2. In what ways does your
media product use, develop
or challenge forms of
conventions of real media
products?
3. In my short film I used, developed and challenged forms of conventions of real media
products as this is shown through my early stages of planning. At the start of my A2
coursework I had a definite idea of what my short film was going to be about as the
American TV series ‘Glee’ inspired me to direct/produce/write a drama on a boy who feels
uncomfortable in his own body. I felt the need to make a short film that will educate young
people on issues that are not often talked about. At first my genre was going to be a drama
but later on after class feedback I decided to change my genre to a documentary based
drama as my tutor thought my ideas could make a raising awareness film. This genre was
decided by me as most of my class mates chose either a thriller, horror or a comedy so I
decided to make a film that would challenge me but also the audience as my film would be
something different to watch. I carried out a questionnaire in October to ask opinions on
what other people would like to watch. Most of them chose drama, documentary, thriller
and horror. I chose to do a documentary based drama as it was more realistic for me in
order of props as I did not have a film budget. I would say my short film does feature
elements of horror and thriller as the music suggests suspense. Also, the ending of my film
is when the protagonist decides to end his life however, I have two endings which the
audience gets to decide. As my film contains disturbing images because of the knife and
blood it could also be listed as a thriller/horror genre as the music adds to this.
4. Mise en scene:
ParkSchool Bedroom
Kitchen
Bathroom
My short film has five locations which I made obvious by using the school and park for my
bullying scene. The bedroom was used for my character to reflect upon himself and to make
his big decision on who he wants to be. My kitchen scene was when the main character
searches for a knife but failed to kill himself so the bathroom scene is used to pick up on that
and that is where he sadly decides to end his life but there is a twist as the audience decides
whether he lives on or dies. I met the convention of short films by using mise en scene to
identify the location the character was in as ‘Ronan’s Escape’ uses this convention. In the
park natural lighting was used as I filmed in the afternoon at lunch time. The weather was
perfect for my film as there was snow and mist to emphasis on the storyline of a school boy
being bullied for questioning his gender. This adds to the suspense. In the
school, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, room lighting was used so the mise en scene was
clear to the audience but also made filming easier for me. Throughout my film the characters
wore casual clothes as they are typical students that go to sixth form. I took props and setting
into consideration as this short film was meant to be naturalistic as the audience is meant to
believe that this happens in reality. The protagonist in this film is a school boy therefore, his
costume was to wear casual clothes. It is shown in the kitchen scene that my main character
is at home because his costume is to wear his pyjamas. This also tells the audience what
time it is. In the bathroom scene the protagonist has shorts on as he felt more comfortable in
them whilst he was in the bath. However, this may not have been realistic as the bath scene
happens straight after the kitchen scene and he had different clothes on in both scenes.
5. MCU- Medium Close-up
CU- Close-up
BCU- Big Close-up
Similarly, to my case
study ‘Ronan’s Escape’
I used the convention
of close-ups to draw
the viewer closer and
involve them in what is
happening. This also
influenced my decision
of using the convention
of non-diegetic
sound throughout the
whole film that matched
the scenes, as close
ups and other
variations observe
reactions and
emotions. In this case it
was worry and
pressure on the
protagonist. This shot is
often used to the main
character‟s advantage
as it positions the
audience with Shazad.
6. POV- Point of View Shot
I also used the POV shot on
Shazad‟s pair of heels to
create meaning as Shazad is
in a position of choosing his
identity, it also sums up the
context of the film. I used the
POV shot where Shazad is
holding the knife as he is
caught in between making
his decision of life and death.
This shot enhances a sense
of realism and the audience
involvement in the short film.
I used the POV shot to
juxtapose life and
death, male and female. This
is a convention used by short
films as in ‘Ronan’s Escape’
the case study I
analysed, Ronan is also
stuck in between making the
decision of his death. The
bird shown at the start
creates importance as Ronan
sees him dead towards the
end of the short film and
decides to kill himself too.
Establishing Shot
The establishing shot is another convention of short films. I used the establishing shot on my reverse shot
to show that Shazad was outside as he was in the park where he got bullied. This shot is normally used
to start a film or a scene. However, I challenged the conventions as I used a reverse shot so I closed my
scene with the establishing shot. This shot shows the whole view but also, establishes the relationship
between the set/location and the characters.
7. High-Angle ShotLow-Angle Shot Long Shot
Another convention of short films I used was a low-angle shot when Shazad was praying, this could suggest how Shazad is in power at
this point as his belief in God may have made him stronger hence the low-angle shot. The light behind Shazad is used to my advantage as
it could show there is hope. However, a high-angle shot is used again when Shazad has nearly finished praying maybe, to suggest how
Shazad is still isolated and how his religion is against gender change which is why I decided to use a praying scene. Also, how weak he is
at this point as he may look vulnerable. Similarly, in ‘Ronan’s Escape’ when Ronan gets hit with the ball he falls to the floor and looks
powerless to the bully. In my short film I used a long shot to set the scene as this is another convention used in ‘Ronan’s Escape’. My long
shot sets the bullying scene in my short film in the reverse shot.
CU- Close-Up
In the praying scene I may have developed forms of
conventions as I used a close-up shot of Shazad‟s feet on
the prayer mat then I tilted the camera up to Shazad to show
his face. This creates meaning as the audience come to
know Shazad‟s strong belief in God even though he may be
questioning his own identity as they see his facial
expression.
8. Zoom/Reverse Zoom &
Hand-Held Shot
I used the camera technique zoom/reverse zoom to move in to Shazad whilst he was wearing
makeup, this is so the audience are focusing on Shazad as Shazia as that is what he calls himself. To
fit with the zoom/reverse zoom I used a convention of documentaries called the hand-held shot.
However, I developed and challenged this technique as I stood still whilst holding the camera but as I
zoomed in the shot was shaky. This is so the audience know that this is a home footage added to the
documentary of Shazad wearing makeup. It also gives the scene a more realistic feeling and makes
the audience feel apart of the scene. I think this was great as I wanted to make my short film look
realistic.
9. Editing:
Along with mise en scene and camera shots, editing is
essential as the different techniques add to the genre of the
film but also, makes the film more clearer for the audience to
follow. At the start of my short film I used a close-up, black
and white shot of Shazad in the bath. I used this shot before
the reverse shot as this is giving away the story because in
the end of my short film Shazad is in the bath tub laying
dead. I made this black and white so it stands out from the
rest of my film as this is significant because the short film is
about Shazad‟s decision. The black and white edit
emphasises the fact that he is dead, so the audience may
want to know why as this creates interest and questions in
the viewers minds. After this shot I used my reverse shot
which is a convention for short films as short films only last
up to 5 minutes, so to speed the process up you fast forward
it. My reverse shot shows how Shazad got into the bath tub
as it shows the bullying scene which was shot in the school
and park. My editing was done on iMovie, where I could
choose from several other effects. For my reverse shot I
chose an effect which leaves everything cloudy around it to
make it stand out. It also shows the audience this is a
reverse shot as it is different from the other edits I have used
in my short film.
Reverse Shot
Black & white
10. I used several other edits when Shazad was deciding whether he should cut himself again as
the cuts on his arm suggest he has already been down this road. I made the box scene much
more brighter as it could suggest it is his dream to become a girl. As soon as the shot goes
back to its normal colour, this could mean how he is back in reality and he knows it cannot
happen. On the knife scene I used the x-ray effect but decided to change it to the sci-fi effect to
add to the thriller and suspense of the shot as Shazad is about to cut himself once again. The
cuts that were drawn on with Halloween makeup also stand out so the audience know that this
is not Shazad‟s first time he has cut himself. After Shazad makes his decision of putting the
knife back in the drawer, I use the slow motion effect to suggest that there could be hope as
the drawer slowly closes. I also use the vignette edit which makes the shot look high definition
but, it also emphasises the slow motion effect I used as it stands out.
Brightness higher Sci-Fi Slow Motion
Vignette
11. Transitions:
I also used several transitions to fit with the
editing for e.g. the fade to black transition at
the end of my reverse shot. I used the sliding
transition to reveal another scene or the text I
wrote on the screen. By using the transitions I
have used conventions of raising
awareness/documentary films as I stated
statistics and facts about people that have
gender issues but also, helped with the
storyline.
The black background adds to the darkness of the
film. It also foreshadows death.
12. Title
Contact details
Scrolling credits
I used the same font throughout the
whole film as this was my house
style. I also started the film with a
grey background to suggest what
life has been like for Shazad as it
suggests darkness. My short film
uses conventions from the short film
I studied ‘Ronans Escape’ as both
films have a basic, similar font and
white font colour, which could
suggest there is very little hope. My
title challenges and develops
conventions of real media products
as my title fades and eventually
disappears.
I used conventions of real media products as I have scrolling credits at the end
which have the same house style as the transitions used in my short film. This is
similar to ‘Ronan’s Escape’. Both films also have contact details to raise
awareness which is another convention used by documentaries.
13. My film challenges conventions of short
films as I let the audience decide the
ending. I first show Shazad dead then I
ask the audience a question and then
show another shot of Shazad sputtering
the water out of his mouth. I do this to
develop conventions of a short film as I
want to get the audience involved. After I
show Shazad dead, it looks like it is the
end of the film but I put a transition in with
the question. This is so the audience
could sympathise with Shazad as he dies.
But, when Shazad recovers in the end the
audience know this is something that
could be stopped as it is so easy to stop
the bullying and instead help people that
are in this situation.
Happy Ending:
14. Film Review: I only chose three pictures from my short film
as too much pictures would give the plot
away as my short film only lasts up to 4
minutes.
To separate
the three
images I used
a black
border, also
keeping in
mind my
house style of
red, black and
white. The
bigger picture
has a smaller
border and
the smaller
pictures has a
bigger border
to maintain a
professional
look.
I used a convention of
every magazine of
having a double page
article with three
columns.
Another convention of films is to have
a rating, release date, director, cast
and running time at the bottom of the
page.
I used the conventions of a tabloid magazine by highlighting
keywords in red and sticking quotes around my columns.
The colours red and white also makes my film review look
like it is from a tabloid magazine. I also used the colour red
for the subheading.
I challenged conventions by
making my main picture go
on the second page.
The reviewers name, page
number and website are
essential for a film review as I
am using conventions.
I have used a
black border
as it is my
house style
but also to
make my
review stand
out and
making it look
more
professional.
I parted my
two pages
down the
middle with a
red line to
show it is a
double
page, this is
another
convention
used on
double page
reviews.
15. Poster:
Another convention of a film poster is to have a tagline at
the top of your poster that sums up your whole story. As my
story is about a boy getting bullied because of his gender
confusion I summed up my story by using “Every Struggle is
a Step”.
Another convention for posters I came across was to have the
company name, director/producer and cast at the bottom in
capital letters but not so it stands out too much.
I used a shot from the reverse shot
when Shazad is walking into the park.
The picture also goes with the tagline
which makes it memorable. Shazad
stands out in the picture as he is in
colour as I faded the background on
photoshop. This is to suggest how his
confusion stands out and is noticed by
everyone hence him being in colour
however, nobody seems to think of it
as a big issue. The picture also
suggests his importance, not only to
the film but to the world, as everyone
matters no matter what your personal
issues are. Shazad walking with his
head down shows how anxious he is
to face the world as the bullies are just
waiting for him on the other side of the
park. The dull picture also tells
Shazad‟s story and how dull his life is
at the moment. The picture also goes
with the genre as my poster is not too
„Hollywood‟. It is quite simplistic which
makes it easier for the consumer to
know that it is a documentary based
drama as it shows the realism of the
plot.
Making the release date stand out is another convention
used in film posters. I have developed this convention by
using red as the font colour on the dull poster.
My house style has remained the same throughout my
products. This is a convention used by film companies so the
consumers can identify the products. I used film company
logos as this is a convention used on film posters, but I used
the certificate of the film to challenge conventions.
16. On the bottom of the poster ‘Inception’
it tells you the director/producer and
cast name which is a similar way I did
my poster as it is a convention used on
film posters.
I based my short film on a real charity called
„The Gender Trust‟ as I used contact details
at the end of the film. This is so if anyone has
been affected by anything they have seen in
the short film they contact this charity. I also
used the logo on the bottom of the poster. I
think this is developing conventions as I have
based my short film on a charity that actually
exists. I challenged conventions by using this
logo on the bottom of my poster, which
makes it unique from other posters.
My review page is similar to ‘Spider-Man 2’
as both are from tabloid magazines. The
borders are quite similar too, which
suggests how I have used conventions
from a real media product.
This is the original image I used for the poster. I used photoshop to make the background black and white, I also enhanced
Shazad‟s colour so it makes him stand out. It also shows how he is in a black and white world and how everything around him
is dead as everyone is against him and his decision. The picture also fits with the storyline of the short film.
17. How effective is the combination
of your main product and
ancillary tasks?
18. I made my film review and poster to compliment my short film as films are made to make a profit. To
make a profit you need to advertise your film in the best way possible to attract your target audience.
Films are marketed by trailers, posters and film reviews.
Along with my main product which was a short film, I made two ancillary tasks which was a film
review and a poster. For the film to be successful you need to make the poster eye-catching by
adding an image, usually of the protagonist in the film. A film poster usually contains the title of the
film, a tagline that best describes the whole film, your cast, director and producers name. Logos of
the companies that produced and distributed your product at the bottom of your poster and the
release date of the film to tell the consumer when the film is available to watch is also ideal. The
second ancillary task I made was a film review. A film review usually compliments or criticises your
film. At least one image should be used on your review and at most three images should be
used, but one image should always be bigger, usually of the protagonist. A review should contain the
title of the film, a star rating and the review. Some reviews can have the release
date, certificate, running time of the film and directors and cast name. The main source of synergy in
my products is the protagonist as he is in my review and poster. In my short film there are loads of
close-up shots and mid shots of the main character. In my review I used images of the character
when he is sitting on his bed, wearing makeup and being bullied at school. In my poster I have used
an establishing shot of Shazad walking into the park as he is the only thing that is in colour in the
poster. On the other side of the park you can see the two bullies. To use further synergy in my
products I used the same font type as this helps the audience to identify that this is one product.
23. Feedback before finished product:
I designed a questionnaire on word
before I made my short film to get
audience feedback of who my target
audience is. However, I already had an
idea of what I am going to be doing
before I handed my questionnaire out.
I handed out nine questionnaires that were eight
questions long. The majority of people chose the
genres documentary and drama hence my final
decision. Some picked thriller and horror. This is
why I decided to have a suicide scene in my
short film. My target audience was from 12 years
to 26 years and most people preferred a short
film that lasts 2-5 minutes.
24. Feedback after finished product:
•Likes the narrative and message behind my
short film. Also, liked the editing and detail.
Thought I could improve on the sound by
adding dialogue.
•Likes the editing and the message behind my
short film.
•Likes the cast and editing.
•Thought the two endings were good.
Overall, I am happy with my audience feedback
as I wanted to get my message across and I did
which is something I am proud off. However, I
could have improved on the sound by adding
dialogue.
25. How did you use new media
technologies in the construction
and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
26. Construction:
To shoot my short film I used a Philips flip cam. I think the flip cam was easy to
use as it has a USB attached to the camera so uploading footage onto the
iMac was easy for me. The camera is also small so I always had it in my
bag, so whenever I felt like shooting a scene or using it for establishing shots
it was easy to access. The camera quality was good and I am happy with the
picture quality my short film has. Unfortunately, the sound quality was not too
good hence the reason I do not have dialogue in my short film. As I was
shooting my bullying scene at lunchtime, it got quite noisy so the dialogue I
had planned to use for my bullying scene did not work out.
At times I used the tri-pod, e.g. for long shots and establishing shots. I found
the tri-pod tricky to adjust to as when I first started to use it I could not place
the camera on properly but as time went by I adjusted to it. I did not use the
tri-pod much as for my documentary based drama it was not necessary
because a convention of documentaries is to have a hand-held camera such
as raw home footage to give it a naturalistic look. The tri-pod was hard to carry
around when shooting my film as it is quite big in size so it was not accessible
to me at all times.
27. I used new media technologies throughout my A2 Media coursework. For construction I used the
iMovie software on the iMac for editing as this was a big part of making my short film. Editing and
sound contributed towards my short film as in order to make a film of my storyline you needed
transitions, sounds, effects and text. A significant part of my short film was the reverse shot which
showed the bullying scene, without this edit the storyline would not have made sense. It took me
time to get used to this editing technique but, I got the hang of it. Also, in order to create a
narrative that makes sense you have to split the clip and delete footage you no longer need. As my
short film had no dialogue, sound was crucial so I used iMovie for my sound, but it also added to
the suspense as it was easier to identify that my short film is a drama. My short film is a raising
awareness film so text and transitions were important, as I wrote facts about gender confusion and
made it blend in with the shots to keep my short film looking professional. Text was also vital for
the title at the start and the credits at the end as this is a convention used by short films. I believe I
have improved my skills on construction as last year my Media class was given a group project of
making a music video. The only edit I knew was how to split and delete clips so I think making my
short film on iMovie has advanced my skills on how to use iMovie. Unfortunately, I had no access
to iMovie at home, I think this was the only down side to it.
28. For my ancillary tasks to design a film review and a poster I used
Adobe Photoshop. I think this is great to use for posers and reviews
as you can edit on Photoshop by adding effects to pictures and also
adding text. Fortunately, I had access to Photoshop at home so I
could edit my film review and poster whenever I wanted to. I am
also familiar with Photoshop as I designed a magazine
cover, contents page and double page article for my AS Media
coursework. However, I did watch YouTube tutorials to help me with
my black and white background effect on my poster.
29. Research:
Research played an important part
in my production of making my
short film, as it allowed me to
research other short films of
different kinds of genres that I
could use to help me. It also
helped me to watch iMovie tutorials
as I was new to using iMovie so I
had to watch a tutorial on my
reverse shot to help me. I analysed
three case studies by embedding
the short films into Blogger, this
gave me a wide range of ideas to
choose from. For my film review
and poster I used YouTube to
research effects that I could use to
give them a professional look.
30. I used Google to research film reviews and posters as it helped
with using conventions. Google was helpful when I came to
researching a charity for gender. I came across a charity called
„Gender Trust‟. This made my short film in to a raising
awareness film as I used the contact details in the end of the
film, this is also a convention for documentaries. Google played
a big role in research as my short film needed a lot of
background research on gender issues. I researched different
kinds of questions that I could use for my questionnaire that I
distributed earlier in the course.
I used word to type up questionnaires which I distributed before
making my short film. This was to find my target audience and
tell me which genre suits what age range.
31. Blogger helped me keep up to date with my research and planning of my short film, film review
and poster. With Blogger everything is online and electronic so there was no need to carry
around paperwork with you. Blogger helped me create an up to date profile of my work and
told me what pace I was going at. The dates also helped me as I was going along, as I knew
when I made my treatment, shooting schedule, character profile and case studies. It also
shows the changes I made on my treatment, shooting schedule and character profile later on
as I developed more ideas. Using Blogger made my work more organised and easy to access
from home and school as all I needed to do was log into my Gmail so I could make changes as
I was going along. Blogger made it easy to insert pictures, videos and embed videos from
YouTube. Everyone‟s blog is personalised as you change the design that suits you best, I think
this was ideal as everything appears to be more creative. Additionally, Blogger was easy for my
tutor to access as she kept a tab on our work and kept us up to date as we were going along. I
also looked at other Media students blogs to help out with other ideas I could use on my blog.
Planning:
32. For my casting I used Facebook as it
is a popular social networking site. I
used this site to make an event that
would inform people about the
auditions. After making this event I
got a few responses then I picked out
the people I thought would fit the role.
I picked out a Drama Student called
Atique Hussain to play the main
character as I thought he was
appropriate to play this role due to the
experience of acting he has already
got. I also picked out four people that
I thought would fit the role of the
bullies. I picked out four of Atique
Hussain‟s friends as I thought he
would feel comfortable acting around
them. I chose Zara Zahid, Sabah
Younis, Haleema Parveen and Sarah
Tariq. I also were going to use my
aunty and uncle to play the role of the
parents but later on I made some
adjustments and used three bullies
and no parents.
33. Evaluation:
I discovered a website
called prezi.com which
allows you to create
presentations more
creatively. However, I
discovered this website
when I had done my
evaluation. I prefer
prezi.com over powerpoint
as it allows you to embed
the link into Blogger unlike
powerpoint which I struggled
with. For my case studies I
did not use powerpoint as I
knew I would not be able to
send my powerpoint to
Blogger so instead I
embedded short films into
Blogger and analysed them
there. I uploaded my
evaluation into prezi.com so
I can copy the link anywhere
I want so anyone can view
my presentation.
34. I decided to use Slide Share instead of prezi.com because when
I embedded my prezi into Blogger it was quite slow. I looked at
some other A2 Media students blogs to see what they used for
their evaluation and Slide Share was quite popular. Slide Share
was also faster than prezi so I uploaded my presentation onto
Slide Share and embedded the link into Blogger.
35. I used YouTube again so I can get
feedback on my finished product. My
comments were positive however, nearly
everyone wrote how I could improve my
short film too. I also used YouTube so I
could embed my short film into Blogger
along with my other finished products.
