Each member of the group focused on a different section of the evaluation and created powerpoint slides and a script to follow alongside.
Below is the script i used whilst presenting in front of the class:
The ways in which our media product uses, challenges or develops forms and conventions of real media products:
• Firstly, our media product commences in the past and tells the story of the main character. This particular convention has been previously seen in films such as A Cinderella Story. We decided to develop this idea as it enabled us to introduce the main character and her story, this was effective as the audience became familiar with her and was able to relate to her story.
• Our decision to use a voiceover was heavily influenced by our findings from the questionnaire we gave to our target audience. We carried out a questionnaire on 20 participants, for the particular question regarding whether a voice over was preferred :
-13 out of the 20 people from our target audience given our questionnaire responded to this question with the answer that they would prefer the film to start in the past
-7 out of the 20 people from our target audience given our questionnaire responded to this question with the answer that they would prefer the film to start in the present
As a group, we decided this convention has various positives and would also enable us to provide our target audience with the best suited opening.
• Secondly, in our media product we included two settings- A rural and urban setting. This convention was necessary in demonstrating the change of places in the film and how it affected our main character. We also used this convention in our film as we have identified it whilst researching other films from the same genre.
HOWEVER, our research from questionnaires provided us with different findings and did not necessarily fit in with our plan for the opening. The most popular setting for this particular genre was a high school setting. As a group, we thought it was necessary to go against this convention as for our main characters story, it was necessary to show the two different settings which emphasized the change in her life and played a major part in allowing the audience to empathize with the character.
• Thirdly, we incorporated a voiceover into our media product which was essential in informing the audience about the main characters story –this is a common feature in teen romance films in order to introduce the key characters, and it helps the audience to recognize who is going to be playing the most important role in the film. This provided an effective opening to our product as the audience then had an insight to the characters life which helped to set up the film without confusion.
• However, as a group, we thought that the voiceover could have been clearer in the sense that the storyline could have been explained in a better way to reduce confusion. For example, the voiceover didn’t necessarily make it clear that the brother had passed away. Then again, the ambiguity of the voice over created a sense of enigma in our product
• Fourthly, we utilized the idea of the theme of death of a family member. This particular theme has been recognized in films such as; Raise your voice, the last song, A Cinderella story etc. In our film, the main characters brother dies which changes her life drastically as she then has to move to a new setting.
• We used a fairly powerful theme in our opening which was again influenced by our research. 14 out of 20 people preferred a rollercoaster of themes to be displayed throughout the film instead of love throughout. By demonstrating the theme of death at the beginning of our opening it clearly showed that our film was suited for our audience as it dealt with a variety of themes rather than just love. We also allocated themes in our plot, such as heartbreak, love, sadness etc. which confirmed that we had taken account of our audiences views and slotted their ideal conventions into our overall product
How our opening relates to other openings from the teen romance genre:
· Effectively introduce Key Characters-
During our research of teen romance openings we recognized that a common feature of introducing the key characters was by using a voiceover which was effective as the audience were able to recognize who was playing the most important role in the film. It also enabled the audience to gain an insight into the characters lifestyle. A number of films used a voiceover in their opening such as; A Cinderella Story, 10 Things I Hate about you etc.
· Effectively Introduce Key Themes-
The voiceover at the start of the film helps to introduce the key themes. For example, at the start of our film, the voiceover of the female character tells the story of her brother, which introduces the theme of dealing with the death of a family member.
How our media product represents different social groups:
Our media product represents the troubled teenager group mainly females, later on in the film the main character is seen as an outcast. However, during the opening, she is revealed as very troubled due to the death of her brother- this issue is clearly illustrated through the use of a voiceover which explains how close she was to her brother and how drastically her life changed when he passed away . We have used various conventions in order to ensure the audience is aware of the social group we are dealing with such as;
· Setting
Through the setting we were able to establish the change in the characters life which led to her becoming very troubled and unhappy. This is represented through the green, family atmosphere at the beginning where she is living a happy lifestyle in contrast to the gloomy, loud city life which is where she ends up due to the families’ problems. This use of setting enabled us to clearly illustrate how the changes in the characters life had made her unhappy, the use of a teenager changing to a different setting and becoming unhappy is frequently seen in the teen romance gene- an example of this is mean girls.
· Gestures
Through facial expressions and gestures we were able to demonstrate how unhappy the main character was- this was effective as the audience were able to identify how much her brother’s death had affected her which helped them to engage with her story and recognize why she was so troubled
Despite our product being influenced by our research for previous conventions, as a group, we decided that although 11 out of 20 people from the questionnaires would rather see non-stereotypical characters in the opening, it would probably be more successful to stick to the stereotypical character conventions associated with the teen romance genre. This is because, we thought it would be significantly difficult to base our plot around different characters that are not normally seen in the specific genre and also it would be difficult to emphasise these characters in the opening. Therefore, we stuck with the use of our main character being the stereotypical “outcast and troubled teenager”
Things we would have changed
- Firstly, the clothing of the main character whilst she was younger is fairly dark and bland. We thought that as we were representing the most happiest days of her life with her brother, it may have been more suitable to use happier, brighter colours in order to emphasise the care-free attitude of both characters while they were together
- Also, the weather and colours are fairly dull in the countryside setting in comparison to when the main character is leaving the house with the sun shining. As a group, we thought it would have probably been more suitable to show the countryside setting as a sunny and happy place when both brother and sister were together ,and then in contrast, to show the sister leaving the house while it is fairly dark and miserable.
