CCR 1, How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues? Foundation Portfolio, https://shimaeel.tumblr.com/

1. HOW DOES YOUR PRODUCT USE OR
CHALLENGE CONVENTIONS AND HOW DOES IT
REPRESENT SOCIAL GROUPS OR ISSUES?

2. 1. How does your product use or challenge conventions
and how does it represent social groups or issues?
◦ Conventions are things the audience expects to see in a media product. In other words, the codes and
conventions are the familiar and predictable forms and techniques used by the media to communicate
certain ideas or to convey a desired impression.
◦ No matter the genre, all films have a set of forms and conventions to follow.
◦ This is primarily done with the audience in mind as when conventions have been established for a
genre, those elements are easy to identify and so the audience can pick and choose their favorite genres.
◦ These forms and conventions don't stay the same forever, however, as they are constantly developing at
least according to Christian Metz who developed the genre characteristics theory.
◦ His studies have shown that there are four phases to the development of a genre, starting with classical,
followed by thriller, parody, and finally, the deconstruction phase; the genre is, at this point, contains
mainly hybrid genres, such as sci-fi thriller films, romantic comedies, etc.

3. ◦ Bal De Promo is a film opening that combines several genres, creating a hybrid between romance,
comedy, drama, and teenage non-fiction.
◦ There are many conventions related to all of these genres, and my film opening both challenges some
of them, and respects others.
◦ One convention that exists in all dramas is the lack of serious representation of real life situations or
stories based on real life events. Curios to see how the audience would deal with the characters, I did
just that.
◦ In dramas, events and emotions are the center of the media text. In my case, the film opening shows
parts of the daily habits of the main character.
◦ Conventions such as the overall dull look, with the cold hue, pink undertones and faded look help
create an appropriate Mise–en-scéne, which is further complimented by the Indie Pop, R&B, music in
the back.
1. How does your product use or challenge conventions
and how does it represent social groups or issues?

4. ◦ One aspect of my film opening that can be seen both as using, and breaking conventions, is the main
character’s room. Her walls are blue, which is not seen as a “feminine” color by society in many parts of the
world.
◦ However, it is only a part of her personality, as she also owns stuffed toys, jewelry, necklaces and other items
that may be deemed traditionally as “objects for girls”.
◦ Bal De Promo breaks several other conventions both artistically and technically. For instance, all the names of
the opening credits are written rather small, and in a cursive font. This is meant to bring as little attention to
the names and keep the audience focused on following and understanding what is happening on screen.
◦ Using small letters for the names also fits the story in a subtle way as it shows that the main character is
insecure, and may not always be in control, now matter how much she hates it, and wants to be.
◦ The various small timed shots help to add a rush in the beginning to show that the character is running late.
Some of the handheld shots help depict that the character is often times uneasy, and faces many struggles.
1. How does your product use or challenge conventions
and how does it represent social groups or issues?

5. ◦ This also makes the social issues and groups represented in my film opening more relatable to the
audiences.
◦ The way she makes her hair twice is a subtle hint towards how she is an anxious perfectionist, who
cares about what other people think about her, and a person who feels the need to be in control.
◦ This also refers to youth in general and how rarely they are helped appropriately, when going through
the most complex and confusing period of their lives.
◦ This again is what vloggers mostly talk about, they raise different personal and social issues about the
young people of today’s society and the struggles they go through, most often alone and unaided.
◦ I did not relate to these social groups with bad connotations in my mind, but with realistic ones.
1. How does your product use or challenge conventions
and how does it represent social groups or issues?