicts from the reviewer.
4. This shows the basic information the audience will need often the most vital being the certificate or for some audience members the cast. This is conventional as if the audience like what they read here they will continue to read the article.
5. Here is a subtitle that gives a slight hint to the audience what the film is about. This is conventional as it entices the audience to read the review and find out what the subtitle meant.
6. The boarder features an "INCINEMAS" which tells the audience that this film is currently available in cinemas. This is conventional as magazines often keep up to date with the latest movie, especially Empire.

I believe all the ancillary items I created both challenged and met the conventions of typical media products as well as create the right feel for our genre of drama/ social realism. I found it was important to create a generic look and feel to both the poster and magazine article. Between the poster and film I used the same font for the title "Behind Blue Eyes" which helped build an overall sense of brand that the audience would recognise, this is conventional as it would help promote the film further if audience's recognised the title and font. I however didn't change the font of the title in the magazine article as I tried to keep the convention of an article in Empire magazine. I was conventional with my poster and magazine article as it included a photo of what you assume to be the main characters, the poster goes against the typical conventions of a film poster as it does not include the main characters photographs. Overall I believe I stuck to the usual conventions of a film poster and magazine article, making sure to keep to the same structure and incorporate similar elements as real media products. I believe this helped us to create a generic look and feel to the three projects which provided an overall sense of brand.