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

2. Conventions of comedy films
• Bright places like towns and cities, in populated places mostly and
filmed during the day.
• Locations are usually schools for teen comedies, for social comedies
locations would be shot most likely in bars and homes.
• Mostly natural camera work and medium shots to show facial
expressions.
• Funny dialogue, edited sounds to create humour.
• High key lighting.
• Socially awkward characters/smart people and quite ‘idiotic’
characters (accident prone).
• Subgenres e.g. Romance
• Exaggerated acting, lots of props that are used to create the humour.
• Comedy themes – slap stick, parody, rom-coms, screw ball comedy
and anarchic comedy.

3. Our film
In order to pursue the
comedy conventions we
set the main locations in a
house and a high school.
All scenes were filmed
during the day time and
we used comical theme
music in order to create
humour. The teacher
(George Donnelly)
portrayed quite ‘idiotic’
gestures e.g. when he
trips and all his papers
blow away.
Our short film’s
subgenre is social
realism which makes
it not the typical
subgenre most
comedies are which
is romance.

4. Our filmWe put the credits as part of
the film by finding a creative
way to present the cast and
crew. Putting modern
upbeat background music
made the scene become
light hearted and fun.
We did not follow the typical convention of
film titles fitting with the film and giving
hints as to what the film might be about.
We used a bold and simple title.
We filmed during the day to achieve
the comedy conventions of bright
populated locations. Here shows a
simple pavement near the school.

5. Our filmIn our film we didn’t depend on
the dialogue in order to create
humour instead we used
comedic gestures. This screen
shot shows when George trips
on the pavement making it look
clumsy and silly.
Medium shots and close ups to
show their facial expressions.
Teen comedies are well known for
being located in schools, because we
wanted to follow through these
conventions, we set the film in school
in most of the scenes. Other scenes
were located in a home

6. Our film
In order to portray the
comical ‘idiotic’ and silly
character, in this scene
George tries to kick the
ball but misses, which
creates humour for the
audience because of the
know fact kicking a ball
isn’t really that hard.
In contrast we harry
played a more serious
character compared to be
silly and ‘idiotic’
characters which are
typically portrayed. Harry
played the moody
teenager and this screen
shot shows harry getting
told off.

7. Our film
We edited in speech bubbles to the
birthday scenes. The speech
bubbles helped to give a comical
effect and also informed the
audience what the characters wish
is.
We included a twist for
the audience. When
George realises he no
longer feels himself
anymore after the wish
he begins to look
nervous and starts to
panic it creates enigma
for the audience and
makes the audience
curious to find out what
happens next.

8. Film poster
My film poster conveys the typical conventions of a film
poster because it has a title, a tag line, credit block,
release date and company logos. Like any other film
poster, mine includes the main characters to show
audiences who is starring in it. The purpose of the tag line
is to give audiences hints to what the film could be about.
One of my tag lines is a rhetorical question, this gets the
audience to think about what the film could be about. This
makes them want to go to see the film.
My film poster relates to the comedy genre
because its bright and the title follows the
theme of the film which is based around
birthdays.

9. Poster examples
All these posters follow
the key conventions
which is portrayed in my
film poster.
e.g. main characters,
tag lines, credit
blocks and the
release date.

10. Film review
My film review follows with the typical conventions
of the Little White Lie film magazine because of the
unique rating system they use which I have
adapted on my review, a picture from the film so the
reader is informed who the main characters are,
and also the release date, directed by and starring
all put underneath the title which is below the
image.
I also used pink for the font to show that my review
is based on the style of Little White Lies as they
use pink font throughout the magazine
In my film review I used a lot of adjectives and
metaphors to give the text more enthusiasm as the
reader reads the review. I also used film language to
stick with the convention of it being a film review.

11. Examples of film reviews