This document summarizes key elements of the media product's opening scene that convey comedy and drama conventions. It describes the main character as socially awkward with an unattractive appearance meant for humor. Camera shots start mid-body to hide the face and build suspense, then close-up when revealed. Lighting starts dim but gets brighter to match her improving mood. Sounds like a screeching cat and party music are added for comedy, while the character hurts herself trying to pluck her unibrow.

1. My media product conveys the conventions of comedy and drama.
• Character types – In our film opening we only have one character, our actress
is quite intelligent however has a dopey personality and isn't very sociable. She
is clothed very plainly with a blue coat and white t-shirt with black leggings. She
has her hair in two messy pigtails ( a stereotypical hairstyle of a social
outcast/nerd) Comedy is emphasized because she is smart but very socially
awkward and unaware of social boundaries with “normal” people. She is also
very “accident prone” towards the ending of the opening scene she decides to
pluck her monobrow, however manages to poke herself in the eye, this
conveys comedy as the audience immediately know they cannot take her
seriously and gives them a reason to laugh at her.
• Camera shots – The camera is very natural following the movements and
actions of our character. We used a mid shot for most of the opening scene as
for the first 90 seconds we decided not reveal the characters face to the
audience to build up suspense but most importantly give the a shock when her
face is revealed as part of the humour. When her face was revealed to the
audience we used a close up onto her face to emphasize her unattractiveness.
We represented this using typical teenage disfigurements such as acne and
glasses, she was also made to be very hairy with a monobrow and a

2. • Lighting – At the beginning of the opening scene the colours are light as it is in the
daytime but also quite dim to show verisimilitude and conform to how she’s feeling
from her tone in the voice over. However, as she walks through her hallway the
colours become more yellow as it gets lighter and so does her mood. In the
bathroom when her face is revealed to the audience, we use high lighting and there
is also natural sunlight coming from the window in her bathroom. These bright clear
colours allow the audience to feel joyful and humorous as the light juxtaposes with
her mixed emotions.
• Sound and editing – Using the comedy genre I think sound is the most important
convention as it determines whether the audience laugh or not. While editing we
added in a lot of sound, for example while she is sitting on her bed stroking the cat
during the voice over, we added in a screeching cat sound effect. This is a sign to
the audience not to take her too seriously and while she complains about having no
friends or company at that point even her cat rejects her making it more comedic.
Also we added in some background music while she was in the bathroom to a more
hype party song relating to our target audience, a song teenage girls would all
recognise. We used the soundtrack Azealia – 212 as a stimuli for our characters
transformation. On the other hand it becomes comedic as she is very clumsy and
ends up hurting herself in the process. Other sounds where edited in such as the
title in the blackscreen before her face is revealed, we used a drop-out of the words
of our title “Buttaz” to match the sound of smashed glass dropping to the floor. This
was inspired by the insult of being so ugly when you looked in the mirror it cracked.
A common comedy trope, especially in western animation, a character's ugliness is
frequently conveyed by her smiling into a mirror, and the mirror cracks as a result. A

3. I would compare our media product to the teen comedy
Juno. Juno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by
Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page
stars as the main character, an independent-minded
teenager who find herself In a complicated situation with
an unplanned pregnancy.
In this scene of Juno, the main characters are in a confrontation. I can
compare the lighting here to this scene in the film opening Buttaz where a
high lighting has been used which juxtaposes the characters feelings. He feels
confused and upset that he's girlfriends mad at him. In Buttaz she feels
confused and frustrated at the world.

4. As part of Mise-en-scene
character facial codes are
really important to express how
they feel to the audience. In
this scene of Juno she looks
nervous and worried whereas
in Buttaz our character is
displeased and disappointed at
what she sees in the mirror.
However although in different
situations both characters
conform to typical teenage
stereotypes. Juno being
irresponsible and careless for
getting pregnant and our
character is insecure and self-
conscious about herself giving
a negative representation of
young people.

5. In both these shots a
big zoom has been
used to allow the
audience to
concentrate on the
characters faces and it
allows them to get
close to the actors so
that they almost feel
involved in what is
happening. As it is an
opening scene in
Buttaz this shot type,
introduces the audience
to the main character.