Evaluation Question 1: In what way does media product

use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real

media products?

For our G324 Advance Portfolio our task was to produce a short film in its
entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which will be live action, together
with two of the following three options:

A poster for the film;

A radio trailer for the film;
A film magazine review page featuring the film.

My group and I had a range of ideas of what the genre of our short film could be,
our ideas ranged from the comedy genre to action. In the end we decided to go
with the genre of fantasy and adventure. The main plot of our short film is that of
Alexa Stewart a 17-year-old girl who hides in her wardrobe to feel safe from
bullies, but then falls asleep only to find herself wake up in the 70s with a girl
named Clarissa Rodgers opposite her on a picnic blanket. As time goes by the
two of them have a great time and make great memories.

Setting/location
The short film my group and I made was set in a house and a garden. The parts
in which it was set in a house was when the character of Alexa was hiding from
her bullies and then the ending scenes where she waved by to the older Clarissa.
The garden setting contained the scenes where Alexa woke up in the 70s and
had a picnic with 70s Clarissa.
I believe the setting conformed to the general codes and conventions of the
fantasy and adventure genre. The garden scene made everything look like a
fantasy through the high key lighting and bright use of colours. Also, the garden
added to the fantasy genres codes and conventions by making everything seem
dream like. The locations also conformed to the codes and conventions of the
adventure genre since they were exciting and displayed the contrast between
the scenes from the present and the scenes set in the 70s.

Costumes and props

The costumes and props played a massive role throughout the whole production.
The director had to ensure that the costumes and props conformed to the codes
and conventions by making sure that the props went with the time period shown
at the time and the costumes also matched the time period and mood of the
film.
I think that the director did an amazing job with the costumes and props since
they conformed really well to the whole theme of our short film and conformed
well with the genres of our short film. The clothing in the starting scenes

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conformed to the codes and conventions since at the start of the short film the
bullies were wearing dark colours which signified that they are the antagonists
and displayed their negativity and violent behaviour. To contrast, Alexa was
always show to be wearing lighter colours which showed shes the protagonist
and displayed her in a good light.
In the 70s part of the film, both Alexa and Clarissa were show to be wearing light
coloured clothing which signified their goodness and connotes positivity to the
audience about both characters.
The props were really helped in terms of the codes and conventions of the film,
especially in the 70s part of the film as they were realistic. Props such as the
70s coke bottles and newspapers as well as particular cassettes emphasised on
the fact that Alexa really is in the 70s.

Editing
Editing played a big role within our production. For example, in the beginning of
the production the use of fast paced shots and sound effects gave audiences the
impression that the protagonist is in danger and so was effective when
convincing the audience of Alexas emotions. Also, the eye line match during the
70s part of the short film clearly showed and emphasised that Alexa really is in
the 70s and made it realistic. In addition to this, the dream filter in the garden
scene signified that Alexa is in a happier place and set a more positive tone. The
dream filter also conformed to the codes and conventions of the fantasy genre
by making everything seem dream-like and mystical.

Characters
The representations of the characters within the short film were stereotypical.
Alexa was shown to be a vulnerable and innocent looking girl. This would help
the audience empathise with her character and automatically want to be on her
side. We also presented the bullies in a stereotypical way through their costumes
but it could be argued that the bullies were represented as countertypes since
they were female and females are usually the ones being represented in a more
vulnerable and pristine way. The character of Clarissa could also be seen as a
stereotypical character as she was seen as kind, caring and sweet to Alexa . This
is stereotypical since girls within friendships are usually shown to have
personality traits like this.

Music and voiceover

The sound within our short film spoke for the film itself. The 70s music really
contrasted with the tone of the present day since the present day had fast paced
music which really made an impact and added to the tense mood and the fear
Alexa was feeling and her situation. However, the garden scene was full of jolly
and upbeat music which was perfect for a picnic in the 70s. This helped the
audience acknowledge that Alexa is now safe and in a better place where all her
fears are gone. The voiceovers arguably challenged our genres of adventure and

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fantasy since they fitted more of the drama type of genre. This is because Alexa
came across as vulnerable during the first scenes and the voiceovers during
these scenes and so set the tone of a drama more than an adventure and
fantasy since these genres dont really contain voice overs that really impact the
audience causing them to feel sympathetic.
In conclusion, I am pleased with the way our production turned out to be. I feel it
matches up to the standards of a fantasy and adventure genre and holds some
key typical codes and conventions. I do feel at times our final production
challenged the codes and conventions but it could be argued that this made it
more exciting for the audience as it became unpredictable at times and therefore
more engaging.

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