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

After completing my short film, Postcards and Film Review I think had to think about if my work used, developed or challenged forms and conventions of real media products.  I looked at each example individually shown below.

Short film- Karma 

Shot 1

I think that this shot meets the code and conventions of a short film because it is a quick establishing shot that you would expect to see at the start of any film whether it is a feature or short.  It instantly gives the audience an impression of the background and class she comes from.

Shot 2

I think that this shot used conventions from real media products. This is because we had to use reflectors when filming to add more highlights to her face and reduce shadows. The use of additional lighting and reflectors is used in nearly every scene during a film as lighting is one of the most important aspects of producing a professional and good quality film. 

Shot 3

I have chosen the frame of the title as I feel it met the code and conventions of a short film. We decided to place our title near the beginning of our film as you would expect. We also met the conventions through the simplicity of the title using a plain black background with white writing.

Shot 4

In this still I believe we both develop and meet conventions. I think we have achieved this by producing and establishing a shot that instantly informs the audience of the location of the next scene and shot. However, it develops the conventions and this scene is giving two messages, firstly why LucieAnne is late for school and also establishing the location.  

Shot 5

This shot use conventions of real media for a number of reasons. Firstly, from the expression on LucieAnne face it is clear to the audience that something is bothering her however it’s unclear what is attracting LucieAnnes attention, which in turn creates suspense and sustains the audiences attention.  The use of conventions in this scene creates mystery and causes the audience to ask questions. The mise-en scene shows the isolation and bareness of the location adding to the mystery and tension.

 Shot 6

This frame is showing a jump cut that we used in this scene. We decided to do this to bring impact, emotions and a fast pace associated with the drama and stress of being bullied. 

Shot 7

I chose the screen shot as I feel it meets the codes and conventions of a short film.  Through the camera angle it gives the audience an opportunity to look through the eyes of the bullied student looking up at LucieAnne who looks powerful and dominant.

Shot 8

I have also chosen this shot to represent creative angles we have used which I feel develops conventions of existing films. Our film does use conventional basic shots and camera movement however, we wanted to explore the use of using different camera angles to make it interesting to watch. We also felt that it was important in these scenes to be creative as there is limited speech and character interactions throughout the film.

Shot 9

Through this shot and the ones following I think we have developed and used convention of the real media. I feel we use the conventions through reverse shot, a common filming technique used to show conversation between two characters. I feel we develop the conventions by using the different camera angles.  Firstly, we get the point of view of LucieAnne looking down on the student which is then quickly changed to a view looking up on LucieAnne. These fast changes quickly show the changes in opinions and views between LucieAnne and the Student.

Shot 10

I think this shot challenges the conventions of existing media products because the image is the least important part of the shot and the voice over of LucieAnne and her father is the main focal point to this shot.  The image having no immediate relevance to the voice over, I feel develops conventions of short films as we are gathering information on her family life and nothing about the shot itself.

Shot 11

This is one of the first shots we see of LucieAnne. The frame is developing her character to the audience through her expression and mise-en scene, such as her costume, hair and use of props such as headphones. This is using convention of real media to develop the main character personality to the audience.

Shot 12

I chose this shot as it portrays LucieAnne’s innocence through her character movement and facial expressions.  I think this shot uses conventions of a real media text as it is used to develop her character, which is seen in most films.

Shot 13

In this shot I feel we have kept to conventions of existing products. It’s a simple shot used to show LucieAnne personality.  We get to see her friends for the first time and their reactions to LucieAnnes behaviour.  This again can be seen as an establishing shot to introduce her friends and normal everyday life which is commonly seen in short films to help the audience have a better understanding of LucieAnne’s lifestyle.

Shot 14

I feel that the title pages and credits use conventions of real media as we have chosen to quickly show the titles in appropriate places, mostly between two different scenes.  For the credits we have used fast paced music, which matches the speed of the credits moving along the page.

Shot 15

I think that in this shot we have challenged the forms and convention of real media products.  The boys are representing the students bullying our protagonist LucieAnne.  It is unusual to see boys as the bullied as you would stereotypically expect them to be girls.

Shot 16

I think that this shot is conventional as it is showing how we have used a wide range of different shot sizes in our short film. We have used this shot to show the audience LucieAnne actions.  This shot is through the eyes of the student being bullied so we see a different perspective.  

Postcard

As you can see I have tried to design and create an example of a professional postcard shown above. For the front of my post card I believe I have used forms and conventions of real media products. Before designing my postcard I did research into different example that already existed for short films. I looked at the layout, pictures used, tag lines added during editing as well as production logos. When creating my own design I tried to follow these conventions so my postcard would reflect a professional standard. To make sure this was achieved I took my picture using a high quality digital SLR camera. For editing I used the software 'Photoshop' that is used by the professionals.  I decided to have the title of my film in the bottom right hand corner and a short tag line directly beneath, but the main focus of my postcard was the image.

For the back of my postcard I have used and developed forms and conventions of real media products. After looking at the conventions through my research it was clear that there were a number of different pieces of information that needed to be present on my postcard. I followed these conventions by including vital information such as, short film synopsis, space to write viewing times and other information wanted, the director, camera, lighting and production designer.  I also included lines to write an address and website for the film. I feel I have developed the forms and conventions by adding our production logo in the space of the stamp. Although I didn’t notice this on any of the postcards I looked at, I felt this was a good way to advertise our production company.

Film Review

I think that throughout my film review I have used conventions that reflect real media products.  Before starting my film review I looked at many examples of film reviews that came from a range of sources such as, newspapers, magazines - both industrial and commercial and online reviews.  I decided I wanted to produce a review that reflected 'Sight and Sound' magazine; which meant I studied their articles in much more depth to get a good understanding of how to produce what a similar film review.

 After looking at many reviews I tried to use as many convention as possible to replicate their ideas and articles. To start with I used the same conventional layout, I decided to have the picture as my main focal point and then write in columns directly underneath. I have used conventions of having important information at the start of the review such as director, duration, certificate and cast. This is used for all film reviews whether short or long. In addition, I have added information down the right- hand side, which would be used to fill the space on the page. I have also added a line between the two different pieces of information to show they are separate articles. Overall, I feel I have used convention throughout my review.