evaluation one

1. Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media product?

2. Genre Conventions
The genre of our film was social realism. Some of the conventions we
wanted to incorporate were:
• The use of unknown actors
• Low budgets
• Filming on location
• Use of long shots
• Close ups
• Camera movements
• Use of diegetic sound

3. Did we meet or challenge these conventions?
Laura has had some experience in acting in local theatre productions but no experience in film. By using
Laura we followed the convention of using unknown actors but also found someone with some
experience. This made it easier when it came round to filming as she was still able to understand Milly and
create a realistic version of her. Another part of using unknown actors in social realism, is using actors
with exactly the same/ similar personality to the character they’re playing. An example is in Sweet Sixteen
the director found a local football team and used one the boys in this team as the protagonist, because
the character plays football himself. This created a parallel between fiction and non fiction. I think
something we could potentially improve on was using an actor who is more introverted than extroverted
as this would create a even more realistic representation on introverts, because Laura’s natural
personality is quite extroverted.
Another social realism convention is low budgets. Independents are more focused on the content
rather than profit driven so have a much lower budget than institutions. We spent very little money
for everything as most of the equipment we used we borrowed from different sources. However
when thinking about distribution we decided upon having Warp films and Film4 producing it whilst
StudioCanel UK distributed. We chose this as we knew independent films weren't affluent enough
to vertically integrate, we also looked at marketing below the line using web 2.0 and converged
devices, by marketing things on Facebook and Twitter. Due to the fact we spent little money and
thought of how to distribute effectively on a low budget, I’d say we met this convention.

4. Did we meet or challenge our conventions?
All of our filming was done on location (meaning non of it was done in a studio set)
so was conventional. I think the house itself kept in the genre convention of
characters being not very well off, as the house was quite small and looked like
something a person coming out of university may buy. This meant it gave the
audience a clearer understanding of our characters position and narrative of the
story.
Long shots are a technical convention used in social realism to establish Mise-en-scene and
narrative. This is because they show the character, what they are doing and what’s around
them. Our first shot is an establishing shot of the house with the car pulling up next to it,
you instantly show the setting and how this house is on it’s own in a quiet area, suggesting
isolation. Which links to our theme of introverts as they stereotypically isolate themselves,
the car coming into the shot also denotes Milly is moving into the area.
We also use long shots towards the end as Milly discovers the shed. We used more of
them here so the audience could really pick up on the story and what's happening. It is the
poignant part of our opening, so we wanted our audience to be engaged.

5. Did we meet or challenge our conventions?
Another technical convention are close-ups. Close-ups are used to
capture a characters emotions or feelings. They make things more
personal enabling the audience to connect with the characters. A
majority but not all of our close ups are in the shed scene as Milly
discovers the art. We chose to have them here as we wanted to
capture her key reactions to the things that she sees and how it
affects her emotionally. Due to this we added an extreme close up of
her eyes to really see the change in them and her excitement as she is
taking it all in.
We also used a close to capture Milly’s actions (as she runs her hands
along the paints). We wanted to develop on the idea of using close
ups and tried to do so by not just catching her facial expressions but
her actions, as they are just as important in showing her emotions.

6. Did we challenge or meet our conventions?
• We also used was camera movements (a technical convention). Most
of the camera movements used in the genre are quite simple to
create a realistic atmosphere to the shots. However we challenged
this with our first shot (a pedestal and tilt from the sky to a long shot
of the house as a car pulls in). We chose to challenge this as we
thought it would be a much better way of establishing the area than
just having a long shot where the car pulls in. It clarifies Milly’s
isolation as well as drawing the audience in by creating a suspense.
• With our others shots we met the conventions as they were quite
simple with some tracking used towards the second half of the
opening to show the progression of our character; how her life is
about to change and her excitement for it.

7. Did we meet or challenge our conventions?
• The last genre convention is the use of diegetic sound. The genre is very
realistic so the sound is often diegetic (sounds that are created by the
actors when filming). If music is being played it is meant to be in the time
period it is set, all of this is done to create a sense of total realism.
• We chose to go against this with the idea of using mostly non-diegetic
sound for our opening sequence. We did this as we had no dialogue in the
opening and without any music we felt it would have been very flat and
boring to watch/follow. We feel the music helps gain the audiences
attention by using of soft melodic score setting a mood of loneliness and
melancholy and with crescendos building a dramatic atmosphere of
suspense. It also represents Milly’s emotions and sense of passion that
grows as we progress through the story.

8. Form research conventions
Our form and opening sequence conventions are:
• The order of credits
• Flashbacks
• Narration
• Animation
• Action or chase scene
• The psychological effect of colour and use of it

9. Order of credits
• Opening credits are usually in the following order:
Studio name
Production company name
Film title
Main actors
Supporting actors
Casting director
Music
Editor
Director of photography
Writer
Director I’d say we met this as we based our titles on
this idea.

10. We challenged Flashbacks and Narration
• Flashbacks are a common convention in opening sequences as they are a good
way of establishing the protagonists background or earlier life. We challenge the
use of flashbacks because we have non. We chose this as we felt it wouldn't’t fit
as we are focusing more on her present life and what she is about to discover
compared to what she used to be like. We use the first half of our opening to
establish what she is like and the fact she is an introvert, therefore flashbacks
aren't a necessity.
• Narration is used in a similar way to flashbacks, in that they help tell the
audience about the protagonist and their back story, keeping the audience up to
date what's happened in this characters life. Again we didn't want to focus on
her back story as it would have taken the attention away from the present, and
away from the pinnacle point of her discovering art. Instead we try to establish
her past with use of Mise-en-scene. I believe we could of expanded further on
this, by using photos and different personal items that reflect her past.

11. We challenged animation
and action
• Animation can be a very good way of hinting at the narrative and foreshadowing to the audience
what will happen. A good example of this is Catch Me If You Can’s opening sequence, with a sort
of chase scene through the opening credits involving two cartooned figures. This reflects the
narrative of the story, as it’s about a man constantly on the run from an inspector trying to
uncover the forgery he has committed. Animation can be a very unique selling point and add to
the films identity, it can often be seen in crime and thrillers. We chose not to include animation as
we felt it would set the wrong ambience for our film as it has quite a serious content and
animation main take this seriousness away from it.
• Action and chase scenes are sometimes used in crime and thriller opening
sequences , they are used to instantly grab the audiences attention making them
want to watch and know more. For our audience it would be a good way of
fulfilling their needs according the Maslow's hierarchy of needs as it gives them a
sense of problem solving. However for our genre of social realism it would not fit
or fulfill our narrative.

12. We followed colour conventions
• Colour is used in films to create certain moods, as each colour has different psychological affects
on people. We chose to use colour as it is an important part of art. We felt it would help show the
progression of Milly.
• The colours we focused on were blue, violet, yellow, orange.
• Blue affects us mentally as it calms us aiding concentration. Violet represents introversion and
suppression. We used these colours to suggest her boundaries and mental anxiety. They further
create a calming mood for audiences that reflects her fairly dull life.
• Orange effects us physically and mentally and represents passion and warmth. Yellow effects us
emotionally representing creativity and emotional strength. By using a mix of colours that affect
us physically and mentally it engages the audience creating a happier mood for them. Showing
how art is brightening up Milly’s life.
• We used these colours conventionally. We used the blues and violets, to reflect her life before art;
that its dull and melancholy. Whilst with the oranges and yellows we reflected the happiness and
literal colour art brings to her life during and after she discovers it. We follow the conventions by
using stereotypical colours of happiness and sadness.
• Below you can see a colour barcode for our opening this shows the progression in colour.

13. Applying our theoretical research
• Auteur Theory
Auteur theory addresses the director’s artistic vision and view of how the audience should
react or ‘read’ the film. It focuses on the film’s unique identity.
We discussed using the following approaches:
• Including personal items in our Mise-en-scene.
• Carefully planning storyboards, scripts, shot lists, etc. in order to make the production
smooth and give an elegance to the film.
• A consideration of connotations to make sure we knew what we wanted to tell the
audience and how we wanted them to receive it.
• Close ups to highlight the significance of certain parts of the story to the audience.
• The use of ‘double identities’ to show a contrast between what Milly’s like ordinarily and
what she’s like when she discovers the art equipment.
• The use of colour. We discussed using different filters and colour grades to set the mood
for each scene and show the audience the effect on our character.

14. Auteur cont.
Out of these approaches we focused on the following:
• We used colour to connote different moods of our character. We did this by using warm
and cold colours in certain situations. For example: we used blues at the start to connote
loneliness and the dull nature of her life. Whilst we used yellows and oranges to connote
her passion and ecstasy when she discovers art. By focusing on colour in this way we
personally put our stamp on how we wanted the audience to perceive these parts of our
story. Different colours affect people both physically and mentally.
• As the director I focused on characterisation, trying to achieve a balance between my
vision of ‘Milly’ and Laura’s. I really wanted the character’s emotion to come across to
create a connection between them and audience without having to use any words. I felt
that how ‘Milly’ would be played was important. I would say my auteur is to focus on
the development of character through narrative. I establish Milly through the use of
colour, but then as she changes, so do the colours. I highlight the moment she discovers
who she really wants to be by using techniques that play on the senses, in this case sight
with colour.

15. Applying theoretical research
• Narrative theory
Narrative is the way in which a story is told, the structure of a story. It can tell a story
through a sequence of events. For our film the most relevant theory you could apply is
Todorov’s Equilibrium.
This theory is split into stages like so:
1. Equilibrium – where everything is okay and ordinary (setting the scene)
2. Disruption of the equilibrium/ Disequilbrium – something changes/ goes wrong
3. Recognition of the disruption- realization something's changed/ gone wrong
4. An attempt to repair the damage- protagonist tries to fix it.
5. New equilibrium – problem has been solved, but something's changed.
When applying the theories not all the stages are relevant, this is true for ours if you
applied this theory to our opening sequence.

16. Narrative cont.
• In our opening sequence the equilibrium to begin with is Milly moving into a new house and her just getting to grips with her
surroundings and new home.
• The disequilibrium is then we Milly looks out the window the next morning and sees the shed. Leading her to want to discover more
about it, causing a change in her.
There isn't really a recognition of the disruption or an attempt to repair things, but you could say there's and attempt to do something, to
find out more about this shed and see what’s inside.
• The new equilibrium is her discovering the art equipment. Something that changes her life and taking it down a new path with new
motivations. Preventing it from being dull and worthless.
Binary Oppositions
This is the next theory that you could apply to our opening sequence, it suggests all narratives are based on oppositions. One of the sides
being more desirable than the other. Some examples of this can be:
• Happiness – Depression
• Life – Dullness
• Individual – Society
The other narrative theory is Propp's character types, which says in most narratives some of the characters (hero, villain, the father, the
princess, false hero, the donor, the dispatcher, the helper) will appear. However we can’t really apply all as such because we only have one
character, but the ones we can apply are:
The hero; being Milly our protagonist and the donor; the person who leaves all the art equipment at the house (even though we don’t see
them).

17. Fish Tank
• Fish Tank is a social realism film about a violent 15 year old girl called
Mia Williams. Isolated by society, living with her mum, Joanne, on a
East London council estate. She is a keen hip hop dancer and when
her mum’s new boyfriend, Conor (whom she becomes very close to)
moves in he encourages her to take up the dancing as a career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b93T5l7glsg
This is the link to Fish Tank’s opening sequence.

18. Fish Tank and Shouting Quietly
• The immediate similarities are that both films have female protagonists, that are both
distressed about something. Mia, in Fish Tank, is shown to be distressed about losing her only
friend, Keeley. Whist Milly is distressed and nervous about moving into a new home.
• Even though the context of both productions are different, we still go about the film in the
same way. The types of shots we use are similar. For example types of medium shots are used
to introduce both protagonists. In Fish Tank they use a medium shot. In Shouting Quietly we
use a medium close-up. The use of medium shots give the audience understanding of the
characters moods and feelings, as well as showing what they physical and emotional state.
• The use of tracking is also very similar, for example tracking behind and along side the
protagonists. This gives the audience a clearer view of their surroundings both inside and out,
and helps to build more of a picture of the world each character lives in.
• Both productions also use of over-the-shoulder shots to establish the setting of the
character’s surroundings, and make use of window views. This gives the audience a sense of
looking, with the characters, into their world. In Fish Tank you see the urban, run down
environment of Mia’s home. This suggests the stereotype that working class people live on
council estates and because can’t afford their own housing. This connotes Mia’s social status
and what kind of world she lives in, and establishes her character and stereotypical attributes
(e.g. aggressive) that come with it.
• However in Shouting Quietly it is the semi-rural surroundings that give us insight into Milly’s
world and who she is as a person. She seems very distant from society and also not under
financial strain (she lives in a quiet rural area and has her own car). Social-realism films are
often about working-class citizens living in inner-city areas. Shouting Quietly runs against the
common convention.

19. Fish Tank and Shouting Quietly
• Mia is 15 whilst Milly, by contrast, is 25. This has a big effect on the
maturity of the character and the language they might use. The behavior
of the characters show this in that Mia goes around swearing, looking for
fights and has a aggressive attitude even when she’s just packing her bag.
Whilst Milly is more calm, walks around placidly, and isn’t quickly
swayed. This can be seen when she’s at the table eating and gives little
away.
• Milly is an introvert - one of the main themes of our film. She’s quiet,
reflective and content to be on her own. Mia, by contrast, is an extrovert.
You can see this in the way she behaves around people. She’s confident,
talkative, sassy, aggressive and assertive (all examples of extrovert
stereotypes). Mia’s aggression contrasts with Milly’s passivity.