AS Media Coursework 2014

1. Question 1
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?

2. When producing our film Thanatos, we reviewed a wide
range of film types and in particular focused on science
fiction movies. We considered a number of key areas and
how these could or would be used to develop or
challenge us when following traditional forms and
conventions of science fiction. These included genre, plot,
music and titles.Our media product is in the genre of
science fiction and we used different methods based on
current media products to help portray this to the
audience. This helped me to understand the importance
of the development and conventions that work
successfully.

3. I researched five films of a similar genre and used particular
features from them and developed these for my own use. To
portray our genre we needed to use both natural and artificial
lighting to create a tense mood and at times using it to draw
attention to important areas of interest. Our plot was based
on typical codes and conventions of sci-fi films, such as the
Village (M. Night Shyamalan). This plot has many similarities to
Thanatos such as the remnants of the human race being left in
the inner city whilst surrounded by extra terrestrial creatures.

4. Our sound choice needed to build a restless
atmosphere so we created our own sound via Garage
Band and used a variety of steady, repetitive beats and
a range of eerie and sinister effects. Research into the
titles of this genre demonstrated their importance.
Following my research I realised that often a straight
forward simplistic and understated approach can be
more successful. Our completed film stays true for
most conventions of sci-fi film. The forms used in
typical media products are used in Thanatos to ensure
we successfully portrayed the story of our film.

5. Question 2
How does your media project
represent particular social
groups

6. In Thanatos we focused on a family group, adolescents and adult
groups. The family group was represented by one girl (Sorcha)
who is in search of her lost sister. The protagonist leaves the
city in pursuit of her sister although this is not established within
the introduction of 'Thanatos' as the opening sets up the
backround and immersion into the world whilst the main body
of the film builds up the characters objectives after the audience
has been firmly immersed into the atmosphere of the film.

7. She is an independent, headstrong individual who is
able to overcome hardships and is good at thinking
outside the box. These features would resonate
with teenagers and adolescents. Her fierce
personality and understated outfits present her as
an independent strong survivalist. Many adults
could relate this as today's society can be very
competitive, busy and challenging.

8. Social class is suggested in the film through the
selected film locations such as at the church and in
Sorcha's house. The audience are shown Sorcha
trying to run away and leave the city through our use
of parallel editing. The audience are however left
wondering what challenges she will face and if her
mission will be successful. Using the voice over
editing technique, the 'founder' speaks with authority
further intriguing our social groups and making the
film very appealing.