The document summarizes the filmmaking techniques and conventions used in the student film "Angel Bird". It discusses how the film establishes characters, builds tension, and subverts expectations through the use of point-of-view shots, changes in lighting, costume design, and props to hint that the main character has traveled back in time rather than to another world as expected in the fantasy genre. Key clues like cassette tapes and a newspaper revealing the date help reveal to the audience and main character that she has traveled back to the 1970s.

1. QUESTION 1: IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS
AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL LIFE MEDIA PRODUCTS?
ANGEL BIRD
PART 2
Here is a link to our production:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGn0_tGAPm4

2. The first thing that our film
started with was the
production company name
as every professional short
film we analysed had this.
Our title was white as it stood out
against the black background and
represented the innocence of our
protagonist in contrast to her dark
situation. The glow conforms to
convention as it highlights the
genre of fantasy.
The score music playing
was upbeat yet calm,
signifying a dramatic start
to our production.

3. The POV shot was used
first to grab our audience’s
attention and create a fast
paced urgent atmosphere.
Diegetic breathing added
to the atmosphere and
created an enigma code
as the audience want to
know who the character is
and what they’re running
away from. This type of
scene is conventional to
the fantasy genre.

4. The contrast between the
calm nature of this pan
and the urgency of the
previous POV shot further
intrigues the audience.
The continued switching
between POV shots and
pans builds tension as the
audience’s questions
aren’t being answered.

5. The blurred point of view
shot here shows Alexa
desperately trying to
open her door to escape
from the bullies. The
diegetic breathing
highlights her panic and
helps the audience
sympathise with her.
Here we inserted the
diegetic rattling sound of
the keys to create a
verisimilitude and
emphasise the realism.

6. When we switched to this
shot, the sound changed
from Alexa’s breathing, to
a non diegetic slow
paced, piano score. It
showed the change in
location as Alexa feels
safer in her house.
The non diegetic score
music also emphasises her
sadness and helps the
audience sympathise with
our main character.

7. Throughout this sequence
of shots, we showed both
Alexa and the bullies as
they got closer to her.
This emphasised the
seriousness of her
situation and built tension
before the time travel
occurred, highlighting the
fantasy genre.
This shot highlighted the
contrast between the calm
nature of the environment
(the flowers) and the fast
paced running of the
bullies.

8. This establishing shot sets the scene
and shows the audience Alexa’s
house. We did this to show the
audience the fact that she is a normal
teenager to help them empathise with
her and to highlight the fact that this is
a normal environment to increase the
surprise of the time travel that will
occur later in the short film.

9. This close up shot shows Alexa as
she has just entered the house. This
close up shot shows her distress and
highlights the sub genre of drama to
our audience. In the shot her
expression of fear helps the audience
sympathise with her.

10. This high angle shot
represents Alexa’s
vulnerability and further
establishes the inside of her
house. The fact that the
foreground of the shot has
high key lightening shows the
safety of the location Alexa
will entering later in the
narrative.

11. We decided to include
this shot as it fits with
the darker side of the
drama genre. The low
key lighting
connotates the danger
that the bullies
represent. This is
further highlighted by
the diegetic sound
present in this shot,
created by the bullies
banging the bats
threateningly on the
door.

12. This shot is present before
Alexa is shown running up the
stairs. The high key lighting
represents her current safety
in the house and is a
convention of the fantasy
genre.

13. This is an experimental shot
that we used which
represented Alexa’s
desperation to get to the safety
of her room, as shown by the
focus on her feet.

14. This close up shot
is the first in Alexa’s
room and focuses
on her facial
expression which
connotates her
relief. The shot also
shows the blood left
on her face which
represents the
danger that she was
in and helps the
audience
sympathise with our
protagonist.

15. We then switched back to a
POV shot accompanied by
diegetic sound of the bullies
shouting at Alexa from
outside her house. This
creates a juxtaposition to the
beginning of our short film
when we used a point of view
shot when Alexa was running
away from the bullies
outside. This connotates that
the house may not be as
safe as Alexa hoped.

16. The low key lighting here
again reflects the present
danger that Alexa is in and
highlights her desperation to
escape. This challenges the
forms of the fantasy genre
where high key lighting is
typically used. The high
angle nature of the shot also
connotates Alexa’s
vulnerability.

17. This point of view shot shows
the inside of Alexa’s wardrobe
before she climbs inside. We
deliberately showed this to
highlight the fact that it is just
a normal wardrobe. This
allowed us to subvert the
audience’s expectations by
having Alexa travel back in
time.
Additionally, this reflects the
inspiration we gained from a
real life media product- Narnia:
the Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe.

18. We used a foot shot before Alexa climbed into the wardrobe to show a link between Alexa’s
emotions in both foot shots we used. In the first foot shot she was running away to somewhere she
thought was safe, similarly here she is trying to achieve this safety by climbing into her wardrobe.

19. We used slow motion in this
shot to build tension before
Alexa travelled back in time.
Additionally, we wanted to
slow the pace slightly to show
the contrast between the
situation she is presently in
with the bullies chasing her,
to the safety and calm of the
environment she will be
travelling to.

20. This time portal after effect
was used to further highlight
the fact that Alexa travelled
back in time. We also used
this to address the convention
of special effects within the
fantasy genre. As we didn’t
have access to CGI, we
decided to use this after
effect as it reflected the genre
well.

21. This is the first shot that we
show after Alexa has travelled
back in time. It builds tension
and is mysterious for the
audience as the only thing
they see is the sky which
creates an enigma code as to
where Alexa is.
The light blue sky represents
the fact that even though the
audience don’t know where
Alexa is, she is safe. We used
a dream filter on the garden
scenes to further emphasise
the change in location.
Here the diegetic sound changes to
birds tweeting and a church bell ringing.
This further connotates the change of
setting and the safety of the new
location Alexa has entered.

22. This is the first shot of Alexa
once she has changed
location. The audience are
immediately drawn to her hair
and costume which has clearly
changed, creating more
unanswered questions holding
the audience’s attention.
The diegetic sound changes once again
to include an old fashioned sounding
song. This is the first hint that Alexa has
travelled back in time and not to another
world (as expected in the fantasy
genre).

23. As director, I got the inspiration for this
shot from a real life media product from
a contrasting genre. I thought that it
fitted well here as it disorientates the
audience which helps them connect to
Alexa’s confusion.

24. We used a point of view shot here to
further help the audience empathise with
our protagonist as they see the new
environment through Alexa’s eyes.

25. Within the POV shot, Alexa’s
attention is drawn to some objects
sitting on the picnic blanket. This
again hints at the fact that Alexa
has travelled back in time and not to
another world, subverting the
audience's expectations of the
fantasy genre. Additionally, the fact
that these objects are old
fashioned, helps create a
verisimilitude within this scene.

26. This extreme close up of Alexa’s eyes allows us to use an eyeline match to the old fashioned objects she is looking
at. We go back to the extreme close up of her eyes in between the shots of the various objects. The fast nature of
these shots helps represent Alexa’s confusion and panic at the situation.

27. As director, I wanted to focus the
audience’s attention on the props that
we had used to highlight the specific
time period. At this point some of our
audience may be trying to work out
what year she has travelled back to.

28. These audio cassette tapes would give
our audience a further clue as to what
time period Alexa has travelled back to,
especially if they recognise the artists
shown on the cover work of the tapes.

29. This shot teases the audience as there
is a newspaper in shot on which they
are unable to see the date. This keeps
their attention as it hints that this may be
an important prop further on in the
sequence.

30. Here we used a close up to clearly show
the confused expression on Alexa’s
face. This is confirmed by her diegetic
dialogue as she asks where she is.

31. We used a shot reverse shot whilst the
characters are having a conversation as
this is typical to any genre. We used a
mid shot of Clarissa as it allows the
audience to not only see more of the
location, but it also draws attention to
Clarissa’s costume.

32. This shot reveals to the audience Alexa’s full costume
and may provide further hints as to what time period
she is in. However, it also shows her facial expression
which still represents her confusion at the situation she
has found herself in.

33. In this shot we used a panning motion
when Clarissa hands Alexa the
newspaper. The fact that they both had
their hands on the newspaper at one
point connects the two characters and
foreshadows their friendship that will
grow in the sequence.

34. In this close up shot we alleviate some
of the audience’s curiosity as this
answers some of their questions (ie:
what time period Alexa has travelled
to), but leaves them with more
questions to keep them engaged, such
as how she ended up in this unusual
environment.

35. Here we used an over
the shoulder shot to
show Alexa’s shocked
reaction to the date on
the newspaper. This is
further highlighted by
her diegetic dialogue.
In the next few shots,
the atmosphere of
confusion continues
until Clarissa offers her
explanation of what
has happened.

36. This shot shows Alexa’s reaction to
Clarissa suggesting that the scenes
prior to the time travel may have been
a dream. At this point, the audience do
not know whether what Clarissa has
suggested is true. This keeps them
engaged as they want to find out the
truth. This allows them to empathise
with Alexa as is she is clearly as
unsure of the situation as they are.

37. We used a cutaway shot of
a flower to represent the
change in atmosphere
between the girls as Alexa
begins to feel more
comfortable. The flower’s
original colour is red before
the filter was applied,
showing that the danger
Alexa found herself in has
faded as her environment
changed.

38. After the
cutaway, the
diegetic music
changes to
another song of
the time period.
The song here
replaces the
dialogue
between the girls
to show time
passing. This two
shot, showing
Alexa’s more
relaxed position,
emphasises how
Alexa has gotten
to know Clarissa
and is now more
comfortable in
her
surroundings.

39. To further highlight the fact
that time was passing, we
cut to close up shots of the
objects shown at the
beginning of the scene.
This shot shows the
change in amount of Coke
left in the bottles, implying
that Alexa and Clarissa
have shared a drink during
their picnic, further
emphasising that time has
passed.

40. Again, the fact that one
sandwich is missing clearly
shows that time has
passed and the girls have
grown closer.

41. This high angle two shot
shows the relaxed manner
of the girls. We wanted to
make it a two shot to
represent their closeness
after the time had passed.

42. This shot shows Clarissa giving Alexa the box containing
the friendship bracelets for her birthday, re-emphasising
the growing friendship between the characters.

43. This high angle shot,
shows the audience, for
the first time, Clarissa’s
vulnerability as she is
anxious as to whether
Alexa will like the friendship
bracelets. This helps the
audience connect to
Clarissa’s character and
builds slight tension as
they are unaware how
Alexa will react.

44. We faded to this shot to again show that time
is passing. This is shown by the fact that the
girls have changed position and are now
wearing the friendship bracelets. Alexa
looking at the cassette tape shows that she
has accepted the new environment but is still
curious.

45. This cuts from the previous
shot to show time has
passed. The girls have
again changed position and
Alexa is studying another
part of the environment.
This gives the audience
time to reflect on the events
of the garden scene.

46. Over the past few shots we
have shown the girls getting
closer, representing their
growing friendship. Here
Alexa is showing Clarissa
something she has read,
emphasising the fact that
she now trusts and is
comfortable with her.

47. The close up shot of the
empty plate signifies just how
much time as passed.

48. This high angle shot of
Alexa foreshadows the fact
that her vulnerability will be
present again once she
has travelled back to the
present day. She is shown
yawning, which is further
highlighted by her non
diegetic voiceover in which
she describes how she
feels drowsy. This keeps
the audience gripped as
they don’t know what is
about to happen.

49. The fact that we showed
this shot of the sky before
Alexa re-enters the time
portal, hints to the audience
what is about to happen, as
this was the first shot we
showed when Alexa
travelled back in time.

50. The reappearance of the
time portal again conforms
to the conventions of the
fantasy genre and highlights
the fact that Alexa is
travelling back to the
present day.

51. At the beginning of this
shot a non diegetic
piano score plays which
creates an atmosphere
of mystery. We mirrored
the slow motion shot of
when Alexa climbed into
the wardrobe, indicating
that these events are
linked.

52. This shot of Alexa’s legs
dangling out of the
wardrobe represents her in
a childlike and vulnerable
manner. The low key
lighting foreshadows the
fact that she is going to find
herself in danger again.

53. We used this shot of
Alexa climbing out of
the wardrobe to show
the audience the
clothes behind her.
This again
emphasises the fact
that it is a normal
wardrobe and creates
an enigma code for
the audience as they
are unaware of how
she travelled back in
time.

54. The shot from inside the
wardrobe shows Alexa’s
confusion as to what has
just happened. It also
confirms the fact that there
is nothing unusual about
the wardrobe like Alexa
suspects.
At the end of this shot the
diegetic score music builds
in speed, creating tension
as the voices of the bullies
are heard outside. This
reaffirms the danger that
Alexa is in.

55. We used this shot as it
deliberately shows that
Alexa is still wearing the
bracelet, hinting to the
audience that the events of
the garden scene weren’t a
dream. This puts the
audience in a more
informed position than
Alexa as she still is unsure
of what has happened.

56. In this shot the audience
see the bullies again, re-
emphasising the danger
that Alexa is in. This is
connotated by their dark
clothing (presenting them
as the antagonists) and the
bats connotating violence.
At the end of this shot, a
diegetic voice is heard
telling the bullies to go
away. As the audience don’t
see who this voice belongs
to it creates another enigma
code and keeps them
gripped.

57. This extreme close up of Alexa’s eyes
following the bullies leaving creates
tension as the audience have to wait to
see who the voice in the previous shot
belonged to.

58. This is the first shot in
which the audience see
who the mystery voice
potentially belongs to. The
over the shoulder shot
confuses the audience as
they haven't seen this
character before, so
therefore wonder how she
can play such a large part
in the narrative.

59. A close up here was used
to show the older woman
waving to Alexa and
wearing the friendship
bracelet. This reveals to the
audience the twist in our
narrative, that she is in fact
Clarissa in the present day.

60. In this shot, the dialogue in
Alexa’s non diegetic
voiceover confirms that the
older woman is Clarissa.
We did this in case some
audience members missed
the reference to the older
woman wearing the
bracelet. Additionally, to
confirm this and link the
two characters together,
we showed Alexa wearing
the friendship bracelet.

61. The last shot of our short
film is a slow motion shot of
Clarissa walking away. This
gives the audience time to
reflect on the themes of our
production and twist in the
narrative.