Question 1 media updated

Question 1 media updated

• 1.
  Question 1 In whatways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
• 2.
  Cinematography:  In termsof cinematography, our film matched typical forms and conventions of cinematography as we portrayed match on actions between two scenes and we used a lot of different camera angles when producing our film. In addition to this, we also took into consideration the 180 degree rule to ensure our continuity didn’t break. However despite this, we didn’t include a shot reverse shot due to our character being the only main character in our film and we also decided to break continuity on purpose which juxtaposes to typical conventions of real media products. We decided to include 4th wall breaks in our film as we wanted to get the audience to interact with our main character so that the experience for the audience was both fun and enjoyable and it feels like the main character is talking to them.
• 3.
  Camera Angles:  Priorto filming, we decided to create a shot list so that we could record all the different and difficult shots we were going to film and how we were going to produce them. When creating the short list we came up with cantered angle shots and a reverse dolly shot including other tricky shots such as standing over the main character to gain an extreme high angle shot. We decided to do this variance in shots as this would give our film more versatility and freedom which creates more of a fun and interesting experience for the audience.  Similar to real media products, whenever we film an establishing shot we often used a long shot to portray to the audience where our main character is. This is an effective way to film as the audience doesn’t have to focus on where the character is as the long shot establishes this for them. Evil Dead 3 also uses establishing shots in similar ways we have as when the main character doesn’t know where he is, he is depicted in a long shot just like our main character is in most of the establishing shots we use.  Additionally, we also used a lot of shots at our main characters eye level so that our audience can establish a connection with the main character as they are positioned at his level. This makes our main character easier to understand and the film a lot more enjoyable. In addition, to this we also inputted eye line matches with point of view shots to further emphasise the bond between audience and character.
• 4.
  Genre Conventions:  Comedysci-fi hybrids tend to feature most of their comedy around the scientific part of their film. For example a comedy sci-fi hybrid that does this would be Paul as most of the comedy is stemmed around his ability to talk and communicate with two “English nerds”. We have incorporated this into our film as our main character creates comedic scenes due to the fidget spinner sending him back in time. Also the main character in this genre is seemed to be quite clueless to appear funny to the audience like Simon Pegg in Paul and Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber. Therefore when casting our main character, we decided to choose an actor who could portray this clueless and humorous stereotype for our film.
• 5.
  Setting:  Comedy settingstend to feature a utopian setting where everything seems ordinary and picturesque. They can be set in various locations depending on what the film storyline is about. For example our film is about a young man who seems to be happy finding a fidget spinner on the floor which you can get for 99p at a store which could convey to the viewer that the main character may be poor if he is getting excited over a used toy left on the floor. Therefore we decided to film our short media project in a rural area. Setting is key for a film as gives the illusion to the audience that the character truly belongs in that environment if you pick the right setting to match your storyline.
• 6.
  Costume:  In comedygenre conventions the main character is usually depicted as an ordinary man with ordinary clothes. The reason for this is that by placing a character in ordinary clothes this straight away creates a connection between audience and the main character. Therefore if something funny was to happen to the main character, as an audience we may find it more humorous than usual as we have a connection with the main character. For example, Adam Sandler’s costume in Happy Gilmore portrays that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary occupation therefore the majority of people can relate to this lifestyle which means we are inclined as an audience to relate with Adam Sandler. Therefore to match this sense of realism we decided to represent our main character in mundane clothing.
• 7.
  Lighting:  High keylighting is frequently used in comedy genres to display happiness and a sense of easiness for the viewer. They do this to make the audience feel comfortable and relaxed when watching a comedy so they can enjoy the film without having to worry about any jump scares or action packed scenes. Furthermore, comedy films tend to use natural high key lighting such as the sun and lights in a room to emphasise realism. By creating this sense of realism in the film this makes the audience relate to the film more and also creates a happy and bright environment for the storyline to take place. An example of this in a film would be Bruce Almighty (2003) when Bruce (Jim Carey) gains the power of god and it is sunny and bright outside to match the happy and comedic mood of the film. Therefore when making our film we decided to input a lot of natural lighting for our audience to feel at ease and to create this joyful environment.
• 8.
  Genre Theory:  ChristianMetz genre theory suggests that “genre’s go through a cycle of changes during their lifetime”. These stages are:  Experimental Stage – This is the beginning phases of the genre. Here the foundations are built, so the generic codes and conventions are set.  Classic Stage – This is where the codes and conventions of a genre become seen as iconic and idealised as the guidelines for the genre.  Parody Stage – Now these codes and conventions are established, widely recognised and accepted, they can be parodies which means people can use these guidelines and mock them for humour. This is based on the fact that the audience understands the codes and conventions of the genre.  Deconstruction Stage – Now the genre can begin to evolve and merge with others. Genre’s become less clear and the guidelines can be broken.  Our film focuses on both the parody stage and the deconstruction stage as we mock conventions as well as merge the comedy genre with a sci-fi genre due to the time travelling aspect. The reasons for our film being a parody is due to the fact that we mock serious situations such as our main character about to get mugged and the main character stuck in the past to emphasise the comedic side to our story and to mock stereotypical genre conventions. Furthermore, due to our film having the time travel element, this is a generic code for sci-fi films therefore our film breaks into the deconstruction stage as we have merged genre’s by making our film a hybrid genre. One of the guidelines we broke was the fact that despite our film having a lot of high key lighting to depict freedom and happiness we do include some dark scenes like in the alleyway to emphasise how his use of time travel saves him from being attacked but in a comedic way. Similarly, Cowboys vs Aliens is a hybrid of comedy and sci-fi and they also uses darker scenes when the characters are in danger such as Daniel Craig however due to their film having a comedic element they add a humorous aspect to their film to make the seriousness light hearted and enjoyable for the viewer.
• 9.
  Rick Altman’s ‘setof pleasures’ states:  Emotional Pleasures - The emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre films are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response.  Visceral Pleasures - Visceral pleasures are 'gut' responses, defined by how the film's stylistic construction elicits a physical effect upon its audience. This can be a feeling of revulsion, kinetic speed or a 'roller coaster ride'.  Intellectual Puzzles - Certain film genres such as the thriller offer the pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery or a puzzle. Pleasure is derived from deciphering the plot and forecasting the end or being surprised by the unexpected.  Emotional Pleasure fits perfectly with the film and the genre of our film due to the fact that comedies are intended to make the audience enjoy the film and laugh at the comedic scenes. This links in with our film as we have embedded comedy aspects to our film to ensure the audience experiences emotional pleasures.  Furthermore, our film features intellectual puzzles due to our main prop: the time travelling fidget spinner. With this prop, we encourage audiences to start questioning certain things about the spinner such as:  Can the Fidget Spinner travel forwards in time?  Is there any negative effects that happen due to time travel?  Where is the film leading to with the time travel?  With these questions the majority are answered in the film as the negative effect is reflected in the ending due to the fidget spinner being destroyed and our main character stuck in the past. Even if our main character was able to spin the fidget spinner forwards in time the spinner was destroyed so he couldn’t get back to the present.  Similar to our film, the edge of tomorrow also covers the same intellectual puzzles as our film as Tom Cruise has to relive the same moment again to defeat an alien race. Despite our storylines differing, the outcome and the context is very similar as our characters relive the same moment to accomplish something. Furthermore, in the end of both our film and The Edge of Tomorrow, the source that sends our main characters back in time is destroyed so they are stuck in that timeframe for the better or worse. This leads to intellectual puzzles of whether time travel worked out for the better or not.
• 10.
  Richard Dyer: Theoryof entertainment:  Transparency:  Transparency is the idea of how much our audience understands the main character. This allows a film to have more emotional contagion between the audience and character as the audience understands how the character is feeling and the audience can therefore emphasise with them. The lead protagonist in our film rewinds time for mundane tasks which emphasises to the audience how our main character has immature and childish traits. Therefore because the audience are encouraged to understand this they can create alignment with the main character and empathise for them. A film where the audience can empathise for a childish protagonist is Forest Gump when Forest Gump does immature things yet the audience find this humorous and draw connections to childhood innocence from this which matches the main character of our film.  Intensity:  Intensity is the feeling of how the feelings of a character changes dramatically throughout the film. The emotion of our main protagonist does change significantly throughout the film as our character experiences the highs of having a time travelling object and enjoys the experience to fearing the fidget spinner in the end as it breaks and he is stuck in the past because of his own naivety. The audience then replicates this fear of the fidget spinner as the audience can align with the main characters naivety.  This relates to another theorist, Stuart Hall, due to his theory stating that audiences have three different responses to a film:  Dominant Response – Where the audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to do and broadly agrees with it.  Negotiated Response - Where the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text in light of previously held views.  Oppositional Response - Where the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons.  With this theory the audience are encouraged to have the dominant response due to our audience feeling emotionally connected to the main character as they can align with his naivety.