MOVIE: FACES
BY AYLA ZAMAN TAREEN
 Through out the making of my movie “faces” I
have used a number of conventions in order to
show the Drama Genre. I have shown his through
the use of various camera shots, music, storyline
and I have also used a reverse video effect in the
climax of the film. Conventions of the drama genre
include having stories that show real-life situations
with realistic characters and the purpose of such
stories is to present something which the audience
can relate to. I have used many conventions of the
drama genre such as using dim lights to symbolize
the darker period of a fake friendship, and have
shot the first half of the movie in day light to show
the period when everything seems alright amongst
the two main characters. Furthermore I have used
different soundtracks everytime the situation
changes. This further builds tension In the
movie and keeps the audience engaged with
the movie till the end. It wont be wrong to say
that my short film as an element of the thriller
genre as the mystery through out the movie
attracts more attention. One keeps guessing the
story till the very end.
I have also used a one worded title for my short
film “faces” which describes the main idea of
the film which is to show how everyone has
different faces and may not be what they seem
like. I have used a one-worded title similar to
movies like taken, The revenant, Heat, Zipper,
Waves etc.
Futhermore, I have used the conventions of the
drama genre by using dull lighting, close ups,
low-angle and high-angle shots to portray the
strengths and weaknesses of the characters.
Such low angle shots are also used in many
movies like spiderman.
 Typical props of the drama genre are drugs,
alcohol, cigarettes which I have shown in my
short film, which is again a use of the
conventions. A drama film is typically a drama
film because of the way it makes the audience
relate to the story and I think that my story is
something everyone will be able to relate to as
everyone has faced this problem of fake friends
in their lives.
 The soundtracks in my short amplify the whole
situation and makes It more interesting for
people to watch. However usually in such
movies the antagonist is a male but in my short
film the antagonist is a female, here I have
again challenged the conventions.
I have used the reverse video effect to create a more
dramatic look and have shown the past with a
black and white effect. This is again a use of
conventions.
I have used the fast forward effect as also used in
many drama thriller movies like wicker park,
paranormal activity, final destination etc to create
a more dramatic effect. There is a lot of suspense in
my movie as the plot takes an uncertain twist
towards the end, which is also similar to what
happens in the drama movies. However I feel that
the use of masks to symbolize different faces of
people is a unique and new idea which may serve
as a unique selling point for my short film.
Like other drama movies I have used music which
further creates suspense leaving the audience
curious to watch the movie till the very end.
All in all I think that I have both used and
challenged conventions in my short film. Used
them to attract the audiences who are a fan of
the typical drama movies at the same time
challenging conventions to keep the audience
engaged with the film till the very end. Also
since my storyline is extremely realistic, people
will relate more to it and hence I hope the
storyline will appreciated as well. Fake
friendships are so common nowadays and my
short film gives a social message to everyone
about being careful while choosing friends, and
to be aware of two faced friends as they may
backstab you.
The protagonist in my movie is a character with
whom a lot of people will be able to relate to,
this is also a convention of the drama genre.
Plot twists, realism, emotional peaks are some
other conventions I have used in the movie.
An important element of a drama movie is
suspense, giving the viewers uncertainty and
adrenaline rush making them more curious to
watch the movie. My movie scene is a
combination of mystery, curiosity and realism.
My short film basically shows a normal Asian
teenage girl dealing with the problem of
friendship in life and how to overcome her
loneliness she gets blinded by how her friend
kept poisoning her.
Having said this, I can say that my short film not
only portrays the problem of two faced people
but also shows the basic problem faced by all
teenagers, as they are innocent and immature
they must always be very careful. Further I
have used extreme close ups as used in many
other movies to show the expressions in a
better way.
Also I have challenged the conventions as my
movie is a silent film unlike other movies.
Branding is an important element for the success of a
particular media product. I intend to create a
synergy throughout three of my production works
a short film, a film festival invite and a webpage in
order to market my short film ‘faces’. The role of
post cards in the marketing of a film is extremely
important. The post card is an invite of a film
festival where my film will be screening. Te invite
is for the Toronto international film festival and I
have used a specific picture in every element to
market my movie in a unique way. Through this I
have created a sense of branding as I have used
that particular image as a USP to promote my
short film. The connotation behind this image
Is that its bright, lively, attractive and also covers
the main idea of my entire short film ‘faces’.
This is also portrayed in the webpage and the
postcard.
Furthermore I have mainly used black and white
colors and Cambria font for the movie name
and descriptions in the short film, webpage
and the post card.
As I made my website I wanted to continue
linking my elements hence as backgrounds for
the webpage I used stills from the short film
itself, and continued with the same black and
white color theme, this further created a link
amongst my production works.
When creating my products I made sure to create
a brand for the audience, In order to promote it
in a more efficient manner. That branding style
will serve as a unique selling point for my short
film, marketed through the post card and the
webpage. To do so I have used similar color
themes( black and white), similar pictures, and
similar fonts in my production works so that
they all are somehow linked together and can
be promoted in a more effective style. I feel that
this brings a sense of branding in the
promotion of the film and when everything is
linked like this products can be promoted and
marketed in a more efficient manner.
The storyline for my short film is something which I
have made so that people can relate to it easily. My
story revolves around fake friendships and two
faced people which is such a common problem
nowadays and as most of the people, specifically
teenagers undergo this issue, my target audience
will be people aged 14-25 as I feel that people of
this age-group will relate to the story more easily.
However I wouldn’t say that its not suitable for
younger or older people as it is a drama movie and
has such explicit scenes, but I do feel that it might
destroy the outlook of friendship on the younger
lot hence I would prefer teenagers to watch it. My
short film also has no dialogues hence it may be
Difficult for younger people to understand the
main purpose of the story.
If I were to pick a distribution company I would
like universal studios to distribute my film as I
think they are ready to distribute both high
budget and low budget films, and are very well-
known. Their name alone is a big way of
promoting a film as it is one of hollywoods big
six production companies.
I would also like to distribute my film through
DVDs as I feel my movie targets a wider
audience and I’ll be able to cater that audience
more easily through DVDs. Furthermore I
think that as my movie is meant for a wider
age-group the risk for failure will be rather
limited as some age group will definitely be
able to relate to this since I have exhibited a
very common social issue people face hence I
would prefer a medium accessible to more
people. However being distributed by
universal studios has its own pros, its name can
be used as a promotional strategy itself hence
we may be able to cut down on our marketing
budget.
I would also like my movie to be distributed
online through dailymotion and youtube as I
feel that such platforms are accessed by
teenagers easily, and teenagers being my target
audience, I would prefer a platform which is
makes this movie easy to watch by a wider
range of people.
I feel that I have really developed my production
skills through out the making of this short film
“faces”. Firstly I learned about properly using
technical stuff like a tripod, how to pan, how to
zoom the camera while panning the tripod,
how to properly use a digital camera with
different features. I learned about editing the
movie through windows movie maker, how to
use different visual effects, fast forward effect,
animations etc. I created a reverse video effect
for the climax of my video through
stupeflix.com. I learned how to make a blog
Through websites such as blogspot, wordpress. I
learned how to upload videos on vimeo,
youtube etc. I used different sound effects
through mp3 skull, sound bible and audio
micro for my short film as I feel that music is
the soul of a movie and adds more energy to it.
Furthermore I created a post card for my short
film in order to promote it through an app
called photogrid. I used the same theme colors
for all my production pieces and linked them
through similar pictures.
I also learned how to make a webpage for my
shortfilm, I had never created a webpage
before so it was something entirely new for me
I created a website through wix.com. It was
complicated at first but eventually I got
through it and again created the webpage with
a similar theme as of the postcard and the short
film, I also used pictures from the short film as
wallpapers and background pictures for the
webpage.
I used google and dailymotion to search for
soundtracks that best fit the scenes of my short
film. My film didn’t have any dialogues hence
it was crucial to portray the scenes with the
right type of music hence I used google to
search for the soundtracks that best fit the
scenes so that their meaning can be easily
portrayed.
What I have learned through out the making of
this film is that everything I interlinked to
create a final project . In order to execute a
movie in a proper manner you need to
integrate all the technologies, first shoot a film,
edit it, research for music and then execute it.
In my work I have also made a webpage and
A postcard which gave a clearer idea of how films
are promoted and marketed through such
mediums and how one must make use of all
such mediums in order to make a successful
film. I used the camera Canon 700D to shoot
the video with the help of a tripod. My camera
is easy to use and handle, gives amazing
results, and isnt heavy so I can use it with or
without the tripod easily.
Sites like wordpress, vimeo and blogspot not only
helped me upload and submit my projects but
they also helped me keep track of my work.
I have used white
colored font to
type details about
my short film, as I
have done so in
every part of my
portfolio.
Furthermore I
have used
cambria font type
to write faces in
the post card just
like I have in the
webpage and
shortfilm.
I have used a very catchy picture to
advertise my short film, its very
different hence it would make the
audience curious to watch the film.
I also chose a very artsy background to
point towards the film festival my short
film is featuring at. People will easily
know that it is a film festival invite
because of the background.
I have added the
directors name so
that the people who
already have
watched and liked
the directors work,
will come watch
the short film too.
Its another way of
advertising my
short film “faces”
Furthermore I have also
added the name of the
lead actors so that their
fan following audiences
are also attracted to
watch the movie. For
their picture I have used
stills from the short film
itself to give a hint about
their get ups in the film.
I have used different
fonts and colors to
write the name and
details of the film
festival so that the
white color and
cambria type of font
used for the movies
details stays different
and attractive.
Other details about the short
film featuring at the film festival
are also given right beneath the
actors name so that it can not be
missed, and more people are
able the watch it. Its duration is
also written so that people are
aware of what type of movie
they are going to watch.

FACES

  • 1.
  • 2.
     Through outthe making of my movie “faces” I have used a number of conventions in order to show the Drama Genre. I have shown his through the use of various camera shots, music, storyline and I have also used a reverse video effect in the climax of the film. Conventions of the drama genre include having stories that show real-life situations with realistic characters and the purpose of such stories is to present something which the audience can relate to. I have used many conventions of the drama genre such as using dim lights to symbolize the darker period of a fake friendship, and have shot the first half of the movie in day light to show the period when everything seems alright amongst the two main characters. Furthermore I have used different soundtracks everytime the situation
  • 3.
    changes. This furtherbuilds tension In the movie and keeps the audience engaged with the movie till the end. It wont be wrong to say that my short film as an element of the thriller genre as the mystery through out the movie attracts more attention. One keeps guessing the story till the very end. I have also used a one worded title for my short film “faces” which describes the main idea of the film which is to show how everyone has different faces and may not be what they seem like. I have used a one-worded title similar to movies like taken, The revenant, Heat, Zipper, Waves etc.
  • 5.
    Futhermore, I haveused the conventions of the drama genre by using dull lighting, close ups, low-angle and high-angle shots to portray the strengths and weaknesses of the characters. Such low angle shots are also used in many movies like spiderman.
  • 6.
     Typical propsof the drama genre are drugs, alcohol, cigarettes which I have shown in my short film, which is again a use of the conventions. A drama film is typically a drama film because of the way it makes the audience relate to the story and I think that my story is something everyone will be able to relate to as everyone has faced this problem of fake friends in their lives.  The soundtracks in my short amplify the whole situation and makes It more interesting for people to watch. However usually in such movies the antagonist is a male but in my short film the antagonist is a female, here I have again challenged the conventions.
  • 7.
    I have usedthe reverse video effect to create a more dramatic look and have shown the past with a black and white effect. This is again a use of conventions. I have used the fast forward effect as also used in many drama thriller movies like wicker park, paranormal activity, final destination etc to create a more dramatic effect. There is a lot of suspense in my movie as the plot takes an uncertain twist towards the end, which is also similar to what happens in the drama movies. However I feel that the use of masks to symbolize different faces of people is a unique and new idea which may serve as a unique selling point for my short film. Like other drama movies I have used music which further creates suspense leaving the audience curious to watch the movie till the very end.
  • 8.
    All in allI think that I have both used and challenged conventions in my short film. Used them to attract the audiences who are a fan of the typical drama movies at the same time challenging conventions to keep the audience engaged with the film till the very end. Also since my storyline is extremely realistic, people will relate more to it and hence I hope the storyline will appreciated as well. Fake friendships are so common nowadays and my short film gives a social message to everyone about being careful while choosing friends, and to be aware of two faced friends as they may backstab you.
  • 9.
    The protagonist inmy movie is a character with whom a lot of people will be able to relate to, this is also a convention of the drama genre. Plot twists, realism, emotional peaks are some other conventions I have used in the movie. An important element of a drama movie is suspense, giving the viewers uncertainty and adrenaline rush making them more curious to watch the movie. My movie scene is a combination of mystery, curiosity and realism. My short film basically shows a normal Asian teenage girl dealing with the problem of friendship in life and how to overcome her loneliness she gets blinded by how her friend kept poisoning her.
  • 10.
    Having said this,I can say that my short film not only portrays the problem of two faced people but also shows the basic problem faced by all teenagers, as they are innocent and immature they must always be very careful. Further I have used extreme close ups as used in many other movies to show the expressions in a better way. Also I have challenged the conventions as my movie is a silent film unlike other movies.
  • 11.
    Branding is animportant element for the success of a particular media product. I intend to create a synergy throughout three of my production works a short film, a film festival invite and a webpage in order to market my short film ‘faces’. The role of post cards in the marketing of a film is extremely important. The post card is an invite of a film festival where my film will be screening. Te invite is for the Toronto international film festival and I have used a specific picture in every element to market my movie in a unique way. Through this I have created a sense of branding as I have used that particular image as a USP to promote my short film. The connotation behind this image
  • 12.
    Is that itsbright, lively, attractive and also covers the main idea of my entire short film ‘faces’. This is also portrayed in the webpage and the postcard. Furthermore I have mainly used black and white colors and Cambria font for the movie name and descriptions in the short film, webpage and the post card. As I made my website I wanted to continue linking my elements hence as backgrounds for the webpage I used stills from the short film itself, and continued with the same black and white color theme, this further created a link amongst my production works.
  • 14.
    When creating myproducts I made sure to create a brand for the audience, In order to promote it in a more efficient manner. That branding style will serve as a unique selling point for my short film, marketed through the post card and the webpage. To do so I have used similar color themes( black and white), similar pictures, and similar fonts in my production works so that they all are somehow linked together and can be promoted in a more effective style. I feel that this brings a sense of branding in the promotion of the film and when everything is linked like this products can be promoted and marketed in a more efficient manner.
  • 15.
    The storyline formy short film is something which I have made so that people can relate to it easily. My story revolves around fake friendships and two faced people which is such a common problem nowadays and as most of the people, specifically teenagers undergo this issue, my target audience will be people aged 14-25 as I feel that people of this age-group will relate to the story more easily. However I wouldn’t say that its not suitable for younger or older people as it is a drama movie and has such explicit scenes, but I do feel that it might destroy the outlook of friendship on the younger lot hence I would prefer teenagers to watch it. My short film also has no dialogues hence it may be
  • 16.
    Difficult for youngerpeople to understand the main purpose of the story. If I were to pick a distribution company I would like universal studios to distribute my film as I think they are ready to distribute both high budget and low budget films, and are very well- known. Their name alone is a big way of promoting a film as it is one of hollywoods big six production companies.
  • 17.
    I would alsolike to distribute my film through DVDs as I feel my movie targets a wider audience and I’ll be able to cater that audience more easily through DVDs. Furthermore I think that as my movie is meant for a wider age-group the risk for failure will be rather limited as some age group will definitely be able to relate to this since I have exhibited a very common social issue people face hence I would prefer a medium accessible to more people. However being distributed by universal studios has its own pros, its name can be used as a promotional strategy itself hence we may be able to cut down on our marketing budget.
  • 18.
    I would alsolike my movie to be distributed online through dailymotion and youtube as I feel that such platforms are accessed by teenagers easily, and teenagers being my target audience, I would prefer a platform which is makes this movie easy to watch by a wider range of people.
  • 19.
    I feel thatI have really developed my production skills through out the making of this short film “faces”. Firstly I learned about properly using technical stuff like a tripod, how to pan, how to zoom the camera while panning the tripod, how to properly use a digital camera with different features. I learned about editing the movie through windows movie maker, how to use different visual effects, fast forward effect, animations etc. I created a reverse video effect for the climax of my video through stupeflix.com. I learned how to make a blog
  • 20.
    Through websites suchas blogspot, wordpress. I learned how to upload videos on vimeo, youtube etc. I used different sound effects through mp3 skull, sound bible and audio micro for my short film as I feel that music is the soul of a movie and adds more energy to it. Furthermore I created a post card for my short film in order to promote it through an app called photogrid. I used the same theme colors for all my production pieces and linked them through similar pictures. I also learned how to make a webpage for my shortfilm, I had never created a webpage before so it was something entirely new for me
  • 21.
    I created awebsite through wix.com. It was complicated at first but eventually I got through it and again created the webpage with a similar theme as of the postcard and the short film, I also used pictures from the short film as wallpapers and background pictures for the webpage.
  • 22.
    I used googleand dailymotion to search for soundtracks that best fit the scenes of my short film. My film didn’t have any dialogues hence it was crucial to portray the scenes with the right type of music hence I used google to search for the soundtracks that best fit the scenes so that their meaning can be easily portrayed. What I have learned through out the making of this film is that everything I interlinked to create a final project . In order to execute a movie in a proper manner you need to integrate all the technologies, first shoot a film, edit it, research for music and then execute it. In my work I have also made a webpage and
  • 23.
    A postcard whichgave a clearer idea of how films are promoted and marketed through such mediums and how one must make use of all such mediums in order to make a successful film. I used the camera Canon 700D to shoot the video with the help of a tripod. My camera is easy to use and handle, gives amazing results, and isnt heavy so I can use it with or without the tripod easily. Sites like wordpress, vimeo and blogspot not only helped me upload and submit my projects but they also helped me keep track of my work.
  • 24.
    I have usedwhite colored font to type details about my short film, as I have done so in every part of my portfolio. Furthermore I have used cambria font type to write faces in the post card just like I have in the webpage and shortfilm. I have used a very catchy picture to advertise my short film, its very different hence it would make the audience curious to watch the film. I also chose a very artsy background to point towards the film festival my short film is featuring at. People will easily know that it is a film festival invite because of the background.
  • 25.
    I have addedthe directors name so that the people who already have watched and liked the directors work, will come watch the short film too. Its another way of advertising my short film “faces” Furthermore I have also added the name of the lead actors so that their fan following audiences are also attracted to watch the movie. For their picture I have used stills from the short film itself to give a hint about their get ups in the film. I have used different fonts and colors to write the name and details of the film festival so that the white color and cambria type of font used for the movies details stays different and attractive. Other details about the short film featuring at the film festival are also given right beneath the actors name so that it can not be missed, and more people are able the watch it. Its duration is also written so that people are aware of what type of movie they are going to watch.