Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Preliminary Brief:
Film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. A couple of lines of dialogue must then exchange between characters & match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule should be demonstrated.
Main Task:
The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes (all video and audio material must be original, produced by candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source)
Since the preliminary task, I have made a huge progress as I have improved many ways in the way I work.
The main importance of the preliminary task was to use the 180 degree rule, perform a perfect shot reverse shot, and to make sure there was continuity throughout the sequence. Therefore, these three main goals were highlighted to us, and so we knew what we were doing, and how we were going to do it. However, when the main task was explained to us by our teacher, I knew straight away that this would require much more time and much more effort than the preliminary task. This task would involve many more complicated camera techniques being used, as well as camera shots, and a wider range of camera angles. To get this right, we had to attend camera classes to make sure that when taking part, we are able to do our very best and make sure that we know everything we need to know for the filming day.
Pre-Production
As part of the pre-production stage, for the preliminary task, we had to create a:
Pitch
Script
Location Recce
Casting
Shooting schedule
Additionally, as well as these mentioned, for the main task we also had to create a:
Treatment
Redrafted storyboards
Photo storyboards
Casts list
Props list
Rehearsal timetable
Each of these benefit the pre-production stage vitally as they make the production stage much more easier and allow filming to be taken at a much relaxed approach.
We created a script for our preliminary task as the cast needed to know what they were saying and when they will be saying it, also giving the director an insight of what to expect when filming. However, we came across a specific problem. We had decided to change our location which changed our script slightly as the order of dialogue and certain parts of the script had to be changed, meaning that we had to redraft the whole script. This caused some inconvenience as we had limited amount of time when it came to the pre production of the preliminary task. when it came to writing the script for our main task, me and my group were fully aware of what it would involved, research before writing the script was vital, so that we knew that the changes and amendments that may need to be made after writing the script would be minor details that will not cause much inconvenience.
We had to draw up a story board for the preliminary task. We had very limited time to do so; therefore we had to meet up after school and in free lessons to do this, as drawing a storyboard is very time consuming. However, our storyboard didn’t seem to be efficient, which could have been due to the lack of time we had for our pre production stage because we found that due to our location having to change last minute due to noise problems, our story board had also not been helpful when filming and the camera person and director were not able to use this for their benefit as it included information that was no longer valid, as some camera shots and camera angles were not able to be recorded. Therefore, when we found our new location, we very quickly drew a rough sketch of our story board with very brief information of what we needed to know in order to film successfully. For that reason, when it came to drawing up the storyboard for our main task, we made sure that our location was one hundred percent definite so that all the information on the story board were valid, making it convenient and beneficial to us when filming. We also had to redraft the story board several times so that we could get it perfect making sure that there was no invalid information kept on the storyboard.
Location Recce’s were formed by us as a group in our pre production stage in our preliminary task. We listed out all the advantages and disadvantages of each location we wanted to use, making it easier to decide which location to use. After creating the location recce, we had realised that two of the locations included, were not able to be used due to reasons such as it would be very noisy and therefore hard to film. So in the end, we thought of the idea of shooting the sequence outside as the weather was warm and in a quiet place were there would be no disruptions, little did we know that there would be builders working which created a lot of industrial noise, meaning that although we had created a location recce, we didn’t do enough research to make sure of little minor details before making a firm choice on the location. Therefore, we learnt that we needed to do this next time. Later on, when it came to forming the location recce for our main task, we made sure we were able to use the location we wanted to use. In this case, we wanted to use a caretaker’s basement that hasn’t been used in a while, so we asked the caretaker, but found out for health and safety reasons that we were not allowed to use it. This meant that we did not waste time in creating a location recce on this and so we carried on looking for a location and when we found a definite location, we created a location recce.
Production
The production stage of the main task and the preliminary task involves:
Using equipment
Cast
Weather
Continuity
Cut away shots
Variety of shots
Re shoots
When doing our preliminary task, we initially thought of filming in the common room, as if suited our narrative of the preliminary task and so it would also be convenient as it is opening at all times during the school day. However, when it came to the filming day, when we set up to start filming, we realised it was too noisy to film successfully in and there were too many distractions and interruptions. Consequently, we had to change the location and so we moved to the canteen, but then realising that it lacked continuity as there was faint music that played in the background by the dinner ladies and so this was played by the radio and so when we did reshoots and different shots, the music changed and so it lacked continuity. Also, it became noisy in the canteen and very busy as people used the canteen to revise in their free lessons, and so also, this meant it would be hard to film as their would be many distractions and interruptions. So therefore, as a group we learnt that location still takes a lot of time to plan to make sure that it will all be convenient on the day when filming. Therefore, when it came to filming we made sure before hand, that the location we would use would be perfect for filming, so that the place would be convenient, easy to use, and not too small so we can move in equipment and be an ideal location for our opening sequence. When we were filming our location was quiet, and under our control completely, so that any noise etc was due to us.
Continuity is an important factor in filming because when it comes to editing and you lack continuity, and it will be difficult to approach an edit and can be very time consuming as you may have to go back and re shoot all the shots again. In the preliminary task, continuity was a big part of the task as it was one of the main goals and we were told to make sure we keep to continuity. However, we did do this but we didn’t keep a firm track on it by using a continuity sheet, which meant that although we did keep to continuity as much as we could, it still could have been improved on how we kept track of it. So I remembered this for my main task, so when it came to filming on the day for the main task, we kept a continuity sheet were we all kept track of continuity. The process used for continuity, was that before starting to record each shot, the director (me) said ‘camera ready, sound ready, continuity check’. I would right down the shot number, take number and make sure everything to do with continuity was listed on the sheet so that if we were to do the shot again everything will be in the right place.
During the preliminary task we as a group didn’t know how to use the camera very well and so we had to work as a team to get past this. There were certain shots and camera angles we were not able to perform and this affected our final piece. For example, camera shots that moved unnecessarily, or the spirit level wasn’t adjusted properly and so the camera shots were not straight. Therefore, as a group we knew we had to fix these techniques and familiarise ourselves with the equipment before filming for our main task. So we attended camera classes with our practical teacher in our free lessons and after school, to learn certain camera shots, and camera techniques and knowing how to use other equipment. This meant that when it came to filming on the day, we filmed using the skills we gained from these sessions and this was a huge benefit for our opening sequence.
Post Production and Feedback
As part of the post production process we had to:
Gain information as feedback from others and teachers
Digitalise and edit shots
If needed, find suitable and relevant sounds and music for the opening sequence
Include credits
In the preliminary task, we started digitalising our shots straight away, getting them ready for editing. During our post production stage we had to make sure we managed our time well. So we started editing straight away, however, class time wasn’t enough time for editing and we had to be able to all meet up at the same time to make sure we were all able to take part in editing. However realised that we all didn’t have the same free lessons, but we resolved the situation by meeting up at lunchtimes and after school until we completed the editing. We had to then gain feedback from others and our teachers, so we played the sequence to our class and listened to their feedback noting down the improvements that needed to be made. If I had the chance to do this again, I would have spent much more time on editing, as sometimes it was not possible to all stay back after school for long as we all had other commitments that were important.
However, in the main task, post production seemed to be much more relaxed as we knew what to expect as we learnt from the preliminary task. We once again went straight into digitalising our shots as we didn’t want to waste much time, unlike the preliminary task, we had used the clapper board when filming and so when it came to digitising our shots, we knew which shots and which takes were what, making it easy to label each shot for further editing. Also, we learnt how to use Adobe Premiere CS4 properly when editing in our preliminary task and so we knew all the techniques to use when editing for the main task. Then we searched for copyright free music and sounds we could use for our opening sequence, but we didn’t want to waste too much time for this, as we wanted to receive feedback so we could make improvements if needed. When searching for the music we had to make sure it was in keeping with the opening sequence so we combined two types of music to get the correct ambience for the opening sequence. We had to find sound effects such as a baby crying which took time but we eventually found the perfect sound. After we had included this in our opening sequence, we screened our opening sequence to some students and to some teachers, and noted down any feedback we received, including criticism, good points and further improvements that could be made. We learnt we had to shorten some shots and make some shots longer in order to create a good effect on the audience, after doing so, we asked for feedback one more time and made further improvements.
Our preliminary task had no specific audience that we had to target; however, the main task meant that we had to target a specific audience, which meant that every factor of the opening sequence such as music, shots, the way it is filmed etc has to target the audience that we are aiming for which meant when receiving feedback we had to take it extremely seriously.
During these projects the key things I have learnt are:
How to operate the equipment, sound equipment and the camera
How to use Adobe Premiere CS4
Using continuity sheets are very important
Using a clapper board saves much more time in the post production stage
The importance of continuity and editing
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Wednesday 19 January 2011
Question 6
Question 6
What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this product?
use the windshield system along with the boom pole. This is used when in areas where sound is able to be heard very well. It increased the sound and audio so that when it comes to editing and the finishing piece, audio and voices are heard very well. I learnt how to set up the windshield system along with the boom pole. In addition, i learnt how to set up the camera connected to the windshield system along with the Sennheiser headphones and microphone. It was very convenient to carry as it comes in a portable carry case and the boom pole extends and shorten which also came in a carry case and it folded so it was manageable to carry when needed.
To edit, we used Adobe Premiere CS4. When starting, we had to digitalise all our film footage from our tapes onto the computer and onto the software. After doing this, we had our shots that we wanted onto the timeline and cut shots, or mark them in and out. We used effects such as ‘dip to black’ when the title ‘Forsaken’ was shown, the ‘dip to black’ effect carried this shot onto the next shot, which is a good effect to use in our thriller genre of our opening sequence as it created suspense. The majority of our opening sequence was in black and white and this is another effect we used. Shots were trimmed so that the shots were more creative to add tension. Some shots had some relevant footage, along with irrelevant footage, which meant shots would have to be cut and would have to be timed in order to make a successful opening sequence.
An audio effect such as a fade out was used at the end of the opening sequence to give a sense of mystery to the audience. Sound effects are easily imported into the software and are also easily added to the timeline. The volume can be changed and so can the speed of the audio, making it much more effective when it came to the final item.
When using the camera, I learnt that I needed to constantly adjust the spirit level as it constantly moved out of place and so the camera movements and angles wouldn’t be correct and effective.
What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this product?
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| Canon XAHi |
While making our opening sequence, we had to use a lot of equipment and hardware. We used a Canon XAHi camera to record our opening sequence. we had previously learnt how to use this camera and how to set it up. Setting it up included inserting a battery, removing the lens cover and inserting a tape as well as adjusting the setting to ‘A’ which stands for automatic. Using the camera on the automatic setting meant that it automatically adjusted itself in the different lightings and surroundings it was exposed to while filming. The camera was portable which made it very convenient in our location as we had to take it back and forth. It’s also very light to carry so it didn’t cause any inconvenience. However, the battery did cause a lot of inconvenience as we had to keep coming back to get another battery as our battery life wasn’t very reliable. The camera has a microphone as the edge of the camera, and because our opening sequence consists of mostly music and sound effects, we knew that we didn’t need perfect sound and therefore this was convenient for us. The tripod we used was called the ‘Libec SL200’
As the director, I had to use the clapper board regularly to state the shot and take we were recoding. This comes in handy when editing as it prevents confusion of what shot it is and what takes were recorded.
We also learnt how to use the windshield system along with the boom pole. This is used when in areas where sound is able to be heard very well. It increased the sound and audio so that when it comes to editing and the finishing piece, audio and voices are heard very well. I learnt how to set up the windshield system along with the boom pole. In addition, i learnt how to set up the camera connected to the windshield system along with the Sennheiser headphones and microphone. It was very convenient to carry as it comes in a portable carry case and the boom pole extends and shorten which also came in a carry case and it folded so it was manageable to carry when needed. To edit, we used Adobe Premiere CS4. When starting, we had to digitalise all our film footage from our tapes onto the computer and onto the software. After doing this, we had our shots that we wanted onto the timeline and cut shots, or mark them in and out. We used effects such as ‘dip to black’ when the title ‘Forsaken’ was shown, the ‘dip to black’ effect carried this shot onto the next shot, which is a good effect to use in our thriller genre of our opening sequence as it created suspense. The majority of our opening sequence was in black and white and this is another effect we used. Shots were trimmed so that the shots were more creative to add tension. Some shots had some relevant footage, along with irrelevant footage, which meant shots would have to be cut and would have to be timed in order to make a successful opening sequence.
An audio effect such as a fade out was used at the end of the opening sequence to give a sense of mystery to the audience. Sound effects are easily imported into the software and are also easily added to the timeline. The volume can be changed and so can the speed of the audio, making it much more effective when it came to the final item.
When using the camera, I learnt that I needed to constantly adjust the spirit level as it constantly moved out of place and so the camera movements and angles wouldn’t be correct and effective.
Question 5
Question 5
How did you attract/address your audience?
A Billboard would be an excellent space to advertise our film as billboards are large and therefore they stand out and they are always noticeable. Moreover, billboards are positioned on dual carriage ways and in popular places, where people will always take notice of the film poster Magazines such as teenage magazines like ‘Live East Magazine’ are good magazines for advertising our film as the readers of the magazine are of the age range of our target audience.
We as a group considered many factors and technical aspects and how they would attract/address the audience:
Camera
The first shot of the opening sequence is of the surroundings of the top of the stairs which very slowly pans while the production name is shown on screen. This draws in the audience as it gives a sense of mystery and the audience are left wondering where the film is set and also the production title covering the majority of the shot makes the audience feel frustrated and makes them want to know more straight away. The next shot is a handheld shot of the main character Lauren walking down the stairs towards the door. This handheld shot is very significant as it allows the audience to feel as though they are part of the film. Subsequently, the shot that comes after is a shot from the inside of the basement of the door opening. This is a mid shot as we can see some of the surroundings and the characters legs and feet. Thus draws in the audience as they have not yet been able to establish who the character is as only parts of the character have been revealed. Followed by the mid shot, is a very short shot of the light switch being turned on so that the surroundings become well lit so the audience can see properly as well as the character. This shot is of an everyday casual activity that anyone would do, so at this moment in time the character is normal and the audience feel comfortable with this. This shot was a close up shot focusing only on the light switch and not on anything else. The next three shots are long shots that slowly pan and show the surroundings of the location and show the living conditions of each character. The next shot shows the character walking and its long shot as we can see the characters body movement as well as the surroundings, which leads straight on to the next shot which is a close up shot of the character stepping on the broken glass which is effective on the audience as it draws them in as broken glass can symbolise so much. For example, shatter dreams, death. After this shot, it goes back to a long shot of the character walking towards an alcohol bottle and a close up shot is then used to show the character checking to see it there is anything in the bottle, showing her desperation for alcohol and drugs leaving the audience wondering why the character is like this.
The next shot is a cut away shot showing further surroundings and pipes establishing where the character is, the audience are able to make assumptions that maybe she is in a storage room, or a basement etc. These assumptions can lead to the audience making their own judgement on the character too. After that, a long shot of the character looking through bags looking for something but the audience do not know at this moment in time what it is she is looking for. Next is an extreme close up shot of the title written out in the cocaine, this pans very slowly to show the whole title so that the audience know what film they are watching. After that, is a mid shot of the character looking though the objects on the table, we can only see some of her body and the objects on the table which once again gives a sense of vagueness to the audience as the character are still not revealed. Next, is a high angle mid shot of the objects and this shot moves as the character moves, so the audience feel as though they are moving with the character. Then there is a high angle shot of the character picking up the belt and sitting down on the sleeping bag, the audience feel more dominant and powerful as the character is very vulnerable. After this, is a shot of the character taking of her jacket and it is a very short shot and a cut away shot is then used and pans over the objects on the table. Straight away after this quick cut away shot, as a mid shot of the character tightening her belt around her arm, there is another cut away shot showing the surrounding and the pipes. The shot then goes back to a short shot of the characters teeth clenching the belt. From here, there is a shot of the image of the child, which is quick and then quickly the shot changes to the character preparing to inject herself. Then once again there is another close up of a child’s image, and then the shot changes back to the character injecting herself with heroin. Once again, there is another shot of the child and then the shot changes to the heroin being injected again. The images of the child allow the audience to judge why the character is self harming herself and using drugs to do this. The next two shots are shots of the surroundings which are used as cut away shots, leaving the audience in suspense and building up tension. The last shot is a very slow gradual pan of the characters arm, revealing part of the characters face towards the end of the pan. This show allows the audience to judge whether or not the character is alive.
Lighting
Throughout the film we wanted it to be very dim lighting so that the audience can feel the themes of loneliness and darkness. Although we used black and white effects, the lighting is still very visible in the opening sequence. The lighting is very dark, up until the part of the opening sequence when the light switch is turned on, and everything becomes brighter and more visible. This allows the audience to see and gather information from what they see in the frame.
Mise en Scene
The objects in the frame of the whole of the opening sequence show the contrast between the children’s toys and accessories and the drugs and alcohol. This contrast enables the audience to gain an understanding of the story line that will be shown further on in the film. The show of the character Lauren looking through the objects on the table show this contrast.
Special effects
The whole of the opening sequence was in black and white. However, there were a few exceptions. When the images of the child was shown during the activity of heroin taking place, the short shots of the child were in colour, to highlight the importance of the memory being remembered by the character which motivated her to self harm herself with the use of heroin. The audience’s understanding of this is very important as the rest of the film will rely on this understanding. After the shot of the title ‘Forsaken’ being shown on the screen, the effect ‘dip to black’ is used which very gently moves on to the next shot smoothly, allowing the audience to flow on to the next shot.
Sounds
Starting from when the light switch is turned on, there is a very faint sound of a baby crying. As the opening sequence carries on, the sound gets louder and louder so it is heard without any effort. Also, when the images of the baby are shown, the sound of the baby’s cries is at its highest to give a greater effect on the audience. Towards the end of the opening sequence after the character has injected herself with heroin, there is a heart monitor sound that goes on, until we hear the flat line, symbolising that the character is dead. This gives the audience notice of the death, without having to see the character in great detail to make this judgement. Throughout the whole of the opening sequence the music played in the background is very soft and gentle, the use of piano increases tension and suspense.
I will expect the audience to have prior knowledge of an urban drama when watching our film. I would expect the audience to expect that there will be strong use of drugs in our film as this is a big issue in today’s society and that drug use is common in youths at the moment.
Themes in our film are very common themes of an urban drama. These themes include:
Death – a theme which everyone can relate to, especially our target audience. This will attract the audience as they will be intrigued to find out who has died and how the person has died. The audience can relate to death, because nearly almost everyone has had some experience of death.
Drugs and alcohol – drugs and alcohol is a problem in today’s society especially in the younger generation. Therefore, the target audience will have an interest in this to see how our film portrays the typical problems of this. similarly, the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ has the same theme of drugs and alcohol as the whole film is based around this
How did you attract/address your audience?
Film posters are used to advertise a film and they usually contain details such as the director, producer, release date and the film title. If our film was to have a film poster, it would have to be placed in relevant places to attract the target audience sensibly.
A Billboard would be an excellent space to advertise our film as billboards are large and therefore they stand out and they are always noticeable. Moreover, billboards are positioned on dual carriage ways and in popular places, where people will always take notice of the film poster Bus stops are a brilliant way of advertising films, especially a film that’s of the urban drama genre as youths use buses regularly, and while waiting for at a bus stop they will see the film poster.
Newspapers that are free on public transport like ‘Metro’ are widely read by 15 – 24 year olds (our target audience’s age range) as public transport is commonly used by this age group. Therefore advertising our film poster in these newspapers would be beneficial.
Inside cinemas there are usually advertisements of upcoming films. When going to watch a film of leaving the cinema, people who have watched a film of a similar genre to our film will see our film poster and gain an interest for our film which would attract more viewers. We as a group considered many factors and technical aspects and how they would attract/address the audience:
Camera
The first shot of the opening sequence is of the surroundings of the top of the stairs which very slowly pans while the production name is shown on screen. This draws in the audience as it gives a sense of mystery and the audience are left wondering where the film is set and also the production title covering the majority of the shot makes the audience feel frustrated and makes them want to know more straight away. The next shot is a handheld shot of the main character Lauren walking down the stairs towards the door. This handheld shot is very significant as it allows the audience to feel as though they are part of the film. Subsequently, the shot that comes after is a shot from the inside of the basement of the door opening. This is a mid shot as we can see some of the surroundings and the characters legs and feet. Thus draws in the audience as they have not yet been able to establish who the character is as only parts of the character have been revealed. Followed by the mid shot, is a very short shot of the light switch being turned on so that the surroundings become well lit so the audience can see properly as well as the character. This shot is of an everyday casual activity that anyone would do, so at this moment in time the character is normal and the audience feel comfortable with this. This shot was a close up shot focusing only on the light switch and not on anything else. The next three shots are long shots that slowly pan and show the surroundings of the location and show the living conditions of each character. The next shot shows the character walking and its long shot as we can see the characters body movement as well as the surroundings, which leads straight on to the next shot which is a close up shot of the character stepping on the broken glass which is effective on the audience as it draws them in as broken glass can symbolise so much. For example, shatter dreams, death. After this shot, it goes back to a long shot of the character walking towards an alcohol bottle and a close up shot is then used to show the character checking to see it there is anything in the bottle, showing her desperation for alcohol and drugs leaving the audience wondering why the character is like this.
The next shot is a cut away shot showing further surroundings and pipes establishing where the character is, the audience are able to make assumptions that maybe she is in a storage room, or a basement etc. These assumptions can lead to the audience making their own judgement on the character too. After that, a long shot of the character looking through bags looking for something but the audience do not know at this moment in time what it is she is looking for. Next is an extreme close up shot of the title written out in the cocaine, this pans very slowly to show the whole title so that the audience know what film they are watching. After that, is a mid shot of the character looking though the objects on the table, we can only see some of her body and the objects on the table which once again gives a sense of vagueness to the audience as the character are still not revealed. Next, is a high angle mid shot of the objects and this shot moves as the character moves, so the audience feel as though they are moving with the character. Then there is a high angle shot of the character picking up the belt and sitting down on the sleeping bag, the audience feel more dominant and powerful as the character is very vulnerable. After this, is a shot of the character taking of her jacket and it is a very short shot and a cut away shot is then used and pans over the objects on the table. Straight away after this quick cut away shot, as a mid shot of the character tightening her belt around her arm, there is another cut away shot showing the surrounding and the pipes. The shot then goes back to a short shot of the characters teeth clenching the belt. From here, there is a shot of the image of the child, which is quick and then quickly the shot changes to the character preparing to inject herself. Then once again there is another close up of a child’s image, and then the shot changes back to the character injecting herself with heroin. Once again, there is another shot of the child and then the shot changes to the heroin being injected again. The images of the child allow the audience to judge why the character is self harming herself and using drugs to do this. The next two shots are shots of the surroundings which are used as cut away shots, leaving the audience in suspense and building up tension. The last shot is a very slow gradual pan of the characters arm, revealing part of the characters face towards the end of the pan. This show allows the audience to judge whether or not the character is alive.
Lighting
Throughout the film we wanted it to be very dim lighting so that the audience can feel the themes of loneliness and darkness. Although we used black and white effects, the lighting is still very visible in the opening sequence. The lighting is very dark, up until the part of the opening sequence when the light switch is turned on, and everything becomes brighter and more visible. This allows the audience to see and gather information from what they see in the frame.Mise en Scene
The objects in the frame of the whole of the opening sequence show the contrast between the children’s toys and accessories and the drugs and alcohol. This contrast enables the audience to gain an understanding of the story line that will be shown further on in the film. The show of the character Lauren looking through the objects on the table show this contrast.
Special effects
The whole of the opening sequence was in black and white. However, there were a few exceptions. When the images of the child was shown during the activity of heroin taking place, the short shots of the child were in colour, to highlight the importance of the memory being remembered by the character which motivated her to self harm herself with the use of heroin. The audience’s understanding of this is very important as the rest of the film will rely on this understanding. After the shot of the title ‘Forsaken’ being shown on the screen, the effect ‘dip to black’ is used which very gently moves on to the next shot smoothly, allowing the audience to flow on to the next shot.
Sounds
Starting from when the light switch is turned on, there is a very faint sound of a baby crying. As the opening sequence carries on, the sound gets louder and louder so it is heard without any effort. Also, when the images of the baby are shown, the sound of the baby’s cries is at its highest to give a greater effect on the audience. Towards the end of the opening sequence after the character has injected herself with heroin, there is a heart monitor sound that goes on, until we hear the flat line, symbolising that the character is dead. This gives the audience notice of the death, without having to see the character in great detail to make this judgement. Throughout the whole of the opening sequence the music played in the background is very soft and gentle, the use of piano increases tension and suspense.
I will expect the audience to have prior knowledge of an urban drama when watching our film. I would expect the audience to expect that there will be strong use of drugs in our film as this is a big issue in today’s society and that drug use is common in youths at the moment.
Themes in our film are very common themes of an urban drama. These themes include:
Death – a theme which everyone can relate to, especially our target audience. This will attract the audience as they will be intrigued to find out who has died and how the person has died. The audience can relate to death, because nearly almost everyone has had some experience of death.
Drugs and alcohol – drugs and alcohol is a problem in today’s society especially in the younger generation. Therefore, the target audience will have an interest in this to see how our film portrays the typical problems of this. similarly, the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ has the same theme of drugs and alcohol as the whole film is based around this Street life – our target audience are youths living in London, where street crime is very popular. This will attract the target audience to watch the film because they will be able to relate to this. Correspondingly, this is very similar to ‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Adulthood’.
Question 4
Question 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Primary Audience Profile:
Our film is rated 15 and therefore people aged over 15 are the only people that are able to watch our film. However, our film is targeted at the age range 15 – 24 years as this age range seems to be the range that would be most interested in an urban drama
Youths living in London who have an interest in watching real life issues
They will have to be able to speak the English language and understand it as our film is in English
Both genders, as our film has a unique selling point, which was that our main character who was under the influence of drugs is female, which challenged the conventions slightly and attracts a wider audience because of this. Danny Boyles ‘Trainspotting’ is very different to this as they use males and relate drugs to males whilst our film uses a female.
We chose this target group as we know that youths in east London can familiarise themselves with the surroundings that will be showing in our film. Also, the age of our main character is very similar to the age range of our target audience. This allows the target audience to relate to the characters feelings and emotions as they may be able to relate to what the character is thinking and feeling, especially due to drug use being a big problem in the younger generation in today’s society.
Secondary Audience Profile
People who enjoy watching urban dramas and enjoy thinking ahead pf situations
People who have an interest in the city of London
Aged above the audiences age range (25 and over)
Films and TV shows that both audiences may have seen recently are:
Kidulthood
Adulthood
Misfits
Skins
Hollyoaks
Notorious
Shank
8 mile
4 3 2 1
1 day
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Primary Audience Profile:
Our film is rated 15 and therefore people aged over 15 are the only people that are able to watch our film. However, our film is targeted at the age range 15 – 24 years as this age range seems to be the range that would be most interested in an urban drama
Youths living in London who have an interest in watching real life issues
They will have to be able to speak the English language and understand it as our film is in English
Both genders, as our film has a unique selling point, which was that our main character who was under the influence of drugs is female, which challenged the conventions slightly and attracts a wider audience because of this. Danny Boyles ‘Trainspotting’ is very different to this as they use males and relate drugs to males whilst our film uses a female.
We chose this target group as we know that youths in east London can familiarise themselves with the surroundings that will be showing in our film. Also, the age of our main character is very similar to the age range of our target audience. This allows the target audience to relate to the characters feelings and emotions as they may be able to relate to what the character is thinking and feeling, especially due to drug use being a big problem in the younger generation in today’s society.
Secondary Audience Profile
People who enjoy watching urban dramas and enjoy thinking ahead pf situations
People who have an interest in the city of London
Aged above the audiences age range (25 and over)
Films and TV shows that both audiences may have seen recently are:
Kidulthood
Adulthood
Misfits
Skins
Hollyoaks
Notorious
Shank
8 mile
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Question 3
Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Distribution is a very important part of film making in the media industry. It all starts from someone coming up with an idea of making a film and they make an outline of the film and use it to promote the interest in the ideas to others. An independent investor or a studio will purchase the rights of the film. People are hired to make the film, for example, scriptwriters, camera men, etc. once the film is completed, it is sent to the studio that makes a licensing agreement with the distribution company. The distribution company will make a decision on how many copies of the film to make and they will send these copies to potential buyers representing cinemas. The buyers discuss the lease agreement with the distribution company and copies of the film are sent to the cinemas a few days before the first showing. The cinema will show the film for a certain amount of time only, this is called engagement.
Many websites online can help to distribute an independent film. For example, Youtube. Youtube is a great site to increase chances of distribution as films and videos can be easily uploaded onto the website and easily accessed by the public. Also, this makes it more likely to be shown at film festivals as its more easily seen by others, and the URL of the film cold be spread by others to increase the viewings. Comments can be made on the video, which means that its easier to network with others of the same interest and ideas can be shared along with constructive criticism and feedback. ‘The Short Film Bureau’ is an independent film distribution company that offers advice and supports new film makers with funding, production, marketing and distribution. The short film bureau will select 20 good short films from what has been submitted to them and they will get a panel of film makers, actors and executives to shortlist 10. these 10 will go head to head in a nationwide competition where an audience will be given the chance to vote for their favourite.
There is also another independent film distribution company called ‘Shorts International’ which has a much simpler approach to distribution. You have to download a form from their website and fill it in and send it to the office in London along with a copy of the DVD, where it will be watched by others and a final decision will be made.
However, the ‘Independent Film Channel’ sends acquisition staff to film festivals around the world to scout new films and new film makers. But for this to be successful for my film, I would have to get my film to be shown in a film festival.
Question 2
Question 2
How does your opening sequence represent particular social groups?
In our opening sequence, we spotlight on portraying different types of social groups throughout the film such as teenagers that have had a bad upbringing and that spend all of their times on street corners spending money on alcohol and drugs, and then there is another completely separate group of people, such as social workers that are there to try and help others.
In many drama genres the character has usually always got a big problem that will get dealt with along the way, with a lot of struggle on the way. Therefore the character has to reflect a certain look and personality to carry out this role:
British female named Lauren Ealing aged 20
Brought up in Stratford, East London in an estate
Lauren has had a bad upbringing and childhood and so has been under the influence of drugs since an early age 14
She hasn’t got a steady job as she was living of benefits that she receives
She suffered abuse as a child and therefore this has had a big effect on her mentality
She has lost her daughter as she was unstable and never able to properly look her
Due to her huge loss she once again turned to drugs
In our opening sequence, the audience are only able to see the character looking for drugs while grieving for her loss, but at this point at the beginning of the film they would have no idea of Laurens childhood and therefore they would’ve have had much of a negative opinion on her drug use. However, later on in the film the audience would have been able to see the whole of Laurens past as the rest of the film would have been based entirely on her past filled with all the regrets and mistakes she would have made, which follows the conventions of a drama genre which is of course featuring drug use.
Laurens character is similar to the main character Jim Caroll from the film ‘The Basketball Diaries’. Jim Caroll uses heroin to escape reality, which is the equivalent as Lauren Ealing. They both have a strong addiction to the drug and they both do not have any self control of themselves, although they both understand the effects and consequences of using the drug.
Setting is used to represent the character in our opening sequence. Our lighting is dim so that the audience are able to realise what a lonely person Lauren is as the surroundings seem dark and deserted. However, in the rest of the film, the setting would be mainly based on the street highlighting the character returning back to her teenage state and troubles. However, being set in a care home where care workers and social workers will be helping Lauren through her battles during her pregnancy with her child.
Lauren wears black tracksuit bottoms in our opening sequence. This shows her personality as a street girl as street girls tend to wear casual rough clothes like this. Her hair is also very messy and it looks as though she hasn’t washed it in many days which highlight the point of her not having enough money and proper living conditions.
When it was time for our group to choose our cast member for our opening sequence, we had a lot of factors we needed to take into consideration.
If the person would be able to portray the characters feelings and emotion without using any dialogue/minimal dialogue.
If the person would be reliable on the day and will be willing to wear the costume and do her hair and make up the way it needs to be
That the person would be dedicated to their role
Their acting skills were outstanding and good enough to fulfil the character
After sometime and thought, we decided to ask Reka if she was willing to be our main role for our opening sequence. But before doing so we needed to ask what her timetable was and what lessons were free for her to be able to come back and rehearse so that we could get her body language and facial expressions perfect. However, we did come across some issues with cast, as the costume had to be perfect; we had to find the right outfit along with making the characters hair look like she has been alone without proper living conditions for a long period of time. This was challenging, but we managed to stay on task and do it to our full potential.
I had to direct our actor to stay true to the representations of our character Lauren. I did this by making sure Reka (the actor) was wearing the correct costume that will portray Lauren as a street girl living the street life. Therefore she wore a full black tracksuit, making her look temperamental and dejected. Reka also had to acrt as though she has suffered a tragic loss, and therefore her body language had to reflect this, therefore when walking down the stairs I made sure that she walked down the stairs in a slapdash fashion so that the audience understand that she doesn’t really care for herself and that this loss she has suffered has made her feel helpless. Also, when the character walks into the basement, she kneels down and looks into an empty alcohol bottle. I made sure Reka looked into the body as if she is hoping there is still some drink still left in there. This allows the audience to recognise that she is desperate for all she can get. Also, after doing some research on taking heroin and how addicts react to it, I picked up on some habits that Reka can use to make the use of heroin by Lauren look very realistic. Therefore, I directed her to clench the belt that she used to tie around her upper arm with her teeth so that it looks as if she is tightening the belt as much as she can so to make her vein available and visible, this looks very realistic.
The props used in our opening sequence reflect our characters personality and issues. The camera pans over a table that shows baby toys, clothes, bottles and accessories, implying that the character misses her daughter that she has recently lost and she still hasn’t grieved over her yet, however, there is a contrast as while the camera is still panning, the shot brought to us next is a shot of drugs and alcohol bottles. This shows the part of Laurens personality that the audience are going to learn about more later on in the film.
Other social groups that have been used in our film are the group of friends that badly influence Lauren into doing things that she should never have been doing. They would all be dressed similarly to how Lauren was dressed in our opening sequence and their attitude would be a highlight from the activities they become involved in.
How does your opening sequence represent particular social groups?
In our opening sequence, we spotlight on portraying different types of social groups throughout the film such as teenagers that have had a bad upbringing and that spend all of their times on street corners spending money on alcohol and drugs, and then there is another completely separate group of people, such as social workers that are there to try and help others.
In many drama genres the character has usually always got a big problem that will get dealt with along the way, with a lot of struggle on the way. Therefore the character has to reflect a certain look and personality to carry out this role:
British female named Lauren Ealing aged 20
Brought up in Stratford, East London in an estate
Lauren has had a bad upbringing and childhood and so has been under the influence of drugs since an early age 14
She hasn’t got a steady job as she was living of benefits that she receives
She suffered abuse as a child and therefore this has had a big effect on her mentality
She has lost her daughter as she was unstable and never able to properly look her
Due to her huge loss she once again turned to drugs
In our opening sequence, the audience are only able to see the character looking for drugs while grieving for her loss, but at this point at the beginning of the film they would have no idea of Laurens childhood and therefore they would’ve have had much of a negative opinion on her drug use. However, later on in the film the audience would have been able to see the whole of Laurens past as the rest of the film would have been based entirely on her past filled with all the regrets and mistakes she would have made, which follows the conventions of a drama genre which is of course featuring drug use.
Laurens character is similar to the main character Jim Caroll from the film ‘The Basketball Diaries’. Jim Caroll uses heroin to escape reality, which is the equivalent as Lauren Ealing. They both have a strong addiction to the drug and they both do not have any self control of themselves, although they both understand the effects and consequences of using the drug.
Setting is used to represent the character in our opening sequence. Our lighting is dim so that the audience are able to realise what a lonely person Lauren is as the surroundings seem dark and deserted. However, in the rest of the film, the setting would be mainly based on the street highlighting the character returning back to her teenage state and troubles. However, being set in a care home where care workers and social workers will be helping Lauren through her battles during her pregnancy with her child.
Lauren wears black tracksuit bottoms in our opening sequence. This shows her personality as a street girl as street girls tend to wear casual rough clothes like this. Her hair is also very messy and it looks as though she hasn’t washed it in many days which highlight the point of her not having enough money and proper living conditions.
When it was time for our group to choose our cast member for our opening sequence, we had a lot of factors we needed to take into consideration.
If the person would be able to portray the characters feelings and emotion without using any dialogue/minimal dialogue.
If the person would be reliable on the day and will be willing to wear the costume and do her hair and make up the way it needs to be
That the person would be dedicated to their role
Their acting skills were outstanding and good enough to fulfil the character
After sometime and thought, we decided to ask Reka if she was willing to be our main role for our opening sequence. But before doing so we needed to ask what her timetable was and what lessons were free for her to be able to come back and rehearse so that we could get her body language and facial expressions perfect. However, we did come across some issues with cast, as the costume had to be perfect; we had to find the right outfit along with making the characters hair look like she has been alone without proper living conditions for a long period of time. This was challenging, but we managed to stay on task and do it to our full potential.
I had to direct our actor to stay true to the representations of our character Lauren. I did this by making sure Reka (the actor) was wearing the correct costume that will portray Lauren as a street girl living the street life. Therefore she wore a full black tracksuit, making her look temperamental and dejected. Reka also had to acrt as though she has suffered a tragic loss, and therefore her body language had to reflect this, therefore when walking down the stairs I made sure that she walked down the stairs in a slapdash fashion so that the audience understand that she doesn’t really care for herself and that this loss she has suffered has made her feel helpless. Also, when the character walks into the basement, she kneels down and looks into an empty alcohol bottle. I made sure Reka looked into the body as if she is hoping there is still some drink still left in there. This allows the audience to recognise that she is desperate for all she can get. Also, after doing some research on taking heroin and how addicts react to it, I picked up on some habits that Reka can use to make the use of heroin by Lauren look very realistic. Therefore, I directed her to clench the belt that she used to tie around her upper arm with her teeth so that it looks as if she is tightening the belt as much as she can so to make her vein available and visible, this looks very realistic.
The props used in our opening sequence reflect our characters personality and issues. The camera pans over a table that shows baby toys, clothes, bottles and accessories, implying that the character misses her daughter that she has recently lost and she still hasn’t grieved over her yet, however, there is a contrast as while the camera is still panning, the shot brought to us next is a shot of drugs and alcohol bottles. This shows the part of Laurens personality that the audience are going to learn about more later on in the film.
Other social groups that have been used in our film are the group of friends that badly influence Lauren into doing things that she should never have been doing. They would all be dressed similarly to how Lauren was dressed in our opening sequence and their attitude would be a highlight from the activities they become involved in.
Question 1
Question 1
In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?
Our media product is based around the genre Drama that features the use of drugs. The use of drugs is a main part of our film as it is what causes disruption in our films equilibrium. Our films drama aspects comes from where the character in our film loses her daughter dramatically and is suffering and grieving because of this, codes and conventions are followed and challenged so that this genre is fulfilled in our media product. Typical codes and conventions of an opening sequence were also followed:
Introduce briefly the narrative
Introduce a main character
Introduce a familiar setting
Include titles of the production company, main actors in the film and the films title as well as a visual indication of the film title
Signifying the themes of the film
Appropriate music and sounds
In our opening sequence, themes were introduced very straightforwardly that led the audience to realising that the film is in fact of the drama genre. A main theme was death and this is seen and noticed in the opening sequence when the character injects herself with the heroin, and there is a slow pan panning down her arm slowly, highlighting that there is no movement of her body, which represents death. Furthermore, the death of her daughter contributed to this theme, as this is what has made her further unstable than she already was. The theme of drugs is presented in this opening sequence by the contrast of children’s toys, drugs and alcohol. This contrast is a visual way of representing the theme of drama that features drug use. In addition, health and safety has been shown to be another important theme which relates to this genre, as the audience are clearly able to see the living conditions of the character, and the lack of safety and the lack of concern that the character has for herself will make the audience feel uncomfortable and this will also draw attention to another theme, which will be her mental issues.
Our film follows the codes and conventions of a drama featuring drug use due to the form of the opening sequence. The opening sequence of the film has been very specific to the genre and has visually used a lot of techniques to underline this point and put it across to the audience. Similarly to the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ the way the conventions are followed are both done in the same way. The lighting is very dark and there is not much light used in the scene and so the audience do not have any sign of hope and so they do not feel as though this film will be about hope of represent hope in any way.
The use of characterisation follows the codes and convention of a typical drama. The main character, Lauren Ealing plays a girl that has had a bad upbringing and as a result, has become a frequent user of drugs. However, she became pregnant and a couple of years along the line her child had passed away, so once again she had become unstable. We made the audience feel sympathy for Lauren as they at this point do not know whether or not Lauren has been in the wrong before and whether or not she deserves everything she is feeling. The film on a whole will be much different, as the character will then start challenging the codes and conventions of a character from a typical drama genre. This is because Lauren becomes eager to help herself and do what she can later on in the film (which is her past and the opening sequence is the present time. This is very comparable to Jim Caroll, the main character in the film ‘The Basketball Diaries’ as later on in the film, he starts trying to change with the help of his best friend which goes against the conventions as usually the character in a drama genre are always rebellious and their problems don’t tend to get solved, but get bigger and worse.
The narrative of our film is our character Lauren Ealing losing her child as she has always been unstable, but after the loss of her child, unstable is taken to a much different level. The film is about her whole past, and it leads up to the opening sequence, which is the present time. The way in which the chronological order of a film is presented is very similar to Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ where the order of the film is what draws in the audience the most. This challenges the conventions of a drama genre, as usually as drama is a build up of events leading to a big scene that the audience are intrigued to see. However, in our film the main event and the big scene of the character killing her self with the use of heroin has already been seen as the opening sequence and so the rest of the film is showing the past and answering all the questions that audience may have. Nevertheless, our film also follows the conventions of a typical drama genre as a main feature in the film is death, which is a typical feature in most dramas, especially when the use of drugs are involved, resembling the TV show ‘Skins’.
Sounds in our opening sequence follow the codes and conventions of a drama genre as all the sounds are very closely related to our narrative. At the beginning of our opening sequence our music starts, which is very soft and it carries on throughout our opening sequence and ends slowly at the end. Throughout this music, there are specific sounds that have been added that follow the conventions of a drama genre. Due to the loss of a small child our main character Lauren Ealing has suffered, we introduced the sound of the crying baby of about 2 years old starting from about 30 seconds of the opening sequence as the opening sequence graduated. In addition, there was also a heart monitor sound at the end of the opening sequence when there is a pan of the arm focusing of whether or not there is body movement, so the audience can grasp whether or not the character is alive or not. The heart monitor flat line that plays immediately after the heart monitor finalised that Lauren is now dead. This follows the conventions of the importance of the situation and makes it much more effective as it enables it to play on the audiences mind. This is similar to the heroin scene in Danny Boyle’s ‘Trainspotting’ where the character Spud takes heroin and becomes unconscious and is effected extremely badly, and the sound of the ambulance sirens are heard even before the ambulance vehicle is seen on screen. This enables the audience to always be one step ahead.
Mise en Scene is very important in following and challenging the conventions of a drama genre. In our media product, mise en scene is widely used, especially when using the pan shot to show the contrast between the drugs and the child’s toys. The very slow panning shot which starts from the childs toys and gradually pans over all the objects and over to the alcoholic bottles and the drugs challenges the conventions as it shows an extreme contrast which also represents the characters personality of the love she had for her child, and also, the love she has for her addiction and problem. Correspondingly, this is shown in Scott Kalverts ‘The Basketball Diaries’where we see the contrast between Jim Caroll studying but craving for heroin. However, the relevance of all crops follow the conventions just like the heroin scene in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ when the lighter is used to light up the syringe and the burnt spoon is shown with the substance contained on it, in our opening sequence, all the equipment needed for the use of heroin is clearly shown on the table with all the items. Costume in our opening sequence follows the typical conventions of our urban drama, as a female in todays society that is associated as a street girl wears a tracksuit of a dull colour to represent their dull personality, and our character Lauren is wearing a black tracksuit. Her hair is messy and has been backcombed to give the effect that she hasn’t been showered or cleaned for a while, highlighting the fact she doesn’t care much about herself and her health. Make-up hasn’t been used much in our opening sequence as we do not fully reveal her face, but the effect we wanted was for her to looked lethargic and ‘drained’ and we did this by making sure Reka (our actor) did not wear any make up. Her body language shows that she isn’t bothered about life as she walks down the stairs at the beginning of the opening sequence very carelessly, showing her attitude towards life and not valuing it. The opening sequence is set in dirty, dim lit basement, resembling the state she is in and how she feels. This follows the conventions of a urban drama as it shows how she has locked herself away. However, using a female as a main role of a film where drugs are used, challenges the conventions as it is usually a male who plays a part like this, and therefore the audience are intrigued.
In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?
Our media product is based around the genre Drama that features the use of drugs. The use of drugs is a main part of our film as it is what causes disruption in our films equilibrium. Our films drama aspects comes from where the character in our film loses her daughter dramatically and is suffering and grieving because of this, codes and conventions are followed and challenged so that this genre is fulfilled in our media product. Typical codes and conventions of an opening sequence were also followed:
Introduce briefly the narrative
Introduce a main character
Introduce a familiar setting
Include titles of the production company, main actors in the film and the films title as well as a visual indication of the film title
Signifying the themes of the film
Appropriate music and sounds
In our opening sequence, themes were introduced very straightforwardly that led the audience to realising that the film is in fact of the drama genre. A main theme was death and this is seen and noticed in the opening sequence when the character injects herself with the heroin, and there is a slow pan panning down her arm slowly, highlighting that there is no movement of her body, which represents death. Furthermore, the death of her daughter contributed to this theme, as this is what has made her further unstable than she already was. The theme of drugs is presented in this opening sequence by the contrast of children’s toys, drugs and alcohol. This contrast is a visual way of representing the theme of drama that features drug use. In addition, health and safety has been shown to be another important theme which relates to this genre, as the audience are clearly able to see the living conditions of the character, and the lack of safety and the lack of concern that the character has for herself will make the audience feel uncomfortable and this will also draw attention to another theme, which will be her mental issues.
Our film follows the codes and conventions of a drama featuring drug use due to the form of the opening sequence. The opening sequence of the film has been very specific to the genre and has visually used a lot of techniques to underline this point and put it across to the audience. Similarly to the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ the way the conventions are followed are both done in the same way. The lighting is very dark and there is not much light used in the scene and so the audience do not have any sign of hope and so they do not feel as though this film will be about hope of represent hope in any way.
The use of characterisation follows the codes and convention of a typical drama. The main character, Lauren Ealing plays a girl that has had a bad upbringing and as a result, has become a frequent user of drugs. However, she became pregnant and a couple of years along the line her child had passed away, so once again she had become unstable. We made the audience feel sympathy for Lauren as they at this point do not know whether or not Lauren has been in the wrong before and whether or not she deserves everything she is feeling. The film on a whole will be much different, as the character will then start challenging the codes and conventions of a character from a typical drama genre. This is because Lauren becomes eager to help herself and do what she can later on in the film (which is her past and the opening sequence is the present time. This is very comparable to Jim Caroll, the main character in the film ‘The Basketball Diaries’ as later on in the film, he starts trying to change with the help of his best friend which goes against the conventions as usually the character in a drama genre are always rebellious and their problems don’t tend to get solved, but get bigger and worse.
The narrative of our film is our character Lauren Ealing losing her child as she has always been unstable, but after the loss of her child, unstable is taken to a much different level. The film is about her whole past, and it leads up to the opening sequence, which is the present time. The way in which the chronological order of a film is presented is very similar to Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ where the order of the film is what draws in the audience the most. This challenges the conventions of a drama genre, as usually as drama is a build up of events leading to a big scene that the audience are intrigued to see. However, in our film the main event and the big scene of the character killing her self with the use of heroin has already been seen as the opening sequence and so the rest of the film is showing the past and answering all the questions that audience may have. Nevertheless, our film also follows the conventions of a typical drama genre as a main feature in the film is death, which is a typical feature in most dramas, especially when the use of drugs are involved, resembling the TV show ‘Skins’.
Sounds in our opening sequence follow the codes and conventions of a drama genre as all the sounds are very closely related to our narrative. At the beginning of our opening sequence our music starts, which is very soft and it carries on throughout our opening sequence and ends slowly at the end. Throughout this music, there are specific sounds that have been added that follow the conventions of a drama genre. Due to the loss of a small child our main character Lauren Ealing has suffered, we introduced the sound of the crying baby of about 2 years old starting from about 30 seconds of the opening sequence as the opening sequence graduated. In addition, there was also a heart monitor sound at the end of the opening sequence when there is a pan of the arm focusing of whether or not there is body movement, so the audience can grasp whether or not the character is alive or not. The heart monitor flat line that plays immediately after the heart monitor finalised that Lauren is now dead. This follows the conventions of the importance of the situation and makes it much more effective as it enables it to play on the audiences mind. This is similar to the heroin scene in Danny Boyle’s ‘Trainspotting’ where the character Spud takes heroin and becomes unconscious and is effected extremely badly, and the sound of the ambulance sirens are heard even before the ambulance vehicle is seen on screen. This enables the audience to always be one step ahead.
Mise en Scene is very important in following and challenging the conventions of a drama genre. In our media product, mise en scene is widely used, especially when using the pan shot to show the contrast between the drugs and the child’s toys. The very slow panning shot which starts from the childs toys and gradually pans over all the objects and over to the alcoholic bottles and the drugs challenges the conventions as it shows an extreme contrast which also represents the characters personality of the love she had for her child, and also, the love she has for her addiction and problem. Correspondingly, this is shown in Scott Kalverts ‘The Basketball Diaries’where we see the contrast between Jim Caroll studying but craving for heroin. However, the relevance of all crops follow the conventions just like the heroin scene in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ when the lighter is used to light up the syringe and the burnt spoon is shown with the substance contained on it, in our opening sequence, all the equipment needed for the use of heroin is clearly shown on the table with all the items. Costume in our opening sequence follows the typical conventions of our urban drama, as a female in todays society that is associated as a street girl wears a tracksuit of a dull colour to represent their dull personality, and our character Lauren is wearing a black tracksuit. Her hair is messy and has been backcombed to give the effect that she hasn’t been showered or cleaned for a while, highlighting the fact she doesn’t care much about herself and her health. Make-up hasn’t been used much in our opening sequence as we do not fully reveal her face, but the effect we wanted was for her to looked lethargic and ‘drained’ and we did this by making sure Reka (our actor) did not wear any make up. Her body language shows that she isn’t bothered about life as she walks down the stairs at the beginning of the opening sequence very carelessly, showing her attitude towards life and not valuing it. The opening sequence is set in dirty, dim lit basement, resembling the state she is in and how she feels. This follows the conventions of a urban drama as it shows how she has locked herself away. However, using a female as a main role of a film where drugs are used, challenges the conventions as it is usually a male who plays a part like this, and therefore the audience are intrigued.
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