Creative Artefact Evaluation

The aims in creating my sequence were to reflect and develop on

the ideas I had learnt from textual analysis of Project X (Nourizadeh:
2012) and Adulthood (Clarke: 2008). I was trying to demonstrate
these ideas through the micro elements under the macro element of
style, which I discovered were key to the style of the two films I
studied in my textual analysis.
My intended meaning or reading behind the sequence was to focus
on attention to detail in production design within the mise en scene
in the importance of costume in the style of Project X and
Adulthood. The costumes used in Adulthood such as hoodies and
hats were used in my sequence to portray the background in which
the characters (in particular Rico and Jordan) come from. The
particular choice of costume is intended to show they come from
gang affiliated background which relates to the stereotypes
associated with teenagers. Also the use of dialogue used, taking
influence from Noel Clarkes approach. My script allowed me to
reflect upon the language being used by my characters, redrafting
my script enabled me to improve my characters credibility by using
more colloquial language. The use of colloquial language associated
with, and commonly used by teenagers is a key aspect of my film. It
allows me to present the messages and values in a way that is more
coherent, this also creates a verisimilitude as the language used
makes the situation more credible.
Another macro element that was strongly considered throughout
creating my sequence was themes. In both Project X and Adulthood
there seemed to be a running theme with illegal activity, specifically
drugs and violence. In Project X many drugs such as cocaine and
ecstasy was seen being taken by underaged aged teenagers, also in
Adulthood teenagers were seen handling guns and other weapons
such as baseball bats. These themes were transferred into my
creative artifact through the use of mise en scene in the form of
props. A package of drugs was seen to be found by Rico in the
sequence. Rico has the opportunity to return the drugs yet he
chooses to keep it even when confronted; this was intended to show
the force that drugs play in a teenagers life. This shows that they
are willing to risk their health in order to obtain this form of
validation. Other props used was a prop gun, this was to indicate a
power shift that shifted from Rico to Jerome. Rico had the power as
he had the drugs that Jerome wanted, however when the gun was
pulled out the atmosphere took a darker turn and Jerome held the
power. This aided portraying the gang lifestyle, where power lies
more in the weapons as opposed to the people that possess them.
This reflected how Noel Clarke presented the power in Adulhood as
it was done through the use of props also (e.g. Sam with the
baseball bat).

The micro element that was also important was sound. Non-diegetic
sound was a big component in my sequence. My textual analysis of
Adulthood and Project X enabled me to learn that Clarke and
Nourizadeh both used non-diegetic sound to present the themes of
the films and the messages and values of the films. In Adulthood, a
lot of grime and rap is used as non-diegetic music to convey the
affiliations with gang activity and illegal activities. This is the same
effect I was trying to replicate and therefor I used some grime
instrumentals in the form of non-diegetic music so the audience
gets suggestions of gang affiliation and illegal activity.
In my planning I created a synopsis, my intention was to make a
complete concise narrative as opposed making a part of a film. I did
this so I can show clear character and narrative progression so it
would be more climactic and therefore the audience would be
engaged throughout. This was to reflect on the character
progression in the films I researched, for example Clarke showed a
clear character progression through Sam.
In my planning I also produced a Location report, this allowed me to
cater the surroundings to fit my themes and genre. To fit the theme
of illegal activity and drugs I chose one of the locations to be based
around an estate near a park located on Oaks Lane. This also adds
credibility and creates a verisimilitude for the audience. As the
characters involved are teenagers I also chose to pick one of the
locations to be in a school, this allows my target audience of
teenagers and young adults to relate more to the narrative being
told. I believe my planning was thorough in helping me with my
sequence however some improvements that could have been made
was shooting the footage with a flashlight to decrease the grain
shown in the final product. I also could have considered elements of
post-production such as the use of brightness adjusters in my
editing and I could have made my storyboard more detailed by
including the soundtrack to aid me more greatly in the editing
process.
Overall I think my finished sequence follows my textual analysis of
comparing stereotypes of teenage protagonists in Adulthood and
Project X in terms of demonstrating and developing the ideas within
mise en scene to create a similar atmosphere and convey similar
attitudes. However I think that my finished sequence could have
been more detailed and developed to reflect my textual analysis if
more things were considered such as editing in the form of tints and
brightness.