Evaluation one
- 1. IN WHAT WAYS DO YOUR MEDIA PRODUCTS USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
- 2. FILM TRAILER- TITLES In terms of complying to the conventions of a film trailer, it begins with showing the company logo (i.2 productions). The convention is not clear through this image and could perhaps deceive the audience. The eye is significant however, the character Daisy see’s Charlie having an affair. The shots then continue to reveal the couple together, it sparks enigma as the audience will try to think the meaning behind the logo. The dip to black makes it more dramatic and perhaps emotional. The non-diegetic sound of the piano makes it appear romantic but implying not everything is as it may appear.
- 3. TITLES The ending title reveals the films title again. It is conventional of a film trailer but often it is expected for the release date to be in bold with a website link or hashtag below. We wanted to emphasise the title in order for the audience to remember. In addition, the information below is not as big or defined as the film titles font. It provides them with extra information. After looking back, it would have been better if we included as web address as it is more popular to seek information online. In addition, this would address the target audience more clearly, as that age range are predominantly online or on social media.
- 4. INTER-TITLES The inter-titles break up the footage and provide a little more information on what occurs in the film. It makes the narrative more clear. The film title is featured twice, the first time the audience see it as during the shots of the couple. An affect is used for dramatic emphasis. The inter-titles provoke thought as they contrast with the visual images seen on screen. These taglines lead the audience to wonder what is going to happen between the couple. The blank screens are dramatic and only allow the audience to read what the titles are saying, they contrast with the images seen before and after the title.
- 5. CAMERA The shots at the beginning of the trailer are conventional of a romance film, it reflects the characters intimacy. The close ups and mid shots allow the audience to connect with the characters and understand their relationship. It shows the couple on a date, which can be relatable to most of the audience also the fact it is a normal day. The non-diegetic music does remind the audience that this film may not be what they expect. The fact he is seen rowing the boat is very stereotypical but also highlights how he is in control. She is seen trying to guide the boat but perhaps foreshadows that she is not going to be enough.
- 6. CAMERA The extreme close ups of the character Daisy show her emotions and allows the audience to really connect with the character. It enables the audience to see the story from her eyes. Close ups are often seen in romance films, it conforms to the conventions. It makes the audience feel sympathetic for the character as it highlights Charlie’s wrongdoing. It secludes her also, it shows her being alone. A common emotion, many can relate to especially after a break up.
- 7. MISE-EN-SCENE The trailer does conform to the conventions of the genre in most aspects, however, the warm lighting that is expected of a romance film is not there, it is very realistic and normal. In addition, the location is different . It is often set in an urban environment. Instead we decided to set ours in a more rural area, highlighting nature which is often used in literature to describe love. The low key lighting/reduced saturation of the images after the voice over of the other female character signifies the character sadness. It is often used in the film industry to represent emotion. As I mentioned, its conventional to use warm high key lighting. There is no low key lighting shown in the trailer as it creates a more sinister vibe.
- 8. MISE-EN-SCENE The field location is used to express her freedom she has now by leaving him. It emphasises the characters natural beauty and suggests that she can survive without him. It subverts the expectations, it's a different form used to show how the character feels. Some romance films, have used beaches and water to represent the characters feelings. The clothing is kept very simple throughout. A scarf is used to show the change in season. The casual clothing makes it more realistic. It also clearly shows the characters ages. The other female character appears to be more grown up, contrasting with the character of daisy.
- 9. EDITING When editing our film trailer, the main video transition we used was dip to black as it enabled the shots to flow. It also made it more dramatic and worked well with the titles. The use of this transition works well to break up the shots and keeps it exciting as the audience is not seeing a prolonged clip. This is conventional for the form as within a film trailer the footage is stereotypically broken up in order to make it more dramatic and exciting therefore, making the audience want to see it. The blank screens between clips allows the audience to think, keeping them engaged.
- 10. EDITING We also had quick cuts to show a slight montage of the couples happiness to represent the fact that they are in a relationship. They also represent the characters emotion, showing their happiness about being in a new relationship, the audience will relate to the characters emotions, keeping them engaged. The quick cuts and jump cuts keeps the audience engaged, as they want to see what happens and suggests that there is going to be a climax. These techniques are conventional o my genre as often montages are used to show a passing of time in a shorter way.
- 11. EDITING A shot that perhaps challenges the conventions of a romance film is the shot of the flower dying as it has negative connotations. It signifies the death of the relationship, later on in the film it would perhaps be used but it will show the growth of a flower signifying the fact she has moved on. Conventionally, there are shots of the character being sad over a period of time in a montage.
- 12. SOUND The non-diegetic sound, the instrumental music in the background, remains a constant and does fit conventionally with the genre. It is slightly unusual however, because often the music in trailers varies from a number of songs. It will have an upbeat song followed by a more sombre song then perhaps becomes upbeat again. We kept the same song throughout to simply show this is not a stereotypical romance film, its more realistic. We lowered the volume of slightly in order to hear the voice overs. It slightly fades when a different female character speaks to represent a disruption and then fades up again.
- 13. SOUND The voice overs are placed with certain clips for dramatic effect, this is stereotypical of the genre as the voice over often corresponds with the footage on screen. The voice overs allow the audience to connect with the character and gives an insight to the character and their life. It conforms to the conventions of our genre but also the form. Trailers usually have voice overs to make the narrative more clear. The little dialogue between the two characters signify the lack of communication in the relationship but also shows how they are breaking away from each other.
- 14. POSTER I have challenged the conventional forms of a poster as they are usually portrait rather than landscape. In addition, they are often close ups of the characters, conventionally two. I chose to have an image of the characters on water as it has many connotations that suggest the relationship may not last. Furthermore, it isolates the characters which is stereotypical of a romance film as usually the characters feel alone as they are in their own happy world.
- 15. POSTER Once again it challenges the romance genre through mise-en-scene in some aspects. I lowered the lighting as well as the saturation, then added a grainy effect to make the characters stand out. The aspect of the characters being the main focus has been achieved and fits conventionally but the low key lighting and lack of warmth in the image challenges it. I did adhere to the conventions for a poster by having the billing board at the bottom of the poster with the text centred and stereotypically thin. It makes it more recognisable as a poster. The ident also features in the billing, to show who created it and gives a more professional appearance, and once again conforms to conventions.
- 16. POSTER Another conventional feature is the film title. Often they are in white font and the font fits with my genre as it appears to be more personal and romantic. Its size makes it eye catching. In addition the colour white has connotations of purity and innocence, suggesting that it may be a happy ending. It is placed in the centre, making it stand out and be the first thing the audience sees. I decided not to have a review on the poser, just keeping the film information on there. I felt that after my research, quite a few of the posters just had the film information featured.
- 17. MAGAZINE FRONT COVER Magazine front covers mainly have strict conventions and a strict layout. So my magazine mainly conforms rather than subverts the conventions. The mast head is conventional as it is always placed at the top of the page and is usually the largest text on the page. Its two different colours contrasts and stands out. It enables it to be seen clearly.
- 18. MAGAZINE FRONT COVER I also adhered to the positon and format of the tagline, at the very top of the page in a coloured box. The tagline immediately informs the audience of the type of magazine it is. The fact its in a red box makes it stand out and works with the colour scheme. There is however, little information as the image I chose made it difficult to add information. This breaks conventions as the image usually has the characters centred. But the cover lines further show how this magazine is aimed at a female target audience. I stuck to the requirements of a magazine, with a bar code, price and date release. Each piece of information is placed in the stereotypical place.