This document discusses how a student media project utilizes, develops, or challenges conventions of real gangster films. It analyzes the openings of films like "Football Factory" and "Snatch" to inform conventions used in its own two-minute opening. It specifically discusses using conventions like props (clothing, cigarettes), introducing main characters, withholding the storyline, and using appropriate locations while also challenging conventions by considering having a female main character. The document considers how music was difficult to find that fit the genre without overpowering the video.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
conventions of real media products?
From the four different two minute film opening hey help my group
and myself come up with ideas and suggestions how to make our
opening. It also made us think about what props we would and
wouldn’t use and also what types of shots were used in the
openings. There was no extreme close up on a certain character
they used mid shots and longs shot so you was able to establish
who the character/actor was and the location. Within in the
openings as audience you may be able to establish what the
character was doing and where they was too but never what the
storyline was about, from his we decided it would be a good idea to
make sure the two minute opening doesn’t give away the storyline.
From the opening of ‘football factory’ we liked the idea that you
saw the character on the screen going somewhere and it left the
audience with the question of where was they going so we took this
idea and decided to put this in our own opening.

2. Actors
Also from the opening of snatch the
straight away introduce all the main
character within the film and their
own title/nickname from this we
liked the idea we know already who
is main and who isn’t and also who
was who! First we thought that we
would keep our character more
hidden away from the audience so
they wouldn’t see the actors face till
the very end of the two minutes
opening but after filming a few clips
we found it more of a challenge then
we intended. So from the idea of the
snatch opening we thought we
would introduce the main character
and maybe add our own twist of
telling the audience a bit about the
characters back ground.

3. Props
With our opening we have similar to
other as we have used conventions to
show it is a gangster film. We used the
props if clothing in ever clips, and also
the accent of a cockney person. Also
the fact that the main actors are both
men this state that film target
audience may appeal more to men.
What we could do next time to
challenge the convention is maybe
have a female as a main character,
this would also challenge the
conventions of a gangster films.
Another prop we used was having the
shot of a cigarette being stubbed out
on the floor then someone standing
on it, we figured that a stereotypical
view of a gangster film is that they all
smoke in the film or they might smoke
some sort of drug. In the film lock
stock and two smoking barrels at the
beginning they are using the props of
a necklaces as that is what they are
trying to sell.

4. Locations
The location of the film is one of the
main conventions within the film
genre of gangster, they don’t
usually have expensive budget
locations as they use family area’s
that are more rough. This sets the
feeling that something dodgy
could take place as it is the
correct locations. In the film ‘lock
stock’ the opening begins on a
council estate where there is
shops boarded up either they are
shut or they have been broken in
to so they have to be securely
locked, and the main actors are
selling stolen good to the public.

5. Music
Music to match out film genre was hard to find as we needs a
non dialogue song that would just place in the background.
We wanted a piece that had edge to create the scene and add
some tension within the clip. Also at the same time though
not to over power the video. In the films opening we analysis
there was more diegetic music throughout then having a
background song in the background.