Evaluation Question 1 for our short film.

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

2. Introduction
The short film I made is called 'April'. It tells the story of twenty-something
computer programmer and self-created hermit, Jim McFarland, and his
relationship with his homemade artificial intelligence. In many ways, it is a
combination of both the science-fiction and independent genres, and as a result
uses, develops and challenges numerous conventions within said genres through
a number of microelements within the film including:
Narrative
Cinematography
Setting
Mise-en-scene.

3. Convention #1 – Binary
Opposition
The first convention that my film explored was that of binary opposition. A majority
of the established classics of the science fiction genre feature some sense of binary
opposition, usually in the form of good versus evil (for example Star Wars, Attack the
Block, Alien.) However, with April, I wanted to explore something deeper - the
question of what makes us human, and the uniqueness of humanity in its
characteristics. Thus, the binary opposition in my film was not good and evil, but
rather organic and synthetic - therefore challenging the conventions of typical
science fiction films.

4. However this also uses and develops the codes and conventions of the science
fiction genre in some ways. For example, Isaac Asimov's seminal masterpiece
I, Robot (and the 2004 film of the same name) explores the concept of
artificial versus organic intelligence, as does Alex Garland's 2015 film Ex
Machina. Indeed, these are both sources of inspiration that I drew upon whilst
writing the script originally, and April shares numerous themes with them.
Both of these films rely upon the idea of the self-awareness of artificial
intelligence and, much like April, explore the consequences of man's
exploration into the field.

5. Convention #2 – Colour
In the post-production stage, I aligned April with the codes and conventions of an
independent film - most notably through the use of washed-out, heavily stylised
colour graded tones. This was done in order to reflect the isolation and depression
of the main character, Jim, as he walks home from work, as well as the times when
he is alone in his apartment. This use of washed-out tones to create such an effect
is notable in various films of the independent genre - notably Edgar Wright's
Shaun of the Dead as well as realist pieces such as Kidulthood and About a Boy.
Indeed, it was to exactly these films that I looked for inspiration during the period
of colour grading, as well as a number of online short films.

6. Convention #3 –
Structure and Character
The structure of the script was also used to develop and use the established codes and
conventions of both the science fiction and independent genres. In most films of both genres,
we see a three act structure consisting of a climax which usually has an immediate, long-
lasting tangible impact on the characters. I attempted to emulate this within my own script.
One of the manners in which I achieved this was painting Jim as an archetypal tragic hero, in
the vein of King Lear for example. His tragic flaw (hamartia) is his loneliness, and it is by this
his fate is sealed. However, in the climactic moment, he realises the folly of his ways, and
attempts to make amends for this via the disconnection of April.
Similarly, the protagonist as a tragic hero is a common convention of both the science fiction
and independent genres - evidenced through the characters of Bruce Banner in The Incredible
Hulk, Dr Jekyll in Jekyll and Hyde and Jeff Brundle in The Fly, who all suffer as a result of their
insatiable greed and curiosity. As is evident then, Jim's character very much uses and develops
already established character conventions throughout the science fiction genre.

7. Convention #4 – Time
The concept and manipulation of time is a majorly important convention within
the genre of science fiction. Many science fiction genres are firmly rooted in a
particular time (for example, Star Wars is "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far
away". However, time (both in setting and in passage) in April is highly
ambiguous, challenging and developing the established convention of the genre.
Indeed, time exists within the film in the same way it does within It Follows -
largely timeless with only certain hints and features rooting it within a timeframe.
The issue of time is also addressed in the editing – cross dissolves and cuts to
black are heavily utilised in April to convey the passage of time. In this way,
then, April can be argued to heavily challenge the conventions of the genre.

8. Poster
When designing the poster, I looked to a great number of posters that had already
been designed for established films within both the science fiction and
independent genres. Most of these posters were very detail heavy, and not always
conducive to a form which would adequately fit the feeling of the film I was
looking to convey. Instead, I chose to defy the established conventions of the
science fiction genre on this point, and instead looked towards more independent
and fan-created posters which people had submitted online. I opted for a more
minimalist approach to the poster design, looking to such independent designers
as Peter Majarich, who ambitiously set out to design one alternative minimalist
poster per day. In this way, we sought to emphasise the unique nature of our
product by challenging and developing the established conventions of the two
genres.

9. Magazine Review
When gathering inspiration for the magazine review, I looked at various issues
of the BFI film magazine, Sight and Sound. Through this, I gathered that
magazine film reviews differed a great deal from their online counterparts -
they were often short, snappy and much more accessible than web reviews,
and were often featured on an A3 spread with a distinctive image from the film
(this was not always the poster). I chose to adhere to and follow this
convention, as it made the most logical sense and was the most realistic option.