Critical reflection q1

1. Critical Reflection Q1
How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it
represent social groups or issues?

2. How does your product use or challenge
conventions?
Film opening Conventions
I made a film opening for a new coming-of-age feature
film
TO ANSWER THE QUESTION I WILL EXPLORE THE FOLLOWING CONVENTIONS IN MY FILM
Genre Conventions
Filmic conventions

3. Film Opening Conventions
Use of Voiceovers to introduce character
Use of Idents
Titles and their order
Enigma

4. USE OF VOICE OVER
• In my film opening, I used a voiceover in order to give a backstory to my
character, to introduce the character’s life, in a way, right from the start.
“My film opening voiceover” “Feature Film opening voiceover”

5. USE OF IDENTS
Aesthetic of fire in mind.
The name was inspired by the Latin term “pan”, meaning “all or “everything”,
symbolic of queer identities and the intricacies of them.
Colours the sequential hues of the LGBTQ+ Flag.

6. Use of Titles
• Institutional conventions of titles and their order
• Ending with Director credit
GENDR Titles example
REAL MEDIA TEXT EXAMPLE
CLICK LINK

7. Enigma
• In my film opening, the enigma created is ”what will happen to the
character later on in the film?”. I did this to elicit curiosity from the
audience. The enigma is established in the final dialogue, as my
character prepares to face the world with bravery and confidence. I
want the audience to be captivated by my protagonist enough to care
about what happens to them.

8. Genre Conventions
• The genre of my film is Coming of Age.
• The typical conventions of a Coming of Age film are:
- A focus on psychological growth and an maturity evolution throughout the
course of the film, throughout the transition from adolescence to
adulthood.
- Usually highlighting the daily lives or some type of hardship that comes
along will being a teen.
- Due to the protagonists age, there is a typically a dilemmatic pressure that
they have to overcome by the end of the film.

9. • The focus on psychological growth is set up as my character lives a
somewhat complex life in their identity, which usually leads to
exploration and a realization of sorts.
• The hardship is portrayed through the struggle narrated through the
voiceover played throughout the opening. It documents the daily fear
for the main character of being trans/an identity that isn’t the morn
or popular.
• The dilemmatic pressure isn’t so much about the protagonist’s age,
but rather their expression and appearance. As inferred in the ending
section of dialogue, the pressure is to conform to society’s status quo.

10. Filmic Conventions
• Jump Cuts
• Extreme Close-Up Shots
• Medium Close-Up Shots
• Establishing Shot

11. Jump Cuts
• I used a jump-cut sequence in my film opening in order to speed up
the pace of the footage slightly and add complexity to the piece as a
whole.

12. Extreme Close-Up
• In films and TV, Extreme Close-Ups can be used to create intimacy
with the audience or to display heightened emotions or sensations.
“My Extreme Close-Up” “Feature Film Extreme Close-Up"

13. MCU Shot
• I used a Medium Close-Up during the mirror sequence to show my
character self-motivating during their routine.
“Feature Film Medium Close-Up”“My Medium Close-Up”

14. Establishing Shot
• I used an Establishing Shot in my opening to create more of the world
of the main character, to give the audience a better understanding of
how and where they live.
“Feature Film Establishing Shot”“Feature Film Establishing Shot”

15. How does it represent social groups or
issues?
I created my film opening with the objective of casting positive representation onto
the queer community as a whole, but particularly trans identities and the nuances
that make us unique. My film opening represents a non binary character. This is
evidenced through the element of fluidity displayed throughout the opening. From
the vibrant makeup and bra, to the shaving, my film opening depicts the potential
life of an individual who exists outside of the gender binary. My goal for my film
opening is to portray trans identities as more than just a label, but instead, as
courageous people with the strength and willpower to stand up and fight against
the deafening din of societal opposition.
The mainstream representation of the term “non-binary” is an usually a person
who is overly spiritual and being non-binary is their main plotline, devoid of depth
and backstory. Non-binary people aren’t represented enough in the media, let
alone positively. By showing an alternative look on non-binary identities in my
opening, I am allowing the world to view us with a different, more thought out and
realized outlook.