Margaret Ansu

A2 Media Advanced Portfolio G324

OCR Media Studies

Evaluation 1: In what ways does media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products
Our task for Unit G324 Advanced Portfolio, was to create a !inute s"ort fil! of one of or a cross

#etween t"e following genres$ Ro!antic, Co!ed%, &ra!a, Action, '"riller and (orror) As a tea! we drafted !an% ideas w"ic" we t"en *resented to our A+level !edia class so t"at we could get !ore of an un#iased o*inion as to w"ic" stor%line was *ractical and sounded t"e #est) '"is was a wise decision, as it did "el* us decide !uc" ,uicker w"at we were going to *roduce as our final *roduct) As a tea! we decided to *roduce a s"ort res*ectivel%) Setting/location '"e locations t"at were used wit"in our fil! were t"e t%*ical t%*es of settings t"at would feature wit"in a dra!a fil!) '"e% were realistic and #elieva#le in t"e sense t"at if t"e fil! was an actual realit% t"e c"aracters *ortra%ed wit"in t"e fil! would #e seen in suc" *laces t"at t"e% were at wit"in t"e fil!) Places suc" as t"e sc"ool) -t.s not unusual to see an adult !ale in for!al clot"ing wit"in a sc"ool likewise it.s not unusual for a %oung #lack fe!ale or an% *ersons wit"in /ondon to live in a "ouse) 0e used settings t"at t"e audiences could relate to, as all w"o! were targeted s"ould #e a#le to recognise t"e usual la%out of a sc"ool or a "o!e not necessaril% #eing a "ouse or a sc"ool #ut know t"at a #uilding is a *lace of learning or a "o!e w"en it.s s"own on screen) '"e audience1s a#ilit% to recognise t"e t%*e of #uilding t"at was #eing *resented to t"e! *roves t"at we followed t"e code and convention of a dra!a fil! of using ever%da% locations t"at are used #% t"e !asses ) 'o e2*lain furt"er, if we were to *lace Mr 0icks still in for!al clot"ing #ut cleaning t"e streets as a street cleaner it1ll #e *resenting an unrealistic scenario to t"e audience w"ic" would go against t"e codes and conventions of a dra!a fil! as wit"in t"e genre of dra!a %ou are to t"e ut!ost *ossi#le *resent a world t"at "as a great value of verisi!ilitude and a well+dressed !ale as a street cleaner is not of t"e #elieva#le world) !inute dra!a fil! a#out an a#usive fat"er and "is daug"ter, w"o were going t"roug" t"e grieving *rocess of t"eir late wife and !ot"er,

Costumes & Props 3ee*ing wit" t"e t"e!e of a #elieva#le world, t"e costu!ing of c"aracters and t"e *ro*s used wit"in our final *roduct *la% a ke% role in t"is as*ect of a dra!a fil!, as de*icted in ot"er relata#le real !edia dra!a *roducts) 0"en looking at relata#le *roducts suc" as 4astenders, it.s clear t"at t"e%.ve taken into account t"at t"e clever use of costu!ing along wit" t"e *ro*s t"at are to circulate t"e c"aracter, will conve% t"e c"aracters in a certain lig"t to t"e audiences) - #elieve we took t"is into consideration and

Margaret Ansu

A2 Media Advanced Portfolio G324

OCR Media Studies

followed t"e for! of costu!ing and *ro*s *la%ing an i!*ortant role in conve%ing c"aracteristics to an audience) An e2a!*le of t"is is t"e #ag t"at we used for Mr 0icks) '"e #ag was a *lain leat"er #lack satc"el t"at was rat"er si!*le #ut "ad two leat"er #uckle fasts t"at "eld t"e #ag closed ) At first it !a% 5ust denote t"e o#vious of it #eing a s!art #lack #ag #ut it in turn connotes to t"e audience t"at Mr 0icks 6as a c"aracter7 is a *erson of organi8ation, si!*licit% w"o! is restricted #% "is need of structure, if t"e audience was to look into t"e fil! dee*er) -n addition, t"e sc"ool #ag we used for /uc% s"ows t"at s"e was a %oung c"ild as it de*icts a !onke% on a *ink #ased #ag wit" *olka dots) Also t"e *ro* wit"in "er roo! reinforces "er c"ildlike nature and conve% "er innocence in along wit" t"e costu!e c"oice of a w"ite s"irt w"ic" s%!#olises innocence, as w"ite is universall% used wit"in t"e !edia world to s%!#olise *urit%, goodness and innocence)

Editing 9or editing we used si!*le 5u2ta*ositions and transitions t"at falls under :continuit% editing;) '"e reason for t"is is #ecause it kee*s to t"e for!s of a dra!a fil!) Most dra!a fil!s rel% on t"e !i!icking of :real ti!e; to *ortra% a #elieva#le world) '"erefore a#ru*t cuts like a :free8e fra!e; t"at free8es ti!e wit"in t"e fil! were not included) -nstead we used editing tec"ni,ues like *arallel editing and !ontages t"at conve%ed ti!e !oving along)

Characters At first - #elieve our c"aracters go against t"e usual re*resentations of t"eir c"aracters) 0"en Mr 0icks is introduced as a <lack <ritis" !ale w"o is a teac"er) '"is goes against !ost for!s wit"in !edia te2t as t"e% usuall% u*"old Stuart (all.s re*resentation t"eor%, w"ic" states certain classes #eing associated wit" certain races wit"in !edia te2t and t"e idea of w"ite su*re!ac%) '"erefore our *ortra%al of Mr 0icks goes against Stuart (all.s :0"ite Su*re!ac%; t"eor% as "e is s"own to #e a #lack !ale in a field of work t"at is looked u*on favoura#l% #% societ%) Conclusion /ooking at our final *roduct, our fil! see!s to #e a ver% generic dra!a fil!) -t includes all t"e t%*ical codes and conventions t"at are featured wit"in ot"er dra!a t%*e !edia te2t suc" as t"e fil! :Precious; and '= soa*s in ter!s of t"e unconventional stor%line)