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

Our choice of genre for the film is a coming of age drama, some of the real media products of this genre include: submarine, perks of being a wallflower, Palo alto and Respire (French film). There are many set conventions for this genre such as the use of both diegetic such as accents and ambient noises that represent reality, (Extreme) close ups throughout, in order to display emotions of the characters as it’s a drama which can be seen within all of the films that I previously stated. These extreme close ups can be seen within submarine when Oliver expresses how he feels about Jordana – these scenes usually also contains two shots and conversational shots using the 180 degree rule. Other conventions include the use of establishing shots in order to introduce the character’s to convey their social status, and social class status, which we have used in abundance, by exploring the scenery surrounding the protagonist such as the Brutalist Barbican, Seven Sisters Country park and a bedroom. These establishing shots also correlate to the mental stability and situation of the protagonist. Another convention of a coming of age film is to present the characters within a school setting usually using low and high angles when representing the different social groups making some seem inferior and other superior such as in the Perks of being a wallflower, whereupon Charlie was seen to be sitting alone in the canteen – using a low angel upon Charlie whilst panning to show other tables at the canteen with characters socialising and having fun; therefore excluding Charlie making him an outsider from the beginning. However, this seemed as too generic therefore we decided to not include a scene in the school and focus on teenagers when they are not in the school environment. We also followed the convention of containing voice overs in order to imply what is going on in the protagonists head/their thoughts which conveys their mental stability. This can also be seen in Submarine whereupon Oliver is established in a serene scene featuring long shots and his voice over of how he is feeling inside. During our opening sequence we also used a voice over, which was quite physiological and existential. Existentialism is a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. Therefore the voice over will link to the overall theme of the opening sequence and is supported by the establishing shots used. However we developed upon the conventions by using an ethnic female within our opening sequence. Whereupon most coming of age films are centred around a male protagonist we chose to challenge this by using two female protagonists. Some of the dominant ideologies surrounding ethnic women are that they are less intelligent, less aware, and more aggressive and loud than other races – those are all negative stereotypes, other media products involving black females usually sexualise and objectify them, as seen in the feminist theory of the Male gaze by Laura Mulvey in 1975 which states that all media texts are viewed from a patriarchal male’s point of view, usually showing off women’s bodies and making them something to look at rather than being a significant character. However in our opening sequence this idea will be completely eliminated by not seeing the protagonists as sexual objects, rather androgynous teenage girls from the costume choices to their body positioning - therefore allowing the audience to focus on the cinematography and the deeper meaning within the film. This can be seen in Palo Alto as the female protagonist is seen in baggy and indie clothing which isn’t sexualised – and she isn’t constantly done up with makeup and hair. Therefore, in many ways our product has succeeded in both sticking to conventions but also developing them. 

TYPOGRAPHY

MOODBOARD - PROTAGONIST, LOCATION, CINEMATORGRAPHY

http://prezi.com/fm93k8yeuj9w/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

INSTITUTION RESEARCH

PROPS ANALYSIS

PROP	SCENE	CHARACTER
books – intertextuality, as the books shown have an impact on the film, “hold your own” is the title of the film, “submarine” is the inspiration for the opening sequence, “The Great Gatsby” provides the idea of ‘the wonderer’ through the character of Gatsby and “wonder” is a book that describes an outcast, which is relatable to the protagonist.	The beginning scene – inside of the protagonist’s bedroom.	NOELLE
Wooden mannequin – suggestion of artistic/creative lifestyle. Generic art school equipment.	The beginning scene – inside of the protagonist’s bedroom.	NOELLE
The desk lamp will be on; this will be creating emphasis on the images on the wall (pictures from the shots) light denotes hope.	The beginning scene – inside of the protagonist’s bedroom.	NOELLE
There will be headphones on the desk too, this suggests the protagonists need for escapism.	The beginning scene – inside of the protagonist’s bedroom.	NOELLE
There will be posters on the wall showing slightly – not complete focus on the posters however; there will be intertextuality to many political and civil movements, such as equality movements and indications of support for the green party.	The beginning scene – inside of the protagonist’s bedroom.	NOELLE hastilow

LOGISTICS

SCRIPT

"HOLD YOUR OWN"

FADE IN:

INT. Suburban bedroom scene (wall) morning

An introduction to Noelle’s bedroom, books and a photograph pinned to the wall can be seen. There is a closer view of the photograph, distinguishing it as being a photograph of Noelle by the cliffs on the coast, the sunrise is mild, filled with calm oranges and lilacs.

ext. cliff side, seven sisters country park early morning

Noelle seems motionless; completely consumed whilst the nature of the coast surrounds her making commotion, Noelle finds comfort in this ambience.

ext. urban city scape, evening

Noelle seems motionless; completely consumed whilst the surrounding buildings stand still, Noelle is distressed the evening is filled with melancholy.

INT. suburban bedroom scene, morning

The melancholy scene becomes a distraught photograph, slowly fading from vision until if descends from the wall it was clinging onto. The photograph hits the desk as the scene takes a drastic turn.

(V.O.) NOELLE: “why is everything so empathic?”

The view is filled with domineering and aggressive hands. This throws Noelle off.