Evaluation Question 1

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our film opening creates a sense on anticipation and also mystery, you get a good idea from our film opening that the film is going to be about two young girls who are best friends, also the audience learn that there is a loss in their lives, this is through the use of voice over. Our finished product uses, develops and challenges conventions which are used in media product a great deal.

 The title of our film is integrated into our shot which means it is part of the clip and we have used our location and surroundings to make our title. This challenges the typical conventions of a film opening because in most drama film openings the titles is not integrated and is he same as every other title, it normally just comes up in the same font with the titles of the people in the film and the people who helped make it. For example the film My Sister's Keeper (2009) uses a very small white font in the corner of the screen for their film titles, where as we have chosen to write the name of our film in the sand, so it takes up the whole screen and draws in the audience.

When picking a location for our film, we wanted to pick somewhere which would suit the story line and plot of our film but also suit the situation of the characters involved. A generic drama location is somewhere which the audience have probably all been to, which means the audience will be able to relate to it and will have memories of being in this place. We decided to pick the beach as this is somewhere you would expect two best friends to be playing and also somewhere the audience have probably been before. When picking our location we stuck to the typical generic conventions of a drama film. An example of our location being used in another film in the same genre is My Sister's Keeper once again, as part of the opening to this film is on the beach.

When we picked the costumes for our characters we wanted to focus on making the audience aware of the genre of the film, we decided to dress both the girls in dark colours, as opposed to light colours, which would be common of young girls to show that something bad is going to happen as the film progresses. We dressed the character who is going to die in a darker colour than the other to show that something bad is directly going to happen her, by using a dark blue/black we conveyed the message of death or tragedy to the audience, a drama film which uses colour in its opening to show an impending death or tragedy is Now is Good (2012) which dresses the main character in the colour red in the opening, this also conveys a message of death, due to red being the colour of blood, to the audience. In this aspect of our film opening we used the typical generic conventions of a drama film.

In our opening we wanted the camera work to focus mainly on the way the two girls interact with each other and to highlight the friendship they have with each other. We used a variety of camera angles and editing to show the friendship and the future that the girls are going to have. In shots where the girls are walking with each other, we use fades to show how the girls friendship is going to fade and this allows the audience to get a clue of what is going to happen later on in the film. We used a variety of long, mid and close shots to show the audience how the girls interacted with each other and to highlight their friendship. We used a pan from one side of the beach to the other with the girls in the middle of the frame, a shot like this was used in the opening of the film Now is Good, in our opening I feel we used camera angles and editing which is generic of the genre drama.

When picking a font for our titles we wanted to stick to the generic font of a drama film, we did research into font types and decided to use the font we picked because it fits in with the mood of the opening because it is classic with a twist. A font similar to the font we used in our film opening is the font that was used in the opening of Now is Good, the opening to both our film and Now is Good both have similar moods as they are both presenting the main character of the film to the audience and both hinting at the fact that something bad is going to happen to them as the film progresses.

We set up the story of the film opening and the rest of the film by using the two characters featured, making them interact a lot with each other while also making them give the audience an idea of what their friendship is like and what may be happening in the future. The thing which helped us set up the story the most was the fact that we used a voice over of the character Amy, who is left to deal with the grief of losing her best friend later in the film, even though the audience are unaware of this, it still adds to the setting of the story and also adds emotion which is a generic convention of a drama opening. My Sister's Keeper does similar to what we have done in our opening by showing you shots of the family interacting like the one above, however I think in our opening we have developed this because we have to characters interacting through out the opening.

We introduce the genre of our film from the very start of the film opening, a combination of effective shots, music and a voice over means that the audience are able to tell from the very start that our film opening is in the genre of drama. One of the main generic conventions of a drama film is the use of a combination of music and voice over, we use this convention to help set up the genre of our film and help the audience understand from the beginning what it is. The film fits into the sub-genre of Tragedy Drama, this isn't completely obvious in the opening however some viewer may realise that the voice over hints at the character in question is 'forgotten' and almost 'uncared' for. A film similar to ours which uses music and voice over to present the genre is again My Sisters Keeper, it had the main character giving an over view of past event and what has happened in their life, while also giving an idea of what the future holds, like our film.

We introduced the characters in our film opening by giving the audience a rough look back on their lives so far, this is a very common thing with a drama film due to the fact the audience need to know about the characters past in order to understand their future and what is happening in their lives now. Our film opening is a flashback, a look back of the girls life and friendship, with a voice over explaining what has happened briefly, this is very common of drama films. The first shot you see of the girls in our opening is of them running down the steps onto you beach, this portrays them as very happy, carefree children, this juxtaposes the voice over of the film, as the shots seem to be very happy, however the voice over shows the turmoil in their life and their problems. A film which present the main character in a similar way to ours is Now is Good, this shows how we presented our characters in a very generic way considering the genre.

Final Cut Of Film

Research into Institution Logos

Institution logos are shown at the start of a film just before it starts, they are used to present the maker of the film to the audience who are watching the film, they remind the audience who have made the film and normally help the audience get a good idea of what to except from the film, especially if they have seen a film by that company before. Mainstream companies tend to have very different logos from companies that are independent. 

Mainstream Logos 

Mainstream companies tend to have very lavish institution logos, they tend to have a lot going on in them, they typically have busy backgrounds with very professional logos on them, they are normally animated and tend to have a sound effect over the top of them, this draws the audiences attention to the screen but also adds a lot more quality to the logo.

 The video on the left shows the animation which is used at the start of any Universal Pictures film, it lasts for roughly 20 seconds, this is enough time for the audience to put all their attention on viewing the logo and also gives them enough time to see what the logo says. The logo is very professional and lavish which is typical of a mainstream film company. The logo has a lot of different aspects to it, it has a busy background, a glove, and the name of the institution, this gives it a very up market feel, helping the audience to fully understand that the film they are watching is mainstream. 

The video on the right it the animation which is used at the beginning of any film or programme which is produced by the company 20th Century Fox, this logo is very similar to the one for Universal Pictures as it is very lavish. The colour gold is used a lot which makes the audience think that the film or production company is very up market and has a large budget, also the effect of lights it used a lot which draws the attention of the viewer. Also this logo uses a sound effect over the top of it to help draw in the viewer and keep their attention. 

Independent Logos

Independent film companies tend to have logos which are a lot less busy and fancy as Mainstream logos, they tend to be very basic, only using one colour, they are rarely animated, they just tend to be a image which is presented on the screen, some companies do use animations, but they don't tend to be as professional as Mainstream companies. They also rarely use sound over the top of their logos, this makes the viewer more likely to pay little attention to the logo, but also makes the viewer realise that the film they are seeing is made by an independent company who don't have much of a budget.

The logo to the left is the logo of the Independent film company, Film4. This logo is obviously a lot more basic than the previous two example of Mainstream film logos I have given. First of all, it isn't animated, it simply appears on the screen at the start of the film, this is completely different to what a mainstream logo would do. It is also just one colour, the use of just one colour is very basic however I personally find this logo a lot more attention grabbing than the two mainstream logos. Also it doesn't use a sound effect over the top when it comes up on the screen.

I will use this research when I am designing the logos so I can make my logos look more like the logos of an Independent film company as opposed too those of a Mainstream film company.  

Development of Institutional Logo

When making my ideas for our film openings institutional logo I took into consideration many things to make them look as unique and professional as I could. Below are my two designs for our production company and for our distribution company.

This first logo is my design for our production company 'Gazelle Productions', when I made this logo I wanted it to link into the idea of the animal gazelle, the way it looks and the habitat that it lives in. I decided I wanted to make it a gradient effect so it was simple but effective, I then added the name of the production company in white over the top of it sticks out and looks professional, the font I chose for this logo is modern but also very classic, making it look nice and professional.

The second logo I have designed is the logo for the distribution company, I decided that I would add a sense of whit into this logo, because our distribution company is called 'Two Bit Tailor Pictures' I decided to play on the word Tailor, so I decided to add some suits into my design as Tailoring is associated with suits. I wanted to make this design a bit more detailed than my first one so I decided to repeat the image 4 times and change the colour of each one. I then added in the text over the top which is white, and the same colour as the background so it stands out and contrasts well.

Our group made a final decision on what two logos we wanted to use as everyone else in the group also produced two logo ideas, in the end we decided to use my Two Bit Tailor Pictures logo and Hayley's Gazelle Productions logo.

Drama films & How they attract audiences

Due to the fact we are making an independent film opening I need to focus on doing research into Independent drama film openings which have been made in the past. Most drama films have a main character who is normally dealing with an illness or has a close family member or friend who is dealing with an illness. The film normally follows this character on their quest to deal with this problem and either overcome it or their journey to the outcome of the illness/problem.

Drama films tend to be very realistic and very relatable for most member of the audience, meaning that they draw in a large audience, most people go to watch drama film as they have either experienced what is happening in the film or know someone who has, audiences tend to find a sense of relief and pressure in watching drama films as it shows them that they aren't alone in their issues and that someone has previously experienced it as drama films tend to be based of true or similar real life events, This is an example of The Uses and Gratification Theory.

Examples of films which will be similar to our drama opening are films such as My Sisters Keeper (2009), Titanic (1997) and The Notebook (2004). All of these films attract an audience by having appealing relationships which people can relate to such as romantic relationships, family bonds and friendships. My Sisters Keeper attracts an audience by featuring cancer, a disease which a lot of people will be able to relate to as it is a very common, serious disease. Also the fact that it affects a child as opposed to an adult means that it will be very emotional, the film throughout tests the bonds and relationship between a family and also features the tragedy of the ill girls boyfriend dying, which is followed by her death, this large amount of tragedy means the audience will be greatly effected and also interested in the film.

The Titanic (1997) is based on a true story which is a very famous part of history, this alone will draw in a very big audience and make a lot of people want to come and see it. Also the main plot of the film is the followings of a love story between a wealth woman and a less fortunate male, this will be relatable in some respect to people in the audience and is also another example of The Uses and Gratification Theory as some people will watch this film to get pleasure out of the love story. Also because the male dies at the end of the film, it adds an aspect of tragedy to the film.

Research into Audience and Audience Theories

When talking about audience theories used in film and film openings there are three main ones which are commonly used.

The Hypodermic Needle Theory

The hypodermic needle theory is essentially the
theory that mass audiences of people watching films, or in most cases viewing any form of media, receive and respond to messages in the same way. The media 'injects' a message into the audience who are watching the film in order to get a response. This theory is mainly used to show how much of an effect the media and film can have on an audience of people. For example, someone may have recently been to see an action movie, which contains a large amount of violence and gun usage, the hypodermic needle theory suggests that this person would be more inclined  to carry out violent actions or use a gun because they saw a film which contains usage of those things. Due to the fact the theory describes the audience as 'easily influenced' means that they are likely to copy what they see, an example of this is the murder of 10 year old James Bulger, he was brutally murder by James Thompson and Jon Venables after they watched the film Childs Play 3 (1991) which contains the murder of a boy of a similar age to Bulger, also the boys admitted in court that this film provoked them to murder Bulger. This is an example of how media and film can influence a passive, easily influenced audience, it will also influence people of a younger age a lot more as they normally cant tell the difference between the world of a movie and the real world, meaning things that are injected into them by the media and film would seem to be acceptable in their eyes.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory

The Uses and Gratification's Theory is the opposite to The Hypodermic Needle Theory, instead of suggesting that the audience are injected with message and respond to it, this theory suggests that the audience watch films or view media to the get a certain degree of pleasure or 'gratification' out of it. Instead of the audience being used by the media, the audience uses the media for their own pleasure and fulfilment, instead of having no choice but to take in what they see, like The Hypodermic Needle Theory, the audience are free to reject, take in or play with the information and messages they are receiving. The Uses and Gratifications Theory suggest people watch films and take in media to get fulfilment in areas such as, receiving information, pleasure, sexual stimulation, relationships and comparing characters lives to their own. An example of this is someone who goes to the cinema to watch a Romantic Comedy, they would typically be going to see this film because they want something like what they are seeing in the film to be happening in their own life, This is the same for most genres. This theory also suggests people watch films and take in media to help them deal with issues such as, personal identity, learning, emotions and relaxation. 

The Reception Theory

The Reception Theory suggests that when a producer makes a film, they hide inside the film hidden meanings and messages that they are trying to get across to the audience and viewer. The viewer will either understand the message or meaning that is trying to be put across or they will reject or fail to understand it, a producer doing this makes the film more interesting and helps keep the viewer interested in the film they are viewing. The theory suggests that there are three ways an audience can receive a message or meaning, they can either, dominate, which means they have understood and fully agreed with the meaning or message, negotiate, which means they understand the meaning or message but have no opinion on wether they agree or disagree with it, and oppose it which means they understand but don't agree with the message or meaning and reject it.

Certifications

Every film before it is released is given a certification, if in the UK by the British Board of Film Classifications, this certification is used by the audience to help them decided if the film they want to see is appropriate for them or in some cases their children, it is also used by shops and cinemas to stop people who aren't of age buying films with higher certificates.

Drama Film Certificates and how they attract an audience.

Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained (2012) is a western/action/drama film starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, it was directed by famous director Quentin Tarantino and is rated 18 due to strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity. This means that this film can only be seen in a cinema or purchased by someone over the age of 18, and is recommended to be only viewed by those over the age of 18. 

This film attracts an audience by featuring well known, famous actors who have been in many well known films in the past and are most likely going to be known by the potential audience and viewers of this film. Also due to the fact the film is set in the 1800's in western America many people will be interested in going to see it as this is a famous time in American history. The film is distributed by the company Columbia Picture, this company are a worldwide, wealthy company who will be able to give the film a large budget and good publicity, therefore widening the audience. 

Schindler's List (1993)

Schindler's List (1993) is a Historical Drama film starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes, it was directed by famous director Steven Spielberg. It is rated 15 due to language, some sexuality and actuality violence. This certification means that  the film cant be purchased or viewed in a cinema by anyone under the age of 15, and also that the themes of the film aren't suitable for persons under the age of 15.

The film attracts an audience in many ways, the first way is its plot and setting, it is set in War time Nazi Germany, this will immediately make many people want to go and see it as this is a very famous point in history which effected most of the world. Another thing which will attracted a large audience are the names involved in the film, big stars such as Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes and also the fact it was directed by the world famous director Steven Spielberg.

Timeline of Film Opening : Drama

Forrest Gump (1994)

Analysis of Drama Film Openings

My Sisters Keeper (2009)



Genre -Drama -Tragedy Drama	Narrative -Flashback -Reminiscing	Character -Family -Parents -Children -Siblings	Atmosphere -Sad -Weirdly Happy -Reflective
Themes -Death -Family crisis -Illness -Law	Setting -Beach -Family home	Sound -Voice over -Non-Diegetic music -Emotional	Titles -Simple, all same font -White -Small -Not integrated

At the beginning of this clip it isn't completely clear that the genre of the film is a drama, or in fact a tragedy drama, due to the fact the beginning is mainly a flashback, however as the clip progresses you begin to get an understanding of the genre due to the fact the voice over talks about how she was born to help her sister, then you begin to understand that it is a drama about a family issue. It is very clear that the narrative of this film opening is about a flashback and the character who is reading the voice over reminiscing about her life and experiences. The main character in this film opening is the young girl who is reading the voice over but you get an understand from what she is saying there there is a family situation with two parents and multiple siblings. The overall atmosphere of the film opening is very reflective with mixtures of happiness and sadness, this is because she is reflecting on her life but at the same time sounds upset because of this as well. The main themes of this openings are illness, slight themes of death and mainly an unstable family crisis or situation, you understand this from what the character reading the voice over is saying about why she was born. The setting is very vague but you can see that it is set on a beach and what seems to be the family home. The main sounds in this film opening are a piece of music which goes with the atmosphere of the opening being very reflective and reminiscent, but also the voice over plays a key part in the opening as it sets the tone of the film and also inform the viewer of the back story of that character and their family. The titles used in this openings are very small and basic, they are typically kept in the corners and sides of the shot and not much attention in on them in this opening.

The Social Network (2010)

Genre -Drama	Narrative -Social Networking -Progression of life	Character -College Students -Main Character Male -Ex-Girlfriend	Atmosphere -Anticipation -Sad  -Angry -Frustrated
Themes -Relationships -Break ups	Setting -Bar -College Campus	Sound -Diegetic speech from characters -Non-Diegetic soundtrack played  -Very reflective and emotional	Titles -Simple -Small -Mainly central -Not Integrated

At the start of the clip you are already given an idea that the film maybe in the genre of Drama, this is because of the fact that the two character featured at the start of this clip are having a heated conversation about their lives, this suggests from the beginning that this film is a Drama. The main narratives of this film opening are Social networking, you get this from the title of the film and also a progression of someones life, due to the fact the male in this opening has just broken up with his girlfriend and is moving on with his life, however not very much else happens in this opening so it is unclear what all the narratives are. There are only two main characters in this film opening, which are two young college student, one male and one female, you get this information as it is clear that they are on a college campus. The atmosphere of this film opening is very angry near the start, due to the fight that the two main characters are having, however afterward when the male is walking home, you get a sense of anticipation for the future and rest of the film but also you feel sadness coming from the male character as her has obviously just broken up with his girlfriend. The main themes of this opening are relationships and break-ups, this is because of the two main characters in the beginning of the clip, another theme of this opening is also college life due to the fact it is set in a college campus and in a bar which seems to be inside the college campus also. In this clip there is diegetic speech of the two main characters fighting and arguing in the bar, with chatting behind them. Once the male character has left the bar and makes his way home a piece of non-diegetic music is played, which varies in mood, at points it sounds very sad but at other points it sounds very angry, this helps the audience understand how the character is feeling. The titles used in this piece are very typical of any film, the company who have made the film come up near the beginning, the directors name right at the end and the title of the film near the beginning also. The titles are small and white, although they are hard to read at point, the fact they are white contrasts well with the dark lighting through this opening helping them to stick out more. Also due to the fact the title of the film is in the font and style of the social networking site Facebook, means that a lot of people will recognise this, which will draw the audiences attention.